Cava, a chain of over 400 Mediterranean fast-casual restaurants, opened their first location in Ohio about a month ago. I have successfully been twice, and stopped by a couple of other times, but found the line too long. My recommendation, while the place is still overwhelmed with people trying it out for the first time, is to place your order online for carryout. Even still, the wait time for online orders can be long, but the food is worth it!

Bowl #1

Each time I created my own greens and grains bowl ($11.15) with falafel as the main. Each bowl comes with a choice of 5 greens and 3 grains. Also, you get a choice of up to 3 of 6 dips. I recommend the crazy feta for sure! And then come the unlimited fresh toppings like fiery broccoli, salt-brined pickles, and Persian cucumber. Top it all with up to 2 dressings like the hot harissa vinaigrette or lemon herb tahini.

Bowl #2

Everything is super fresh, and I love having multiple vegetarian options. There are a variety of signature dishes if you are overwhelmed by the number of options available. But I really do like building my own creation, and I feel that you can’t really go wrong.

Happy New Year! Below is the list of cities I visited in 2025 with at least one night spent in each place.

• Snowshoe, West Virginia *
• Cincinnati, Ohio *
• Seven Springs, Pennsylvania
• Turin, Italy
• Sestriere, Italy
• Big Sky, Montana
• Columbus, Ohio *
• Cocoa Beach, Florida
• Williamstown, Kentucky *
• Findlay, Ohio
• Lakeside, Ohio
• Baltimore, Maryland
• Ocean City, Maryland
• Logan, Ohio

* Those cities marked with an asterisk were visited multiple times on non-consecutive days.

See also: 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006

Simon Pure Mediterranean Kitchen is one of a dozen food options at The Gatherall inside Factory 52. I recently tried their falafel pita sandwich featuring a freshly baked pita pocket filled with lettuce, onion, tomato, mint, cucumber, hummus, tahini sauce, and 3 homemade falafel ($11.95).  The falafel was good, and the toppings were all fresh and tasty.

Falafel Pita Sandwich

The sandwiches are served with pita chips, which I did not realize while ordering. I added a side of fries for $3.95, but you could probably skip, as the sandwich with chips was filling enough.

Fries

After attending a nearby activity, my wife, daughter, and I found our way to Cedar for dinner. Traditionally a brunch spot, their hours have recently been expanded to offer dinner three nights a week (Thursday – Saturday).

Spicy Candied Sprouts

We started with the spicy candied sprouts, a wonderful combination of roasted Brussel Sprouts, hot honey, spicy candied bacon, and served with house-made ranch ($11). These were definitely spicy, but were very tasty and a wonderful dish to share as an appetizer.

Chicken & Waffles

The ladies shared the chicken & waffles, a large plate of fried chicken, served on a house waffle, with hot honey, spicy candied bacon, butter, and powdered sugar ($19). This featured some of the same ingredients as the sprouts, but was a much sweeter dish thanks to the sugar and waffles. They were very happy with the choice, and this is available on both the brunch and dinner menus.

Greek Chicken Wrap

I ordered the Greek chicken wrap with shredded chicken, hummus, pickled red onions, cucumber, feta, and cilantro vinaigrette, all wrapped in naan bread and served with house-cut fries ($16). This was really good, and I especially liked the tangy cilantro vinaigrette sauce. The fries were also very good. This dish is also available on both the brunch and dinner menus.

HangOverEasy is a small, local Ohio chain of brunch diners, founded in Columbus and currently operating in a half-dozen locations. They feature a full bar and a menu full of hearty breakfast and lunch items. Their latest location happens to be down the road from my house, so my family and I stopped in recently for breakfast.

Fire in the Hole

I started with the “Fire in the Hole” bloody with vodka, Bloody Mary mix, a Flamin’ Hot Cheeto rim, banana peppers, and celery. This was pretty spicy, so definitely order one if that is how you like it. They also offer several other Bloody Marys, along with several mimosa options. My wife couldn’t pick between the mimosas and was happy to find a flight option, which allowed her to sample three of them.

Chicken & Waffles

For breakfast, I really enjoyed the chicken & waffles. The chicken is battered with buttermilk and hot sauce and is served with spicy maple glaze on top of a full buttermilk waffle. I would absolutely order this again. The serving size was huge, which was also to be said for the other dishes that my family had, like the omelets, frog eyes (fresh-baked biscuits smothered with local sausage gravy), and a huge double stack of buttermilk pancakes. You will not leave hungry!

Of the three Thunderdome restaurants on the two blocks of Vine St, Krueger’s Tavern is the one I visit the least. I think my last visit was back in 2016, but the food is excellent, so I should definitely stop in more regularly.

Spicy Chicken Parm

First up, you definitely need to try the spicy chicken parm sandwich with crispy chicken, spicy vodka sauce, pepperonata, pesto, arugula, and provolone on a Blue Over potato bun ($14). A lot is going on with this sandwich, and the flavors really work well together. It is not super spicy, but it does have a little kick thanks to the vodka sauce. The blend of peppers and onions in the pepperonata makes for a really great sandwich topping. The cheese helps hold it all together; otherwise, this could be a messy sandwich to eat.

Hot Beer Cheese

The hot beer cheese is also delicious. It is made with Kronenbourg 1664 and sharp cheddar, and a large portion of it is served with 3 pretzel sticks ($12).

Lemon Hummus

The lemon hummus is unique and also very good. It is topped with Mediterranean-spiced carrots, cauliflower, and smoked paprika and served with toasted pita ($11).

El Barril Mexican Sports Bar and Grill has a prime location in Mt. Adams at the corner of Pavilion and St. Gregory. My wife and I were in the mood to try something new to us, so we popped in for a dinner date.

Inside

The restaurant space is pretty large, especially for Mt. Adams. It’s sort of an indoor/outdoor location, with a large covered patio and large garage doors that open the indoor space in all directions. Certainly a nice place to visit when the weather is good, but the food is just as good as the location, and therefore worthy of a visit no matter the season.

Margarita

My wife and I shared a pitcher of margaritas ($26.99 for the gold), and they were very tasty. Even though they were not prepared to order, it did seem that they had been prepared recently and had great fresh ingredients.

Chimichanga

My typical Mexican restaurant order is the chimichanga. Theirs is a large tortilla, filled with shredded chicken, beans, and cheese, deep-fried, and topped with lettuce, guacamole, tomato, and sour cream. This is served with rice and beans ($15.25). This was very good and the ingredients were fresh!

Chile Verde

My wife ordered the chile verde, a delicious plate of slow-cooked pork simmered in a savory green chile sauce. Again served with rice and beans, along with tortillas on the side ($18.50). Another really good dish, and one that is not very common in the Cincinnati area. Go give it a try!

I finally made it out to MadTree’s newest venture, MadTree Parks & Rec, out in Summit Park of Blue Ash. This location is somewhat similar to the Oakley taproom, a big open space with a large bar in the middle, but also different in several ways. First of all, this is more of a restaurant, with table service, and a very nice expanded menu. Second, while the taproom is somewhat kid-friendly, the newest spot is super family-friendly with a kids’ menu along with indoor and outdoor play spaces.

Goetta Sandwich

Brunch is served all day, every day. And while I typically am not a brunch guy, I had to try the goetta sandwich topped with candied bacon, American cheese, pickled jalapenos, lettuce, and ranch dressing. This comes served with hash browns for $16. This was a great sandwich, with a perfectly cooked, thick slice of goetta, a unique set of toppings, and it should definitely not be skipped. The hashbrowns are also awesome, shaped into a ball and filled with a tasty potato and cheese mixture. I wish the food at the Oakley taproom was more like this, since this location is very close to my home.

Dave’s Hot Chicken started in 2017 with $900 in a parking lot in California. It has grown to nearly 300 restaurants globally. The location near my house opened a couple of months ago.

Outside

Orders are placed at the counter and prepared fresh, so there is a little bit of a wait even when they aren’t busy. The menu is pretty simple, led by their famous chicken tenders, which can be served alone or as a slider sandwich. They also have chicken bites, fries, mac & cheese, and kale slaw to round out the menu. All chicken can be served with no spice, lite mild, mild, medium, hot, extra hot, or “reaper,” which includes a disclaimer for how hot it truly is.

Mural Inside

For my dinner, I ordered Dave’s #3 so that I could sample a variety of the offerings ($13.49). This included a tender served on sliced bread with pickles and a slider served on a potato bun with kale slaw, pickles, and Dave’s sauce. Fries are also included in the meal deal. This was a lot of food! I think next time I might just get the slider meal, as each tender is actually really thick and filling.

Dave’s #3

I ordered my chicken with hot sauce, and it was pretty dang hot! I tried the tender alone, but found myself dipping it in the side of Dave’s sauce to cool it off some. The slider didn’t feel as hot since it had slaw, pickles, and Dave’s sauce already drizzled on it. I might try the medium heat level next time, or just stick with the slider and the hot sauce.

Mt. Carmel Brewing Company has been around for 20 years! With so many breweries coming (and now going) in Cincinnati, it’s worth noting that Mt. Carmel is still doing their thing and doing it well. My wife and I stopped in for lunch recently. Their outdoor space is better than ever, and it’s a great place for a meal or to hang out over a couple of pints.

Cincy Hot Sandwich

For lunch, I enjoyed the Cincy Hot Sandwich, a hand-breaded fried chicken breast topped with their signature HOT Denzel wing sauce, country-style slaw, and blue cheese dressing ($14). The sauce had a pretty good amount of heat, but the slaw and blue cheese tamed it down a bit. Overall, a really solid sandwich.

The G.O.A.T. Salad

My wife and I also split the G.O.A.T. salad ($11 full / $6.50 half). This combination features spinach, goat cheese, red onions, cherry tomatoes, avocado, and candied walnuts, accompanied by a house-made balsamic dressing. This was a great salad, highly recommended!

Carnitas Tacos

My wife enjoyed the carnitas tacos ($13 for 2). The house-braised pork shoulder is super tender and comes topped with grilled jalapenos, queso fresco, pico de gallo, and salsa verde. Great tacos!