This story originally appeared in the Aug. 23, 2024 edition of the LINK Reader.
I’m a lifelong Northern Kentucky resident and self-appointed food and drink connoisseur. I’m also the author of Streetscapes, where each week I choose a street (or part of a street) in Northern Kentucky and write about its restaurants, bars or coffee shops.
I have visited every Northern Kentucky coffee shop (no, truly, try to find a coffee shop where I haven’t downed a large vanilla latte), countless local restaurants and bars, and patronized so many other small businesses in the area that I’ve lost count.
After two years of visiting new spots each week, here are the places I find myself recommending or revisiting most often.
The Greenline Kitchen and Cocktails
We have to start where the series began, in Fort Thomas. For my first Streetscapes, I visited Fort Thomas and fell in love with the community and businesses in the area. I’m always excited to visit the city, so, when I found out there was a new restaurant opening in January, I went the first week it opened.
The Greenline Kitchen and Cocktails strikes the perfect balance between casual and upscale. It’s a place where everyone can get dressed up a bit without feeling out of place. On either side of the stairs leading to the front door is seating and fire pits to enjoy in warm weather.
The restaurant’s interior has two main dining areas. The front one, which includes the bar, has a more intimate ambiance with dim lighting and cozy seating, ideal for date night or dinner with friends. The second dining area is brighter and more spacious, a great option for families.
Greenline’s menu features classic comfort food, from savory options like a lamb meatball appetizer to a 10-ounce (or 14 if you’re really hungry) cut of prime rib. Greenline’s meat and cheese board is an excellent light bite to snack on before indulging in an entree, and its curated seasonal menu has options for all diets, including cornmeal-crusted eggplant with goat cheese, arugula and harissa sauce for vegetarians, or gnocchi stroganoff with prime rib, onion and mushrooms in a homemade cream sauce.
There’s a full bar with beers, seltzers, cocktails and mocktails. However, the most extensive offerings – by the glass or bottle – are on the wine menu. Since my first visit, Greenline has added lunch and weekend brunch choices.
Honey Uninhibited
For casual Southern comfort food, there are few better options than Honey Uninhibited. Located in the Towers of Rivercenter, it boasts one of the best brunches in NKY.
Signature dishes are rooted in soul food, with its Sweet Chick a prime example. Consisting of cinnamon French toast topped with fried, breaded chicken thigh and accented with fresh berries, then drizzled with caramel, vanilla and spicy honey, this sweet and savory combination puts an epic, mouth-watering spin on traditional chicken and waffles.
Other unique choices include oxtail and grits, hot honey Brussels sprouts and jalapeno honey cornbread. Those with a sweet tooth should opt for the red velvet pancakes or uninhibited pancakes.
The lively atmosphere makes for a great pregame stop before crossing the river for football or baseball games. There’s also ample outdoor and indoor seating. The indoor space is the most instagrammable spot in Covington: With neon lights and greenery, it’s the perfect backdrop to the picturesque food.
Camporosso
In the heart of my hometown, Fort Mitchell, a small Italian eatery has garnered celebrity for its wood-fired pizzas. It’s even been named best pizza in Kentucky. While Camporosso’s pizza has drawn customers from afar, though, it’s always been a reliable, delicious dinner for locals.
The pizzas come either wood-fired or classic American style with a thicker crust. For a true taste of Italy, Margherita pizza pairs impeccably with an Aperol spritz from the bar. For spicy and savory flavors, the soppressata hot honey pizza is the perfect choice. It features crushed tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, soppressata salami and is drizzled with local hot honey.
The prosciutto and fig pizza with gorgonzola and arugula is a great option for a light and fresh meal. Although Camporosso’s pizza is what draws the majority of its guests, its other menu items are as authentic and delicious as the pizzas. With salads, charcuterie and pastas to choose from, it’s hard to come here and order just one dish.
Camporosso also offers a full menu for takeout. Whether you enjoy it on the patio or the comfort of your home, it never disappoints.
La Torta Loca
La Torta Loca is home to two locations in Northern Kentucky, one in Florence and one in Crescent Springs. The new(ish) Florence location on Haines Drive is the perfect place for a casual night out that feels elevated. The vibrant and colorful space is accented with murals, greenery and neon lights.
La Torta Loca is best known for massive tortas. These Mexican specialties strain the definition (and bounds) of a sandwich, placing all the flavors of Mexican cuisine between two fluffy pieces of bread.
The namesake dish, the torta loca, has chicken milanese, steak, carnitas, bacon, melted cheese, grilled onion and jalapeño. (Yes, that’s all on one sandwich.)
Deep fried quesadillas, street tacos and empanadas are just a few of the other menu items. To pair with those dishes, Torta Loca boasts a full cocktail menu as well as Mexican and American sodas and beers. Start with sweet plantains and a margarita before diving into the main dishes.
The Hive
Whether it’s breakfast, brunch, lunch or something else, the Hive has it. Housed in a historic home in Erlanger, the Hive was thoughtfully designed to use its architecture to create distinct sections in the building.
Guests can dine in the main dining room on the first floor, while the parlor serves as a space to sit and chat over coffee. Upstairs, two areas are designed for folks who want to get some work done. The coffee bar is ideal for those wanting a break from working from home, featuring outlets galore and free Wi-Fi, and there’s also a workspace that can be rented for meetings and larger groups.
The Hive’s menu highlights East Coast flavors combined with local favorites like goetta. The BeeKeeper’s Breakfast Bowl with Gleier’s goetta, potato, scrambled eggs and cheddar cheese is one of the most popular items.
The Hive also features an entire biscuit menu, from a simple biscuit or classic biscuits and gravy to a biscuit flight with a sampling of jellies; these make for the ideal breakfast appetizer. On the sweet side, there are pancakes and waffles in countless flavors. The star of the sweet breakfast show, though, is the Hive’s bourbon spiked French toast. This is Kentucky, after all. If a little bourbon for breakfast is wrong, we don’t want to be right.
For lunch, there are soups, salads, sandwiches and sides. As if an entire coffee bar upstairs weren’t enough, the Hive also offers boozy breakfast beverages, including mimosas and bloody Marys.
Tuba Baking
Tuba Baking, like most spots in Dayton, is endearing and adorable, and a visit always leaves you in a better mood. Maybe it’s my German roots showing, but, between the authentic German beer, pretzels larger than the dish they’re served on and a biergarten, Tuba hits a home run for me.
The menu starts with an offering of brezels, or soft pretzels, ranging from plain to one served with goetta and cheese; these can be either a light snack or a hearty meal. Other popular dishes include currywurst, schnitzel and several different spaetzles (a type of egg noodle).
Don’t let the name fool you – there’s nothing bad about the wurst platter. It’s great for those new to German cuisine. Diners choose from German meats, bratwurst, mettwurst or kielbasa and a side of either spaetzle, cucumber salad or sauerkraut.
The nostalgic atmosphere inside is ideal for those dining in, but nothing beats the biergarten on summer evenings.
What To Know If You Go
The Greenline Kitchen and Cocktails
Location: 25 North Fort Thomas Ave., Fort Thomas
Hours: Sunday-Monday, closed; Tuesday-Thursday, 4-9 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 4-10 p.m.
Website: greenlinerestaurant.com
Phone: 859-757-4580
Honey Uninhibited
Location: 50 E. Rivercenter Blvd., Suite 50, Covington
Hours: Sunday-Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m.
Website: honeyuninhibited.com
Phone: 859-261-1222
Camprosso
Location: 2475 Dixie Highway, Fort Mitchell
Hours: Monday, closed; Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
Website: camprosso.com
Phone: 859-331-0155
La Torta Loca
Location: 8645 Haines Drive, A, Florence, 41042
Hours: Sunday, noon-8 p.m.; Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Website: latortalocaflorence.com
Phone: 859-777-7459
The Hive
Location: 480 Erlanger Road, Erlanger
Hours: Sunday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.; Monday-Saturday, 7 a.m.-2 p.m.
Website: thehiveerlanger.com
Phone: 859-495-5655
Tuba Baking
Location: 517 Sixth Ave., Dayton
Hours: Sunday, noon-7 p.m.; Monday-Wednesday, closed; Thursday-Friday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Saturday, noon-10 p.m.
Phone: 859-835-2171