Simplistic at best, And a casual ambiance. The service was great , the staff was very attentive. The food did not let me down , even though I didn't have high expectations . Today was their 1st night so it was a lot of teaching and learning. Service was a bit slow but worth the wait. Walnut hills needs to give this some neighborhood love. I had Branzino , lamb, chicken liver tartare with the carrots. The carrots were the icing on the cake. Drink slow, and talk to strangers. read more

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Great addition to our restaurant community as this was a great foodie experience. Ambiance was casual cool with a hip vibe. Had a few drinks while we waited for our table. Bartender came through as the drinks were spot on. First, this is what I call nice portion size tapas plates that are meant to be shared. We had the Bronzino with mussels and shrimp in a light sauce. Fish had a crispy crust, but light inside with a nice smoked flavor. It was my fav dish of the night. Others dishes include: oyster with hazelnut pesto - outstanding! Chicken liver foie Tartine - very complex and really good. Kennenee Potato - crispy & cheesy and Delicious!!! Mafaldine Pasta - house made pasta ribbons in a creamy tangy cheese blend. Nicely done! Can't forget about the bread and cured butter. Outstanding Service was also great. Overall experience was excellent. Only issue I had was the amount of salt used in some of the dishes. read more

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The service was impeccable comparable to white table cloth dining. It is hands down the most creative food I have had in Cincinnati. We tried multiple dishes. We sat at the bar and the bartender Amy was such a delight. The lamb was a little over seasoned but other than that it was an amazing. They really work like a team to make you feel welcomed and they try to accommodate any issues you might have. read more

The Aperture - The Tiger Prawn Toast - Greek Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

I visited The Aperture for dinner with my husband and we split the focaccia bread, the charred carrot, the potato (pommes darphin), two pastas (spaghetti pistou and lumache amatriciana), and the lamb shoulder. Every dish was amazing. They coursed out the different dishes, which I love because it gave us a chance to enjoy everything when it was fresh and warm. The focaccia was fluffy and the butter had spices on top that make this a real treat. The charred carrot was a good as I expected it to be based on all the pictures online. Very delicious. When we ordered the potato dish, I was expecting a hasselback potato based on the yelp photos. It must have changed because what we got was more of a hashbrown cube. However, it was delicious. Perfectly crisp on the outside with great flavor. Both of the pastas were amazing, they had flavors I've never tasted before anywhere else. The spaghetti had a fresh spinach taste and the noodles were cooked to perfection. The lumache had a nice spice/kick to it. I don't do spicy foods, and it was perfect level of flavor for me. The lamb shoulder was melt in your mouth amazing. And the rice was delicious as well. I am not a huge fan of taziki, and neither is my husband so that is the only pice of food left at the end of the night. The service was also impeccable. Our waitress was attentive, and workers were checking in to see if we needed water and to ask about how the dishes were tasking. The atmosphere inside was nice as well. We were lucky enough to have a more private table for two in the back at 5:30, when it wasn't too busy yet. I would definitely return to The Aperture again. read more

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I normally don't give five stars but Aperture is an amazing dining experience! What a gem! Service with Jeremy was flawless! Front of the house was attentive to all. The open kitchen concept was fun to watch and the smells from the grill were heavenly! Cocktail menu is well thought out with creative fresh combinations. Love the clean lines make the atmosphere a sheer delight! Cool and funky with Mediterranean flavors. Overhead music was so cool. Whose playlist is this?! Bravo read more

Food: 5/5 - I was blown away by every dish. Presentation and freshness is unmatched! Total before tip: $140 (3 main dishes plus 2 desserts) Service: 5/5 - Everyone is an absolute gem! Our server explained the menu and provided excellent recommendations and pairings. Ambiance: 5/5 - Loved the decor, super modern with a lot of greenery and some neon lights to add interest. - Vey clean and welcoming. My new favorite restaurant in Cincinnati. Will be taking all my visitors here! read more

Where do I even begin? The Aperture is led by artists, designed for the true foodie connoisseur. Prepare for an entirely out-of-the-box experience. For starters, you will be humbled by the menu. We barely understood a single word, so we were at the mercy of our server's suggestions--an excellent guide nonetheless. This cued us in on the elements of surprise and discovery that are so present in the dishes. The friends I went with had dined here a month earlier, and the menu had completely changed since then. What we learned remains consistent, however, is the incredible creativity and rich, unexpected, artfully-placed flavor and texture present in every single dish. Since I cannot guarantee you'll be looking at the same menu as us, I'll skip walking you through the dishes we savored and leave you with this: come for the love of food, and know that you'll leave delighted and intrigued at how food can be art. Let your curiosity be stirred for the craft involved, and beyond that? Simply sit back and enjoy! read more

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The food is incredible, some of the best in Cincinnati. The service is impeccable. Ambiance is a little sterile but everything else is so good, who cares. read more

My best friend and I had a wonderful dinner at the Aperture. She had been here before, but this was my first time. It was for my birthday, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! The staff were so personable, and everything they did created an excellent dining experience for us. We were greeted by the manager and the host. Sam was our server. So many wished me a "Happy Birthday" which made it extra special! We enjoyed a dry sparkling wine and the chicken liver mousse while we perused the menu. Delicious!! Their pita made in-house was SO good! We shared the Hamachi Tartare, Honeynut Squash, Spaghetti with PEI mussel, crab, and vodka sauce, and the Hamachi Collar. I especially enjoyed the squash with cornbread streusel, hollandaise, and pepitas. The crunch of the streusel and pepitas contrasted with the softer squash beautifully! And I've only had hamachi collar prepared in a Japanese style. So having it with a romesco sauce, potato crumble, and garlic aioli was a nice change and excellent. Overall, we had a great dinner, and I can't wait to come back with my husband! read more

Last night was our first visit and there will be many more!! The quality of food is out of this world!! Cincinnati has great restaurants. The Aperture? Over the top amazing!! Kylie is server extraordinaire!! Scott and his team making "meal magic" are AWESOME as well! Hoping to meet the chef upon our return in a couple weeks for my birthday!!! Thank you for bringing this extraordinary level of dining experience to our great city!! read more

Very bright mid century modern restaurant in Walnut Hills with wonderful service. The fried mushroom, farro antica, and lamb shoulder had very distinct and unique flavors yet still tasted very fresh. read more

Come with a group so you can try multiple dishes. I was with 4 gals and we got to try about 9 dishes and that was the perfect amount. I also really enjoyed the #lemon cocktail. I loved the beet and ricotta salad as well as the Spaghetti Pistou and Lamb Shoulder. Really, everything we had was fantastic so just choose a few and enjoy the meal! Clean environment and knowledgable servers. read more

My husband and I enjoyed our meal at The Aperture. The restaurant has many vegetarian options. I highly recommend the black garlic and eggplant hummus and the honeynut sweet potato. I found the kale pesto spaghetti to be bitter. My husband enjoyed the cod tempura and the crispy polenta. The service was excellent. The ambiance is very hip and understated. The drink menu is creative, but I think that The Aperture could improve their wine selection. read more

Food was very tasty, but the portions to share were small and the overall experience was a little overwhelming. Would return, but would think about what I want to get before arriving! read more

*Cross-posting from my OpenTable review* I was unfortunately disappointed by my trip here, which was a bummer because my wife and I were excited, esp after the James Beard nod. The food was excellent and inventive - we particularly enjoyed the sweet potato dish - but the service/pacing was quite slow. It took us 2 hours to eat a hummus, vegetable, and pasta course. The gap between the dishes really killed the momentum of the meal, and our pasta course actually came out tepid. They kindly re-prepared the dish for us. Our server was kind and was working hard, but I think he was spread too thin. He seemed to be serving many tables, and that may have contributed to the pacing too, as I think he may have been too busy to send the orders to the kitchen on time. The table next to us had a different server, and they were able to complete the same number of courses about twice as fast as we did. Our waiter and the front of house manager apologized a lot about the cold pasta course, which was nice. They also removed it from our bill, which I appreciated. But they didn't acknowledge the slow pacing once. The restaurant is pretty, but we were seated kind of close to the main entrance, and we were blasted by cold air everytime someone entered or exited the restaurant. We bonded with the table next to us on the experience. Overall: the food was great, and I hope they can iron out the kinks on pacing/service/ambiance to match. I'll come back sometime, but I'm not in a hurry. read more

Visited Aperture for a wine pairing dinner. Was able to get the menu ahead of time to review so we knew what we were buying (because you pay when you make the reservation). Five courses, and four were outstanding. The one that was slightly below par was the pasta and only because there was too much pasta and not enough sauce. The service and plating could have been more balanced. We will be back! read more

I think this restaurant's food is getting better an more refined. They still need to tweak their dishes a bit to up the umami. Service was prompt and the chef is actually present in the kitchen and very kind. Vibe is mellow and white, they might be able to put a bit pizzazz into the decor. read more

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My new favorite elevated dining experience in Cincinnati! Everything from welcomes, menu and wine explanation, execution of coursing was done exceptionally. Ambiance was modern but comfortable and inviting, the focus is drawn towards your table experience and the star- delicious food. With a table of 3 we were able to order most of the menu and each plate stood high on its own but also complemented each other so well. Bravo- will return! read more

What a wonderful experience from top to bottom. A perfect gem in Walnut Hills. The service was incredible. The menu and wine list is fabulous. So well thought out and developed. Beautiful, simple dining room. And the food.... Exceptional. read more

It's very expensive and after 6 o'clock, you can't really hear yourself talk. It's so noisy. The service is excellent. The food was good, but it was way over priced. read more

Just went for our 2nd time (although I almost never go to the same restaurant twice because there's so much to try) and I was equally as impressed as our first experience. To start, all of the wait staff are so knowledgable and friendly. The natural light throughout the restaurant is very refreshing. And the FOOD!!! OMG every bite is perfect. This time we got the carrot, lamb shoulder, hamache and farro. The farro was the unexpected MVP!! So delicious. The mushrooms and cream sauce had such a complex flavor. The lamb was cooked to perfection and paired well with the light salad. And the carrot has a great curry like sauce and an incredible amount of flavor and spices. Overall, 10000/10. I'm convinced this is the best food in Cincinnati. We will be back as the menu changes - I'm dying to try everything lol read more

4.5 stars. Food was amazing. Our waitress was amazing. It was an experience; a food adventure and I'm glad we went with another couple who were open to trying new things and sharing plates. Tip: the building is on the corner and not easily seen when driving by. There is free parking behind the building through the construction zone. Street parking is limited and we had to move our car after 1 hour. Atmosphere was a mix of clean and sterile with cozy and comfortable. I loved it. What would've made this a better experience: We were seated by a window which was drafty and next to the speaker which made it a little hard to hear. We were sharing plates but never were given serving utensils which would've been nice. Servers needed more training. When dishes were brought to our table they were announced and placed on the table and then the servers left. We couldn't understand what they were saying so we kept questioning what was what. The butter for the focaccia was amazing but taken away before we all got some. After checking out the menu and pictures online I was expecting bigger portions. Especially the carrot everyone raved about. The almond cake was good but we all thought it was frozen and not quite thawed. For only offering 2 desserts I expected a better ending to our meal. We tried everything on the dinner menu except the liver. Total came to around $400. Favorites from each course: Butter with the focaccia Napa wedge Kennebee potato Spinach artichoke pasta Branzino fish read more

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Absolutely blown away with my first stop at The Aperture. I stopped in for a quick drink and ended up ordering the Fried Mushrooms and thank god I did! The spice from the mushroom paired so well with the house made smoked labneh and the pita was a stellar addition. Jenny at the bar was so kind and informative on the wines that would go with my dinner. The space was so open and bright--perfect date night spot or even a solo hang at the bar. 100% will be back! read more

The Aperture - Fried Mushroom and House Made Pita - Greek Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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I was so excited to try this restaurant after receiving all the hype in the news. Unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to the hype! Ambiance: Falls a bit flat. It's giving pop-up restaurant energy, looks a bit unfinished. The bar is pretty. Location is great. Food: The menu is pretty small and limited. If you're a vegetarian you're not going to have a lot of choices. The prices are also very high for what you get. Pita and dips: Pretty good, but let's be honest it's bread and hummus for $20 EACH! Malfaldine cabbage pasta: Best thing we ordered. Needed a bit more pasta water to loosen the tight sauce. The pasta was cooked perfectly and it was well seasoned with tons of flavor. Scallops and grits: For $30, it was a handful of very small scallops (think slightly bigger than bay scallops) over grits and a lovely sauce. Sauce was great, scallops tasted delicious, but I expected them to be much bigger. The grits were the downfall...they were either undercooked or just the wrong texture. It tasted like I was chewing on big chunks of dried corn which isn't pleasant. Also very dense. Sticky toffee pudding: Beautiful presentation and texture was out of this world good, but flavor was all wrong. They added WAY too much nutmeg and clove. This could be a home run if they cut back on the spice. Cocktails: Fantastic, no notes :) Service: Server was great -- very personable, knowledgable, funny, etc. He did forget our waters and didn't clear our plates in a timely manner but overall pretty good. I expect a lot when I am paying fine dining prices. Overall, I would say the restaurant is fine. I would probably not go back for the food. I would go back for cocktails and maybe the pita. read more

Wonderful experience here the first time. We had one of everything on the menu. The potatoes, lamb, carrots and pastas were the favorites. Dessert game could be stepped up a notch, but everything we had was great! read more

The Aperture - Carrots, potatoes, salad, slimy mushrooms - Greek Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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The food was very good, but I don't the hype. I feel like it's overrated and pretentious. read more

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Never would have expected this type of food in Cincinnati. What a surprise as it was delicious and fun to sample so many different dishes. The service was perfect and it's great to see this type of restaurant opening up in the inner city. Cincinnati has so many old buildings from the very early 1900's its time people moved back to town from the far outlying suburbs. read more

The Aperture - Lumache (fennel sausage, pasta), Hamachi Tartare - fantastic, and Fried Mushrooms with a spicy kick. - Greek Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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Restaurant was busy and the servers were really nice. Food is really unique but kind of expensive. It is worth checking out!

A great place to eat in Walnut hills! Perfect for a special occasion or just to enjoy a night of delicious food and drink! We loved the oyster mushroom and the roasted carrot, and the lamb shoulder was amazing! The seasonal menu makes me excited to go back in the spring. read more

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This place had so many of the right elements but the end result missed the mark. After over two hours and multiple courses we left paying hundreds and went to our hotel restaurant to get food. The server Jeremy was wonderful but the food and drinks were brought out slowly and cold. The flavors were excellent for some dishes but inconsistent. Some dishes were extremely over seasoned. I have no issues with cost for good food but tonight's experience did not match the check. read more

We had an ok experience here. Came in without a reservation on a Saturday and we were able to get seated at bar seating very quickly. The restaurant itself was aesthetically pleasing, but the general vibes were a little stuffy. We didn't feel very welcomed by the staff. The food was small plate style and everything was expensive. I don't mind expensive food, however, the quality did not feel like it matched the price. I don't deny it was good food, but it did not feel on par with their prices or portions. The two of us ordered the hummus, the falafel, the farro, and the mafaldine. None of them stood out to me and we left hungry. read more

The lamb was outstanding. The cod was excellent though the curry spice was a bit much for the delicate fish. The falafel was excellent bough a bit overpriced for falafel. Very creative! Definitely worth a visit! read more

Aperture is very pricey for a very small amount of food. The menu items are limited and not consistent. The starters were very good. We saw one menu online thinking those were our choices but when we arrived it was totally different. I suggest if you go as a group each person pick a meal and a starter and you all share among each other. For a party of six and only two people had alcoholic drinks, our bill was almost $400! Unfortunately we won't return read more

There was two of us guiding. Understanding the pleasure of sharing small dishes I've never seen such small dishes! The $20 hummus had about five tablespoons to share. Overall we each had one drink, and we shared five small dishes, five total. The bill was over $160. I'm happy to pay for a good dining experience, this was not one. It felt as if the national recognition has gone to their head. Overcharging for the sake of overcharging means we'll never go back. read more

I wish I could give aperture more than five stars. The experience tonight was truly incredible. We came for a birthday, and happened to tell an employee at the coffee shop king pigeon (who also works at aperture) earlier in the day that we were coming for a dinner. She took the time to call the restaurant, as she wasn't working that night, to tell them we were coming. The service was delightful. Attentive, making every effort to make sure the birthday was celebrated and special. We were welcomed with drinks to start as well as champagne at the end of the meal. As two vegetarians, we could not have asked for better food. We ordered the focaccia, roasted carrots, potato, crispy mushrooms, hazelnut pesto pasta and the farro dish. I can't even choose a favorite because they were all incredible. It's definitely not the fastest experience, but that was okay for us. It was a slow and lovely meal and again, the service just made it extra special. Thank you for such a magical evening, can't wait to be back! read more

Every plate was better than the next. Incredible layers of flavors. The mushroom dish was paired with a sauce that just melted in my mouth. The pasta/crab plate was simply divine. I hate to leave anything out because it was all so delicious read more

Hands down one of my best dining experiences in the past few years, nationally or internationally. The service was highly professional and it's evident all staff are well trained: they clear and wipe the table after every course, don't pressure the customer to order more than a reasonable amount, and are super prompt. The restroom was particularly pleasant - well stocked with toothpicks, hygiene products, and cloth towels. But most importantly, the food was outstanding. The honeynut squash was exquisite, as were all the veggie dishes. My dining partner said the lamb shoulder was the best he'd had in his 70+ years. Highly recommend. read more

We had a wonderful time at The Aperture! Our server was great, food was quick, but the drinks took a bit. The atmosphere was very pleasant. We loved the carrots, mushrooms, and especially the lamb shoulder!! It's a great place to go for shareable plates. read more

I loved visiting this black owned business in Walnut Hills! I usually don't care for Mediterranean food but after trying their menu, I absolutely love it! I definitely recommend trying their beef tartare and lamb! The service was also a 10/10 and our server answered all our questions and gave great recommendations! The vibe and ambiance of the restaurant was also 10/10 and I felt like I was dining at a 5 star restaurant in LA! read more

My new favorite restaurant!! The food & drinks were incredible, and the service & environment made the experience that much better. read more

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