Stumbled upon this gem while visiting Cincinnati from Tampa. The food was plentiful and cooked to perfection. The grilled Octopus was the best ever tasted. Table side caprese salad was so good . Food and service were so good we came back a second night with friends. Worth taking a trip to try, you won't be disappointed. Thanks to Assist GM, Timothy Mann, Jr for making our dinners exceptional. read more

Zingaro - Caprese salad - Italian Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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Walked over from a nearby hotel. Had heard the buzz around this place. Honestly walked in with a transactional "yeah Corporate dining. It will be an efficient good but soul-less experience. The reality was a lot better than that. The cocktails were pretty interesting. The owner operator dropped by for a leisurely conversation on both food and his restaurant journey. The end experience brought together are the best of a family restaurant with Corporate efficiency I would've wished for an octopus that was not on a slimming diet, but other than that, the only issue people may have is the ambient buzz if you wanna have deep philosophical conversations. read more

Checked out the place for me and the gf's anniversary. Thought the place looked cool on the inside. We sat VERY close to two tables, made it so hard to have a conversation but at least we got to listen to the tea. Caesar Salad was Incredible! They do not skimp out on the cheese or the dressing and it's plenty for 2 people to split. I had the Chicken Parm (Pollo alla Parmigiana). Biggest Parm ever and came with a side of pasta, the Parm tasted good/fine. Gf had the Spicy Radiatori alla Vodka - Looked okay but it was pretty dry (not very saucy) and it was undercooked. Could see and taste the chalky white texture on the inside of each bite, same with my side pasta. Manager noticed us talking about it and actually took it off our bill which was completely unnecessary but we appreciate it! You get good value for the amount of food you are getting, IF we came back again we might try something different entree-wise but definitely hitting up the Caesar Salad again, Cincinnati/Kentucky has plenty of nice Italian spots so we will see... read more

Had a special family celebration dinner at this newish Italian restaurant on the east side of Cincinnati. It is located next to Element Eatery and Medpace. It seems a bit out of place across from the Eatery and bar/music venue, as it is on the upscale side vs. the very casual eatery, but definitely a delight to be in. The décor is warm and inviting, and the building is full of windows letting in lots of light, and is great for people watching. We began our meal with shared plates of Fabio's Wagyu Meatball and Truffle Mushroom Focaccia. The meatball was absolutely HUGE and easily shared amongst 3 people. The focaccia has lovely flavor notes. I was not a fan of the bread, but others at the table were. The Proper Caesar Salad was one of the best I've had (and I have enjoyed quite a few over the years!). Tangy dressing with homemade herbed croutons, oven-dried tomatoes, and plenty of freshly grated parmesan on top. I had one of the specials for the evening: Short rib with potatoes and spicy carrots. It was excellent! Dessert was the classic Tiramisu, which was a rather large serving. Perfect for two people to share. Zingaro's has a creative cocktail menu as well. Pricing was incredibly reasonable, especially given the excellent quality of the food. Great restaurant for date night or a special evening out with friends. read more

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Made it to the new place! Has quite a vib, really fun and festive atmosphere, big city feel. The food was very good! I had cheese ravioli dish covered in this decadent rich sauce, it was outstanding, and the seafood dishes the others got were just as good. They had a kick to them, be aware. Novel table side prep of the barrata & tomatoe salad. Sorry I didn't get any pictures, it's worth going for sure. Wasn't as taken with the high top booth seating, but we managed, you know old people, better at a table. Outstanding though! read more

Had a work dinner and was able to secure a reservation. The restaurant is very nice when you enter. The bar is a great centerpiece and the dining area is well furnished and properly lit. We were seated in a very comfortable booth near the window. The service was great we were quickly seated and our waiter was great at explaining the menu to us. Our orders were quickly taken and the food didn't take long to get to our table. The food itself was delicious l. I got the spinach lasagna and it was some of the best I've had in a while. I also had the octopus which was a first for me. It was for the table and we only got two pieces. We feel like for the price everyone at the table could have at least got one for each person. Overall a great experience and I can't wait to come back when I'm back in town. read more

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Came here for a friends bday and had a great meal. Beautiful atmosphere and ambiance. Service was a bit slow but I think they were busier than expected. Needed to flow better imo. Pork chop was the hit with the chickpea salad. Bolognese was just ok. Chicken parm pretty good and pasta was cooked perfectly. Overall pretty decent and would go back. read more

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Great Birthday dinner! Caesar salads were giant and enough to take home. Mushroom Fraschetta and giant meatball appertizers were excellent. I loved the chicken parm. Others got the short rib pasta and special. Thank you for the birthday dessert. My son loved his tiramasu dessert. Reasonable prices. read more

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Please make sure to have a reservation! We went at 4 o'clock and were turned away by the reception desk. I had checked the previous day and the website indicated that reservations were not needed that early. When the manager came up suddenly we were seated. One receptionist was particularly rude to us. All tables were empty for a least 50 minutes after we were seated. A little pretentious. The rating was for the food. The meals were delicious. I had the wagyu short rib bolognese. My sisters had the lasagna. We were a little surprised that there wasn't a bread offering with the meal or even on the menu. Parking is an issue if you are a first time customer. We ended up parking in the MedPace parking lot. There were no provisions for handicap parking. read more

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Zingaro is a great addition to Cincinnati and was perfect in every way! We came to celebrate my husband's birthday and thus ordered our way through the menu. We started with the Cast Iron Focaccia, which arrived golden, pillowy, and dangerously easy to demolish, but I practiced constraint and had just 2 slices ;-). I opted for the agnolotti, which was delicious, albeit hearty, and can easily be shared between two friends. Hubby's grilled pork chop was the star of the meal. The spice rub was well-seasoned, and it was served with the most decadent mascarpone mashed potatoes. For dessert, we finished with the sticky toffee pudding, which was the right call. It was rich with pieces of dates and reminded me of fruit cake. The toffee was sticky and sweet, but it was balanced by the vanilla gelato. Overall, Zingaro is warm yet modern with romantic lighting. It's ideal for a date night or a celebratory dinner. Service was attentive without being overbearing. We'll definitely be back! read more

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As soon as we walked into Zingaro, we were greeted. We were sat at a nice table and had wonderful service throughout. We very much appreciated meeting the restaurant Manager, Christian. Chef Yakup stopped at our table. It was such a pleasure meeting him and hearing a little bit about him. Javier made our caprese salad. He does such a great job with it, seasons it perfectly. It is so delicious. He's definitely an asset there! Our waiter was Tyler. He gave us just enough information to make good ordering decisions and was very pleasant and enjoyable. We definitely had a couple good laughs. The bluefin tuna tartare dish was deliciously prepared. Very fresh tuna, avocado, and a wonderful chili oil with it. The Agnolotti dish was so surprisingly delicious. It has layers of flavor. The ravioli filled with the cheese inside and then the black truffle on top- deliziosa! Then the chicken Parmesan and pasta with it, also phenomenal. It's so obvious that their pasta is made in house because it taste so fresh. The red sauce on the Parmesan chicken and the vodka sauce on the pasta were both so good! An together, they were fantastic! We had such a great meal and experience. It was obvious that everyone here cared about our experience and it definitely showed. Thank you to the whole staff, but especially Christian, Yakup, Tyler and Javier!! Oh, and also, we love the way the restaurant is decorated! Now we are excited to try their restaurant next-door, Viaggio! read more

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Food, service and atmosphere were great. We came for my birthday and had the arancini and focaccia for an appetizer, both were well cooked and flavorful. The shaved brussel sprout salad had tons of flavor and texture. The lasagna and tiramisu finished off the meal. Great value as well. read more

A group of us came during opening week. We were impressed by all the different menu items. I ordered a hugo spritz and they served it without mint which I was disappointed since that is what makes it a spritz. I would not have ordered it if I knew there was no mint. For appetizers we got their cast iron and musroom focaccia and table side pulled mozarella with tomatoes and balsamic. We ordered their spicy rigatoni and hanger steak frites. The steak was cooked well and had lots of flavor. The rigatoni was the right amount of creamy and spice. Everything was served fresh and homemade. The pasta was a bit cold though. The mac and cheese was a small portion for the price but it was very good. I can never leave without a tiramisu for dessert! The service was friendly and welcoming. read more

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On a rainy Saturday night , we lucked out and got a reservation at Zingaro, woohoo. We were a hungry bunch, with 2 boys, even hungrier. We got a Fabio' Wagyu Meatball - delicious and classic, the smoked burrata with jam - a great presentation, under a glass cover with smoke coming out. For our entrees we had 3 different pastas: Agnolotti , Wagyu short ribs bolognese , and my favorite one - Spicy Radiatori alla Vodka. read more

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Our group recently enjoyed an amazing dinner at Zingaro. The restaurant has a really great feel with a great bar area and ample seating. We were seated immediately and greeted by our server Rachel. I enjoyed their house Old Fashion while others had wine, beer snd a scotch. Each was delicious. For appetizers, we shared the grilled octopus and arancini. These were amazing! Really liked the pecorino cream sauce. For entrees we had the Lasagna, Frutti Di Mare, Wagyu Bolognese and my favorite, Grilled Pork Chop. Everything was delicious and each of us are certainly coming back again. A nice touch was the floor manager, Tim, stopping by to ensure everything was perfect. Sorry for the long review, but I strongly recommend you go to Zingaro for amazing food and dining experience. This is my third visit to a Fabio Vivani restaurant and every one is a 5+ star experience read more

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Overall very welcome addition to the Cincinnati food scene in the midst of many excellent Italian restaurants in the city. We had a reservation at 7:30 and were seated promptly. The vibe/interior design of the place is refined and cozy. Service was attentive and everybody seemed eager to help. Now the big question, how is the food? We ordered the truffle foccacia to start, which was surprisingly light and well balanced despite it looking very heavy. Tangerine mocktail was a miss, would have loved more fizz and flavor was similar to flat orange cream soda -- appreciate that they comped us without question. Pork chop was incredible, well seasoned and juicy tender with all the components on the plate coming together. Zingaro salad was as expected, essentially a chopped salad with Italian dressing. Sticky toffee pudding dessert with ice cream was the perfect end, delicious and not overly sweet. Considering they just opened, they are doing well despite growing pains of a new restaurant. Some suggestions moving forward: both our menus had different offerings, one with more options than the other so make sure all the intended menus are being presented. Double check the quality of mocktails going out, the one we had this evening was a miss. Price for entree and pastas in particular felt a bit high compared to other restaurants offering similar caliber of food in Cincinnati. I'm sure many of these things will be ironed out soon. Look forward to your success! read more

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We went to Zingaro last night to celebrate our daughter's birthday. All of the food was amazing as well as the portion sizes. Zingaro lost a star for me in the rating because of what happened during our dinner service. We had just received our salad and French onion soup and had not even eaten half of them yet, when our entrées were delivered. We did not want our entrées to get cold so we skipped finishing our soup and salad and ate the entrées which I think was a complete waste of our money because our appetizers were wasted and as we all know, a salad runs around $16 and a soup is $10 or $12. I said something to the server about the food coming out too fast and that we had not completed our appetizers and I received an oh sorry, and then she went on with her business. That is a big mistake in serving and that is what kept me from rating this four stars. read more

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We were visiting friends in cincy and were so happy with their choice of coming here. We were told they had recently opened so we expected maybe some hiccups but everything was perfect. We had a pretty late reservation but we didn't feel rushed at all. The restaurant itself is gorgeous, we were sat in a back room with a view of the chefs making the fresh pasta. Everything we ate was delicious and Saki was an amazing waitress. Get the table side caprese you will not regret it! read more

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There were flies being seen in that small room. The food was fine but seeing thoughs flies put me off.

If they're any question about freshness please refer to the pasta window . I went last month but this time it was better. I had the Seabass+ truffle fries with focaccia bread and whipped ricotta . This was actually the better meal. The seating was even better cause we could view the open kitchen and see the pasta being made . The service was just okay , she wasn't rude but she wasn't someone I'd request. Everthing was priced well and should get all the praise . Shout out to the bee GM Frank he was a gem . read more

Zingaro - Aperol spritz - Italian Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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Had an excellent girls dinner here! Came early to check out Viaggio but Zingaro was able to seat us early. Viaggio has some seating and access to full menu. The entire space has 3 bars so plenty of pre or post dinner space. Food was incredible , lots of vegetarian options. We started with tableside caprese, cast iron focaccia and then for dinner had the brussel sprout salad and vodka pasta. The tableside caprese was so fresh and delicious , would have loved for the chef to explain what he was doing or provide some dialogue , would have made it more of an experience. Extensive wine listings. Plenty of parking in garage or surface lots. Will definitely come back, perfect for a celebration or date night. read more

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Another good dinner here. I had the Wagyu shirt rib bolognese; wonderful. My friends had the sea bass and the Brussel sprout salad respectively, and we shared a side of the roasted brussel sprouts. Bethany took care of us very well. She was our sever the last time we were there. This time we sat near the bar which was fine, little louder but not bad. And save room for the Camilla and parachute cheesecake! read more

Really liked this place! Had reservations at 7:00 and arrived promptly and seated promptly. Bonus points!! Ordered apps - meatball, tuna & smoked burrata. All aps were Fantastic!! Fav was the smoked burrata. Entrees included, seabass - which was outstanding even ate the skin as it was crispy and tasty. Also ordered the cioppino which had a lot of shrimp and fish with a nice hit of spice. Very tasty!! The staff were excellent and well trained! Well done guys for being open for only 3 months. read more

The title reads "Cozy Italian Restaurant". Please understand before you go that it is not cozy and definitely not quiet. It's a large space with a great bar area and a nice outdoor area. Unfortunately, we were sat in the 'bar/gather' room with a few large parties and really bad acoustics. I really hope they stop seating people in there. The food was very good, however. I will go back for sure and hopefully sit somewhere else. * 3 stars this time because I just couldn't enjoy myself due to noise. Took dessert home to eat. read more

Zingaro - This is the Short rib Ragu - Italian Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

This place was beautiful, service was good and the food delicious!!! The Caprese at the table was a nice experience of a beautifully simple dish with lots of flavor. read more

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Great thoughtful menu. Service is impeccable and with the new manager who has experience with the likes of Sotto the opening kinks should work out with the online reservation system. Tip: call instead of using Open Table the system will automatically put you in the bar no matter what you choose after you close out. We had a great time at the soft opening and for Mothers Day. The negronis on tap are amazing ! read more

Great food and great experience! We got the table side caprese, wagyu meatballs, bolognese pasta, spicy vodka pasta and cannolis. It was all amazing! We will definitely come back. read more

Zingaro - Wagyu meatball - Italian Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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Everything was excellent, from the food to the service. Our favorites were the table meatball, the mushroom focaccia, the chicken piccata, and the pistachio cheesecake. The tiramisu was not only delicious but absolutely adorable. What really made the evening special though, was the service. Alexis was friendly, professional, attentive without hovering and had impeccable timing throughout the meal. Great food is memorable, but great service makes you want to come back. And we'll definitely be back. Highly recommend! read more

Zingaro - Tiramisu - Italian Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

The restaurant is beautiful from what we could see. When I booked the reservation, I had no idea there was a special event going on so we only saw part of the place. The cocktails were a miss (2). We had 3 different varieties and really would not order any of them again. The service was kind and welcoming. We were seated at the bar, several different employees and management stopped to greet us and chat. Love it! My review is a little mixed. The cast iron foccacia with tomatoes and olives (5)was very good. It was surprisingly light! The pork chop (5)amazing, delicious, I'd eat it any day of the week. Seasoned well, prepared to perfection, it was so tender. We also had the waygu pasta (3). It was good but alot like others I've had in the city. I will surely be back. Good experience. read more

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Amazing food, incredible service (S/O to our waiter Tyler), and fun atmosphere. I recommend this restaurant to anyone and for the quality of food and portions, the pricing is relatively reasonable. read more

Zingaro - Pork Chop and Sea Bass - Italian Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Easily in echelon of Top 3 restaurants in Cincinnati coming from a difficult customer that has been around Cincy's best for decades. Nadia is a phenomenal bartender/server. The Osso Buco was one of the best meals I have ever had. The Tignanello wine was the perfect dinner compliment. And the Zingaro Old-Fashioned is immediately also in my top 3 which is a wild compliment coming from me; though, note it is sweet so is not for everyone. And the whipped potatoes are a mashed potatoes lover's dream. I only wish I had room for dessert(s). And they need to offer half or smaller versions of their salads. Phenomenal restaurant. read more

My husband, daughter and I went last night for Mother's Day dinner. I made reservations weeks in advance and was excited to check it out! When we arrived we were seated at a bar table. Normally not a huge deal but it's Mother's Day, I had reservations, a young child with us and several open tables and booths outside the bar were open. Our server was very pleasant but while our appetizer (arancini) came out fairly quickly, our pasta entrees took over 30 minutes. There was no apology, no explanation, no manager stopping by.... Just waiting. Once our food did arrive we were a little disappointed in the portion sizes considering the price. Everything was ok but nothing great. My entree was literally 5 small ravioli in a sea of sauce. My daughter said her lasagna was good but after a few bites said she didn't want anymore so we boxed the rest up to take home. They gave me a rose for Mother's Day, which was sweet, and we headed to the car. About halfway home our daughter said her stomach hurt and she didn't feel good. 30 minutes after getting home it was clear why- she got physically ill twice. So the leftover lasagna got thrown away. The restaurant space was lovely, minus the ceilings, and the wait staff friendly but given the price, the wait and the unpleasant food experience I can't really recommend this restaurant right now. Maybe later this year.... Edit: Restaurant management was very quick to respond and offer a gc to come back and try again! read more

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This was BEYOND worth it!! The service was quicker than expected. The food was TO DIE FOR!!! I got a Hugo spritz which had the perfect proportions. The pepperoni focaccia was INSANE. The vodka pasta is so unique. Breaded chicken was perfection- I never thought something so simple would taste so good. There are clear windows showing an employee making fresh pasta which adds to the ambiance and the freshness of food. When our server heard I was celebrating an anniversary, she was so kind and excited. Will 100% be returning. read more

Zingaro - Vodka pasta, chicken parmigiana, hugo spritz - Italian Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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Amazing service and food, vibes were incredible! We sat in the bar area which was very cozy & fun. Felt taken care of and everything was delicious. Highly recommend the table side caprese! read more

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This was our first time and it was amazing! From the atmosphere, server, to the food it was all amazingly! We can not wait to visit again. read more

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Everything from the vibes to the food was amazing and I felt the prices were extremely reasonable. Great service. I can't wait to go back and try some drinks at their other bar. read more

Zingaro - Italian Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Great restaurant wonderful service. Our server Alex was sweet and made great suggestions. We will be back! read more

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I had celebratory dinner here last night. We started with drinks - mocktail and a cocktail. The margaritas tasted like straight tequila so may skip next time, but the mocktail was fabulous. For appetizer, we got the whipped ricotta bruschetta and a Caesar salad. The bruschetta was the favorite dish of the night. You can't find anything like it anywhere else in cincy. The salad had a nice surprise of roasted tomatoes. The pasta was okay - not bad, not overwhelmingly amazing either. We got the truffle pasta and the spicy vodka. We would return and just to appetizers. Venue itself is well decorated and staff was very attentive. Easy to see each other and hear one another. Welcome to Cincinnati, Zingaro! read more

Zingaro - Italian Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

I ordered Octopus and was delicious. Outstanding I will call it. Perfectly cooked and delicate sauce. I also had shaved Brussels sprouts that comes with some kale and some halved grapes. Very good food!! and nice vibe and service. read more

We were really excited to try this restaurant, especially since it's a newer spot close to home and the ambiance initially seemed very trendy and upscale. Unfortunately, the experience quickly went downhill. Although the main dining area looked beautiful, our party of four was seated in the back in what felt like a private room alongside a loud group of 8-10 people. It honestly felt like we were intruding on someone else's private dinner, and we completely missed out on the atmosphere that drew us there in the first place. The service was also far below expectations for a restaurant at this price point. Our waitress was not particularly friendly and didn't seem knowledgeable about the menu when we asked for recommendations. The only thing she enthusiastically recommended was dessert, which honestly felt like a red flag when she couldn't speak confidently about any of the entrees. It also took over 20 minutes for our drinks to arrive, and then our waitress disappeared for quite a while before finally taking our appetizer and entrée orders. The cocktails were especially disappointing. My friend ordered the margarita and actually sent it back because the flavor tasted artificial and off-putting -- definitely not what you'd expect from an upscale restaurant. For appetizers, we ordered the whipped ricotta with focaccia. The ricotta itself lacked flavor, and the focaccia tasted like frozen bread that had simply been thawed and warmed up. The portion size of the ricotta compared to the amount of bread was also very underwhelming. As for the entrees, my husband ordered the chicken parmesan, which tasted like it had been cooked hours earlier and left sitting under a warmer. I ordered the braised short rib pasta, which was decent overall, but the flavor resembled a pot roast much more than a traditional bolognese-style pasta sauce, so it wasn't really what I expected or hoped for. My favorite part of the meal was the chopped caesar - it was excellent. Overall, we were extremely disappointed considering the cost of the meal. Dining out at a nice restaurant is expensive, and when the food, drinks, and service all fall short, it simply doesn't feel worth it. I'm genuinely sad this was our experience because we were really hoping to have a great new Italian spot near our house. read more