Where to eat in NKY according to the LINK Team

There are too many good places to eat in Northern Kentucky to count, and the people on the LINK team certainly like to eat (and occasionally drink), so we thought we would share some of our favorites. To get you the best recommendations I could, I (Maggy McDonel, LINK’s digital editor) asked our team members and (of course) myself four questions: What is your favorite NKY fast food joint? What is your favorite NKY date-night spot? What is your overall favorite NKY restaurant? And what NKY restaurant do you recommend to people who are visiting the region? You’ll find the answers below with a lot of talk about delicious dishes and fantastic vibes. What is your NKY favorite fast food joint? While his favorite NKY fast food spot is no longer around (the Alexandria Gold Star), our business reporter Kenton Hornbeck said he would now choose the Dixie Chili off Madison Avenue in Covington.

I would have to agree with Dixie Chili (although my favorite is the Newport location) as my favorite local fast-food restaurant. The Cincinnati-style chili joint has three locations (Newport, Erlanger and Covington) and has been around since 1929. It serves Cincy-chili classics like coney’s, chili cheese fries, 3, 4, 5 and 6-ways, plus some of its own unique dishes like the Alligator, which involves a dill spear, a hotdog, mustard, mayo and cheese on a coney bun.



Sticking with the hotdog theme, our CEO Lacy Starling’s favorite fast food spot is Larry’s in Covington. This neighborhood dive bar offers loaded hot dogs, tater tots, quesadillas and more. Lacy said she likes it because it’s “Cheap, quick, and you can get beer or a cocktail.

” Our very own VP of Development Nicole Trimpe had five favorite NKY fast food restaurants that ranged from Clean Eatz in Newport (can fast food be healthy?) to Reality Tuesday in Park Hills to The Standard The Standard in Covington. However, dear reader, if you saw her face when she came into the office with a hummus platter Reality Tuesday, you would know that that’s her true favorite. What is your favorite NKY date-night spot? A common thread in the LINK team’s favorite date night spots seemed to be good drinks and good (aka low) lighting because, do we really need to see our dates or have them see us? Recommended as the best place for a date night by both Nicole and VP of Sales Brad Crosby was Ripple Wine Bar.

Located on Pike Street in Covington, this cozy spot features an ever-changing collection of wines, plus small bites like cheese and charcuterie boards and what they call “petite entrees” ranging from perogies to beef Wellington popovers to various different flatbreads. Brad said about the space, “We love the joyful atmosphere and the big-city vibe it gives off in such a small space. The wine is pretty good too.

” Staying in Covington, Lacy’s go-to for a date night is Junipers, a gin bar with a robust martini list and a rotating menu of small plates featuring bar favorites like warmed olives and a “Deviled Egg Trio.” About this spot, Lacy said, “It’s such a great place to go and get small plates and craft cocktails. There are no TVs and the lighting is SUPER flattering.

” Mentioned several times by different respondents, Camporosso in Fort Mitchell is clearly a favorite of the LINK team and it’s one of Kenton’s favorite date-night spots. This wildly popular wood-fired pizza place was featured in Food & Wine magazine’s “The Best Pizza in Every State” as one of the top pizzerias in Kentucky, and in Kenton’s opinion, “People might not want to hear this, but Camporosso might have the best pizza in the Greater Cincinnati area.” Knotty Pine on the Bayou in Cold Spring is LINK’s office and production manager Shelly Braun’s go-to date night restaurant.

Having been around for over 50 years, this spot sticks to classic Cajun-influenced dishes like Cajun shrimp boil, oysters on the half-shell, Gumbo and more. What is your overall favorite NKY restaurant? LINK editorial board member Ashleigh DuBois’ favorite NKY restaurant, Purple Poulet, really brings in the southern charm. Ashleigh loves the fried green tomatoes, one of the southern bourbon bistro’s signature dishes.

In addition to having over 500 bourbons and ryes, they offer classics like shrimp and grits, fried chicken and waffles and some unique takes like a peanut butter-crusted pork chop. Cincinnati-style chili is back on the list with Shelly’s favorite: Alexandria’s Empress Chili. Originally opened in 1922, this classic chili join offers 2, 3, 4 and 5-ways plus coney’s, sandwiches, even a chili pizza and Shelly said “their chicken salad is better than any place I’ve tried.

” The next favorite is not too far from the LINK nky office, Kung Food AmerAsia in Covington and is Kenton’s overall NKY restaurant pick. Kung Food is a Pan-Asian restaurant serving Chinese, Taiwanese and other Asian cuisines. Rich Chu, and his son, Johnny Chu, own and operate the popular dining location.

Kenton said this places offer “good vibes and good food,” and his go-to order is Singapore chicken noodles, spice level three. My favorite restaurant in NKY has to be Mama’s on Main. Mentioned by several respondents as an amazing date night spot and place to recommend to visitors, this red-sauce Italian restaurant with a twist opened in 2022 in Mainstrasse and has an amazing vibe and even better food.

I highly recommend the chicken parmesan and, of course, several orders of the focaccia bread service. What NKY restaurant do you recommend to people who are visiting the region? Three LINK team members, editorial board member Michele Day, Brad and Nicole, all had the same answer for this question: Otto’s. This MainStrasse classic has been around since 2003 and offers lunch, dinner and weekend brunch.

The menu features southern classics, such as fried pork chops, the BLFGT (bacon, lettuce, and fried green tomato), Kentucky Hots Browns, and more. Brad said he recommends it because it offers “Good food, good people, great location.” Newport’s La Mexicana Restaurante Cantina & Tienda is where Kenton said he would take a vistor.

In his opinion, it’s “the best Mexican restaurant in all of Northern Kentucky.” This part restaurant, part grocer serves up tacos, enchiladas, tamales, fajitas, chilaquiles and more. They offer glasses and pitchers of margaritas plus a selection of Mexican beers.

We had to have some barbeque on the list, and we got it with Shelly’s number one recommendation for visitors: Four Mile Pig in Alexandria. This family-owned spot offers a small but mighty menu of all the best BBQ options, from pulled pork to brisket, plus sides like smoked wings, mac and cheese and baked beans. Before you go.

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