Elizabeth Burnett

Salazar has excellent food, kind, thoughtful staff- and incredible service. I'd describe the atmosphere as elevated but chill. I loved the music and we met cool people. You also can't go wrong with anything you order. You'd be missing out if you didn't try it. 🥂 ✨

+1

Paula Healthy

What a great evening! The friendly welcome comes from the front of the house as the back of the house are very busy creating amazing breads and dishes.

Ashley Calloway

May this place never leave downtown Cincy ! I’ve never had a bad meal from any of the Salazar restaurants. It’s effortlessly inviting , sexy and the food is great . Date worthy , plenty of parking options and the drinks can contend with the best of them . Pictured is a NO.5 cocktail, The fried oyster sandwich, and the blue crab salad. This is your sign to go again and again.

Derek Roorda

The new Salazar did not disappoint! Normally I make it a point to not go to a restaurant until at least a month post-opening so they have a chance to work out the bugs, but my wife and I were too excited not to try. We sat at the bar, which was unassuming, relaxing and comfortable. The atmosphere is very much something you’d find in a Florida bar and restaurant. The main dining area, while we didn’t see all of it, is more intimate. The same level of service was noticeable throughout. Bartenders passing service notes to each other so they knew who their guests were, proper pacing of items, etc. Food: 10/10 The menu played it safe, but that’s a smart move during a new opening. Plenty of seasonal offerings, and everything I saw coming out of the kitchen was quality. Cocktail menu was well-balanced. There’s a THC/CBD drink section as well which was interesting to see, although we didn’t indulge. The mezzi rigatoni hits like a flexed-up coastal pasta, the kind of dish that tells you the kitchen actually knows how to balance richness with brightness. The blue crab is clean and sweet, the preserved lemon cuts through like a well-timed cymbal hit, and the brussels plus sauce américaine give it that deeper, almost French backbone. The ribeye comes out as the heavy hitter on the table, perfectly cooked, dripping confidence, and backed by the kind of sides that aren’t just filler. Thumbelina carrots, cipollini onions, and that Yukon gold purée make the whole thing feel like a luxury cheat code, and the a-2 sauce brings nostalgic steakhouse energy without dragging the flavor back to the 90s. Not too heavy but jam packed with flavor. The price was well worth it, even a bargain I’d argue compared to other higher end places downtown. Go check this out. You won’t regret it.

Kevin Huntting

A Flawless Dining Experience at Salazar Salazar delivered one of the most memorable meals I’ve had in a long time. What truly amazed me was the consistency—every dish was exceptional. The bright, beautifully balanced salad, the silky and perfectly seasoned chicken mousse, and the incredibly flavorful chicken entrée each flowed seamlessly into the next. The flavors were bold yet refined, and the execution was flawless from start to finish. Add in warm, attentive service, and it became an evening I won’t forget. Salazar is pure excellence—highly recommended.

Ramnath Ramachandran

Update: Had to have it one last time at the original location before they temporarily close to reopen in a new larger location. Harvest Moon cocktail is an aesthetical and delectable delight Restaurant Week is building momentum with a visit to Salazar - the eponymous OTR restaurant by Chef Jose Salazar Supreme dining experience. Fine dining without being overly pretentious or breaking the bank. 1. Cocktail: Love Letter Refreshing spring evening drink while the sun was still out. For food, went with the Spring restaurant week special dinner menu 2. First course: Parisian Gnocchi. Intricate and Exquisite! Subtle medley of savory flavors and textures (crisp, soft, smooth) with each ingredient shining on its own and coming together harmoniously! And something to be said about the color of the presentation. Felt it represented a bright spring evening perfectly. This was a grandslam home run gnocchi creation by Chef Salazar and his team. Probably the best gnocchi dish I have had, ever! 3. Second course: Blue corn Hurache Vegetables in this really pleasant artisanal presentation of Hurache included English peas, radishes and asparagus as part of the spring vegetables medley, along with refried beans, salsa and crema- all delicately elevating the star of the show - a perfectly prepared Hurache! Great follow up to the gnocchi first course. Jumping across the pond seamlessly between the two courses. 4. Third course Dessert: dark chocolate pot de creme with chopped strawberries and vanilla whip. Well , let's just say this unleashed a bit of a sweet tooth in me...and I ended up overshooting the restaurant week menu to order a 4th course add-on dessert 😆 5. Fourth Course: Warm fresh cookie, did I mention warm?... just the perfect way to finish a cool spring night I leave Salazar a happy and full human....again ! Where to next on Wednesday??

+7

Paula Castelo

Salazar, by Chef Jose Salazar, was the best experience and surprise we had on a 24h connection in Cincinnati. I would say it's a special diamond in the city and a must go, if you have the opportunity. A reservation is recommended. We didn't get a seat inside (our fault), so we had our dinner on the tables outside, which was also pretty good. The service is exceptional. They know a lot about the ingredients and food they are serving, they help you choosing drinks, make sure you don't run out of water, and always with a smile and great mood. We chose Salazar because it is presented as a farm-inspired, local and regional sourced restaurant, that reflects a truly Cincinnati experience. I believe the menu changes over time and season, as I didn't find everything that was on the photos. Anyway, we did the right coices. 🦪 oyster sandwich - the most surprising and tasty dish! Very well balanced with a fried oyster and spicy kimchi, and the flavours of the radish sprouts and garlic mayo. It was an appetizer, but this could easily turn into my main dish. 🐟 Grilled Hamachi Collar - so well cooked, soft, tasty, and with a perfect ginger-tumeric sauce. Sided with some crispy black rice crackers. 🍔 The double smashburguer - from local grass fed cows, which shows how Salazar cares about what he puts in his restaurant. Asked for the extra egg. Didn't regret my choice. Perfect pickle (i would love them to be home made, but I am no sure), with aged cheddar and a potato bun, was for sure one of the top burguers I had. 🍗 Amish chicken paillard - it was not my dish, but I could try it. Was surprisingly soft inside, and crispy outside. 🍨 There was still room for a sweet treat. We were enchanted by the honey ice cream and the coffee ice cream. We had both, and although I was mostly curious about the first, it was the coffee one that won. It was creamy, strongly flavoured and delicious. Prices, for a non-american, portuguese visitor, are of course a bit high. We paid around $200 for 3 people (including tax and tip). But it is worth it and it is a fair price. I am probably not returning to Cincinnati again, so if you have the opportunity, please do visit this amazing restaurant. Congrats to all the team at Salazar!

+5

Myroslava Symonenko

Delectable cocktails, scrumptious food and a great server made our visit to Salazar a truly fine dining experience. Their way of cooking Brussels sprouts is simply the best, oysters sandwich is a must try, and falafel was so tasty and moist that I had to watch out not to swallow my tongue. The three cocktails we enjoyed - love letter, fresh heat and killer queen - tasted as delicious as dangerously smooth . Save some space for dessert, their house-made icecream opens up in your mouth with layers of yumminess.

+2

Grant Donnelly

I loved my experience at Salazar Restaurant (3/30/23). Great food, great service and wonderful ambience, overall a real treat! Food: - we started with the little fried oyster sandwich. Our server suggested we order one per guest which was a good recommendation. They are small (about two bites) but they are packed with flavor- delicious buns and kimchi with a bite, would definitely order this again. - also got the 89s acre green salad. This was probably my least favorite dish- but still pretty good, felt it was a little salty, and a bit too much cheese (not even sure how that could be possible because I love cheese but I wanted to taste the greens more). Mains: -got the falafel which was cooked to perfection! Crispy outside and soft center. Definitely add the mixed greens to this order it will really elevate the dish, the greens were INCREDIBLE, probably one of my most favorite salads ever. The naan is also amazing, super well cooked soft and crispy at the same time. I loved this dish! - my partner got the burger. It was good and added a side of fries. The max sauce is Siracha mayo. - would have probably ordered the cookie for dessert but I’m they were sold out by the time we ordered 😕 - drinks were great. Would recommend the love letter cocktail and the J&T (non alcoholic) was super tasty and fresh. The J&T was served with a metal straw- sustainability for the win! SERVICE: - we had Allen M. Super caring server with great suggestions. We also asked for recommendations of what to do while in town and he made a hand written list with about 10 places and things to do with little descriptions- so incredibly nice. AMBIENCE: - weird to mention the floor at a place but the tile work is incredible and compliments the yellow decor. Overall a really special gem of a place, will return next time we are in town!

+7

Jess Brewster

My friends and I really enjoyed our meal here. We had a bar reservation and our server/bartender, Sarahi, was not only friendly and accommodating, but made stellar recommendations on food and beverage when asked. The food was quite good, and the drinks were great. I really liked their cold brew martini, and their house cocktail menu was interesting and well curated. All of their desserts were incredible! (They even gave us a complimentary cookie and polaroid photo since we were celebrating a couple birthdays!)

+8

Christie C

My son wants to be a chef and is a BIG fan of Chef Salazar. For his 16th birthday, he picked this restaurant for his celebratory dinner. We had a party of four, and none of us had been here before. Parking at Washington Park was close and easier than expected. We start with some 'Nibbles' including: > Grilled local bread with bone marrow butter and olive oil - YUM. We liked the butter over the oil. > Little fried oyster sandwich - it is little! Really like a slider. But it was SO GOOD. Another person at our table ordered one for themselves after they saw the one my son got. > Crispy fried pig ears - these were like a cross between really crispy bacon and pork rinds. We didn't like the salad as much. For dinner, three of us got burgers. I liked that they would cook it rare, which is how my son and I like our meat. We shared the burger and the Wagyu sirloin. Both were delicious! My son said it was probably one of the best burgers he's had (and we've had a lot of burgers!). I didn't eat the bun on my half, so he used the bone marrow butter on it. As sides, we got the mushrooms with umami butter and fries - which were so good that my son got a second order of fries with dessert. For dessert, they brought my son a cookie with a candle for his bday. He also got some chocolate fried pie thing with ice cream. The service was good, and we liked the ambiance as well. Now that I know where to park, we shall be back! We really want to try the chicken thigh dish on the Nibbles menu as well as the Branzino. Hoping to try Chef Salazar's other restaurants now, too.

+2

We visited Salazar for Valentine’s Day dinner, and overall we had a lovely experience. The atmosphere was very cozy and romantic, and the front staff were incredibly warm and welcoming from the moment we arrived. The food was absolutely delicious — truly one of the highlights of our evening. Everything we ordered was well prepared and flavorful, and we really enjoyed our meal. The only area that could use some improvement was the service at our table. Our waitress did not seem to bring the same energy and attentiveness to us that we observed with other tables. Additionally, the check was brought to us before we were ready to leave. My husband had actually been about to order another drink, but when the check arrived, he changed his mind. We still enjoyed our evening and would consider returning, but we hope future visits feel a bit more relaxed and evenly attentive. Thank you to the team for the wonderful food and cozy Valentine’s atmosphere.

Had dinner with friends at Salazar. It’s a very great night to spend dinner here. The food was really good and flavorful, It’s definitely the highlight of the visit. However, the service felt very disorganized and messy.

Beatriz Acosta

Food was perfectly executed and original. Service was unfortunately slow ☹ Our server was very helpful and attentive, though. Desserts were quite memorable and the cocktail menu was great. Pictured: lemon poppyseed tart and warm butter cake + caramel corn ice cream.

Kenzie Shimrock

We loved dinner here. It’s a cozy space and delicious food. We ordered the rigatoni, the lamb, and the oyster sliders. Each dish was cooked perfectly, but the lamb was a standout for sure. We will come back!

Lex

Visited Salazar with a great group of friends ahead of the hectic Holiday week - the food was yummy and fresh, but the friendly service and amazing staff are what really elevated the experience. Despite the busyness of the venue, we never waited long for any order or dish to arrive. Our server was knowledgeable and offered on-point advice for navigating the menu and making the most of our dining experience. My husband also has many food allergies (gluten and dairy among them) and they went to whatever lengths they could to accommodate him, which we really appreciated! The food was very tasty, but for the price point we were expecting to be blown away– close, but not quite there. Beef tongue, scallops and risotto, and veggies were the stars of the show for us. The bread service I had was also fantastic! Overall worth a visit to try it out, I look forward to seeing how Salazar continues to concept new menu items.

Cesar Abdul-Massih

I came here to celebrate a friend's new job (sadly she's moving away to save lives in NYC). Firstly they were accommodating: gave her a mask as she forgot hers, and got us mimosas (yummy!) despite it being after brunch hours. Ambiance was good with safety precautions in mind. Food: the bread (grilled and crispy) with bone marrow butter...was FANTASTIC! The pork jowl with grits was also very good, the pork was tender but had a nice crispy and seasoned outer coating, with tasty grits. The burger was very good as well, with proper bacon on it. With the chuck roast sandwich, the meat was bland, and despite having the jam spread with it that's both sweet and spicy, this was not enough to make it a dish I would recommend. The fries and the dark chocolate pot de creme were average. Overall, the service was very good and I would recommend trying Salazar.

+3

Risa K

The oyster and kimchi sandwich was great! The main dishes tasted a little too strong for us, but I still liked the Ohio wagyu steak. The cheese cake itself was good, but I didn’t think the toppings were needed. We liked the chocolate mousse. The staff were pleasant.

+1

eric huffman

My wife and I enjoyed our time at the restaurant for dinner. The bread and salad nibbles were fantastic. While I wanted the salmon I changed to the steak at the recommendation of the waiter to the steak. It was over seasoned but a great cut of beef. My wife liked but didn’t love her schnitzel. Good wine selection. Great service.