Cincinnati carry out food (Columbus, Mason: hotel, home, places to live)

[5thgencincy]

^ kjbrill, thank you, that's exactly what I'm looking for.

[kjbrill]

Yes, I remember a BBQ place in Kansas City we always went to. It was owned and operated by a black entrepreneur. Anytime we went there, he was out greeting us vociferously. KC BBQ, yes he had it. The majority was brisqet. What an enjoyment.

[RustBeltOptimist]

Having come from LA, I can say that the carry-out options were easily better at any end of the price range and in anything but Vietnamese food and Cincinnati's culturally unique specialties (although I remember only one BBQ joint that bested the best here, and that could be a clouded and subjective memory) but as others have posted, it's an unfair comparison due to the massive size and increased competition in a city like that. I do think Cincinnati's food options have improved since I moved here seven years ago, as I mention, Vietnamese food is good relative to other cities both Uptown and Downtown, Mexican food is decent at a couple of spots around town, notably Abuelos and a couple of downtown dives. Indian food is good at several places, but you sort of have to know what to order where and it's usually best to avoid the restaurants that also have lunch buffets. Barbecue is good at a couple of places, and other non-New Orleans Southern carry-out staples like fried chicken are also pretty good. Cincinnati doesn't do Cajun well at all, and I haven't been impressed with LaRosa's, Dewey's or other local Italian food carry-out options. Those are always, meh, at best. My experiences in Cincinnati with the local Japanese and Chinese food have been pretty terrible both carry-out and dine in. I don't even know if there is a dedicated Thai place, but the pan-Asian places I've tried that purportedly serve it are actually serving something else.

As for Cincy chili, it's definitely an acquired taste for non-natives, I've learned to like it at Camp Washington and Price Hill as late night or cold weather comfort food, but can't really stomach the stuff at Gold Star and have to be peer-pressured into Skyline.

[5thgencincy]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

So go to Chicago or south Jersey, then. The food surely won't be cheaper in that case.

What's your point?

Good question.

Having moved to Cincy from Chicago, I assumed carryout would be less expensive, based on cost of living.

I also assumed that the portions and quality would be closer to similar than not. In other words, on a scale of 1 (worst) to 100 (best), if Chicago is 80, then I assumed Cincy would be closer to 70 than 30.

I'm learning that I was wrong about assumption #1 (pricing).

I still think assumption #2 (quality) is correct, but the gap is a bit larger than I'd hoped.

In practice of course it depends on which 'pockets' you find, and if I find enough pockets, then nothing else will matter (to me). Ie. I'll feel good about going for carryout, and that's truly my point.

[Sarah Perry]

The only thing I think is kind of different about Cincinnati than some other places is the propensity of people to keep on patronizing places with inferior food, long after they should have put themselves out of business. Low expectations in general, or a determined adherence to family traditions seem to be the reason.

That said, with enough searching you can find some pretty good deals on cheap food, including carryout.

[WILWRadio]

Originally Posted by Sarah Perry

The only thing I think is kind of different about Cincinnati than some other places is the propensity of people to keep on patronizing places with inferior food, long after they should have put themselves out of business. Low expectations in general, or a determined adherence to family traditions seem to be the reason.

That said, with enough searching you can find some pretty good deals on cheap food, including carryout.

I saw this in Kansas City. Standards are lower than in other areas I've lived. Have found the same mentality in Indianapolis too. People are willing to accept Mediocrity and products that are not up to par. And this even goes beyond food.

I think America's taste buds are shot. LOL We can probably thank all those fast food restaurants for that. Certainly there is a place for them but in turn they've helped lower the bar and expectation that a dining experience should be as good or better than what you would get at home.

[Chemistry_Guy]

Very few restaurants in Cincinnati are carry out only, probably because real estate is cheap enough that every business can afford a dining room. Just about every restaurant will prepare an order "to go", even higher end places like Jeff Ruby Steakhouses and Nicola's. Restaurants in general are a lot less expensive in Cincinnati than Chicago or NYC. If you have been disappointed with carry out food places in Cincinnati it is because that is a genre of establishment that doesn't really fit in. Next time, just place a "to go" order at a place where you would usually dine in.

[shoenberg3]

The only real carry-out only place I recall is Alabama Fish Bar, which is a decent fish and chips place located in not-so-great part of town.

My thoughts on different cuisine (take-out and otherwise) of Cincinnati are as follows (bit Asian heavy due to my preferences):

Chinese: Both variety and quality is severely lacking compared to big cities like LA/SF/NYC. That said, there are some, albeit limited, options that can somewhat satiate my cravings for different type of chinese (Sichuan, Dim Sum, Americanized Chinese food. Double Dragon II is my favorite for take-out). 6/10
Indian: There is surprising number of Indian restaurants here. There are none that truly stand out, either in a bad and good sense. Overall, though, it is one of Cincinnati's strongest ethnic options. 8/10
Thai: Thai was another pleasant surprise. There are not huge number of them here but the ones that do exist generally are quite decent. Thai Express is a stand-out in Clifton area for good, inexpensive take-out food. 7.5/10
Japanese: Half-price sushi seems to be the rage here; too bad it also felt like half-quality. Forget trying to find decent Ramen, or any Ramen for that matter. I haven't been to 1-2 places across the river in Kentucky that I hear have more authentic options, but from what I've seen, the situation is quite dire. 3/10
Korean: Limited options for over-priced unspectacular food. 5/10
Mexican: There sure are no shortage of franchises like Chipotle, Key Lime, which are better than nothing. There are some bright spots (although generally over-priced) like Mazunte. Still, it pales compared to anywhere in California -- hard to find good honest cheap Mexican food. 6/10
Pizza: La Rosa was just bit eh. Dewey's are okay. A lot of different pizza chains but none that really stand out. Bit disappointed in not being able to find good deep-dish, given proximity to Chicago. 7/10
"Southern" food like BBQ, soul-food: Definitely a strong point of Cincinnati. Eli's, Alabamaque etc. are all pretty decent. 8.5/10
Vietnamese food: Places in hyde park/clifton are overpriced and blah. The two places near downtown are just okay -- just enough to curve my cravings for pho. 6/10
Others: It is kind of sad that a city with so much German heritage doesn't really have excellent German cuisine. I kinda like the Cincinnati Chili, especially at Camp Washington, but it is not exactly piece of culinary art. Also as a student, I admit that I wasn't able to visit many of fancier establishments, so I can't really comment on those (although obviously these are not carry-out food). Graeter's and Busken are good.

Overall, I probably won't be missing much once I am back in California. Who knows though, I might get random cravings for the chili at 2am with no way to get em!

[RustBeltOptimist]

Originally Posted by shoenberg3

The only real carry-out only place I recall is Alabama Fish Bar, which is a decent fish and chips place located in not-so-great part of town.

My thoughts on different cuisine (take-out and otherwise) of Cincinnati are as follows (bit Asian heavy due to my preferences):


Thai: Thai was another pleasant surprise. There are not huge number of them here but the ones that do exist generally are quite decent. Thai Express is a stand-out in Clifton area for good, inexpensive take-out food. 7.5/10
Mexican: There sure are no shortage of franchises like Chipotle, Key Lime, which are better than nothing. There are some bright spots (although generally over-priced) like Mazunte. Still, it pales compared to anywhere in California -- hard to find good honest cheap Mexican food. 6/10
Vietnamese food: Places in hyde park/clifton are overpriced and blah. The two places near downtown are just okay -- just enough to curve my cravings for pho. 6/10
Overall, I probably won't be missing much once I am back in California. Who knows though, I might get random cravings for the chili at 2am with no way to get em!

I agree with a lot of what you say, but having lived in Thai town in LA and having been to Vietnam and Thailand, I don't really know how you rate Thai Express so high and Cilantro so low. I've been nothing but disappointed in the former and pretty impressed by the latter, particularly since it's moved to the new location.

[shoenberg3]

That's interesting. I had the pho at Cilantro and found it watered-down and thin (with a slightly off-taste broth too). On the other hand, Thai Express always seems to be above-average, whether it be pad thai or stir-fry meats -- generous and fresh chunks of meat/veggies with good spice.