Recently I visited Cincinnati, OH to see friends and family and had dinner at A Tavola in Over-the-Rhine. A quick look at the menu is a bit discouraging for vegans, but after a chat with the waitress I learned that their homemade garlic bread is vegan. Score!

Overall, my meal was good. The salad was listed on the menu with cheese, but I ordered it without and got cherry tomatoes and red onion instead. I was happy that the garlic bread contains no butter and is prepared with fresh garlic and olive oil. Then, the table shared a roasted cauliflower appetizer that happened to be dairy-free, as well. With those three items, I was able to create a filling meal.

A Tavola is more well known for their wood-fired pizzas than the salad and garlic bread. I like that the they have a create-your-own pizza section on the menu with a decent list of veggie toppings, so plant-based eaters can concoct a pretty dank pie. Think caramelized onions, castelvetrano olives, garlic, artichoke, asparagus, cremini mushrooms, sweet peas, fresh basil, fresh sage and balsamic. Yum!

Visiting Cincinnati is especially fun for me now that so much life has been pumped into the historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. When I moved away for college is about the time that Cincinnati started making real headway with the revitalization of Over-the-Rhine. That’s where I went to high school, and back then OTR was not considered cool, but rather a place where you don’t want to go at night, a place where you’d find drugs and crime. Things have really improved there and I love seeing the hoards of people enjoying the restaurants like A Tavola!

Have you ever been to Cincinnati or live there? Where are your favorite spots for vegan or vegetarian fare?

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