This story originally appeared in the Aug. 23, 2024 edition of the LINK Reader. The Northern Kentucky restaurant scene has undergone significant changes over the past calendar year, with many eateries opening their doors while longtime favorites have closed permanently.
The region bid farewell to classic restaurants such as Dee Felice Cafe, an institution in Covington’s Mainstrasse neighborhood for nearly 40 years, and Keystone Bar and Grill, one of the region’s most popular spots for comfort food. It’s not all bad news, though. NKY also has seen an influx of new restaurants, like Cattleman’s Roadhouse and Opal.
As the culinary landscape shifts, we’re highlighting five restaurants that have debuted over the past calendar year and five that have closed. Thai Pavilion: 405 Scott St., Covington The only Thai restaurant in Covington opened its doors in October in the former Chi Maek on Scott Street.
Owners Anya Hoffman and Wun Woon fulfilled a lifelong dream of running their own Thai restaurant. According to Hoffman, Chi Maek proprietor Bruce Kim recommended the space to her. As unabashed foodies, Hoffman and Woon use Thai Pavilion to share their love of Thai food and culture with the Northern Kentucky community.
Thai Pavilion’s menu features classics like pad thai, red curry and pad kee mao, along with a variety of noodles, fried rice dishes, wontons and spring rolls. Cattleman’s Roadhouse: 12910 Frogtown Connector Road, Walton Cattleman’s Roadhouse, the local franchise of the Kentucky-based steakhouse chain, opened to plenty of fanfare in June. The new steakhouse is located just west of Interstate 75 in Walton.
The franchise is the brainchild of restaurateurs Bill Hisle and Stuart Meredith, who opened the first location in Shelbyville in 2006. The menu features nine steaks sourced from the Demkota Ranch Beef in Aberdeen, South Dakota, plus a variety of burgers, salads and entrees. Honey Uninhibited: 50 E Rivercenter Blvd.
, Suite 20, Covington Get the news when you want to with our email newsletters The Daily LINK - Every morning The Weekend LINK - Saturdays The Sports LINK - Mondays at noon Sign up Former Cincinnati Bengal Carlos Dunlap debuted his newest eatery, Honey Uninhibited, a Southern-style restaurant inside Covington’s RiverCenter, in July 2023. The 12-year NFL veteran lived in Northern Kentucky while playing for the Bengals. Its menu features creative takes on classic Southern favorites like Gullah shrimp ’n’ grits, lobster truffle mac and cheese, specialty drinks and mimosa kits.
Several restaurants have cycled through the RiverCenter space. Its previous tenant was FIRE, a New American restaurant that closed in March 2020. Before that, Behle Street Cafe occupied the space.
It closed in 2013 but has since reopened in Fort Mitchell. The Covington location is the second Honey Uninhibited in the United States. Dunlap opened the original restaurant in Miami, Florida, his hometown, in 2022.
Opal: 535 Madison Ave., Covington Northern Kentucky’s newest rooftop restaurant is on the seventh floor of the renovated Republic Bank building in Covington’s Central Business District. Upon opening, founder Bill Whitlow described Opal as a casual fine-dining experience.
Whitlow, a prominent Covington restaurateur, also owns Hangry Omar’s Slider Shack and Rich’s Proper. Opal’s open-fire Grillworks grill is one of the few within a two-hour radius of Cincinnati. It also features a patio bar, with an extensive cocktail and wine menu.
Bridges Nepali: 11 W. Seventh St., Covington Nepali-style restaurant Bridges opened its first Northern Kentucky location in June.
It’s in the former McK’s BBQ storefront. Bridges was founded in 2015 by Ashak Chipalu and his parents, Rose and Manoj, in Cincinnati’s Northside neighborhood. Bridges’ menu includes noodles, rice bowls, samosas and momos – the Nepali version of a dumpling.
There is another Bridges location in Elmwood Place, Ohio, and a fourth location is planned to open in Cincinnati’s Walnut Hills neighborhood, according to the restaurant’s website. Keystone Bar & Grill: 313 Greenup St., Covington Keystone Bar & Grill, a popular comfort food restaurant, closed its doors in September after 16 years in business.
The restaurant was founded in 2007 by Cincinnati-based Four Entertainment Group. Despite its closure, Keystone’s signature mac and cheese lives on at Keystone’s Mac Shack on Short Vine Street in Cincinnati. By Golly’s Bar & Grill is set to open in the space vacated by Keystone.
By Golly’s menu will feature classic bar food like burgers, wings and sandwiches. Dee Felice Cafe: 529 Main St., Covington Dee Felice Cafe announced its permanent closure in July 2023 after nearly four decades in Covington.
The café was founded by Shelly DeFelice-Nelson and her father, a jazz musician who performed under the stage name Dee Felice – the restaurant’s namesake. The New Orleans-style eatery’s menu included Cajun offerings such as barbequed shrimp, jambalaya, crawfish étouffée, fried catfish sandwiches and shrimp po’boys. Since Dee Felice’s closing, Kealoha’s Kitchen, a Hawaiian-style restaurant formerly located in Latonia, has moved into the space.
McK’s BBQ: 11 W. Seventh St., Covington Covington barbeque joint McK’s abruptly closed after six years in business.
McK’s served classic barbeque dishes and traditional sides like collard greens, macaroni and cheese, and baked beans. Its meats were cooked each morning in two drum smokers in the alley next door to the restaurant. McK’s also had a second location in Cincinnati’s Liberty Township.
That location has also closed. Bridges Nepali opened in the Covington space in June. Baker’s Table Bakery: 1001 Monmouth St.
, Newport Newport coffee shop Baker’s Table Bakery on Monmouth Street suddenly closed its doors last October. The Baker’s Table restaurant across the street remained open and returned its brunch offerings on Saturday and Sunday. In addition, Baker’s Table added immersive cooking classes in its former bakery space, where attendees could make pizzas, pasta and bread.
It now also offers artisan sourdough bread for weekly pickup. Quaker Steak and Lube: 8025 Action Blvd., Florence Quaker Steak and Lube, a beloved burger and wings joint located near the Florence Mall, permanently closed in January after the national franchise struggled to rebound from the pandemic and was impacted by reduced accessibility from Ky.
18. The Florence location opened in 2012. Quaker Steak and Lube’s menu features a variety of steaks, burgers, hot wings and sandwiches.
The Quaker Steak and Lube building now sits empty, showcasing the further decline of the Florence Mall area. SUPPORT LOCAL NEWS DONATE.
