A Food Tour of Cincinnati’s Northern Suburbs
The labels on the door still read: “Forest Park Restaurant,” even though it’s been nearly five years since that charming, little strip mall diner closed. The cuisine now offered inside is a drastic contrast to the former menu of sandwiches and lunch counter staples, but the allure—and the classic interior—remains.
The counter at Hamro Restaurant.
Hamro Restaurant began offering Nepalese and Indian cuisine out of this spot not long after the original tenant sadly shut down. Having once lived out this way, today’s not my first visit. This place was once in my regular rotation of favorite eateries found in an area as innocuous as almost any other in Midwestern suburbia, but one that features an eclectic collection of local restaurants amongst big box stores and generic chains.
Tables at Hamro Restaurant.
I’ve been struggling to properly describe just how interesting, delicious, and diverse the dining options of Cincinnati’s northern suburbs are once you know where to look. Not a culinary critic by any means, it was a cultural aspect of the greater-city I’d long wanted to share. The best way to go about that seemed to be by inviting some friends along. So, at lunchtime on a Sunday, we found ourselves listening to the “Hits of Kumar Sanu” and ordering anything and everything that sounded appetizing.
Fried paneer cheese, chicken saag, chicken chili, chicken briani, pork momos, garlic naan, and chicken tandoori all arrive with friendly service and the quiet realization that perhaps we’ve ordered too much for what’s only the first of five planned stops this afternoon. Discussing how today will be Justin’s “last meal” (or meals) before he begins a diet in anticipation of his wedding, we pass around plates and swap stories.
Paneer Pakora: “Homemade cheese dipped in chickpea batter and fried.”
Pork Chili Momo.
There’s no point in breaking down each dish or writing a lengthy review, because it’s all pretty simple: come for Hamro for the old school interior and charming aesthetic, stay for the incredible food.
Originally “Forest Park Restaurant,” a classic diner, HamRo Restaurant has kept the vintage interior while serving up an amazing menu of Nepali and Indian cuisine.
Outside, our caravan of vehicles passes right past the ruins of not one, but two McDonald’s and straight into the parking lot of a former Burger King. Now known as Mi Taco Loco (formerly Taco Loco #2), this place has the best tortas I’ve ever tasted outside of California.
Frankly, much better than a Burger King.
Sadly, however, it’s closed due to some work going on. A patio is being added and renovations appear to be underway inside. Selfishly, I hope that the dining room will still retain some of its early 90’s Burger King vibe when all’s said and done, but either way—I’ll still eventually return for the massive chorizo sandwich.
Carniceria Maravatio counter and dining area.
Carniceria Maravatio, a Mexican and Central American spot paired with a small grocery in neighboring Springdale, is just down the street. In the combined stock room/dining area/kitchen, music is blaring on one television while horse racing from Sonora plays on the other. We crowd in with the mid-day rush to place orders for chicken, steak, and chorizo. Caitlin and Brendan also grab some candy from the grocery side as we pass around a bottle opener for various flavors of Jarritos.
Chicken and steak tacos.
Chorizo quesadilla and the best flavor of Jarritos: pineapple.
The grocery side of Carniceria Maravatio.
While Mi Taco Loco has the best tortas, Carniceria Maravatio has the best quesadillas. Longtime QC/D reader Ben Shooner turned me on to this place a few years back and I’m forever grateful for his recommendation. The menu here offers the perfect balance of cheese and meat served by kind folks who always made me feel welcome when I once lived within walking distance. Today’s no different as a young woman continually delivers orders from the grill with a smile while I go catch up with the regular clerk at the counter.
If there’s any positives to be found in the proliferation of suburban strip malls, it’s that they’ve allowed many great restaurants to come into existence in otherwise bland surroundings. There’s no shortage of these types of retail developments, and within almost all of them, there always seems to be an abundance of vacant space available (for more on the languishing architecture of suburbia, check out this series). Thankfully, many of those empty slots have become unique places like what we’ve seen so far today, or in the case of where we’ve now arrived in nearby West Chester: Sene Grill.
Beef Fataya: “A perfectly cooked meat pie, filled with mouthwatering beef or salmon, fried to perfection…”
I’m not educated enough on the subject to properly explain the history of Senegalese cuisine, but what I do know about this particular location is that the menu here comes highly recommended. So much so that the owners have lined a wall with the numerous “five star” reviews from Google and Yelp—a decoration they’ve preserved even as a sign warns us about the fresh paint drying on the other surfaces nearby. While I once frequented this particular location for its jerk chicken, plantains, and a wonderful concoction of sugar and milk known as “bouye”—there’s another Sene Grill up towards the middle of the state in Sidney.
I opt for beef fataya and I’m so simultaneously full and excited to keep eating that I don’t really pay attention to what anyone else gets. Beef and chicken shawarma, I think. Lots of rice. No one seemed adventurous enough to order the snapper, egg roll pockets, or shrimp alfredo. As we attempt to digest everything we’ve consumed over the last two hours, the phone continuously rings for takeout orders and a steady stream of cars visit the drive-thru.
Beef Shawarma.
One more stop, back in Springdale: La Michoacana. There’s a line out the door and into the cold of a calendar day that says Spring, but doesn’t reflect the season in terms of temperature. Despite the weather, the masses have still turned out for frozen treats—the crowd only easing when an employee carrying a tray of chocolate and peanut covered bananas needs to get by. Folks take their turns ordering ice cream made from scratch, fruit covered in chili powder, and popsicles. Fresh watermelons sit stacked in a shopping cart still sporting a Big Lots logo.
La Michoacana.
A rare lull in the Sunday crowd.
These patrons were kind enough to pose for a photograph with their “Tornado.”
For me, the day’s dessert is a scoop of Zarzamora Con Queso. Enjoyed with friends on the sidewalk outside as I list off where we’ll have to go next time—places I’ve sampled before and ones I still need to try. All in the hopes of eventually learning the stories of the people who’ve brought these unique eateries into existence and into the communities they inhabit.
Thanks to Travis, Phil, Caitlyn, Brendan, and Justin for hanging out with me in the northern Cincinnati suburbs on this day and sampling just a few of the many great eateries out there.
Establishments Featured:
677 Northland Blvd, Cincinnati (Forest Park)
610 Northland Blvd, Cincinnati (Forest Park)
328 Northland Blvd, Cincinnati (Springdale)
10120 Princeton Glendale Rd, West Chester Township (West Chester)
338 Northland Blvd, Cincinnati (Springdale)
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