Video: These entrees won Best of Taste for Taste of Cincinnati 2025
These restaurants aren’t playing around! Here are the entree winners for Best of Taste 2025.
This year’s Taste of Cincinnati had our Enquirer staff fanning out to find their favorite dishes from three different sections.
Trending news editor David Wysong hit the restaurant vendors, reporter Kaycee Sloan checked out the food trucks, and food and dining writer Keith Pandolfi focused on the area dubbed the Findlay Market Zone, which also includes vendors from Findlay Kitchen.
Each was asked to provide their two favorite dishes from their zone. Here are the best items we found Day 1.
Best of the food truck zoneThe Purple People Bridge donuts from Little Trolley Donuts
This was my first time at Taste of Cincinnati, so I had no idea what to expect walking into Food Truck Alley and was met with Little Trolley Donuts, a food truck that offers miniature donuts. It was a no-brainer for me to start my day here, as I hadn’t eaten breakfast and I love donuts. I was initially going to try the food truck’s Cincinnati Reds-inspired pastry, The Rosie Red, which consists of strawberry drizzle, Bavarian cream and whipped cream. However, I opted for The Purple People Bridge dish, several mini donuts covered in delicious blueberry lemon drizzle and powdered sugar. From my first bite, I knew this would be a favorite. The donuts were so light and airy, they soaked up all the blueberry juice. Paired with the lemon drizzle, it all came together in perfect harmony. I gave this dish an 8.5/10 ranking. – Kaycee Sloan, trending news reporter.
Crispy, mild wings from Buffalo’s Best
After venturing around Food Truck Alley, I ventured into enemy territory to try Buffalo’s Best mild wings. I expected the wings to be good considering customers were greeted with a Buffalo Bills welcome sign. How can you make bad wings as a Bills fan? That’s a question this food truck will not have to answer. There were several sauces to choose from, but I opted for mild. The dish consisted of five wings with a side of celery sticks and your choice of dressing (I got ranch). When they handed the wings to us, they were golden and perfectly sauced. The mild wings were right on cue with the spice level and had a crispy crunch. My fiancé and I both thoroughly enjoyed them, although he said he’d get a hotter sauce next time. I gave these wings a solid 9/10 rating. – Kaycee Sloan, trending news reporter.
Best of the restaurant zoneThe Korean fried chicken from Fortune Dumpling catering
This was not on my radar because Fortune Dumpling doesn’t have a physical location, nor does it even have a website! The folks there told me they just do catering for now, and I’m a little sad because I want to eat this Korean fried chicken again, again and again.
It was fried to perfection on the outside and tender on the inside. The breading had a nice kick to it, and it was drenched in sauce. I feel I sometimes don’t get enough sauce on dishes at food festivals, but they loaded this chicken up, and I greatly appreciated it. My kids were even doing some happy dances after eating their pieces, and they hate all types of food not called ice cream.
Put this on your must-have list this weekend. − David Wysong, trending news editor.
Fried green tomatoes from Hankering Southern Kitchen
This dish won gold for the Best of Taste appetizer/side dish category among the restaurants, and I see why. Perhaps I have only had fried green tomatoes on my mind because my pregnant wife has been craving them for weeks, but I am glad we stopped to satisfy her craving.
This was one of the most unique dishes I had all day. Atop the fried green tomatoes were goat cheese, Cajun remoulade and hot pepper jam. Each bite burst with flavor that went away too soon because I ate the tomatoes so quickly. I don’t venture over to Aurora, Indiana, too often, but I may have to just to try these again.
Because I only wrote about the restaurant zone, I did one add a couple of honorable mentions I enjoyed in the other areas: The Mullet donuts from Little Trolley Donuts, named after Cincinnati Top Content Creator Brandon Elliott aka Mullet Review, were delicious. The Cincinnati-style chili cold brew coffee from Ramblin’ Roast took me on an adventure I’ll never forget, and the gooey butter cake gelato from Dojo Gelato was tasty and refreshing. − David Wysong, trending news editor.
Best of the Findlay Market zoneJudgy Jen baked brie ice cream from Walkerbar
I can see why Walkerbar owner Jordan Starks won gold at this year’s Best of Taste awards. Her brie-infused ice cream is deliciously dense with chunks of crunchy ginger-pecan pralines and swirls of fig jam and salted honey. The brie flavor is understated, but it’s definitely there, providing a mild buttery flavor. My friend, Sherry, referred to it as “charcuterie ice” cream. As odd as that sounds, she’s right. While the ice cream alone is something special, the cardboard-cup packaging gives add a comforting nostalgic element, too. − Keith Pandolfi, food & dining writer
Asian fried jerky from Lotus Street food
I couldn’t figure out why I liked this ostensibly simple dish from Lotus Street Food so much. Yes, it was redolent of brown sugar, soy sauce and black pepper. And yes, it was tender with just the right amount of chew like every good jerky should be. A side of hot jam dip spiked with chillies and galangal also kicked it up a notch. It was only when owner Pativath Louprasong told me his mother used to make this exact same dish for him and his brother when they were growing up in Minnesota that it hit me. Ah, yes, it was made with love. That sounds like a silly sentiment sometimes; one that’s often overused. But in this case, it’s the only explanation I needed. Louprasong’s pad thai was also excellent. − Keith Pandolfi, food & dining writer