Cincinnati has a distinct food identity that no other American city can claim. Cincinnati chili is the centrepiece: a spiced meat sauce served over spaghetti (a "two-way"), with cheddar cheese ("three-way"), diced onions ("four-way"), or beans ("five-way"). Skyline Chili and Gold Star are the two competing chains with locations across the city; either will do. The dish is polarising for visitors, but you should try it.
Over the Rhine is the neighbourhood where the best independent restaurants have clustered over the past decade. The stretch of Vine Street and 12th Street has a density of good options ranging from upscale American to casual international. The Findlay Market area, open since 1855, has food stalls, butchers, and bakers that supply much of the neighbourhood's cooking.