Aglamesis Bro’s is consistently under the radar when it comes to Cincinnati sweets but when it comes to dark chocolate nonpareils, nothing else comes close. Made in the company’s local candy kitchen, the deeply rich dollops of dark chocolate are known to produce reactions bordering on orgasmic, according to first-time tasters. The company recently updated its image and website but those fabulous nonpareils and all of Aglamesis’s goodies are as fabulous as they ever were. aglamesis.com.

Last April, AmerAsia co-owners Johnny and Hana Chu opened the coffee and tea shop KungBrew Cafe in Mainstrasse. It became the first tea shop in Covington. They import some of their teas from Taiwan. Johnny collects antiques and has installed many of them in the building. The upstairs contains an Asian-themed painted mural with soothing green colors and a tea room. The space is meant to offer customers a relaxing environment as they sip on their coffee and tea. Try the White Rabbit Latte, made with Lang Thang Vietnamese espresso. They also offer food like baos. sites.google.com/view/kungbrew-cafe/home.

Think a fresh swirl of this zesty ambrosia will cost you a trip to your nearest Disney park? Think again. It's light, it's airy, it's extremely susceptible to warm temperatures, and apparently it can be found in Waynesville, Ohio, during the unofficial months-long holiday that is the Ohio Renaissance Festival. If you feel like risking that period costume we know you’ve spent hours putting together for some drippy refreshment, grab ye olde plastic spoon and gobble it up under the autumn sun. After all, one cannot subsist on giant turkey legs alone. renfestival.com.

Rekas Butchery and Delicatessen, a sister to Wyoming Meat Market, brings their meats and pasta to Covington. Owner Shelby Nation and her wife, Ashley, created a deli and Italian grocer. Buy burger patties, sausages, Ohio wagyu ribeye and salmon to cook at home. To go, get side dishes like curry chicken salad and gourmet mortadella sandwiches. On Fridays and Saturdays, they sell bagel sandwiches. In the grocery portion of the store, purchase a bag of locally roasted Wood Burl Coffee, dried pastas, cheeses and more. instagram.com/rekas_butcher.

Tucked almost perfectly between Great American Ball Park and Paycor Stadium, The Filson serves some of Cincinnati’s best burgers — like the juicy, sticky Porkopolis “handheld.” But the menu goes beyond burgers, offering thin pizzas, loaded fries and unique appetizers like KY Sticky Ribs with housemade bourbon barbecue sauce. It’s not just another sports bar; The Filson blends an elevated vibe with hometown pride. Even the kids’ menu feels special, featuring fun, kid-friendly spins on grown-up dishes. Cooler still? It comes with a crayon-ready sketch of the Roebling Suspension Bridge, making mealtime fun, delicious and uniquely Cincinnati. thefilson.com.

At first glance, Martino’s on Vine, located on Short Vine in Corryville, looks like just another sports bar in a college town. Though the menu boasts many delightful offerings, from wings to cheese curds to a Philly cheese steak, it’s nothing unusual for a bar or Italian restaurant. That is, until you get to the calzone. For less than $20, you can acquire a delicious, gooey pocket of pizza sauce, cheese and three other toppings of your choice bigger than a human head. Even someone with the heartiest of appetites couldn’t get through that in one sitting. This is easily at least two meals. This savory delight is as delicious (and messy) as it is economical. Whether you’re a broke college student or payday’s still three days away and your fridge is almost empty, you’ll get plenty of bang for your buck at Martino’s. martinosonvine.com.

Naan, a delicious flatbread hailing from India, is most often seen alongside flavorful Indian meals. Some creative minds use it in lieu of pizza dough for a flatbread pizza. One Madisonville genius, Ryan Saadawi, thinks even more outside the box. The chemistry student-turned-owner of fast-casual popup Hurry Curry used his education and the flavors of his home country of Saudi Arabia to concoct creative flavor combinations and presentations, and many of those presentations involve naan. There is the naan pizza, consisting of a mix of cheeses and the curry base of the customer’s choice slathered on top of naan. It’s the mashup you never knew you needed. Sides include grilled naan and another inspired mashup, the naan grilled cheese. Who knew one piece of bread held so many possibilities? hurrycurrycincinnati.square.site.

Known for selling Bigfoot black tea and Firebird chai, Wendigo Tea owner and Foxy Shazam keyboardist Sky White has been slinging his high-quality teas for 10 years at markets, restaurants and coffee shops all over the city. Finally, on Halloween, he opened a brick-and-mortar tea shop in East Price Hill. Customers can sample rare teas and get nerdy. It’s not a grab-and-go spot, but customers can purchase loose-leaf teas to take home and brew. wendigotea.com.

While many Cincinnatians had been (and still are) mourning the loss of Mountain Dew and Pepsi products at Skyline Chili, the restaurant softened the blow by introducing the Mac and Cheese Way. The limited-time menu item featured cavatappi in a three-cheese blend in place of the usual spaghetti, and was topped with Skyline chili and freshly shredded cheddar cheese. The cheese-loaded dish was a delightful switch-up on the classic Skyline menu items, and one that we hope they bring back again. skylinechili.com.

Overwhelmingly, cafes and coffee shops in the Cincinnati area cater to a specific clientele: white students and urban professionals. Though there are some exceptions — blaCK Coffee Lounge in downtown Cincy comes to mind — most of them tick the same boxes: similar menus, similar design choices, similar upwardly mobile white people with white collar jobs. You wouldn’t expect a cafe on Short Vine, within walking distance of the University of Cincinnati, to break this trend. But Cincy Cafe does, with an atmosphere, menu and convenience that is unmatchable. A Yemeni business, Cincy Cafe has a selection of foods you can’t find at any other shop in the neighborhood. While other cafes offer the usual fare — bagels, cappuccinos, etc. — at Cincy Cafe you can try Mofawar, a sweet, smooth and creamy coffee made with cardamon, roast coffee and condensed milk. Or you can try their rich, savory and addictive pistachio cakes, shipped in from Michigan. And the cafe itself — unlike others, which rely on repetition of design cliches — is pared down, with the food, staff and customers becoming the focus. Cincy Cafe is a beacon of flavor, creativity and authenticity in a business increasingly lacking in all three qualities. instagram.com/cincy.cafe.

The fan-favorite Asianati Night Market once again exceeded expectations during its setup on Court Street Plaza during BLINK. The attraction brings the energy of a bustling night market in Asia to Cincinnati, offering a glimpse into Asian culture, style and cuisine. The 14 food vendors involved — including Bridges Nepali Cuisine, Cafe Mochiko and Thai Express — showcased the diverse arrangement of Asian street-style foods, including skewers, dumplings, noodles, boba, pastries and more. In addition to the array of food options, the Asianati Night Market’s atmosphere was elevated by its art installations and bright lanterns, creating an authentic, immersive experience. anm.asianati.com.

A perfectly crafted Bloody Mary strikes just the right balance of savory and spicy. And what could make it even better? A jumbo chicken wing, of course. Smoke Justis in Covington takes brunch to the next level with their signature Bloody Mary, featuring a shooter of Wheatley Vodka, olives and a perfectly smoked chicken wing perched on top. This bold, garnished cocktail is the ultimate way to start the day. smokejustis.com.

Mac and cheese is a lot of things to a lot of people. For some, it’s a favorite side. For others, it’s straight from the kids’ menu. When you think of mac and cheese, you may not necessarily associate it with late nights on the town, but Keystone’s Mac Shack on Short Vine is open until 11 p.m. on Sundays and Mondays and until 2 or 3 a.m. every other day, making it a viable and perfect accompaniment to a late-night bar crawl. The fast-casual mac and cheese bar offers several elevated yet easygoing options named after musicians and bands, such as the Arcade Fire (fried chicken, bacon, cheddar and sriracha), the Fleetwood Mac (pesto, diced tomatoes and mozzarella), and the Lovin’ Spoonful (the simple, creamy original). These concoctions are the perfect way to cut through a night of hard partying. eatmacshack.com.

Until Elliott Coffee arrived last year, Dayton, Kentucky, lacked a solid coffee hangout spot. Owners Elijah Knapp, his wife Isabelle, and Elijah’s brother Asa tout “a celebration of ordinary days,” but there’s nothing ordinary about the place. First of all, they transformed an old service station into a separate room to order the coffee, outdoor seating and the detached auto shop for indoor seating. They use roasters from all over the nation, including Georgia’s Valor Coffee and California’s True Love Coffee Company. Drinks like espresso with Ale-8 set them apart from ordinary shops. They occasionally serve top-notch food like French toast and breakfast sandwiches. Akin to Collective Espresso Newport, people can get their film photos processed from Velocity Film Lab, which has a drop-off box. elliottcafe.com.

Last fall, Covington received a Galaxie, a Louisville-based cocktail bar and music venue. Their motto is “dine, dance, and drink,” and they know what they’re doing. The dine part features Wakatakas, a flatbread taco. Order Vader fries, stacked nachos and salsas, as well. The dance part showcases EDM and DJ nights, held in a large separate music hall. The drink part includes an assortment of margaritas served at the U-shaped bar. The best part is that Galaxie serves food until midnight, filling a void in Covington’s late-night scene. galaxiebar.com.

A newfound staple of Bengals season is Starlight Doughnut Lab’s Skyline Chili Dip Doughnut. The doughnut is exactly as it sounds — a delicious, hot doughnut made to taste exactly like the staple game day snack. The made-from-scratch brioche doughnut is packed with aromatic Skyline chili, cheese, onions and cream cheese, creating an explosion of savory Cincinnati flavors in an easy-to-eat vessel. For the next tailgate, instead of making your own skyline dip in the oven at home, stop by Starlight Doughnut Lab in Norwood for a dozen of these. starlightdoughnutlab.com.

We love a good portmanteau. We love a bad one too! Pastizza…pasta and pizza. It’s definitely straight to the point, as is this Madeira restaurant’s whole vibe: no-nonsense Italian in a no-frills space. That’s not a bad thing. The focus is on the food, and it shows. Come for some of the best New York-style pizza around, and stay for the full menu of calzones and stromboli, subs, salads, pastas and desserts. We don’t think they’ll mind if their name induces a chuckle. You can’t help but feel good when saying it out loud, kind of like Goldendoodle or Maltipoo. pastizzamadeira.com.

When you are finally getting up and out of bed on a Saturday or Sunday after a long night out and the only thing on your mind is a coffee and meal, Press on Monmouth has you covered. The shop offers options ranging from smashed avocado egg sandwiches to Mediterranean salads with feta and citrus vinaigrette. Their drink menu is just as great, with a range of coffees and juices to spiked coffees, mimosas and Bloody Marys. pressonmonmouthnky.com.

Cafe Mochiko is not your average bakery — or your average ramen restaurant. For starters, it is both, serving baked goods early in the day and ramen in the evening. The flavors are inspired by cuisines throughout Asia, as well as Cincinnati area favorites. The highlight of the menu? The ube halaya croissant. Ube is a yam used throughout Filipino cuisine, and ube halaya is an ube jam used in desserts. Known for its brilliant purple color, ube has a flavor reminiscent of vanilla. The large croissant — the perfect size to tide you over until your next meal — is full to bursting with the sweet, colorful cream. The ube halaya croissant is almost too pretty to eat, but it’s too delicious not to. cafemochiko.com.