Nolia Kitchen — Restaurant in Cincinnati

[Review of Apr 2023 menu] The decor is gorgeous; the wallpaper had me taking selfies before we ordered drinks. The cocktail menu is efficient. I had the Big Tymer’s cocktail, a tall glass full of gin and (house made) blueberry mint syrup. I had two, and nearly everyone at our table also ordered seconds of their drink.

Because we were blessed to have a party large enough, we tried everything but 3 plates. On the entire menu.

The food is whimsical and delicious, every bite full of different textures and spices. The menu is inspired by New Orleans cuisine (according to their website, with “imaginative and unconventional twists to familiar classics”).

Our table was ravenous for their raw bar, so we began there. The oysters were a hit at our table, and we dressed them with two different kinds of house made hot sauce. We also tried the cornbread and the crab boulettes — if you’re enthusiastic about these, you may want to order two unless you’re dining alone… they’re fantastic — the whipped butter on the bread was decadent, and the crab boullettes had an excellent (and generous) crab to filling ratio.

We ordered all 5 entrees; we especially liked the rabbit, pork belly, and lamb steak. The rabbit was jerk flavored (house made) and so tender. The lamb was cooked perfectly, with (also house made) jalapeño mint jelly on the side. The pork belly was smoky and crispy. The trout was also a hit at the table, and unsurprisingly it was cooked perfectly. The award for underdog hit, however, goes to the stuffed collard greens. A vegan dish stuffed with jackfruit, we weren’t expecting it to blow us out of the water. But the smoky spicy flavor of the stuffing and the perfect texture of the collard wrap impressed me, and I ended up begging to take the leftovers of it home.

Out of the smaller plates, we nearly wept over the potatoes, and the black eyed peas and okra is to this date the only time I’ve ever eaten okra made by anyone other than my mother and liked it. Our table also got a kick out of their summery pickled veggie plate — the daikon radish was an immediate crowd favorite.

Lastly, OF COURSE, we come to dessert. I think it was at this stage we began to realize what a special place this is; by this point the chef had actually come out to talk to us, and give us a sample of green Serrano chili hot sauce (one member of our party ended up purchasing their bottled hot sauce, it was so good). It may have had something to do with our waiter’s (hilarious) face when he asked what we wanted to order and we said “one of each!”

The best part of Nolia is its staff, and you can especially see it in their desserts. Their cheesecake is seriously off the charts, and the sous chef came out to tell us that she learned how to make a special kind of creole cheese in house just for the filling, and that they make the graham crackers for the crust in house as well, with classic southern ingredients like steen sugar. It was simultaneously rich and light, creamy with a delightfully dark, gingerbread-y crust as the base. The cornbread pudding reminded a member of our party of a classic Indian dessert, sooji ka halwa, which is a sweetened dessert with cooked semolina. Another example of the interesting twists and flavors the restaurant adds to familiar favorites. We especially loved the rustic texture of the pudding, and the passion fruit gel tasted like real passion fruit! A very rare treasure in the Midwest, in my opinion. And the huckabuck was soooo refreshing — we recommend you ask the staff what the history is behind this dessert — and even if you’re feeling stuffed, be a trooper and ask for one to go!

Overall, our party left completely sated and in awe. Not only was the menu a fresh take on a Cajun spring, but the environment and staff in Nolia are top notch. Their website says that “the South has come to Cincinnati” and I think we should roll out the red...

Thought this would be a real treat for my partner’s birthday. Extremely underwhelming, disappointed, and we left feeling a bit nauseated honestly. I’m so sad that this was my pick to celebrate. Thought it would be fun to try a new spot we haven’t had a chance to try yet, that I had heard good things about, and I thought was a style right down our alley! None of the cocktails or dishes ended up seeming that interesting, and I cannot say I was even a bit impressed by anything we tried. We ordered the sashimi (tuna belly), chicken gizzards, cornbread, and shrimp and grits dish. First off, the tuna was way too salty and smell immediately turned me off. Presentation with pansy was pretty but just did not taste good. After that, no appetite to try the chicken gizzards and my partner was struggling with the texture. Love cornbread but honestly not a great take on it in the end. What about jalapeño cornbread? This was way too sweet (the cake style) and then topped off with whipped butter that was basically icing it was also so sweet. At least go for nice and salty butter (no sugar added) if sticking with a very sweet cornbread. Nice presentation in the skillet wasn’t even enough for me to say it was my favorite dish or something I wished I had more of because the butter was just so sweet. Shrimp and grits absolutely should have a warning by the server that this is a VERY loose take on the amazing southern classic. That was NOT multiple shrimp like expected. It was one giant prawn that was a bit tough. I’ve had multiple large prawns before casually presented in foil for (what?) maybe a 1/4 of the price that were juicy, delicious, and actually had an appetizing smell! The visual look of the pink grits with gravy (?) underneath was not appetizing. Where were the tomatoes?? Instead, the seafood slaw was just an odd bland pairing. Ooey gooey cake was not something I wanted to try (thought they would have bread pudding), but it was my partner’s birthday… he thought it was the best dish and redeemed the meal but again so so sweet. Overall, severely disappointed, spent over $200 and didn’t even see an interesting-looking cocktail… and walked away hungry with a nauseous stomach… eating saltines once I got home??? Not the celebration I had in mind. :( In terms of atmosphere, not much seating in the front with the prep kitchen taking up a lot of floor space. Seated by the bathroom despite advance reservation noting a birthday, and had a 7 PM reservation but nearly last ones in the place. Pretty deserted by 8 PM on a Thursday. I don’t see myself...

Our Latest experience the evening on 8/15/25 has to be updated. Lets start with having a reservation but wound up sitting at the very end of the back side bar in stools, with my left shoulder literally resting on the brick wall. Anyway. We ordered The Watermelon Cocktails. Yes, its a tasty & refreshing drink, I really enjoyed the pureed fruit, but they surely pour the Minimum amount of alcohol, then dazzle it up with a cutesy flower petal. For an average martini sized drink, its definitely not worth keeping them coming for what you get. I asked for a beer instead only to learn they dont serve dosmetics on the beer list, so I settled for there Mexican beer. We ordered the pork belly. It was tender, but I'd rate it just basic/ okay. The reason is I think the pork lacked season overall & the outer layer was still kind of wiggly. I thought it could use some crisp on the fatty side of of the dish, as well as different cutlery, to actually slice through the decent sized portions, rather than pull with the butter styled knives they set out. 2) We were offered a salad to pair up with our Sea Bass. What came to the bar was a small plate, of slightly unriped, not juicy, sliced red tomatoes, some still green at the crown,sliced in halves served with a bland vinaigrette dazzled over & around them. SO WHERE IS THE SALAD part? Nothing green? smh. We tried it anyway but wound up pondering Why anyone would think this unseaaoned dressing would compliment the tomatoes. Needless to say the tomato dish was forgettable. 3) 25 mnts later our Sea Bass finally arrived. It was served over a peppery like sauce and I guess a sliced cabbage type cooked vegetable? Overall the sauce and season on the bass simply clashed with the savory flavor & delicacy of Bass. It seemed to get worse as we tried to imagine what direction the Chef- creator of this dishes intentions were. But it was a Horrible. The Chef came out and kindly apologized for the delay. The bartender Jake was cool. We still like the Vibe there. And have always felt welcomed. Maybe just an off night. Maybe We'll give them another try on there season menu....