Rosie's Italian — Restaurant in Cincinnati

Rosie’s Italian | Cincinnati, OH�📍 300 E. 7th Street Cincinnati Ohio 45202�⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.96/5 Overall)

A Birthday Detour That Turned Into a Culinary Destination Sometimes the best meals aren't planned—they're gifted by fate, hunger, and a little GPS magic.

During a recent trip to Kentucky to celebrate Brianna's birthday, we decided to head across the Ohio River for a special dinner in Cincinnati. Our original dinner spot fell through due to timing issues, but as we quickly discovered—timing is everything.

Enter Rosie’s Italian : From the moment we walked up to the hostess stand, the staff welcomed us with warmth and genuine smiles, even though we were arriving fashionably late (just after 8pm) and without a reservation. Not a problem for Rosie’s. They took our name and number, and—just as Brianna caught up with us from parking—our table was ready. It was as if the stars (and sauce) had aligned.

🍷 The Service: A Symphony of Hospitality Our server was at our table within minutes, helping us settle in with drinks and appetizers. Their attentiveness, friendliness, and menu knowledge were top-notch—especially appreciated by us out-of-towners from Baltimore.

🍽️ The Appetizers: A Flavorful First Impression Garlic Knots: Perfectly golden, garlicky, and soft on the inside—a true knot of love covered in fresh garloc goodness. House Salad: Crisp, fresh, and well-dressed (unlike us after the drive). Arancini: Golden-fried risotto balls straight from Nonna’s dreams. Roasted Crispy Potatoes: Imagine if potatoes went to culinary school and graduated with honors.

🍝 The Entrées: Mangia Mania Chicken Parmigiana (mine): Crispy, saucy, cheesy heaven on a plate. Baked Ziti (for Dani): So good it could’ve ended a family feud. Stromboli & Rigatoni Vodka with Meatballs: Flavor bombs with generous portions, executed with love, tradition, and a serious respect for carbs.

Each dish was plated beautifully, arrived piping hot, and felt like it had been passed down through generations of proud Italian cooks. Rosie’s isn’t just serving food—it’s serving memories.

💬 Before We Left... I felt compelled to speak with the manager to commend the team. What we experienced at Rosie’s was nothing short of spectacular. Their hospitality made us feel like we’d wandered into a cozy roadside café in southern Italy—minus the jet lag.

🍕 A Slice of Ratings Here’s how Rosie’s stacked up, with the scorecard to prove it: Category Score (out of 5) Hostess Greeting 4.90 Time to Be Seated 4.95 Server Friendliness 4.92 Server Attentiveness 4.98 Server Menu Knowledge 4.98 Appetizers 4.96 Entrées 4.98 Food Quality 4.98 Portion Size 4.97 Presentation 4.98 Staff Friendliness 4.97 Overall Experience 4.98 Cleanliness 4.98 Service Speed 4.96 Ambiance 4.95 Atmosphere 4.96 Décor 4.95 Value 4.98 📊 Final Overall Rating: 4.96 / 5

👏 Final Thoughts: Rosie’s isn’t just a restaurant—it’s an experience. Whether you're a local or a visitor, come hungry and leave happy. Thank you to the entire Rosie’s team for turning what could’ve been a birthday dinner bust into one of the most memorable meals we’ve had in a long time. We’ll definitely be back. Rosie’s: Where every plate says “Benvenuto a casa”

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Beautiful atmosphere, delightful staff, food a bit bland. My wife makes a baked ziti with spicy Italian sausage that I’m crazy for. Something like that could bring more flavor to their ziti. The portions are quite large for the ziti. Our daughter had the gnocchi which was a much smaller portion so we split up the ziti to balance out. I wish there were more salad options. We also had the ricotta cheese bread and garlic bread. They were just okay, but not stand out. The ricotta bread seemed cold and also a bit bland on flavor. The garlic bread was just okay. Minced garlic on top was nice. Yeah I dunno. I was expecting much more from the food. I kept waiting for that flavor explosion or unique spin that I could not find among the variety of things we ordered. While there, we kept craving something special in the food that we just weren’t finding... All in all I’m glad we tried it though. With tip we spent $200 for us 2 adults and 1 tween. Again the service staff was wonderful and attentive. Receptionist was a bit gruff and critical seeming of us as to whether we had a reservation versus “Hi, welcome to Rosie’s!” A bit cold and unwelcoming seeming which I believe was a huge miss. This was our annual holiday dinner out so we were in our best clothes. We reserved several weeks in advance because the reviews were so positive. The reception surprised us (they weren’t crowded at 6:30 with many vacant tables). Not good as a first impression so I recommend improving in that area since it’s a tone setter for the evening-nobody should give guests attitude at arrival. Bizarre. It definitely influences guest outlook and such an easy win. Might be good for the two owners to have some presence and check in? I know many people who love this place. Again I’m glad we tried it, but we won’t be back...

We’ve loved every restaurant in the Crown Restaurant Group from Losanti, Crown Republic and La Cantina! But saved Rosie’s until last!

Every restaurant has its own special atmosphere and delightful food and service. You won’t be disappointed with any one you choose!! The owners attention to detail with the menu and design is perfect!! I’ve noticed with each restaurant that they hire staff that is personable and loves their job. It shows!!

Now for Rosie’s review…..we made a reservation, but when we got to the restaurant decided to sit at the bar. The bar stools looked very comfortable and we always love sitting at the bar because you get to know the behind the scenes of a restaurant when we do!!

The bartenders last night were exceptional! The two Erin’s made sure we enjoyed ourselves and were excited to talk about everything on the menu. Their passion for customer service showed!!

If you love an incredible cocktail you need to try At The End of the Day!! I usually just have one, but HAD to order another!!

We shared a house salad (it’s huge) and my husband had the Honey Pie, but added sausage. The crust is thin, but not too thin and he was pleasantly surprised how great honey tasted on pizza! I had Carbonara Limone I can’t even say anymore than TRY IT!! I even only ate half so I could enjoy todays lunch!!

We loved the service and food so much that we took Erin’s suggestion and I made a reservation for brunch on the drive home!!

Sadly, I didn’t take any pictures. But just trust me, you will have a...