Mita’s

Very good food and very good front of house, visiting Cincinnati from NYC, best place in. Town the chef used to work for chef keller !.

I have no idea what the food is like, although their menu looks interesting. However, their service is appalling. I walked in at 9:25 on the way back to my hotel from a Reds game. The kitchen closes at 10. I was seated promptly and given the menu and water by the hostess. The restaurant was not even ¹⁄₃ full. I was an obviously new customer. No one entered the restaurant after I did.. 10 minutes later I had still not been served. No one had even been near me. I waited a few more minutes. As a single woman, I did not want to shout or wave to get attention. I did see wait staff, but none looked at me or approached so that I could catch their eye. I walked out, telling the hostesses, who could see me from their station, that I had not been served. EXTREMELY disappointing.

This is the place to go for a good dinner or for a date. Great atmosphere! Great music! Great staff! Can’t say anything less than a 10. Gotta try it if you haven’t been. The drink was great too. We had a great time. Definitely going to be back here again. Even if you Dnt want dinner. It a great place to just a have drink and a good conversation because the music is good, not too loud or over crowed. Great job Mr. Salazar!!!

This is a nice addition to the restaurant scene. The décor is quite lovely — a wide open space with Mediterranean type decorations. We got a nice seat by the window. The mezcal Manhattan was very well made and quite delicious. We focused on sampling the tapas dishes and 3 out of 5 were excellent — marinated olives, patatas bravas, and the sweetbread skewere. The octopus had too much cream and too little octopus and the cauliflower was a bit overcooked and over salted. Overall it was a pleasant experience and I would come back to try some of the other dishes.

Abby and I *love* tapas. If we go to a city that has a legit Spanish tapas restaurant, we try it. A Spanish friend of ours recommended Mita’s. Thank goodness he did!
The design is very cool. High ceilings, lots of natural light from tall windows. Mostly 2 and 4 person tables and booths. It has a fun vibe, and is pretty intimate without being all dark wood and velvet.
The wine list is fantastic. Most of the wines are Jorge Ordonez wines. If you’re not familiar, check out his stuff. There are lots of great selections at reasonable prices. We went with a 2010 Finca Sandoval Bobal; lots of flexibility in a wine like that to pair with a variety of tapas plates.
We started off with meat and cheese platters (see photos). Normally I’m more into the meat and Abby loves the cheeses, but we both loved both this time. The cheese selection is killer. Don’t let this pass you by! The Rosemary goat cheese was our favorite. Bonus: The cheese tray came with Blue Oven Bakery bread!
For our tapas plates, we got the octopus, the shrimp, and the chorizo on a flat cornbread cake. All three were delicious. Again, see photos. The chorizo had good heat and was very filling. The shrimp were perfectly cooked and were sopped up every bit of the delicious garlic/​olive oil sauce they were served in with bread. The octopus was delightful from start to finish. This is another dish that Abby and I try anywhere that serves it. We love trying different preparations of octopus. This was, by far, the best we’ve ever had. It was melt-​in-​your-​mouth done. It was served in a creamy sauce with potatoes. I sopped all that up too!
Then comes the dark chocolate torte with dulce de leche ice-​cream. Wow… that’s all I’ve got to say about that. And we split a glass of the Pedro Ximenez dessert wine: a great finishing touch to a great meal.
Start to finish, this was one of the best meals I’ve had in Cincinnati. Price-​wise, it is comparable to other nice restaurants, and the quality of the food is so out-​of-​this world. The preparations are phenomenal. Service was prompt and pleasant. The manager stopped by a couple of times and was very friendly as well.

Beautiful space for a fancier tapas meal! I recommend getting the Paella, as it is filling and will round out the rest of the meal. Loved the ceviche (so flavorful and fresh), and the toasted peppers. Great place for date night or a nice group/​business dinner. Service was great. We ate before a show at the Aronoff and had no trouble with time.

We decided to try Mitas again after having a subpar experience when they first opened. (I’ll always give a place a second shot.) From last time to this time, it was like night and day with the service. We couldn’t have asked for better service this time. The menu had also changed somewhat from when we first visited. This time we started with the empanadas and shrimp ceviche. The empanadas were completely different than our first visit. They were 100 times better. The ceviche was good too. We then had the unpasteurized cheeses along with the cornmeal cake. Both were good. As a main course, we shared the burger and seafood stew. The stew was our favorite of these. Overall, we had a better experience this time. One takeaway from my first review is that I should wait a month or two before visiting a new restaurant. This gives them some time to work out the kinks.

Can not say enough about this thoroughly gorgeous, delicious, friendly place. I am sure Salazar’s mamita is proud of his latest accomplishment.
The flavours are bold and well balanced, the food is perfectly prepared and the textures complement each other in a divine composition. The drinks are also quite lovely and the service is great.
Their way with lamb is simply transcendent and the ambiance is lovely. Anniversary dinner place for sure!!!

I had a chorizo sausage during the opening day parade. It was a special for the day with a heavenly cole slaw! The bread was excellent and it was fabulous! Great service too. The chips were also very good. This was my first time here and I’ll be back!

This first spinoff of Salazar, so it’s natural to compare everything back to the original. Overall, I prefer Salazar, but Mitas definitely has some positives
The design is great although the location has more of a corporate vibe than the original Salazar. All food is in the traditional tapas/​table share. We started with the roasted cauliflower and blistered shishito peppers. The peppers are as good as Salazar but the cauliflower was just ok.
Next, we tried the empanadas, the fried octopus and the rock shrimp (gambas). The empanadas are excellent and the gambas are a must try. I would pass on the octopus (bland, especially when combined with potatoes & cheese).
We finished with a roasted pork loin special and the mixed shrimp ceviche. Could have done without the Pork (overly dry) but the shrimp ceviche was amazing.
Overall, lots of great dishes here. Another good addition to the Downtown Cincy food scene.

I went with my husband for my birthday, and we will definitely return. We tried several dishes, and really weren’t disappointed in anything. In order of preference: shrimp/​clam chowder (the broth is outstanding and addictive, the shrimp meaty yet tender), empanadas (it’s the green sauce, but it’s also the beef WITH the green sauce, which they could bottle and sell), salad with roasted carrots and cumin-​yogurt dressing, mixed ceviche with plaintain crisps, gambas (shrimp in a fantastic garlic oil), and tostones, which really isn’t at the bottom, either.
Drinks were on point, as well — super creative without being obnoxiously pretentious. The pisco sour was memorable, and my husband’s El Luchador was surprisingly fresh and spicy — really great stuff! Our server also recommended a *fantastic* Tempranillo wine, Conta Muda, that was unlike any I’d had before, and wrote down details so I could hunt down a bottle later.
Beyond the excellent food, our service was just right — not too hover-​y, but very attentive, and the staff genuinely seems to believe in, and love, this place and all it offers. Our server, Max, was authentic, enthusiastic and truly concerned about helping us get the most out of our first visit. This is a rare treat and one we greatly appreciated as parents to young kids — we don’t get the chance to dine out very often and it is a true disappointment when we go to the trouble to arrange care for them and then wind up not enjoying our time out or getting an unremarkable meal.
I also love the concept and the gorgeous artwork featuring Jose Salazar’s grandmother, Mita, that graces the entry way. The restaurant really did put us in mind of the time we spent in Barcelona several years ago. It did not feel like a typical Midwestern experience, and as much as I *love* Cincinnati, sometimes it’s nice to escape to Spain for a minute!

Very tasty tapas in a beautiful atmosphere. It is on the pricey side. It’s on par with other Tapas place in big cities but on the high side for Cincinnati. I would have preferred some of the dishes to be smaller for a smaller price so We could have tried more variety. The food is all quite good. Bold flavors that pair perfectly. The tostones were tasty with a saffron aioli but they did get a bit greasy at the end. Wish they were served with a paper to absorb the grease. The arepa is quite good but the Empanada was amazing. The chimichurri really rocked it. The beef tongue was unique and very rich. The oysters we good but came out topped with the frozen granata which overwhelmed with its taste and temperature. We had the Lamb entrée previously and it was amazing. Cooked perfectly with strong and delicious flavor pairings. For dessert we had the Mexican chocolate ice cream. Perfection! Loved the sweet bitter notes and the bee pollen shortbread cookies. Service was fantastic. We sat in the bar area and our server was so amazing. I’m glad we needed up sitting there even if the happy hour selections were disappointing. They only apply to beer and select wine. I would have been happy with just a dollar off the cocktail menu. Overall a good choice of you go expecting to drop some money. Can’t wait to go back and try the paella!

Mita’s was the perfect place to go for a birthday dinner! The interior has high ceilings, beautiful lighting, and amazing tile work throughout the restaurant. One of the best parts of Mita’s has to be how big it is; they can easily accommodate groups of all sizes. They had an impressive wine list with wines from all other over the world but most bottles where about $ 40 and up (which is to be expected). They had such a wide variety of tapas that we decided to order a couple and order one main dish to spilt. We had one main server and the manager helped bring our food out and even re-​explained the dishes to my boyfriend once he was back from the bathroom, talk about awesome service!
We ordered the serrano ham, gambas al ajilo, empanadas de res con piqué, and the pulpo gallego. The empanadas were to die for and I honestly could have drank the left-​over cilantro and pepper sauce straight from the bowl. The shrimp (gambas al ajilo) were crispy, garlic deliciousness and be sure to dip your bread that comes with in the delicious spiced olive oil. The other appetizers we ordered were great too but those two stood out to me the most. For our main dish we ordered the lamb shank, which also came with potatoes and sausage. Holy amazing… I stuck my fork in the middle of the lamb and it all fell right off the bone and I’m pretty sure I looked like the ‘heart eye emoji’ in real life eating my first bite. We were too stuffed to order any desert this time but I will definitely be back for lunch. I need to get my hands on a Cuban!

Loved Mita’s!
I went with the girls for a cocktail and tapas evening and it was the perfect amount of food and flavor to compliment the night.
The décor is amazing with high ceilings, beautiful lighting and rich fabrics. The atmosphere is cozy and romantic and a great space for parties.
You can tell that service is a priority here. It seemed to me that we had one main server, but if another server noticed you needed water or another drink they were happy to help.
There were 4 of us. We each got a cocktail and split 3 or 4 tapas varieties. They were all so full of flavor and actually filling. We each walked out spending less than $ 25! For a restaurant with this environment, that is a steal.
Next time, I would love to try the Pozole or the Paella.

Mita’s reminds me of an OTR bar because it’s super trendy with delicious food and moderate pricing, but the main (and crucial) difference is you can actually make reservations!
I’ve quickly become a regular at Mita’s during my lunch break. I can’t help myself — I’m surrounded by sports bars and Mita’s quickly rose to the top for a tasty (and affordable for lunch, might I add) sit-​down alternative. I’ll admit I haven’t branched out too far in my two visits. I had the fancy grilled cheese and tomato soup during my first visit — and holy cow, I could’ve eaten my entire weight in that buttery sandwich of melted goodness. For my second visit, I decided to lay off the carbs and opted for a chorizo/​kale soup and their signature salad. Now that I’ve experienced both sides of the flavor (and healthiness) spectrum, I feel confident in recommending Mita’s to pretty much everyone I know. Plus, the chic décor and floor to ceiling glass windows make for the perfect atmosphere and you can also pretty much count on a 45-​minute lunch, for those of us working folk.

For my wife’s birthday, my brother and his girlfriend offered to take our kids for the night. They even made a secret dinner reservation for us that was revealed when we dropped off the kids and they let us know we were heading to Mita’s, the latest restaurant from acclaimed chef Jose Salazar, who also owns his namesake restaurant, Salazar.
We started with a couple of their classic cocktails while we looked over the tapas style menu. My choice was the suffering bastard, a wonderful mix of bourbon, gin, lime, bitters, and ginger beer ($ 12). This is something that I wish I could easily make at home. My wife had the pisco sour featuring pisco (brandy), lime, triple sec, and egg white ($ 10).
The easiest decision of the night was to order a cheese plate, selecting three cheeses from nearly a dozen offerings. This comes served with toast, membrillo (a quince fruit paste), and marcona almonds ($ 15). We went with the servers suggestions for selecting the cheeses, but in hindsight I would have skipped the signature queso fesco, which also comes on top of some of the other menu items. It’s not that I didn’t like the cheese but it seemed better suited as a topping.
My favorite thing we tasted of the night was the coliflor asada, a warm mix of cauliflower, manzanilla olives, pomegranate, hazelnuts, and herb purée ($ 7). This is a truly unique blend of flavors and I really enjoyed it. Be sure to give it a try.
We also sampled the arepa, a cornmeal cake with queso fresco, and chorizo ($ 8). The single cornmeal cake was a little awkward to share. We found it easiest to slice it up like pizza and take wedges to our individual plates. The chorizo was nice and spicy and the cheese helped put out the fire a little. The taste was really good I just wish it was easier to share and eat.
At this point I debated ordering something else as my hunger wasn’t completely satisfied yet. However we decided to get the check at this point and head somewhere else for desert. Overall the food was very good and a tapas style restaurant is in need for the downtown area. For us it will probably remain as a spot for special occasions with the somewhat high price tag.

Lovely ambiance, beautiful décor, and really good service. The food wasn’t half bad either!
I went to Mita’s last week during lunch and I’ve thought about it a handful of times since (the linger factor alone warrants a good score). We got the Tostones (smashed green plantains with saffron-​pimenton aioli) to share and I had the Caldo Verde (Portuguese potato, chorizo, and kale stew) to start my first tryst with Jose Salazar’s newest culinary endeavor, featuring a Spanish– and Latin American-​inspired menu. For my entrée, I decided on the Cuban, which was delicious, if a bit much for lunch. (I took half to go.)
As I mentioned, our service was really good. Our server was attentive, kept our glasses filled, and timed our courses pretty well, considering we were there for lunch and needed to get back to work.
The prices aren’t cheap, unfortunately, but I would highly recommend Mita’s for a date night or special occasion. Its overall beauty, location (next to a parking garage!), and delicious food are worth the treat.

This is a weird review since we had a large group and had the $ 59 (tax and tip included) 4 course meal. I love Salazar so was excited to try his new place and overall I had a great meal here with a few slight misses. The beauty of doing a fixed price meal is that you get to try a whole bunch of things from the menu. Nothing I had was bad. Most were very good and a few were amazing. On the great side was the Avocado Lime Ceviche with a Plantain Chips, the Waygu Beef, the Beet Salad. The Paella was loaded with seafood but missing the classic crust on the bottom the t sometime moved into the burnt territory. There was nothing that I wouldn’t order again, and I look forward to coming back to try menu options. Good service, a generally loud place but fun overall

Chef Jose Salazar named this restaurant after his Colombian grandmother, his «Mita». The menu features tapas as well as ceviches, cheeses, etc.
As all good meals should start, we ordered a cocktail first — the Mezcal Manhattan. I promptly remembered that I dislike tequila-​based cocktails, so I turned this over to the husband. [Margaritas are the only known exception to this rule.]
We took our time to pick and choose our way through the menu, and ended up with two tapas: Coliflor Asada and Warm Marinated Olives and Drunken Goat Cheese. We chose three Quesos for the cheese platter. The nice thing about lighter meals like these is there is still room for dessert [not that we wouldn’t have ordered it anyway — we just would’ve left feeling a lot heavier.] We tried the Dark Chocolate Tort and Spain’s version of a crème brûlée.
Everything was tasty and high-​quality, and the restaurant itself was beautiful.

Tapas mean tasting more food!
I took my husband here for his birthday and everything was 5 stars. The restaurant itself is beautiful. The tall ceilings, big windows, dark wood, and dim lighting really went along with the food and concept of sharing. The music was not too loud so it was easy to have a good conversation.
Our server asked if we would like still or sparkling water. We then started off with a few cocktails. I ordered the caipirinha – one of my favorites, citrusy and just the right amount of sweet. My husband ordered the pisco sour made the Peruvian way with lime and Peruvian pisco. It was frothy on top with a beautiful design made from a syrup (I am guessing).
We started right off with the empanadas. They were made with a corn flour and filled with juicy beef. The three empanadas came with cilantro sauce that I could just drink on its own it was so good! Overall, very flavorful and a good start to the meal. We then ordered the shrimp ceviche that came with plantain chips. The ceviche was nice and citrusy with creamy pieces of avocado and the chips I would love to take home and eat all week long. After that we ordered the arepa – a corn tortilla-​like round topped with meat and cheese – also very good.
Since we tried all of this so far we just shared one of the main plates – the beef. It came with two pieces on top a bed of carrots, cauliflower, and onion with a green sauce. The meat was super juicy and the vegetables tasted like Fall.
For dessert we shared the chocolate tort with dulce de leche ice cream. Please, if anything else, get dessert! The tort was so chocolatey but not too rich and paired great with the ice cream… not to mention I love when there is just a sprinkle of sea salt on top the chocolate. And they brought the dessert with a birthday candle which was a nice touch.
I will definitely be back to Mita’s to try more tapas and drinks. This would be a good place to just grab one app and a drink if you can’t afford the full on meal.