A national dining list rarely changes what a great restaurant is. It changes who shows up for it. Mita’s, chef José Salazar’s Spanish and Latin American tapas destination in downtown Cincinnati, has been named to USA TODAY’s 2026 Restaurants of the Year, a list that highlights 39 places to eat across the country. (Mita’s Instagram post)

For Cincinnati, this kind of recognition hits fast. It pulls in out-of-town diners who plan trips around reservations. It turns a “we should go sometime” place into a “we need a table” place. Mita’s already draws locals and visitors with small plates and a downtown energy that suits celebrations, date nights, and business dinners. The USA TODAY mention adds national visibility to a restaurant that has held attention for more than a decade.

the Woman behind the name

Mita’s is named after Salazar’s Colombian grandmother, and the restaurant makes that connection plain. The concept is personal, and the menu is meant to carry story through flavor and technique rather than through a wall of narrative.

That origin matters because it explains the restaurant’s emotional temperature. You feel it in the hospitality cues, in the way the food leans into comfort without flattening into nostalgia, and in the way Spanish and Latin American influences move through the menu as lived experience rather than theme-night mashup. Mita’s describes its cooking as “eclectic” and “farm-inspired,” spanning traditional and modern food and drink of Spain and Latin America, built around tapas, ceviches, cured hams, cheeses, and large plates.

Downtown Glamour, Tapas Tempo

Mita’s is not a tiny chef’s counter hiding on a side street. It is a 130-seat restaurant downtown at Fifth and Race, inside the 84.51° building. That scale shapes everything. A bigger room invites a bigger mood, and Mita’s is built to handle it.

The space is part of the pitch. Washington Park’s venue listing highlights 25-foot windows, Moorish tile, reclaimed wood floors, and warm textures that make the dining room feel polished and welcoming. (Washington Park venue listing) It is the kind of place where you can hear the room working, where a group order lands on the table and everyone leans in.

The Menu Gives You a Game Plan

Mita’s says it directly: tapas are shared plates served in waves. (Mita’s Menus) That single line is the key to enjoying your first visit.

A tapas meal is built on contrast and pacing. You want crunchy next to silky, acid next to richness, smoke next to citrus. You want a table that keeps moving forward without rushing. Mita’s also notes that menus are seasonal and subject to change, which is another useful cue. If you fall in love with something, order it again next time, then let the rest rotate.

The wine list supports that structure, with an emphasis on Spain and the Old World. Expect bottles and pours that play well with cured meats, seafood, and paprika-driven heat.

Start Like a Regular

The best “popular items” are the dishes that show up on the current menu and also get repeated attention in diner recaps. These are the plates that reliably build a great first visit.

Ensalada de Jicama y Mango is on the current menu and functions as a tone-setter. Crisp jicama and green mango bring snap and brightness, and the cilantro vinaigrette keeps the table alert for the richer plates that follow.

Patatas Bravas is another foundational order. It delivers the classic tapas satisfaction of fried potatoes, spice, and aioli, the kind of dish that disappears fast even when everyone claims they are “just here for a few bites.”

If you want instant crowd approval, Empanadas de Res con Pique show up on the menu as beef short rib hand pies. They land as comforting, portable, and share-friendly. The same is true of Bocadillos de Hamburguesa, the slider-style move that reads playful but eats serious, with mahón, serrano, and aioli doing the heavy lifting.

Seafood That Shows Off

Mita’s seafood section is built for people who like their dinners to feel coastal, even in the middle of downtown Cincinnati. The menu includes ceviche del día, shrimp preparations, and pulpo. Those dishes fit the restaurant’s broader identity of Spain-meets-Latin-America, where acid, chile heat, and texture keep the palate moving.

If you want a quick gut-check on what regulars talk about, octopus comes up frequently in Cincinnati diner chatter as a favorite order, and it aligns with its presence on the current menu. (Cincinnati Reddit thread)

Paella event

Some tables want small plates only. Other tables want a climax. Mita’s makes room for that with Paella Valenciana and a vegetarian paella on the dinner menu.

Paella is the order that changes the rhythm of the night. It gives everyone a shared centerpiece, and it makes the meal feel like a plan rather than a series of bites. If your group is celebrating something, this is the direction that tends to make the photos and the memories line up.

Desserts That Land

A tapas meal can wander into excess if the ending is too heavy. Mita’s offers classic finishes that keep the tone warm and clean. The happy hour menu lists tres leches and alfajores, both familiar, both easy to share. (Mita’s Happy Hour Menu)

If your table has spent the night rotating between spice, citrus, and char, this kind of dessert choice feels like closing a book the right way.

The Bar-and-Lounge Visit

Sometimes you want the Mita’s flavor without the full dinner arc. The restaurant builds for that too. Its About page describes two valid experiences: a long meal with friends or family, or a shorter visit for a tapa and sangria in the bar and lounge.

For locals, that matters because it turns Mita’s into a flexible downtown option. For visitors, it is a way to experience the room even when reservations for prime dinner slots are tight.

The Awards point to Consistency

USA TODAY’s 2026 recognition is the newest headline, and it lands on top of earlier acclaim. Local reporting notes Mita’s was a 2023 James Beard Awards finalist for Outstanding Restaurant, which is one of the clearest signals of sustained excellence in food and hospitality. (WCPO)

This matters because restaurants that last do not run on one great menu or one great year. They run on repeatability. Mita’s also names leadership across culinary, beverage, service, and events, a small detail that hints at operational structure behind the scenes.

How to Book, How to Order, and How to Leave Happy

A few practical moves will improve your odds of having the night you came for.

First, check the current menus before you go because they are seasonal. Second, order across categories early so the kitchen can pace your table in waves. Third, build contrast: one bright salad, one fried favorite, one comfort bite, one seafood plate, and a larger dish if your table wants a centerpiece.

If you are visiting from out of town because of the USA TODAY list, treat Mita’s as a destination meal and plan accordingly. If you are local, use the lounge option as a way to keep Mita’s in your rotation without needing a full dinner every time.

Cincinnati’s Dining Scene Just Got a Sharper Spotlight

Mita’s works because it combines a personal foundation with a downtown dining room that can host the city. It offers a menu built for sharing, with Spanish and Latin American touchstones that stay flexible as seasons change. And now it carries a national stamp that will bring new diners to Fifth and Race with expectations set high.

Cincinnati has earned a reputation for restaurants that travel well, meaning they hold up under scrutiny from visitors who have eaten everywhere. Mita’s belongs in that category. Book the table, order in waves, and let the room do the rest.

Paella Party