Gwynne restaurant took me by surprise when it opened in late July. At the start of the year, I had no idea this Gilded Age-themed restaurant would open in the new Fidelity Hotel, let alone that it would be one of the biggest restaurant openings of 2026.
My wife, Amy, and I went there for dinner just a few days after its grand opening. I wasn’t there to pass judgement. A restaurant’s first week of operation is no time to nitpick. Let’s give it a couple months to figure things out. I just wanted to see what it felt like.
The kitchen is helmed by executive chef Brad Bernstein, formerly of Red Feather and Carlo & Johnny, along with Jordan Brauninger, who worked closely with the late Jean-Robert de Cavel at Le Bar a Boeuf, as his second in command. The restaurant is open seven days a week and offers breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with weekend brunch.
First off, Gwynne (and yes, it’s called Gwynne, not THE Gwynne, according to its website) is beautiful. There’s a luxurious lounge area with a sophisticated bar and a Parisian aesthetic.
From Main Street, you enter the dining room through a windowed vestibule that’s painted red to resemble a French brasserie. On one wall is a stunning mural made of cowhide by Austin artist Kyle Bunting. It’s meant to pay homage to The Fidelity’s Austin roots, but the colors remind me of the glazes from Rookwood Pottery. Above Gwynne’s bar is a portrait of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, the daughter of Alice Vanderbilt and the founder of the Whitney Museum of American Art, in New York.
As someone who previously had no idea Vanderbilt commissioned this building (among our most breathtaking), l appreciate that its history is being told.
The menu goes all-in on that history, as well as Cincinnati history in general. Cocktails are arranged into categories honoring everything from our city’s Appalachian culture (Hollers & Hearths) to Ohio Valley transportation (Rails & River Trade) to the 1% of yore (Gilded Heights). Dishes feature Shawnee fry bread, Ohio Valley produce and haute French cuisine.
I won’t say the place is loud, but it’s not quiet, either. The piped-in music is indiscernible beneath all the chatter. No notes on the lighting. Cast by ornate hanging bistro-style pendant lamps and sconces, it’s perfect. The chairs are extremely comfortable and (weird observation here) I liked how smoothly they glide on the wood floors.
The menu is seasonal and the prices vary depending on how you order. Salads, soups and starters (those last ones are sharable) will run you $18 to $24. While entrees start at $34 for stuffed squash blossoms to $87 for a filet.
Yeast rolls ($8) come with sweet cream butter and honey. Lobster agnolotti ($24) includes three dumplings stuffed with lemon-ricotta cheese and several hunks of lobster meat topped with creamy Newberg sauce served with with tangles of crispy prosciutto. It’s a good one to split.
There’s a bistro salad ($12) with flaps of bibb lettuce and toasted pine nuts in vinaigrette and, while I’m trying to avoid praise or criticism, a very good corn and crab bisque ($14). Heirloom tomatoes shine in a standard tomato salad ($18) with blue cheese. And Bernstein’s watermelon gazpacho ($9) comes with a mint and almond garnish. Other starters include pork belly with Native American fry bread (perhaps the first Native American dish I’ve seen on a Cincinnati menu) and Cajun-style corn maque choux ($18), and fried green tomatoes with okra and sassafras cream ($14).
Difficult as it was, I tried to be health conscious by NOT ordering the prime rib for my entree, but Bernstein sent out a thin slice for me to try anyway (thanks, Brad). It comes with the requisite horseradish as well as fried onions. The redfish with fried artichokes in red pepper sauce ($42) I ordered, while good, couldn’t compare. My wife ordered the lamb chops ($68), which were (very) heavily herbed and served on a bed of bead-shaped pasta, English peas, green apple and sweet Vichy carrots.
The hotel is also home to a bright all-day cafe called Cora’s, which won me over as soon as I saw the print newspapers (The New York Times and The Enquirer among them) hanging on an old fashioned spool mounted to the wall.
You order your coffee, pastries or a few select sandwiches at a counter. I’ve visited twice and the wait to order can be rather long, something I hope the cafe’s management addresses soon. That said, it’s a great space that provides a perfect location for chats with coworkers or just lounging around. Meeting with an Enquirer colleague there recently, I snacked on a pimento cheese scone and drank my coffee while watching a distinguished gentleman reading an art magazine. I don’t see that kind of thing too much these days. Welcome back, Distinguished Gentlemen.
In short, Cincinnati needed a place like The Fidelity: a top-notch hotel with a beautiful, sun-filled cafe and an ambitious restaurant. A place that lets you hob-nob with out-of-towners, enjoy a cocktail after work or dine on prime rib in an elegant dining room. Gwynn wants to return Cincinnati to an era when it was home to some of the best hotel restaurants in America. Here’s hoping it’s up to the task.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: A first taste at one of the biggest restaurant openings of 2026
Reporting by Keith Pandolfi, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Keith Pandolfi, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
