Alara: Upscale Cocktail Bar and Seafood Haven in Cincinnati

This is my boyfriend and I’s favorite spot in Cincy. We are both gluten free (by choice), but regardless would absolutely love it. Our drinks are always fabulous, food is exquisite, and service is top tier. We just left our anniversary dinner where we received a complimentary toast and our appetizers on the house. This place is spectacular. Tonight we had José as our waiter and could not have been more impressed. Highly recommend!

Alara is terrific. The decor and ambiance are fresh. All employees were terrific especially our waiter Tom. The drinks were well presented and tasty. But the best part…the food. The HOP (Heart of Palms) appetizer and Foccacia! The roasted carrots! The pork chops (recommended by Tom) were so good! Go and be wowed!

This place seriously needs more hype, because it's incredible. Our waiter Jose took the time to learn our names, chatted with us about the cocktails, and made specific (and accurate) recommendations on the menu. The appetizers are large portions for sharing so everyone in your party gets to taste a little of everything. The smoked hummus was unique and delicious, and the steak was cooked perfectly. The cocktail I ordered had acho reyes chili liquor in it and is one of the few times I've seen it used correctly. I can't wait to come back for the $4 sliders and $6 drinks happy hour.

My now fiancé and I went for my birthday dinner that turned into a beautiful engagement a couple years agoit was excellent, our server Zach was amazing and he made sure we didn’t run out of anything . He also was kind and recorded our engagement. The food came out fast , nice size portions and it was veryyy tasty. They sat us at the front, the view was beautiful everyone was so nice I had a wonderful experience. It was such a vibe. The best birthday ever. The manager was amazing as well. She was very nice. Everyone had amazing energy.

What an amazing place! We visited on our anniversary, and to our surprise, the entire restaurant was empty—apparently due to a Google glitch that showed the restaurant as closed that day. Looks like Google wanted to make our anniversary extra special When we arrived, we were warmly greeted and seated. Our server was sweet and friendly, and she truly went out of her way to make our day memorable. She customized our order to suit our needs and took great care of us throughout the evening. The food took a little longer to arrive, but once it did, we completely understood why. I ordered the salmon, and it was the best salmon I’ve ever had—perfectly cooked, beautifully spiced, and absolutely delicious. My wife ordered the chicken, which was also very good. The kids loved their pasta, which wasn’t even on the menu, but the chef kindly made it for them. Overall, a wonderful experience, and we would definitely love to come back again.

Everything was excellent from start to finish. Our server, Kayla, made sure that every step of the meal from drinks to apps to main meal and dessert flowed smoothly. She gave us suggestions on each portion of the meal and kept our waters and cocktails full all evening. The small details and care that went into every plate made this meal even more special. You can tell that everyone on staff takes great pride in creating a great experience for their guests. My biggest appreciation comes from how much concern they have in making sure that your food allergies are addressed. Our table was immediately across from the open kitchen where you can see the chefs creating their dishes in an immaculately clean environment. We had a mixture of different parts of the menu - Fillet, Pork chops, lobster carbonara. Sides of potato wedges and Carrots. Apps of the hummus and focaccia bread and desserts were Espresso chocolate torte, Dreamsicle Cloud and a Bananas foster creation. We will definitely be coming back.

I visited Alara this past Saturday evening for dinner. We went there because they have many gluten-free options. It was very trendy with beautiful decor and music that seemed to cater to a younger crowd. (That isn't me and I saw plenty of people that were in the 40-50 age range.) Our server, Grace, was extremely pleasant, knowledgeable, and attentive. She was very nice to talk with, and she made our dining experience perfect. I will request her the next time we go, and only hope she is there when we do. For cocktails, my wife had a Cucumber Collins and I had a Mi Amaro. Very different drinks and both were excellent. The CC was refreshing and a little bubbly. The MA was just slightly oaky and just the kind of drink I like. It reminded me of whiskey even though it was good anejo tequila. My wife had a second of her drink and if I wasn't driving I would have had another of mine - which was strong the way a good drink should be. Grace recommended the H.O.P. Cakes and the way she described them made us give them a whirl - she said they tasted like crab cakes. They are flash-fried heart of palm cakes, citrus frisée salad, avocado aioli, and five spice vinaigrette. Holy cow they were excellent. I'll get them again without hesitation when I return. We skipped salads because we were getting a lot of food, but the Caesar was highly recommended. We ordered the Lobster Mac & Cheese - which is radiatori pasta, cheddar cheese sauce, and parmesan bread crumbs (no chives on ours). The pasta was good for GF, but the star of that dish was the lobster. There was a lot of it swimming in the creamy and slightly spicy cheese sauce. My wife had the Blackened Snapper which was creole cream sauce, roasted Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and bacon, topped with a fresh shrimp salad. The creole sauce was really tasty with a creamy roasted red pepper taste. The snapper was fantastic. I had the Seared Sea Scallops, which sat on top of parmesan risotto, with caramelized fennel & roasted shiitake mushrooms, crispy prosciutto, candied carrot ribbons, and micro arugula. I added some Jumbo Shrimp Scampi that we shared. If you like scallops - this right here is calling your name! The scallops were cooked perfectly with an awesome sear. The mushrooms were extremely mild and a great compliment to the creamy risotto. The prosciutto and carrots were also great in this dish. The shrimp scampi were great! I usually like to try different things but I'd be challenged not to get this the next time I visit. We took a couple desserts to go - the Banana Bliss and Chocolate Espresso Torte. Both were great but I imagine they'd be even better served there with warm sauces. This was an excellent dining experience all around, and I eagerly look forward to returning!

We had a lovely dinner for my husband’s birthday. The chef’s table was so fun! Every bit of food was superb. Everything was done perfectly and absolutely delicious. Loved the atmosphere. Dessert was SO good! Can’t wait to go back.