Hidden Gem in Covington, KY

I often meet my daughter for one of our regular walks around Cincinnati. Walking gives us a little exercise, a lot of conversation, and inevitably an excuse to have lunch together. Last week we started at Friendship Park, crossed the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge, and ended up at a delightful spot called The Gruff in Covington, KY.

The Gruff features brick-oven pizza as well as a variety of sandwiches and salads. We sat outside on the patio on our gorgeous fall day, but The Gruff also has comfortable inside seating and a full bar that will fit my needs as the weather changes. In addition, the restaurant includes an upscale deli and a small retail shop offering local specialty items such as jams and honey. What a surprise to have such a creative spot literally at the base of the bridge!

For lunch, I loved the “Grass is Greener,” a generous salad of spinach, pecans, apples, dried berries, and crumbled bleu cheese with a house-made berry vinaigrette. My daughter enjoyed the BLT Salad, loaded with pepper bacon and smoked cheddar. We both agreed our salads ranked near the top of our list of favorite entree salads around town. The sandwiches looked delicious, too, but the next time I will definitely try the brick-oven pizza.

Food tour guests from out-of-town often ask me where they should eat on the Northern Kentucky side of the river. I will add The Gruff to my list of recommendations. Who knows? If you stay in Northern Kentucky, and pop in to The Gruff, I may just see you there.