Restaurant in Cincinnati, United States
Housemade pasta, Sunday-supper warmth.
Pepp & Dolores brings housemade-pasta Italian cooking and a curated wine list to Over-the-Rhine, framed around the warmth of a family Sunday supper. It is one of Cincinnati's better casual Italian options for a date night or intimate celebration, easier to book than the city's top tables, and most rewarding when you come for the pasta and slow down.
Pepp & Dolores, at 1501 Vine St in Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine neighbourhood, is the kind of Italian spot that earns repeat visits. Built around the idea of Sunday supper at a grandparent's house, it delivers housemade pastas and family-recipe cooking in a setting that reads as genuinely warm rather than manufactured. For a special occasion dinner with someone you want to impress without the formality of a white-tablecloth room, this is one of the stronger bets in Cincinnati right now. Booking is easy, the format is approachable, and the food has enough craft behind it to justify the trip.
The concept at Pepp & Dolores is direct: Italian-American home cooking done with intention. Housemade pastas are the anchor, supplemented by a curated wine list and a menu that balances long-held family recipes with fresh, seasonal flavours. The name itself signals the philosophy — Pepp and Dolores are the grandparents the restaurant pays tribute to, and that generational warmth shapes how the room is meant to feel.
From a taste standpoint, the emphasis is on house-produced pasta with the kind of flavour that comes from careful preparation rather than flash technique. Think rich, hand-rolled dough, sauces built from quality ingredients, and a plate that rewards you for slowing down. This is not the place for architectural plating or a 12-course tasting format. If that is what you want, Le Bernardin in New York City or Atomix in New York City operate in a different register entirely. Pepp & Dolores is more in the spirit of Emeril's in New Orleans — confident, rooted cooking that does not need to prove itself through complexity.
Without confirmed service hours in the database, it is not possible to state definitively whether Pepp & Dolores runs a separate lunch programme. What the concept suggests, though, is that dinner is the intended format. Sunday-supper-style Italian cooking lands differently at night , the pace is slower, the wine fits the moment, and the communal warmth of the concept reads more naturally in an evening context. If you are considering a daytime visit, confirm current hours directly before planning around it. For a weekday lunch slot, Cincinnati has strong alternatives in Bakersfield OTR and Boca, both of which have well-documented daytime programmes. For dinner, Pepp & Dolores is the stronger special-occasion call among casual Italian options in the city.
The restaurant works well for birthdays, anniversaries, and intimate date nights where the goal is a meal that feels considered without requiring a black-tie mindset. The family-supper framing means the atmosphere is generous rather than stiff , guests tend to feel welcome rather than assessed. For larger group celebrations, confirm whether the room accommodates party sizes above six, as smaller Italian-concept restaurants in OTR can run tight on space during peak evenings.
If you are planning a milestone dinner and want a higher-intensity experience, Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse or Jeff Ruby's The Precinct deliver that theatre. Pepp & Dolores is the better pick when the goal is intimacy over spectacle. For nationally benchmarked special-occasion dining, venues like The French Laundry in Napa, Single Thread Farm in Healdsburg, or Smyth in Chicago sit in a different tier, but Pepp & Dolores holds its own for what it is aiming to be.
Pepp & Dolores is located at 1501 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH 45202, in the Over-the-Rhine neighbourhood , one of the most walkable dining corridors in the city. Booking is easy relative to Cincinnati's more competitive tables. No confirmed price range is in the database, so verify current menu pricing directly, but the casual-Italian positioning suggests mid-range spend. Dress code is not formally stated; the concept skews smart-casual. For more on what to do before or after dinner, see our full Cincinnati restaurants guide, our full Cincinnati bars guide, our full Cincinnati hotels guide, our full Cincinnati wineries guide, and our full Cincinnati experiences guide.
Quick reference: 1501 Vine St, OTR, Cincinnati | Easy to book | Smart-casual dress | Confirm hours and pricing directly before visiting.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pepp & Dolores | Easy | — | |
| Camp Washington | Unknown | — | |
| The Refectory | Unknown | — | |
| Wildweed | Unknown | — | |
| Nolia Kitchen | Unknown | — | |
| Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse – Cincinnati | Unknown | — |
How Pepp & Dolores stacks up against the competition.
Yes, the Sunday-supper concept at Pepp & Dolores translates well to solo visits — the atmosphere is warm and unhurried rather than scene-driven, which means you won't feel conspicuous eating alone. The housemade pasta focus gives you a clear anchor for ordering without needing a group to share around. If solo bar seating is available, that tends to be the most comfortable option in restaurants of this format.
Housemade pastas are the core of the menu and the reason to come, so anchor your order there. The restaurant's concept draws on family recipes balanced with fresh flavours, so expect Italian-American classics done with care rather than experimental riffs. Pair with a wine from the curated list — the selection is deliberate, not an afterthought.
For a high-end, occasion-driven alternative, The Refectory in Columbus is the regional benchmark, though it requires a longer trip. Within Cincinnati, Nolia Kitchen offers a different cuisine but a similarly intimate, considered dining experience. If you want something more casual and local-institution in feel, Camp Washington is a Cincinnati classic in its own right, though it operates in a completely different category.
The concept is built around the spirit of a family Sunday supper — expect housemade pastas, a curated wine list, and a tone that is relaxed but intentional, not a quick-turnover trattoria. Located at 1501 Vine St in Over-the-Rhine, it sits in one of Cincinnati's most walkable dining corridors, so arriving on foot or by rideshare is practical. Come with an appetite for pasta-forward Italian rather than a broad multi-cuisine menu.
Yes, for birthdays, anniversaries, and intimate date nights it works well — the family-supper warmth makes the meal feel personal without requiring a formal tasting-menu commitment. It is not the right call if you need private dining rooms or a high-ceremony experience; for that, The Refectory or Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse would be more appropriate. Pepp & Dolores is the choice when the occasion calls for genuinely good food in a space that feels considered rather than corporate.
The Sunday-supper ethos suggests relaxed and presentable — think neat casual rather than formal. A restaurant built around the warmth of home cooking at 1501 Vine St in Over-the-Rhine is not the kind of room where a jacket is expected, but showing up in athleisure would feel out of step with the atmosphere.
Over-the-Rhine is Cincinnati's most active dining corridor, and housemade-pasta restaurants at this pitch tend to fill on weekends. Booking at least one to two weeks ahead for Friday and Saturday is a reasonable baseline; weeknights are likely more flexible. Confirmed reservation policies are not in the database, so check directly via their website or a booking platform before assuming walk-in availability.
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