The New York Times this week named its 50 favorite U.S. restaurants for 2026. For Northeast Ohioans, a familiar name is on the list.
ROSY, an open-fire restaurant in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood, is the Buckeye State’s only entry. The restaurant, which opened in February, is led by chef Vinnie Cimino and his business partner, Andrew Watts. Cimino grew up in Akron and still calls the city home. It’s the second restaurant for the duo, who opened Cordelia in downtown Cleveland in July 2022.
“It’s been nothing short of incredible,” Cimino said. “Things I never thought I would see in my lifetime is a Cleveland restaurant in The New York Times, let alone one of ours.”
He continued, “It gives me a huge sense of gratitude and validation, honestly. We work really hard to do what we do every day, and we love cooking and telling our story and sharing it with others. It just shows that we’re doing what we’re supposed to do.”
While this marks Cimino’s first mention in The New York Times, it’s by no means his first accolade. He’s a two-time James Beard Award finalist and a 2025 Food & Wine best new chef.
“You don’t need to know that the kitchen is inspired by the Istrian Peninsula in the Adriatic, the ancestral homeland to generations of Ohioans, to love what comes out of it,” writes New York Times reporter Brett Anderson in his review of ROSY.
Anderson goes on to praise ROSY’s menu, from “luscious ajvar red pepper sauce” to “juicy, housemade cotechino sausage.”
ROSY marks third time Ohio restaurant makes the list
The goal of ROSY, Cimino said, is to celebrate today. That ethos is reflected in both the restaurant’s constantly changing menu and its casual, not-too-precious environment. While the restaurant offers some reservations, the majority of its diners are walk-ins. The ingredients that come into the restaurant each day shape the menu. Many of them are from local and regional farms and producers, including Kentucky Gardens, which is in the same neighborhood as ROSY.
“Every Saturday at the end of their market, they just drop off whatever’s left over to the back door of ROSY,” Cimino said. “One day it’s 17 pounds of tomatoes and two bunches of Swiss chard. One day it’s eight peppers and some tomatoes and some herbs.
“We have this ability now to be able to utilize such small producers and be able to continue to support more folks.”
The New York Times launched its annual restaurant list in October 2021. At the time, the dining world was clawing its way back after months of closures and socially distanced meals due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Two other Ohio restaurants made the list in the past: Columbus’ now-shuttered Chapman’s Eat Market (2021) and Cincinnati’s Wildweed (2025). For this year’s list, 16 reporters and editors dined at 538 restaurants in 38 states.
ROSY is open Thursday through Sunday, which means today is its first day open since The New York Times list was released. Cimino expects the restaurant to be busier than usual this week, but he doesn’t want that to discourage people from coming in.
“Walk in. That’s the whole point,” he said. “Make us a part of your night. Come and experience ROSY. Come and see what the fuss is about. You know you’re gonna get fed. You’re gonna have fun. It’s just such a great time.”
