CINCINNATI, Ohio—Ahead of its opening on July 28 within the restored Gwynne Building, Cincinnati’s Fidelity Hotel previewed the debut of two culinary concepts: Gwynne, a signature restaurant and lobby bar, and Cora’s Café, an all-day café and market.
Led by Executive Chef Brad Bernstein, the hotel’s food and beverage program draws inspiration from the Ohio River Valley, highlighting regional ingredients, seasonally driven menus, and an ingredient-led approach to modern American cuisine.
“Our goal was to create spaces that feel authentically rooted in this city—connected to its history while looking ahead to what will be next,” said Bernstein. “While Gwynne and Cora’s Café each bring their own distinct flavors and vibes to the table, both are designed around connection—places where people naturally gather, settle in, and feel at home in downtown Cincinnati.”
Gwynne
Gwynne celebrates Midwestern warmth by elevating classics with seasonal, locally sourced ingredients. The menu highlights regional purveyors like 80 Acres Farms, Urban Stead Cheese, Sakura Wagyu, and Glier’s Goetta. Featured dishes include a curated Charcuterie & Artisan Cheese board with house-made pâtés and Benton’s country ham; Kentucky Spoonfish with paddlefish caviar and cornmeal blinis; Ricotta-Stuffed Squash Blossoms with basil pesto; and an Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb with a green apple–mint gastrique.
The beverage program includes crafted cocktails, signature martinis, curated wines, bourbon selections, and Champagne alongside a bar designed to stand as a destination of its own. Each cocktail blends historical reference with modern technique, including The Gwynne Heiress, an expression of single-barrel bourbon, black cherry, and tobacco bitters; Garden Secrets, featuring gin, tomato liqueur, and barrel-aged gin bitters; and the Flatboat Fix Seasonal Daiquiri with probitas white Rum, see the elephant amaro, pawpaw, and lime.
Cora’s Café
Cora’s Café offers an all-day experience that combines specialty coffee, local retail, craft beverages, and community. Inspired by the neighborhood corner shops and market culture that once defined downtown Cincinnati, Cora’s evolves throughout the day.
Mornings begin with specialty coffee, including the hotel’s exclusive Fidelity Single Origin blend created in partnership with Cincinnati-based roaster Urbana, and house-made pastries. Signature pastries include croquembouche, chocolate croissants, Dirty Martini scones, and lemon blueberry cookie stacks, alongside grab-and-go breakfast and lunch offerings including egg bites, chef’s daily sandwiches and salads, and protein and snack boxes.
In the early evening, Cora’s turns into a neighborhood gathering place for remote work, business meetings, and casual lunches before welcoming the early evening with seasonal spritzers, local craft beer, and crafted cocktails. Signature cocktails include the 6th & Main, a combination of Wild Turkey Bourbon, espresso, Mr. Black Coffee Liqueur, and Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream cold foam, and the Over-the-Rhine Social, made with Watershed olive oil fat-washed vodka, Filthy olive brine, and Dolin Dry Vermouth.
Beyond its café offerings, Cora’s includes a curated market that celebrates Cincinnati’s creative community through locally made goods, artwork, gifts, coffee accessories, and specialty food products.
