Wildweed

Cincinnati

Fun, foraging and fantastical pasta

This is pasta like you've never seen it – thoroughly untraditional and inspired by both local flavours and chef David Jackman's international travels, Wildweed is breaking the mould.

Canadian chef Jackman opened Wildweed with fellow chef and wife, Lydia, in late 2024. While the restaurant was their debut joint venture, the pair had worked on a series of more than 200 pop-ups across North America in the run up, perfecting their approach to inventive pasta and seasonally focused dishes.

Both the a la carte and chefs' counter 16-course tasting menu offer a taste of the Midwest, featuring foraged ingredients and produce sourced from local farms. The piece de resistance is the pasta dough – made with local eggs (sometimes from Jackman's own chickens) and freshly-milled wheat flour – forming the base of dishes that feel distinctly New American.

In a space lined with psychedelic-looking mushroom artwork and warm wood banquettes, dishes such as Wildweed's signature red chilli-striped tortelli made with gochugaru and served with a Vietnamese-style broth, hit the tables. The kitchen team is committed to craftmanship – from the house-made fermented elements like the parmesan shoyu on the tasting menu, to the whole animal butchery resulting in a rabbit ballotine with farro, wild leek, creamed yellowfoot mushroom and sherry jus on the a la carte.

A self-described celebration of 'genuinness' rather than old-world authenticity, diners are likely to find the chef who's prepared their dish serving it to them at the table. At Wildweed, front and back-of-house roles are pleasingly blurred, with chefs interacting with diners and the beverage team sharing a walk-in space with the kitchen, using foraged ingredients in their cocktails that complement the savoury dishes on the menu.

Often referred to as a 'flyover' state, neglected for flashier coastal destinations, Wildweed's growing community of loyal diners is going some way to putting Ohio on the gastronomic map. A snapshot of accolades includes Jackman reaching finalist stages of the James Beard Best Chef: Great Lakes 2025 award and being named as one of 2025's best new openings by Bon Appetit and the New York Times. Now, Wildweed is the deserving winner of the One To Watch Award, as part of North America's 50 Best Restaurants 2026.

Discover more about what makes Wildweed one of the most exciting restauants in North America in 2026.

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