New Restaurant, Lounge Signs Lease with 3CDC at Court Street Plaza

Upscale American Restaurant with Neighborhood Feel to Open This Summer

CINCINNATI (February 21, 2023) – Construction on an upscale restaurant featuring American fare is underway at 9 E. Court Street in an increasingly popular block of the Central Business District. Court Street Kitchen has signed a lease to move into Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC)’s Moore Flats project, joining neighborhood institution Avril Bleh Meat Market, recent additions Mid-City and Pillar, and soon-to-open Onolicious along Court Street Plaza. Court Street Kitchen will join the mix in a 3,380-square-foot space that will feature an elevated American menu with dishes ranging from a classic burger to Lamb Wellington, served in a neighborhood-centric atmosphere.

Chef/owner Braheam Shteiwi was born and raised in Cincinnati. His father, Rakan Shteiwi, owned and operated 14 restaurants, including multiple Gold Star Chili stores, DiPaolo’s/3trees, Spinning Fork, Capronis, Caruso’s and MIA at Miami University, so the restaurant industry is in his blood. He has run several restaurants over the course of his career, most recently reopening his father’s one-time downtown restaurant, Caruso’s, in Fairfield in 2019. With Caruso’s still in operation, this will be the chef’s second restaurant.

City Studios and independent designer John Tatone are designing Court Street Kitchen. The layout will consist of a main dining room with a lounge attached, and an oversized patio along Court Street. The large accordion windows drew Shteiwi in, and he’s having furniture designed to fit into the nooks and crannies that perfectly fit up against those windows. The restaurant will include a large, elevated bar in the main dining room, with a smaller, more intimate bar in the lounge. Shteiwi had been scouting locations for his own restaurant concept for about six years, but the timing or locations never seemed right. In the midst of searching, he took a brief hiatus to reopen Caruso’s. Once the revamped version of his father’s restaurant was up and running, Shteiwi refocused his efforts again on his own concept.

“It’s been a journey getting to this point, but as soon as I walked in, this space just clicked,” he said. “The layout is set up perfectly for the style of restaurant I had in mind and the location on Court Street Plaza really put it over the top.”

Construction on Court Street Kitchen is expected to be finished in the summer. Its location will increase activity along Court Street Plaza, which bridges the gap between the Fountain Square District and Over-the-Rhine.

“We believe Court Street Plaza is on its way to being the next great dining district in Downtown Cincinnati, and the addition of Court Street Kitchen is one more step in that direction,” said Lindzie Gunnels, Commercial Leasing Manager with 3CDC. “The completed design of the space is going to offer a picturesque backdrop for diners as we see the vibrancy of this block continue to increase, building off the momentum from James Beard nominated Mid-City and Pilar across the street.”

Moore Flats is part of 3CDC’s Court Street South Condos, which is located across the street from Kroger’s corporate headquarters. The $7.9 million project consisted of the renovation of two historic buildings at both 7-11 Court Street and 915-917 Vine Street, with 16 residential condos and 5,700 square feet of commercial space. Court Street Kitchen joins other 3CDC tenants who have moved into various Court Street projects on the same block, including Mid-City, Pilar, and Onolicious Hawaii.

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