Restaurants in Norwood

Conceptualized by Chef Joshua Steven Campbell, a Cincinnati native, Mayberry and World Food Bar bring creative tastes to the community without ever pressuring the community to adopt creative eating techniques in return—traditional methods such as teeth and forks are acceptable. Mayberry's modest, warm atmosphere invites patrons to feast on fancified versions of classic comfort food such as the Sloppy Josh sandwich (slow-cooked beef with rosemary and spicy mustard, $7) for lunch, paired with a tater-tot casserole ($3). Transitioning palates to dinner hour are elegant small plates such as pepper-bacon-wrapped pork medallions sweetly accompanied by barbecue chickpeas and goat cheese ($10) and the restaurant's herbed flatbread with guava, kalamata olives, and feta cheese, which can be made with lamb or with minted tofu for vegetarians ($10).

Bucks Tavern combines the atmosphere of a cozy neighborhood sports bar with the menu of a locally minded gastropub. Start with an order of crispy potato skins—stuffed with cheese, bacon, and scallions, and served with sour cream ($9)—or a bowl of Bucks' homemade beef chili ($5) before tempting your taste buds into swimming up-tongue with a grilled-salmon salad (baby spinach, provolone, tomatoes, candied walnuts, and hard-boiled egg, topped with Atlantic salmon, $13). A hand-breaded, all-natural whitefish sandwich ($8.50) will satisfy lunchtime customers who suspiciously resemble a flock of seagulls in a trench coat. Even pub staples are delivered with an upscale twist. The grilled cheese showcases creamy havarti, tomato, fresh basil, and a drop of honey on a pedestal of wheatberry toast ($7), and Dan's burger tops a hand-sculpted beef patty with pepper jack, bacon, fried-onion straws, and a drizzle of barbecue sauce ($8). All sandwiches come with a side of Bucks’ slaw or seasoned fries—the raffish, fast-living, smooth-talking brother of waffle fries. A children's menu, meanwhile, delights toy-humans with favorites such as sliders, chicken fingers, and mac ‘n’ cheese, all served with a side of fries.

At age 11, while other Jersey kids were playing ball up the block, Tony Aponte was treating his four siblings to pizzas in the family kitchen. More than three decades have passed since those days. Tony has found new digs. He's moved to Ohio to be closer to his three daughters. But he is still crafting pizzas, drawing on those childhood experiences and a greatly expanded palette of toppings and ingredients.

In the pies he makes now, house-made sauce, hand-tossed white or wheat dough, and fistfuls of whole-milk cheese support capicola, genoa salami, grilled peppers, and artichoke hearts. While pulling apart slices, guests at Aponte’s Pizzeria glance up at five flat-screen TVs to check sports scores or see if the anchorman is still wearing their friendship bracelet. Sports photos and team insignias pepper the marinara-red walls, and the tables clatter with plates of subs and baked pastas.

A family-owned and operated business, Cheezburger Cafe's menu of fresh, hand-formed burgers, hand-cut fries, and sweet shakes made with real ice cream smothers hunger like a flaming match doused in a tub of yogurt. A wide range of specialty burgers dominate center stage, with the Mainliner with Swiss cheese, tartar sauce, and lettuce ($4.39); the BLT & E burger with bacon, fried egg, lettuce, and tomato ($4.99); and the notoriously massive Triple Threat Pounder ($8.99) taking burgered bliss to strange new places, especially when washed down with a regular banana-split shake ($3.99) or one of Cheezburger's other 34 shaked-milk varieties (including cookie dough, Oreo fudge mint, and Creamsicle). Hungry diners and real live bears, meanwhile, can add tasty sides such as the small or basket-size Cajun Fuji fries ($1.99 for a small/$2.99 for a basket), seasoned waffle fries ($1.99/$2.99), or homemade onion straws ($3.95).

A savory selection of hot paninis ($6.95) begins with your choice of bread base. Try a turkey reuben on focaccia, ciabatta, wheat, marble rye, or baguette. Vegetarians can opt for the mother burger, a veggie-based patty stacked with tomato and lettuce on wheat toast (6.95). Earlier eats at Enzo’s include the hand-held convenience of grilled breakfast burritos ($4), including the roma (scrambled eggs, salami, provolone, hash browns, and spicy tapenade) and the salchicha (sausage, cheddar, and a side of salsa). Snatch up homemade cookies, muffins, brownies, and marshmallow treats to take home and hoard in your sugary-smelling bomb shelter for post-apocalyptic snacking.

Aromas of roasting pine nuts, pesto sauces, and baking lasagna fill the air as chefs at Ferrari’s Little Italy and Bakery craft traditional Italian fare according to the owners' family recipes. They sprinkle the signature insalata Ferrari with cranberries, pine nuts, and gorgonzola cheese and top the pollo basilico's roasted chicken with rigatoni, sun-dried tomatoes, and pesto cream sauce. Additionally, a pair of bakers slides around 150 loaves of fresh focaccia bread into their ovens each day, yielding slices topped with three colors of bell peppers, spinach, and gorgonzola cheese. These appear in glass bakery cases alongside pastries and artisan gelato from local dessert makers Madisono’s Gelato and Sorbet.

Inside Ferrari's multiple dining areas, gas fireplaces flicker among exposed-brick walls, and family photos help create a homey feel. On the outdoor patio, fragrant wisteria vines climb a wooden pergola, and a picturesque fountain quietly babbles recommendations from the wine list.