For the past 12 years, the Best of NKY has celebrated all that Northern Kentucky has to offer. From doughnuts to bike stores, we love celebrating the businesses of this community. Thousands of people voted in NKY Magazine’s 2023 Best of NKY competition. Readers could vote both online at bestofnky.com or in person at the Best of NKY event, held May 23 at Turfway Park. Attendees voted for their favorites in 150 categories. Read on to discover this year’s winners.
The event was sponsored by Jolly Plumbing, Heating & Air and Casual Chinese Plus. The community partner was meetNKY.
Food
Bakery
Emerson’s Bakery
Multiple locations including Independence (4147 Madison Pike, 859-356-3800).
BBQ
Four Mile Pig 
7962 Alexandria Pike, Alexandria.
513-802-6923
Breakfast/Brunch
The Hive
480 Erlanger Rd, Erlanger. 859-495-5655
Jessica Fette may be mayor of Erlanger, but that’s not the only thing she does. She also serves up delicious brunch and breakfast items at her new Erlanger restaurant, The Hive. A year into operation, Fette and her staff were voted Best Breakfast/Brunch in the Best of NKY.
“I am incredibly impressed with the team of individuals that I work with on a daily basis and [the win] is only because they are exceeding all expectations on every level,” she says.
Just off Interstates 75/71 in Erlanger, The Hive serves more than just breakfast—it also offers tasty brunch and lunch combinations into the early afternoon that will keep you coming back for more.
Fette credits The Hive’s success to her upbringing. From a young age, Fette’s family owned and operated a family restaurant right here in Northern Kentucky where she says she learned the value of hard work when running a restaurant.
“I learned from watching my parents work very hard to be entrepreneurs and small business owners and the dedication that it takes,” Fette says.
Fette says that many of the items on the menu at The Hive are inspired by those her father created in his restaurant. One of these creations, The Jersey Girl—a potato, sausage, egg and cheese breakfast bowl—is Fette’s favorite item on the menu because it reminds her of breakfast with her family when she was a kid.
Fette says The Hive’s most popular menu item is its Bourbon-Spiked French Toast.
“You can’t be in Kentucky and not have something like a little spike of bourbon in it,” she says. – Jack Tincher
Burger
Bender’s Pub Grub
7926 Alexandria Pike, Alexandria.
859-908-0019
Catering
Kealoha’s Kitchen 
3428 Decoursey Ave, Covington.
808-217-3070
Chef
Ernie Estrada, Chef Hip E’s Cocina Loca
10045 Lower River Rd, Burlington.
859-800-5423
Chinese Cuisine
Casual Chinese 
88 Carothers Rd, Newport. 859-431-2900
Cupcakes
Little Flour Baked Goods
2479 Dixie Hwy, Ft Mitchell. 859-341-2253
Dessert
Sugarmill Sweets
15 Pete Neiser Dr, Alexandria. 859-786-3359
Donuts
Moonrise Doughnuts
Multiple locations including Crescent Springs (2513 Ritchie Ave, 859-360-6643)
Family Dining
Bourbon House Pizza
Multiple locations including Newport (100 Aqua Way, 859-261-2610)
Fast Casual
Joella’s Hot Chicken
2440 High St, Crescent Springs.
859-341-4444
Fine Dining
Walt’s Hitching Post
3300 Madison Pike, Ft Wright.
859-360-2222
Food Truck
Marty’s Waffles
300 Washington St, Ste 6, Alexandria.
513-310-3607
Fresh Catch
Knotty Pine on the Bayou
6302 Licking Pike, Cold Spring.
859-781-2200
Fried Chicken
Libby’s Southern Comfort 
35 W 8th St, Covington. 859-261-3106
Ice Cream
Dreamy Whip
3020 Washington St, Burlington.
859-534-0318
Italian Cuisine
Camporosso
2475 Dixie Hwy, Ft Mitchell. 859-331-0155
Mexican Cuisine
Agave & Rye
Multiple locations including Covington
(635 Madison Ave, 859-360-1060)
Patio Dining
Barleycorn’s Lakeside Park
2642 Dixie Hwy, Lakeside Park.
859-331-6633
Pizza
Strong’s Brick Oven Pizza
Multiple locations including Union (10336 US 42, 859-384-6836)
Restaurant
Greyhound Tavern
2500 Dixie Hwy, Ft. Mitchell
Soup/Salad
Reality Tuesday Cafe
1518 Dixie Hwy, Park Hills. 859-261-4939
Steak
Blinkers Tavern
318 Greenup St, Covington. 859-360-0840
Sub/Sandwich Shop
Sub Station II
7905 Dream St, Florence. 859-371-9490
Sushi
Wabi Sabi
508 Madison Ave, Covington. 859-399-6503
View from a Restaurant
MRBL
119 Fairfield Ave, Ste 427, Bellevue.
859-431-6725
Wings
Knuk-N-Futz
5468 Taylor Mill Rd, Taylor Mill.
859-261-9464
Drink
Bar
Alexandria Brewing Company
7926 Alexandria Pike, Ste 1, Alexandria. 859-694-6999
Bourbon Selection
Revival Vintage Bottle Shop
5 E 8th St, Covington. 859-479-2676
Brewery
Braxton Brewing Company
Multiple locations including Covington (27 W 7th St, 859-261-5600)
Happy Hour
Barleycorn’s
Multiple locations including Cold Spring (1073 Industrial Rd, 859-442-3400)
Independent Coffeehouse
Brass Key Coffee
8109 Alexandria Pike, Ste 9, Alexandria
Sports Bar
Dickmann’s Sports Cafe
479 Orphanage Rd, Ft Wright. 859-331-8076
Wine Store/Tasting
Liquor Barn
Multiple locations including Covington (670 W 3rd St, 859-291-2550)
Auto
Auto New
Jeff Wyler Honda in Florence
949 Burlington Pike, Florence.
859-479-2319
Auto Parts
Don Baxter Auto
9574 Alexandria Pike, Alexandria.
859-635-4000
Auto Repair
Community Car Care
1047 Perkins Dr, Alexandria. 859-635-1788
Auto Used
Advantage Used Cars
9216 Alexandria Pike, Alexandria.
859-908-0183
Beauty
Esthetician
Zero Gravity Aesthetics
2853 Town Center Blvd, Crestview Hills.
859-344-3250
Hair Salon
Faith & Allen
2834 Town Center Blvd, Crestview Hills.
513-581-7749
Manicure/Pedicure
Heather’s Nails & Boutique
8170 Mall Rd, Florence. 859-466-4161
Heather Dringenburg Miltilien opened Heather’s Nails & Boutique towards the end of COVID with the goal of making people feel good about themselves and their appearance.
Dringenburg specializes in all your nail salon needs, including acrylic nails, shellac/gel manicures, regular manicures, pedicures, nail art, stamping and free-handed art.
One of the best features of the nail salon is that Dringenburg prioritizes the overall health of her clients’ nails. The nail salon is known for not using any drills and filing nails all by hand, which clients really love.
“We work on a personal level, and we care about the clients’ nail health and the fact that they can also shop and do everything all in one location,” says Dringenburg.
Dringenburg also strives to create a fun and happy atmosphere where she builds relationships with her clients.
As it is a smaller business, there is currently one additional nail tech working with Dringenburg, but she hopes to grow her business.
“I hope to add more nail techs in the future and keep the vital part of the community to impact people in a positive way,” says Dringenburg. – Andrea Oberto
MasterStylist
Megan Cummins, Salon MK
200 Commercial Cir, Alexandria.
859-635-9719
Place for a Spa Day
Sweet Serenity Massage & Salt Therapy
9910 C Berberich Dr, Florence.
859-371- 7258
Skincare Clinic
Bellava Aesthetics
2834 Town Center Blvd, Loft 24, Crestview Hills. 859-462-8025
Skincare Clinic
Emily’s Esthetics Skin Care Clinic
600 Rodeo Dr, 2nd Floor, Erlanger.
859-995-2510
Tattoo Studio
Iron Crow Tattoo Co.
264 Main St, Florence. 859-429-7877
Entertainment
Bowling Alley
Southern Lanes Sports Center
7634 Alexandria Pike, Alexandria. 859-635-2121
Festival
Rocktoberfest
Saint Barbara Church,
4042 Turkeyfoot Rd, Erlanger
Golf Course
Pendleton Hills
317 Country Club Dr, Butler. 859-472-2150
Museum
Behringer-Crawford Museum 
1600 Montague Rd in Devou Park, Covington. 859-491-4003
Theatre
Madison Theater
730 Madison Ave, Covington. 859-491-2444
Family
Birthday Party Location
Silverlake The Family Place
301 Kenton Lands Rd, Erlanger.
859-426-7777
Dance/Theatre Instruction
Studio Dee
3420 Valley Plaza Pkwy, Ft Wright.
859-261-3337
Daycare Center
Skidaddles
8660 Bankers St, Florence. 859-647-7529
Education
Crescent Ridge Academy
2625 Anderson Rd, Crescent Springs.
859-331-3725
Family Fun Entertainment
Full Throttle Adrenaline Park
24 Spiral Dr, Florence. 859-371-5278
Gymnastics Center
Top Flight Gymnastics
721 Centre View Blvd, Crestview Hills.
859-344-1010
Martial Arts
McClendon Martial Arts
8109 Alexandria Pike, Alexandria.
859-307-9717
Music Instruction
Music House
2643 Crescent Springs Rd, Erlanger. 859-342-8280
Photographer
Jennifer Lynn Pictures
64 W Pike St, Covington
Preschool
Saint Thomas Preschool
428 S Ft Thomas Ave, Ft Thomas. 859-572-4641
Real Estate Agency
The Cindy Shetterly Team
859-743-0212
Real Estate Agent
Nick Foltz, Pivot Realty Group
513-401-6462
School Spirit (K-12)
Notre Dame Academy
1699 Hilton Dr, Park Hills. 859-261-4300
Summer Camp
NKU Music Preparatory
Northern Kentucky University, School of the Arts, Nunn Dr, Highland Heights. 859-572-7737
Swim Lessons
YMCA of Greater Cincinnati
Multiple locations including R.C. Durr YMCA (5874 Veterans Way, Burlington,
859-534-5700)
Toy Store
Learning Express Toys & Gifts
2812 Town Center Blvd, Crestview Hills.
859-331-2094
Health
Chiro
Douglas P Krift, DC
1467 S Ft Thomas Ave, Ft Thomas.
859-781-8700
Dentist
Shearer Family & Cosmetic Dentistry
1335 Hansel Dr, Florence.
859-647-7068
Eye Doctor
Northern Kentucky Eye Care
92 Alexandria Pike, Ft Thomas.
859-781-2000
Fitness Center
Florence Fitness Studios
1040 Hansel Ave, Florence. 513-290-7840
Fitness Class Instructor
Ashley Klein, Pure Barre Ft Wright
3420 Valley Plaza Pkwy, Ft Wright. 859-331-8600
Health Food Store
Better Blend
8181 Mall Rd, Florence
Home Health Care
Homewatch CareGivers of Northern Kentucky
859-927-3566
Massage Therapist
Ashley Taylor, Sweet Serenity Massage & Salt Therapy
9910 C Berberich Dr, Florence.
859-371- 7258
Medical Facility
BenchMark Physical Therapy
Multiple locations including Hebron (3065 N Bend Rd, Ste C, 859-267-2293)
Medical Spa
dermalounge
723 Buttermilk Pike, Crescent Springs.
859-360-5842
Mental Health Agency/Practice
Mainspring Wellness & Counseling
859-349-0700
Orthodontist
Gruelle Dempsey Orthodontics
Multiple locations including Florence (7205 Dixie Hwy, Ste 1, 859-371-3677)
Pediatric Dentist
Kelty McLaurin Pediatric Dentistry with David Rider DMD
1809 Alexandria Pike, Ste A,
Highland Heights. 859-781-1500
Pediatrician
Pediatric Associates
Multiple locations including Cold Spring (175 French St, 859-341-5400)
Personal Trainer
Kenny Ballard, Town & Country Sports Health Club
1018 Town Dr, Wilder. 859-442-5800
Pharmacy
Ft Mitchell Drug Shoppe
2515 Dixie Hwy, Ft Mitchell.
859-341-2000
Yoga Studio
OM8 Collective
7500 Oakbrook Dr, Florence.
859-297-3888
Pets
Groomer
Doggie Paddles LLC
10248 Dixie Hwy, Florence.
859-586-0634
Pet Store
LuLu’s Pet Pantry
2510-B Burlington Pike, Burlington.
859-918-1468
Vet
Grants Lick Veterinary Hospital
10307 Alexandria Pike, Alexandria.
859-635-4138
Places
Apartment Community
The Manhattan on the River
1065 Manhattan Blvd, Dayton.
859-206-2568
Event Space
Turfway Park
7500 Turfway Rd, Florence. 859-371-0200
Farmer’s Market
Boone County Farmers Market
1961 Burlington Pike, Burlington. 859-586-6101
Fitness Trail
Boone County Arboretum
9190 Camp Ernst Rd, Union
Hotel/Motel
Hotel Covington
638 Madison Ave, Covington.
859-905-6600
Park
Devou Park
1201 Park Dr, Covington.
859-292-2160
Place for a Picnic
Big Bone Lick State Historic Site
3380 Beaver Rd, Union. 859-384-3522
Place to Have a Wedding
Stables Entwined Event Venue
2777 California Crossroads, California.
859-630-1053
Located in California, the Stables Entwined Event Venue is benefited by the stunning natural beauty of the area and a staff that loves helping patrons organize their special days.
“In the Stables Entwined space, we love the different experiences that our guests have in hosting a wedding with us—ceremonies outside on the water, dinner and formalities inside the enclosed barn, and, of course, dancing under the stars just to name a few,” says owner Mary Lippert.
Much like the other winners on this list, Stables Entwined has a niche in the community that patrons are familiar with and love.
“Every event goes off without a hitch,” says Lippert. “Our staff plans with the client and executes with pride.”
Even though the venue is known for its lovely weddings, Stables Entwined is using its beautiful space and helpful staff to branch into other events, too.
“Stables Entwined started a new line of events in 2022 for company celebrations, training and team building. We provide workplace employee pick up and drop off services for private team building experiences and help plan out the message or training the company needs for their employees,” says Lippert. “We are booked up to September but are currently booking 2023 events.” – Gus Nations
Services
Accounting/CPA
Baker Business & Tax Solutions
7405 Burlington Pike 201, Florence.
859-657-1873
Alterations
Alterations By Frances
654 Highland Ave, Ft Thomas.
859-442-7397
Bank Credit
Stock Yards Bank & Trust
Multiple locations including Highland Heights (2635 Alexandria Pike, 859-547-4900)
Barber Shop
Breakroom Barbers
11067 Clay Dr, Walton. 859-493-4025
Cabinetry
Custom Cabinetry & Countertops by Granite World
1450 Dixie Hwy, Park Hills. 859-371-7444
Car Wash
Johnny’s Car Wash
3152 Dixie Hwy, Erlanger. 859-341-6800
Carpet Cleaner
Stanley Steemer
800-783-3637
Computer Repair
Computer Systems Management
859-491-7947
Concrete
LK Concrete
711 Monte Ln, Covington.
859-916-9454
Construction
Hermes Construction Co.
8 Girard St, Florence. 859-781-7198
Door/Window
AE Door & Window Co
7910 Freedom Way, Florence. 859-283-1984
Dry Cleaner
Sunshine Cleaners
4854 Mary Ingles Hwy, Ste A, Cold Spring. 859-781-4777
Electric
Quinn Electric
859-341-4321
Exterminator
Snowball Pest Control
4634 Mary Ingles Hwy, Highland Heights. 859-635-7793
Fence Installation
Mills Fence Co.
859-485-6655
Financial Planner
Aaron Seyfried, Waddell & Reed Financial Advisors
12 Orphanage Rd, Ste 200, Ft Mitchell.
859-331-1915
Florist
Art Floral
11 Orphanage Rd, Ft Mitchell. 859-331-8155
Frame Shop
Framed NKY 
2519 Ritchie Ave, Crescent Springs.
859-781-2233
Funeral Home
Chambers & Grubbs Funeral Homes
Multiple locations including Walton (45 N Main St). 859-344-5000
Heating and Air Conditioning
Arlinghaus Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning
859-448-7950
Home Builder
Drees Homes
Home Remodeler
JLH Customs
513-225-1811
Insurance Agent
Brandi Monday, Shelter Insurance
8120 Dream St, Ste D, Florence.
859-372-0300
Interior Designer
T.O.B. Design Firm
3075 Dixie Hwy, Edgewood.
859-283-0077
Landscaper
Jones Service Group
859-743-1546
Law
Smith Law
406 W 6th St, Ste 2, Covington.
859-710-9001
Lawn Care A & A Lawn Care & Landscaping
7765 Foundation Dr, Florence.
859-384-0266
Locksmith
Advance Lock Service, Inc.
7357 Burlington Pike, Florence.
859-525-7862
Lumber
Boone Kenton Lumber & Building Supply Co.
3219 Crescent Ave, Erlanger. 859-727-3700
Mortgage
OnPoint Home Lending
2912 E Gallatin St, Burlington.
859-282-0220
Moving Services
Big Blue Moving
401 Dudley Trce, Florence. 859-608-2583
Plumber
Jolly Plumbing Drains Heating Air
859-287-4542
Pool Service
Passion Pools
14194 Dixie Hwy, Crittenden. 859-279-1010
Retirement Community
St. Charles Community
600 Farrell Dr, Covington. 859-331-3224
Roofing
Tim Cocco Roofing & Restoration
859-609-3852
Tire Center
Don Baxter Auto
9574 Alexandria Pike, Alexandria. 859-635-4000
Tree Care
Kremer Tree Service
612 Steffen Rd, Alexandria. 859-635-9663
Shopping
Antiques
Motley Home
5975 N Jefferson St, Burlington
Bike Shop
Velocity Bike & Bean
7560 Burlington Pike, Florence.
859-371-8356
Bookstore
Roebling Books & Coffee
Covington: 306 Greenup St., 859-292-1560
Newport: 601 Overton St., 859-669-3181
Dayton: 301 Sixth St., 859-308-7086
Roebling Books & Coffee excels at serving up books, coffee and food and book lovers are taking notice. With three locations in Covington, Newport and Dayton that are within a relatively close distance, customers can easily go from one to the other. Founded by Richard Hunt around 12 years ago, the bookstore aims to be a haven for readers and book lovers.
“We want every visitor to come away from their visit to Roebling to say, ‘What a fascinating place!’” says Hunt.
One of the bookstore’s highlights is the people, both customers and staff, who are seeking to build a strong personal connection, which happens often at Roebling Books.
The store’s mission is “bridging books, beans and beings.” Employees and staff are committed to listening intently to customers, visiting authors, artists and musicians. Hunt believes face-to-face engagement is important, so he relishes every chance to say “welcome” and “thank you.” The store offers many community events, such as storytimes for children, art nights and even wine tastings.
At Roebling Books & Coffee, the staff believes that a city needs a bookstore as a body needs a soul.
“We hope that if we’re true to our intentions in serving others that we’ll be here for a good, long time to do what we can to improve the lives of everyone who visits,” says Hunt. – Andrea Oberto
Bridal Shop
Donna Salyers Fabulous-Bridal
20 W 11th St, Covington. 859-291-9222
Clothing Store
Joey & June Boutique
283 Buttermilk Pike, Ft Mitchell.
859-331-1092
Consignment Shop
Serendipity for the Home
8345 E Main St, Alexandria.
859-694-3200
Farm Equipment
Cornerstone Equipment
Multiple locations including Dry Ridge
(3545 Dixie Hwy, 859-359-0148)
Furniture Store
Best Furniture Gallery
1123 S Ft Thomas Ave, Ft Thomas.
859-441-2378
Garden Center
Guidugli Landscape Supplies & Property Services
8770 Constable Dr, Alexandria.
859-635-5263
Grocery Store
Kremer’s Market
755 Buttermilk Pike, Crescent Springs.
859-341-1067
Hardware
Crescent Springs Hardware
2460 Anderson Rd, Crescent Springs.
859-341-0800
Jeweler
Fort Thomas Jewelers
2780 Alexandria Way, Highland Heights.
859-442-0506
Place for Appliances
Hagedorn’s Appliances
4432 Dixie Hwy, Erlanger. 859-279-1636
Place for Home Accessories
Bunches of Bows
2497 Dixie Hwy, Ste B, Ft Mitchell.
859-331-4222
Shopping Center
Crestview Hills Town Center
2791 Town Center Blvd, Crestview Hills
Special Gift Shop
Bunches of Bows
2497 Dixie Hwy, Ste B, Ft Mitchell.
859-331-4222
Thrift Shop
St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store
Multiple locations including Florence (7110 Turfway Rd, 859-446-7715)
