Safi, the wine bar in Over-the-Rhine owned by popular Cincinnati restaurateur Chef Jose Salazar, is temporarily closing after this Sunday. When it reopens just over a week later, the space will have a new look, new hours, a new menu and a renewed focus on serving the neighborhood’s residents.
Salazar’s original intent was for the space to be a wine bar first and foremost, with Moroccan-influenced small plates available for snacking. But over time, it “morphed into more of a formal restaurant” that sometimes required reservations to get in, according to the chef.
“We’re making Safi what it was always intended to be … more of a laid-back neighborhood wine bar, more approachable, the kind of place where people can pop in before dinner, after dinner or just because,” Salazar said.
Salazar opened Safi in the 1401 Republic St. space in 2024 after running his self-named restaurant in the same space for a decade prior. In November 2025, he reopened the eponymous spot inside the former Saks Fifth Avenue building—now the headquarters of Paycor—on Fifth Street downtown…