The Maisonette

The Maisonette, now defunct, was North America’s most highly rated restaurant before it closed its doors on July 25, 2005.

Owned and operated by the Comisar family and located at 114 E. 6th Street in Cincinnati, Ohio, the Maisonette boasted the longest running streak of five-star awards, the highest designation given by Mobil Travel Guide. That streak ended at 41 years when the Maisonette closed. Opinions vary on what caused the restaurant to lose its luster. Fewer people frequented the luxury restaurant, operating costs increased, and the City of Cincinnati refused to offer a tax break to the downtown landmark. The Maisonette had plans to move to Kenwood, a suburb of Cincinnati, where it would reinvent its image, hoping to attract a more modern, younger crowd; however, the Hamilton County Planning Commission rejected zoning for the proposed Sycamore Square project, a $60 million development that included a relocated Maisonette as the anchor tenant. Instead, the top-rated French cuisine restaurant auctioned off all of its assets through a two-day auction hosted by the Great American Group auction firm. The most expensive item sold at auction was the Maisonette's name/logo, which sold for $35,000.