Arnold’s Bar and Grill
210 E. Eighth St., Downtown, 513-421-6234
A friendly, diverse and historic gin joint, Arnold’s is the city’s oldest bar.
Stuff to do: Happy Hour 4-7 p.m. weekdays. Live music with no cover Tuesday-Saturday.
Recommended drinks:
Local brews including Christian Moerlein OTR, Lager House and seasonal
selections on draft; Hudy 14-k and DeLight, Burger and Little Kings in
the can and bottle.
Food: Full dining menu.
Bartini’s
580 Walnut St., 513-381-5001
A classy joint with signature martinis and a menu that’s just as creative.
Stuff to do: Live jazz bands on monday and tuesday nights, KISS 107 broadcasting live on Fridays.
Recommended drinks: Martinis.
Food: Tapas menu.
Below Zero Lounge
1122 Walnut St., Over-the-Rhine, 513-421-9376
OTR’s hip, big city night club serves up some viscous vodka.
Stuff to do: Gay
TV Tuesdays. Half-price wine and free juke box Wednesdays. Karaoke
Thursdays. DJs Fridays and Saturdays. “Sundays Show tunes” features
video clips from Broadway, musicals and comedy clips.
Recommended drinks: One of the region’s largest vodka collections with more than 100 vodkas. Featured vodkas are served at 6 degrees Fahrenheit.
BlackFinn Restaurant and Saloon
19 E. Seventh St., Downtown, 513-721-3466
Two clubs under one roof, BlackFinn and Suite (the lounge/dance hall) offer up the best of downtown bars and dance clubs.
Stuff to do:
Half-price happy hour 4-8 p.m. weekdays. College Night Tuesdays.
Burgers and Beer Night Wednesdays. Thursdays are VIP appreciation
night. Fridays feature Ciroc Vodka specials.
Recommended drinks: Large selection of liquors and beers.
Food: Full menu.
Blue Wisp Jazz Club
318 E. Eighth St., Downtown, 513-241-9477
Cincinnati’s premier Jazz club.
Stuff to do: Live Jazz throughout the week.
Recommended drinks: Blue drinks including a Blueberry Martini and the Blue Wisp.
Bow Tie Café
1101 St. Gregory St., Mount Adams, 513-621-2233
This coffeehouse/bar hybrid was designed to foster conversation between patrons.
Stuff to do: Happy Hour 5-9 p.m. weekdays.
Recommended drinks: Ty-kutini
Food: Soup, sandwiches and salad.
Cadillac Ranch
41 E. Sixth St., Downtown, 513-621-6200
Downtown’s colorful urban night club has its own mechanical bull. Yehaw!
Stuff to do: Happy Hour 4-7 p.m. Monday-Friday. DJs Thursday-Saturday.
Recommended drinks: Pearfect ‘59 Cadillac, Mango Ranch Martini and the Orange Escalade Cosmo.
Food: Full dining menu.
The Cricket Lounge at The Cincinnatian Hotel
601 Vine St., Downtown, 513-381-3000
A classy, city-centered lounge with plenty of ambiance for mixing business and pleasure.
Stuff to do: Happy Hour 4-7 p.m. daily. Live Jazz trio Friday and Saturday.
Recommended drinks: the “Boz”mopolitan.
Food: Full dining menu.
The Drinkery
1150 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, 513-827-9357
Downtown neighborhood bar whose locals enjoy the finer things in life, like local beers on draught.
Stuff to do: Trivia on Wednesdays, Karaoke on Thursdays, live music on weekends.
Recommended drinks: Craft beers.
Food: Pizza.
FB’s
126 W. Sixth St., Downtown, 513-246-4333
The focus is on dancing and spinning at this trendy, upscale club for the YP set.
Stuff to do: Happy Hour 4-8 p.m. weekdays. DJs weekends.
Recommended drinks: Blueberry Love Soda.
Grammer’s
1440 Walnut St., Over-the-Rhine, 513-421-8300
An Over-the-Rhine landmark since 1872, now home to cheap drinks and lively events thrown by the young people.
Stuff to do: Movies Tuesdays.
Recommended drinks: 24-oz cans of PBR.
Head First Sports Cafe
218 W. Third St., 721-3767
The spot for a homemade lunch or a pre-game beer.
Stuff to do: Specials before and after Reds and Bengals games.
Recommended drinks: More than 30 bottled beers and 30 vodkas.
Food: Homestyle pub food.
In Between Tavern
307 Sycamore St., Downtown, 513-621-7009
It’s the sports bar that’s in between the stadiums.
Stuff to do: Live feeds of home games and more.
Recommended drinks: Good beer selection.
Food: Bar fare.
Knockback Nat’s
10 W.
7th St., Downtown, 513-621-1000
Stuff to do: Happy Hour 4-7 p.m. daily. Open mic, $2 domestics and well drinks Tuesdays. 50 cent wings Mondays. Live music as scheduled.
Recommended drinks: Two dozen of your favorite bottled beers on hand.
Food: Sandwiches
Lunar/Launch
435 Elm St., Downtown, 513-381-2573
An out-of-this world experience with Lunar holding down the first floor and Launch upstairs.
Stuff to do: Live music on Wednesdays; DJs on the weekends including Futuristic Fridays.
Recommended drinks: The Eclipse.
Food: Menu coming in spring.
Mainstay Rock Bar
301 W. Fifth St., Downtown, 513-721-ROCK
Downtown’s rough and rowdy Rock’n’Roll den of iniquity (or something like that).
Stuff to do: Live music Thursday-Saturday.
Recommended drinks: Mainstay Lay, Krak Whore, Groupie, Nirvana, Rehab and Tight Leather Pants.
Food: Bar fare.
McCormick & Schmick’s
21 East 5th St., Downtown, 513-721-9339
Fresh seafood and creative cocktails.
Stuff to do: Happy Hour 4-6:30 p.m. and 9:30-11 p.m. weekdays
Recommended drinks: Basil Grape Refresher.
Food: Full menu.
Milton’s Prospect Hill Tavern
301 Milton St., Liberty Hill/Mount Auburn, 513-784-9938
Prospect Hill’s neighborhood joint is chatty, diverse and full of character.
Stuff to do: Happy Hour 4-8 p.m. daily.
Recommended drinks: Jamie Gingers, Push Pop
MOTR Pub
1323 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, 513-381-MOTR
A heavy dose of live music, including traveling bands, local art and a quality kitchen.
Stuff to do:
Brunch 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and Rock’n’Roll Movies 6 p.m.-midnight Sundays.
Live music Mondays and Wednesday-Saturday; open mic Tuesdays.
Recommended drinks: Local brews and a solid bourbon selection.
Food: Bar food.
Mynt
28 Fountain Square Place, Downtown, 513-621-6968
Fountain Square’s classy space for drinking and dining or just chilling.
Stuff to do:
Rotating events on Mondays, $5 Pinnacle martinis and free manicures
during happy hour 3-8 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fashionable Fridays hosted
by Q102’s Holly Morgan.
Recommended drinks: Specialty cocktails.
Food: Tapas.
Nada
600 Walnut St., Downtown, 513-721-6232
Two floors of classy, urban dining and drinking using the freshest ingredients.
Stuff to do: Happy Hour 4-6 p.m. weekdays
Recommended drinks: Latin-inspired cocktails, including the Pink Grapefruit margarita.
Food: Full menu.
Neon’s Unplugged
208 E. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine, 513-827-9361
New York City meets Over-the-Rhine, with a long, narrow bar room and a large outdoor patio that welcomes the local pooches.
Stuff to do: Trivia Night 7 p.m. Mondays.
Recommended drinks: More than 40 beers on tap.
Food: Grilling on the patio during warmer months.
Nicholson’s Tavern & Pub
625 Walnut St., Downtown, 513-564-9111
Nicholson’s offers one of the best scotch and beer selections in the country.
Stuff to do: Happy Hour 3-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday.
Recommended drinks: More than 80 single malt scotches, 24 draft beers, two cask-conditioned beers and over 30 bottled beers.
Food: Full menu.
O’Malley’s in the Alley
25 Ogden Pl., Downtown, 513-381-3114
A straightforward imbibing experience with homemade dishes that have stood the test of time.
Recommended drinks: Jerry Juice.
Food: Homemade offerings including BLT and chili.
Palomino
505 Vine St., Downtown, 513-381-1300
Upscale dining and drinking, adjacent to Fountain Square.
Stuff to do: Happy Hour all day.
Recommended drinks: Fine wine selection.
Food: Full menu.
Passage
601 Main St., Downtown, 513-621-9900
NYC style clubbing with secret passageways.
Stuff to do: Happy Hour until 10 p.m. Fridays. DJ Etrayn Wednesdays with drink specials all night.
Recommended drinks: The Imperial, Blood Brothers Mojito, Bombay Bikini Martini and the Bollywood.
Pulse Nightclub
700 W. Pete Rose Way, Downtown, 513-721-CLUB
This club in the former Longworth’s Hall space is known for one thing: dancing.
Stuff to do: Ladies night on Fridays; live broadcasts by KISS 107 on Saturdays.
The Penguin Dueling Piano Bar
441 Vine St., Carew Tower, Downtown, 513-651-2800
No TVs, dance music or gimmicks, just dueling ivories in a relaxed lounge.
Stuff to do: Live piano music 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. $5 cover.
Righteous Room
641 Walnut St., Downtown, 513-381-4408
A slickly packaged Downtown DJ and drinks lounge.
Stuff to do: Happy Hour 4-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Service Industry Night Sunday.
Recommended drinks: The Ginito.
Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery
10 Fountain Square Plaza, Downtown, 513-621-1588
A restaurant and brew pub that brews its own suds.
Stuff to do: Happy Hour 3-6 p.m. Monday-Friday.
Recommended drinks: Hand-crafted beer.
Food: Full menu.
Roxy’s Restaurant and Lounge (formerly Hamburger Mary’s)
909 Vine St., Downtown, 513-421-MARY
If the diverse, friendly entertainers
don’t get you in the door, the huge hamburgers will. Hamburger Mary by
any other name is still just as sweet.
Stuff to do: Open
mic and karaoke Tuesdays. Variety and drag shows Wednesdays and
Fridays. Male review Thursdays. Theme night Saturdays. Service Industry
Night Sundays.
Recommended drinks: Roxytini, Roxy Cotton.
Food: Full menu.
Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse
700 Walnut St., Downtown, 513-784-1200
One of Cincinnati’s top steakhouses offers up class and more class and a patio to smoke ‘em if you got ‘em.
Stuff to do: Live music Wednesday-Saturday.
Recommended drinks: Single malt Scotches, single batch Bourbons and a wine list with more than 700 different bottles.
Food: Steakhouse.
Scene Ultra Lounge
637 Walnut St., Downtown, (513) 381-4327
An ultra sleek lounge with a long bar and plenty of space to see and be seen.
Stuff to do: Half-priced wine on Wednesdays and DJs on the weekends.
Recommended drinks: Specialty cocktails and 40 craft beers.
Food: Bar appetizers.
Schwartz Point
1901 Vine St. (at the intersection of Vine, McMicken and Main Sts), Over-the-Rhine, 513-651-2236.
This is what speakeasies were like back in the day.
Stuff to do: Live Jazz Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Tuesday night performance cover ($10) includes gourmet buffet.
Food: Buffet Tuesdays.
Senate
1212 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, 513-421-2020
Hip Gateway Quarter drinking and dining.
Recommended drinks: Beers from around the world and Cincinnati.
Food: Full menu.
Tonic on Fourth
127 W. Fourth St., Downtown, 513-721-1345
The place to see and be seen, with a creatively inspired cocktail in hand.
Stuff to do: Hip hop event once a month.
Recommended drinks: Craft cocktails.
Food: Bar food.
Velvet
314 W. Fourth St., Downtown, 513-621-2582
A hip YP destination for DJs, dancing and drinks.
Stuff to do: Ladies free Fridays and Sundays until 11 p.m.
Recommended drinks: Velvetini, a tropical punch flavor martini.
Washington Platform
1000 Elm St., Downtown, 513-421-0110
Don’t be selfish, share some shellfish at this historic Cincinnati landmark.
Stuff to do: Live Jazz twice a month. Cincinnati Oyster Festival March 25-April 30.
Recommended drinks: Cincinnati’s original Oyster Shooter.
Food: Full menu.
Yesterday’s
930 Hatch St., Mount Adams, 513-421-9998
No frills here, just good times and good people.
Stuff to do: $2 you call it happy hour every day 5-9
