25 Trendy Greater Cincinnati Bars Located Outside of Over-the-Rhine

Anjou

2804 Woodburn Ave., East Walnut Hills
Named after Margaret of Anjou, wife of King Henry VI, Anjou has many unique floral and fruity cocktails befitting its namesake. The East Walnut Hills bar opened with the goal of being “different than your average cocktail bar.”
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

The Standard

434 Main St., Covington
The dynamic duo behind popular Covington dining and drinking destinations Otto's, Frida and Larry's opened The Standard, breathing life into a familiar corner in the neighborhood. Co-owner Emily Wolff says that when the opportunity to embark on a new journey to transform the former garage and filling station on the corner of Fifth and Main streets presented itself, they were all in. The Standard's food menu features bright and playful flavors that complement the warmer season. The Standard has both indoor and outdoor seating, with plenty of patio space beneath the garage's canopies and beyond to spread out and socially distanced.
Photo: Savana Willhoite

Gulow Street

1614 Hoffner St., Northside
Gulow Street, a cozy yet sophisticated bar and restaurant located at the corner of Hoffner Street and Gulow Street — the establishment's namesake — is a family operation, owned by brothers/cousins Jonathan, Danny and Alex Mouch. Gulow Street's food menu is small but mighty as is the cocktail menu. A favorite drink: the Carrot Moscow Mule, infused with fresh carrot juice.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

The Cutaway

3715 Madison Road, Oakley
The Cutaway is the only bar in the newly opened Oakley Kitchen Food Hall. They have a wide selection of beer, wine, cider, sake and spirits. Their imaginative drinks are available to-go for those wanting to take advantage of any of the eight kitchens around the food hall.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Comfort Station

793 E. McMillan St., Walnut Hills
Located in a former 105-year-old rest area, Comfort Station is an airy nightlife destination full of hip cocktails and outdoor lounge spots. Enter through the bright blue former women’s restroom door to access main bar space, replete with original skylights, plush blue-velvet seating and a living plant wall. From the bar you can access the back patio, which has multiple seating nooks — including an elevated perch with cushions — as well as a cozy fire pit.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

The Littlefield

3934 Spring Grove Ave., Northside
The Littlefield is a bourbon bar and restaurant with a fantastic string-lit patio. Dogs are welcome to visit with their owners on both the upper deck and ground patio, which has a pergola covering parts of it.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

The Hannaford

619 Madison Ave., Covington
On bustling Madison Avenue in downtown Covington sits The Hannaford. The bar boasts a massive bourbon selection and some classic cocktails including the Hannaford Old Fashioned and Manhattan. If you’ve got some cash burning a hole in your pocket, you could try the $175 Samuel Hannaford made with Pappy 23-year, Grand Marnier Cuvee 1880, and Capano Antica Formula.
Photo: Facebook.com/TheHannaford

Mom ‘n ‘em

3128 Colerain Ave., Camp Washington
From brothers and restaurateurs Austin and Tony Ferrari, this laid-back and stylish coffee and wine bar is found on the corner of Colerain and Bates avenues in Camp Washington. With eclectic seating options and memories filling the hallways and dining rooms, Mom 'n 'em serves an assortment of craft coffee, tea and housemade sodas. They also offer a menu of sweets, toasties and plenty of tinned fish, plus a curated wine selection and cocktails like a negroni and Mom's Secret Milkshake (vanilla ice cream, Fernet Branca, mint).
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Somm Wine Bar

3105 Price Ave., East Price Hill
This worthy wine destination is located in the Incline District in Price Hill. Somm Wine Bar offers a seasonal large patio with tables and lounge chairs, live music on Fridays and weekday specials. The bar’s wine menu boasts more than 50 different choices, or opt for a craft beer or cocktail. Hungry? You’ll find plenty of tasty options on the dinner menu — from the charcuterie and light fare you’d expect at a wine bar to several more substantial entrées like shrimp scampi and coq au vin.
Photo: Facebook.com/SommWineBar

Pearl’s

3227 Riverside Drive, Columbia Tusculum
Located in a historic building in the heart of Columbia Tusculum (Cincinnati’s oldest neighborhood), Pearl’s offers a rooftop bar and large outdoor patio for the warmer months and serves classic cocktails, draft beer and small bites. Named after the building’s last resident, Pearl, the entire establishment was designed to maintain a sense of authenticity and honor its former use as a house. The patio includes string lights, ample seating, cozy heaters and even a TV or two.
Photo: Facebook.com/PearlsCincy

Karrikin

3717 Jonlen Drive, Fairfax
Karrikin Spirits Co. is tucked away in an unassuming industrial park in Fairfax, but once you arrive you will be treated to excellent eats, craft cocktails featuring housemade spirits, seltzers and Karrikin-brewed beers. Their spirits range from vodka and gin to rum and “agave-spirit,” essentially tequila.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Green House Bar

424 W. Sixth St., Covington
Green House Covington is located right in the middle of Covington's MainStrasse Village in the space formerly occupied by Pachinko’s. The bar features seasonal cocktails, right now a G&T made with fresh herbs and citrus, as well as some of the classics including Manhattans and martinis.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Oakley Wines

4011 Allston St., Oakley
Oakley Wines was taken over by the team behind Over-the-Rhine wine and cheese shop The Rhined in 2018. The upper floor wine bar and bottle shop is minimal, bright and full of grab-and-go selections, and an unassuming staircase leads down to The Cellar, a low-lit speakeasy-style space with room for live music.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Nomad

225 Fairfield Ave., Bellevue
Bellevue bar and eatery Nomad opened its doors last September. They serve craft cocktails and beer, but the main attraction is their boozy (and virgin) milkshakes, tater tot baskets and tacos. The bar offers a dreamy, string-lit patio for outdoor dining and drinking, as well as seating inside — including a pretty sweet game room with a big comfy couch.
Photo: Facebook.com/NomadKY

Ripple Wine Bar

4 W. Pike St., Covington
Ripple Wine Bar is one of those sweet little spots that hits all the right notes: good wine (and lots of it) paired with good food. The bar offers 40 varietals by the glass or half glass, bottle or half bottle and also does a half-bottle happy hour for gun-shy consumers or folks dining solo. The menu’s overall vibe is laid-back — a true “California kitchen,” with wine-friendly food that is seasonally inspired.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Jerry’s Jug House

414 E. Seventh St., Newport
Newport's Jerry's Jug House experienced a revamp in 2019 thanks to co-owners Stuart MacKenzie, of the Northside Yacht Club, and Mark Ramler, an award-winning preservationist and the owner of Mansion Hill Properties. The bar is well-known for its craft cocktails and natural wine selection, and recently rolled out a menu of farm-to-table bites ranging from a pimento cheese plate to a pesto chicken salad on Sixteen Bricks bread.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

The Governor

231 Main St, Milford
The mission of the Governor is to offer the perks of fine dining — locally procured meat and produce, a menu made from scratch, a carefully designed cocktail list — at a medium price point in a laid-back environment. Head to their walk-up window to grab a cocktail or rotating slushie to go. Milford now offers a DORA area to take your cocktails through the historic downtown.
Photo: Savana Willhoite

Muse Cafe

3018 Harrison Ave., Westwood
Located in the West Side’s burgeoning Westwood neighborhood, Muse Cafe has you covered for both your morning and evening beverages. The coffee shop/wine bar’s menu ranges from caffeinated beverages to fine wines and craft cocktails and beer.
Photo: Facebook.com/MuseCafeCincinnati

Miamiville Trailyard

368 Center St., Miamiville
The Miamiville Trailyard is a unique bar and restaurant at a great location right on the Little Miami Scenic Trail. With an emphasis on the outdoor space and warm, casual atmosphere for trail enthusiasts, the bar offers a petite menu of craft cocktails and a hefty rotating beer list.
Photo: Facebook.com/MiamivilleTrailyard

Night Drop

1535 Madison Road, East Walnut Hills
Night Drop boasts a spacious outdoor patio, which they have set up with socially distant tables and umbrellas. Choose from a menu of stirred, shaken or frozen cocktails. Check out the live music every Wednesday and weekly community events.
Photo: Facebook.com/EatatBranch