Cincinnati Restaurants & Bars with Igloos, Heated Patios and Fire Pits for Outdoor Drinking

Braxton Brewing Co. 27 W. Seventh St., Covington Braxton Brewing Co. opened its much-anticipated rooftop patio and bar in 2019, but the space has now been covered to keep the chilly weather out. The 5,000-square-foot deck features plenty of seating, a full bar and some pretty neat views of Covington and downtown Cincinnati. Braxton is also offering 2-hour reservations of heated “igloobars” for private parties of up to 8 for $30. Each features its own style with unique tables, chairs, couches and pillows. Photo: Facebook.com/BraxtonBrewingCompany

Bridgeview Box Park 1 Levee Way, Newport Newport on the Levee’s Bridgeview Box Park is an outdoor entertainment space perched right above the Ohio River, offering spectacular views of the Cincinnati skyline. The cluster of food, drink and shopping vendors utilizes shipping-like containers — hence the “box park” — which are interspersed among a common outdoor area. To keep business humming last year during the pandemic, the park enclosed the outdoor area with a winterized tent. And, in good news for Greater Cincinnati, Bridgeview is doing it again this year. Photo: Twitter.com/NewportOnLevee

The View at Shires Garden 309 Vine St., 10th Floor, Downtown From November through March, Shires Garden will offer both rooftop igloos and terrace greenhouses that come with heating and a bluetooth speaker. Located on the 10th floor outdoor patio, the heated oases accommodate up to eight guests and are reservable for two hours maximum. Photo: theviewatshiresgarden.com

Covington Yard 401 Greenup St., Covington This dog-friendly outdoor establishment opened in 2020, offering a small community of repurposed shipping containers housing local restaurants like Django Western Taco, Mr. Bulgogi, Yard Bird and Angry Omar’s Slider Shack plus a selection of draft and craft brews as well as wine and signature cocktails. The mostly outdoor space is equipped with heaters. Photo: Facebook/CovingtonYard

Queen City Radio 222 W. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine The former auto body shop-turned multi-level Over-the-Rhine hang features rotating taps of local, regional and national beer, canned and bottled brews, and a small cocktail program. Enjoy a boozy bev gathered around one of their outdoor fire pits. Queen City Radio has added outdoor heaters to ensure customers are staying warm. Photo: Facebook/QueenCityRadioBar Photo: facebook/QueenCityRadioBar

The Blind Lemon 936 Hatch St., Mount Adams Walk down a set of stairs to find a secret, little hideaway: The Blind Lemon, Mount Adams’ favorite backyard bar since 1963. Outside, the relaxed garden patio is like a boho blend of Bourbon Street and Paris cafe life — it’s one of the most romantic drinking destinations in the city. Blind Lemon has a large outdoor wood-burning fireplace to warm you up (weather permitting). Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Samuel Adams Cincinnati Taproom 1727 Logan St., Over-the-Rhine There’s no need to truck over to Boston for fresh Sam Adams. This taproom across from the Samuel Adams Cincinnati Brewery features a massive indoor and outdoor space, with an array of unique beers brewed both on-site and across the street. The outdoor patio has heaters to keep you nice and toasty and a fire pit to gather around while sipping something cold. Photo: Hailey Bollinger

MadTree Brewing 3301 Madison Road, Oakley With tons of MadTree-exclusive taps, ambient lighting and an industrial brick facade left over from the building’s factory days, there’s more than enough space to accommodate all the beer-drinking humans that hang at the 10,000-square-foot outdoor beer garden on the regular. The garden in the process of being winterized with a heated tent; additionally, they will have fire pits outside of the tent. Photo: Facebook/MadTreeTaproom

Nomad KY 225 Fairfield Ave., Bellevue Located on Bellevue’s bustling Fairfield Avenue, this bar and eatery offers a variety of cocktails, beer, wine and boozy milkshakes (and some seasonal warm cocktails), plus a petite menu of loaded tater tots and tacos. Their outdoor patio space features heaters to keep their guests comfortable as the temperatures drop. Photo: Facebook/NomadKY

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. Though they typically offer a choice between two different atmospheres, one through an old women’s restroom door and one through an old men’s restroom door. The main-floor space is replete with original skylights, plush blue-velvet seating and a living plant wall. From the main 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: Amy Elisabeth Spasoff

The Porch at Washington Park 1230 Elm St., Over-the Rhine Washington Park’s porch is the place to drink away the week’s worries with beer, wine and liquor. Enjoy local brews from the likes of Taft’s Ale House, Rhinegeist, Christian Moerlein and Fifty West and specialty cocktails while staying warm next to one of the standing heaters. Photo via Facebok.com/PorchAtWashingtonPark

Upper Deck at the AC Hotel 135 Joe Nuxhall Way, Downtown Winter weather won’t stop this downtown rooftop patio from keeping the party going. The AC Upper Deck at The Banks will transform into a winter wonderland, offering cozy, illuminated igloos this season. Once the temperature dips, the rooftop bar will feature heated igloos that seat up to eight guests each. Call in advance for reservations or sign up online. Photo: Facebook/ACUpperDeck

Monkey Bar & Grille 7837 Old 3C Highway, Maineville As a family-owned operation, this place has not allowed any monkey business since its transformation from a biker bar, but it does permit a lot of fun. Enjoy fine bourbon or a frosty brew while chatting with friends outside next to one of their outdoor fire pits, and grab a bite from one of their rotating food trucks. Photo: Facebook/TheMonkeyBarAndGrille

Mecca OTR 1429 Walnut St., Over-the-Rhine This hip OTR hideaway is a welcoming hangout for those interested in no-frills drinking, L.A. vibes and vinyl tunes. Find the main courtyard entrance tucked away down 15th Street, and cross the big-ass gravel patio, past colorful street-art murals, a panoply of rainbow lighting and a plethora of communal seating to enter a world of hanging plants (in summer the patio is decked out in greenery) and the most creatively decorated — dare we say selfie-ready — bar bathrooms in the city. The patio keeps cozy in the colder months with a fire pit to gather round with friends. Photo: Facebook/MeccaOTR

Pins Mechanical Company 1124 Main St., Over-the-Rhine The winter weather is nothing to worry about at Pins — they have special winter cocktails which you can enjoy around the fire pits on their rooftop patio, plus 36 beers on tap. From the Columbus-based Rise Brands, this Over-the-Rhine bar has pinball machines and duckpin bowling lanes, plus other “old school” entertainment options like foosball, bocce ball and shuffleboard. Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Pearl’s 3520 Eastern Ave., 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 and draft beer. 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. With string lights, ample seating, a cozy fireplace and even a TV or two, the exterior patio is one of the most comfortable places in town to grab a glass of wine or cocktail. Photo: Facebook/PearlsCincy

Northern Row Brewery and Distillery 111 W. McMicken Ave., Over-the-Rhine Northern Row has brought out their smoke stack stoves this year to ward off the cold during the winter months. Complement a chilly outdoor evening with their stuffed acorn squash and chilli mac and cheese. Photo: Facebook/Northernrow

Vista at Lytle Park 311 Pike St., Downtown Cincinnati’s new Lytle Park Hotel features a spectacular rooftop patio named the Vista at Lytle Park. The 5,000-square-foot rooftop lounge offers panoramic views of the Queen City and Ohio River. The space is equipped with an “indoor” lounge (where the bar is located) lined with windows that open up to the outdoor patio with two fireplaces, seating and tables. Choose from a selection of cocktails, wine, beer and spirits, or opt for their large-format cocktails that serve four or more. They also offer a selection of light bites and shareables. The downstairs patios at Subito also feature fire pit lounge spaces for outdoor dining or drinking. Photo via vistaatlytlepark.com Photo: vistaatlytlepark.com

Little Miami Brewing Company 208 Mill St., Milford Founded by brothers-in-law Dan Lynch and Joe Brenner, Milford’s Little Miami Brewing Company sits on the banks of its namesake river, pouring beers alongside a selection of brick-oven pizzas and other tasty bites. In the colder months, the brewery warms up with fire pits that face the river. Photo: Facebook/LittleMiamiBrewing

Big Ash Brewing 5230 Beechmont Ave., Anderson Township, This beer “co-op” was founded by a group of 25 homebrewing friends in an Anderson Township basement in 2011 and expanded to 52 friends by 2019. The group obtained the old El Rancho Grande restaurant space on Beechmont Avenue, gutted it and transformed it into Big Ash Brewing. Featuring a self-serve tap wall (with 28 taps), build-your-own-pizza and a spacious outdoor patio, Big Ash Brewing is an ideal spot for a casual night of eating, drinking and socializing. Head to their outdoor biergarten for fire pits and live music. They have also wrapped their patio to keep it warm. Photo: Facebook.com/BigAshBrewing

Fifty West Brewing Co. 7605 Wooster Pike, Columbia Township Fifty West is going full “winter wonderland” this winter, per the release. In addition to opening a family-friendly, 80-by-40 ice skating rink ($10 tickets include skate rental), they are also adding two large, heated tents; small fire pits; a holiday light display; and hot chocolate and cider (with the option to add alcohol to either). Photo: Provided by Fifty West Brewing Co.

Pig Candy BBQ 5901 Kellogg Ave., California Located in a former historic jail near Coney Island, Pig Candy specializes in smoked, barbecued meats with pulled pork, smoked and sliced turkey and grilled bone-in chicken thighs on the menu. The name “Pig Candy” comes from their specialty: a fluffy gluten-free waffle pressed with pulled pork and topped with peach maple glaze. The restaurant tells CityBeat that they’ve added an enclosed heated deck for the winter — which can be rented out for private parties. Photo: Provided by Pig Candy BBQ