Greater Cincinnati Bars That Also Serve Up Excellent Food

Incline Public House

2601 W. Eighth St., East Price Hill
Named after the Cincinnati inclines that traveled to Price Hill, Incline Public House features a gorgeous view of the city and delicious American food for brunch, lunch and dinner. While you enjoy the view of downtown Cincinnati on their all-season patio, try one of their popular pizzas, like the equal-parts sweet and salty Prosciutto Fig, featuring fig jam, Italian ham, goat cheese, caramelized onions and arugula on top. Or, build your own using the expansive list of sauces, cheeses and toppings. Pair it with one of their local craft brews on tap and their mouthwatering short rib poutine to split with the table to top off the experience.

Northside Yacht Club

4231 Spring Grove Ave., Northside
A little bit naughty nautical, a little bit rock ‘n roll, Northside Yacht Club is the perfect, chill spot to kick your feet up with a drink and a plate of something greasy and delicious. The landlocked yacht club serves up classics like sandwiches, burgers, wings and fries, as well as vegan and gluten-free options. They also have an extensive craft cocktail list – including their infamous peanut butter tequila shooter – as well as brunch during the weekend.

Hometown Heroes

640 Sixth Ave., Dayton
In addition to cheap drinks, Hometown Heroes is known for its great wings, Cheese Bombs and ooey-gooey fries covered with goetta and queso, plus an outdoor patio. Remember Bosco Sticks from grade school? Relive that gourmet here in the form of Hometown Heroes’ Cheesy Garlic Bread, along with soft pretzel bites, onion rings and cheesy, bacon tater tots.

Ali’s Bar and Grill

7820 Camargo Road, Madeira
Ali’s is Madeira’s friendly neighborhood bar and grill, dedicated to being a spot for families and friends to gather and enjoy good food and drinks together. Alison Tepe-Guy and her husband, Dan Bowman, started the restaurant in honor of Ali’s son, Tyson, who passed away in a car accident. His memory is present in many parts of the restaurant, including some of his favorites being featured on the menu. Ali's ensures everything on the menu is handcrafted with high-quality ingredients, from the burgers, made with a three-cut blend of brisket, short rib and chuck ground, to the Gremlin Pizza, with house-made dough and fresh toppings. The couple also use the restaurant and bar as a way to give back to the community, raising money for local organizations and starting a memorial scholarship fund in Tyson’s name.

Knockback Nats

10 Seventh St., Downtown
Wings are king at neighborhood bar Knockback Nats, whether they’re dry-drubbed or tossed in one of Knockback Nats’ 12 sauces, including their award-winning bourbon-pineapple barbecue and spicy garlic ranch. Come as you are and enjoy a beer or two, plus dart boards, video golf, video bowling and a jukebox.

The Comet

4579 Hamilton Ave., Northside
This vintage-styled neon-lit Northside garage rock bar has a daily menu of big-ass burritos, strong booze and live music. And more than a few loyal customers come to The Comet’s Sunday brunch to feast off the hangover they earned in the same bar on Saturday night.

Baru

595 Race St., Downtown
This elevated sushi and cocktail concept places most of its focus on its atmosphere and unique menu, all centered around its bar, which has been strategically placed to be the focal point of the restaurant. The idea behind Baru is stay-and-drink sushi, inspired by izakaya, which are beloved Japanese establishments where guests can stay, drink and unwind long into the night. Its menu is sophisticated but approachable, with fresh fish flown in daily, American and Japanese wagyu and shareable items. It also offers omakase meals, where guests leave dining decisions up to the chef.

Gas Light Cafe

6104 Montgomery Road, Pleasant Ridge
This Pleasant Ridge eatery and drinkery has been a neighborhood staple for generations. Behind the bar, there's a large list of local, domestic and craft drafts on tap, along with a full liquor shelf if you need some spirit. Stop by for a casual lunch or dinner, or watch sports on one of their TVs. What goes well with a cold draft of your favorite beer? The Gas Light Burger, daily homemade chili, onion rings, tuna melt, chef salad and potato skins with cheese and bacon.

Arnold’s Bar and Grill

210 Eighth St., Downtown
Open since 1861, Arnold’s is the oldest continuously running tavern in town, complete with dark wood walls, vintage memorabilia and a big ol’ bathtub in the dining room rumored to have been used to make gin during Prohibition. A Cincinnati classic, it serves up a nice range of lunch and dinner options — pasta, sandwiches and burgers, plus vegan and gluten-free options — at bargain prices. Enjoy a local draft in the outdoor beer garden and almost daily live music. It was also named as one of the best bars in America by Esquire magazine.

HighGrain Brewing Co.

6860 Plainfield Road, Silverton
HighGrain is a brewery and scratch kitchen, brewing a variety of beers with sustainability in mind. The beer list focuses on Pilsners, IPAs and lagers, but you’ll also find a milk stout as well as a couple cocktails made with HighGrain’s house sparkling lemon mineral water, Limo. The food menu rotates seasonally and features locally sourced ingredients. It’s also a destination for the entire family, with a dog-friendly, fenced-in biergarten, a kids' food menu and ample parking.

City View Tavern

403 Oregon St., Mt. Adams
City View Tavern is Mt. Adams’ beloved hillside dive and home of one of the best spicy bloody marys, along with offering some of the best views in town. The burgers are damn tasty, too.

Rooftop at 21c

609 Walnut St., Downtown
After a rebrand of its rooftop bar, 21c Museum Hotel opened The Rooftop at the 21c, offering guests a relaxing place to lounge while they enjoy a cocktail, some snacks and an incredible view of downtown Cincinnati. New chef Zachary Barnes’ menu has transformed the bar into an oasis with Peruvian-style fare and coastal-inspired cocktails. Opening for the season soon.

Juniper’s

409 W. Sixth St., Covington
Gin is the star of the show when it comes to Juniper’s cocktail menu, with drinks that are crafted with time-tested techniques, but through a lens of innovation that keeps everything exciting and fresh. The bar features a collection of over 200 gins — which is always growing — and an Old World-inspired aesthetic, with low lighting and decor that looks straight out of a Victorian parlor — perfect for sipping on some botanical delights. To eat, you’ll find a rotating selection of tapas, including a bread service featuring local bread with honey brown butter, Lebanese wagyu beef meatballs and pot pie, which can be made with chicken or vegan.

March First Brewing

7885 E. Kemper Road, Blue Ash; 10 Fountain Square Plaza, Downtown
Named for the first day our home was recognized as a state, March First Brewing boasts an impressive variety of drinks made on the premises, including beer, cider, whiskey, schnapps, vodka, rum and hard seltzer. If you stop by to sip on some brews, stay and have a bite to eat; the brewery offers snacks like pretzels and beer cheese plus pizza and sandwiches.

Friendly Stop Bar & Grill

985 Congress Ave., Glendale
Friendly Stop lives up to its name as a friendly place to roll in for a drink or a meal. The walls of the bar and restaurant are covered in license plates, leaning into that nostalgic, pulled-off-the-road feeling of all great roadside establishments. The menu features classic bar fare like wings and burgers, as well as comfort food like its meatloaf plates, barbecue and down-home-style sides like mashed potatoes and coleslaw. To drink, you have a variety of beers on tap and bottled to choose from, as well as a small selection of wines.

The Well/Grub Local

8 W. Seventh St., Covington
Described as equal parts cool and casual, The Well provides a laidback and cozy lounge, as well as a large patio, with plenty of seating throughout and large-screen TVs, making it a great game-day destination. Meanwhile, its food arm, Grub Local serves up elevated bar fare with some twists on local flavors, like its Cincy-Style Chili Dip and Hank Panky Balls, made with goetta.

W Bar + Bistro

3447 Epworth Ave., Westwood
Quickly becoming a West Side favorite, W Bar + Bistro opened in the former Henke Winery space in 2022. Billing itself as a casual, all-day restaurant, W Bar + Bistro’s food excels beyond casual. With a menu driven by chef specialties, everything — from the Korean-fried chicken sandwich to the poutine and braised short rib served with risotto — is packed with flavor. You can also post up at the bar and enjoy a selection of draft and bottled beers, wines by the glass or one of W’s signature cocktails (the sangria in any flavor is not to be slept on).

The Pony

1346 Main St., Over-the-Rhine
By the looks of it, you'd think The Pony has been around for decades, with its honeycomb tile floors, low-hanging green bar lamps and a glowing neon sign luring you in for an old-fashioned. Turns out, the comfortable dive-bar decor is the machination of hipsters, and we're not at all mad about it. Cocktails include the Pony Express (grape vodka, blue curaçao, lemonade and grenadine) and the Old Work House, a seasonal old-fashioned with bourbon, strawberry-rhubarb syrup and black walnut bitters. For food, they serve up what you'd typically find at a bar, but turned up a notch. From burgers to roast beef sandwiches to chicken wing dip, everything is delicious.

Molly Malone’s

112 E. Fourth St., Covington
If you crave the camaraderie of a Dublin bar, Molly Malone’s restaurant and pub offers an authentic taste of the Emerald Isle with its Jameson Whiskey on tap and menu of traditional fare and appetizers, such as its popular beer-battered cod served with coleslaw and chips. Open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, the pub plays just about every soccer and rugby game live and keeps the kitchen open late on Fridays and Saturdays so you can keep the party going well into the night after your favorite team’s win.

Arlin’s

307 Ludlow Ave., Clifton
Arlin’s may have changed names and hands quite a few times since its inception, but it’s been Clifton Gaslight District’s premier neighborhood pub since the 1890s. Here you can enjoy a beer on the big back patio and beer garden and listen to live music. The no-frills atmosphere includes a pool room, plus 20 taps, sports on the TVs and a jukebox. And while it’s best known as a bar, Arlin’s also has a food menu with a variety of burgers, sandwiches and even some Tex-Mex fare.