The deluge of creative new bars, breweries and eateries flooding into the East End continues with the Hi-Mark. From the owners of Eli’s BBQ and Pho Lang Thang, this transformed historic 1860s home — just about a block and a half from Eli’s famed barbecue haven — opens on Monday (Aug. 14) with a big ol’ party starting at 4 p.m.
“It will be a bar-forward establishment with classic bar food, done really well,” said Duy Nguyen, managing partner of Lang Thang Group and co-owner, in a recent press release. “We’ll have wings with classic sauces plus a few unique sauces, as well as crinkle fries, a house fry sauce and loaded fries.”
A special collaboration dish with Eli’s will debut at the grand opening party.
The drinks menu will have a focus on craft and local beers — both on rotating taps and in bottles and cans — with a bonus “essentials” list that includes Budweiser, Hamm’s, Heineken and more.
“We’re aiming to be more of a neighborhood bar. No frills, we’re not trying to be mixologists,” said Elias Leisring, owner of Eli's BBQ, in the same release.
The short highball menu features drinks like the Horse’s Neck (bourbon, bitters, ginger beer) and Cuba Libre (rum, simple syrup, lime juice and Coke) with prices listed for well and premium options. The wines, available by glass or bottle, span red, white and sparkling, including a Reserve De La Saurine rosé.
Collaborating with Over-the-Rhine’s Platte Architecture and building owner Nick Motz, the vintage-inspired space has a soaring interior, second floor mezzanine, large back patio and a basement that will eventually open as a rathskeller and game room with shuffleboard and skee-ball.
Playing off the history of the Ohio River’s flooding, the team took the name The Hi-Mark (currently there’s a demarcation of where water hit in the flood of 1937). Based on FEMA flood construction rules, the entire building needed to be gutted and the first floor had to be raised nearly 4 feet out of the danger zone of the 100-year floodplain.
“The history of Cincinnati and the Ohio River will always be intertwined and we wanted to respect and pay homage to that, especially since it has affected our project so directly,” said Mike Dew of the Lang Thang Group.
THE HI-MARK's grand opening party is 4 p.m. Monday, Aug. 14. The bar is located at 3229 Riverside Drive, East End, thehimark.com.
