These drinking and dining destinations allow pets in portions or all of their establishments, as long as your pet is well behaved. Regardless, we always recommend calling or checking with the business in advance before you bring your furry friend with you. And, as always, this is not a comprehensive list of every single place you can bring a pet with you.
13 Below Brewery — Named for its location 13 miles “below” Cincinnati, the space is right on the Ohio River and boasts 13 taps behind a 20-seater bar. With a corner pub-vibe, their small-batch beers can be enjoyed with friends, family and dogs — or in the beer garden when the weather warms. Pups are allowed inside the taproom and out while their owners sample brews like the Lock & Dam #37 Scotch ale. 7391 Forbes Road, Sayler Park, 13belowbrewery.com.
16-Bit Bar+Arcade — Calling all button smashers and pinball wizards: 16-Bit has more than 50 free arcade games and a tasty selection of celeb-inspired cocktails for you to slurp down as you relive your childhood nerdy nostalgia sans the quarters. If you want to drink like an adult while you act like a kid, try a cocktail like the Lisa Frank (vodka, watermelon Pucker, pineapple rum, fruit punch and an Airhead). Dogs get drinks, too, with branded water bowls featuring sayings like, “Buzz, your girlfriend, woof.” Pets are allowed indoors during the day and as long as the bar isn’t crowded. Bonus points if your pooch knows how to do any Mortal Kombat fatalities. 1331 Walnut St., Over-the-Rhine, 16-bitbar.com/cincy.
The B List — This Bellevue watering hole is a friendly neighborhood public house that represents a cross-section of the community, serving more than 100 affordable and accessible bourbons, daily $3 craft beer specials, domestics, ciders, rareties and more. With games, pool, TVs, fire pits and even grills for patrons to use, it’s not uncommon for people and their pets to spend the day here. Dogs are welcome until 8 p.m., as long as it’s not crowded. 343 Division St., Bellevue, facebook.com/theblistbvue.
Braxton Brewing Co. — Arguably one of the best reasons for Cincinnati beer drinkers to cross the Roebling Bridge into Covington, Braxton has made quite an impression on the local brewing scene. After undergoing a $5 million expansion, which included the construction of a rooftop patio, the taproom and brewery serves more than beer and spirits: it’s also a cultural landmark thanks to its widespread success. Rooted in the ethos and innovation forged in a Midwestern garage — founder Evan Rouse started homebrewing when he was just 16, before he could even taste his creations. Pets are welcome in the taproom, just make sure they’re out by 9 p.m. on weekends. 27 W. Seventh St., Covington, braxtonbrewing.com.
Brink Brewing Co. — Good beer is about the people, the stories and the experience, according to Brink’s co-founders John and Sarah McGarry. The taproom’s communal table sits 20 and a brick wall stands covered in framed photos of the customers and community. There are no policies against pets, so feel free to bring a four-legged friend with you inside and outside. 5905 Hamilton Ave., College Hill, brinkbrewing.com.
Cobblestone OTR — Cobblestone is a no-frills establishment that feels like hanging out in a friend’s living room — if that living room had 15 different bourbons (Weller and Bulleit among them); two cocktails on draft, including a mightily potent Old Fashioned and Fernet-Branca; and a rotating draft beer list (Bud Light is constant). A built-in long leather seat at the back, nestled next to the restrooms, allows for shoe-shines on certain nights. Dogs welcome. 1132 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, facebook.com/cobblestoneotr.
Darkness Brewing — Friends Eric Bosler and Ron Sanders were avid homebrewers before expanding their passion for creating strange and tasty beers in Darkness Brewing in Bellevue in 2016. The microbrewery focuses on the dark and unusual — like their Man on the Moo milk stout with lactose or Witch Head Nebula red IPA with beets — served in a community-minded taproom. Man’s best friend is allowed indoors and out as long as they are on a leash and off the tables. 224 Fairfield Ave., Bellevue, darknessbrewing.beer.
Fries Café — At more than 90 years old, Fries is a laid-back dive-bar legend near the University of Cincinnati. Appealing to everyone from UC students taking a break from exams to Cliftonites and downtown professionals, the first floor features a draft bar with a focus on craft beer and a popular old-fashioned shuffleboard table. The lower level features two billiards tables and the top floor has more darts and billiards with access to the seasonal patio. The uncharacteristically large outdoor space (at least for Clifton) has a covered portion and deck, live music stage, cornhole sets and plenty of seating. Bring your pooch with you: Dogs are allowed inside and outside as long as they are on a leash (and you clean up after them). 3247 Jefferson Ave., Clifton, friescafeclifton.com.
Growler House — This craft beer destination is happy with their reputation as a dog-friendly hangout, so even if you don’t have a dog of your own, there’s a chance you can go there and meet (and pet) other people’s pooches. The bar features 30 taps of local, regional and national beers — from favorites to hard-to-find rarities — for you to imbibe onsite while watching sports on several of their TVs or take home in one of the bar’s 32- or 64-ounce growlers. Taps rotate daily. Sample new brews via a pint or 5-ounce “Benchers,” or create your own flight. 1526 Madison Road, East Walnut Hills, thegrowlerhouse.com.
Higher Gravity — These guys really want to help you love beer — so much so that they’ve installed iPads around the store to help you browse their inventory and find your perfect brew. Let their friendly “beeristas” pour you a flight, and don’t leave without visiting their growler and crawler station to take a cold one home with you. Higher Gravity is kid- and dog-friendly, as well as B.Y.O.F. (bring your own food), so bring the whole fam and order in something tasty from one of their Northside neighbors. 4106 Hamilton Ave., Northside, highergravitycrafthaus.com.
Liberty’s Bar & Bottle — Liberty’s offers the best of both the bar and the bottle with 20 rotating craft beers on tap and 15 wines available by the glass — including half-pours — along with 100 bottles of wine and 40 craft beers via retail. Dogs are welcome and you’ll frequently find one or two sleeping under their owners’ stools at the bar. Bring a pet along and they’ll get to slurp up a water bowl while you sip on an IPA and admire their sleek interior. 1427 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, searchable on Facebook.
MadTree Brewing — With 32 MadTree-exclusive taps, ambient lighting and an industrial brick facade leftover from the building’s factory days, there’s more than enough space to accommodate all the beer-drinking, cornhole-playing, dog-loving humans that hang at the 10,000-square-foot outdoor beer garden on the regular. The garden is both tented and heated in winter and allows pets year-round; just remember to enter the garden directly instead of through the main entrance if you plan on bringing a furry friend. There’s also plenty of space to drink and hang indoors if you come without fido. 3301 Madison Road, Oakley, madtreebrewing.com.
Mecca OTR — This hip OTR hideaway is a welcoming hangout for those interested in no-frills drinking, L.A. vibes, vinyl tunes and free popcorn. 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 as well) and the most creatively decorated — dare we say selfie-ready — bar bathrooms in the city. Dogs are always welcome, as long as it’s not too crowded; nobody wants to see stressed-out doggos. Mecca has water bowls, poop bags and sometimes treats on hands for furry guests. 1429 Walnut St., Over-the-Rhine, facebook.com/meccaotr.
Milton’s The Prospect Hill Tavern — Prospect Hill’s neighborhood joint is chatty, diverse and full of character. A great place to have a beer, relax and mix it up with the regulars. And many of those regulars include dogs; scroll through their social media for proof of several very good boi booze hounds. Dogs are allowed inside any time before 8 p.m. 301 Milton St., Liberty Hill, facebook.com/miltonstheprospecthilltavern.
Pins Mechanical Co. — This multi-level bar has almost two dozen pinball machines and 10 duckpin bowling lanes, plus other “old school” entertainment options like foosball, ping pong, bocce ball and shuffle board. The rooftop patio has fire pits, its own bar and giant yard games. Dogs are welcome inside and out. 1124 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, pinsbar.com/cincy.
Queen City Radio — The historic Queen City Radio building has been turned into a well-manicured full-service bar and outdoor beer garden. The bar serves rotating taps of local, regional and national beer, canned and bottled brews, wine, a small cocktail program and boozy slushies. Garage doors create indoor/outdoor space, weather permitting, and there’s an onsite food truck. Their expansive patio is the perfect place for a furry friend to keep you company while you enjoy good drinks and good weather. Or bring them inside. 222 W. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine, qcrbar.com.
Rosedale — When Neons closed in 2016, people were devastated to lose “OTR’s backyard.” Then, 4EG — the entertainment group behind Lackman, Mount Adams Pavilion, Igby’s and more — announced they’d be taking over the space. After some upscale renovations, they reopened as Rosedale in January 2018. It’s a little more classed up than comfy-old Neons but has retained the former’s focus on craft cocktails and the giant, dog-friendly patio (now with brand new seating). Sip discount drinks from the monthly $3 menu then grab some grub and support your community at the MORTAR Mess Hall, where food entrepreneurs hone their skills in a professional setting. 208 E. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine, rosedaleotr.com.
Streetside Brewery — From their taproom/brewery along Eastern Avenue in Columbia Tusculum, Streetside Brewery blends craft and community. With beers like their milkshake blonde Cereal Milk and a red velvet donut stout collaboration with Holtman’s Donuts, this brewery has developed a niche for having your cake and drinking it, too. The taproom frequently hosts food trucks and programmed events. Well-behaved dogs allowed on the patio.* 4003 Eastern Ave., Columbia Tusculum, streetsidebrewery.com.
West Side Brewing — Overseen by four passionate homebrewers, the taproom offers 20 West Side beer taps, including West Side’s amber ale, common ale, pale ale and more, plus a handful of other local brews, cider, wine and soda. Originally pegged as a craft brewery for the everyman, WSB is inviting enough for the casual beer drinker, spacious enough for groups and families and legit enough to impress the most discerning local brewpub frequent flyers. The bar also offers a ton of TVs and games. Every Wednesday after 4 p.m. is officially dog friendly so if you remember to keep your pooch on a leash, they’re as welcome as you are inside. 3044 Harrison Ave., Westwood, westsidebrewing.com.
The Woodburn Brewery — Armed with this lineup of clever brews, this East Walnut Hills brewery frequently host fundraisers and other events to benefit local pet rescues and animal welfare organizations. Dogs are always welcome to chill inside the taproom or outside on the patio at Woodburn, where they will receive many pets. 2800 Woodburn Ave., East Walnut Hills, facebook.com/thewoodburnbrewery.
*Streetside Brewery's listing has been updated from print to reflect that dogs are now only allowed on the patio, not inside, because of health code.
