One of Mt. Adams’ oldest institutions is under new ownership.
City View Tavern, which opened back in 1875 at 403 Oregon Street, is now owned by retired lawyer and current podcast host Randy Freking as of this week. The bar went up for sale in 2020 from Debra Henning, who has owned the tavern since 1985. Freking will be just the fifth owner in the bar’s 150-year history, which is best known for its spectacular view of the entire city from the top of Mt. Adams.
Freking is best known for hosting the Reds-focused podcast “We Love Our Team” with fellow attorney Jack Greiner. Local real estate agent Joshua Rothstein of Colliers was responsible for managing the sale and was “thrilled” to be involved.
“This is a Cincinnati icon, so I wasn’t necessarily motivated by the dollar amount as much as I was … handing it to the next steward, who’s hopefully going to keep it amazing. It’s an honor, really, to be involved because I’m a huge fan of dive bars and City View is the epitome of a dive bar,” Rothstein said. “And the fact that it’s survived for this long, it’s like a little engine that could, and it’s finally about to get supercharged, so I’m excited.”
In terms of changes to the bar, Freking wants the bar to keep the same vibe as a great place to watch Bengals and Reds games. But there will be a few changes. Furniture upgrades, new TVs, extra staffing and the addition of vegetarian options to the bar’s menu are the marquee highlights, but the biggest change is one that most Cincinnatians will be surprised by.
Famously, City View Tavern does not serve tequila, and the reason why is one of Cincinnati’s best urban legends. If you didn’t know, Charles Manson — yes, the cult leader — was a native Cincinnatian, and legend has it that City View Tavern was his favorite bar in the city when he resided here.
The story goes that he would pound shots of tequila all night, then threaten to jump off the bar’s balcony if ownership stopped serving him, so the bar stopped serving tequila altogether as a way to get Manson to stop coming in. The policy has existed at the bar for decades now, but Freking will do away with it and serve tequila once more.
“I’m thrilled for what Randy’s got lined up. He’s not going to change the bar, but he’s going to enhance it,” Rothstein said. “It’s not going to look drastically different, but it’s going to feel much better on the inside. I’m thrilled about that for everybody, not only as a listing agent, but as a customer.”
City View Tavern is located at 403 Oregon Street in Mt. Adams, and is open Wednesday through Sunday from noon to midnight.
