Every year, CityBeat publishes the Best Of Cincinnati®, wherein readers and staffers alike pick which bars are the booziest, which people are the coolest and which shops are your best bet for dropping a pretty penny. This year, Cincinnati’s robust bar scene welcomed some new spots with delicious drinks and killer atmospheres. From bars where you can sip while playing old-school video games to a neighborhood dive where everyone is welcome, these are the best new drinking establishments in the Queen City, according to our readers.

No. 10 Best New Bar: Merchants Club 18 Distillery Way, Newport Tucked behind Newport’s Party Source, cocktail bar Merchants Club says it’s the only club in town where everyone is a member. The space evokes the memory of its namesake — a long-gone mob haunt from Newport’s seedier days. The space is both sleek and welcoming, with leather and velvet accents and a menu of strong and delicious drinks. Drink recommendation: Merchant 95: Old Bardstown BIB, apricot Munyon’s, lemon and prosecco. Photo: facebook.com/merchantsclubnky
No. 9 Best New Bar: The Well 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. Drink recommendation: The Pickle Theory: El Jimador tequila, triple sec and Grub Local pickle juice. Photo: Aidan Mahoney
No. 8 Best New Bar: Alive & Well 3410 Telford St., Clifton Spirit-forward cocktail bar Alive & Well opened in Clifton’s Gaslight District in August. Owner Andrew Salzbrun says the bar provides an “out of the norm” Ludlow experience, blending the grandeur of the building’s historic Art Deco façade with a punk-rock ambiance. The drink menu features a curated selection of top-quality spirits, as well as cocktails and wines. Drink recommendation: A&W Float: Graeter’s Madagascar vanilla bean ice cream, Bumbu Rum and root beer. Photo: Phil Armstrong/Provided by Hickory Wald Hospitality Group
No. 5 Best Rooftop Bar: The Rooftop at 21c 609 Walnut St., Downtown Must Try: Pink Toucan: Reposado Tequila, grapefruit and lime. Photo: Provided by 21c Museum Hotel
NYE at Juniper’s 9-11 p.m. Welcome the new year at Juniper’s Gin Bar, which is offering a buffet, live music by the Chris Comer Quartet, a specialty cocktail and a champagne toast at midnight for all guests. 409 West Sixth St., Covington, junipersginbar.net. Photo: facebook.com/junipers
No. 5 (TIE) Best New Bar: The Flock 927 Race St., Downtown Editor’s Note: As of June 2024, The Flock has returned to being The Birdcage. Photo: Ignite Entertainment
Red Leprechaun Irish Pub | 20 W. Freedom Way, The Banks Photo: Aidan Mahoney
No. 4 Best New Bar: Killer Queen 180 E. Freedom Way, The Banks Killer Queen is a cocktail bar and pizza joint with a menu that focuses on build-your-own pizzas, plus appetizers like salads and soft pretzels. They also boast a cocktail menu featuring eight drinks “inspired by the most treacherous kings and queens in history,” the bar says. The restaurant and bar has a high-energy atmosphere with an Americana-style interior, including a wrap-around bar, and is a catch-all for any activity, whether you’re enjoying daytime drinks, watching the game or dancing until 2 a.m. Drink recommendation: The Killer Queen: El Jimador tequila, Aperol, St. Germain elderflower liqueur and ginger beer, garnished with rosemary. Photo: facebook.com/killerqueencin
No. 3 Best New Bar: Binski’s Bar 2872 Colerain Ave., Camp Washington When Binski’s Bar opened last year, it did so with the goal of being Camp Washington’s communal watering hole. The bar sits in a bright green building from the early 1900s that was originally a saloon and boarding house (wink wink). An Old Style sign hangs outside — “a signal to anyone in Chicago you’re about to walk into a great bar,” says owner Kiel Erdelac. Inside, visitors will find some classic bar staples like a CD jukebox, darts, rotating drink specials and a community that makes you feel welcome. Drink recommendation: The beer on the sign: Heileman’s Old Style. Photo: facebook.com/binskisbar
Level Up at an Arcade The arcade is the perfect place to introduce your kids to the games of your youth – the hours guiding Pac-Man through mazes and Frogger across the road. You can put your old-school video gaming skills to the test at places like Level One Bar + Arcade in Over-the-Rhine, with its catalog of classics like Donkey Kong, Q-Bert and Mortal Kombat and impressive collection of pinball machines. (This house of nostalgia also has Nintendo 64 and Game Cube, the realization of which just made millennials everywhere collectively groan – or that could have just been all of our backs and joints giving out at once.) Nearby Pins Mechanical also offers plenty of pinball action, as well as foosball and Duck Pin Bowling. You can also get your fill of classic arcade games at Westwood’s Wondercade and Sharonville’s Arcade Legacy. Just remember, some of these arcades are also bars, so hours when your children are allowed may be limited. Photo: Provided by 3CDC
Second Story 100 W. Sixth St., #2, Covington Covington’s Second Story bar, the latest vision from Lost Co., is an artistic, Southern Gothic oasis for every sort of reveler. Located on the second floor of a former Covington firehouse, the bar’s main space is a large room with stylish and comfortable seating, dazzling chandeliers and hand-painted murals, complemented by large windows. It also brings some garden vibes indoors, featuring a giant artist-created tree “growing” behind the bar that houses bottles of spirits. On the menu, patrons will find cocktails with a variety of bases, not leaning on any one spirit too much. Drinks are made with housemade syrups and housemade tonic and feature amari, which are herbal liqueurs that typically come from Italy and France. There’s even a housemade version of “Fireball” cinnamon whiskey. And like the views through the windows in the main space, the cocktail menu will change seasonally, offering guests fresh experiences with multiple visits. Photo: Courtesy of Second Story