The 25 Most Beautiful Bars in the Cincinnati Area

Wódka Bar

1200 Main St., Over-the-Rhine
From the team behind cult-favorite Babushka Pierogies, Wódka Bar carries an ambitious selection of vodkas, stocking upward of 60 types including many Russian, Polish and Ukrainian brands that are lesser known in the United States. It also offers a streamlined Eastern European-inspired menu of bites ranging from pierogies to a Polish sausage sandwich or stuffed cabbage roll. Inside the intimate space, patrons will be enveloped by deep Prussian blues and rich golds, luxe velvet upholstery and distressed plaster walls, elegant wood paneling and all the intricacies of Eastern Orthodox architecture.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

The View at Shires' Gardens

309 Vine St., 10th Floor, Downtown
The View at Shires’ Garden is located on the 10th floor of the City Club Apartments with views of the riverfront and the surrounding cityscape. This rooftop spot features an indoor dining room, an outdoor patio and a private event lounge with a bar, cigar patio, baby grand piano and firelit tables. The décor mixes modern furnishings with the style of the original Shires’ Gardens from the 19th century — a historic Queen City amusement resort of sorts in this same spot at Vine and Third streets.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

21c Museum Hotel's Cocktail Terrace

609 Walnut St., Downtown
Slink your way down Gano Alley and take a secret, escorted elevator ride up 11 floors to the seasonal 21c Museum Hotel rooftop terrace and watch the sunset over downtown with a 'pop-tail' in hand. The uniquely flavored popsicles are made from scratch and then added to chilled spirits to be sipped, stirred or licked. The terrace also offers adult slushies, masterful mixology, a streamlined snack menu and more from its aerial 75-seater vantage point.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Hotel Covington

638 Madison Ave., Covington
This boutique Covington hotel offers a fine selection of in-house eateries and drinkeries that’ll make you never want to leave. The cocktail menu has house options and seasonal drinks that make use of Kentucky bourbon, creative infusions and fresh fruit and herbs. If you’re feeling stuffy, escape to the patio for a breather and you’ll be swept away into a sun-dappled, brick-paved paradise.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

HomeMakers Bar

35 E. 13th St., Over-the-Rhine
Cincinnati hospitality mavens Julia Petiprin and Catherine Manabat have opened HomeMakers Bar at the corner of 13th and Walnut streets. The duo worked together to create a space inspired by a retro vibe and the domestic cocktails of the 1950s through the 1970s.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Karrikin Spirits Company

3717 Jonlen Drive, Fairfax
Karrikin Spirits Co. is a "grain to glass" distillery and restaurant located in Fairfax. Essentially a one-stop-shop for a variety of housemade spirits and beverages like vodka, gin, agave spirit, rum and fruit brandies as well as hard sodas, non-alcoholic sodas and beers. In addition to beverages, the restaurant — helmed by chef Jared Bennett, formerly the executive chef of downtown’s Metropole — offers a menu full of creative housemade dishes. The dining area includes two formal spaces on either side of the kitchen-bar, and a lounge area with an eclectic grouping of chairs and couches upon which guests can sip, dine and hang out.
Photo: Hailey Bollinge

Yonder

621 Main St., Covington
Inspired by owners Chris and Tess Burns' love of Kentucky State Parks, this new concept by the folks behind Covington's Commonwealth Bistro features a chic treehouse-esque rooftop bar with a small rotating menu and craft cocktails, as well as inventive mocktails. Head down the alleyway to the left of Commonwealth’s entrance to find a set of stairs that will take you to the second floor space.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Comfort Station

793 E. McMillan Ave., Walnut Hills
From the team behind OTR’s Sundry and Vice comes Comfort Station. Opened in late June, this cocktail bar is located in a century-old Walnut Hills rest area. Without much signage outside, guests enter via the original women's room door — now painted a beautiful bright blue — into an industrial and airy space with skylights, inventive cocktails and a living plant wall. A back patio and lounge creates an indoor/outdoor feel.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Sartre OTR

1910 Elm St., OTR
The French-ish restaurant may be named for the gloomy French philosopher, but there’s nothing gloomy about its interiors. Warmly lit and cozy, with a beyond-gorgeous bar, the well-designed space is plenty inviting, creating an ambiance that is at once majestic and intimate. While people have been raving about the décor itself, the food ain’t too shabby either. Entrées range from pappardelle bolognese to steak frites and pea anolini, but a big hit under the shareable section are the beignets.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Holiday Spirits

1538 Race St., Over-the-Rhine
Helmed by Dan Wright and his wife Lana (Senate, Abigail Street and Pontiac Bourbon & BBQ), this space at the corner of Liberty and Race streets is meant to evoke the vibe of a dive bar and also offers a menu of Middle Eastern street food. With an industrial chic look, the exposed bricks and steel beams contrast with the velvet couches, leafy plants and light streaming through the windows. The bar features 15 beers on tap and about 10 different cocktails ranging from a tequila old fashioned and a Hurricane to a Cinnabon-inspired drink and their take on a Harvey Wallbanger.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Aster on Fourth

8 E. Fourth St., Downtown
This social sippery is a casual cocktail space located above the downtown location of Sleepy Bee Cafe. The beverage director and Bee chefs worked together to create a menu that brought "the farm to the cocktail world." Tapping into the latest trend in mixology, there's also a smattering of non-alcoholic and low ABV cocktails that go beyond soda and virgin mixed drinks to accommodate everyone in your party. Socials — carafes of drinks for sharing with friends old and new — are perfect when imbibed on the rooftop patio. The bar also offers shareable bites. Enter through a hallway and take the elevator up to the third floor. Floor to ceiling windows take over an entire wall of the bar, letting in plenty of light plus views of the patio and city.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Lost & Found OTR

22 E. 14th St., Over-the-Rhine
Over-the-Rhine's newest cocktail bar is a funky, community-driven gathering space with an inventive drink menu and small bites inside of a creative, art-filled environment; it was once a multi-car garage. It’s located on a quieter street in Over-the-Rhine — if it weren’t for the green light perched outside the bar, you just might miss it. Co-owners Steven Clement and Camilo Otalora are the masterminds behind Lost & Found, with the goal of creating a hub where guests can feel welcome and inspired. Work from local artists fill the walls from room to room.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Mecca OTR

1429 Walnut St., Over-the-Rhine
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) and the most creatively decorated — dare we say selfie-ready — bar bathrooms in the city. Get yourself a Chunker, an airplane-sized bottle of liquor inverted into a can of sparkling San Pellegrino flavored water.
Photo: Brittany Thornton

The Bar at Palm Court

35 W. Fifth St., Downtown
Nestled inside the historic Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, the Bar at Palm Court is an astonishing French Art Deco masterpiece with Brazilian rosewood, a massive ziggurat-shaped fountain and seashell-framed booths like Venus rising from the foam. The art is in the design as well as the Great Gatsby-esque drinks. Try the NP, a best-of-both-worlds cocktail that pairs bourbon with something bubbly. Named after the Netherland Plaza, the cocktail features Four Roses yellow label bourbon, lemon, ginger, bitters and sparkling wine. It’s light, refreshing and still packs a boozy punch.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Top of the Park at The Phelps

506 E. Fourth St., Downtown
On the roof of the downtown Marriott hotel, catch 360-degree views of the city and the river from its vantage point at the base of Lytle Park. Amenities include tabletop fire features, TVs and live music, plus a tapas menu with snack options like sliders, charcuterie and chocolate churros.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

LouVino

1142 Main St., Over-the-Rhine
Midwestern Cincinnati got another dose of Southern cooking with the opening of Louisville-based LouVino. The stunning wine bar offers over 60 types of wine by the glass and 17 wine flights. Plus, a wide range of bourbons, cocktails and beer. They also offer small, shareable plates that are meant to be passed around the table. Expect wide, varied, flavored dishes.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Ripple Wine Bar

4 W. Pike St., Covington
Inspired by the title of a Grateful Dead song, Ripple Wine Bar is one of those sweet little spots that hits all the right notes: good wine, lots of it, paired with good food. The bar offers 40 varietals by the glass or half glass, bottle or half bottle and also does a $10 half-bottle happy hour for gun-shy consumers or folks dining solo. The menu’s overall vibe is laid-back, a true “California kitchen,” with wine-friendly food that’s seasonally inspired. The unique, duel-level bar features tall ceilings and exposed brick, utilizing the obscure shape of the space and letting in plenty of light.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Braxton Brewing Co.

27 W. Seventh St., Covington
Braxton Brewing Co. opened their much-anticipated rooftop patio and bar in July. Guests can now enjoy an entirely new experience at the brewery with the 5,000-square-foot-patio, which features plenty of seating, shady umbrellas, a full bar, a living wall and some pretty neat views of Covington and downtown Cincinnati.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Sundry and Vice

18 W. 13th St., Over-the-Rhine
This apothecary-themed bar features an extensive and inventive cocktail menu. The drinks — meticulously crafted by be-aproned bartenders — take a little longer to make than usual, but that’s only because they’re so good.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Fairfield Market

700 Fairfield Ave., Bellevue
This hip new market, coffee and wine bar recently opened in Bellevue. The fresh, light-filled space is a perfect place to start or end your day. Try one of their build-your-own charcuterie boards with their happy-hour wine special or stop by for a sammy or picnic salad at lunch.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger