In this post we will be breaking down drinking at the best bars in Cincinnati. Whether you are looking for a tall glass of beer, a shot of vodka, to buy cheaper liquor during drink specials, or just to sing some karaoke hopefully we can assist.
Our first section will cover the best wine and cocktail bars in Cincinnati. Up next we will get into breweries and sports bars where you can watch the big game or maybe play some pool and throw some darts.
Contents
Then we will mention some of the best drink specials near you so you can hit up the right bars at the right times to do your drinking cheaper. After that we will discuss bars with trivia, quiz, and/or game nights in your area.
Lastly we will talk about bars for dancing, karaoke, and to listen to live music. Towards the end there will even be a local bar map that pins all of the spots from our various lists on it.
And if you want to compare the scene here to others around the Midwest you can do so at that link.
Cocktail & Wine Bars
Some of the top cocktail and wine bars in Cincinnati are:
- The Loon: Wine Bar & Retail Shop at 4124 Hamilton Ave
- 1215 Wine Bar & Coffee Lab at 1215 Vine St
- LouVino OTR Restaurant & Wine Bar at 1142 Main St
- Lost & Found OTR at 22 E 14th St
- Lounge 24 at 24 S 2nd St, Hamilton
- West Central Wine at 1120 Central Ave, Middletown
- Z Place for Wine at 7823 Cooper Rd, Montgomery
- Higher Gravity at 10241 Summit Pkwy, Blue Ash
- A Tavola Bar + Trattoria at 7022 Miami Ave, Madeira
The Loon is a good place to try sustainably produced wines as well as sake, cocktails, and beer starting at 3pm daily.
Some of the finest natural red, white, and sparkling wines as well as beers, liqueurs, and pub food can be found at 1215 Wine Bar & Coffee Lab.
LouVino OTR Restaurant & Wine Bar has an award-winning wine list with over 40 refined options by the glass plus they offer drink specials in your area every Tuesday through Friday from 5pm to 6:30pm.
Lost & Found is a unique art-centric cocktail bar in the heart of Over-The-Rhine offering cocktails, beer, food, and a carefully curated wine list.
For a fun place with a vintage vibe serving local craft drafts, domestics, and wines as well as specialty cocktails head to Lounge 24.
West Central Wine is a wine shop and bar in Middletown that serves a wide variety of wines by the glass, the best local beer and bourbon, and homemade appetizers and lite bites.
Z Place for Wine in Montgomery opens daily at 11am and carries only the finest wines from around the world and pairs them with cheese and other food.
Higher Gravity is a fun bar near you offering 200 wines to drink there or take home, 400 craft beers, and a variety of liquor including bourbon, tequila, and cocktails with some of the best liquor specials in Blue Ash from 3pm to 6pm Monday through Friday.
Handcrafted pasta, wood-fired Neapolitan pizza, small plates, and salads alongside curated wines, great beers, an extensive bourbon list, and craft cocktails are what you can get at Tavola Bar + Trattoria.
Cincinnati Breweries & Sports Bars
Sample new suds and watch the big game with your friends at the best local breweries and sports bars:
- Moerlein Lager House at 115 Joe Nuxhall Way
- Kitty’s Sports Grill at 218 W 3rd St
- Knockback Nats at 10 W 7th St
- The Pitch Cincy at 1430 Central Pkwy
- The Casual Pint at 130 Riverfront Plaza, Hamilton
- FigLeaf Brewing Company at 3387 Cincinnati Dayton Rd, Middletown
- Eli’s Sports Bar & Grill at 3825 Kraus Ln, Fairfield
Moerlein Lager House has over 80 different beers to choose from including a variety of house beers plus they have some of the best happy hours in Cincinnati from 3pm to 6pm every Monday through Friday.
For a family-owned and operated local sports bar that is open from 11am to 10pm Tuesday through Sunday and features NFL Ticket along with all of the biggest college games head to Kitty’s Sports Grill.
The Pitch Cincy features a stadium view from the rooftop, a refreshing outdoor patio, rotating food trucks, and a video wall for an immersive sports viewing experience.
You can find one of the best craft beer selections in Hamilton including 34 tap beers as well as appetizer, lunch, dinner, and the option of taking all of their favorite beverages or food to go at The Casual Pint.
FigLeaf Brewing Company in Middletown offers 24 taps as well as a diverse food menu.
Eli’s Sports Bar in Fairfield is open every day at 11am featuring plenty of big screen televisions to watch your favorite sports teams and daily alcohol specials from 11am to 7pm that you can enjoy with wings, starters, soups, salads, burgers, and sandwiches.
Local Drink Specials
Visit these bars with drink specials near you to buy cheaper alcohol and your wallet will thank you:
- The St. Clair at 245 Calhoun St
- Dive Bar at 2608 Short Vine St
- O’Bryon’s Bar & Grill at 1998 Madison Rd
- The Drink Tavern at 238 Hensel Pl, Hamilton
- The Well at 4371 S Dixie Hwy, Middletown
- Senate Blue Ash at 1100 Summit Pl A, Blue Ash
- Chuy’s at 7980 Hosbrook Rd, Madeira
The St. Clair has an extensive drink menu, music played by resident DJ’s, three flat-screen TV’s for sports fans, and some of the best drink specials in your area that are available every Tuesday through Friday from 6pm to 9pm.
The Drink Tavern is open daily from 12pm to 12am serving food and ice cold drinks plus they have happy hours from 4pm to 8pm where you can drink liquor for cheaper in in Hamilton.
The Well is a small comfortable bar in Middletown with 6 televisions, 2 dartboards, and daily alcoholic drink specials from 11am to 2am.
Local drink specials on drafts, wine, and cocktails are available at Senate Blue Ash from 3pm to 6pm.
Chuy’s in Madeira offers family recipes from South Texas, New Mexico, and Mexican border towns as well as a selection of featured drinks and special deals on weekdays from 3pm to 6pm for cheesy apps and alcohol.
Trivia, Quiz & Game Nights
Here is a good list of bars with trivia, quiz, and game nights in your area:
- Oakley Pub & Grill at 3924 Isabella Ave
- Murphy’s Pub at 2329 W Clifton Ave
- BrewDog Cincinnati at 316 Reading Rd
- The Pub Rookwood at 2692 Edmondson Rd
- The Grub Pub at 47 Hancock Ave, Hamilton
- Tapsters Bar & Grill at 1714 Tytus Ave, Middletown
- The Fairfield Pub at 465 Nilles Rd, Fairfield
Oakley Pub & Grill is a cozy and casual pub with a heated enclosed patio that opens up for warm weather and that also serves American cuisine with creative twists. They offer good drink specials from 3pm to 6pm on weekdays and host bar trivia nights near you every Tuesday at 8pm.
Murphy’s Pub has 16 draft beers on tap and hosts trivia every Tuesday at 9:30pm.
There are four taps of craft beer glory, a game mezzanine, and a beer school space for all things beer geekery as well as bar trivia nights at BrewDog Cincinnati every Wednesday from 7pm to 9pm.
The Pub Rookwood is a traditional British pub with excellent food and drinks along with happy hours every Monday through Friday from 3pm to 6pm and quiz nights every Tuesday at 6:30pm.
The Fairfield Pub hosts more bar trivia in your area every Thursday at 7pm.
Dance, Karaoke & Live Music
Anyone that wants to dance, listen to live music, and sing karaoke can head to:
- Northside Tavern at 4163 Hamilton Ave A
- Tokyo Kitty at 575 Race St
- Motr Pub at 1345 Main St
- Mr Pitiful’s OTR at 1323 Main St
- Tin Roof at 160 E Freedom Way #150
- Legends Bar & Grill at 2104 Fairgrove Ave, Hamilton
- Madison Inn at 101 S, 101 Front St, Middletown
- McKinley’s Pub at 5120 Pleasant Ave, Fairfield
- Sandy’s Stagecoach Saloon at 9012 Blue Ash Rd, Blue Ash
Northside Tavern is a friendly local bar with live music and karaoke every Thursday at 9pm.
Tokyo Kitty offers free main stage karaoke every day as well as 7 private rooms that can be reserved online.
The best regional, national, and international bands are hosted at Motr Pub on a professional stage with top of the line production plus they offer alcoholic drink specials from 4pm to 7pm every Friday.
Mr Pitiful’s OTR is the place to go if you want to dance, drink, watch sports, or host an event.
Incredible live music and weekend nights with the country’s best bands as well as southern-inspired made-from-scratch cuisine can be found at Tin Roof.
You might also want to read our posts on:
Have Fun Drinking At The Best Bars In Cincinnati
After reading all of that you should have a much better understanding of what is available near you. There are plenty of local wine and cocktail bars, breweries to watch sports at, places with good drink specials to save money, trivia, quiz, and game nights, as well as bars to listen to live music, dance, and sing karaoke in your area.
If you think we got anything incorrect or notice us listing any venues that are no longer open please tell us in the comments so we can keep this info as up to date as possible. Now go have fun drinking at the best bars in Cincinnati.
