Longfellow is a bar on Clay Street in Over-the-Rhine with a horseshoe bar, brick walls and wood panelling. Behind it, the Other Room has its own entrance on East 13th Street and Brackett Alley and offers a large rum selection, absinthe service and classic drinks, opening Thursday to Saturday evenings. Its sister restaurant is two blocks away on East Court Street.
Ghost Baby is a cocktail lounge and live music room four stories beneath Vine Street, set in former lagering tunnels of a 19th century Cincinnati brewery. The Rattle Room, built around an ornate bar styled after a baby's rattle, is walk in only, while the half domed Den has a velvet curtained stage and takes reservations. The list runs from inventive cocktails to canned beer and hand selected wine.
Japp's is a small cocktail bar on Main Street in Over-the-Rhine, in a building that started as John G. Japp's hair store in 1879. The long wooden bar and historic fittings frame a cocktail list alongside live music nights. Two private spaces, the Bromwell's Room and the John Japp Patio, can be booked for groups.
Lost & Found OTR is a neighbourhood cocktail bar in Over-the-Rhine, set in a former six car garage. Owners Camilo Otalora and Madeline Aeschbury run a seasonal menu shaped by local farms and distilleries, with classic cocktails reworked alongside new creations. Music, decor and lighting are part of the concept, and the bar also serves food.
Overlook Lodge is a Pleasant Ridge bar themed on The Shining, serving craft cocktails in a rustic lodge setting. It runs weekly events such as trivia, free movie screenings and DJ nights. Each autumn it turns into The Haunting, a Halloween pop up with its own menu in themed glassware.
These are the cocktail bars specifically. The full Cincinnati guide ranks the best bars of every style, and the directory lists all 6 with a map and filters.
Best bars in Cincinnati