All told, 21 months elapsed between Dana Gardens’ 1994 closing and 1995 rebirth, the only blip during the over 80 years of the Cincinnati’s dive bar’s existence. Outside, not all of that history can be seen today, the structure refreshed over the years, understandably, including an extensive patio that now includes a freshly constructed, standalone beer hall-style second patio. What can be seen, from almost any altitude, is the dive bar’s affiliation with nearby Xavier University, a love affair etched into the design of the bar’s roof. A special shingle design spells out Let’s Go X, a design that required special waterproofing to product a more school-official looking ‘X.’
To be sure, the continuous replenishment of thirsty undergrads at nearby Xavier is one reason for Dana Gardens’ enduring success, a fact clearly seen in the carved signatures along the bar’s wood surfaces and the slow creep of those signatures to the ceiling, scrawled in chalk-style marker. Xavier memorabilia can of course be found throughout the space, and the bar’s short set of available menu items bears more than one homage to Xavier coaches through the years. Gillen’s Goetta Bites, a Cincinnati area specialty, take their name from former Xavier college basketball coach Pete Gillen, for example.
A discussion of Dana Gardens would be incomplete without mention of bartending legend Hershel Ware, a staple behind the bar who came on board shortly after the bar’s reopening. Born in 1928, Ware not only works regularly behind the bar but also loans his first name to the bar’s signature drink, the Herschel Special, a dangerous-sounding and proprietary concoction made from cranberry, orange juice and grenadine. As if to ensure his presence is felt whether Hershel is working that day or not, a HERSHEL license plate hangs over the cash register behind the bar. Similar Xavier-themed license plates line the slight ridge in the roof just over the bar to extend the theme.
