The online reviews for Edge Inn, a scarce sight despite the dive bar’s long history, all cite the same basic draw to visit: inexpensive drinks. And that is certainly true today, the bar offering prices much lower than its Hyde Park neighborhood location would suggest. The fact that the bar is cash only allows for some of that financial flexibility, creating an environment where domestic cans can run $2 or $3 in a part of Cincinnati where just two blocks away craft beer might go for $8 and up.
Inside is where Edge Inn separates from a run-of-the-mill dive bar, featuring a horseshoe bar in the center of the space reminiscent of Denver dive bar legend Nob Hill Inn. And there’s something to a horseshoe in the center of the room, that forced social interaction that comes with having no choice but to look at someone else in a dark dive bar where that may not be everyone’s first choice. Of course, those moments often turn into the kinds of interactions that make visiting a dive bar the worthwhile experience it is.
Though work has certainly been put into a number of the surfaces within Edge Inn, including what looks to be a refinished floor, the weight of time is clearly evident inside. The drop ceiling tiles are colored and missing in places. The short wood slats that run halfway up the walls that surround the bar look to be aged if not original. And the bar counter itself again may not date back to the construction of the building but there’s something to the classic U-shaped build and the polished wood that establishes that vintage authenticity.