O’Malley’s In The Alley

Cincinnati, Ohio

Field Note

The distinction of second oldest bar in a city as old and as full of great dive bars as Cincinnati is no small feat. Nestled along an alley in downtown Cincinnati sits the appropriately named O’Malley’s In The Alley, owner of that very distinction. A century of continuous operation has resulted in a combination speakeasy and downtown dive bar spanning both O’Malley’s In The Alley and adjoining Blind Pig, creating one of the city’s great drinking environments.

A bar of some kind has inhabited the current O’Malley’s In The Alley structure since 1892, a record beat only by Arnold’s, the oldest bar in Cincinnati that can trace its lineage back to opening as a ‘house of ill repute’ in 1838. Names have of course changed over the years including stints as Ogden’s Place (so named because of the bar’s Ogden Place address) and The Hideaway. The O’Malley’s In The Alley moniker qualifies as a Cincinnati institution at this point.

Looking down Ogden Place alley, the ornate O’Malley’s In The Alley wooden sign provides the only suggestion that a business of any kind exists along this downtown side street. The entrance to O’Malley’s In The Alley is recessed from the alley itself, adding to the hidden gem status of the Cincinnati dive bar. A small, shingled portal frames the bar’s front door, offering access to a dimly-lit hovel that qualifies as one of the city’s best dive bars.

The space is narrow, occupied by a long bar on one side of the structure and lined with a handful of tables along the opposite wall. The dark, stamped roof seems to absorb light somehow, creating a pleasantly dark vibe no matter the hour. Maybe the best dive bar seating in Cincinnati can be found in the form of small, snug booths that occupy the rear half of the bar’s main room.

Dark wooden panels traverse white walls throughout O’Malley’s In The Alley, another visual element that adds to the secluded, vaguely European feeling of the bar. An operational fireplace complete with decoration-laden mantle can be found on the way to the back of O’Malley’s In The Alley, the walls here dotted with beer signs, many of them part of the bar’s obviously Irish theme. Food is available at O’Malley’s In The Alley until 10 PM every day in the form of appetizers, soups and a number of sandwiches.

A space formerly known as the Locker Room was remodeled in 2014 as a speakeasy of sorts extending off the back of the O’Malley’s In The Alley space, now named the Blind Pig. The partner bar can be accessed through a hallway near the rear of the building. During Cincinnati Bengals and Cincinnati Reds games, the full space is opened up as one long pre- and post-game destination. The patio that extends off of the Blind Pig is one of the great people watching spots on game day given its panoramic view of each stadium and the crowds assembled for games.

Now owned by Juan Imeroni, O’Malley’s In The Alley is part of a patchwork of bars throughout Cincinnati and its surrounding area under the name ‘Ignite.’ The association unlocks one unique feature of drinking at O’Malley’s In The Alley in the form of a “drinking and driving” bus that cycles through Ignite bars around the city as responsible transportation.