Cincinnati Dive Bar Guide

Dive Bars Winding With The River

Cincinnati is a confluence of forces in a number of way, inclusive of the Ohio River of course but also in the cultural combinations that create interesting dive bars throughout the city. At the juncture of Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, influences can be found from any number of sources, including geography that is anything but flat. City View Tavern and other dive bars in Mount Adams and elsewhere benefit from some of that variation.

Xavier institution Dana Gardens adds another dimension to the dive bar mix, adding a classic college dive bar to a host of other options. Nearby Pilot Inn looks and feels like it has been serving lunch since the city was founded and neighbor Edge Inn Tavern looks like it could have been about the first building constructed (ok, not quite that old).

Dive drinking options encircle the city of course, but downtown Cincinnati hides one gem in plain sight, the aptly named O'Malley's in the Alley that sits, you guessed it, down a quiet alley. Options expand to all reaches of Cincinnati and Newport, Kentucky, in particular, just across the river, making for a varied dive bar scavenger hunt across hills, flatland and three different states.

Dive Bar Map

Cincinnati Dive Bar Reviews

Ranked Order

Johnnie's Glenn Avenue Grill - Columbus Dive Bar Exterior

Dana Gardens

Review Rating: 9 out of 10
Signature-covered Xavier University tradition with one epic roof design.
Johnnie's Glenn Avenue Grill - Columbus Dive Bar Exterior

Edge Inn Tavern

Review Rating: 8 out of 10
The building may look closed, but try the handle to be sure for a worthwhile experience.
Johnnie's Glenn Avenue Grill - Columbus Dive Bar Exterior

Pilot Inn

Review Rating: 8 out of 10
Like a lunch counter crossed with a dive bar that has changed little over the years.

Cincinnati Dive Bars Not Yet Reviewed

Must Visit Recommendations

Unfortunately, we have not yet been to every single dive bar in the city, but there probably a few more punch cards on our livers, so we’ll make it there soon. In the meantime, the curated list of dives below comes highly recommended by a variety of friends, online sources and drunks.

Bellevue

B List

343 Division St
Bellevue, KY 41073
Google Map

Camp Washington

JD's Honky Tonk & Emporium

2406 Spring Grove Ave
Cincinnati, OH 45214
Google Map

Columbia

Stanley's Pub

323 Stanley Ave
Cincinnati, OH 45226
Google Map

Covington

Larry's

536 W 9th St
Covington, KY 41011
Google Map

Covington

Up/Over

624 Main St
Covington, KY 41011
Google Map

Downtown

O'Malley's in the Alley

25 W Ogden Pl
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Google Map

Glendale

Friendly Stop Bar & Grill

985 Congress Ave
Cincinnati, OH 45246
Google Map

Loveland

Cindy's Lounge

125 Karl Brown Way # A
Loveland, OH 45140
Google Map

Mt. Adams

City View Tavern

403 Oregon St
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Google Map

Mt. Adams

Crowley's Irish Pub

958 Pavilion St
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Google Map

Mt. Auburn

Miltons the Prospect Hill Tavern

301 Milton St
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Google Map

Newport

Coach's Corner

317 E 6th St
Newport, KY 41071
Google Map

Over-The-Rhine

Dunlap Café

1926 Dunlap St
Cincinnati, OH 45214
Google Map

University Heights

Murphy's Pub

2329 W Clifton Ave
Cincinnati, OH 45219
Google Map

Other Dive Bar Options

Boswell Alley

10 E Columbia Ave
Cincinnati, OH 45215
Google Map

Bramble Patch

1686 Blue Rock St
Cincinnati, OH 45223
Google Map

Brother's Café

6768 Bramble Ave
Cincinnati, OH 45227
Google Map

C&D Tavern

7208 Montgomery Rd
Cincinnati, OH 45236
Google Map

Crazy Fox Saloon

1714 Hanfield St # 1
Cincinnati, OH 45223
Google Map

Crow's Nest

5744 Springdale Rd
Cincinnati, OH 45247
Google Map

Flying Pig Irish Pub

901 Washington Ave
Newport, KY 41071
Google Map

Fries Café

4544 W 8th St
Cincinnati, OH 45238
Google Map

Gypsy's

3265 Brotherton Rd
Cincinnati, OH 45209
Google Map

Happy Hollow Inn

3247 Jefferson Ave
Cincinnati, OH 45220
Google Map

Knockback Nats

641 Main St
Covington, KY 41011
Google Map

Liberty Inn

2430 Park Ave
Cincinnati, OH 45212
Google Map

Madonna's Bar & Grill

10 W 7th St
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Google Map

Montgomery Towne Tavern

7163 Princeton Rd
Liberty Township, OH 45044
Google Map

Northside Tavern

11 E 7th St
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Google Map

Old Time Saloon

10813 Montgomery Rd
Cincinnati, OH 45242
Google Map

Old Towne Tavern

4163 Hamilton Ave A
Cincinnati, OH 45223
Google Map

rhinehaus

4901 Cleves Warsaw Pike
Cincinnati, OH 45238
Google Map

Tammy's Airport Inn

35 W Pike St
Covington, KY 41011
Google Map

The Arena Lounge

119 E 12th St
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Google Map

The Backyard Bar

4101 Airport Rd
Cincinnati, OH 45226
Google Map

The Comet

4208 Plainville Rd
Cincinnati, OH 45227
Google Map

The Pike Bar & Grill

4579 Hamilton Ave
Cincinnati, OH 45223
Google Map

The Vogue

10010 Springfield Pike
Cincinnati, OH 45215
Google Map

The Wood Bar

8441 Vine St
Cincinnati, OH 45216
Google Map

Trios

1763 Sherman Ave
Norwood, OH 45212
Google Map

Twenty Mile Tavern

3221 Montgomery Rd
Loveland, OH 45140
Google Map

What Did We Miss?

6 + 3 =

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