Coming for the spring game and looking for some good spots for food, drink, and accomodations.
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Theres alot to do down here.... The Banks (Cincinnati's comparable to the Arena District) Covington/ Newport (its on the slide due to the building up of the Ohio side.
Lodging I'd stay close to downtown but make sure you check the recent reviews. This city has bedbugs out the wazoo.
Nothing like dancing on the field in 02...
Thanks for the heads up on the bedbug situation. Was thinking the Cincinnatian.
An angry fan...rooting for an angry team...led by angry coaches
You DEFINITELY won't get bedbugs at the Cincinnatian.
I've stayed there a few times, definitely a good choice
The new Casino will be open then too. They'll have a couple 4 restaurants. One is a Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville (which is pretty fun if you've never been to one). The banks is awesome and they should have yet another restaurant/bar open by the time of the spring game.
I think you'll be able to stay downtown at the Millenium, Westin, Hyatt, and Hilton. May cost a little more. You could also stay in Covington on the river. There is a Mariott on the river, Embassy Suites too. Both are right buy the suspension bridge which you can walk across and be right at the banks.
You could also stay at the Radisson or Holiday in Covington and you'll be really close to the Clayway Bailey Bridge that you can walk across and be at PBS. There are several bars close to the Mariott and Embassy suites just a couple blocks away. Also, by the Radisson and Holiday in you have Main Strausse which is a street with a bunch of bars too.
Newport has the levy and Hofbrauhaus which is kind of cool if you've never been to one of those either. Also, near the levy is a barge with a Hooters and a place called the Beer Cellar which is pretty cool.
I'd say stay in Covington(probably cheaper) go to the spring game, then hang out at the banks for a while, walk or catch the bus back to covington, then go to Main strauss at night.
Went to Mainstrausse for Mardi Gras... Less then impressed but guess it all depends what you're looking for.
Nothing like dancing on the field in 02...
Main Strausse really depends on your age and what time of day you go there. If you go for stuff like Mardi Gras, Goetta Fest, Octoberfest, and Maifest, I agree it's not much fun. Way too many people, too many frat douches etc. Now, early to mid 20's I loved it. That's where all the hot ladies were lol. Now I have a wife and prefer 2 dollar beers at a corner bar to 4 dollar beers at a "cool" bar.
If you go on a weeknight or afternoons on the weekends there are some cool bars and good food that I still enjoy. MainStrausse in my opinion has the best bar in NKY. The Old Kentucky Bourbon Bar is awesome. Also, Zola has some of the best burgers around. I just assumed someone traveling down may be in the younger demographic and enjoy what MainStrausse offers on a Saturday night.
Thanks BT, greatly appreciate the info
An angry fan...rooting for an angry team...led by angry coaches
No problem, if you have any other questions the closer we get to the spring game let me know. I'm going to go to the game too and definitely plan to be hitting the Banks. I really haven't had a chance to hang out there yet. Been through there several times, but not really had a chance to enjoy it yet. I'm looking forward to The Yard House opening down there. That place is supposed to be really awesome.
Well I was expecting that demographic as well.... It had more of the feel of a 'Clones game feel.
Of course for the game I'd tell everyone to stop by the Moerlien Lager House... Well worth the beer and if you can get in for the food even better.
Nothing like dancing on the field in 02...
Marriot River Center and Embassy over in Covington are great locations and you can walk across the suspension bridge to PBS in a few minutes. Main Strauss district in Covington also has some great bourbon bars and restaurants if you want something that is not some kind of chain.
The Old Kentucky Bourbon Bar is awesome. You can get anything from Heaven Hill to the 23 year old Pappy Van Winkle. All the bartenders are really knowledgable too. It's a really cool little bar.
I have been known to "imbibe" on special occasions, and the spring game is always special.
An angry fan...rooting for an angry team...led by angry coaches
I know it's somewhat north in Springdale, but Pappadeaux for fresh Cajun seafood
http://pappadeaux.com/location/?id=42
and up the street is a 6.5 acre specialty supermarket called Jungle Jim's
http://www.junglejims.com/
As many have mentioned, you can't go wrong in Covington or Newport
I love Jungle Jims. My wife had mentioned recently, that she had never been there before, so we wentup a few weeks back. You really could spend hours in there walking around looking at everything.
BT, I found out the hard way that you better walk in Jungle Jim's with a list and have a full stomach !!!!
My wife spent over 1/2 hour looking at all the honey......ughhhh
I like checking out their hot sauce section. It's not often you can walk into a store and find a $1000 bottle of hot sauce
How much time should be allotted for a trip to Jungle Jim's
An angry fan...rooting for an angry team...led by angry coaches
1 to 2 hours minimum. Maybe stop on the way back to Columbus on Sunday in case you buy meat and/or seafood.
Good call Partisan on the entire aisle of hot sauces.
I agree, it's probably a good 20 miles from downtown, so you may want to budget that into your time. Once you get in the store though it's a pretty amazing place. The meat section has all kind of crazy meats and different organ meats. They have a giant Parmesan cheese that is like 18 feet tall aging. The wine, beer, and liquor area is pretty cool. They have all these different international sections. The fish department is huge and neat. They raise their own fish in there and the tanks are actually tanks from Chrernobyl. Kind of weird but also kind of neat to see the tanks. Definitely budget a couple hours to walk through.
I was there last Friday. Got there with my friend 'round 10:30 am, and literally only got through the cheese, wine, meat, and produce (probably less than half the bloody store) by the time we had to leave at 1 pm. That place is literally an all-day extravaganza if you're a foodie.
lHodge, do you live in the Cincinnati area? I know you are a Bourbon fan, if you live in the area, the Old Kentucky Bourbon Bar is having a tasting on Wednesday. The master distiller from Russel is going to be there. The flight for the tasting will be Wild Turkey Rare Breed, Russell's Reserve Single Barrel, Russell's Reserve 10 year, Russell's reserve 6 year Rye, and Wild Turkey 101.
They have pretty awesome tastings there. A couple weeks ago they had Harlan Wheatley from Buffalo Trace. For 5 bucks that night you got to try, Buffalo Trace, Elmer T Lee Single Barrel(one of my favorites), Eagle Rare, EH Taylor, and Weller (7 year). It's pretty neat to get the Master Distillers in there and try the different products.
I live in Southeast Dayton (Beavercreek), so it's not to terribly far of a hike--round forty minutes--but, alas, probably too far for a Wednesday night haha. Cincy is freaking nirvana for Bourbon drinkers, between Jungle Jim's and Partysource (which, quite frankly, I'm scared to bloody death to go back until I have some serious coin in pocket).
Good deal. Cork n Bottle is pretty cool for Bourbon too. They have a lot of single barrel selections where specific barrels were selected by Cork n Bottle employees and that barrel was only bottled for the store. They have Buffalo Trace, Weller, Elmer T Lee, and Eagle Rare bottles from 1 or 2 barrels. I got a bottle of Elmer from their selection and it's amazing. It's right off the first exit when you cross into Kentucky on 75.
If you are even in the area, though, and have some time to burn you should cruise over to Covington and hit the OKBB. For a bourbon fan it's a great place to go. They have a huge selection of bourbon, rye, and white dog. Obviously most in Kentucky but they have stuff from West Virginia, New York, and even Japan. 2 Beers on tap are bourbon barrel ales too. Anyway, I've talked it up enough, it's just a really cool place to go. I've been maybe 4 times and love it.
Sounds like a plan, man. Also, I'm sure you'll have a better time finding this on shelves than I do here in the Gem City, but if you're looking for something different check out Corsair's Triple Smoke Whiskey. It's a "single malt", distilled in the Nashville company's Kentucky plant; but instead of using peat smoke and ageing in bourbon barrels, they use three different barlies--smoked over three fuels: cherry, beech, and peat--and age the stuff in new charred oak barrels (like bourbon). The result is a frutier tasting smoke, with the sweet finish the accompanies so many bourbons. I have no doubt that a lot of Cincy's bourbon bars pobably stock it, and it's well worth a try.
I'll definitely have to check that out. A year ago I was mixing bourbon in coke, and that was the only way I could handle it, now I have a nice collection and am drinking it neat. I still can't explain on the tasting notes and all that, and to be honest I don't know if I ever will be able too. I can just say this tastes really good to me lol.
That's the true Zen of enjoying anything. It doesn't matter if you can describe the subtle hints of flavors in what you're drinking, only that you like it. Besides, most of those "descriptors" are so arbitrary and personal that it's tough to really get a good handle on what tastes they really describe, especially with how personal and specialized everyone's sense of taste is. I'm really bad with tasting notes--most especially with bourbon--but I find this aforementioned whiskey (the Triple Smoke) smoother than most bourbons, lacking that "harshness" I get in a lot of them.
Also, a buddy let me try some of Watershed's Bourbon, distilled in Columbus. It's fantastic.
You can also try Larosa's on 8th Street or Vine Street.
Skyline Chili on Vine Street
And Hathaways, First Watch, and Arnold's Bar and Grill.
I like to believe that my best hits border on felonious assault.
JACK TATUM
Thanks for joining in, Buckman. Great info from all.
An angry fan...rooting for an angry team...led by angry coaches
If you are a beer snob like me, the yard house in the banks will be opening soon. 150 taps!
It opens March 24th. And living in SoCal, I can testify that this is an outstanding restaurant. Great food and lots of beer choices. It's not inexpensive, but well worth it. And they only play classic rock, for those that care.
http://www.truelook.com/clients/yardhouse-webcam/
I'm really looking forward to Yard House. Beer Cellar in Newport is cool, they have over 100 bottled beers and 60 drafts, but I've been waiting for Yard House for a while now. I think they announced that was coming to the banks almost a year ago.
Springtime in Cincy?
hear it's like Paris
"You win with people." - Woody Hayes
Just a few blocks from Paul Brown Stadium is the Moerlein Lager House (also the brewery of Christian Moerlein beer). I've dropped by a couple times after Reds games, and have yet to be disappointed. In true Cincinnati tradition (their name is based off an old Huedepohl beer that was the first American beer brewed in accordance to the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516), they mainly brew in the German tradition, and largely supplement their own beers with other German (or German-style) beers. They have a pretty rad little bier garden, as well as two stories of regular seating. Check
I love the building too, it's just a nice looking place. I'm not crazy about their beer, but I've mostly only had the OTR. It's not bad, but just not my favorite.
I've been kind of lukewarm to most of their brews, but last Summer I tried their Bohemian Pilsner (seasonal draft special), and I'll be damned if it wasn't one of the best damn beers that I've ever tipped down my gullet. Czech and German Pilsners are amongst my favorite styles if done right, and Moerlein's was way up there.
I'll have to give it a try. I live about 10 miles south of Cincy, and they just opened a German restaurant called the Steinhaus. It was an old German food/butcher shop for a long time, then closed and became a Mexican Restaurant that no one ever went too. Anyway, it's been opened back up and the place is packed every night. They have a bunch of different German beers on tap and there's a stein club where you pay a yearly fee and they keep a stein in house specifically for you when you come in. You get discounts and special tastings when they have new beers come to the restaurant. I've yet to check it out, but it's like 3 miles from my house. Sounds like a little gem though.
Hodge, have you tried their Northern Liberties? It is my favorite.
I agree, not a huge fan of their beers but the building is cool and a fun place. They usually have a really good selection of "guest" beers. Bells, Founders, and Great Lakes take the edge off of wishing I was in Cleveland watching the tribe.
After the spring game and before you head outta Cincy, I would suggest stopping by the Findlay Market in historic Over-The-Rhine, its Ohio's oldest continuously operated public mkt. Its like the Short North Market on a larger scale. Its packed in there and you'll be shoulder to shoulder hollaring for your right to get your hands on the city's freshest meats, cheeses, breads, seafood, etc. If you're not from Cincy, you probably have no clue what a "hot mett" is but I suggest you pick some up and take it back with you.
"Get him a body bag, Yeah!"
Newport on the Levee- Hofbrahaus, german eatery that brews their own German beer. Comes in a huge stein, around 8 bucks for a beer. One of these beer glasses has about 2 to 3 beers in it though at a higher alcohol content.
Also Newport on the levee has great food (mitchells fish Market, Deweys pizza) an AMC theatre, bars (arnies, jefferson hall)
Down the road in Newport is a Hooters, Chilis, Joes Crab Shack, and Buckhead Grill. Right next to Hooters is Beer Sellar. Has a decent selection of food, but the Beer selection is better, with 60 taps and 120 different bottled beers.
Last in Newport is the Party Source. Have a favorite beer you can never find? Try Party Source, with a vast selection of beers, wines, cigars and liquors. https://www.thepartysource.com/
The Banks- Moerlein Lager House. Great food and good beer. Has a good view of downtown Cincinnati, Reds Stadium, and the Ohio river.
Holy Grail and Tin Roof are also on the banks. Both good pregame hangouts for Reds and Bengals game. Good food and great beer. Also near these two is some place I havent had called Crave.
Downtown- Great food selection downtown. Nada is one of the best places to eat in the city. Its a mexican, classier eatery. Its delicious. Good selection of tequila. Would suggest reservations.
Rock bottom Brewery is also a good place with great food and another selection fo great beer. \
Vast amount of bars downtown- Mynt Martini bar, Whiskey Bar, Pulse, Mainstay Rock Bar.
Another place is Mount Adams area. Good views of the city with a great nightlife. Longworths, Mt. Adams Pavilion etc. Draws a young and old crowd.
Covington- Good place to explore is Mainstrausse. Depending on when you catch it, they hold great events. Pretty much a row of bars around each other. (Zazous, Cosmos, Cock and Bull English Pub, Pachinkos just to name a popular few.)
To the people that mentioned Jungle Jim's. Not only do they have one location, but two now. And one is closer to downtown than driving all the way to Fairfield. A new one opened up in Eastgate which is about twenty minutes, all highway, from downtown.
And somehow I am always trying to find something to do on the weekends... I don't even get it. Most people would say wow, that's a lot.
Great stuff!! Thanks everyone. We really looking forward to the trip.
An angry fan...rooting for an angry team...led by angry coaches
Some of the places mentioned by others are chains that can be found in other cities. If you want a few good spots that you can only find in Cincinnati, here are some of my favorites:
Jeff Ruby's on Walnut Street or The Precinct on the corner of Delta and Columbia Parkway are incredible if you want a truly fine dining experience. If you stay at The Cincinnatian, you can walk to Ruby's. Nicola's (on Sycamore Street) is another great choice if you're a fan of Italian food. If you like no frills BBQ, check out Eli's on Eastern Avenue. If you like fresh, local food, Green Dog Cafe is incredible (GDC is across the street from The Precinct and GDC has Jeni's ice cream).
A few blocks north of the stadium on Vine Street is a bunch of new restaurants/bars that will have great crowds the weekend of the Spring Game. Taste of Belgium, get the chicken and waffle for breakfast and thank me later. Right around TOB are a few other great spots for food. The Senate (gourmet hot dogs), Bakersfield OTR (a tequila and taco bar), and Venice on Vine (pizza). You can't go wrong with any of these. There are some bars around the OTR restaurants, but I haven't been to any of the bars yet.
A few others mentioned the Moerlein Lager House, which is a great spot for local craft beers before the game. The Holy Grail is another great pre-game spot if you don't really care what kind of beer you're drinking.
If you venture up to Mt Adams, The Rookwood, The Celestial, and Teak are good recommendations for food. For drinks in Mt Adams, the Blind Lemon is a great spot (outdoor patio with live music). If you prefer a dive bar instead, Crowley's is your place (family owned and the absolute best place in Mt Adams for no frills drinking).
If you're a coffee fan, make sure you hit up Coffee Emporium (Central Parkway) before you leave town.
I just went to the Celestial for the first time. It was awesome, and the view up there is incredible.
+1 for the Blind Lemon and Crowley's.
Damn I miss Crowley's!
"Because I couldn't go for 3"
If you really want some Cincinnati chili that isn't Skyline, try yourself some Camp Washington Chili just north of downtown. It's got a little more kick, and it doesn't have the big chain feel that Skyline has.
(Disclaimer: I LOVE Skyline. I still get it in shipments via US flat-rate boxes from my dad).
You definitely need to go to the Moerlein Lager House at the Banks, though. It's great and the beers are probably the best local stuff you can get in Cincy.
Totally agree, Camp Washington is good stuff.
Cheap and good eats = Tom and Chee: http://www.tomandchee.com/
Not too far for Paul Brown--and who doesn't love some Grippo's on their sandwich?
If you can go to the Grippo factory and get Extra-Hot Grippos. However the only one I know of is on Colerain Avenue.
I like to believe that my best hits border on felonious assault.
JACK TATUM
For the kids..
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
Newport Aquarium
Smale Riverfront park 40-50 acres located between Great American Ball Park and Paul Brown Stadium. Better if you go at night. Especially if it's warm. My wife and kids love it.
Reds Hall Of Fame Museum
And depending on what's going on Fountain Square can be a place to check out.
I like to believe that my best hits border on felonious assault.
JACK TATUM
Also, the Cincy Museum Center at Union Terminal has a nice Children's Museum, and the Natural History & Science Museum is pretty kid-friendly as well. They also have some nice special exhibits, and the Terminal building is pretty cool in and of itself.
Montgomery Inn ... man I miss those ribs. Mt. Adams for a unique place to hang out.
Definitely Montgomery Inn.........go to cincy from columbus at least twice a year for those ribs
Dude, there's one in Columbus/Dublin..
http://www.montgomeryinn.com/columbus-montgomery-inn.php
People are saying that I'm an alcoholic, and that's not true, because I only drink when I work, and I'm a workaholic.
Ron White
Skyline
It has been a while since I was back, but there used to be a terrific Thai place in Mount Adams.... I think it was called Teak. Killer spice and seasonings! Then hit the Blind Lemon for a couple drinks and a cool atmosphere.
~Naples Buckeye - "May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't." - General George S. Patton, Jr.
Teak is really good. My parents go there a lot and now and then they give me a call to ask me to tag along. I haven't been there for a while, but it's great!