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.
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
City View Tavern
Review Rating: 10 out of 10
Few dive bars rival the unmissable view from the City View Tavern back patio.
O'Malley's In The Alley
Review Rating: 10 out of 10
It's a dive bar down an alley in downtown Cincy. It's right there in the name.
JD's Honky Tonk & Emporium
Review Rating: 9 out of 10
Nothing says dive bar like highway overpass and this is Cincy's representative.
Dunlap Café
Review Rating: 9 out of 10
Breakfast, beer and limited hours at one of the city's oldest institutions.
Dana Gardens
Review Rating: 9 out of 10
Signature-covered Xavier University tradition with one epic roof design.
Larry's
Review Rating: 9 out of 10
Timeless Corner Club in Covington with let's say a rich history.
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.
Pilot Inn
Review Rating: 8 out of 10
Like a lunch counter crossed with a dive bar that has changed little over the years.
Friendly Stop Bar & Grill
Review Rating: 8 out of 10
License plates cover the bar where Sandy Koufax signed his first pro contract.
Crowley's Irish Pub
Review Rating: 8 out of 10
Cincinnati's oldest Irish bar perched atop Mount Adams and behind the family crest.
Murphy's Pub
Review Rating: 8 out of 10
Winding collection of student-friendly, dart-filled drinking nooks.
Up Over
Review Rating: 8 out of 10
New Orleans, Germany and Kentucky converge in this unique dive bar mix.
Milton's Prospect Hill Tavern
Review Rating: 7 out of 10
Few dive bars celebrate Spring quite like this Prospect Hill spot with a goat above the door.
B List
Review Rating: 7 out of 10
Nothing says class like a chandelier in the corner of this renovated, beautiful Kentucky dive.
Cindy's Friendly Tavern
Review Rating: 7 out of 10
Lakewood drinking in a dive bar, pool table-filled sun room.
Stanley's Pub
Review Rating: 7 out of 10
One of the longest running music venues in the city with Mario Kart thrown in.
Madonna's Bar & Grill
Review Rating: 7 out of 10
Half a disco ball, sneaky good chicken wings and walls covered in mirrors can't be wrong.
Gypsy's Mainstrasse
Review Rating: 7 out of 10
Hockey-friendly drinking in Covington's Mainstrasse Village district.
Knockback Nats
Review Rating: 7 out of 10
As classic as a sports bar can be complete with house-smoked wings & brisket.
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.
