Greater Cincinnati area bar guide
As always, the Newswire encourages students to practice safe bar hopping and have a designated driver.
Pub at Rookwood Mews
Matthew Finger
Managing Editor
If you’re looking for a bar with a fun atmosphere, good food and a great beer selection, you should check out the Pub at Rookwood Mews. Located just down the road in Rookwood, this traditional British pub prides itself on authenticity and quality.
The dim lighting and dark oak furniture, most of which was shipped from England, create a soothing atmosphere where you can enjoy a pint (or two or three) over your traditional fish and chips, or in conversation with your friends.
If the people you’re with don’t entertain you, fear not; there are a dozen or so televisions located around the Pub so that you won’t miss a minute of your Premier League team’s match (or the Xavier game, if you’re into that stuff). The bar itself is beautifully stocked, harboring an armada of beers from around the world, many of which are draught. It is this selection, which boasts anything from Bud Light to Bass Ale to corked Belgian lambics, that really gives the Pub its personality.
The bar can be a little intimidating at first, as a proud display of spirits and beer draughts stare out at you from behind the deep oak counter. But once you settle in with an endless list of nectars, it’s hard not to enjoy yourself.
The prices are the only thing discouraging about the Pub. A draught beer will probably cost you about $4, maybe a little more depending on what you want. But, with happy hour from 3 to 7 p.m., Monday through Thursday, you’ll be able to afford a few rounds. The Pub also has a trivia contest every Monday, starting at 7:30 p.m., which features half off the price of fish and chips.
As a major college bar, the Pub falls short with its slightly high prices. But, for those of you who fancy yourselves connoisseurs of fine beers, experts in good food and social drinkers, the Pub is the perfect place to relax, talk with friends and strangers (the servers are lovely people) and enjoy life, at least until the glass is empty.
Wings & Rings
Pat Stevenson
Editor-in-Chief
buffalowingsandwings.com
Wings & Rings is but a zygote in the Norwood bar scene.
The new bar and grill located at 4747 Montgomery Rd. is quite different from the usual Norwood haunts—Dana’s, Monty’s and Randy’s.
Walking into the establishment, I immediately noticed there are less prostitutes at Wings & Rings than there are at, say, Dana’s. I’m not going to judge whether this is a good or bad thing; I just report facts.
Wings & Rings is not yet the best place to go for a bustling nightlife scene. This is probably due to it being a new establishment, and that it’s located in a Quality Inn. Because of its close proximity to an inexpensive hotel, one imagines that it’s only a matter of time until prostitutes begin to infiltrate this establishment. But I digress.
The food at Wings & Rings is above average for bar food. I sampled the mini corn dogs, which were delicious. I also had something called a gyro quesadilla, which sounds exotic, but tastes exactly like a gyro.
As far as the beer selection goes, it was solid, yet unspectacular. I prefer bars that have something like 47 different beers on draft. This one has maybe half a dozen. They do, however, have a really nice Guinness tap.
They have a good deal for buckets of beers—seven bottles of Bud Light for $10 on the night I went. They also let us keep the bucket, which was great, because I don’t own nearly enough metal buckets.
All in all, Wings & Rings is a good place to go to check out the scene. I think it’s a better place to go and catch a basketball game—there are a plethora of televisions—than it is to go hang out on a weekend evening, but it’s definitely worth checking out.
Arnie's on the Levee
Kelly Shaw
Senior News Editor
If you and the girls are looking for an upbeat bar on a Saturday night, Arnie’s on the Levee is definitely a good bet.
Located across from the AMC theaters and down the street from Hofbrauhaus in Newport, Arnie’s is a restaurant by day and a nightclub after 10 p.m.
Since my arrival was after 10 p.m. I am not able to give advice regarding the restaurant, however the bar was very well suited to my taste, which includes a healthy appetite for dancing. Another plus is that it is clean and smoke-free.
You will have to stand in the rather long line to get in. Many bars have heat lamps for those waiting. This bar, however, does not. I would approximate a 15 to 20 minute wait during the busier hours—whenever that is for your given night.
Upon walking in, the place looks as most night clubs do—crowded and loud. Actually, I didn’t realize that it was also a restaurant until after I looked it up to write this article.
It is one of the more crowded bars I have been to (other than Dana’s), but it was by far one of the best places to dance.
Their choice of music ranged from current hip-hop and best of the 80s, which was exactly to my liking. If you’re solely a rock or country fan, I doubt you’ll fare as well.
The dance floor surrounds the bar, and there is also an elevated floor, which my friends and I quickly learned was for women only.
However, it’s fairly spacious and only elevated about two feet, so that it doesn’t have quite the trashy connotation as the stage at Metropolis.
Though it takes some work to make your way to the bar through the crowd, the bartender is quite accessible. The two times my friends and I went to get drinks it took no longer than a few minutes. They were not shy about the amount of alcohol in their drinks either.
Arnie’s has specials during each day of the week, including college night on Thursdays where you can get 50 cent drafts and $4 shots of Milagro Tequila. But, you have to remember that the dress code includes “no thug wear.”
The Mad Frog
Emily Hoferer
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Situated on a quaint Clifton corner is the quirky and clever Mad Frog. It’s a popular venue for local bands, who are featured almost nightly on their stage. The Mad Frog is the quintessential college bar. It’s slightly old, a little dingy, but still has enough character to come off as endearing instead of run down. The lime green exterior makes it hard to miss, especially against the grey Cincinnati weather.
The front room of the Mad Frog is stocked with tables, TVs and a bar. The prices are typical of a Clifton college bar.
The thing about the Mad Frog is that they are not in the business of just selling drinks. This venue is also the home of the local Cincinnati music scene. Five nights a week the Mad Frog features live music on their stage which is another room completely away from the bar.
This is great because it separates the people who want to listen to loud music from those who just want to enjoy the bar. The regulars come not only to listen, but mingle with the musicians afterwards.
The crowds at the Mad Frog are as diverse as their music acts. It is an 18 and over bar, which means that it attracts a younger crowd.
Monday nights are salsa nights. From 10 p.m.-2 a.m. a live salsa band plays upstairs while downstairs a hip-hop dance party ensues. They even offer free salsa lessons an hour before the band shows up to play.
Although it may be dingy at times, and the crowd can be a little young, if you are into music and passionate about local artists, the Mad Frog should be a second home to you. The parking is a drag and there is a cover price on some nights, but overall it’s a Clifton place of true character that any Cincinnatian must visit at least once.
