arnold's bar & grill

most of the time, i love to eat at arnold's. it has great ambiance but can get quite crowded. that's to be expected. on several occasions, i went there specifically to get a hot pretzel only to be disappointed because they had run out of them....again. i usually stick with the appetizer menu, but this last time i branched out to the main dinners. first the appetizers....i recommend the fried green tomatoes, the fried deviled eggs and of course the pretzel with bourbon beer cheese. the wings that we ordered were swimming in grease. they were almost inedible. i wouldn't order them again. the main dishes...chicken and waffles had a delicious maple syrup and the hot sauce was quite spicy. the flavor wasgoodbut i am sensitive to spicy things so i only sampled my friend's dish. he enjoyed it. the waffle was light and the battered chicken was also. he thought that the waffle was better than taste of belgium's but the fried chicken was not. i had the blueberry fried chicken with brie and walnuts. unfortunately, i didn't see any walnuts on my plate and the mashed potatoes were as cold as ice. the chicken was warm so i was afraid to send the food back because i did not want the potatoes to be microwaved, so i just suffered through them. the dish was prettygoodbut didn't seem worth $20. overall, i love this place but there is definitely room for improvement. i will be back of course to try again, but i might just stick with the appetizers and keep my fingers crossed that they have not run out of the pretzels and beer cheese. parking is on the street or across the street in a paid parking lot. the cost varies with the current events going on in town.

used to be one of my favorites after work, or just hanging around downtown. clearly, the ambiance of the oldest bar in cincinnati is neat (no tvs, live music most nights). service isgoodand prepared to handle downtown time needs (seeing a show, lunch break etc). the food is my only current reservation. the menu has shifted a lot in the past two years. they have effectively cut out vegetarian burgers (which is too bad they had a great one), and last time i was there they didn't have the turkey needed for their self promoted famous hot brown sandwich, on a friday night going into a holiday weekend. that said, the food that we did end up ordering was well prepared, and tasted great, but i am currently uneasy about recommending them until the kitchen/menu changes level out.

we stumbled upon this gem by accident. my girlfriend and i took a girls weekend to cincinnati to eat and drink our way through town, and were shocked and dismayed that very few highly recommended places withgoodbeer on tap didn't open until after 4pm on fridays. arnold's was open, so we headed on over and are so glad we did!

we actually stopped twice. the first was friday afternoon. we each had a few local beers and a house cocktail made with alcohol infused by the bartenders there. i had a martini made with house infuse cucumber jalapeno vodka and midori. i am not a martini girl by any means, but it was out of this world. 

our 2nd visit was for a late evening meal on saturday night. the place was hopping, and deservedly so. we split deep fried deviled eggs - these are a thing, and they are mouth watering. we also split fried green tomatoes, done perfectly with pepperjack cheese and pico de gallo. we probably should have stopped there, but we were in town to eat and drink, so my friend had a hot brown and i had a fried bologna sandwich. the sandwich wasgoodand i'd eat it again, but the real standouts were the tomatoes and eggs. 

they also had pumking on tap, which they didn't the day before - it's one of the best pumpkin beers on the market.

others may have mentioned, but arnold's is the oldest bar in cincinnati. it's much more than a bar - though the actual bar itself is gorgeous. they have live music and a menu that is superior to most. do yourself a favor and stop if you're in town!

on 6/20/2015 my dad was refused service. let me explain why.

a year ago, he got really sick. long story short, he's had three brain surgeries and six months of chemotherapy. in order to avoid a long explanation, we usually say that he has brain cancer, but it's actually much more complex than that. no one knows what he has, but his brain is attacking itself and they don't know if it will stop.

as a result of this, my dad has difficulty walking and talking. now let me be clear: it's very obvious that my dad has been ill. he lost his hair from the chemo, and he has visible scars on his scalp from the brain surgeries.

that brings us to tonight. he was at arnold's on a date. it was agoodnight (so that means he didn't have to use his wheelchair). after having two beers, he was intercepted by the owner on the way back to his table. she told him that they could no longer serve him. he explained to her that he has a neurological disease that impairs his mobility, and she still refused to serve him. so he left.

he called me afterwards and said it was the most humiliating night of his life. i called the owner, and she was completely unapologetic. she said she was "very friendly" to my dad (refusing a disabled person service is diametrically opposed to friendliness) and that drunk people will say anything to get more alcohol. she even had the nerve to say that there were a few things he said that didn't add up.

my dad is disabled. he has the scars to prove it. but apparently he's just a liar like all of the other drunks.

authentic experience, great live music,goodfood & beer selection. on a recent saturday night we enjoyed great live music by dave and the grey dogs, a nice beer selection, both on tap and in bottle, and a solid, well executed menu. the waffles and chicken were better than average and my companion had a sandwich, which she really enjoyed. service was friendly and attentive. i liked the intimate setting and the eclectic mix of people. this place is one of the oldest bars in cincinnati and has real character and charm. highly recommend for a relaxing night of live music,goodfood and friendly service.

a piece of history.... i like historic places. standing for more than 150 years, arnold's is cincinnati's oldest tavern. allegedly, during prohibition, one of the arnolds made bathtub gin in a bathtub that is still standing. i love outdoor dining on a nice day, and you can eat in a lovely courtyard that was previously used as a stable and carriage house. in my opinion, the food isgoodand prices are reasonable, but the atmosphere is great.

fantastic experience. my fiance and i along with our best friends ate here on a busy saturday night. the service was prompt, the staff was friendly and very attentive. the food was absolutely fantastic! some of the best fries i have ever tasted and the hugo burger was to die for. they make reallygoodmixed drinks and the manager even came to check on us at our table. my only complaint is that the price of the crab cakes was way too much for only three cakes. we also asked the staff for directions and they were incredibly helpful and friendly. we were very pleased and the next time we are in cincinnati we will revisit!

once i started eating, i just found something to be missing from this dish. what does arnold’s have against spice?! i believe how a restaurant handles a simple dish is the key to pleasing their customers and ensuring they come back. this pasta just didn’t do it for me. i hate to think that this place is simply agoodbar, but this is the third meal i’ve eaten there, so i think third strike they’re out. sucks though, i really wanted to enjoy this.

totally agree about this place as a hidden gem.goodselection of local draft beer and a great burger. nice friendly wait staff too.

great wait staff - lousy food. if you are looking for agoodmeal...this is not the place to go and unless you are sitting in the garden or are like to indulge yourself in cincinnati's history in lieu of agoodmeal...then this is not the place to 'dine.'
the meals were tasteless and visually unappealing. one of their 'signature' dishes, the "greek deluxe spaghetti" with all the topping - was so tasteless that i chose to douse it in the vinegrette from my gritty salad. upon seeing me do this, 3 of our other diners did the same to their over-cooked 'pasta' portion of their meals. 2 in our party had he chicken piccata - it looked blandly white...not a speck of color to it aside from a few burried capers...and aparently tasted as bland as it looked. the blueberry chicken - was reported to be 'bland,' 'disappointing' and unappetizing.
that being said, the wait staff were wonderful and attentive despite the place being busy.
my recommendation - go to arnold's enjoy a few beers and some great music in an interesting a fun atmosphere, sit in the garden with friends, maybe order some appetizers and go somewhere else to eat.

i finally got a chance to get to arnold's. i'm not ashamed - i have no idea where i'm going on the east side of downtown. sycamore and things near it are virtually unexplored territory. i found it during the day with a little trying. when you step inside it looks like any normal bar, but isn't. arnold's has weathered through the decades of downtown bar scenes and come out still standing. i won't give you the whole history lesson here - many other people have done that better than i could. potato and leek soup - prettygoodon this cold day outside. i got the mushroom burger with swiss. their fries are prettygoodand the burger was juicy and cooked properly. it didn't seem like a handmade patty but the tasty bun and fresh toppings made up for that easily enough. arnold's has something for everyone and is a piece of cincinnati history. try it on a lazy day, like i did. tweet

my wife and i spent 55 dollars here and we sat in a room where the bathroom sink was in our dining area. this is not agoodbusiness decision for arnolds considering we won't be back. i won't ever spend 55 dollars to eat in someones bathroom again. wtf!!!

great atmosphere, lousy food. ate at arnold's last night with a group of 7. the place was busy and the evening lovely until the food arrived. my vegetarian lasagna was so bad i sent it back. the salads were boring, the ceasars was so drenched in dressing it was inedible and the house salad's blue cheese didn't even taste like blue cheese. three other people complained the the food was below standard. the only entree that was at allgoodwas a fish sandwich. it ended up i was charged for the food i sent back. when i asked if this was customary, i was credited $9 on a $14 entree. needless to say if you want to go hang out with frinds sit at the bar enjoy the atmosphere but do not eat here. i will not return!

who woulda thunk it???..... went to lunch at arnold's and ordered the cuban pulled pork taco.... it was reallygoodand full of interesting flavor. nicely presented - two tortillas mounded high with pulled pork, corn, black beans, a sweet / sour slaw and topped with a lime sour cream. there was a sweet, spicy, kick that ended with a citrusy sour cream and made this a must have again dish.... lunch special for $4.99???? this was a great value with great taste. will go back again.

having read other reviews, i didn't have high expectations but they still managed to disapoint me.

i had their signature pasta androsky. i came almost instantly - not agoodsign. the pasta was well cooked and firm. the wine sauce was not really a sauce - it was a limp mix of wine and water.

the topping of roasted red peppers, wild mushrooms, artichokes, red onion, sun dried tomatoes and fresh spinach was poor - there was hardly any of it. the dusting of romano was just that - except microspic dusting would have been a better way to describe it and unfotunately, i did not have my microscope with me.

ms androsky says that the customers should talk to her so that she can rectify it. how can she rectify tired and unimaginative cuisine. i got the impression that the waiting staff were a little embarassed to serve it.

again, the best that can be said of the desert - peach cobbler - was that it was ok.

ok is ok but not for that price tag. ok should cost $7 for and not $14.50.

to top it all, i was given the wrong bill.

i will not return to arnolds even if ms androsky rectifies the faults on my request. i don't go out to have a complaint. i go out to have a carefree evening.