arnold's bar & grill

arnold's has been one of my favorite places in cincinnati owing mostly to its unique history.  it used to have a wait.  given the resurgence of downtown we thought it might be interesting to revisit theplacesince otr was packed and did so to celebrate a friends birthday.  $120 later i think arnold's should go back to simple american fare.  i  ordered what sounded like a very tasty salad special that was quinoa and chicken breast on a bed of lettuce featuring a sesame styled dressing.  my wife chose another salad special featuring salmon.  
the chicken breast salad was so devoid of chicken that when the waitress came by for the perfunctory "how is everything?" i had to tell her that there was but one 3/4 inch piece of chicken in the whole salad when it was advertised and artfully described as otherwise.  to her credit i was supplied with approximately 1/4 cup of chilled, boiled chicken to gussy up my salad.  the salmon feature at least did have a piece of defrosted salmon but it looked defrosted and plunked along with  the kale.  it did, it had that plunked look.
long and short, the history of theplaceis great.  the menu uses way too much license with the english language.  my dish and my wife's seemed assembled, and assembled poorly at that.  it is not worth my money to return when for the same price i can go uptown to otr and get thoughtful, carefully prepared, fresh cooked fare for the same price.  i will come back to arnold's, maybe for a beer, but never again for food.  this was the second time in too short a span of time to be treated to a microwaved/tractor-ovened dinner carelessly flung together, then tagged with a premium price.  guys, go check out the competition!

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 was good but 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 pretty good but didn't seem worth $20. overall, i love thisplacebut 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.

coolplaceto meet up for dinner downtown. as other reviewers have noted, the food is pretty much just okay. it's mostly american fare with quality and taste coming in a step above bar food. what they do have is a very cool courtyard in the back to eat in. also, the beer selection is nice.

i'd recommend if you're in the area and looking for a niceplaceto get a beer and converse with friends.

so i've been knocking burgers off the best burger list all summer and oneplaceon the list is arnold's - the oldest bar in cincinnati - and i was all set for a burger - so off we went!. arnold's is very eclectic - with the art and unique pieces all around. i'd love to go tooling around downtown on this guy!

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 with good beer 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. theplacewas 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 was good and 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!

authentic experience, great live music, good food & 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. thisplaceis one of the oldest bars in cincinnati and has real character and charm. highly recommend for a relaxing night of live music, good food and friendly service.

a solid choice!. thisplaceis great. the food is awesome and they always have great musicians playing. every time i have been here, the staff has been great and accommodating and the service is very fast!

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 thisplaceis simply a good bar, 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.

extraordinary gem. phenomenal atmosphere, great food, great beer selection, and wonderful live music. thisplaceis a must have. i'm a vegetarian and they had a ton of vegetarian menu items. i was only in town for one night and i would visit again just to go here. it made my night.

totally agree about thisplaceas a hidden gem. good selection of local draft beer and a great burger. nice friendly wait staff too.

great wait staff - lousy food. if you are looking for a good meal...this is not theplaceto go and unless you are sitting in the garden or are like to indulge yourself in cincinnati's history in lieu of a good meal...then this is not theplaceto '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 theplacebeing 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.

one of cincinnati's hidden gems. as soon as you walk in the front door you feel the history of this bar/restaurant! i've been going to thisplacesince i was little, and it has always been a great experience. i recommend the greek spaghetti, the spaghetti and meatballs, or the fish and chips! they have an extensive menu, so don't order anything crazy! remember the kiss rule! keep it simple stupid!

arnold's-a rich piece of cincinnati history. arnold's bar & grill is rich in history, tradition, and folklore. everyone in cincinnati needs to experience the atmosphere and character of thisplaceat least once. arnold's is cincinnati's oldest continuously open bar. the character of thisplaceis undeniable, and it often has a neighborhood, comfortable feel when not overun during special events downtown.

it can be a greatplaceto enjoy live music on the covered patio, which goes topfree in the summer time. i am not a fan of the cover they sometimes require, which can be a bit much given all the great venues that offer music from these same bands with no cover charge.

the food is fair, but really hits the spot. they have special beer events that can really have some nice beers at times. when they don't have a special event going, they typically feature local beer from rivertown brewing on tap, usually some great lakes brewing and some other fair choices. being a huge craft beer fan, i would like to see them more resolved to provide more craft beer selections on tap and in bottles, but they are not bad. a little more consistency out of the draught lines would be a plus, but as of late i have had no complaints at all about them. the bottle selection is good, but again, i would like to see more true craft beer options. it would be great to see some of the special event beers stick around a bit longer.

i usually really enjoy myself on every visit i have to arnold's. i haven't made it for lunch recently, just dinner. but i hope to change this soon.


-----03 dec, 2010-----

arnold's-a rich piece of. arnold's bar & grill is rich in history, tradition, and folklore. everyone in cincinnati needs to experience the atmosphere and character of thisplaceat least once. arnold's is cincinnati's oldest continuously open bar. the character of thisplaceis undeniable, and it often has a neighborhood, comfortable feel when not overun during special events downtown.

it can be a greatplaceto enjoy live music on the covered patio, which goes topfree in the summer time. i am not a fan of the cover they sometimes require, which can be a bit much given all the great venues that offer music from these same bands with no cover charge.

the food is fair, but really hits the spot. they have special beer events that can really have some nice beers at times. when they don't have a special event going, they typically feature local beer from rivertown brewing on tap, usually some great lakes brewing and some other fair choices. being a huge craft beer fan, i would like to see them more resolved to provide more craft beer selections on tap and in bottles, but they are not bad. a little more consistency out of the draught lines would be a plus, but as of late i have had no complaints at all about them. the bottle selection is good, but again, i would like to see more true craft beer options. it would be great to see some of the special event beers stick around a bit longer.

i usually really enjoy myself on every visit i have to arnold's. i haven't made it for lunch yet, just dinner. but i hope to change this soon.

great atmosphere, lousy food. ate at arnold's last night with a group of 7. theplacewas 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 all good was 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!

how about a meatball sandwich in a 149-year-old bar in cincinnati? oh yea, and a beer to go with it and some very german potato salad. thisplacedoes exist, it is arnold's and all we are going to talk about is the meatball sandwich. sure they have other