Why did I visit Cincinnati?
Aside from subpar professional sports teams, you would be forgiven for not knowing much about Cincinnati. I certainly never knew much about this southern Ohio city of around 300,000. Regardless, I knew I would eventually end up visiting one day. Some of my best friends called Cincinnati home at one point or another, so a trip to CVG was always in the cards.
A wedding invitation from a close friend who grew up in Cincinnati meant a chance to explore a new city. I finally had an excuse to explore a new city in the Midwest right as the leaves were changing! I jumped at the opportunity to nonrev on an Embraer into CVG Airport to discover The Queen City for myself.
How to get from CVG Airport to Cincinnati
Fun fact: the CVG airport is not in Cincinnati. Heck, it’s not even in the state of Ohio! Officially, the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport sits in a town of less than 10,000 people (yet multiple massive Amazon fulfillment centers) named Hebron.
CVG is not far from downtown Cincinnati: you can get from the airport to the city center with a quick 15-minute drive or 30-minute ride on the TANK 2X Airporter bus route ($2 fare). If you elect to take a Lyft or Uber, you can expect to pay a $25-$35 fare.
Where to stay in Cincinnati
Over-the-Rhine
Over-the-Rhine (OTR) was first place out of everyone’s mouth when I asked for recommendations in Cincinnati. This area, once known as one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in America, has been revitalized (though many would argue the better term is gentrified) and is now home to a very attractive bar & dining district.
It did not take us long to find an AirBnB in the Over-the-Rhine area. I recommend looking for lodging south of Liberty Street if you want to be as close to the action as possible. The OTR area is dotted with short-term rentals, but it should be noted that there are few true hotel options in the area.
Downtown Cincinnati
If you prefer to stay in hotels, downtown Cincinnati sits south of OTR along the north bank of the Ohio River. Stay down here if your trip to CVG centers around catching a game at the Bengals’ Paul Brown Stadium or the Reds’ Great American Ball Park.
We had no issues walking around downtown Cincinnati, and we found some great restaurants & places to drink in the area. Unlike some other Midwest cities, downtown Cincy can easily fill up a weekend’s worth of activities.
Where did we eat in Cincinnati?
Skyline Chili
No trip to Cincinnati is complete without a stop at Skyline Chili. Skyline is to Cincinnati what In-N-Out is to California, but you won’t find any burgers here. Rather, this Cincinnati staple offers up a signature dish I have never seen anywhere else in the world: spaghetti smothered in chili, cheese, onions, and beans. If the spaghetti & chili sounds a bit too crazy, feel free to snag one of Skyline’s cheese-covered Coney dogs instead.
Sugar n’ Spice
If you are looking for a hangover cure that doesn’t involve chili-soaked spaghetti, opt for a Sugar n’ Spice’s more traditional diner menu instead. The diner is full of colorful features and funky retro vibes that are ripe for impromptu photoshoots. The wispy thin pancakes are easily the best thing on the menu, but the corned beef hash & fried eggs were very tasty too. The hashbrowns were nothing to write home about, but they helped soak up the hangover from the night before.
With COVID-19 still on top of mind while traveling, I was very glad to see that Sugar n’ Spice was able to accommodate patrons on both the front & back patios. Eating outside is something we all could use more of, and the patio areas were a nice touch.
Molly Malone’s Irish Pub and Restaurant
Who doesn’t love a good Irish pub? We stumbled into the three-story Molly Malone’s location in Covington, KY after crossing the Ohio River (there is another location in the Pleasant Ridge area of Cincinnati as well). I have found that there is generally a good reason why places like this are known as Irish pubs: the focus is on beer first and food second. The pub vibes were well executed, but I was pleasantly surprised with the available bar food here.
I ordered a massive buffalo chicken pizza to share along with some appetizers for the table. The corned beef-stuffed fried spring rolls were worth a try, and you cannot go wrong with the beer cheese & warm pretzel.
Soccer fans, rejoice. Molly Malone’s opens their doors early in the morning to make sure you can catch the first EPL matches.
Morelein Lager House
If you are going to be hanging around the stadiums in downtown Cincinnati, do yourself a favor and stop by the two-story Morelein Lager House. The striking metal & glass building is perched in a great location and offers stunning views from the upper story & outdoor balcony. The downstairs area proudly displays polished fermenters that Morelein uses to brew their own in-house beers.
The menu offers elevated pub fare that is just pretentious enough to be aspirational without breaking the bank. As a lover of anything french fry-based, I can’t recommend the short rib poutine enough! I also very much enjoyed the beer can chicken melt sandwich and the spicy garlic shrimp dish. Everything that the waiters brought out was a feast for the eyes!
You don’t come to a brewpub like this and not order beer, and Morelein’s options were plentiful. I am a proponent of brown ales as a great pairing for salty & fatty foods, so I opted for the seasonal Bronzer brown ale on tap. I was not as much of a fan of their orange cream ale because it was on the sweet side, but Morelein’s IPA variations seemed to be popular among the crowd.
What to do in Cincinnati
Like many of our trips, we did very little research before landing at the airport. We didn’t have much time to explore between the various wedding events we attended, but I think we made the most of our time on the ground. Here is where we ended up stopping during our short stay in Cincinnati.
1215 Wine Bar & Coffee Lab
The inside seating area of 1215 was closed due to COVID-19, but they had set up a couple outdoor tables for Ohioans to soak in the rays while sipping on their coffee. The staff I chatted with was knowledgeable about the coffee beans on sale and being served that day. After walking through their menu, I settled on a pour over with medium-roast Guatemalan beans for a very reasonable $3.
Note: Since their storefront was only offering carryout when we visited, buying alcoholic drinks was not an option. The staff at 1215 Wine Bar & Coffee Lab did offer to sell packaged wine & beer, so all is not lost!
Rebel Mettle Brewery
The staff behind the bar at Rebel Mettle Brewing practically threw promo shirts at us before we could even order our first beer. We later discovered that the downtown taproom we visited had opened to the public less than month earlier.
The spacious industrial taproom features a vintage pinball machine & a skeeball game, and the staff was incredibly welcoming. I was pleasantly surprised with the variety of beers they had on tap here: a decent hazy IPA, a wild-tasting rauchbier, a tasty milk stout, and a juniper schwarzbier stole the show as the crowd favorite.
If you find yourself hankering for a brew near the Bengals’ stadium, Rebel Mettle is worth a visit.
Explore both banks of the Ohio River
Nestled between Great American Ball Park and Paul Brown Stadium is the grass & spacious Smale Riverfront Park. This is a wide strip of grass & public art structures right on the bank of the river that is perfect for picnicking or strolling. Smale Park is one of the most Instagram-worthy locations in Cincinnati with interesting features all around the park. Try to find a spot with a clear view of Roebling Bridge in the background to perfectly frame your Cincinnati shot!
Tired of Ohio? feel free to cross the Ohio River and enjoy what’s on the other side of the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge in neighboring Covington, KY.
A trip down Main Street in Covington will lead you past countless bars & restaurants only a few blocks away from the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge. Braxton Brewing Company is on this side of the river, as is the Molly Malone’s location that we dined at on our first night.
Would I visit CVG again?
In short: absolutely!
Our weekend visit to Cincinnati was a blur, but there were so many things we didn’t cross off the list on this trip.
I would have loved to explore the breweries of Cincinnati a bit more, and visiting in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic meant avoiding the bar scene this time around.
Plus, I got the lowdown on the “right” way to order Skyline Chili: a 4-way with two cheese Coneys on the side. I think I would be doing myself a disservice by not visiting again!
What was your last CVG trip like? Let us know what I missed on this trip in the comment section below so I can start planning the next itinerary.
