The second oldest bar in Cincinnati, O’Malley’s in the Alley is a name commonly seen on lists like this one. However, when O’Malley’s is mentioned, it’s often for the same reasons: the menu, the history, its place as a Cincinnati landmark, etc…What’s often forgotten is how O’Malleys stands as one of the last meeting places for Cincinnatians from all walks of life. Opened in 1892, and built around the classic “Irish pub” theme, countless people have walked through the bar’s doors, and still do so today. O’Malley’s may be a tourist destination, but it’s also one of the few places where regular people off of work may bump into staffers for the mayor’s office and City Hall, or reporters from the city’s legacy media publication. It’s an epicenter of gossip, discussion, debate and camaraderie, as all great bars should be, and maintains its deep cultural ties to the Queen City. omalleyscincy.com.
Music & Nightlife
Here are the 2025 Best Of Cincinnati® Reader and Staff Pick winners for Music & Nightlife.
- The Belle & The Bear
- MVP Sports Bar & Grille
- The Monkey Bar & Grille
- Ludlow Garage
- Northside Yacht Club
- The Comet
- Ghost Baby
- Somerset
- Queen City Exchange
- Little Miami Brewing
- Oakley Pub
- Mount Lookout Tavern
- Southgate House Revival
- Old Kentucky Bourbon Bar
- Mansion Hill Tavern
- Juniper’s
- Second Story
- Jerry's Jug House
- Rosie’s Tavern
- The B-List
- Covington Yard
- Smoke Justis
- Knotty Pine Rock Club & Tiki Bar
- West Side Brewing
- Blue Note Harrison
- The Belle & The Bear
- Southgate House Revival
- MOTR Pub
- Ghost Baby
- Juniper’s
- Northside Tavern
- Arnold's Bar & Grill
- Dead Low Brewing
- Urban Artifact
- Northside Yacht Club
- Bogart's
- Ludlow Garage
- Southgate House Revival
- The Belle and The Bear
- Queen City Exchange
- MixWells
- Cat Middendorf (Queen City Exchange)
- Ceris Christopher (The Belle & the Bear)
- Adrienne Curry-Zeigler (Revel OTR)
- Queen City Exchange
- The Belle and The Bear
- Higher Gravity
- Queen City Exchange
- The Belle & The Bear
- Yardhouse
- Crafts & Vines
- Higher Gravity
- Hoppin' Vines
- Rhinehaus
- Dead Low Brewing
- Sons of Toil Brewing
- Somerset
- Northside Yacht Club
- The Eagle
- The Belle and The Bear
- Juniper’s
- Nation Kitchen & Bar
- Dead Low Brewing TIE HangOverEasy
- Crazy Fox Saloon
- Taste of Belgium
- Maplewood Kitchen and Bar
- Coppin’s at Hotel Covington
- Old Kentucky Bourbon Bar
- Wiseguy Lounge
- Japp's
- Old Kentucky Bourbon Bar
- Queen City Exchange
- Wiseguy Lounge
- The Party Source
- Jungle Jim's International Market
- Revival Vintage Spirits
Sway (Madtree)
RGBevs (Rhinegeist)
Blackberry Breeze (FigLeaf Brewing)
RGBevs (Rhinegeist)
Blackberry Breeze (FigLeaf Brewing)
Holiday Liquor Bar offers drinks like Malört and food like hot dogs. In a separate area next to the bar is the fun center, featuring pool tables and Skee-Ball. But in the bar area lies possibly Cincinnati’s only Zoltar machine. If you recall, in the movie Big, Tom Hanks wishes on a Zoltar machine to be a 30-year-old man, and his wish comes true. Instead of making wishes come true, the machine spouts out a horoscope-like card predicting your future. Take the master’s wisdom to heart. holidayliquorbar.com.