| Arnold's Bar and Grill | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Exterior of Arnold's Bar & Grill | |
 Interactive map of Arnold's Bar and Grill | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1861; 165 years ago (1861) |
| Owner(s) | Chris and Bethany Breeden |
| Previous owner(s) | Susan Fawcett, Simon Arnold, Hugo Arnold, Elmer Arnold, Jim Christakos & George Christos, Alex Chaldekas,Jim Tarbell, Ronda Breeden |
| Chef | Korry Wolfgang |
| Food type | American |
| Dress code | Casual |
| Rating | 4.6 Stars (Google) |
| Location | 210 E 8th St,Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio, 45202, US |
| Coordinates | 39°06′19″N84°30′36″W / 39.10514°N 84.51011°W /39.10514; -84.51011 |
| Website | arnoldsbarandgrill |
Arnold's Bar and Grill is the oldest continuously operating bar inCincinnati, Ohio, and one of the oldest in the United States.
Arnold's is the oldest continuously operating bar in the city and one of the oldest in the country.[1][2][3][4]
The establishment was first opened in 1838 by Susan Fawcett as "a whorehouse," according to Cincinnati historian Mike Morgan.[1][5] In 1861, new owner Simon Arnold operated it as a bar and lived upstairs.[1][6][7] Around the year 1900, Simon Arnold's son Hugo took it over; he and his wife and six children also lived upstairs.[7] Hugo Arnold added the building next door, which according to Cincinnati food historian Polly Campbell "allowed for a separate entrance and room for women."[7] In the 1920s, Hugo Arnold's son Elmer Arnold took it over and, because ofprohibition, started serving food.[7] According to Campbell, Elmer Arnold was also "likely selling homemade gin".[7] The Arnold family operated the bar through 98 years and three generations until 1959,[8] when Elmer Arnold sold it to former professional wrestler and mob collector Jim Christakos,[9][10] who also lived upstairs,[1] and his brother George Christos.[7]
In 1976, Cincinnati City Council memberJim Tarbell purchased it from Christakos (or possibly from an interim owner, Alex Chaldekas[7]) and also moved in upstairs.[1] He expanded the bar to include a large outdoor courtyard.[1] In 1998 longtime Arnold's server Ronda Breeden bought it to run with her son Chris Breeden.[1][8] In 2019 Chris and Bethany Breeden took over ownership.[11]
Duringprohibition the bar operated as aspeakeasy.[1][5] Some believe the building to be haunted.[12]
The bathtub cart which fronts the building and is used in local parades refers to the second-floor bathtub which is reputed to have been used to makebathtub gin during prohibition.[13] According to Campbell, the gin was likely made in the bathtub "because it was easy to pull the plug in case there was a raid."[7]
In 2019 Arnold's partnered with local distillers Woodstone Creek to produce Hugo Arnold's Bathtub Gin, named for the prohibition-era owner of the bar.[14]
In 2017 Arnold's allowed Cornerstone Paranormal to investigate staff and patron claims of paranormal activity on the property. Several odd and interesting findings were documented.[15]
One of America's oldest[3][16] bars, Arnold's is frequently named to national, state, and local lists.Esquire named it to their list of best bars in the country.[13]Thrillist called it the "most iconic bar in Ohio" and named it to their list of best bars in the country.[17]The Daily Meal named it one of the best bars in the country.[18]Serious Eats named it to their list of 10 restaurants and bars to visit in Cincinnati.[19][6] In 2023 Ohio Magazine listed Arnold's as one of its 30 famous Ohio food spots.[20]
Esquire's beverage historianDavid Wondrich[21] stated that "if Arnold's were in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, or Boston – somewhere, in short, that people actually visit – it would be world-famous."[3]
In their 2021 "Best of the City" issue Cincinnati Magazine states, "the legends of bathtub gin, paranormal activity, and mob connections are just a small part of why the city's oldest—and perhaps most beloved—bar still draws a mighty crowd.[22] Cincinnati Enquirer food critic Keith Pandolfi describes Arnold's as "part of the soul of Cincinnati".[23]
In 2010Shepard Fairey installed a 15-foot-tall by 20-foot-wide mural entitled "Global Warning" on Arnold's exterior wall.[24] Fairey installed the mural as part of his show "Supply and Demand" at theContemporary Arts Center that year. The mural is made from wheatpasted screen prints, which the bar has maintained.[citation needed]
In 2013 street artistJR installed a wheatpaste mural in Arnold's courtyard.[25] The mural depicts Arnold's waitresses from the 1930s. JR installed the piece as part of his "Unframed" series, an ongoing project that began in 2010 using images by famous or anonymous photographers and archival images taken out of their context. JR has exhibitedUnframed works in Cincinnati, Marseille, Atlanta, Washington DC, Baden Baden, Grottaglie, Vevey, and São Paulo.[26]
In 2015 the artist Hargo (also known as Cash For Your Warhol) installed a mural on Arnold's exterior alley wall. Hargo installed the mural as part of his show "Cash For Your Warhol: Fund Your Startup!" being held at The BLDG inCovington, Kentucky.[27]
In 2020 street artistVhils installed a carved bas-relief mural portraying"Peanut Jim" Shelton in the courtyard.[28]
In 2022 street artist and graphic designer,L'Amour Supreme installed a spray painted mural on Arnold's exterior alley wall depicting hisCzarface[29] character. The mural was installed while he was in Cincinnati doing a much larger mural for the Blink light festival.[30]
In a 2018 Season 7 episode 12 of theTravel Channel'sMan v. Food, host Casey Webb visits Arnold's during the episode's trip to Cincinnati.[citation needed]
Arnold's was featured on Season 3 Episode 1 ofFirst We Feast'sHot Ones with hostSean Evans and guestPadma Lakshmi fromTop Chef.[31]
Producers for theNBC dramaHarry's Law included the bar as a set on the show. They built a replica set of Arnold's as a hangout for the characters on the show.[32][33] Even borrowing actual staff uniforms, table tents and copies of artwork to be used on the show. When the show was ultimately canceled, they sent actual set pieces to Arnold's which are displayed on the second floor of the bar.[34]
Arnold's Bar and Grill's executive Chef, Kayla Robison appeared onFood Network'sGuy's Grocery Games in 2019. Robison won the episode and was awarded the $20,000 prize without having to compete in the final.[35] In March 2022 Robison won an episode ofChopped.[36]
The 2015 filmCarol, directed byTodd Haynes and nominated for 6Academy Awards, was partially filmed at Arnold's.Cate Blanchett,Rooney Mara,Sarah Paulson andJake Lacy were featured in scenes filmed at Arnold's.[37]
The 2016 filmMarauders, directed bySteven C. Miller, transformed Arnold's courtyard into a Mexican Cantina for filming. Scenes starringChristopher Meloni,Bruce Willis, andAdrian Grenier were filmed there.[38]
Portions of the 2024 filmShirley, starringRegina King asShirley Chisholm, were filmed at Arnold's.[39]
In January 2023, Arnold's closed for six weeks to be used for the filming ofThe Alto Knights, agangster film starringRobert De Niro.[40]
Cincinnati magazine named Arnold's Cincinnati Dancing Pig burger one of the best in the city.[44]