Arnold's Bar and Grill

Arnold's Bar and Grill is the oldest continuously operating bar in Cincinnati, Ohio, and one of the oldest in the United States.

Arnold's Bar and Grill
Exterior of Arnold's Bar & Grill
Restaurant information
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
ChefKayla Robison
Food typeAmerican
Dress codeCasual
Rating4.5 Stars (Google)
Street address210 E 8th St
CityCincinnati
CountyHamilton
StateOhio
Postal/ZIP Code45202
CountryUS
Coordinates39°06′19″N 84°30′36″W
Websitearnoldsbarandgrill.com

History

Arnold's is the oldest continuously operating bar in the city and one of the oldest in the country.[1][2][3]

The establishment was first opened in 1838 by Susan Fawcett as "a whorehouse," according to Cincinnati historian Mike Morgan.[1][4] In 1861, new owner Simon Arnold operated it as a bar and lived upstairs.[1][5][6] Around the year 1900, Simon Arnold's son Hugo took it over; he and his wife and six children also lived upstairs.[6] Hugo Arnold added the building next door, which according to Cincinnati food historian Polly Campbell "allowed for a separate entrance and room for women."[6] In the 1920s, Hugo Arnold's son Elmer Arnold took it over and, because of prohibition, started serving food.[6] According to Campbell, Elmer Arnold was also "likely selling homemade gin".[6] The Arnold family operated the bar through 98 years and three generations until 1959,[7] when Elmer Arnold sold it to former professional wrestler and mob collector Jim Christakos,[8][9] who also lived upstairs,[1] and his brother George Christos.[6]

In 1976, Cincinnati City Council member Jim Tarbell purchased it from Christakos (or possibly from an interim owner, Alex Chaldekas[6]) 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][7] In 2019 Chris and Bethany Breeden took over ownership.[10]

During prohibition the bar operated as a speakeasy.[1][4] Some believe the building to be haunted.[11]

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 make bathtub gin during prohibition.[12] 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."[6]

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.[13]

Reception

One of America's oldest[3][14] bars, Arnold's is frequently named to national, state, and local lists. Esquire named it to their list of best bars in the country.[12] Thrillist called it the "most iconic bar in Ohio" and named it to their list of best bars in the country.[15] The Daily Meal named it one of the best bars in the country.[16] Serious Eats named it to their list of 10 restaurants and bars to visit in Cincinnati.[17][5]

Esquire's beverage historian David Wondrich[18] 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]

Street art

In 2010 Shepard Fairey installed a 15-foot-tall by 20-foot-wide mural entitled "Global Warning" on Arnold's exterior wall.[19] Fairey installed the mural as part of his show "Supply and Demand" at the Contemporary Arts Center that year. The mural is made from wheatpasted screen prints, which the bar has maintained.

In 2013 street artist JR installed a wheatpaste mural in Arnold's courtyard.[20] 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 exhibited Unframed works in Cincinnati, Marseille, Atlanta, Washington DC, Baden Baden, Grottaglie, Vevey, and São Paulo.

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 in Covington, Kentucky.

In 2020 street artist Vhils installed a carved bas-relief mural portraying "Peanut Jim" Shelton in the courtyard.[21]

On television

In a 2018 Season 7 episode 12 of the Travel Channel's Man v. Food, host Casey Webb visits Arnold's during the episode's trip to Cincinnati.

Arnold's was featured on Season 3 Episode 1 of First We Feast's Hot Ones with host Sean Evans and guest Padma Lakshmi from Top Chef.[22]

Producers for the NBC drama Harry's Law liked Arnold's so much that they decided to include it as part of the show. They built a replica set of Arnold's as a hangout for the characters on the show.[23][24] 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.[25]

Arnold's Bar and Grill's executive Chef, Kayla Robison appeared on Food Network's Guy's Grocery Games on October 9, 2019. Kayla was a contestant in the episode and beat out three other chefs to win the competition. The winning chef is usually sent on a "shopping spree" where Fieri gives them five clues and they have to race against the clock to find five food items the clues corresponded. If they get the clues right, they win $20,000. Things went a little differently on Robison's episode. Robison, a single mother to 9-year-old daughter Dre, was asked what she'd like to tell her daughter after winning. Robison had talked with Dre before filming began, and Dre had one request: She wanted to talk to Guy Fieri. So Fieri called up Dre and put her on speakerphone in the studio. Robinson is quoted as saying "Everyone in the studio is crying, I'm a sobbing mess, and Fieri asks her daughter, 'How do you think your mom did?'" "Dre said, 'I think she did really good and awesome and I'm proud of her." Fieri said that after talking with Robison and Dre and hearing their story, he decided to forgo the challenge and give her the $20,000 without making her do the final competition.[26]

On November 27, 2019 Chef Kayla Robison also represented Arnold's on NBC's Today (American TV program) for a Thanksgiving themed segment entitled The United Plates of Thanksgiving. To celebrate Thanksgiving, The Today Show brought together 52 chefs from across the country to celebrate all the flavors of America with 52 dishes representing each of the states (plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico).[27]

In film

The 2015 film Carol, directed by Todd Haynes and nominated for 6 Academy Awards, was partially filmed at Arnold's. Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson and Jake Lacy were featured in scenes filmed at Arnold's.[28]

The 2016 film Marauders, directed by Steven C. Miller, transformed Arnold's courtyard into a Mexican Cantina for filming. Scenes starring Christopher Meloni, Bruce Willis, and Adrian Grenier were filmed there.[29]

The film 10 Minutes Gone (due in 2020), directed by Brian A. Miller, filmed scenes with Michael Chiklis at Arnold's.

Awards and accolades
  • 2018 The Daily Meal 150 Best Bars in America[30]
  • 2016 Serious Eats – The Cincinnati 10
  • 2016 Whiskey Advocate Magazine – 48 Hours in Cincinnati
  • 2015 The Daily Meal 150 Best Bars in America
  • 2013 Esquire Magazine "Best Bars in America"[31]
  • 2013 Buzzfeed's Oldest and Coolest Bars
  • 2001 Men's Journal Magazine "50 Best Bars in America"
  • 2000 Travel and Leisure Magazine "Where to Go Next..."
  • 1982 Post Corbett Awards Finalist
  • 1979 Corbett Awards Finalist
  • 1980 Addy American Advertising Federation
  • 1980 Zagat Survey ~ America's Top Restaurants

Arnold's is a frequent winner of local alternative newspaper CityBeat's annual best-of lists such as Best Live Music While You Eat, Best No Frills Watering Hole, Best Business Lunch. Cincinnati magazine named Arnold's Cincinnati Dancing Pig burger one of the best in the city.[32]

References
  1. Restivo, Danny (April 2014). "Arnold's Way". Cincinnati Magazine. Archived from the original on April 8, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  2. Pennebaker, Holly (April 14, 2015). "Thrillist: Cincinnati's oldest bar is Ohio's most iconic". WCPO-TV. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  3. Wondrich, David (June 2013). "The Best Bars in America". Esquire. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  4. "Arnold's Brothels, Bootleggers, and Booze Tours". QueenCityHistory.com. Archived from the original on January 13, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  5. Pandolfi, Keith (29 February 2016). "Where to Eat and Drink in Cincinnati". Serious Eats. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  6. Campbell, Polly. (2020). Cincinnati Food. The History Press. pp. 9–12. ISBN 978-1-4396-7131-3. OCLC 1203950713.
  7. "History". Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  8. Hand, Greg. "ARNOLD'S BAR & GRILL IS OLDER THAN YOU THINK". Cincinnati Magazine. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  9. "The Greek Who Made the Spaghetti "authentic" at Arnold's". QueenCityHistory.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  10. Brownfield, Andy (December 11, 2019). "Arnold's getting first new ownership in two decades". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  11. Alter, Mixim (October 21, 2015). "Weird shadows. Loud bumps in the night. Is Arnold's Bar haunted? Creepy signs point to yes". WCPO-TV. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  12. Weldon, Casey (May 27, 2013). "Downtown fixture Arnold's Bar and Grill voted among '16 Best Bars in America' by Esquire Magazine". WCPO. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  13. Zummo, Maija (January 4, 2019). "Downtown's Arnold's Bar & Grill Collaborates on Bathtub Gin with Woodstone Creek Distillery". Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  14. "Arnold's Website Awards Section". Arnold's.
  15. Breslour, Lee (April 8, 2015). "THE MOST ICONIC BAR IN EVERY STATE (AND DC)". Thrillist. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  16. Steigerwald, Shauna (April 23, 2015). "THE 150 BEST BARS IN AMERICA". The Daily Meal. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  17. "Serious Eats editor names his 'Cincinnati 10'". WCPO. 2016-03-01. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  18. Christopher Hughes (November 17, 2014). "David Wondrich on Dive Bars, Booze, and 'Opinionated' Bostonians". Boston Magazine. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  19. "Shepard Fairey Hits the streets in Cincinnati". OMG Posters. OMG Posters.
  20. Sleepboy. "Upcoming / Streets: JR @ Contemporary Art Center (Cincinnati)". Arrested Motion. Arrested Motion.
  21. Manley, Mackenzie (21 February 2020). "Portuguese Street Artist Vhils Carved a Mural into the Wall at Downtown's Arnold's Bar & Grill". CityBeat Cincinnati. Retrieved 2020-02-23.
  22. Campbell, Polly (23 January 2017). "Harry's Law: Arnold's names burger after 'Hot Ones' host Sean Evans". The Cincinnati Enquirer.
  23. Campbell, Polly (18 July 2011). "Cincinnati will get more airtime on 'Harry's Law'". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  24. Kiesewetter, John (18 July 2011). "'Harry's Law' Gets Cinci-fied". Cincinnati Enquirer.
  25. Kimball, Trevor (18 June 2012). "Harry's Law: Show Props Go to the Real Arnold's'". TV Series Finale.
  26. Brownfield, Andy (10 October 2019). "Cincinnati chef wins Food Network competition".
  27. Hurtado, Alexandra (27 November 2019). "TODAY's United Plates of Thanksgiving Will Help You Prep the Perfect Holiday Dinner".
  28. "Movie Maps". Movie Maps.
  29. Steigerwald, Shauna. "Cincinnati shines in new Bruce Willis film". cincinnati.com. Cincinnati Enquirer.
  30. Pugh, Chris. "The Daily Meal: Arnold's Bar & Grill in Cincinnati is one of the top 150 bars in the U.S." The Enquirer. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  31. "StackPath". Cincinnati CityBeat. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  32. "The 45 Best Burgers in Cincinnati". Cincinnati Magazine. 2015-07-02. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
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