The Phelps Bar

The renovated Top of the Park at the Phelps Bar is amazing! Great views, and much larger than other rooftops in town such as 21C or Krueger’s Tavern in OTR (if you count that one). Unique drink menu and a number of bar bites. We didn’t eat, but I had both the Phelps (Hendricks citrus cocktail, $ 12) and the Kettle One Moscow mule ($ 11), and they were both tasty and refreshing. Definitely a young professional crowd, which I liked. Prices are a tad high and the service on the bottom bar was laughable, which is why I’m giving it 4 stars.
Also, we were there on a Friday night… PERFECT view of the Reds fireworks!

For opportunity, this place is stylish — benefitting from a killer structure (iconic Phelps apartment building, with its gorgeous architecture and modern updates). As a lifetime Marriott Platinum member, I speak from experience: I have cumulatively «lived in these Residences for years of my life). This is the best Residence Inn in America in many regards, but the fact that they have food/​beverage is rare. The dinner menu hits the perfect pitch on a modern value/​price/​taste spectrum. Fun contemporary cocktail list. Excellent wine selection. Appropriate prices. The upshot, based on 3 nights, with different servers, is underwhelming service enthusiasm. I was disappointed by the service hierarchy. This place could be off the chain, but there are management roadblocks in the route to greatness. If you’re staying here, it’s a solid hotel bar. If I lived across the street, I stop for a burger and wine. Otherwise, until the service ramps up: no. I so want to give this place 5 stars.

I stayed for almost 2 months in the hotel so i tried the majority of the menu! The cesar salad is great, the flat iron steak is my favorite, the short rib sliders and the poutine are really good too! The pork belly tacos were good but not my favorite choice. The grilled cheese and tomato bisque was a really good choice. Oh and i cant forget the rosted tomato flatbread its really good.
Over all the food is good, the staff is great, tatiana and jessica are extremely nice and i cant finish my review without talking about the desserts! The banana bread pudding and the graeters ice cream sandwich are HUGE and really good!

The brussel sprout salad is so amazing! So many flavors combined together! The turkey burger is my next favorite. I plan on trying everything during my stay!

Best bartender in the city, Sako, we love her. Also great roof top bar if you can get in.

Best kept secret in Cincinnati (the rooftop bar that is). Great view of the city and solid drinks! Perfect summer spot!

Five stars for the roof bar and five stars for the lobby bar. Service was awesome in each. Gladly go back again.

This is a nice tucked away place in a hotel lobby, or outside, to do a little people watching and enjoy some drinks and apps after work. It’s also good for a couple people or a small group.
Their prices are a little nicer than a normal bar. $ 8 for wine and $ 8-​$ 14 for apps. They have different drink specials through out the week as well. I went on Wine Wednesday, where a glass is supposed to be cheaper. I was never charged the cheaper price even though i ordered well into happy hour but didn’t cash out until after. I ordered 2 apps that took way too long to come out in a not so crowded bar. The waitress was super attentive to me until i ordered and then it all went downhill and never really saw her again even though I asked for an app menu. So I’d probably give it a solid 3 even possibly 4 stars but the service was lacking that day. It’s a good thing i was there for a meeting an hour early, since my food didn’t come until after the meeting started.
but it’s a nice place not too stuck up and is nice and intimate if that’s what you’re looking for with a few big table areas for groups.

I almost gave this place two stars, but then decided that was a bit extreme. My friend and I really came to go to Top of the Park, but the wait was so long we decided to have a drink at The Phelps Bar at the bottom of the hotel and sit on their back patio. I will say, their patio is absolutely beautiful… comfy couches and chairs and a nice fountain with flowers to enjoy as you enjoy a drink. We both got the Lytle, and it was pretty good… definitely strong! But the cucumber garnish was absolutely disgusting… totally rubbery (if that’s a word). If you’re selling a drink for $ 10, I think you can afford fresh ingredients.
If you get stuck, like most people do, waiting to get upstairs to Top of the Park, then this place is ok to wait it out if you want to.

I attended a planning meeting on Thursday night at the Phelps Bar at the Residence Inn Downtown Cincinnati.
Our group was greeted as soon as we sat down, I asked if they had any craft beer on tap, but they only had Stella on tap, so I asked for a drink menu.
Another member of the party asked about a lemonade drink she had on a previous visit at the rooftop bar, but was told its only available at the rooftop bar.
After a quick review I went with the spicy margarita as something different to try, why not on a summer night. My drink arrived in a few minutes and as our server mentioned to me when I ordered, it has a kick to it & boy it does. One of the spiciest drinks I’ve ever enjoyed in my life, but worth it.

This place gets five stars on the view alone. What a great hidden gem in our city. It’s on the ROOF of the Residence Inn. Very cool atmosphere, amazing views. They had live music when we were there from Greg Burton. If you have never heard him play you need to add that to your bucket list. They were a little short handed so the service was pretty slow but we were just chilling out so it wasn’t that big of a deal to us. I could see it being a problem if that’s the norm. We will definitely frequent this place.

This place is at its heart a hotel bar and, like all hotel bars, it is pricey. Beer– $ 6 and up, Wine– $ 8 and up, Liquor– $ 7 and way up! Specialty cocktails at minimum $ 12.
On the other hand, they have one of the best deserts in the city– The banana bread ice cream sandwich as big as my head. Two pieces of banana bread, multiple scoops of Graeters caramel ice cream, smothered in caramel and pecan. Totally sharable between two hungry people and a whole group after dinner. Worth every penny at $ 8
Certainly not an everyday or every week kind of place, but as a special stop on a night of celebrating, definitely hit this place up!

Hello beautiful secret courtyard with a giant patio, awesome fire pit, oh, and did I say fountain? Oh ok then, add fountain to the list!
This place is my hidden oasis in the city. Everything else from before still rings true, but now that I have seen this crazy patio my love affair which I didn’t think could be any more intense just got even bigger.
This place is a must for happy hour. Deals every day of the week except Friday-​Sunday. Taco Tuesdays, Wine Wednesdays. Check it out.
Another tip, they have a great front patio over looking the park that is also beautiful. I love coming here to work with a nice view and beautiful weather. The staff is BEYOND friendly. They go out of their way to make you feel comfortable. Can I give 15 stars??!
Love love love this place. Get your booty there and experience all of The Phelps Bar awesomeness for yourself.

I guess I don’t see the appeal. It’s like any other upscale hotel bar, not that there’s anything wrong with hotel bars but with a ton of other choices downtown I’ll choose something cheaper and divey-​er.
We went here during Unilocal Drinks for their ½ price specials. ½ price was still 8 bucks! So full price drinks here are $ 16? I will give them this though, everything is mid/​top shelf liquor, but still seems pricey for Cincinnati.
Our drinks were delicious and pretty stiff. The bartender was super friendly and offered up a couple suggestions for desserts. The guy sitting beside us has a crazy big ice cream dessert that looked delectable. It was an ice cream sandwich, but not like you’re thinking. This was 2 big scoops of butter pecan between 2 slices of banana bread with pecans sprinkled over the top. OMG!!! Probably the best dessert that I have ever had. We devoured it and wanted more but thought better of that, haha. It’s a perfect size for 2 people to share.
Doubtful I will go back to The Phelps Bar to drink but if I am looking for dessert at the end of the night I WILL make my way back!

Really enjoyed getting drinks and appetizers here, the seats are cozy and the staff is very attentive and polite. Had an excellent mixed drink, but prices are what you might expect at a hotel bar. I’ll be back again, wasn’t too busy and you could have a conversation without yelling — glad I found this place for after work drinks!

Secret Spot! You would not know that a comfy lounge bar was a mere steps from the Taft Museum, in the shadows of the P and G towers. But it’s here, and its swell, decent happy hour and appetizers are to be had, lots of TV’s to catch sports, and a stunning outside patio with a huge firepit. Definitely on my rotation of places to go chill.

I discovered Phelps Bar last night thanks to some wonderful friends! We were at a party at the Taft Museum across the street from the Phelps Bar and decided we needed a drink post-​party. I’m so happy my friends suggested this place — I fully intend to add it to my short list of favorite watering holes in Cincinnati.
This bar is located in a Residence Inn, which is a hotel designed for long-​term stays. Which means the bar tries to be a home away from home. The bar is right off the lobby and is separated by a gas fireplace. While this bar contains several tables, the best seating are the couches and wingback chairs surrounding the fireplace. There’s a large TV hung above the fireplace on each side and the waitress was happy to change the channel so my husband could watch a basketball game. The drinks were slightly pricey, but the prices were similar to other bars downtown so I wasn’t put off by them. The best part of this bar is the ability to be completely comfortable and have a great conversation with great friends.

Tonight was such a beautiful night out that I didn’t want to stay inside. So I took a stroll across the park and landed myself at Bar 506.
I chose a table out on the front patio because I like to people watch. While I set up my laptop to get ready to do some work, I ordered a glass of Pinot Grigio and the Mini Mo Sliders. The mini sliders are three mini beef burgers with cheese and their special sauce. They came with fries, but I substituted the home made chips instead. I could not finish all three.
For me, Bar 506 is the perfect place to sit back and relax with a cocktail and friends — or alone, as I often do. No loud noise, no large crowdes… just very friendly staff and good atmosphere with good food and drink.

The Unilocal’s eats is an excellent way to try Bar 506 even though I have been here several times, the items half off are all very good. One of the drinks half off, the dragonberry lemonade is a great summer drink made with real lemon juice

Wingman and I decided to check out Bar 506 before all the hub bub. We strolled in to the Residence Inn and were greeted by several doormen and a hotel desk clerk.
Bar 506 is just steps away from the hotel front door. It has a cozy bar treated with stained glass, stained wood and nice tile treatments. The bar area spills into a lounge-​y seating area that shares space with the hotel lobby. There are a few big-​screen televisions for folks who want to grab a drink or bite while watching the Big Game.
We grabbed some plush, upholstered chairs next to a two-​sided fireplace and perused the cocktail menu.
Some basic standbys — an old fashioned and cosmos — all priced at around $ 9 or $ 10 a drink. That seems to be the industry standard for a «crafted cocktail» in Cincinnati these days.
Rather than choose a few drinks, Wingman chose a moderately priced Malbec. It was smooth, on the spicy side and very warm in flavor. It was a perfect wine to enjoy as we sat by the fireplace and warmed up on an unusually chilly March evening. The server also brought us a complimentary paper cone full of wasabi peas for our munching pleasure.
After we enjoyed our wine, we nosed around to the back courtyard behind the hotel, where we’re told bar guests can enjoy cocktails in warmer weather. A variety of outdoor seating options invite guests to unwind beneath the evening glow of Procter and Gamble’s twin towers.
In all, I was impressed with the attentive staff and the ambiance. However, I wish the bar had a more defined separation from the lobby space and the lounge space. I imagine the peace and relaxed ambiance of the bar could be interrupted during a busy check-​in period, and loud bar patrons could disturb hotel guests who are enjoying a moment in the lobby.
We did not choose to sample any of the hotel’s tapas menu offerings (the menu was pretty standard and reliable — nothing terribly exotic per my recollection), so that’s something I’ll comment on another day.
The Residence Inn is not on the beaten path. I imagine this bar will be a great haven for folks who are looking to enjoy a cocktail or glass of wine away from the hoi polloi in the core of CBD.