They have specials daily. Who knew?
a view of the bar at the restaurant
a group of people sitting around a table
a pool table and neon sign
a row of bikes parked in front of a restaurant
a sign for fries cafe
Green tea shots
a group of people sitting at a table outside at night
a man sitting at a long table
Cameron A.
Jul 28, 2024
This was my first time at Fries Cafe and it didn't disappoint! They don't serve food but the drinks are great! Bartenders are very well mannered, great at what they do, and are overall good people!One of the things I loved was the upstairs area! They have three floors. The basement is a pool area(I didn't check it out, main floor is the bar, and the second floor is another seating area with a table top shuffleboard. They also have an outdoor seating area on the second floor! Overall, great experience with great people!
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Theresa S.
Jun 28, 2020
We used to go on Sundays for trivia. During the warmer months, we would sit outside on their deck and play. It's lovely, large outdoor area with a fire pit and ample seating. The trivia game was one of favorite things to do and I'll really miss it. As for the rest of the bar, it is what you would expect a college bar to be - a little rough around the edges. There is pool and popcorn. Popcorn is usually on the stale side, but passable.
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John L.
Feb 20, 2020
I have not been to Fries in a few months, but as someone who used to live next door... it is one of my favorite bars in Cincinnati! It has a nice dive bar feel to it with very reasonable priced beers. One thing that sets Fries apart from other bars in the area is the diversity. You get an older crowd, hipsters, locals, young professionals, and college students that come here at any given time.The pool table in the basement is a good feature and they typically have karaoke on Thursdays if I remember right. During the summer and fall, the outdoor patio is one of my favorite places to relax with a beer in hand. There is no food (other than popcorn), but you can bring in your own from outside. The only downfall is the parking which can be tough to find on the weekends close to fries. You won't want to drive after being here anyway!
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Mark S.
Oct 17, 2017
Fantastic venue for live music and cold beer! We enjoyed INOA band over the weekend and the patio out back was perfect. Only downside was bar was down some steps but that didn't stop even this guy with a broken leg since Taft, Braxton and Reinguiest were on tap. Highly recommended for a great evening out around Clifton.
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Erica D.
Jul 2, 2019
Definitely a dive which is always a good, fun, laid back atmosphere. The big negative is I don't think they have a/c, or at least didn't have it on when it was over 90* so not a fun place to be, even with big fans. They have a lot of local craft beers on draft, probably 8-10 and tons of bottles, plus every liquor you could want for a mixed drink.Seems like a good spot to end the night with a quick drink, several floors (we only stayed on the first, with the most fans), with shuffleboard, free pool on Sunday afternoons, pretty fun and a bit cleaner than I remember it being in college.
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Justin M.
Apr 5, 2010
Fries (pronounced Freeze) Cafe located on Jefferson ave near the gaslight district is as divey dive as they come. I would have never noticed or known this bar was even here if I had not done a bar search for shufleboard on the Internet. Fries is a dive but it is really inviting. Their are a couple of rooms that compile what is Fries Cafe. The first door you walk into, which is hard to find if your a newbie, is the hallway which leads to the main bar area or you can go down into the dungeon pool hall. Past the bar room us the shufleboard board room which my party likes to take advantage of. It's an old table with some bumps at the ends but it no doubt gets the job done and makes for a super fun and competitive night. When it's comes to drink selection Fries has a great beer cooler. They boast on their website about being a beer bar and they live up to it. They have literally a standing cooler of tons of different beers for you to choose from. Fries does have food I think. Late at night though they have things like chips and peanuts for you to munch on.If your in town and looking for a good brewski then stop at Fries. The crowd is mature unlike on campus and it is more if a relaxing bar. A worthwhile place to stop at for a drink
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Henry H.
May 15, 2016
Cheap atmosphere complete with deadbeat townie "regulars" (alcoholics) who basically live there. Neither the service or the selection are anything to write home about. Just go anywhere else within walking distance in the Clifton Gaslight neighborhood for a better atmosphere like Arlin's, or Catskeller, or anywhere else.
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Scott A.
Sep 29, 2017
Was just cursed out by a manager for using the outdoor patio..... something about the gravel? Will not be back....
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Sheila M.
Nov 7, 2010
This is a favorite hangout spot for a lot of people I know. Hopefully it's not for the atmosphere, which I agree is extremely divey in that it's smelly and unpolished-looking, but rather for the chance to hang out with your buddies as you shoot pool/play darts/dominate at shuffleboard while you get a good buzz going. The shuffleboard is definitely addicting and there is usually a wait to play on more crowded nights. This place is never really crowded though, unless the med students just finished a block of exams. The people who come here tend to be "older", ie. grad students and up. Yes, that includes me.One reason I don't love coming here is because there is always (yes, every time I go) this one creeper black dude who sits at a table by the shuffleboard, literally one table away from my group, and just stares at people and things by himself for hours. He wears sunglasses at night sometimes, probably to help him reduce the stalking vibe by a few negligible percentage points. One time my female friend and I noticed that whenever our group left one area of the bar to go to a different area, the creeper would follow, then sit just as close as he had before. As you can tell I have observed him quite a bit, but that's just how much he bothers me. So I would suggest bringing a large group of guys with you as we do :) Come to think of it though, it's always the guys' idea to go. But oh well, somehow it's always a fun time! Notes:1) Parking is either on the street, or in the lot directly across from Fries. It's not an actual bar lot but I've never been towed, and it's better than walking down a shady street in the dark.2) On certain nights they sell really good and juicy burgers upstairs. (I don't remember any fries though, just chips. Ironic?)
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Kate's A.
May 6, 2023
Such a fun night hanging out with friends at Fries Cafe!! Amazing atmosphere and a great time!!Molly
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