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.

History

The establishment was first opened in 1838 by Susan Fawcett as "a whorehouse," according to Cincinnati historian Mike Morgan. In 1861, new owner Simon Arnold operated it as a bar and lived upstairs. The Arnold family operated the bar through 98 years and three generations until 1959, when Elmer Arnold sold it to former professional wrestler and mob collector Jim Christakos, who also lived upstairs.
In 1976, Cincinnati City Council member Jim Tarbell purchased it from Christakos and also moved in upstairs. He expanded the bar to include a large outdoor courtyard. In 1998 longtime Arnold's server Ronda Breeden bought it to run with her son Chris Breeden. In 2019 Chris and Bethany Breeden took over ownership.
During prohibition the bar operated as a speakeasy. Some believe the building to be haunted.
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.
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.

Reception

One of America's oldest bars, Arnold's Bar and Grill has been noted in Esquire magazine's "Best Bars in America", Thrillist's "Most Iconic Bar in Ohio", The Daily Meal's "150 Best bars in America" and Serious Eats' "The Cincinnati 10". Esquire's beverage historian David Wondrich 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."

Street art

In 2010 Shepard Fairey installed a 15-foot-tall by 20-foot-wide mural entitled "Global Warning" on Arnold's exterior wall. 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. 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 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.

In popular culture

On television

In a 2018 episode 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.
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. 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.
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.
On November 27, 2019 Chef Kayla Robison also represented Arnold's on NBC's Today 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.

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.
The 2016 film Mauraders, 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.
The film 10 Minutes Gone, directed by Brian A. Miller, filmed scenes with Michael Chiklis at Arnold's.

Awards and accolades

National
Local