July 1, 2009
Fun bar not far from UC. Spread out through a few rooms and a patio/backyard area. Lots of games- shuffleboard, darts, pool, etc. Very good bottle selection and usually a few treats on the taps. Excellent bar if you want to get away from the jammed Calhoun/McMillan area, which is more of the undergrad spot. One of the better bars in Cincinnati, which isn’t a great town for beer bars.

June 8, 2009
Low end looking place with a great jukebox and pretty good beer at pretty good prices. Great dive bar!

February 4, 2008
One of my old college stomping grounds. An old building that has a nice pub feeling about it. Mostly local neighborhood regulars and college kids. Decent draft lineup and hosts the annual Clifton Ale fest in a beer garden outback. Wonderful, charming setting.

March 14, 2007
Fries Cafe is another one of my old stomping grounds from college. I actually forgot all about it until I saw it listed here on RateBeer. I took illinismitty as part of our pub crawl while he was in the area for business on 3/06/2007. Suprisingly, there were several good micro beers on draught including two Barrelhouse offerings (Helles Bock and Boss Cox Double Dark IPA), Bell’s, and several others. They too have a cooler of assorted bottles to choose from if nothing on tap meets your fancy. The place was somehwhat empty the evening I was there since the university was on Spring Break, but this place is full of college students on most regular nights. They have pool and darts among other entertainment options. My only complaint is that this place is exempt for the smoking ban since it’s a bar, so the cigarette smoke inside is thick and plentiful. I hate that. Parking is available on the street and maybe in a couple nearby lots, but for the most part, parking is tricky if not nearly impossible to come by. Credit cards are not accepted, so BE SURE TO HAVE CASH! (Thanks again for covering me Sean.)

March 8, 2007
This was the second stop on the pub crawl with Shigadeyo. Located inside a very old building, the look is "worn historic." Seems to have a lot of neighborhood clientele. Bartender was very friendly. They have 4 or 5 taps of micros, including two barrel house beers. There were more than 20 bottles on our visit. An adequate selection of micros, including Victory, Bells, Arcadia, etc. Nothing rare. After work, it can get very loud and smoky. Bring cash because they do not take credit cards.

October 22, 2006
Check out Tmoney99’s rating. I couldnt say it any better. The beerfest was downright awesome. Great IPA selection, SpeakEasy, Weyerbacher. If you like big city, but small town friendliness, this place is for you.

August 7, 2006
Clifton area local bar with parking in front. Older building with good history. Freindly location with good service. Eight taps with six micros and cooler at end of bar with 25 to 30 bottles. They had a stout that I had on my wishlist. Beerfest on an annual basis. Clearly a local college crowd location that is worth a stop.

October 29, 2004 [ Updated September 5, 2008 ]
I’ve talked the owner and I think at some point in time soon this rating might need to be changed. But for now Fries is an established bar. They would like to serve more micros. They do have 8 taps, but 4 are macros, they do have a collection of bottled micros such as Bells, Arcadia, and Victory. They have an out door beer garden and 2 pool tables and darts. They want to serve food, but can’t right now.