Igby’s

The bartenders know their stuff and the cocktail menu is usually great. I love the atmosphere, but I’d love to go back when the upper floors are open. (Yes, this place is spacious!) The décor is pretty dark and wood-​ish. The front door is pretty cool, but easy to miss. They even have a fire place! I will say, the bathrooms in the basement are almost too dark, and kind of confusing for the first time– lots of mirrors and a shared sink area. Only gave 4 stars for that and the cocktails are a little pricey for me but not too far out of my range ($ 9 – 11).

We stopped at Igby’s for a drink prior to dinner at Boca. It was relatively quiet as it was the week between Christmas and New Year’s. It was Happy Hour and we had a nice Tempranillo for $ 20. A very nice wine at a great price. This was the best value of the night as while Boca is delicious it is very expensive. I love the décor in Igby’s. While I have not eaten here they have an excellent selection of craft beers. And did I mention a bottle of red wine for $ 20 during Happy Hour.

Igby’s is one of the nicest bars in downtown Cincinnati. The décor is completely modern and very attractive. I really enjoy sitting out on the patio when the weather allows. The bartenders are busy and attentive and I have always been happy with the service here. The drink selection is great– their well vodka is Titos which is a dream come true. Igby’s always has a great dj, but sometimes the music is a little too loud. It does get busy here on Saturdays and I prefer to go on Fridays.
Great place to come with a group of friends! Igby’s is a fun, classy bar.

I really love the ambiance of the bar. I believe it to be a little pricey but with the culture surrounding this bad… I keep coming back. It is always a stopping point on our nights out and I LOVE the patio when it isn’t too busy and we can actually sit. The fireplace upstairs makes the whole upstairs bar come together and I’m thoroughly impressed with the design.

I somehow found myself at Igby’s twice in one week, but for two totally different reasons.
(1) Thursday night for a Networking event. While walking in, there were a handful of groups sitting inside and outside on the patio to the side. The room upstairs with outdoor balcony was a nice space, perfect for an intimate event. The special cocktail drink menu was very popular amongst the ladies.
(2) Saturday night with my friends was a completely different experience. It was so crowded we couldn’t find anywhere to settle down and didn’t make it past the bottom of the steps to get upstairs where the DJ was. Being a shorty, I was glad I was there with a friend who was bigger and taller than me, I literally followed right behind him or I would have been buried in the sea of people. Unfortunately we left shortly after we arrived, it was way too crowded.
Hoping to return again since I absolutely love the set up and special cocktails (fingers crossed it won’t be so crowded)!

Love this bar. Great low key atmosphere and great cocktails. The cute guys behind the bar with flannels!

Needed a special place to have drinks and some food with great friends in town. Wanted to show them how cool Cincinnati has become. We went to Igbys and it was perfect. Amazing drinks, cool atmosphere and tasty food! We ended up staying all night and met some really cool people from the neighborhood. What more could I ask for… it was a great bar and I’ll def go back often.

Nice but dull. Overall it’s too Bougie for me, but the bathrooms are unbelievably clean for a bar! This is definitely more of a place for people in their 30s rather than people in their 20s. Mixes of peppy top 40s play quietly in the background. This is a great place of you want to stand and talk with people and don’t want to yell over loud music. However, there is limited seating because they dedicate SO much space to VIP seating (which no one is ever occupying, but the nice couches are roped off regardless). Cocktails are about 10 $ a piece and aren’t all that good tasting when you compare it to comparable drink prices at places like Japp’s.

Igby’s is probably my favorite bar downtown. The atmosphere is awesome (think high ceilings, classy lounge, very clean), the DJ is good, and the crowd is nicer than the other bars downtown. With that being said, I still don’t really like coming here on Friday and Saturday nights because it gets overly crowded (like, you can’t move around crowded). I don’t really like standing with my drink and not being able to move my arms…
Now, if I were single, in my 20’s or 30’s, and looking to mingle, this would be the bar I would go to. The prices are reasonable and their beer selection is pretty good, but their bartending suffers on Friday/​Saturday nights. I would recommend checking it out during the week because they really do have good cocktails, but don’t expect to get them easily when the bar is packed with people.
Overall, a great bar downtown, just not my scene when it’s too busy.

The patio is great in the summer and the crowd is comprised of a good percentage of professionals who work downtown. The location is located near the business district and their drinks are solid. It’s also spacious enough to hold a conversation without yelling. It’s definitely more like a lounge than a bar but I’m not complaining!

A few of my co-​workers and I tried out Igby’s on a Friday night for the first time this past weekend. We were coming from an electric and inspiring opening night for CAC and 21c’s new collaborative exhibit and were looking to bring that energy onto a dance floor somewhere close by. I had always heard that Igby’s was the place to be for a spunky/​classy night out downtown.
What we found was really disappointing. Three floors of beautiful space, packed with high society folks… all standing around sipping cocktails to ELEVATOR MUSIC. In a space this large and this dynamic there really should be an equally dynamic atmosphere. They could easy have two dance floors going each with their own DJ while still preserving plenty of space for lounge lizards to just stand around and sip but instead the entire space is catered to the latter. Very disappointing. The energy that my friends and I brought with us was soon diffused by the dullness that we experienced here and it promptly ended our Friday night out at midnight… really?

Chic bar that created an unforgettable evening due to the two 21 year old girls who hit on my wife while telling her they were looking for sugar daddies! The bartender was very personable and friendly and it was not overwhelmingly crowded.
The crowd is very mixed as it went from 21 year olds with belly shirts to a few 50 – 60 year olds in Blazers and dresses, YOLO! Had a great time and will be back im sure!

The décor at Igby’s is beautiful. It is two stories, but the upper level was closed for a private event when I was there. It is a bit darker, but very nice décor with bar seating and cushioned lounge type seating. They have unique cocktails. I ordered one that the bartender recommended, but it ended up being spicy and I couldn’t finish it. I didn’t realize I needed to say that I don’t like spicy foods/​drinks. It was pretty expensive though. I did not try the food. They do have TV’s by the bar area and will put whatever you want on the TV. We went earlier in the night and it wasn’t too crowded. It is a beautiful bar/​lounge, but just set your expectations accordingly that it is a bit pricier. It is nice if you want to try a unique cocktail though!

Need to train their bar staff in the art of cocktail service. My bartender made a couple drinks using wrong ingredients. When we declined to take the drink he still charged us for the drinks. He was also rude to several of the ladies I was with. Complete disrespect.

Every time I’ve been to Igby’s I have really enjoyed myself. Igby’s has a wonderful ambiance and is such a hip and trendy space. I have been to Igby’s for happy hour, a private work event, on the weekend and on a Thursday night for a birthday celebration. I must say, my favorite times at Igby’s were on weeknights. Weekends tend to get a little busy and more «clubby» and less «loungy.» Personally, I enjoy the «loungy» feeling of Igby’s. Oh yeah, on the weekends you’ll more than likely have to wait in line to get in as well as pay a cover. On weekdays, you can just walk right in! It’s a great place to get dressed up and hang out with friends or even with a date for a few cocktails. As mentioned above, Igby’s hosts private events so it would be a nice place for a birthday party, engatement party, etc… Check out Igby’s!

This place was pretty awesome. I will warn that we went early and it did seem to be getting into the more clubby party feel when we left but it was nice while we were there. The had two cocktails and both were tasty. They also have a cigar patio so we tried one with a glass of scotch. It was quite delicious. They patio has heaters so it was brisk but comfortable. The bar tenders were crafting the drinks and helpful on the selections. We will be back to try the happy hour but we will probably avoid it in the later hours of the night.

Every time I visit Igby’s since they’ve opened I’ve never been able to duplicate my great experience that I had the on my very first visit.
On my first visit, we were actually able to go up to the second floor and chill on the catwalk or sit in the upstairs balcony while enjoying a drink. Since then, not once have I been able to venture upstairs because it is literally always closed for private parties. I understand this somewhat, but not on a Friday/​Saturday night when people actually want to hang out up there. When you ARE able to get up there though I suggest checking it out. It’s pretty cool.
Another problem is that when it is crowded the main entrance is absolutely impossible to navigate through. People stand at the bar and there are tables behind the bar so you are forced to put your butt in people’s face as you try to get through.
Lastly, the drinks are overpriced. They seem to be a lot smaller than I remember them being. They are now served in real glasses instead of the weird plastic ones now however so that’s a plus.
Igby’s is never first on my list of places to go anymore, especially with the arrival of great new places neighboring them (Sotto, Boca, etc.). I might stop in when I’m passing by for a quick drink, but only if the upstairs is open.

Igby’s has great drinks. Aaron and Matt, two of the bartenders, are really nice and good at remembering who you are. (Or I have happened to be there quite a bit the past few days.)
Drinks aside, the crowd is… interesting. There’s certainly a lot of variety, but I’ve had a few run-​ins with some very rude people. But that’s something the bar doesn’t have much control over. I’d prefer to be here early in the evening during the week as opposed to the weekend.

I’m a bit torn on this one, and probably should return for the sake of writing a decisive review. Went to Igby’s for a happy hour drink on a Tuesday night before dinner next door. I was a bit shocked at how crowded this place was at 5PM on a Tuesday. I felt like I had sneaked into a P&G party-​all the suits and business attire on the mature crowd. The ambiance and crowd gave it a quite classy feel.
It definitely has an upscale feel, which is appropriate for this Arnoff and Business District-​adjacent location, but doesn’t feel very «Cincinnati,» which is good or bad, depending on your night/​take. As others haven noted, the upstairs was closed during our visit as well, which is probably why it felt so crowded, and it was too cold to be outside. We luckily snagged two seats when we did, because there were none (again, Tuesday night???).
The drink menu seemed comprehensive, but I was sold on their October drink of the month-​Four Roses Bourbon, pumpkin purée, fresh ground nutmeg-​it was really delish for $ 5. The bar tender seemed on top of it, and we received service and our drinks at a reasonable pace. Had I spent much time with the drink menu, I may have noticed their prices.
I’d probably go back, again for not much more than a drink. If I was looking for a nice, unique place to take someone (hint for date night, fellas!), this would be it; but I want to see the whole place! With options close by (Nada), it’s worth stopping here to see if it’s crowded before moving on to a place where you’re more likely to get a seat and quick service.

A very nice bar and recently opened after much remodeling I hear. This is a great white collar bar. The drink prices are a little steep. The music is a bit loud which makes it tough to carry on a conversation. You need to go out on the balcony if you actually want to have a conversation with someone.
One thing I’ve noticed about this bar that sets it apart from any others I’ve been to so far (admittedly still exploring) is the clientele. The bar seems to be packed with beautiful people both men and women. It is this reason why I give it the 4^th star, otherwise 3 stars.