Iris Book Café

It’s not exactly a hidden gem, but the back garden feels like that. I hate to even write this review for fear everyone will find my new favorite downtown spot. Books, coffee and a secret garden. What more does one need?

Moved to Cincy last year from Chicago and have not found a good coffee shop to read/​study/​work until I came upon Iris. I’m used to original coffee shops with a lot of character in the big city. Iris is cozy, trendy, and unique with shelves of books, tables in cozy areas, and a great outdoor patio area. Staff is friendly. Good coffee. A fan of the ambiance.

Hands down a great urban spot. Their back patio is one of my «happy spaces». I literally can’t be in a bad mood there. The rotating art exhibits are phenomenal. The art can vary but it’s always photography. Top notch coffee and coffee drinks. Good soup options. Friendly service. The tables in the back are a nice place to collect yourself, meet a friend, or read a book. I’m a long time customer and glad to have this place in the neighborhood. You order up front and pay on your way out. This is a good system for this place as you can bring any books you find to the register when you pay for your food.

Came here the evening of a Final Friday Art Show in OTR. I really like this place. My friend and I both ordered sandwiches (turkey/​avocado) and coffee. Nothing fancy, but it was just what we were looking for. The service, price and atmosphere were perfect.

I am a fan of Iris Book Café! These are the reasons: 1) great ambience/​seats; 2) great coffee, tea, and soup;3) great services and great guests!
My husband is an artist and I am a graduate student. We love visiting this coffee shop on the weekends. There I usually do my writing and reading, and my husband does his drawing. We usually stay there for at least 3 hours since it is layback and just a nice place to hang out.
This coffee shop is surrounded by all kinds of books, including photography, fiction, poetry, play, philosophy, travel, etc. You can buy books (most of them are used books) from the shelves too. This coffee shop is also a gallery, too. There is always an exhibition there. So you can imagine why my husband and I love staying there.
We have tried different beverages there. All of them are good! Mocha is great. It has a nicely balanced flavor of coffee and chocolate. Chai Latte is great too! What I like about it is that it is not too sweet. They also brew nice teas made from loose tea leaves. Moroccan tea is nice – very soothing and refreshing.
This coffee shop also serves a variety of soup! We tried a Russian soup one time and that was phenomenal! I bet they have a great soup chef! I will try other soups in the future for sure!
This coffee shop also have great services. I know two women working there, and they are both very nice. They take our orders promptly and bring our beverages to our table.
Overall, we will continue to visit this coffee shop regularly! :)

I like Iris and I want to love it. Coffee and tea are great. Food is nice and they have a lot of great choices. The staff is nice. There are just a few aesthetic problems that get me every time. The inside is decorated very peacefully. Yet almost every time I’m there the music is noisy punk or death metal. I usually go to coffeeshops to write or meet a friend to chat, not to get pumped up for a revolution, so that never works for me. In fact, it drives me out and keeps me from going back because I can’t focus over the music. I also wonder why they leave the kitchen door open in the backroom with the noisy fan and florescent lights — otherwise it is like a lovely library of artbooks and novels back there.
Iris is a conundrum. I wish it was as peaceful sonically as it is visually.

They worked with my partner’s restricted diet and were great about it. Our salads were filling and flavorful. Their lemongrass tea was also delicious. We sat up front, but when we walked back further, there was a lot more space that would be great for reading, working, or just hanging out.

I went to Iris this morning to meet with a friend. I had a caramel iced coffee and a bagel with cream cheese; both were good.
I used to work within walking distance and come here more frequently. I love how this place is so quiet and full of books. The outdoor patio is absolutely serene and the bathrooms are always clean.
This is a great place to get work done or have coffee with a pal :)

Such a great place to study and do work! The food is great, the staff is friendly and it’s quite and peaceful. I always love going there when I get the chance.

An adorable outdoor patio, and a relaxing place to get a coffee or bagel.
Tried three items today with a friend: a bialy bagel with cream cheese, smoked salmon on an everything bagel, and a hot chocolate.
All 3 items were delicious, especially the hot chocolate. Our bill was only $ 12, a steal for OTR.
Dog friendly in the patio as well!

Great food, great drinks, and great atmosphere when there aren’t two baristas present. I came to the shop to chill and do some work on a Saturday. One of the baristas came in for her shift and the atmosphere went from awesome and chill to UNBELIEVABLY annoying. The self proclaimed «Pineapple» was talking to her coworker at the top of her lungs about her personal issues and gossiping about customers for the last two hours I was there. Honestly, it was incredibly distracting and unprofessional. I was working on my laptop there for about 5 hours and spent a good deal of money and because of this, I probably won’t come back to do so again if she’s there. I will however come back for a quick cup of coffee and a sandwich. Like I said, good food and good drinks.

Very cute little place! Stopped in for a quick cup of coffee and some pumpkin bread. The woman behind the counter was very sweet, the coffee was delicious, a and the pumpkin bread was on point! Spent some time in their courtyard, which is the cutest place on a nice day. Will definitely return next time I’m up in OTR.

I was blown away by this place. I’ve walked by it so many times and never taken the time to go in. It’s a great place to sit and study, read, or share a meal with a friend. Their walls are lined with thousands of books. Their coffee was delicious. My sandwich was wholesome and reminded me of the kind «mom makes». Don’t be fooled when you first walk in by the size of this place; when you continue to the back you find «bonus rooms» with extra privacy to meet with groups or alone to study.

I didn’t partake in most of the wares here (just iced tea and coffee for the hubs), but I really liked this little café. Anywhere that I can caffeine up in a bookish setting gets two thumbs up from me.
Service was pretty OK. The barista gave me the wrong iced tea, but fixed it. She maybe could have been less weird about it but she was nice enough.
They had a really cute little patio that looked like a great place to sit in the summer; it’s private and lined with plants (and a fake pig).
Also? Really posh bathroom. I mean, more posh than you’d expect. Which isn’t a reason to go here, but it’s notable, I guess.

Stopped here for a quick meal for an event in Over the Rhine. I got a chili (think it had chorizo in it), and a cookie. All were good. There aren’t a ton of seats here and the service is counter walkup, so I’m not sure if it’s a great place for folks to go in a group. But if you need to kill some time on Main Street in OTR, this is a great place to stop by.

If you’re looking for something that’s a kind of like your hipster coffee shop/​café, but also kind of different in that it doesn’t just cater to hipsters, Iris is your spot. Their walls are lined floor to ceiling with books and not only does that make it cozy (sound dampening), but you can pretend like you’re Belle, being presented to a magnificent library of books by the Beast. Except without the glorious crystal lighting.
It’s not like your dusty old library, but it’s not like the worn and torn, well-​loved book collection either. They’ve got a bit of everything and it’s so much fun to just walk around and check the titles out. They’re sorted by category so it’s fun to just browse and see if you can find something new.
The interior is a lot bigger than it looks on the outside; even though it’s a slender building, it almost feels like a labyrinth inside as the walls cut in here and there and you wander around in and out of tons of books and quietly chatting friends.
The best part about Iris? Their soup. And I hate soup.
Go for the soup. GO!!!

This patio may be the best kept secret in OTR. I almost left it out of my review, because I don’t want you all to rush there! It’s spacious, shady, comfy. The only thing its lacking outside is an outlet so I can plug in and work there
.long. (Don’t worry, I thought about running an extension cord out the window/​door.)
This is a great place to browse the bookshelves, meet up for a coffee date or meeting, or buckle down and do work. There are tables in the front of the store with plenty of outlets and there’s also seating in the back (larger table for groups as well). The staff is helpful and chill. I’m a pretty plain-​jane black coffee drinker, but their selection of drinks looks solid for those needing a bit more pizazz, there’s also a tea list, and lunch menu (with seasonal/​daily specials).
Unlike other coffee/​alternate workspaces in the OTR area, Iris isn’t as fast-​paced, or loud, and finding a place to park it and work is nearly a guarantee. This place feels like a local’s mainstay, and for me, it can be a great, quiet get away when I need that atmosphere to be productive.

One of my very favorite spots in the city. I go for the soup (it is THE BEST EVER) and steamed milk+honey drinks.
I could stay in there all day though, flipping through books.

Favorite spot: outside seating in the back
Favorite drink: Fruit smoothie (mangos, strawberries, soy milk, and orange juice)
Favorite barista: they’re all awesome!
Favorite soup: vegan chili
It’s about time I leave a review for one of the coolest bookstores and chill spots in Cincinnati. I try to make it down to Iris’s once a week, when I need a break from the overcrowded Clifton coffee shops, or when I’m in need of some quality people watching and a different atmosphere to study in.
Their menu incorporates foods from a number of local businesses, including ice cream from Aglamesis Bro’s, as well as sandwiches, soups, and a wide variety of hot and cold drinks of their own. Their smoothies are amazing! I usually stick with one of the fresh scones, which I’ve been told are made by the owner, and a mug of the Sumatra coffee. I wouldn’t come specifically for their food, but if I’m here at lunchtime, I treat myself to a hot bowl of soup or a sandwich every once in a while. They have plenty of vegetarian and vegan options, so I usually feel like I have a couple of options.
Besides being surrounded on all sides by shelves upon shelves of books, there is also an exciting art or photography display coloring the walls. Since I’ve been coming to Iris’s, they have changed the artwork three times, each one interesting and worldly in its own respect.
The outside seating in the back is my favorite during spring and fall and there is plenty of comfortable seating indoors as well. It can be a little cold in the back during the winter months, but they usually have space heaters to help cozy things up.
As a regular, I don’t have many complaints about Iris’s. The music can be a bit loud in the front at times, but you can either ask for them to turn it down or move to the back where it is much quieter. In the winter, the back is cold but, again, they usually have space heaters.
I recommend Iris’s to anyone looking for a chill spot in Cincinnati to read some books, drink a cup or coffee, get some studying/​work done, or meet up with friends!

A beautiful oasis in the middle of OTR!
When I first moved to Over the Rhine there was little here. Especially within walking distance to my house. I actually stumbled upon this place by accident thinking it was a bookstore when I was walking by. Turns out it kind of is, but it is also one of the best little coffee/​tea shops in Cincinnati.
They do have a limited menu but here is a little taste of what they offer: avocado turkey sammis, veggie sammis, potato leek soup, pumpkin bread, cookies. Nothing too fancy but like I always say simple food executed properly is the best food. The soups here are incredible. I am not even a soup person. I ordered a bowl on a whim as a snack and now I’m addicted to them. Like the others are saying you really can’t go wrong with anything you order. Everything is home made here.
Now for the teas! My favorite part! I would say they have about 20 different teas to choose from. All of them come from Essencha (one of the best tea houses in the city). Aromatic, whether sweet or savory they are all delish! I got the sunburst tea, which is a mango floral flavored tea and it was SO GOOD! My friend got the chai tea latte which I have never had before. I tried it and melted down into my seat thinking oh wow that must be what heaven tastes like.
Now for the atmosphere. The walls are a pale nude/​gray which is griege? It is a beautiful soothing color. The bookshelves are filled with interesting stories, records, magazines all the way up to the ceiling. They have one minimal art exhibit hanging throughout the building that is always gorg! The tables are sleek and modern but still cozy. I would call the décor contemporary because it still feels homey but it’s very trendy.
Oh and don’t forget the back patio! I swore I would never use this word but here comes the word vomit: THIS PLACE IS A HIDDEN GEM! To escape the concrete jungle of what is downtown. Come here and sit on this patio surrounded by vines and greenery and you will feel better instantly. A perfect place to go and read, or get some work done.
Come see this beautiful Oasis for yourself, I promise you will not be disappointed.

I really like Iris. It’s a nice little coffee shop right on Main Street with tasty drinks and soups, several different areas to read and work, and a staff that is helpful and friendly. I’ve never had a bad experience coming here and it makes me want to come more often. I love the laid back atmosphere; it’s very conducive to getting things done when I need a public place to sit and hang out while I work. Coffee Emporium can get pretty loud at times, so I generally come here when I have the chance and need to concentrate because it’s more quiet. If you’re in the area, definitely check this place out.