Junker’s Tavern

A real dive bar! One of the last places to ban me before I got sober, Junkers is a real dive bar full of real alcoholics. I used to love hanging out here because they never cut me off. The people are nice and I was never bothered by creeps. I highly recommend going here if you like drinking and sitting around.

The epitome of dive bar, but such a fun atmosphere! Go Friday nights for karaōke, but make sure you bring cash because they don’t except cards. There’s a UDF across the street (plus side for PNC users) with an ATM. Last call is kinda early; they close at 1 am.

I could possibly appreciate other aspects of this place. However, I ran out immediately. If you want to be eye-​raped, this is your spot.

If you look up dive bar in the dictionary, this place fits it to a T.
Upon walking through the metal reinforced front door, one is hit with that indescribable locals only vibe, but not in an unfriendly kind of way. Rather, as is typical of many Northside establishments, people are cool and come from all walks of life. There was one guy (who my friend said was the neighborhood dealer) asleep at the bar and then there was a starving artist kinda dude working on a laptop in the retro booths and a very nice lady working the bar. No one was smoking when I was there, thank God.
The jukebox has a great selection of music from 70’s rock to somewhat contemporary pop stuff. I think my friend put a buck in and we had like 20 credits.
Drink prices are great and a little bit goes a long way. We had a bucket of Budweisers that came in mini bottles that reminded me of Little Kings. I didn’t even know they came in that size.
So, if you want a place that as Brian N aptly describes as rough around the edges (and I agree and enjoy), check out this place.

Are you a smoker who really misses the days when you sat in a bar overwhelmed with a cloud of smoke? Do you miss going home with the smell of cigarettes reeking from your every pore? Then, Junkers is for you!
On the Thursday evening that I went in, this tiny bar was packed. About 80% of the people were smoking (ignoring the smoking ban). Even the bartender smoked while she poured our drinks.
On the other hand, drink prices are great. We got three mixed drinks for $ 10 total. Also, they have a cool old school jukebox. We did get good service while there.

AVOID!
They ignore Ohio’s smoking ban and it is full of druggies and extremely rough people.

Rough around the edges would be an understatement, but definitely a neighborhood mainstay. Love the prices, love the people, and love its atmosphere.
Positive reinforcement dance-​aroke is not your average karaōke. DJ Heatha Featha MCs the Saturday nights and makes sure everyone gets a turn on the microphone. Allan and Brad rock the Fridays. I’d say one of the better places with a quicker rotation. Guaranteed to get a good amount of songs to sing on any given Friday or Saturday night.
Love the bartenders. Ask Jessica for her Jessi-​tini. Talk to Joe about sports; it will be educational.
Love the hours! Need a beer at 9am? Junkers has you covered.
And the prices… cant be beat.

I love this place. Have always gone for the friday or saturday night karaōke. Some of the best nights I’ve had in cincinnati have involved this place. The regulars are all characters, and generally very cool.
I have tried to sing karaōke in other bars since, but none have quite the charm, crowd or spirit of Junker’s. Great way to spend Friday Night.
Cash only, still sometimes smokey, and definitely sweaty when it fills up around 11:30PM.

Great bar, the jukebox is next level incredible, delightfully grimey and cheap.

I used to live on Williamson Place in Northside, within walking distance of Junker’s, but actually never went there until after I moved to a different part of Cincinnati. It looks pretty run-​down and a bit scary from the outside… and, well, to be honest, still looks kind of run-​down and scary when you first walk in. But the people are friendly, drinks are cheap, and (thanks to both of those things), weekend karaōke is a lot of fun.

I’ll admit it up front: I’m a Junker’s homer. I’ve spent more Friday nights at this bar than any other place in Cincinnati and I rarely go there without seeing somebody I know. So my review comes with the bias that I know and like Junker’s.
My short report looks like this:
Friendliness/​Environment: 5
Drinks: 3
Value: 5
Atmosphere: 2
Karaōke: 5
Fun Factor: 5
A stalwart group of Junker’s loyalists among my friend set urged me to come down to Junker’s for some karaōke– they ‘d been doing it for months and I finally acquiesced last fall around this time. I expected funny looks when I walked through the door of the tiny place, but was surprised to instead find… smiles. Handshakes. Hellos.
And, of course, my friends were there too.
Junker’s is a really remarkably friendly environment. From the really capable and laid back vibe that the bartenders throw off, to the ever-​supportive and chillaxed Brad running karaōke nights, to the multifaceted, multiinterested, multi-​generational strangers you’ll find yourself drinking, singing, and yes even dancing with, you feel like you’re a part of a strange movie about fate and the meaning of life if you spend an evening there.
The drinks are nothing too special, but there’s nothing particularly wrong about them, either. The buckets of minis go down easily, my friends occasionally enjoy ordering shots after a particularly jubilant karaōke triumph, and the bartenders are very willing to hook you up with just about anything you’re looking for, as long as you’re not looking for a fancy martini or something. The bar’s cash only, which makes it easier to keep track of what you spend.
The best part about Junker’s, which dovetails with my comment about the relaxed environment it puts off, is that there’s a lot of karaōke there. What I love about karaōke at Junker’s specifically, having tried a lot of the Northside venues, is that it’s easy to get in to sing– but it’s not just you alone up there, singing with varying levels of confidence into a microphone and wondering what you’re doing while everyone else in the bar flips through their songbooks and tries to decide what to sing. Instead, everyone is paying attention to you. They’re singing along. And yes– they’re even *dancing* to your song. I’ve never felt like such a rockstar as when I’m standing at the mic at Junker’s. It’s pretty damn magical.
If you go there on Friday nights, I’m willing to bet you’ll see me there sometime, and you should introduce yourself. I’ll be nice, I promise– everyone else is, and it’s just the Junker’s way.

Junker’s is shady. In a really good way. It’s a tiny place with a bar on one side and booths on the other. The people are gruff but nice. They offer buckets of mini budweiser bottles for 5 bucks. It is rough around the edges but still remains better than most northside hubs. Oh, it closes at 1am though. A very nice choice over the other places around.