Mainstay Rock Bar

Four words: MUG CLUB + FREE WINGS!!!
As you may have heard Mainstay is closing in the next month or so and it is a damn shame. The location nestled far in the corner of the city and might have something to do with it, hopefully a partner will buy and reopen with the same Sunday Bengals tradition.
For now, take advantage! On game days they have a Mug Club. Buy a mug for $ 10 (with beer in it) and every refill (usually a domestic) after is only 2 BUCKS! On away games they do unlimited free wings. They were bringing them out fresh and were refilling them all the way up until the game was over. They were actually really delicious wings too. BBQ + Medium the sauce tasted great. They were hot, and the fries (that don’t come with it) were double fried and seasoned to perfection.
I am sad that I am just catching onto this awesome tradition. Keep up with their final events on FB and help send them off in style. Cheers to all the good times!

I love this venue. It has a really great feel to the place. It’s not typically too crazy busy, I’ve been there before when it’s pretty packed & I’ve been then when it’s pretty empty, either way it’s a great hangout. The staff at Mainstay are great! They are all very friendly and laid back. It’s a good place to catch some live music when there is an artist or band playing. Since it’s not a super big location you can see well from wherever you chose to post up in the bar.

The Pros:
— Wide selection of drinks at great prices
— Wide array of bands playing most nights
— I don’t know if they offer food anymore, but the burger that i had is REALLY good.
The Cons:
— I hate to sound like Huey Lewis in Back To The Future, but the music just too darn loud.
— The smell. As soon as you walk in, it’s like a punch in the face.
I’ll be back, but I’m not looking forward to it.

I visited 3 times over the weekend while working at the convention center. The bartenders were genuinely friendly. The burgers and wings were several grades above my bar-​food expectations. The French fries would become an addiction were I here every week.
I was here during the lunch and dinner hours, but the beer selection was expansive (and tempting)
I’ll be back to this joint.

Liquor, hot bartenders, rock & roll. What more can you ask for? Maybe a little bit heavier pour on the drinks but otherwise, this place is pretty awesome.

Here for Bengals game. Bengals suck and so does the DJ. Place smells like a sewer. Barf

This was one of the participating bars for Santacon 2013. So, I ventured in with my crew of drunken Santas for some jolly food and beverages.
The management knew in advance we were coming, so why they chose to have only 1 bartender on duty was beyond me. She was doing her best to serve our 100+ Santas, but she just really couldn’t keep up. And Santas without their booze lose their jolly really quick.
The had an apple cider with jameson and fireball on special for $ 7. It was truly what was needed on this cold day while wearing a very short elf outfit. Unfortunately, they ran out of it about ¼ of their way through the Santas, so most people didn’t get to try it.
Had several friends order food and it came out hot and fast. The mac and cheese looked particularly. good! Guess they had a decent amount of kitchen staff.
This wouldn’t be my usual evening place. The music is generally too loud and not of my taste, but during a weekend day it was casual and fun. I have ventured to the Betty Bar upstairs which is more my style. Overall, Santa gives it 1.5 thumbs up!

A Bud and I drove to Cincy to see The Lumineers play at Riverbend. Had a few hours to kill before the show and we just happened to drive by this place. We were there very early as we were the only people in the place. Had the Cheeseballs (delish) and Wings (good as well) Sampled a couple local brews. The girl behind the bar was extremely friendly and provided great service. She happened to be an Environmental Science prof. at a local college and gave us a free shot for scoring the highest in the bar on one of her tests for her students. BOOM! FREE FIREBALL FOR SCIENCE!

Came to Mainstay on a Friday to check out my friend’s band play along with a couple others. I had heard a lot of good things about the place, but this was my first visit. It’s in a very good spot if you ask me; downtown yet not in the heart of madness where a parking spot is IMPOSSIBLE. You’ll just have to do some looking around (I’m somehow usually in good favor with the parking gods).
Inside is fairly open and spacious, with an upstairs and downstairs, but we stayed downstairs. I’m pretty sure upstairs is a bit more of a lounge. The stage is elevated and the sound is pretty decent. The bar has a nice selection and the staff is nice. I met a few cool people there and had a good old time watching my friends on stage while having a few drinks.
All around a cool layout in a good location, I’ll be back to see some more music soon!

Mainstay is where you go for Bengals games.
I’ve been here on a few occasions outside of games, but just for drinks upstairs in the loungey Betty bar, or when its crazy packed after a convention center shindig. But game times is the best.
On away games, you’ll always find the game on here. They have fre wings, yes you heard me, FREE WINGS. There’s also a Bloody Mary bar if thats your thing. But the best of all? The Mug Club. $ 5 gets you a 24 oz mug filled with either Miller Lite or Yuengling. Refills after that are only $ 2. Or if you come back for another game, and bring your mug back with you (yes you get to keep the mug!) then you start right off with $ 2 beers!
Want a place to watch the Home games as well? Mug club has $ 3 refills. Where else can you get basically a $ 1.50 non Nati Light-​esque beer? Theres also a DJ that will play over the commercials, and throws in a few surprises much to the bartenders chagrin.
The food here isn’t too bad either. I hear they have the spicest wings in town. No ones been able to beat their challenge yet. Seriously, check it out.

This is a really nice bar for a rock bar. Which in itself is an awesome reason to go.
Service to get a drink was speedy, the music was decent (and loud). Free popcorn, a photobooth setup, and the crowd was fun.
I definitely will be back.

Mainstay Rock Bar, wasn’t too rockin’ on Wednesday night.
The place was just a bit quiet. I was there for a couple hours before they really cranked the music. The bartenders seemed to be very nice and I was able to have an extended conversation with them as I was here solo to watch some baseball.
I can’t say much about the drinks since I wasn’t drinking that night, but they did have tall PBR cans and Guinness on draft. I saw a man suck down a Guinness in a blink of an eye, literally. This was like a parlor trick. I looked at him, he tipped up his glass, I took a sneak peak at the draft selection, and when I looked back he was setting the glass down, empty but for the suds.
I did consume a panini during my visit, the John Lennon. It left a little to be desired. It was just barely grilled and the pesto had seeped through the bread, so it was pretty soggy. Side of kettle chips was pretty solid, though they did come in a bag. Of note, Paul McCartney and Ringo Star were also panini options, but George Harrison was unavailable as he was traversing another plane of existence with the Maharishi Yogi.
I was informed that it was open mic night on Wednesday, but apparently that didn’t start until pretty late. There is a large stage for bands that hides behind some heavy red curtains when being unused.
I thought the bar, which was mostly empty, was a little uncomfortable due to the shape. I had a seat on the bumped out portion and kind of felt like I was on display for all the world to see, which is not what you want when you are solo at a bar.
There was a fun party upstairs that I crashed around nine or ten. Apparently this is a space you can rent out and have catered parties with a cash bar and some kegs.
I see myself returning to this bar soon, as I had an enjoyable experience and am no longer confusing it with a seedier and clubbier place in the northeast corner of downtown.

Ah, Mainstay. Through the years this location has been everything from an swanky dance club (anyone remember Spy Club?) to its current iteration of a cool bar that hosts everything from a fashion show to a crazy loud Rock n Roll show. I clearly recall seeing some crazy white and green Little Kings in a can here and knew I was in the right place. The bartenders are nice and I really like the ability to go upstairs and lounge on a couch if I want. Parking is usually available on side streets. This place is a also good afterparty spot for post convention center partying. Sometimes there is a cover so plan ahead if you are a «I-live-in-Cincinnati-and-I-don’t-pay-covers» kinda person. (which, admittedly I am sometimes. It’s ok.)

I like Mainstay!
Okay, I guess I can put a little more thought into it. First, I’ll admit that I have never been to a show here — but as far as being a great bar, I can vouch for that. I may be a little biased since it is so close to my place, but whenever I walk my dog past I have to resist the urge to take her home and run back over for a beer.
Overall the food is pretty good, but when it comes to Mainstay — I’m a sucker for the pretzels. Looking at them they don’t seem all that special, but I am addicted. Happy hour deals are decent and run until 9 every day, which is always nice. Happy Hour consists of half-​price appetizers and some decent drink specials.
The beer list is plentiful and always has something that I am in the mood for or haven’t tried yet.
My one complaint about Mainstay would be the DJ they have during Bengals games. It gets a little too loud and obnoxious. I get playing something during breaks or a particularly exciting play — but towards the end of the season, it was pretty much some random loud noise flying out between every play. If they restrain that a bit, I would definitely not complain.
Another Mainstay bonus is that you fit in some interesting people watching depending on the event going on across the street at the convention center.
Now I just need to check out the upstairs Betty’s Bar sometime.

We went to the Betty Bar upstairs for an event. As I walked in I just loved all the large windows. Outside you see the tall Cincy buildings and lights. B-​e-​a-​u-​t-​i-​f-​u-​l! It was a little rainy and lightly foggy which gives a movie scene kind of feel or a New York party experience. The murals on the walls were awesome. The lights that hung down over the tables set the cozy mood of the room. The room was very spacious and had great furniture.
This place is perfect for photographers. You can rent the room by the hour. I can visualize future Christmas cards and engagement portraits already.
Whoever designed this bar did an excellent job! And again, talking with friends in the room with that view behind them, looking out of the windows, Wow!

I hadn’t been in Mainstay since it was the Poison Room, and I enjoy the changes. I haven’t eaten there yet (unless you count the popcorn from the popcorn machine), but there are plenty of comfortable places (couches and couches and couches) to sit and hang out. I love the Rock & Roll décor, and really enjoyed the pin-​up girl theme on the second floor. My only wish was that it wasn’t so loud when the live music is playing: I do like to be able to have a conversation without yelling. Otherwise, I like it so far, yes, I do.

This is a pretty damn cool bar. I would come here more often if it was … you know … not so far away.
Granted, it’s downtown and near the stadium, so it’s really not that far away. I’m just lazy. I live on 8^th and it’s a walk and there are just closer bars. That being said, it’s semi-​tucked-​awayness keeps it full of really cool interesting people.
I’ve been to Mainstay twice now and neither times have I heard music there nor have I gotten food, so I can’t talk about either of those things. What I can say is this is a rock bar through and through.
The atmosphere is awesome — paintings on the wall, leather seats tucked into the corner, comfortable tables with lots of chairs for big groups, mood-​lit but not to the point of being annoying. This, my friends, is a cool bar.
And it’s true, you don’t get a bad crowd here. The last time I went, I was there for a birthday party on a Friday night during happy hour and it was awesome. Our friends filled up most of the place but the other people who were there were very friendly — everyone’s just hanging out to drink and have a good time. Love it.
There is a great beer selection, although it’s kind of hard to figure out what they hell they have. Mainstay has it’s bottles up on a wall with price points next to each one (so there’s a row of $ 3, of $ 4, up to $ 7.) But I couldn’t get close enough to see the bottles I didn’t know (and I didn’t want to be that jerk who was like, «Hey, while you’ve got other people to serve, can you tell me every drink you have? K, thanks!») Still, I snagged a drink I already knew I liked and that was fine with me.
I’ve had a little trouble getting a drink sometimes. The bar staff like chatting with the patrons, which is nice, but only when they’re not busy. And I’ve sat there waiting for them to finish a conversation so I can get a drink. That’s not cool.
Still, a minor inconvenience. Someday I would like to come back for food and music … you know, if I could just stop being so damn lazy.

Mainstay is one of my favorite bars downtown. You don’t usually find the hoity-​toity crowd or the club scene here; rather, a nice mix of 20-​somethings just out having a great time. Mainstay often has live music, so it tends to get loud sometimes, but the large cans of beer at extremely reasonable prices make it so worth it.
The upstairs, however, isn’t quite as cool.

Rockstar lounge and neighborhood feel downtown. Good combo. They have a good liquor selection, reasonable prices, and a rotating list of excellent local bartenders.
I’ll reserve the rest of my thoughts until after I’ve been a few more times.

On a recent visit to the Nasty Nati, a group of old friends decided to venture out into the big scary world that is downtown. I agreed to the bar choice expecting Monday night to turn up a cast of wrinkled suits who couldn’t stand to be far from the office. Boy was I ever wrong!
Mainstay would be right at home in Chicago or New York, yet it’s tucked away in southern Ohio. The location is very spacious yet intimate. Big comfy couches line the room, funky art & music framings deck the walls, and a stage with a formidable red curtain gave promise of live music. While there weren’t any performances happening that night, the all-​rock playlist kept my head bobbing and everyone in the bar was having a great time.
The biggest surprise about Mainstay was the beer selection — holy wow! All the classics are on tap in ginormous mugs for $ 3 – 5. Yep, you heard me. Better yet? More craft beers than I’ve seen at an Ohio bar in a loooong time. God bless you Delirium Tremens, La Chouffe, and well, bless you Rick (our awesome bartender) for making it such a great night. I am definitely going to be asking to come back here on my next trip to the 513.