MOTR Pub

Best bar in otr. The food specials are weirdly good. Best burger in otr anyway. Pinball in the basement. This bar doesn’t get quite as crowded as the others in the neighborhood. That’s not to say that it isn’t sometimes too crowded but this is always where I end up.

I am a Clevelander that often visits Cincinnati because I used to live there. If you are a Clevelander reading this I would compare the concept to The Beachland Ballroom.
My friend and I happened to come here for brunch on a Sunday because the wait at other places were incredibly long. I was surprised that this place wasn’t as crowded because after scarfing down a ton of food I fell even more in love. Our bartenders were awesome. My friend and I were making tons of terrible jokes because it was freezing outside and we were slightly hungover and they pleasantly laughed with us (thank you bartenders for putting up with us).
The food is pretty solid here. I ordered the chorizo breakfast tacos and my friend ordered the Waffle and the Biscuits and Gravy with an Egg on top. Of course we over ordered but that’s what happens when everything on the menu sounds so good!
There wasn’t a band playing while we were there but it’s definitely a cool place to check out.

Great grub, terrific beer selection, excellent staff, and a good spot to make new pals. Omnivores and herbivores will be equally satisfied at MOTR. A fantastic jukebox upstairs, and several pinball machines downstairs. Added bonus, never a cover charge for evening entertainment.

I really like it here! Very cool underground style basement level and a nice patio out back. Not huge, but big enough to feel some privacy even on a Saturday night. There’s your more dim front room with live music and some booths in a brighter area behind if you want to be able to hear people talk. I’ve utilized all four areas of the bar, and have never had a bad drink or a bad time. The bathrooms are clean for a bar too. One of my favorite spots for sure.

I’ve only been twice but I do like their burgers. They come with a huge onion ring and some awesome spicy mayonnaise. Fries are good, too.
It’s not really a friendly server kind of place to eat though. Once they brought us our food, they never checked on us again. No refills, no «are you doing okay?» That might just be the place but I did want a refill on my flat Coca Cola.
My friends seem to enjoy the brunch so maybe I’ll go back and have a better review. But, honestly, I do appreciate the burgers. Yum.

I really like the brunch. The loaded potatoes are a mix of hash brown’s and regular potatoes. Very hot and very good. They have more than the obligatory option for vegan or veg. They have something you want to eat! The vegan BLT with crispy fried tofu, sweet! So come get your Bellini (or beer no judgement here) and enjoy brunch!

We went here on a Thursday night, mostly for the food and the music.
The food was excellent. We ordered the vegan BLT and there burgers. The place is decorated with eclectic movie and music posters. The band started late and we had to head out by that time.

Pretty fun night scene. There is almost always a band playing on the first floor. There isn’t much seating upstairs in the front, but there is plenty toward the back and downstairs. It’s a pretty cool atmosphere and a wide variety of customers.

I walked nearly 2 miles to get to this place and couldn’t get in because of a $ 5 cover. I was more than willing to pay it, by adding it to my tab or taking money from an ATM. There is no ATM and I was directed further down the road to find one.
I walked back to the pizza joint down the way. Music was better and no hassle.

Went for brunch a few weekends ago and LOVED it. Really laid back and casual atmosphere. I had the corned beef hash with guiness gravy + hot hot hot black coffee. One of the best stand alone breakfast items that I’ve ever had. Super afordable – $ 10 for the food + bottomless coffee.
It is serve yourself and you have to order from the bar, so definitely be aware of that going in. We got there around 10:45 and by 11:30, the place was jammed.
Definitely want to go back for drinks sometime soon!

When we don’t want to head to our (very) regular bar on the other side of the river we’ve more recently been gravitating towards MOTR.
If it’s not the music that often draws us in — I believe they have live music every night of the week? — it’s the selection of afforable drinks, the great food menu, the laid back vibe or the pinball machines down in the basement level. (The 5-​ball AC/​DC machine is so much fun).
Staff have always been friendly and accommodating even when we’ve arrived «a little bit worse for wear» from another OTR bar and crave little more than glasses of water and a pair of loaded fries. Because, yes, sometimes, we can be «lightweights» too!
MOTR is MmmmmmmmmmOTR!

Finally tried this neighborhood brunch spot that so many have raved about. While, I don’t hate it; I don’t love it either. My experience was not memorable nor scrumptious, like others have mentioned.
For starters, tried the Bellini thinking it would be a good change up from the typical mimosa. If they had it on their menu, why not??? Plus Mimosa/​Bellini are currently $ 5.5 so great price. But… Big X (Not Good At All). The Bellini tasted like a dump of sugar and we saw them prep it w/​some boxed mix so not going for that cocktail ever again here…
We figured something sweet & something savory to share. So ordered the Waffle w/​all the fixins (granola/​yogurt/​honey/​berries). The bartender asked if whipped cream should be added and while we said, yes, we never got it on our waffle. The waffle itself was at most, standard. The granola/​honey/​berries bowl was very good. Recommend just order that as a side if you want a sweet…
Secondly, ordered the breakfast casserole. It was delicious. A salad accompanied it and it was just ok. More casserole, please!
Even though we ate it all, we were both still hungry.
All in all, the price is unbeatable for a DT/​OTR brunch but the only time I would go back is for a hangover recovery to get a dbl portion of the casserole (no salad) and maybe try a mimosa for the $ 5.5… The place/​setting is alright; nothing fancy but a nice «Main St neighborly feel». The service was quick. Orders placed at the bar.

One good band and one terrible band. Not bad for a Friday night. Sound was good during the good band. Which made me feel better as the first act had me convinced that the sound guy was murdering cats under the mixing board.
Bar staff was excellent. Left my cc by mistake. Came back at Sunday brunch to pick it up. Will definitely be back for a brunch.

Food review: Pub food. Sandwiches and fried items, that’s all you’ll get. And yet they do it very, very well! The classic MOTR Burger? I don’t really eat fried onion rings, chipotle mayo, and rarely mess with red meat. But on the rare occasion I treat myself, this place hits the spot. Thick and juicy, crispy fried, but not too greasy onion ring, well dressed with LPT, on a bun just thick enough to absorb the flavorful juices of the burger. The side salad had plenty of tomato and cucumber, and the croutons made from pieces of the bun were a welcome addition. Fries have a good seasoning on them, with plenty in the serving for your pleasure.
Beer review: 9 rotating tabs and some constant Hudy, your local cheap beer option. seemed to be a good selection but I drink very rarely. One thing I will say was positive — they had a mislisting on their board for a drink price, but honored (and corrected) it when the bill came.
Music: Here’s where this place shines, a different live band EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT. That is incredible. I’ve been there three times, and every time I’ve thought «these guys are pretty damn good to just be playing a free show in a pub» at the very least. Most often, I’m amazed by the quality.
Now, here’s the one problem, and this sounds stupid, but because this is a music pub it is always loud. Loud enough you can’t hear people sitting two feet from you when you’re talking, loud enough you have to shout for a drink. Personally, that gets old to me. The back patio provides seating options with a nice buffer space from the speakers to let you talk and enjoy the good music, drinks, and food, if you don’t mind the smoke.

Worth a visit. Five of us had an early dinner on Wednesday and it was nearly empty.
The menu was very interesting and it was clear they put a lot of effort into it. The service was fine but unusually slow considering the lack of customers. We had to ask for an update on the food and to call someone over for the bill.
The MOTR Burger was pretty good. I don’t recall the fries but I guess they were fine.
The bartender was a little snarky to my friends (before I arrived) but that might be an exaggeration and not a big deal.
Overall, my experience doesn’t seem amazing but I’d return to MOTR.

I had brunch here a few weeks ago & it was pretty good! We went on a Sunday & it wasn’t really that busy — but they were out of a lot of the options so the menu, which I thought was somewhat small anyways, was even smaller. The server seemed flustered. I got loaded tots & they were delicious! Also had a yummy Bloody Mary! I would definitely get it again. :)

This is a good bar with space to move around, regular shows, moderately priced alcohol, and a nice courtyard. It can get a little too packed on the weekend despite all the space, though. I don’t come here as often as I’d like on weekend nights and I think it’s probably because it always feels so claustrophobic.
I do really like their brunch, though. Served on Sundays, you can get a variety of good food for a decent price. Two thumbs up on that.
It’s a really good place in OTR in which to hang out and drink, so I recommend it to all. Just beware the overcrowding on weekend nights.

Considering my 20s are behind me, I hadn’t really expected to be in a pub at 11 a.m. on a Sunday.
But happily I can report that I wasn’t there because I hadn’t left from the night before. I was there for a happily-​awake-​and-​ready-​for-​the-​day brunch.
And MOTR Pub definitely made that happen.
Looking around this Over-​the-​Rhine music venue/​watering hole/​eatery, though, it occurred to me that the nights of parties past hung in the air. Concert and event posters look down on customers from the spot’s tall walls. And if I recall, we had to go to the bar to order our food.
The dim interior and high-​top tables definitely make it feel more like a bar than a restaurant.
And this juxtaposition made the whole experience seem just a bit more memorable.
But enough about the atmosphere. Let’s talk food.
I ordered the biscuits and gravy, which is made with sausage and chorizo gravy
and includes a fried egg.
Biscuits and gravy have grown on me more over the last year, and this dish definitely didn’t disappoint. The sausage and gravy had just enough punch to it, and the gravy was delightful when I sopped some of it up with a forkful of biscuit.
It was also an adequate portion to fill me up but not leave me over-​stuffed for the day ahead.
I also tried the bloody mary after hearing that MOTR is a bit known for it.
I read elsewhere that MOTR includes beer in its bloody mary. I did not watch them make this, and forgot to ask, but if that’s true, that may explain why this bloody mary has a bit more complexity to it. It had a bite to it, like you’d want it to, and wasn’t overloaded with watery, tomato juice (as I’ve noticed with others). It was good. I’ve had a few that were better, but this was definitely more than adequate.
MOTR is the type of spot that every urban, trendy area should have, that place that you can stumble to for a bite (or a beer or music) as well as take guests to – either way no judgment from the employees or fellow customers. I’m looking forward to returning on a return visit to OTR!

I will sound like a dork saying this, but this place feels SO cool. There’s just a vibe to, even on a quiet Tuesday night. It must have been the dusty giant bottle of alcohol decorating the bar (I kid, or not) or the tall doors. I think the doors must have done it. High ceiling is one thing, but tall doors! How can that not look cool? It feels like a pub, plenty of space upstairs and downstairs. The basement has some pinball and game machines. There’s a stage, which promises live music almost every night, I was told. We left too early to enjoy the show, but seems like l they’re serious about their music.
The food was way better than I what I expected bar food to me! My portabello mushroom burger was great, quite flavorful. I love my meat, but the entire time I was thinking, how could a whole mushroom taste this good? It was juicy, a bit messy to eat but yum! My friend enjoyed his real burger too. Service was friendly and laid back. We sat at the bar. Our server/​bartender checked on us often enough without being too pushy. He didn’t smirk when I asked how to say MOTR. He chimed in helpfully when my friend and I couldn’t quite understand what Mindcraft was about. There was a couple happy hour options on tap that night. My total for both drink and food before tip was under $ 10, which satisfied a full belly (and mine isn’t a small one).
I came back for NYE. Crowd was good, not too crowded, no cover charge, drinks were decent-​not too weak. I can see myself frequenting this if I live in OTR. And the breakfast pictures look so good!

My husband and I came on a Friday night. So far a great impression. We just came for drinks and really loved the mood of this place. It’s open and has awesome décor. I got the house cabernet and my husband got an IPA-​$ 10.00 for both drinks. Not bad. The bartender waited on us right away. She was very friendly and helpful.
After our drinks, we walked around the bar and noticed a downstairs full of pin ball machines. I was in heaven!!!
I am definitely coming back because this place has so much to offer. The serve food (which I heard was good). I love the fact MOTR Pub supports local bands so I will be dropping by to check that out.
All around a great laid back bar to have drinks with friends.
LOVE it here.