Herb & Thelma’s Tavern

Old school burger cooked well and pickle and onion as the only options. Not for the pretentious, good craft beers and solid burgers. Good people and I couldn’t ask for more!

This is the perfect place if you want good food and drinks all night for under 20 dollars. The burgers are awesome and under $ 4. The beer selection is good. Highly recommend!

Best hidden gem in the Cincinnati metro area. Don’t let the outside intimidate you, one of the best burgers in the area– if not the best and cheap too. Draft beer, burger and bag of chips plus tip for under $ 10 is hard to beat! Definitely worth trying! Staff is very friendly and accommodating to help the experience. Enjoy!

Really enjoyed this place. Yummy burgers, PBR’s, and super cheap prices. It reminds me of an old burger place back home. And even though these burgers are simple they’re better than some that Ive had in fancier spots. Its worth stopping in when you just want something simple.

Best burgers around and even better customer service. Looks like a hole in the wall from the outside and you might miss it if you blink driving by. The restrooms were a little tight but very very clean and well kept. Have great beer on tap and it is very cold.

I’m biased. I love this place!
Bartender always remembers us, Cheap beer, good food. Homemade burgers and fresh off the grill sausages. This isn’t gormet burgers but straight to the point, minimal, «I need food in my belly» food.
New owner has turned this place 180° by putting taps and getting local breweries in the door.
He plans on getting some larger windows. In a bit of a rough area but we are all grown ups and know the bar is a safe haven.
Our diamond in the rough! Thank you for being so friendly!

This place is a hidden gem
The food:
What they lack in selection, they more than make up for in good, tasty food. The burgers are nothing fancy (your choice of pickles and onions) but, shut my mouth, if they don’t hit the spot every time. Get some chips, or a bowl of chili or soup to go along with it, and you’re set.
The drink:
Lots of beer choices in bottles and cans, as well as a decent selection on draft.
The inside:
This place takes old school to a whole new level — in a wonderfully genuine way. Everything in there (including the grill) is a relic, but nothing is gross or dirty. The employees are always nice, welcoming and talkative. There’s always a group of locals hanging out — which sometimes can be an off-​putting, territorial situation — but they always nod or say hello when you come in.
The price:
I feel like I can grab a handful of quarters from my change bucket before I go and never worry about my bill. Crazy cheap.
The cons:
The neighborhood is minimally sketchy (as COV still has a tendency to be), and the only parking is on-​street, so I was a bit worried about my car and vandals, but I’ve never had an issue.
The cash only policy is a bummer, since I never carry cash.
Smoking is allowed in here. They seem to have a really efficient smoke-​eating system installed, so it’s really not that bad, but you can opt to sit in the back room away from the smokers.
All said and done, I love the hell out of this place.

I recently tried their Double Cheese Burger for lunch. Man… Was it good. They really take their time cooking their meals. I even came back for dinner and got the Italian Sausage a Sandwich. It was great. And their always so nice.

The burgers are amazing, the craft beer varied and plentiful, and the prices great. What more could you ask for?

Great (and cheap) burger. Friendly. Great beer selection and 2.00 beers all day.

Hidden gem. Very reasonably priced. The burgers are delicious as well as the other food items: homemade bean soup, chili, etc. The owners/​staff are very down to earth and the sound level is good for carrying a conversation. I’m not a bar person, but Herb and Thelma’s might change that.

The perfect throwback to where your dad used to take you. It’s the return of the professional bartender, the place you can go alone and spend 3 hours talking about the history of the building, the grill and local beer with Joe.
Go there hungry for the perfect burger, homemade chili, bean soup, bologna sandwich, brat, met, whatever. It’s perfect from the wood paneling on the wall to the vintage Wiedeman’s signs adorning the tavern.
Save me a barstool.

Great place with tons of character and fantastic people! Cash only — but totally worth it! BEST burger in town!

Five stars. Herb and Thelma’s is exactly what it’s suppose to be.
Prices and décor are from 1979 (or before). The well-​seasoned grill is over 60 years old and every burger tastes great as the meat is fresh from Bessler’s Meat on Madison. Joe bought the joint at the first of the year, and he and his wife have given it a good scrubbin’ and a larger beer selection including Upland and Rhinegeist.
It’s pretty intimidating going in, but relax and it will grow on you.
They do allow smoking after 4pm, but I’ve only occasionally seen one person with a cigarette at any given time. I’ve had some friends avoid it for that reason, but there is a second room and the ventilation is good.
Get down there, especially after a ride on the Devou Trails. Better yet, don’t go. I don’t want it to be too popular.

I’m updating my review because it is under new management, the burgers ($ 3 cheeseburger, $ 5.25 double) are still delicious BUT theyre open past 5pm on Saturdays (With non-​smoking from 11a-​4pm).
Just as good as before but with a little more weekend time to check out the place, enjoy a burger and beer, and talk with the owners!
If you like burgers and have never been, GO! If you’ve been but not recently, GO back!

Here’s a short little video you may enjoy on YouTube about this great little pub, a hamburger gem, also a place to have a frosty with the nicest host you will eve meet, Rich Richie:

Great little place, nothing special about anything. Just a great handmade burger. We had a cheeseburger, dbl cheeseburger 2bags of chips and 2 pops for $ 12.50. We will defiantly stop in again.

Visited this place after a friend told me about it. I’ve seen this place on Unilocal many times but I never knew exactly where it was
even though I’ve lived in Covington for years.
My first experience was a carry out order, but I hope to be back to dine in soon. This place is pretty no frills, but the cheeseburger was classic and delicious. I got a bag of
Sun chips and a can of sprite plus the burger for $ 4.75. That blew my mind. I tipped the bartender/​cook $ 2 on the order and he was blown away.
PEOPLE, please tip your bartender on carry out orders. They spend the time putting together your food and making sure it’s right and in this case, the guy cooked my food and packed it all up for me. I’m glad to have given this guy a tip considering he provided me with great service. Super friendly place! I will be back to dine in soon!

My first time visiting after a friend recommended it. Folks, this place is legit.
Five of us twenty and thirty-​somethings decided to make this our lunch choice on this dreary November lunch. It is cold out and we needed something stick-​to-​your-​ribs kind of meal. We parked on the street and went inside. There were about 8 other patrons inside, a four top and a two top. All older than 50 or 60. EVERYONE greeted us — the owners/​staff and the patrons! The four top stood and offered us their table, and the table was quickly cleaned off and we sat.
The waitress gave us the run down of the menu and beer offerings. The menu is VERY basic. Want tomato on your burger? too bad, your choices are onion and pickles. Bacon and BBQ sauce? nope.
There are no french fries. Almost dinged a star for that, but they had a decent chip selection (sun chips, pretzels, popcorn, etc).
The beer selection is not vast, but they do offer at least one of just about everything. I had the Upland Dragon IPA.
On to the point that matters — I had the double cheeseburger, plain. WOW. I read good reviews and when I first walked in, I had my doubts. They were cooked medium well and had just enough of a crust on them to add a bit of a crunch. No fancy burger bun either, just a run of the mill bun. The burger had a lot of flavor! I’d consider this place over Five Guys and possibly Mad Mikes! The double cheese burger is $ 3.75 — it is a great deal! The patties are thick, but smaller than the bun. Not idea for me since you get extra bread initially, but it was very tasty!
I can’t overstate how friendly the staff we
CASH ONLY

I love writing long reviews, but you can see from the other reviewers what this joint is all about so I’ll keep it simple.
— Fan Freakin’ Tastic burgers. Hand Pattied, cooked on a flat top with choice of white buns or rye bread. Pickles and Onions included.
— Great service. Chip also keeps it simple, and is a very nice host. Obvious Red’s fan (I hear rumor that Pete Rose used to hang here).
— Small atmosphere in an old room.
— Cheap. I thought «$ 3.75 for a double, must be a small burger.» I was wrong. I’ll do a single next time.
Makes the list.