Northern Row Brewery, Distillery & Taproom

We had lunch and drinks prior to our Hidden Cavern Brewery Tour. We enjoyed loaded tots and portobello mushroom sliders. The food was exceptional and the service phenomenal.

We stopped in for a taste of their spirits and ended up with a gin flight. The gins were good, botanical was my favorite. The tonic was perfect with each pour. The building is remarkable! Underground cave tour is available, celebrating the history of spirit making in The Queen City. The service was not the best. Sitting at the bar, we waited quite sometime before our order was taken, and the server wasn't knowledgeable or perhaps uninterested in making our experience memorable. If you are looking for a great tour, stop in. Enjoying life 1 sip, 1 bite and 1 small town at a time. Explore everything!

First time visiting and enjoyed the lively atmosphere. We only had appetizer’s ,the pretzel was good. Would’ve have had dinner but they closed the kitchen early on Sunday.

My fiancé and I went on the OTR Beer Tunnel tour, and our tour guide Harrison did a fantastic job of sharing the history and cool sights near the area. Great storytelling, very friendly, and made the experience very memorable. Plus, at the end of the tour, you get a free beer with a wooden nickel (you'll learn what that's for in the tour 😉)

Nice brewery. Very lively and great repurposing of an old building Staff are nice plenty of drinks to try out. Unfortunately the tour gets sold out quickly.

Bites & Brews in a Vintage Vibe We stopped by for drinks and left impressed with the food. The Chicken Pot Pie and the Burnt Ends Melt with tots hit the spot, paired with three beers and a cocktail for a total of $78.69. The Breakdown: Value (4/5): Portions were satisfying for the price. Taste (4/5): Well-prepared and flavorful dishes, though the tots missed the mark. Variety (3/5): A compact menu with just enough to please most diners. Uniqueness (3/5): The offerings didn’t stand out, but they delivered on quality. Service (5/5): Friendly, attentive staff elevated the experience. Atmosphere (4/5): A spacious, vintage-industrial setting with plenty of character. Bottom line: Come for the drinks, stay for the surprisingly solid food and warm service. Perfect for a casual night out in a unique space!

Fabulous spot. Excellent service and large space. About 10 parking spaces and some outdoor seating. One of my favorite breweries in Cincinnati.

Excellent food (salads, burgers, pretzels & more), absolutely fabulous beer! We've enjoyed these: Brewer (sweet lager), Hustler (light lager) and the most impressive Brawler which is super strong, tastes like chocolate-wine-rum mixture and is addictive! The vibe of this brewery is very nice and all the staff are simply amazing.

Great building with gorgeous old Carnegie Steel beams inside. It was originally built as an icehouse and storage building for Christian Moerlein. Loved how well preserved the inside was. The local rail pieces as table legs were unique. They repurposed a lot of local history and made the old warehouse a welcoming home to have a beer. The outside had a nice garden in the back alley. We didn't eat there, but did have a couple of beers. Unfortunately their better beers were tapped out (management should get those empty taps up again ... sorry only gripe). The bartender was very nice. I had a couple of Hecklers which is their juicy NE IPA. It was average and had a nice balance of hoppy flavors. I never get geeky with my descriptions/notes but to me it was just average but still sessionable and tasty. My son and I enjoyed looking around the bar area and he thought the old novelty coin op 5c games were extremely cool. They have beer to go and spirits. Great time at Northern Row. Really made up for the crappy experience at Rhinegeist. Go here instead! Thanks guys!

Cute place. They were also open for bockfest. The back lot was the biergarten. There were goats to pet. Haha that was fun. I'm happy to report they have wine selections. A lot of breweries are lacking in that department.

Started and ended here for the Cincinnati Hidden Brewery Caverns tour. I've lived in the greater Cinci area for over 20 years and am just now getting to know the history and touristy areas Cincinnati has to offer. I didn't get a chance to try the food but the bar service was so good that I forgot to take pictures of our beers. A plus is that you can sample anything on tap before you try it. I can see coming back!

Northern Row Brewery & Distillery is located in the heart of Over The Rhine's brewery district. The inside is huge, and has lots of character as the original building was constructed in 1895. Based on the beer list, they have 9 of their own year round brews, with 6 additional seasonal beers. I tried the Heckler (juicy IPA) and my SO got the Designer (hefeweizen). Both were great. They also distill their own liquor under the name Five Stories Spirits. The kitchen serves up a variety of cuisine, ranging from gyros to ruebens to chicken pot pie. We tried the chicken club, chicken wrap and onion dip. The wrap had shredded chicken served cold, whereas the club had warm shredded chicken. I'd give the nod to the chicken club. All in all, we had a great time at Northern Row and were particularly in awe of the historic aesthetic of the building and the decor.

We only went to Northern Row because it was the meeting and ending point of our tour with American Legacy Tours. We were nearly late because their parking lot is tiny as heck, and the next lot was a pay lot. Probably best to uber, walk, or use the train/trolly/people mover/whatever they call it. The place is filled with a lot of history, which we only learned from the tour. They have some historic games that take nickels and are supposed to work, but both just ate my money. Fortunately, it was only 5cents. They also have the training row boat from the 1952 Olympics team. They have a variety of seating, from large tabletops, to smaller tables, to couches, making it cozy yet like your typical brewery (with a bit more history). They offer craft beers and spirits, along with a limited food menu. We all had beers, which were good. Two of us had the Test of Time (a barrel aged imperial Schwarzbier), one had a Heckler (juicy IPA), and one had a sour that I can't recall the name of. Not sure on prices since our beers came with the tour.

My Mr and I been wanting to check this place out for years. We had lunch at Mikey's Late night Slice. We parked across from this place. Gave us a good reason to stop by. It was a Saturday afternoon when we arrived. It was pretty busy. Only because there was a tour going on and people were waiting. As soon as it cleared out we were able to find seating. The inside had so much character and nostalgia. Loved that they preserved some of the architecture and added a a bit of their own personality with it. This place not only a brewery but also a distillery. Their bar even has cocktails and wine. They do have a food menu. Very small but has something for everyone. We didn't get to try it but I know there will be a next time. We ordered a flight: Designer Hefeweizen Farmer fresh hop IPA Traveler English brown ale Brawler imperial schwarzbier And I ordered a glass of Leese -Fitch red wine My Mr really enjoyed his flight. His favorite was the brown ale. They have a merchandise center and you can order growlers or six packs to go. The next time we come back, I definitely want to try their food menu too.!

Our Hidden Brewery Caverns tour began and ended here. The people were friendly and the cold brew of your choice at the end was refreshing. We liked the cool garden side entrance as we walked up to the brewery. Once inside we loved the vibe. So many old things to check out including the rowing boat that was actually used as the practice boat for the rowing team that the movie The Boys in the Boat was about. Really cool history throughout the brewery. To top it all off they opened right at the start of Covid and are thriving. We each tried a different brew and ordered a couple of appetizers to go with them. The Soft Pretzel with beer cheese and the Pork Nachos. Everything tasted great and the servers were happy and friendly the whole time we were there. Definitely a place worth checking out. We even got to sample some of their house made vodkas and gin and bought some to take home. The pepper vodka was something different and we look forward to using it. Thanks for the tour, the history, the brews and the memories!

Beers are great! Cocktails are fantastic! And Dillion helped us choose exactly what we wanted and was helpful! Love this place! ... plus it's the best authentic German beers in Cincy (in my opinion)

My lady and I had been wanting to stop by here for a while, and we happened to be in the area for lunch at Mikey's nearby, so we decided to go afterwards for some libations. Seems a lot of people like this spot, and after our visit, we csn see why. This is a really good brew spot and fitting in Cincinnati, future Beer City USA. We rolled in and the place was PACKED. Though a lot of people were there for an underground brewery tour. The place has a very old school industrial feel while keeping a laid back atmosphere. I hadn't tried many of their beers so I was wanting to try a few and not just one. Flight time! Their menu is loaded with lots of diverse Northern Row brews and spirits. They also offer wine and cocktails as well as a small food menu. On my flight, I ordered all these goodies: -Designer Hefeweizen -Farmer fresh hop IPA -Traveler English brown ale -Brawler imperial schwarzbier My lady ordered a Lesse-Fitch red wine. I really enjoyed all the brews on my flight, especially the brown ale. It was very well-balanced in sweetness and tasty. Sure, we didn't really stay too long, but we already know we're gonna be coming back. This would be a great spot to go and watch a Bengals or FC Cincinnati game so we might do that. Either way, we're visiting again for more tasty libations.

We really enjoyed Harrison our tour guide on Saturday, May 24. He sure earned five stars, both my sister and I loved his presentation!. His knowledge of the Queen City was impressive!

Stopped here to grab a beer and watch a football game. They have a good variety of beers with 16 beers on tap the day I stopped in. I really enjoy the atmosphere this brewery has. Very laid back, but definitely brings in more refined vibes with the classy background music and decor compared to other breweries in the area. They do a great job of appealing to both brewery and distillery interests. The bartender, Josh, was super personable! He lets us try a couple samples and gave us a recommendation, which we actually ended up going with in the end. I got the Puncher and my boyfriend got the Traveler, which we both enjoyed! Will definitely be back to Northern Row.

This place is super cool, fairly easy parking but expensive. I hate a weisse which was really good, and the bartender was friendly and helpful. I would come back if I were in town. They have food but I didn't try it.

Fun spot and great for a big group. Started the day early so I tried the Theda Bara (espresso martini).

Really recommend the ambiance and spirits of northern row! The vibe is very re relaxed with table top bar top high top and cushion seating. Get to pick four spirits for four dollars. The bartender recommended to Jens the brandy and vodka. All were good. None left me wanting to buy a bottle though all I know can't say it was a bad stop.

Food looked well prepared. We were there for Lager Fest so we didn't eat. My wife and I agreed we should come back for dinner. Service was fast and friendly. They know how to pour some beer at Northern Row. Has a fun positive vibe. Be aware it is downtown and parking can be a challenge.

I have driven by here at least a dozen times and have always wanted to stop in. Decided to stop in on a Sunday evening. We were able to snag parking right out front with just about two hours before they closed for the day. This has to be one of my favorite breweries in Cincinnati now. The inside building is so cool and extremely old with a lot of charm. The best part about Northern Row is that it's a distillery as well where they make their own vodka, gin, rum and even bourbon and whiskey. This is a perfect place to go if you have friends that don't enjoy craft beer. They make a ton of in house cocktails with their homemade liquors. We were looking to sit outside since it was a beautiful day out and we found the large patio out back. This patio has plenty of seating and it's not directly in the sun either. I definitely am looking forward to coming back here soon. The food menu looked awesome as well and can't wait to try a few items and sample a few more beers!

We came to Northern Row mid-day on a Friday so it was not busy. We sat at the bar & had some drinks and ordered the chefs special, a steak sandwich. It was AMAZING! They source the meat locally and daily from Findlay Market which is a nice touch. We got the last sandwich of the day & the chef came to check on us to make sure we enjoyed it. He was fantastic & really appreciated chatting with him!

Best beers in town,new menu very good, staff very friendly and helpful, interesting ambiance very comfortable feeling.

Such a cool place to hang out and watch a game or anytime for a cocktail or a brew. Ask for Carley at the bar. She great with cocktails. Limited parking on site. Paid pArking next door and street parking available.

So it's Friday night. Not even 8pm Kitchen closed. "Special party" we're told. Really? Who knew? Lousy parking Ticked off ladies, trying to go somewhere unique. Oh well. We're out. Probably forever Buyer beware.... Not a friendly place.

Nice surprise. I found them here on Yelp and had to try them out since I was in Cincy. The place is huge plenty of room for the busy days and nights I'm sure they have. We ordered food and got a flight to try their beer selection. Service was prompt and several staff members checked on us during our visit. We split the roast beef sandwich and got pretzels and slaw with it. This was more than enough for the two of us. Only regret is I didn't try the mustard sooner. It came with the pretzels and cheese and was amazing. All of the beers I tried were good beers. It was hard choosing which one to stick with. The slaw was another must try. Generous servings and great atmosphere. Worth a stop. And also check their lot before you pay. It can hold more than you think.

Fun atmosphere. Distillery and brewery under one roof. There is a menu of pub type food and ample seating. The parking lot is smallish. The bartenders were great -friendly, ready to give a sample of beer and attentive. Btw did I mention both the brews and the liquor we tasted we excellent!

I'm honestly torn on this review. So much about Northern Row was 5+, but the food . . . really just average. For the good - the beer. Oh, my, the beer was superb. We tried a bunch of 4 oz pours and had no complaints. Our server, threw in a Jester, a bourbon barrel aged dopplebock. This is one of the best beers I've ever had. Rich, flavorful, smooth and powerful. After our tastings and a full pour of the Jester, my wife kindly took the keys. I only wish I had grabbed a couple bottles to go. Our server, Rhianna, was great. Very attentive, knowledgeable about the beers, made the awesome recommendation about Jester. Absolutely love the vibe - nice, open spaces, lots of seating options. Great industrial feel. Now. . . the food. Really disappointed. Yes, it's a bar, it's bar food, but still... I had the turkey rueben. It was okay, nothing special, however the bottom slice of bread was totally soggy, as if they put the sandwich in a puddle of water before plating, and the bacon was cold. I ate the sandwich, sans bottom bread, but that was a bummer. The slaw with the sandwich was very tasty. My wife had the OMG Pretzel. The pretzel "bites" were good but she was disappointed in the cheese sauce, as if the flour hadn't been cooked all the way through. So, easily 5 stars for the beer, ambiance and service. The food - a generous 3. Seems like not a stretch to get the food amped up and get that fifth star from this Yelper. We'll definitely return for the beer, so I'll be happy to revise upward.

Update: Another great experience here! Server was super friendly, always made sure our drinks were full and had plenty of water for the table. Tried the nachos this time, yum! Popcorn is still my favorite item. And for being a brewery I'm glad they offer cocktails that are also delicious! Will return.

Stopped in for a beer after the Built on Beer tour. Great German style beers and the inside decor is fantastic. Steel beams from the times of Andrew Carnage and a huge skiff hanging from the rafters

What a fun brewery but also serving wine and distilling their own liquor. It was a fun atmosphere where everyone was great Lu and the servers would bring you water. The menu was easy to navigate and the drink we amazing. Everyone loved the variety as well as the fan favorite drinks. There is not places to park so we walked from Findlay market. Will be returning soon

Not only is this a gorgeous brewery, but the food and drinks are just as amazing. The servers (hey Abby!) are friendly and knowledgeable, several beers choices as well as a full bar are available, and there is a menu offering shareables and a several other options. The historic integrity and decoration of the building is worth the trip alone, but you won't be disappointed with your drinking selection as well.

Inside: Gorgeous and spacious Outside: Chill patio Beers: Tasty Food: Yummy and generous (split the nachos) Parking: Easy due to the on-site lot. Also street parking or Findlay Market lots in a pinch Service: Friendly, attentive +1 for serve serve water station! Will be back :)

Cavern tours were awesome which started and ended here. Matt was a terrific guide, humorous and informative. Had great beers when we got back. The highlight was meeting the man behind the dry rubbed wings. With only an oven. Josh worked miracles on his wings! The pineapple BBQ sauce was super good! My husband is a big wing smoker guy, and these wings were at the top of his list! Josh was so kind as to give us a sample of his rub to take home on our flight to Philly! Love this place!

We always enjoy going here. Great atmosphere and seating areas. The beer is good. Love Barrister. We ordered apps and dinner tonight and I didn't want to send food back because I feel bad complaining but two dishes we had were really bad. The baba ganoush. Probably the worst I've ever had and everyone at the table agreed. Watery and terrible flavor. No smokiness or garlic. The other dish the gnocchi was very small ($18!) overpriced and the gnocchi itself was just bad. Would not recommend. The Reuben, and beer cheese and pretzels were very good.

Chili is a good deal at $6 but it's a Texas style chili my fellow Cincinnatian's, yet it's good...but are the owners even from here though?!...despite the menu's allusion to our being the "Chili Capitol" and yes we are THE literal "Chili Capitol of the US" by an official act of Congress thanks to Congressman Gradison doing a taste off against Texas in Congress...and Texas LOST!!! So, ironic. Very clean cool classic environs inside and out. Lighter beers are the better beers as they are a more German style, I.e. Cincinnatian. Great staff!! Food is delightful. Dogs allowed outside.

Great beer. Good food. The decor in this old factory is amazing! Service personnel were really attentive.

Right across the street from Rhinegeist I encounter Northern Row Brewery. Decided to check it out. They have a cute little patio between the buildings. The inside is quant and reminds me of an old Irish bar, but bigger. The beers were very good. Lots to choose from, and if you don't like beers, they have a full bar!

Come in, sit at the bar, and make life-long friends with Allie and Molly! Amazing customer service. If you're not sure what you want, tell Allie what you like and she will make you something perfectly formatted to your taste buds. Molly is so sweet and friendly. A lot of the food is locally sourced from Findley Market. Food and drinks were amazing, but what will bring us back are the friendly staff and retro environment!

Second stop on our "inaugural" Cincinnati Brewery District self-guided tour. LOVED the feel of this place... HUGE, yet all the nooks and crannies/different seating options (well-spaced out) really give you a cozy, intimate feeling. What an AWESOME amount of work they must have put in to designing this place, it really shows!! The bar-back itself is a work of art... Gorgeous!! Great variety of beer choices, some really tempting, better than average food (we shared roast beef sliders and pretzels w/beer cheese) and super attentive service. Hope to go back again, on a warmer, less rainy night, to sit outside and enjoy their patio as well. DEFINITELY worth a visit...!!!

My husband and I traveled to this brewery and distillery to pick up the latest Cincinnati gin. There is parking out in front but we arrived at 4:30 and it was already full even though the business just opened at 4:00 p.m. We did get the last spot in the paid lot next door. The space is very open and is very industrial as it was originally in some sort of manufacturing business. There are exposed beams and furniture crafted from old manufacturing parts. We sat at the bar which was huge and ordered some cocktails featuring The Gin that we were going to be purchasing. Our bartender, Breslin, was very friendly and helpful. She allowed us to have a taste of the Gin before deciding on our cocktails. I ordered the Cincinnati Collins which was very refreshing with the grapefruit and had a nice addition of a lavender bitters which they make in house. My husband had a gin and tonic and enjoyed his cocktail as well. We did have an order of baba ganoush to go along with our cocktails. I was really surprised at how busy this brewery was considering the early hour that we were visiting. I don't know that I would go out of my way to visit again as it was difficult to park. Their outdoor patio is in the parking lot and even though they tried to make it look nice it was not the best atmosphere for outdoor sitting.

Honestly, I hadn't heard as much about Northern Row as some of the other Cincinnati breweries, so came in with no expectations. We were in the neighborhood so decided to check it out, and I loved the whole experience! It looks very industrial on the outside, just like any old factory building in OTR, but on the inside it is warmly decorated. I especially enjoyed the vintage leather furniture and victorian style rugs on the north end of the main room. If you order in the first hour (4-5) your first beer is discounted. I walked in before they were technically open, but they welcomed me to sit down a bit early. They even came by and offered a couple samples unsolicited. Small things like that makes a dedicated customer!

Every time we've come to northern row we've had a pleasant experience. I want to be clear this review is the cause of one person and NOT a reflection of the entire staff. To the angry server with braids and pony tail walking around yelling at customers telling them not to move the table numbers, we aren't here trying to make your job more difficult. And if you want the table numbers to stay at their specific table, maybe nail them down. My party let the bar know what table we would be sitting at and in the time it took to walk from the bar to the table, the numbers were switched by another party. Yet, said server came over and yelled at us for switching the numbers and continued to be pissy when he had to serve us our food. Not the welcoming experience you're hoping for when you are a paying customer. Apologies to the rest of the staff who have to suffer because of one persons bad behavior.

I am definitely a fan of Northern Row! We recently visited on a Saturday evening with a small group of friends and family. I love the fact that it's both a brewery and a distillery. This was perfect for our group, and we were all easily able to find drinks we enjoyed. I love the atmosphere with a mix of tables and areas to lounge more comfortably with couches. Some of us also ordered food and if you are looking for an appetizer to share definitely get the 7 layer dip! The addition of chili in the dip made it hearty and better than other 7 layer dips that I've had.

I've heard so much about how great their brunch is so decided to try it today to find out that they weren't serving brunch anymore even though it was 2:00 and brunch is posted to be from 12-4. We decided to stay and got their chips and salsa and guacamole. The Spicey Bloody Mary is decent although the pepper vodka that they put in it is good.

All the food needed salt Food was subpar, would not recommend food. Orange basil cocktail was very good

When you walk into this brewery it has a high class feel. The bar and solid wood high top tables make it feel classy. There cocktail menu was pretty broad & with the amount of liquor on hand I am sure they could make just about anything. I got a Moscow mule and a whiskey sour, both of which were excellent! Their food menu looked good too, although I didn't eat. Someone I was with got the 7 layer dip, which was like a taco dip with chips & he said it was wonderful! They have table top shuffle board inside as well. My only complaint would be they could use more TVs to watch games and such.

Something has changed, I heard maybe a new brew master? But they changed Heckler, they are not brewing Barrister, and the beer they have is warm. We used to love this place but will not be going back

This place just speaks of history and cool as soon as you walk in the door. The revived pieces of decor are an amazing setting around the distillery. I only had the Hefeweizen and Chili Mac this time but I will be back for more. The "Designer" Hefeweizen was light and refreshing. The chili mac was perfect. I do not like spicy chili and it was spot on for me. Plenty of meat and cheese mixed in with the pasta. What a fun place in Northern Row.

I've had my eye on this place for about a year, finally made it there. Super cool! We sampled about 12 beers and there wasn't a bad one in the bunch. Their IPA's were as good as any I've ever had. We sat outside and it was a beautiful day, great space. I can't wait to explore the inside more. We only had the popcorn, it was meh. But the rest of the menu looks amazing, great variety. We'll be back for food and for sure more beers!

Leaving a review as I sit here lol. We've been here three times and it's always incredible. The staff is ridiculously nice and attentive. The beer is solid and this is my first time trying the food - it's great too!

Great location! Around the corner from rhinegeist on McMicken. The rustic old Warehouse, feels like you have steped back in time. The bar is huge ! Plenty of space can't ask for anything better and staff is great!

Harrison was a great tour guide. His mustache made me happy. Tour was very informative and interesting!

Great spot with a cute and cozy outdoor seating area- lights, wood stoves, and plenty of distanced tables. Drink and food menus are both large, we didn't have anything to eat but will definitely come back to try out their food!