Northern Kentucky

Northern Kentucky Kentucky

Bellevue, Covington, Newport + Nearby

Just a quick trip across the Ohio River on any of the city’s many bridges will take you into Northern Kentucky, unique for simultaneously being part of Greater Cincinnati and the farthest north you can be while still being part of the South. Head to Covington’s MainStrasse Village for al fresco eateries, award-winning bourbon bars and Bavarian air; to cozy and eclectic Bellevue for brunch; and to the mixed-use-development-friendly Newport to visit Newport on the Levee and the Newport Aquarium.

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Provided

The Baker’s Table Bakery

Favorite Newport dining destination The Baker’s Table has opened a new bakery across the street from the restaurant. The Baker’s Table Bakery offers sourdough breads, pastries and espresso for breakfast and lunch and, in the evening, farm-totable pizzas and sustainable Italian wines. Enjoy your morning coffee and watch as the bread for the dinner service is prepared in front of you. The bakers often experiment with new recipes, like garlic knots and surprising styles of pizza. To catch one of these “experiments” before they’re gone, follow The Baker’s Table Bakery on social media. 1001 Monmouth St., Newport, bakerstablebakery.com.

Northern Kentucky

Hotel Covington

Developers transformed Covington’s old City Hall (and former Coppin’s department store) into a luxury boutique hotel with a focus on modern-meets-vintage style. You could stay here — or you could drink, dine and hang instead. Coppin’s restaurant creates magic with its locally sourced fare, and the courtyard is a multi-use patio that offers everything from lawn games, live music and film screenings to an artisan coffee bar and craft cocktails. The perfect place to stop by if you’ve just caught some live music at nearby venues the Southgate House Revival (southgatehouse.com) or Madison Theater (madisontheater.com). 638 Madison Ave., Covington, hotelcovington.com.

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Hailey Bollinger

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Yuca

Hailey Bollinger

Jeremy Faeth, the co-owner and executive chef at Cedar, debuted his second Northern Kentucky restaurant, Yuca, in September 2021. The Latin American breakfast, brunch and lunch spot has taken off since its highly anticipated opening. Try the Hangover, a dish with a layer of spicy chorizo that rests under a blanket of sunny-side-up eggs and breakfast potatoes, topped with fresh jalapeño, avocado and housemade pico de gallo. This is one of the most popular items at Cedar and is one of the inspiration dishes behind Yuca. With his focus on fresh food, Faeth eliminated the microwave and freezer in his kitchens, an impressive feat in today’s fast-paced food world. 700 Fairfield Ave., Bellevue, yucabycedar.com.

Adam Doty

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Hailey Bollinger

Jerry’s Jug House

Jerry’s Jug House started as a garage with ties to bootlegging during Prohibition but went legal in the 1930s as a “jug house.” Patrons could buy beer, liquor and wine to go at the jug house, which was adjacent to a neighborhood grocery store. In 2019, the bar got new owners who thoughtfully remodeled the Newport staple, keeping much of its historic character and artifacts intact, including the UK wallpaper. The menu also got a revamp, with draft beer and specialty cocktails like the Cherry Coke, made with cane sugar cola, housemade cherry syrup, fresh lime juice and your choice of bourbon, rum or vodka, served over flaked “Frisch’s” style ice. 414 E. Seventh St., Newport, jerrysjughouse.com.

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Big Bone Lick State Historic Site

For an interesting look into prehistoric times, take a trip to Big Bone Lick State Historic Site. The park is named after the Pleistocene megafauna fossils found there. It is thought that mammoths were drawn to the location by a salt lick that was deposited around a sulfur spring. An indoor museum houses fossils, American art and a 1,000-pound mastodon skull. Outside, enjoy some hands-on history and science lessons, in-season camping, and a real herd of bison, visible any time of year, that harkens back to the park’s prehistoric past. 3380 Beaver Road, Union, parks.ky.gov.

With a population of less than 6,000, this quaint little sister of Covington and Newport has a main drag of eclectic gift shops, historic homes and cozy cafés. bellevueky.org

Eat

Do brunch at Bellevue Bistro (313 Fairfield Ave., bellevuebistro.com), home to sweets, savories and five different types of benedicts, with choices like Kentucky Hot Brown and Veggie Benny (sweet potatoes, squash, avocado, mushrooms, peppers, onions, tomatoes, spinach, cheddar jack). The Elusive Cow (519 Fairfield Ave., theelusivecow.com) does organic, farm fresh and sustainable for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. And Schneider’s Sweet Shop (420 Fairfield Ave., schneiderscandies. com) has been satisfying sweet teeth since 1939. They specialize in handmade, small-batch opera creams — chocolate candies with a creamy center — developed by a German confectioner for the Cincinnati Opera. History and sugar!

Drink

As the name would suggest, Bellevue’s Darkness Brewing (224 Fairfield Ave., darknessbrewing.beer) focuses on dark beers: stouts, black ales, porters and more. It’s very laid back with tons of quirky events, including classic horror film screenings, paint-and-pint nights and trivia nights. While there are a couple of other locals-only type dive bars on the Fairfield Avenue strip — and a little bit off, like the tropically themed Riverside Marina (145 Mary Ingles Highway, riversidemarinaky.com) — the boozebased highlight of Bellevue is The Party Source (95 Riviera Drive, thepartysource. com). With a mind-blowing selection of spirits at discount prices, there’s no other alcohol store like it in the country. Find expensive and rare bourbons, a giant local beer selection and college-budget party booze along with colorful plastic cutlery, bachelorette necklaces and easy hors d’oeuvres. It’s also home to the innovative Braxton Labs brewery, so not only can you shop for booze here, you can also drink booze here. Just outside the Party Source’s door is adjacent distillery New Riff (24 Distillery Way, newriffdistilling.com), the northernmost stop on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour. Try their bourbon, rye and, if you’re not a fan of the darker liquors, try their Kentucky Wild Gin. For a large selection of bourbon, specialty cocktails, local craft beer and seasonal wines, check out Three Spirits Tavern (209 Fairfield Ave., threespiritstavern.com).

Shop

With too many gift shops and secondhand stores to name, just stroll down Fairfield Avenue and you’ll inevitably walk into one; all have a bit of that kitschy country vibe — some more than others. An excellent shopping district to find a hostess gift. But Coda Co. (400 Fairfield Ave., shopcodaco.com) stands out for its curated collection of urban décor and hand-crafted goods: wood pour-over coffee stands, macramé wall hangings and throw pillows. From decor to candles to baby clothes to Derby hats, check out Le Sorelle Boutique (341 Fairfield Ave., facebook.com/bellevueky341) to find gifts for anyone and possibly something for yourself. If you’re more of a crafting type, make your way down to The Bellevue Beadery (417 Fairfield Ave., facebook.com/ beadery) where you can not only find your own craft supplies but also commission personalized items for special events.

Explore

Wander down to Bellevue Beach Park (665 Frank Benke Way, bellevueky.org), a former 19th-century community swimming spot, for views of Cincinnati from across the river.

COVINGTON

Covington’s historic German MainStrasse Village is full of quirky shops, al fresco eateries and awardwinning bars. covingtonky.gov

Eat

Thought MainStrasse was only about Germans? Nein. Pretend you’re in

Lil’s Bagels.

Amsterdam at the Dutch-inspired Lisse Steakhuis (530 Main St., lisse.restaurant). Try whitefish pâté, shrimp cocktail and sides like hutspot (mashed-up potatoes, carrots and onions). The logo is even a windmill. Frida (602 Main St., fridaonmain. com), named after the legendary painter Frida Kahlo, serves up chips and salsas, burritos, tacos and sandwiches. The Brussels sprout and pescado tacos are local favorites. The menu at Libby’s Southern Comfort (35 W. Eighth St., libbyssoutherncomfort.com) pays tribute to Southern classics with a touch of Charleston and features dishes like goetta hush puppies, oysters on the half shell and fried chicken. Sandwich-shop-turned-bistro Otto’s (521 Main St., ottosonmain.com) excels at casual brunch. Their eggs benedict is wonderfully indulgent on a Sunday morning, and their bloody marys can be made with house-infused cucumber or jalapeño-garlic vodka. For excellent Asian, sit at a traditional floor table at Riverside Korean (512 Madison Ave., riversidekoreanrestaurant.com) and order a steaming stone bowl bibimbop, accompanied by a selection of tangy bokum. Or visit Kung Food Chu’s AmerAsia (521 Madison Ave., kungfood.online) for fresh American-Chinese with a kitschy lean and a binder-sized selection of brews. Find local and artisan deli items, brick-oven pizzas, hot sandwiches and pickle fries at The Gruff (129 E. Second St., atthegruff.com). Farmto-table Bouquet Restaurant & Wine Bar (519 Main St., bouquetrestaurant.com) puts a twist on classic dishes and offers a constantly rotating menu. Browse an extensive wine list (more than 60 bottle and glass selections) while drooling

Hailey Bollinger

over the current carnivorous offerings prepared by Chef Stephen Williams. His ethically sourced meats are found in both small plates and entrées like sweet potato rouille and Sakura Farm steak. The alleyway beside Roebling Point Books & Coffee (roeblingpointbooksandcoffee. com) is laced not only with plants peeking through a sidewalk, but the wafting scent of warm bagels — made with chutzpah. Grab a New York-style bagel from cult fave Lil’s Bagels (308 Greenup St., lilsbagels.com). Text or place your order online and pick it up minutes later at the “windough.” The hand-rolled bagels have a rabid following and sell out fast. Eishaus (117 Park Place, eishauseats.com) in Covington’s Roebling Point District is a German-inspired ice cream, eats and coffee window. The creamery features the unique frozen treat “spaghetti eis,” an ice cream dish with ice cream “noodles” and toppings that resemble sauces and meatballs. They even have a locally-inspired treat that looks like a Cincinnati chili 3-Way. Frosthaus (115 Park Place, frosthauscov.com) — a sister spot located next to Eishaus — offers a slew of frozen delights, specifically booze-infused slushies. Can’t compromise on a place to eat? Covington Yard (401 Greenup St., covingtonyard.com) can help! With four different restaurants serving out of shipping containers, everyone is sure to find something they’ll like. Django Western Tacos serves tacos; Mr. Bulgogi offers Korean bowls and dumplings; Yard Bird is known for “Thee Chicken Sandwich” served with coleslaw; and Hangry Omar’s serves sliders. Of course, this is also a great place to just grab drinks.

Drink

The Standard (434 Main St., facebook. com/thestandardcov) — from the team behind Otto’s and Larry’s dive bar (@ larrys_all_american_cafe) — is located in a former garage and filling station. The colorful location has plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, with patio space beneath the garage’s canopies. Bourbon is king in Covington. Cocktail bar The Hannaford (619 Madison Ave., thehannaford.com) is named after famed local architect Samuel Hannaford and is decorated with wood, leather, concrete and top-notch bourbon, displayed in modified bourbon barrels. Two bars on the MainStrasse strip made the list of the best bourbon bars in America as rated by The Bourbon Review: the Old Kentucky Bourbon Bar (629 Main St., oldkybourbonbar.com), which has more than 150 different types of bourbon, rotating flights and an extremely knowledgeable staff; and the Wiseguy Lounge (603 Main St., goodfellaspizzeria.com/wiseguy-lounge), which has over 400 bourbons to choose from, along with specialty cocktails and draft beer. Coppin’s Restaurant & Bar in Hotel Covington (638 Madison Ave., hotelcovington.com) just released a cocktail book, Cheers to Five Years, featuring 30 recipes among sprinkles of mixology basics. Try your hand at the Crack Sabbath — Buffalo Trace bourbon, bitters and a few other ingredients, smoked in a snifter with oak wood chips and topped with a sugar lid — or just grab one from the bar. If you’re more into beer than bourbon, visit Braxton Brewing Co. (27 W. Seventh St., braxtonbrewing. com), started in a garage by co-founder Evan Rouse when he was just 16. Molly Malone’s Irish Pub (112 E. Fourth St., covington.mollymalonesirishpub.com) is run by real Irish people — accents and all — and shows all English Premier League “football” games live. Rosie’s Tavern (643 Bakewell St., rosiestavernnky.com), just off MainStrasse, offers a casual environment for happy hour, darts, pool and pinball. Crazy Fox Saloon (901 Washington Ave., 859-0261-2143 ) has a similar vibe.

Shop

The city’s Renaissance Covington (rcov. org) project is helping to revitalize the downtown retail and restaurant district with cute shops and cool places to drink and dine. Madison Avenue is currently home to a Wedding District, and near the Roebling Bridge lies Roebling Point Books & Coffee (306 Greenup St., roeblingpointbooksandcoffee.com), a dog-friendly bookshop and coffee café. Find real stuffed animals at Hail Records & Oddities (720 Main St., hailcincinnati.com), a magnificently macabre shop full of witchy accessories and lots of used LPs. Shop for your magical supplies at Hierophany & Hedge (19 W. Pike St., hierophanyandhedge. com). This store doesn’t hawk gags and goofs, but instead is a shop where the secrets of ancient ritual can be unearthed from obscure tomes, where components for protective talismans are found — a

Hailey Bollinger place where magic isn’t only real, but essential. They also have a giant cabinet full of handmade wands.

Do

Drive up the hill to Devou Park (1201 Park Drive, exploredevoupark.org) for incomparable river views, as well as a golf course and the Behringer-Crawford Museum (1600 Montague Road, bcmuseum. org), dedicated to collecting, preserving and exhibiting the Ohio Valley’s heritage. Can’t make it to Paris? NBD. The French-Gothic Saint Mary’s Cathedral Basilica (1140 Madison Ave., covcathedral. com) is a replica of the Notre Dame Cathedral. Located on the Covington floodwall along the edge of the Ohio River, the Roebling Murals (Riverside Drive) depict the city’s history painted along hundreds of feet of concrete.

Pompilio’s.

Walk the Licking Riverside Drive Historic District. This 13-block area includes Civil War homes, carriage houses, Underground Railroad tunnels and life-size bronze statues of historic figures in lifelike poses; take your picture fake-sketching next to the permanently sketching John James Audubon, who visited Northern Kentucky in 1819. Or head to Goebel Park (501 Philadelphia Street, mainstrasse.org), a community gathering spot at the edge of MainStrasse Village that features a well known German-style Carroll Chimes Clock Tower. If you’re a fan of automatons or horology, watch little mechanical men act out the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin at the park’s Carroll Chimes Bell Tower (605 Philadelphia St.) at noon.

NEWPORT

Historically referred to as “Sin City,” Newport was once known for casinos, brothels and speakeasies; the city is now home to Newport on the Levee, where there is a bar and restaurant box park and mixed-use entertainment development. newportky.gov; newportonthelevee.com

Eat

Hit up the 1920s Dixie Chili (733 Monmouth St., dixiechili.com) for a three-way, or grab a slab of goetta at the Pepper Pod (703 Monmouth St., 859-431-7455), a third-generation family-run restaurant. Have some handmade ravioli and play some bocce ball at Pompilio’s (600 Washington Ave., pompilios.com), the restaurant where the toothpick scene in Rain Man was filmed. La Mexicana (642 Monmouth St., orderlamexicanarestaurant.com) dishes out excellent Mexican, including carne asada and chile relleno. Other favorite eats are York Street Café (738 York St., yorkst.cafe) where you can get deli

favorites like the Turkey Brie and smoked salmon on a toasted baguette. At Mad Mike’s Burgers & Fries (342 Monmouth St., madmikesburgers.com), you could go easy with a bacon cheeseburger, or you could go big with the Goliath, a black angus burger topped with bacon, grilled onions, American cheese and barbecue sauce between two grilled cheese sandwiches.

Drink

Bridgeview Box Park at Bridgeview Box Park Newport on the Levee (1 Levee Way, newportonthelevee. com) is an outdoor entertainment space perched right above the Ohio River, offering spectacular views of the Cincinnati skyline. The cluster of food, drink and shopping vendors utilizes shipping-like containers — hence the “box park” — which are interspersed among a common outdoor area. Vendors include Tiki bar Kon Tiki on the Levee, empanadas stand Che on Wheels and an outpost of distillery Second Sight Spirits. The Wooden Cask (Wooden Cask woodencask.com), which has operated a microbrewery and taproom in Newport since 2016, opened a 2,400-square-foot second location on the Levee, with garage-style doors offering an indoor-outdoor vibe. The menu features a special Blueberry Levee lager. The Beeline (facebook.com/beelineonthelevee) — from 4EG, the minds behind such bars as Igby’s, The Lackman, Rosedale and Keystone Bar & Grill — also offers indoor and outdoor seating, with a patio bar and river views. Grab a stein of German brew and a schnitzel in the biergarten at the first authentic Hofbräuhaus (200 Third St., hofbrauhausnewport.com) in America — “Where it’s Oktoberfest every day!” Originally a coffee shop and bistro, Newberry Brothers Coffee (530 Washington Ave., newberrybroscoffee.com) is now primarily a speakeasy nestled in the Mansion Hill neighborhood of Newport. The in-house Prohibition Bourbon Bar features more than 1,500 brands of bourbon, rye whiskey, Scotch and Irish and Japanese whiskey — the largest collection literally anywhere. Newberry’s coffee is also available at Jet Age Records (817 Monmouth St., jetagerecords.com), a new and used vinyl shop with listening stations. Visit Trailhead Coffee (648 Monmouth St., facebook.com/trailheadcoffee) for Wood Burl Coffee, rotating pour-over selections, single-origin espresso, ceremonial-grade matcha and beautiful latte art.

Do

Walk or bike across The Purple People Bridge (purplepeoplebridge.com) from Cincy’s The Banks to Newport on the Levee (newportonthelevee.com) — or vice versa. The pedestrian-only bridge,

Newport Aquarium.

listed on the National Register of Historic Places, opened in 1872 as Cincinnati’s first railroad bridge spanning the Ohio River. In the early 2000s, it was renovated and transformed into a romantic and practical walkway connecting the two states. The aforementioned Levee is a one-stop shop for dining and entertainment. It houses the Newport Aquarium (newportaquarium. com), an AMC Theatre (amctheatres.com) and Rotolo (rotolobowling.com) boutique bowling and bocce court.

Explore

The Newport Gangster Tour and the seasonal Newport is Haunted Tour (americanlegacytours.com) both look at the city’s mob past with tales of murder, prostitution, gamblers and ghosts. For a more family-friendly adventure, BB Riverboats (101 Riverboat Row, bbriverboats. com) offers a variety of tours and dinner steamboat cruises down the Ohio River.

FLORENCE/NEARBY NORTHERN KENTUCKY

Famous for its “Florence Y’all” water tower, now the mascot for a minor league baseball team, Florence is home to a big mall, chain restaurants and Kentucky’s largest winery. florence-ky.gov

Eat

Greyhound Tavern (2500 Dixie Highway, greyhoundtavern.com) has been serving classic fried chicken in Fort Mitchell since the 1920s. Enjoy some Kentucky cooking with a classic hot brown. Matsuya Japanese Restaurant (7149 Manderlay Drive, facebook.com/Matsuya-Japanese-Restaurant) offers traditional Kaiseki multi-course meals, Nabemono table-side hot pots and easy eats like chicken katsu. Their tatami is available for larger and private parties. Located in a former 1920s gas station, Camporosso (2475 Dixie Highway, camporosso.com) is known for its traditional Neapolitan, wood-fired pizzas. It also slings classic American ‘za — with a chewier crust.

Drink

Kentucky’s largest winery, Elk Creek Vineyards (150 Highway 330, elkcreekvineyards.com), is housed in the rolling hills of Owenton and offers award-winning sweet-style wines produced and bottled onsite. Before you start boozing, go shoot some clay pigeons at the next-door Elk Creek Hunt Club. Get ready to sample a slew of rum — unbarreled, spiced and bourbon barrel-aged — at Second Sight Spirits (301 B. Elm St. Ludlow, secondsightspirits.com) artisan distillery. Built by former Cirque du Soleil prop masters and engineers/booze pirates, the distillery’s moniker is inspired by a vaudevillian swami, and free tours of the facility take visitors past the on-theme steampunk-esque copper still.

Shop

The extremely popular Burlington Antique Show (5819 Idlewild Road, burlingtonantiqueshow.com) is one of the Midwest’s premiere antique and vintage-only shows featuring more than 200 dealers. From April through October, find all the Midcentury Modern, farmhouse primitives and industrial salvage you

Hailey Bollinger can fit in your car. Florence Mall (Florence Mall 2028 Florence Mall Road, florencemall.com), with various chain stores and a double-decker carousel in the food court (America!).

Do

Florence is kind of a sports hub. Horse track Turfway Park (7500 Turfway Road, turfway.com) conducts live thoroughbred racing, with off-season year-round simulcast wagering, and minor league independent professional baseball team the Florence Y’alls (7950 Freedom Way, florenceyalls.com) offers up the food, drinks, amenities and a giant water tower mascot.

Explore

The Creation Museum (2800 Bullittsburg Church Road, creationmuseum.org): the greatest field trip for Young-Earth Creationists and mortal enemy of science (and its guy, Bill Nye). One part museum, one part fantasy and all parts Answers in Genesis, this private oasis brings the Bible to life with dynamic animal and human displays featuring the likes of Adam and Eve and dinosaurs — together — and an exotic petting zoo. If you need more ego with your religious figures, look no further than the Ark Encounter (Ark Encounter 1 Ark Encounter Drive, Williamstown, arkencounter.com), a 510-foot-long, 50-foot-tall, $90 million replica of Noah’s boat, complete with a restaurant and admission fee. Thomas More University (333 Thomas More Parkway, thomasmore.edu) to see “the smallest church in the world.” The 6-foot-by-9-foot fieldstone Monte Casino Chapel was built in the late 19th century by Benedictine monks and moved to the college in 1965.