Catskeller Campus Pub

I work at, and am a student at, UC. I have walked by the Catskeller many times, but this past week finally had a reason to be on campus at a time when a drink would be appropriate.

The place has a great selection of beer, user friendly in it's organization and/or for those who are not beer savvy (see: me). I am not a beer fan, but they did have a few brands of cider I'd like to head back to sample.

The decor is cool and relaxed with some fun murals on the walls and college/bar memorabilia around. There is a stage for live music and they play a local station, indie music, otherwise. Additionally, there are games to play and many places to sit (high tops, large meeting style tables, bar seating, etc.) so whatever your group size or motivation for heading over (getting buzzed or forgetting a bad exam) you'll find accommodations to fit your needs.

I think the Catskeller is a great addition to the university and will be back for some drink sampling some time soon. The food isn't much to rave about, so do yourself a favor and eat beforehand or head to Mick and Mack's for something tasty.

Located in the Tangeman University Center (T.U.C.) basement in the heart of the University of Cincinnati campus,  Catskeller is one of the only on campus bars in Ohio, offering one of the best beer import selections in Cincinnati. Stop in to check out the weekly imports on tap or order your favorite import off the fixed menu. Prices are affordable, with the average beer costing around $3.50. The food selection is mostly fried food and does not taste very good. I was told by the bartender to order food from the food court upstairs. I was shocked by this, but after trying the chicken fingers, fries and pretzel, she was right. The food was just plan bad. The beer on the other hand, was quite delicious.
      When ordering beer off the menu, you will find that each beer type is broken down into sections, making it easy for you to  find your favorite brew. I was contemplating ordering a draft beer from the board behind the bar but found the writing on the board hard to read and stayed with the fixed printed menu. For the more adventurous types, ordering from the draft beer selection on the board could be fun. Cost for bottled and draft beer are about the same.
       After ordering your beer you can enjoy all the amenities offered by Catskeller. They have pool tables, shuffle board, arcade games, and many other bar recreation sports. There is plenty of room for large groups and on the weekends you can catch local bands playing on the small stage located near the entrance. If there is no band playing they tend to play the local campus radio station which features pretty good music for the younger crowd. I gave Catskeller a 4/5 only because of the poor food, but minus this  the  place is a solid 5/5 in my book, and I will be making more stops in during class breaks in the future. Go Bearcats!

Who would have thought that such a great bar would be on a college campus?  My friends and I have been here several times (although we are young professionals rather than students).  The bar is usually not very crowded and well lit.  There are great free and inexpensive games to play (corn hole, pool, air hockey, etc).  On one occasion we brought our own food (pizza) and ordered beer at the bar.  The beer selection is good and well priced.  The only issues with Catskeller is they close earlier than most other bars and parking is difficult and far away.