I don't know how dirty it is inside, as I recently read in a comment on Facebook, but the outside is disgusting. Beer bottles and caps all over the sidewalk, and don't even get me started on the extraordinary number of cigarette butts littering the sidewalk. I'd like to see the enforcement of clean surroundings around a business, it gives a lousy image of the city I live in.
Review Source:Nothing spells "class" like a place you have to descend into:
Basements
Leviathan
Tartarus
Brooklyn
Uncle Vitto's Kitchen for that New Year's party with the fam
Dungeons
Catacombs
A shallow grave
Hell
The Deep South
The careers of Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson and Brendan Fraser
Oh, the joys of the basement bar! Â Located within walking distance of Sidebar and Keystone there is a nice little entertainment district at the end of the Roebling just along Greenup Street. Â It's a good location, not too crowded, street parking usually isn't too hard to find.
Plenty of gaming compartments if that's what you're looking for. Â Arcade games that sorta work. Â Specialty drinks at a crowded bar. Â With how big the place is you'd think you could get a little more bar top.
Live entertainment on weekends, if you're into that.
Ahhhhh.... the divest of dive bars. Â Its so much of a dive that you have to dive down into a basement to go there (ok, not actually dive- they do have steps).
This place does tend to be smoke-filled... Can't wait till NKY decides to go smoke-free! Â
Place has a locals-only feel, but welcomes outsiders with open arms. Â Bartenders are great and willing to make suggestions if you aren't sure what you want.
Speaking of which, we invented a new drink here that is absolutely amazing! Â Three Olives Loopy with Sprite and a splash of cranberry. Â Try it and Down Under out sometime when you are in the area!
When my friends who just moved to Covington said we should go to Down Under, I was all for it, thinking that I'd never been there before and it would be awesome to explore a new bar.
But as soon as I walked down those stairs, I realized that sure as hell, I'd been there before. It's just one of those dives where, due to the copious amount of cheap alcohol that you can drink, you may not remember your time there in the morning. Uhoh.
This is a dive bar through and through. First, it's underground, and you have to walk down a narrow set of stairs to get into this literal hole in the ground (just follow the angry red hand painted on the wall pointing down, you'll find it.)
Down Under is way bigger than you'd think - multiple rooms with multiple sections. The bar is there as soon as you walk in and the staff is usually quick and fun (and a little angry, as all dive bar bartenders should be.)
Other fun divey aspects of this bar:
- Stone walls with dark lighting, giving it a "drinking in the basement" kind of feel.
- Free video game machine that only works half the time (and had the crappiest assortment of 80s video games I've ever seen. What the hell are these games?)
- Booths that are not secured into the ground, as my friend found out when he was pushed up against one and it fell over onto the ground (with him along for the ride.)
- Badass artwork on the walls.
- Cheap drinks.
I know I've mentioned the last one before but it's worth mentioning again. Ah, Down Under, you are pretty damn fantastic. We'll see if I can actually remember you this time.
The Keystone domination* in the Historic Liking River District had made that I hadn't tried any other restaurant or bar. But then, after trying out Blinkers and actually liking it, we decided to try out Down Under too.
Not familiar with the Dive Bar concept (we don't seem to have this in Belgium), I was a bit surprised when I first went down the stairs. It seemed like a loud, a bit dirty place. We sat down in the booth with a few friends and as everybody stood at the bar we had the place to ourselves.
There was a table full of food in the middle of the room and obviously we wondered what it was doing there. Turned out there had been a funeral gathering there a bit before. That was a bit creepy, I admit. But on the other hand, if the person who passed away was a big fan of Down Under, why not? Still wonder though why they left the food just out there, when everybody was gone?
I didn't expect too much of the food, but it wasn't bad. I had a bowl of potato soup, which was actually very tasty.
We really liked the music and as we were sitting away from the bar, we managed to have a good conversation with our friends.
It's not that I didn't like Down Under, but I also won't be rushing back. It really fits the 3 stars: ok, not great, but not bad either! The fact that you can smoke didn't really bother me as it just fits this place.
* Well known phenomenon for new people in Covington: only being referred to Keystone as if it's the only place around
Great food...great company. My first time there was Superbowl Sunday. They had a chili cookoff and I got to meet some cool folks while bonding over the game! :) And though its considered a "dive," its a Great neighborhood bar! It's under new ownership (2011) and is starting to look awesome with the improvements they are making. They have darts, shuffle board, pool and more! I have rated it 5 stars because I liked the crowd, the employees, the service & the overall atmosphere, and tho I don't smoke myself...it gets smokey in there which might be a turnoff for some people. Â But there is also so much that goes on down there(free food/cookoffs, bands, open mike night, etc) Â and they are adding new events every month. I know my husband is looking forward to Nov 10th this year, too. He was talking to the owner and couldn't believe his ears when he was told this bar will be recognizing & celebrating the Marine Corps birthday! This bar is TOPS in my book and well worth a check out. And just a side note: if you enjoy art..go down and see this bar at least once! They have stained glass windows (bought from a local cathedral) as part of the ceiling and one as you are walking in the bar(pictured). The walls are made of stone and you feel a little like you are in a different place/time. It's worth going down there once, just too see these windows.
Review Source:One of divey-ist of dive bars I've been in. I just found out that this place was a Zino's years ago. Anyways, enough nostalgia (if you ever had a Zinover, count yourself lucky), let's talk about this place. Walking down the stairs one finds a cool stained glass window; but this is not a church! The basement feel is great and it is usually packed with a broad mix of people. I saw everything from guys in cowboy hats to young ladies. Everyone was having a good time.
I don't really dig smoky places, and this place is rather smokey. It's KY, what do you expect? There are lots of games to play. We're talking Frat house level. Shuffleboard, arcade, pool, fooseball, skeeball, and more! Sweet.
The bathroom door was totally off the hinges which made using it an adventure. Drinks were okay, not very strong in my opinion, but that's fine.
Not sure if they serve food, but Keystone is right around the corner.
Down Under is very apt name for this Covington dive bar.
Located on the basement floor, Down Under has almost no natural light giving it that true Dive Bar feel. Bands play their on a regular basis and there is also a pool table, ski ball and other games.
The bar itself is large enough to hold a decent crowd and drinks are well priced. Pretty much what you would expect for a dive  bar.
This is absolutely a dive bar. Â The place is kinda small and crowded by the bar area, but has plenty of space to spread out once you get your drinks. Â They also have a pool table, skiball, darts and one or two other games. Â It's Kentucky, so you can smoke in this bar. Â Being a non-smoker, that is the only reason that I don't like to go to this bar (or any) in Kentucky. Â But the Down Under is a great place to get together with friends for some drinks.
Review Source:Down Under is about as much of a dive bar as you can get, but that's what I love. Â It literally is "down under" the ground in a basement, and you really never know what you're going to find down there.
Some nights there are bands, DJs, open mic nights, karaoke, free food, etc. Â There's always the jukebox if nothing else is going on. Â Sometimes it's crowded (with a different crowd every time, really never know what to expect). Â Then sometimes you go and you are the only people there. Â And that is fine too because the bartenders are all friendly and will just let you create your own little private party.
The last time I went to Down Under the bartender decided to make it a movie night, and we watched Yes Man and Face Off on TV while drinking some pitchers. Â Like I said, you never know what you'll get, and that is my favorite thing about this place.
They also have a back room with games: ping pong, darts, shuffleboard. Â I never fail to entertain myself at Down Under.
All the bars in Covington are great, but Down Under is almost like hanging out at someone's house party. Â It's comfortable, you take away from it what you want, and there are always cool and interesting people to meet...especially if I'm there. :)
This place sucks, and I love dive bars. Stopped in on a weekend night and there was hardly anyone there. More disturbingly, the bartender was drugged or wasted. Extremely rude, with speech slurred and eyes half closed. It was almost like she was upset to have more customers to serve. Stay away from this place and try Sidebar, Keystone or even Molly Malone's which are all right around this place and off Mainstrausse but with much better service.
Review Source:This might be one of the coolest "hidden" venues I've ever been to.
Right by the Keystone, the Down Under is in Covington's so-called "Roebling Point" entertainment district.
It's really close to both stadiums, and is truly dedicated to Cincinnati sports. It's also one of the rockingest karaoke joints I've ever been too.
To get into the Down Under, you literally walk down some stairs in this building to get to what seems like a tiny little bar.
Don't get me wrong, the space is pretty small, but surprisingly roomy. The main bar features this amazing plate glass ceiling that looks like it's from a church, truly beautiful. But there's a second room that features a lot more seating and a pool table.
Lo and behold, in the back there's a third room with more games, seating and even a kitchen. (I've never tried the food, but I imagine it's your standard greasy fare offered to get around liquor license rules.)
I'm pretty sure the Down Under is also one of Cincinnati's main metal hangouts. I've met a lot of people there that I'd characterize as being in the metal scene, and it's in heavy rotation on the jukebox.
Karaoke nights are hilarious. There's a great crowd of regulars that come, and plenty of newbies to make everything highly entertaining.
The drinks are decently well made and their tap has a few good selections you might not expect. I've never walked away with an insane tab either, so you're getting a good deal.
However, like all Kentucky bars, the main problem is smoking. Due to the fact that it's an enclosed space, you can't escape the smoke. For me, that's a bit of an issue, but with so many other bars within a quick walk, there's no reason you can't escape if you have to.
Most of the time when my friends suggest we go bar hopping in Covington, I cringe. That's what Main Strasse has done to me. But now that I've been Down Under, I've got a new attitude.
The place is a hole, literally. Located in a basement, Down Under is unpretentious and unassuming. While the furnishings on half the bar look like surplus from an early 90's pizza parlor (think vinyl booths), the stunning stain glass windows in the ceiling distract from the shoddiness.
The music was great, from the eclectic and cool juke box to the funky and talented cover band (yes, they do exist!). Seats near the bar were packed, but there was enough space in the pool table room to accommodate a good sized crowd.
The pub grub was delicious, too, though it's hard to go wrong with variations of deep-fried cheese. I loved the Pizza Bites, which we ordered at midnight well past the time when most bar kitchens close.
If you're looking for boisterous, hip, yet unaffected dive bar, definitely check out the Down Under.
Best bar in Covington. That's not saying a ton, but I'm always in the mood to go there. The people there are always friendly and genuine. There is no house music or jerks there ever, and that's enough for me. They also have food that can be pretty good. Normal stuff on tap. A lot of stained glass windows for some reason. Oh and it can be sort of hard to spot; it's in a basement (as advertised). It's right off of Greenup and the door is on Park Pl.
Review Source:Okay. This place? A dive. It can't be described any better. So why 5 stars? Because I like dives.
I've been one time, and it was a fun time. Between the woman behind the bar (middle-aged blonde, glasses) with the Bengals jersey on hootin' and hollerin', to the young man who was not working but there that went and got me catfish, to the other funny stuff I saw, it was certainly something I've told folks about.
I didn't look like I belonged, and the bartender just kept calling me "Boston" for the night because it was easier for her to remember than my name, but that's what I like. Non-pretentious straight forward fun. If you want someone to kiss your ass? Go somewhere else. This place is somewhere where people will be nice if they know you are, too, but will give you shit just for the hell of it if they know you can take it. 'Nuff said.
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