Step Into Cincinnati History at Arnold’s Bar & Grill

Cincinnati loves its bathtub lore. There’s the alleged story of the hefty Cincinnatian and our nation’s 27th President William Howard Taft getting stuck in his White House bathtub. Then there’s the tub tale at Arnold’s Bar & Grill, which has been a Cincinnati institution since 1861. The story was deemed so legendary that a bathtub now appears in the restaurant’s logo. 

“After Prohibition, the Arnold family moved to the third floor and opened the second floor for dining,” says owner Chris Breeden. “There’s a bathtub in one of the rooms because they literally moved out of their bathroom, put tables in there and started serving upstairs. It’s believed gin was made in the bathtub.”

For decades, this famed bathtub has silently witnessed patrons gather for food and drinks, including Arnold Bar & Grill’s ever-popular Greek Spaghetti.

“It’s been on the menu since 1957,” Breeden adds.

The Yo Mama Burger is another customer favorite. Featured on “Man v. Food,” the burger (locally sourced from Wassler Meat) is piled high with hashbrowns, a sunny-side-up egg and goetta — a Cincinnati-area specialty made from a blend of sausage and steel-cut oats. 210 E. Eighth St., Cincinnati 45202, 513/421-6234, arnoldsbarandgrill.com

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