We are thrilled to host Lie-Nielsen Toolworks this weekend for a Hand Tool Event at our storefront at 837 Willard St. in Covington, Ky. (Details here.)
If this is your first trip to Covington, or you haven’t been here since the pandemic, there is a lot to chat about.
During the last five years, the city has blossomed in many ways (not our doing), and there are somehow even more places to eat and drink within a 5-minute walk of our front door. Here is an updated list of places close by that we recommend and love.
Breakfast
The Anchor Grill: Cash-only diner that is open 24 hours. No yuppies or hipsters.
Pike Street diner: Upscale diner for fancier lads and lasses.
Cedar: Still fancier breakfast spot for brunchers.
Coppin’s: The fanciest breakfast. It’s at the Hotel Covington. Dang good. (Also great for lunch and dinner.)
North South Baking: Great pastries, breakfast sandwiches and coffee.
Point Perk Coffee: All manner of coffee.
Left Bank Coffee: Also good coffee.
Lunch
Olla: Best Mexican food in town. (Also great for dinner.)
Guiterrez: Mexican deli run by the same family that runs Olla.
Empanada’s Box: Fantastic selection of delicious empanadas.
Gyros on Main: Just like it says.
Kung Food: Good Chinese with good beer. (Also good for dinner.)
Thai Pavilion: Good Thai with decent beer.
The Standard: Burgers and fries in a converted gas station.
Kealoha: Healthy and delicious Hawaiian food.
Lorenzo’s: Good sandwich spot.
Dinner
Otto’s: Southern classics.
Libby’s: Fried chicken and other Southern specialties.
Frida 602: Very good gringo Mexican.
Mama’s on Main: Sturdy Italian food.
Larry’s: Our fave dive bar with tater-tot-based cuisine
Dewey’s: Excellent pizza. You can get it at the stand-alone restaurant, or order it from inside Braxton Brewing, the city brewery.
Juniper’s: Gin bar with a great rotating tapas menu.
Zola’s: Straight-ahead, no-apologies bar food.
Riverside Korean: A Covington staple for 20 years.
Drinks
Crafts & Vines: Our local. Great people and good small bites, too.
OKBB: Probably the best bourbon bar in the world.
Vintage: A wild place that sells vintage bourbon.
Braxton Brewing: Solid beer, with a great pizza place inside. Rooftop bar.
Knowledge or Coppin’s: The multiple bars at the Hotel Covington are all excellent.
Second Story Bar: Very nice bar above the Flying Axes bar on Sixth Street.
Fun Stuff
Earth to Kentucky: Toy store on our street. Amazing selection of cartoon-based stuff.
Hail Records and Oddities: If you need vinyl, weird taxidermy, occult stuff, stickers etc., go see Neil.
Hierophany & Hedge: A city landmark and magic shop. Not to be missed.
And then there’s Cincinnati – a whole other world of good food and drink. It is no wonder that it’s difficult to stay thin here.
— Christopher Schwarz
Don’t forget spending some time with kittens at Purrfect Day Cat Cafe.
Very nice, I would love to be there. Thanks for sharing.
Anchor Grill is the place for me. But I’m not so fancy.
I love Empanada’s Box and Mama’s and Earth to Kentucky and Piper’s Ice Cream and Crafts & Vines and, and, and…
It’s hard to explain to anyone how special Hierophany & Hedge is. I still think about them all the time. Just this morning my wife and I were telling someone how much we loved Covington and want to come back.
If you cross the river into Cincinnati, the Underground Railroad Museum is intense and not to be missed. If you want fun visual stimulation, check out the American Sign Museum.
I wish I were, and after this post even more so.
Not coming this weekend, but will be there in early May, so I’ll keep this list handy. @fitz already told me about the best places to stay, funny your house and her’s were not on the list.