Zip's Cafe is a bar and grill in Cincinnati's Mount Lookout neighborhood.
Zip's opened in 1926.[1][2] Insider's Guide to Cincinnati called their burgers the "juiciest...this side of your backyard grill"[3]: 51 and calls Zip's "the hardest place in town to get a seat."[3]: 115 Dan Woellert, author of Historic Restaurants of Cincinnati, recommends arriving before 11:00 am on weekends to get a seat.[2]The Cleveland Plain Dealer said they're known for the Zipburger, made using fresh meat from local butcher Avril-Bleh and toasted buns from local baker Klosterman's.[4][1] Other offerings include the Girth Burger, a burger topped with a split grilled mett named after Pat McInally, a regular in the 1980s, and the Train Wreck, a burger topped with a split grilled mett, shaved ham, and cheese.[2] Thrillist called Zip's a "legend."[1]
The original owners were Donald and Genevive Karchner.[2] In the 1950s, Harold Stumpf bought it.[2] In 1994, Brian Murrie bought Zip's from Ron Bircher.[5] In 2015, longtime general manager Mike Burke bought it from Burrie.[6] Burke first started working at Zip's in the 1990s as a teen and became manager in 2005.[5] Other former owners include John Gerber.[5]
An electric train runs along the ceiling against murals portraying the neighborhood.[3]: 51 [2] Seating is tightly packed.[3]: 51 The women's restroom is located off the dining room while the men's is located off the bar, because when Zip's first opened, women weren't allowed in the bar area, known as the "code room".[5] Zip's at one time ran books for local racing tracks in the code room.[5] According to current owner Burke, "The 'code' always said if the blinds in the front of the cafe were open, the books were open. There's even a spot out front where old phone lines to call in all the bets to get the numbers were located."[5]
In 2023 Zip's was named by Cincinnati Bengals player Sam Hubbard as his favorite local restaurant, and in response Zip's created a "Playoff Patty" to fund Hubbard's charitable foundation.[7] The restaurant had received a game ball from Zac Taylor in 2022 during the playoffs as part of a tradition Taylor started that year.[8][9] Taylor had started the practice in Mount Lookout because it was his own neighborhood, then extended it to other parts of the city and eventually to Bengals-fan bars throughout the country when it became popular.[10]
Recognition
editIn 2017 The Cleveland Plain Dealer named them one of the 30 best burger joints in Ohio.[4]
In 2015 Thrillist named the Double Zipburger one of the top 15 burgers in Ohio.[4][1]
Reference
edit- ^ a b c d Trattner, Douglas (2015-08-05). "The 15 Best Burgers in Ohio". Thrillist. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
- ^ a b c d e f Woellert, Dann (17 June 2014). Historic restaurants of Cincinnati : the Queen City's tasty history. Charleston, SC. ISBN 9781625855398. OCLC 941958978.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ a b c d Felix Winternitz; Sacha Bellman (24 February 2009). Insiders' Guide® to Cincinnati. Insider's Guide. ISBN 978-1-4617-4692-8.
- ^ a b c Morona, Joey (2017-06-02). "30 of the best burger joints in Ohio". cleveland.com. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
- ^ a b c d e f "Zip's Cafe celebrates 90 years in business". WCPO. 2016-07-13. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
- ^ Brownfield, Andy (January 6, 2015). "Landmark Mount Lookout restaurant gets new owner". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
- ^ "Businesses cashing on Bengals bandwagon". www.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
- ^ Lewis, Kaitlin. "Bengals head coach delivers fifth game ball to Mount Lookout restaurant Saturday afternoon". The Enquirer. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
- ^ Heltman, Russ. "Watch: Ted Karras, Zac Taylor Deliver Playoff Game Balls To Cincinnati Bars". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
- ^ Morrison, Jay. "Bengals notes: Increasing bar balls, praising Germaine Pratt, warnings about Buffalo". The Athletic. Retrieved 2023-01-24.