In the past two decades, grocery store bars have sprouted up across the nation at retailers like Whole Foods and Wegmans, offering shoppers another reason to visit their neighborhood market.
While none of our local Whole Foods currently have bars (Mason's closed during the pandemic), Queen City grocery stores aren't immune to the fun. In fact, Cincinnati-based Kroger launched its growler bars, where customers could buy or fill up growlers with draft beer, in 2003.
For Cincinnati shoppers, boozy grocery stores boil down to two options: Kroger and Jungle Jim's.
See The Enquirer's map, list of locations and more information to fuel your sip-and-shop errands below.
Grocery stores:Will the government fight Kroger's takeover of Albertsons?
More to do:A guide to the remaining Christmas events in Cincinnati 🎅
Kroger
There are 26 Kroger stores in Cincinnati and a handful of them include bars. Shoppers can take a break from their grocery list and stop at the bar for a drink at these Kroger locations, according to Jenifer Moore, Kroger's corporate affairs manager for the Cincinnati-Dayton region:
- Hyde Park Plaza (3760 Paxton Ave., Oakley).
- Kyles Station (5250 Newton Drive, Liberty Township).
- Green Township (5910 Harrison Ave., Bridgetown North).
- Oakley Station (4613 Marburg Ave., Oakley).
- Anderson Towne Center (7580 Beechmont Ave., Anderson Township).
- Beckett Commons (8000 Princeton-Glendale Road, West Chester Township).
- Colerain Marketplace (3636 Springdale Road, Colerain Township).
- On the Rhine Eatery, located inside Kroger (100 E Court St., Downtown).
Jungle Jim's
Across its two locations, Jungle Jim's has plenty of bars: coffee, sushi and butter. Here are the ones serving alcoholic beverages:
Paradise Pavilion at Jungle Jim's Eastgate
This smoke-friendly, tropical-themed bar is open Friday and Saturday from 2 to 10 p.m. Enjoy a full-service bar with beer on tap, ample seating and an outdoor fire pit.
Kombucha Bars
Try kombucha on tap, kombucha beer and more at both stores' kombucha bars.
Tasting bars
The Tasting Bar at Jungle Jim's Fairfield offers 35 beers on tap, plus several wines. There are also six wine stations located throughout the store, where you can order 1-ounce, 3-ounce and 6-ounce pours.
Eastgate's Tasting Bar has 40 beers on tap and multiple wines. This location offers two wine stations.
Bars at both stores are open from noon to 8 p.m. on weekdays, and from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. Customers are free to order a drink at the bar and carry it with them while they shop.
Source link
