Reviews (100)
Great place with out door seating and perfect atmosphere
My favorite late night hangout in Cincinnati. I always love seeing Jay when he’s working the bar, he always makes you feel at home. The drinks are great and the vibe is immaculate. It can get a little busy, particularly during the school year, but generally you can find a table whenever you come in. Be mindful that outlets are a little sparse if you’re planning to bring a laptop!
I've had bad experiences here with their strictness about buying a certain $$ amount every hour (or they kick you out!), and not letting my friends finish their flurries inside. They are not nice about it either. It's sad because the space is so fun and they stay open late. I just don't agree with the strictness of their philosophy and will not support it.
The atmosphere is super neat, the white chocolate raspberry latte was delicious, and Jay is a class act. Nuff said.
I was going to this place in the '80s and '90s it's a good little spot
If you want to be kicked out of a coffee shop after an hour of studying because you don’t want to order a 2nd drink yet, this is the place for you. How they maintain business is beyond me.
It's a social contract to tip, at any restaurant, bar or café in the United States. Some people that review this place do not understand that, and that's a major flaw with our education system. Highlands is a must-stop if you are visiting Cincinnati. It's straight out of a Jack Kerouac novel. Always friendly staff, serving great warm cocktails, draft beer, bottomless coffee, the best boozy(and non-boozy) milkshakes in the city. (A delicious curry chicken salad sandwich on the DL aswell) Perfect place to start your night, end your night, or hang out for hours with buds having a few drinks. Always laid back, ambiance impeccable. They have a patio in the back, where it's easy to forget where you are, for the better. It's a haunt for young hipsters, college students, artists, and everyone. One of my favorites, that always, i inevitably return to.
Every time I have been here I’ve had nothing but exceptional experiences. Treat your servers well and they will treat you well. Food and drinks are fantastic and the ambiance is super chill. Music is always great with a ton of variety. The furniture and building are very authentically vintage with a very bohemian type of decor. It’s definitely one of the most unique places I’ve dined at. Whenever I’ve visited here I’ve seen each of the guys behind the counter work extremely hard to tend to all of their customers. For God’s sakes, tip your servers. Tipping helps pay the rent for many people, so even if you’re buying just a coffee it can really make a difference. Not everyone has a comfy hourly rate to fall back on: especially servers and bartenders. Don’t be stingy and support local business. All in all, fantastic place to chill and have a nice meal at. There is tons of personality and authenticity here to boot. Recently I have started to regular this place just to unwind after a long day of work, and I will definitely continue to do so. Highly recommend.
Leaving this review purely to tell the people who don’t tip that they should tip. Been here before and never had any issues. Always tip because I was raised right, and I worked in the service industry. Tips are earned, sure, good ones. But even a dollar is just common sense and kindness to your fellow human who barely make any kind of money outside of tips, who made your drink. Have a nice day y’all!
The vibes are always immaculate; Jay and Dane always play the best music. The service is always great. I LOVE coming here to study or catch up with friends. Again, they play the BEST music.
Drinks are fine, but why you think that fostering a hostile relationship with your customers is a good business move is beyond me. The bartender has been nothing but pushy and rude when I’ve been, shaming my friend for not tipping on a can of beer. I’ve always tipped every time I’ve been, brought friends with me, and done a good job at patronizing this place but I’m done. Until you learn how to treat your customers like human beings, I’ll never return to this place.
Terrific service, drink menu, and ambience. Great place to meet up with friends, play a game of Scrabble, or study. I have loved this place for forty years.
barista guy with long hair is extremely rude, yelled at our group for studying there even though we bought coffee and lectured that this is a bar not a coffee shop (even though the name literally has "coffee house" in it?) also tables are tiny, very expensive, there are definitely better coffee shops around especially for students
This place used to be awesome when the owner was working there. He would work alone but always made your drink with a smile, had great conversation and made you feel welcomed there. They have a new guy making the drinks and serving food and he ALWAYS comes off overwhelmed and acts bothered if you order more than one drink. And please don’t order food or he gets snippy. He is obviously overwhelmed and his frustration is deflected onto his patrons. I get that it’s a busy place and there is only one staff member there but being treated as if you’re bothering someone and getting served drinks that definitely don’t live up to what they used to be, totally kills the cool vibe this place used to have. I don’t think I’ll be coming here anymore. If the owner is ever back that may change.
Way too expensive! Food and drinks are way too expensive for such small portions, there’s a $5 minimum for debit card (so I cant just buy something quick), they enforce a $6/hour minimum or they’ll charge you a study fee, every person at the table has to pay, so you can’t sit peacefully with your friends. I do not recommend this place unless they change prices. Sucks for broke college kids!
this place is exactly as I remember it... I've been gone for 25 years and wow it's still the same... except for maybe it's a little lighter inside than it used to be...
Hadn't been there in 20 years and it still had the chill vibe it had back then. Perfect end to an evening.
I love this place! Very cozy. The coffee is delish and the staff makes you feel right at home.
Really lovely coffee shop, with a retro vibe (cash machine from the 40s even) and a nice atmosphere. Also great hospitality and smiles, and apple pie / hot chocolate are delicious!
An employee harassed my brother and his friends because they didn't tip enough in his opinion and he took their pictures! Why he thinks he has the right to take someones picture because they didn't tip as much as he wants is beyond me. My brother had to bribe him to get him to delete it, because it made the girls he was with extremely uncomfortable. Who knows what he would have done with the picture, but that's just crazy and extremely creepy. I'll NEVER come here