What makes O’Malley’s in the Alley so special? Get in on the secret
Take a look inside O’Malley’s in the Alley, recently anointed the best dive bar in Cincinnati.
A visit to the American Sign Museum is the best culinary history lesson this city, or any city, really, has to offer.
Approaching the Camp Washington museum, you’ll see signs rescued from such Cincinnati landmark restaurants as Habig’s on Harrison Avenue, Lenhardt’s, the Eastern European spot near the University of Cincinnati, and even the old Tucker’s Pepsi sign that hung over the iconic 1940s Over-the-Rhine diner until it shuttered a few years ago.
Inside you’ll find the Frisch’s Mainliner sign, which is currently being restored, a large fish that once hung above Cape Cod Seafoods at Seventh and Race, and the entire storefront − red door, awning and all − from the Maisonette. The museum’s most recent arrival is the sign from Allyn’s Eclectic Cuisine, which recently shuttered after 34 years business.
It’s not just Cincinnati restaurant history represented at the American Sign Museum. On a recent visit, I noted the green neon sign for the old Clover Delicatessen, which I used to pass by often when it was located on Second Avenue in Manhattan, and a Howard Johnson’s sign, which brought me back to my early childhood in New England. My friend, Michael, who was visiting from Los Angeles, was surprised to see a big Van de Kamp’s Holland Dutch Bakery sign, rescued from a beloved spot he grew up with in Los Angeles.
I think we forget sometimes just how fortunate we are to have this museum in our city. It’s a portal into the past, one where the places we once loved and cherished still, quite literally, shine.
1330 Monmouth Ave., Camp Washington, 513-541-6366, americansignmuseum.org.
Dining and Cooking