The Comet

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.08/5  rDev +0.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$

I thought this was a cool little place when I stopped in. The atmosphere was pretty laid back and there were really only about a dozen or so people inside. The selection looked pretty good, at least to these eyes. Lots of Stone, Avery, Left Hand, Pyramid, Bell’s and Founders, not to mention the Great Lakes. Really a fine representation of a good selection for the area. The staff was very friendly and courteous, and when I told them I was from out of town, they took the time to tell me anything they thought I had not seen before. Did not have any food, so I cannot really go there. This seemed like a really cool place and everyone seemed to know what they were talking about. I would definitely visit in here again, if I lived here, you may not actually get me out.

01-24-2008 00:34:54 | More by mikesgroove

Yetiman420

Ohio

3.13/5  rDev -23.1%
vibe: 2 | quality: 4 | service: 1.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

I am revising my review based on three visits since my original visit.

The main change is to the service score. The last visit was a Saturday in early March from 4 - 6:30. Just having had a baby, we figured this was an ideal time to stop by for a pint or two to use a soon-to-be-expired Groupon. I knew from ordering food in the past, especially when the place is crowded, it takes a while...a long while. After a first round of beers, we put in an order for the salsa sampler. There were about 7 other groups in the bar at that time, one "chef," and one bartender. It took about 40 minutes to get chips and salsa. You order food and drinks at the bar. With only seven groups there, the sole bartender couldn't remember my name/tab even after five visits to the bar. When the chips took forever and the place started to fill up, we rushed to get our food order in. The "chef" gave me some mumbled lip when I neglected to take my number placard to identify our table as an order. The place was filling up - probably 50 people at this point and they still had one bartender, one "chef" and a guy who was sitting at the bar and periodically walking around picking up empty glasses. I could overhear people complaining about the long food wait, and the adventure of trying to get a beer.

All of this hassle for a good, not great, burrito and a tap list of Guinness, 60 Minute, Dark Horse Raspberry Ale, and a Goose Island Pepe Noir...no thanks.

Take note that they charge you an extra $1 to use a credit card.

Ambivalent service, run down atmosphere, no TV('s) and a messy bathroom is cool only when it's not at the sake of cheap management.

It will take special beer events and a meal in advance to get me back to The Comet.
---

My wife and another couple made a long-awaited, much-anticipated visit to The Comet in late December. As a Cincinnati eastsider, I most often spend my beer time at the Dilly Deli but wanted to expand my horizons in the city. My wife and I had never been to the northside neighborhood where The Comet is located. We were a bit dissapointed when we drove past the main village area to "suburban northside" where we found The Comet in what I can best describe as a run down, two unit strip mall. The crowd was eclectic and artsy and they appeared to have an open mic night in the other half opposite the bar. The Comet qualifies as a dive bar with very little effort devoted to decor. The beer selection is a very good representation of the best widely distributed beers. I was unable to find any exceptional beers among their selections and seleted for Anderson Valley Golden on tap and Anderson Valley Sesonal in a bottle. Other beers on tap included the local Barrelhouse Winter, Bells Expedition Stout.

01-04-2008 03:52:33 | More by Yetiman420

pwoods

Ohio

4.2/5  rDev +3.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Went here this past weekend for Stone's Pint Night. Place was hoppin when I got there around 6pm. Atmosphere was pretty laid back. Everyone wearing Stone t's and there were 2 pool tables. I was there to drink some Stone so I didn't notice everything they had on tap but what I saw was Stone IPA, Stone Arrogant Bastard, GLBC Nosferatu, Mt. Carmel Nut Brown, and a few more. Also had bottles of Ruination, Oaked Arrongant Bastard, and RIS next to the taps. Pints were very reasonably priced and we were to keep the glasses. Got an Arrogant Bastard with quick enough service considering the crowd and it was great. Next I got a Bomber of 11th Anniversary, served at proper temp and also great. They had a large selection of singles considering the size of the place. I noticed a lot of Stone products along with some Avery, Founders, Bell's, and many others. Menu had some real food instead of just pub grub. I had already eaten but a friend had a Quesadilla and said it was very good. Took quite awhile to get the food but like I said, the were hoppin. I've had the burritos and they are very tasty. I'll definitely be going back.

Edit:
I've truely grown to love this place. The service is still iffy at times, though some of the bartenders are great. The kitchen is still usually slow because the demand can get crazy. The Bluegrass Allstars are fantastic on Sundays(get there very early). Dave took notice of all the beer geeks coming in and has further improved his selection and quality. They host events on a pretty regular basis. Everything is still pretty cheap, espeically $3 pints from 4-7. The crowd can be kinda wierd at times, but everyone should feel very welcomed here. I'm not sure who took the picture but that's my fat ass on the corner, lol.

10-04-2007 20:26:42 | More by pwoods

FtownThrowDown

Ohio

4.13/5  rDev +1.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Made my first trip to the Comet to try Founders Breakfast Stout on tap. What I found was a bar with a nice atmosphere and very friendly people.
The beer selection is good. They have several coolers with bottled micros and imports available. The tap selection was good as well. The burritos are the biggest and the best in the area. Better than the obvious competitors.
A very diverse crowd that doesn't detract from the atmosphere. Everything from hipsters, to professionals, to college students, to naturalist hippy families. Everybody gets along well, and nobody even cares.
The bar could use a little upkeep and paint but I think that adds to the mystique.
It's definitely a place I'll frequent more often. Especially as its only a 10 minute drive from my house.

02-19-2007 14:19:30 | More by FtownThrowDown

bamadog

Kentucky

4.35/5  rDev +6.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I've been to here a few times now, mostly on Sundays for the bluegrass band that is phenomenal. I've tried to review it a couple of times as well and have had no luck uploading my thoughts to the site - hopefully this proves to be my successful attempt.

Atmosphere: A little dark and definitely a local flare to it - nothing corporate at all about it and you've gotta like that. Good people abound as well and they're all pretty friendly - does get VERY busy on Sunday nights though.

Quality: Outstanding selection of outstanding beers. Not much else to say here. Oh wait, their rotation is great too!

Service: Well, the bartenders are very good, but you do have to take your own food orders back to the kitchen and you might wait close to an hour, or you might wait 10 minutes. Bar = GREAT! Kitchen = ...well, the food is going to be good.

Selection: Great selection that rotates frequently.

Food: Great food! The burritos are amazing and they're especially filling. Not much of a selection, but hey, it's a bar with quite possibly the smallest kitchen in the world - so for what they've got, they do an amazing job! If you're in the area and are looking for a nice small watering hole, this is a great venue to check out.

02-17-2009 17:11:31 | More by bamadog

nlmartin

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -7.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 2 | $$

The Comet has a pretty nice selection of beer available. I am just making a guess but there is about 100 different beers available. The beer ranges from BMC, Bells (multiple choices), Stoudts, several foriegn beers. The wait staff was efficient. The bartender tried to offer suggestions for beer choices. Chances are the average BA knows more about beer than this bartender. He did make an effort. The food was ok at best. Honestly I have had better burrittos at Chipoltle. Although a nice touch was the hotsauce. They used Hells Bells Damned Hot Pepper Sauce from Kalamazoo. The food came up cold to the table. Overall this is a good place to go and drink beer in Cincinnati; however, do yourself a favor and eat somewhere else. They also say there coffee is a Sumatran blend. The coffee is terrible and is definately not Sumatran.

01-31-2006 16:52:31 | More by nlmartin

becktone

Ohio

3.94/5  rDev -3.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Went to the comet for Stone Pint Night, as a matter of fact I just got back. I had a really great time talking with the Stone reps and the distributer rep that was also there. Also talked with the owner of Dutch's Wine Merchant -Beer Dock...though that is neither here nor there...

The bar has an excellent selection of bottled brews, more than I could count or report, they've two places where they keep the bottled beer, one is a normal cooler that you'd see at a gas station type of place...filled with single bottles, the other is a cooler that you'd see in an office building typically filled with sandwiches and milk, you know, one of those ones that rotates...though this one is filled completely with singles of great beer.

Service was good, I mean there's only so much a bartender can do when its crowded. I've heard amazing things about the food, supposedly they've great burritos, I'm going to go back to try one some day. All in all this is a great place to go a sling a few back.

10-01-2007 01:41:08 | More by becktone

beachbum1975

Ohio

4.58/5  rDev +12.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

Located about 10 minutes northwest of downtown Cincinnati, The Comet is a great place to visit. They typically have a huge variety of people, all wrapped up in an artsy, eclectic & character-filled atmosphere. Great tunes, from punk to blues are always playing, as well.

On tap at this time (changes constantly):
Three Floyd's Gumballhead
DFH's Festina Pêche
Guiness
Founders Red's Rye
Anderson Valley's Hop Ottin' IPA

Bottled beers:
At least 100 different bottles, which is too many to list, but I can remember...
ACME IPA
3F's Fantabulous X
New Belgium variety
The usual suspects (Amstel, Heinekin, Killians, Carona, blah blah blah)
And A LOT more great microbrews!

They have three large refrigerators that contain all their mixed bottled beers up front, then a smaller Bevador that holds their Belgian beers and interesting soft drinks in the back.

All to top with a great food menu and burritos and salsa that are insanely garlicy and out of this world!

In three words, The Comet can be summarized as:
1.) Good beer and food
2.) Lots of character
3.) Scooters

Check it out if you get the time - it's well worth the experience.

07-15-2007 18:50:33 | More by beachbum1975

Urbancaver

Ohio

4.44/5  rDev +9.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | $$

A well priced mostly beer centered bar in Northside. A bit out of the way as its distinctly past all of the typical bars and such on the strip but close enough to make it a quick easy stop. A top notch beer selection and they often have really unique stuff on tap. The service is above average and the entertainment is pretty good. A bit divy with fairly limited seating especially on the weekend but a good atmosphere. I've seen some great bands here too. One of my favourite places in town and highly recommended

01-18-2011 03:54:19 | More by Urbancaver

ShareANevada

Ohio

3.65/5  rDev -10.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

Having lived about a block from this place, I have been there many times over the years. This is definitely one of the very best beer bars in Cincinnati, fairly surprising for the near hole-in-the-wall that it is. A haven for scooter riders and the idie-rock scene, there is frequently live music, as well as never a cover.

The setting is dim, a couple pool tables, and local artists works decorate the walls, all priced pretty well above reasonable. The jukebox consistenly wins awards, with a great selection of classic reggae, rock, and blues.

Now for the reason we're all here: The Beer. Immediately inside the door, there are 3 coolers, loaded with singles. Prices are taped on the shelf below them, at least for most. The selection changes fairly frequently, but theres always a solid German section, and the bulk is micros. Several Unibroues, Bells, Stoudts(6 on my last visit), Lion Stout, Anderson Valley, Anchor, and many more. Most recently I say they had added DFH Pangaea and Jiahu as well as a Cantillon (all $15).

An old-fashioned cooler on the other side generally features Belgians (tho much more limited in the past years), Sam Smiths, Bells sparkling, lindemanns, and other high enders.

The tap selection rotates, and in addition to the standard Guinness/Harp, I have seen Hop Rod and some other goodies, seldomly even on sale. (There are NEVER sales on any other beers..??)

Be prepared, its quite discouraging that a large proportion of patrons will be drinking PBR. For some reason, that crap is in style in the indie crowd.

I can only think fondly of the bar where I was first introduced to Immort Ale, (as well as Monster, and EKU 28, and then some) however the crowd up here is very clicque-y and if you are not wearing horn-rims and chuck taylors, don't expect to make a lot of friends here.

The burritos here, although some rave about, I consider fairly average, especially for $7-8, and often stuffed with rice and little meat, and sometimes annihilated with spice. They do offer salsa features each week (on the chalkboard), as well as a sampler of 7 or so salsas.

All in all, a great beer bar, well worth a visit if youre in town.
Not that it is a huge threat, but keep your senses keen when visiting, this is not one of the nicest neighborhoods in cincy.

PS - Sundays are Bluegrass night, featuring the Comet Bluegrass Allstars. This longstanding tradition usually runs about 7-10, and is pretty well attended, often with a little more of a family feel going on. Good time.

---
Update

It seems lately the Comet has stepped up its game, on tap.

In the past month or so, I've stumbled across
Dragon's Milk
Breakfast Stout
Curmudgeon
Bear Republics Black Mamba
Southern Tier Oat

I think all were ~$4.50 for a stemmed goblet. Very nice.

02-20-2008 00:01:21 | More by ShareANevada