This is the best bar in Clifton. Pool tables, dart boards, juke boxes, and pin ball machines oh my! Did I mention they have great prices?

In the past 2-3 years that I have been going to Murphy's Pub I have never taken issue with any of their staff. However, last night was a game changer. My female friend gave the bouncer, Jim, her ID and after looking at it asked if she had another form of identification. She gave him her debit card (which has her name on it, matching her driver's license). He then asked her if she could provide a signature, to which she complied and signed her full name on a pad of paper. The bouncer declares that he doesn't think that she is the person on the license. I might add that instead of signing just her initials (as she did for her driver's license), she signed her full name for him. Now, her license was issued when she was 21 (she is turning 25 in two months and will need to renew soon), so its been four years. People change how the sign things, like going from using just your initials to a full name signature. Since then she has also bleached her hair from brown to a white/blonde color. Her hair was pulled back last night just as it was pulled back in her driver's license photo, I believe that he should have been able to recognize her facial features. She has also been let in several times before (even by that particular bouncer) with her bleached hair so it was hard to understand why this was an issue now. But my review isn't about the inability to detect that she was the person in the photo, my gripe is with how he treated her and how he handled the situation. It is my understanding that a bouncer does not have the authority to take and keep someone's REAL identification. Even if they believe it's fake, it is also my understanding that they have to report it to the police. However, he just pocketed the card and was incredibly condescending towards my friend who complied with all his requests. He did eventually give it back after she raised her concerns about it being her real license and needing it because she was driving back to Columbus in the next day. I am incredibly disappointed in how Murphy's trains their bouncers to handle these situations. I do understand that it is incredibly important to ensure that underaged persons are not entering your bar and drinking illegally, however there is a right and wrong way to handle these situations. In this case my friend was of legal age but was treated as if she was a child who did something wrong and had her identification wrongfully taken from her, which is unacceptable. It would have been fine if he had just told her he was not confident in his ability to properly identify her from her photo and turned us away instead treating her horribly and trying to pocket her identification. I have had no problems with any of your other staff when occupying the bar, and have quite enjoyed how friendly, and observant they are. However, the man we dealt with last night's behavior is unacceptable. I hope the terrible rumors of doormen getting bonuses from confiscated IDs is false, because if that is the case that is highly unethical. If an employee has an issue with someone's ID (i.e., it is fake), they should call the police to report it instead of simply placing it in their pocket. I know that in this case it was returned, but if it had not been then we would have been contacting the authorities ourselves to handle the situation. read more

One of the better dive bars in Clifton. Not the Ritz... But also affordable. They have a courtyard for smoking, pool tables, multiple bars and rooms, and the place can get bumping Thur through Sat. Definitely one of my favorite spots to kick it old-school in Clifton. ^_^ read more

Looks like a dive from the front but it's got a lot of games in back. Pool darts basketball and other seating. Drinks are decently priced as well. It's a good place to start the night. read more

Fun place- just pick your night carefully. The college kids can ruin it on some nights. Aim for weeknights and holidays- you know, good alcoholic drinking times. read more

$1.50 Long Island iced teas, free hot dogs and popcorn, darts.... What more do you need?

Nice little college vibe dive bar. The patio is great and the hot dogs are a nice plus. However, the staff can be so rude that it sullies the entire experience. Do not go to this place expecting good customer service because you will not receive it. There are lots of bars in the area with the same vibe and more respectful staff. read more

Love this bar. Great outdoor patio and pool area. I like that they make clovers in the Guiness draft. Has a lot of promo people there too.

Quick Review: Cheap drinks (but options for more), good people, parking lot, free hot dogs and free popcorn, 6 dart boards, 2 pool tables, a foosball table, a smoking patio, front and back bars, three rooms, jukebox, photobooth, pinball machine. Yeah, there's a lot going on here, and its all amazing. Open 365 days a year. 21 and up only. No cover. Drink Specials: available on their website, but they are mostly very good, especially the 5-8pm Friday Happy Hour. Get their early, it gets crowded. If you need more than $10 you are having a big night. Full Review: Sitting on the corner of Clifton Ave and Warner, this bar is so much more than it looks like from the outside, or even in the front room. Upon entering the bar before 9 o'clock any day of the week, you'll notice this "near campus" bar has a strong contingent of non-UC students hanging out in the front room sipping on drinks and shooting the breeze. But if sitting at a bar meeting new people and watching sports isn't your thing, don't fear, there are two more rooms and a patio full of activities. Walk through the narrow hallway in the back of the front room, and find a second room with more tables, more tvs, but also 3 dartboards. Still not your thing? Turn the corner and head into the next hallway and see to your right the entrance to the smoking patio, and see a foosball table and another dartboard on your left. Not finding your favorite bar experience yet? One more doorway leads to the back room, with 2 pool tables, a pinball machine, a photobooth, and a raised area with two more dartboards. Oh, and there is another full bar in that back room. Before 9 o'clock any day but Thursday and Friday, the patrons are mostly regulars hanging out in the front room, and the back two rooms are fairly empty. Friday's the place is packed by 5:30 because of Happy Hour, but gets manageable by 8:30 or 9. Thursdays during the Fall and Spring there is a dart league that plays in the middle room from about 7 til about 10pm. Every day after 10 o'clock the students from UC begin to descend upon the bar. This isn't a bad thing because the "frat" crowd tends to stay at the bars closer to campus, but if you don't like youngsters in their early 20s you might feel uncomfortable after 10 o'clock. For those students and young at heart who hang out there into the late night, the music selection is up to those paying for the jukebox, and it can vary as much as people do. Pop can turn to jazz can turn to metal can turn to hip/hop all in a matter of 4 songs. Personally I like it. This is a hang out bar. There is no dancefloor. The bar games are well used, and tables are full of conversations. People tend to be very friendly and open to meeting new people. This is my favorite bar I've come across after living in both Cincinnati and Columbus after turning 21. If you've never been, check it out. You won't be disappointed and your wallet will thank you for not going downtown. read more

A great college bar in Clifton, good music, cheap drinks and free food! I have never been when it is too crowded and have always had a good time. Nothing negative about it. read more

Although I've only been here a couple of times, I definitely think it's worthy of five stars. The atmosphere is a little too "college-bar" (maybe because I need to try to keep in mind where it's located...duh) to me at times, but overall it is enjoyable. I think it makes a difference that I come with people I intend to hang out with all night. I think it would be a little difficult to mingle nicely at times otherwise (that could also be because it seems like everyone knows at least a handful of people that they didn't come with here and I'm an outsider from Cleveland). I also really like that there are divided rooms, which makes it almost like separate bars, depending on who wants to play pool, play darts, sit at the bar or smoke outside. I also LOVE that they have popcorn and hot dogs. Those are two of my favorite foods! Who doesn't like snacks with their beer?! Or a good hot dog and a cool brew?! Murphy's knows what's up, that's for sure. When we get the chance while visiting Southern Ohio I really enjoy coming here! read more

My favorite dive bar in Cincinnati! Always has a fun, laid-back crowd (except for super happy hour...when it's packed out the door.) Pool, darts, free hot dogs, awesome specials, and friendly bartenders who never leave you waiting for a drink. Every night at Murphy's pub is a great night! read more

For a great dive bar, with great drink prices and original atmosphere, Murphy's is the place to be :) Great neighborhood bar! Pool tables, darts, great jukebox and always great drink specials :) read more

Best bar in Clifton! I lived across the street while in college and although I graduated several years ago I still regularly visit Murphys. I love trivia on Tuesday and they have awesome happy hour deals on Friday. And you can't beat the free hot dogs and popcorn! read more

This place is perfect for all crowds. Great service and cheap drinks. Free popcorn and hot dogs. Pool, darts, games and a patio. This is the regular place for everyone. Come on in! read more

It's dirty but the deals are always good and the free dogs are fun the first few times. Ask what's cheap and you will have a great time. They always has a heavily discounted drink or three. read more

Not sure what it is, but there's something about this place that is appealing to fellow college students and myself. It's compact and you almost always see someone you know. Prices are good, there's pool and darts. The prices are pretty decent. Nice place to go to meet up with other people. It's usually the last bar I go to in the evening. read more

Even though yelp claims businesses cannot pay to delete reviews, and mine from 12/13/14 mysteriously disappeared along with all the other negative reviews... i am re-posting Really disappointed with this establishment. It is a shame I have to occasionally stop in to see friends. Let me tell you about my wonderful past 3 experiences. I was there with a buddy, in the off peak hours between happy hour and the night rush, just before 9pm. We ordered 2 beers and were chatting it up. There was hardly anyone in there, the employees counting tabs from the first shift and preparing for the night. My buddy was finishing an energy drink that he walked in with when the bartender and presumably the manager takes the 2/3 full can and trashes it. He then makes remarks about how he can't have that in here. We were paying customers at this point, and he didn't inform us nor allow us to leave. He took property that was not his, and threw it in the trash. Lets see, another time, during their happy hour, i ordered several drinks well before the 8 o'clock cut off. The bartender literally waited 10 minutes to make them, and proceeded to charge me full price. When confronted, he refused to do anything about it or get a manger for me. Kicker, the clocks in the place are set forward 30 minutes so they can close and get home sooner. They will kick you off mid pool game, mid dart game, mid beer chug, mid piss, mid anything. Horrible management, and scummy service. I would not recommend this place to anyone. Unfortunate we do not have many campus bars. read more

I went there one night to get a drink and the bouncer didn't think I was the person in my ID and asked for a second proof of ID. This happens a lot I took my picture over a year ago and I was in full makeup at the time and my hair was changed. I was already drunk at this time and when the bouncer asked me to sign my name it didn't match the ID because again I got it a long time ago and I was drunk. He then proceeded to take my actual legal ID from me. I went back with my birth certificate and a second photo ID and they still would not give me my ID. I didn't go to the police at the time because I had never had this happen and my boyfriend convinced me it was a bad idea. I call back the next day to calmly talk to them and try to get it back I have a lot of proof that its mine. The bar tender told me that I needed to talk to the owners and call back. I called back and left two messages for the owners over the span of a week before anyone would even talk to me. I'm not even entirely sure it was the owner who did finally talk to me he refused to say if he was, his name or even lisen to my story. I now have my ID back but only because the cops had to get involved. The owners are rude, none of that staff seems to know when I could even talk to someone who could help me they basically called me a liar and said I was wasting his time. This was a horrible experience and I totally understand wanting to get the police involved but the bar owners wouldn't even reach out to me to explain this was the correct process they just held into my legal property for almost a week then called me a liar. Again I understand being careful about not serving people who are underage but the fact that the staff was either rude or could not help me and and that the owner took a week to answer my message and then wouldn't even hear me out is ridiculous to me.I had have never had this happen and didn't know what the process was. Maybe I'm wrong but ignoring someone who's trying to calmly resolve a situation where one of your employees may have stolen someone property seems unprofessional. At least now I know to call the police right away. Also the person I spoke to dropped off at the police station and lie about how he got it. He said he found it because taking a real ID is very illegal!!! read more

This unassuming college bar sits on a quiet corner off the main drag of campus, but don't let the outside fool you. The surprisingly spacious interior winds around to several rooms filled with darts, foosball, pool, and more darts. The service is quick and friendly, with regulars and the college drinking crowd mixing together over their reasonably priced drinks. $10 minimum on credit cards goes pretty far here. It was a rare quiet night, so I found the atmosphere tolerable, but I've been warned that this place is usually overrun with the undergrad crowd. Enter at your own risk. In spite of the divey atmosphere, they have a good selection of craft beers. Hot dogs rotated in the corner and were consumed by frat guys until they ran out, I think they were free, but the testosterone was too overwhelming for me to venture in. A large smokers patio fully enclosed sits in the middle. We found street parking a few blocks away, but their is a small parking lot next to the bar. read more

Absolutely horrible customer service. Walked in around 2:20 this afternoon ... Bartender was more concerned about her mint cookies and her friends at the bar than she was about us ... No acknowledgement or hello from her whatsoever. We sat at the corner booth for ten minutes with no greeting at all. The bartender made eye contact but never acknowledged our existence even after we got up and walked out. There was one other table in the bar area- it was not busy. I worked in the restaurant business for about 9 years - including an Irish pub - and would not have ignored customers like that, especially customers who were prepared to drop $40-$50 on a slow Sunday afternoon. read more

As a frequent Murphy-er, I am embarrassed and mortified of the behavior of one of the bartenders tonight during happy hour. The bartender working the back bar was in a bad mood to begin with, but his attitude went downhill as the night progressed. A male customer was unhappy about his lack of service, so he was trying to get the bartender's attention and the bartender proceeded to yell at him, "go home, you faggot." Unbelievable, right? Then, his horrible service made another female customer angry, so she didn't tip him. He then threw ice at her head and said "sorry did that hit you dude??" in the most sarcastic tone there is. Absolutely unacceptable and unprofessional. Will not recommend this bar again. read more

To be honest, this place doesn't even deserve 1 star. I'm in hospitality myself, and I too have served and had to deal with people who come into bars. However, the staff was utterly repulsive. Their attitudes and condescending tone has persuaded me to never step foot into this place again. The door man failed to do his job by carding everyone at the door, and did so AFTER I had already ordered my beer and taken a drink of it (and generously tipped the bartender 50%). After realizing one of my friends did not have her ID, because it was taken by a state trooper days prior the staff became hostile trying to make everyone leave (I WAS A PAYING CUSTOMER). Then the bartender went on to raise his voice and become a complete jerk (mind you I'm a very little girl, and I don't deal well with people being rude for no reason). They would happily take my money, and tip, but; because they failed to do their jobs they became hostile to a potentially great customer. They have completely lost my business, and if I do end up being dragged their again and that bartender is working, he will be getting a nice ol' penny for his services. read more