The food was great. Wait, they have food? Don't think so, but Mersiv was insane fun. Love this place. And drinks are just regular price. Can't beat it. read more

Last weekend and few friends and I were looking for a relaxed place to grab a drink post-Reds game. We wondered upon the newly reopened Thompson House and figured we'd give it a try. Disclaimer: I never made it to Southgate House before it closed. I always said I wanted to go but just never made it there. So I have no idea how Thompson House compares. We were just there for a drink, not to enjoy any live music, so the bar was our destination. The drinks were fairly cheap, and my top shelf mixed drink was only 50 cents more than the well version of the same drink. The indoors still reeked of smoke even though no one was smoking. We decided to enjoy our drinks on the front patio and were able to enjoy the Friday Reds fireworks with a drink in hand. Overall it was a nice ending to our evening. read more

Thompson House - the front of the house at night - Music Venues Near Me - Newport, Kentucky

This place sucks. I hosted a charity pub crawl this past weekend and this was one of the stop. I've been in communications with the owner for months now. Told him the entire pub crawl would be coming at one time (over 300 people) The owner told me in an email "We're all set" They had one bar tender and not a single employee knew we were coming. This place is awful. read more

The place is overall creepy. The amount of fake leopards they must have killed to get the curtains would offend PETA. The amount of purple and gold they used to paint the walls stairs and every other inch of this place would offend everyone else. I went there one night to check out the live showtunes karaoke. As where that was quite entertaining, the majority of the patrons appeared to be under 21 and weren't drinking. I think they were theater students from CCM and were more interested in the singing than beers. But, that being said, I really enjoyed watching them. There were probably 10 people overall there participating, and me and 2 others watching. The front area right off the porch is now a "Rock Lounge" but looks like something out of a scary 1980's strip club. The windows are covered so no outside light / air leaks through. Pretty weird. With the lineups that they have been putting out over the past months, unless something drastically changes to make this place cool again, I can't see how they'll keep afloat. read more

Attended the Ralph Stanley show this evening. The sound engineer had no idea how to mix an acoustic band. It was down right embarrassing and I felt bad for the first band and Dr. Stanley. The entire time the bass and guitar were turned up too loud causing it to be quite boomy, and it muffled the sound of solo instruments (guitar, mandolin, fiddle) while mixing rhythm guitar and bass so loud it drowned everything else. The bass player for Dr. Stanley knew what was going on and mentioned to an audience member "Hey tell the sound guy to fix the F^@%ING sound." This was my first time back to the Thompson house since it re-opened, and I was quite let down. I was not alone. We left the concert early it was so terrible. Learn how to mix acoustic bands, Thompson house. That was unacceptable. read more

We had a really good experience here. Took our kids to see Jack Harlow over the weekend and were pleasantly surprised by this venue. First of all the staff and security were very down to earth while providing a safe atmosphere to see live music. Very laid back is all I can say, not many places left like this. This laid back approach seemed to transfer over to the crowd. It was a packed house and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Security was present but not overbearing, they did a really good job! We had an issue with our tickets but the management handled it for us with no hassle. Overall a really good experience. If there is someone you have been wanting to see and they are preforming there, do yourself a favor and check them out! read more

Went there recently and the entire staff was very rude. We received none of what we were promised. They constantly changed the price of drinks. They kicked out people that were of age for no reason so they could collect our money and go home early. If you are looking for a place to go, go somewhere else and not here, like Bar Louise. read more

My husband and I went here for the "Support the Troops" event. My first impression was the guy at the door (greeter, not the bouncer) that seemed to be high on something, something beyond drunk. Hyper, rude as in no mouth filter. We ran into him a couple times, "Dude, I wanna see you guys tomorrow. This is where it's at. This is life, man!" as he blocks us from entering the Rock Star lounge. Ah yes, the slurring drunk/high guy you can't seem to get passed or away from. Very smoky. Spending more time in Ohio, I'm no longer used to having to wash my clothes twice to get out the stench. WORST BARTENDER EVER. If you've ever seen Bar Rescue, this young guy was breaking all the rules. 1) He was drunk. 2) He was more interested in flirting with the female customers than serving drinks. Lots of reaching over the bar to hug and kiss on the ladies. Some female patron was flashing him and those around her and he gave her advice on how to become a stripper. 3)Pretty sure he was giving away the younger gals his age free drinks. Me, I'm thinking that this place isn't going to last. Poorly run and giving away alcohol to their own bartender and patrons. 4) He didn't know what Seltzer water is. I wanted Vodka with Seltzer water and a lime. Less calories. Are you with me ladies? Yeah, I had to explain the difference between Tonic and Seltzer. 5) We had trouble getting him to open a tab. My husband and I both tried once each, but he came right back with the receipt. Apparently the third time's a charm, I finally was able to open a tab. Although, opening a tab with him was not a good idea since I just had one more drink and I'm sure it was difficult for his drunk ass to add. He overcharged me, assuming he added other drinks to my tab. My tab was $10 for one drink. 6)Lastly, this bartender got up on stage in the Rockstar Lounge and played, taking up another artist's time and he was not serving drinks. He sang a couple of songs, both literally about girls sucking his d*ck. Thompson House was not very full. Apparently the word is out on how mismanaged this place is. I came hoping to support the troops, but as empty as this place was, sadly I don't think they raised too much money. If we didn't come to see a friend that was performing, we would have walked out of this place. read more

Different name but same great place. My most recent trip up the long flight of stairs was for the Tuesday evening Broadway and showtune karaoke/sing along. It was a casual and fun way to pass the time. The bar on the second floor was well stocked and I had a Evan Williams and diet. It was good. The people there were talented and friendly. I look forward to another visit and wish TH continued success. Check their website for the calendar and other info. http://thompsonhousenewport.com/ read more

Great place for a show! Had good time with the Chip and the 151 lady!!!

Went to Thompson House for a collection of bluegrass bands on a Saturday night. This is one of the most unique venues for hearing music I have ever experienced, and it is perfectly well suited for small acoustic groups or individual performers. There were several rooms going on at once, and there had to be 25 different artists rotating throughout the lineup all night. I can't wait to go back and see what they line up next! read more

Had a great time at the bluegrass show but the smoke is absolutely horrible. Get with it Thompson house, clear the air!

I was here recently for a show the night before Thanksgiving. It was Gobble 20, a DJ party with four DJs performing at a time, each in a different room. This is exactly the type of event that this venue is perfect for. It was nice being able to walk around on the different floors experiencing different sounds and not feeling like you were stuck in the same place the whole time. There are bars on three out of four floors so it was not hard to get a drink at any point during the show. Three of the rooms have a very intimate feel for a show with the performers within arms length. The main room has a big stage and a multilevel viewing area. This is pretty cool because you can watch the performers from lower or higher than the stage. They also had one room that had just a pool table and nothing else, no bar or performer. This was nice because it was the chillest room in the place and if you wanted to get away for a second you could go in there and hang out. The beer selection was neither great nor terrible. It was pretty standard for a concert venue so not really much to say there. The bartenders were all friendly and attentive. The big downer as most reviews state is that smoking is allowed inside since this is Kentucky. I hate attending any type of event that leads to me breathing a lot of smoke and makes my clothes smell bad afterwards. Overall, I like it as a concert venue. The main room is cool for bigger acts and the multiple floors and rooms makes it perfect for big event with multiple performers. I don't think I would come here just as a bar for a drink but I will occasionally come here for a concert. read more

Nice venue and acoustics. There is smoking in this venue. Not too crowded and some seats for those in need. So handicapped persons can watch show from second level. At this particular show each band had difficulty with their sound which really negatively impacted the quality of the music played. Most patrons were severely disappointed especially with Puddle of Mudd who didnt take the stage until 11ish and then the lead singer was drunk and he needed a potty break during they set. Doubt the will be invited back. read more

I don't like this place. I need a beer 30 minutes or less when sitting at table. Even when it opened at 7 no one else came to help. We went to Brothers instead which also looks like it has problems and won't be back. Plus I didn't wanna smell like smoke early. Not worth it for comedy like maybe Funnybone. read more

I came here while on a trip to Cincinnati. It was a Monday night and my friend and I are having trouble finding anything to do. Somehow we ended up here, and we were really glad we did. Monday night is open mic comedy night here, and I highly suggest it. The sets are short, only a few minutes, so if you don't think someone's funny - don't worry, it'll be over soon. But there's enough comedians to keep it going a while. The drinks were the cheap and service was quick, and generally the comedians were funny. Do be warned though that they allow smoking inside. I can't attest to any other nights of the week, but if you're in Cincy/Newport on a Monday night, I suggest checking it out! read more

I went to the Thompson-House last night to enjoy a night of bluegrass. I liked the venue's overall setup--primary stage and two smaller ones-- and they hosted very talented bands. However, the downside is that smoking is permitted. My enjoyment was cut when I had to leave early during the main act because the smoky, poorly ventilated space led me to have a scratchy throat and irritated eyes. I could hardly focus on the band. The worst part was that they wouldn't even let me step outside for a breath of fresh air---no re-entry. TH--Do us non-smokers a favor and require the smokers to light up outside so that our experience isn't soured by the 20%. read more