This Streetscapes checks out some longtime and well loved eateries on and off of Dixie Highway. Sushi, iconic American dishes and fantastical brews all await.
Sake Bomb Sushi
Sake Bomb Sushi is nestled in a small strip along bustling Dixie Highway. Its colorful exterior is easily spotted among the gas stations and chain restaurants. The inside is just as vibrant and welcoming as the exterior. Its menu is primarily sushi and Korean cuisine.
Sake Bomb carries some creative sushi rolls that are hard to find just anywhere. For fish fans, the caterpillar roll with BBQ eel, cucumber and avocado, or the Cincinnati roll with mango, cream cheese, avocado, smoked salmon and tempura flakes are great flavor-packed options. With almost 50 options, it’s hard to order anything outside of their specialty rolls.
With ramen, chicken katsu, yakisoba noodles and kalbi short ribs, there are ample delicious options to go with Sake Bomb’s sushi. Refreshments include the place’s namesake, sake, as well as soju, a Korean rice liquor similar to vodka in taste. The dessert menu features bingsu Korean shaved snow ice in flavors of mango, strawberry, Oreo and Korean red bean.
Barleycorn’s
This location of Barleycorn’s has long been a Northern Kentucky staple. Barleycorn’s is a mix of a sports bar and a family friendly restaurant. Its interior is decorated in eclectic and vintage decor coupled with a few sports-bar games in the corner. The main dining area is where the bar is, with a second elevated dining area and a final dining room upstairs. One of the coolest parts of Barleycorn’s Dixie Highway location is how the space honors the original architecture of the building.
Barleycorn’s menu is traditional American bar food. It’s most famous for burgers and doc-style wings. Doc-style wings are fried, tossed in sauce, then fried again for extra flavor and crispness. Although there is no going wrong with a burger or wings, the sandwiches and other entrees are just as delicious. The bar boasts countless choices for beers – just look at the back of the bar that’s lined with draft beer taps. The outdoor patio is a summertime favorite to enjoy all that Barleycorn’s has to offer.
Fabled Brew Works
A bit off the beaten path of the typical bar scene, yet still only a mile off Dixie Highway, sits Fabled Brew Works. Fabled Brew Works invites guests to step into an alternate universe where good beer and goblins coexist. Its unique environment matches its beers and evokes fantastical worlds already imagined and those yet to be discovered.
This may be the best brewery for families to visit, as kids will have just as much fun here as adults. Along the back wall of draft brews is an open tree trunk that matches the Fabled Brew Works logo.
Other than brewing beer, Fabled also serves mead, an alcohol derived from honey. Its beers and meads all have names that pay homage to famous fantasy characters. With over 25 drinks on tap, there are options for everyone.
Patrons who want to step outside of the adventure-themed tap room can relax on an outdoor patio, even with their furry friends.
Fabled Brew Works often hosts local food trucks in its large parking lot. It’s an inviting place that offers a unique experience and warrants spending a couple hours in an alternate universe.
What To Know If You Go
Sake Bomb Sushi
Location: 3072 Dixie Highway, Erlanger
Hours: Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-2:15 p.m., 4:30-9:15 p.m.; Saturday, noon-9:15 p.m.; Sunday 1-9:15 p.m.
Website: sakebombcatering.com
Phone: 859-360-2281
Barleycorn’s
Location: 2642 Dixie Highway, Lakeside Park
Hours: Sunday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-midnight
Website: barelycorns.com
Phone: 859-331-6633
Fabled Brew Works
Location: 331 Kenton Lands Road, Erlanger
Hours: Monday, closed; Tuesday-Wednesday, 4-9 p.m.; Thursday, noon-10 p.m.; Friday, noon-11 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
Website: fabledbrewworks.beer
Phone: 859-727-2337