The Phoenix

We hosted an engagement party in the Tea Room at the Phoenix on April 23. I was a bit apprehensive about how the event would go, as we are out-​of-​towners and had never been to the Phoenix. From start to finish, the entire experience was absolutely outstanding. The events manager, Cat Amaro, was exceptionally responsive to even the most minor question or quick email, provided a fantastic florist recommendation that allowed us to add to the beauty of The Phoenix, and helped us choose a menu that was within our budget but full of varied selections. The actual event went off without hitch, and our guests raved about the food and location. Even though our event was on a much smaller scale compared to a wedding reception, we felt we received top-​notch attention and customer service. I’d highly recommend considering The Phoenix for an event!

We had our wedding ceremony and reception in the Phoenix’s Archway Ballroom and adjoining room. Our experience was perfect! The space is beautiful, the food is great and the organization of it all was so simple because your venue is your caterer and they don’t nickel and dime you with hidden costs like some other places we looked. I wasn’t afraid of seeing the final bill because they were so clear about what was included and what was extra. We worked with Laura from the beginning and with Lydia as the event got closer. They were both amazing – friendly, professional, so quick to respond and helpful with every question we had. I highly recommend The Phoenix for your wedding!

I cannot say enough good things about my wedding experience at The Phoenix. We had our ceremony and reception here and there is nothing I would have changed about the night or our planning process.
We began planning with Chelsy and both she and Carolina worked with us up until the wedding. The staff is amazing and attentive. I did not have to do any thinking the day of my wedding which is exactly how it should be!
The food was amazing and all of our guests raved about how delicious everything was.
On top of everything else the venue is beautiful. I HIGHLY recommend choosing The Phoenix for your wedding.

Amazing. This is an excellent banquet hall with great service. I know several people who had their ceremony and/​or reception here and all enjoyed it. I attended a special tour of The Phoenix and was surprised by its long and rich history. I would recommend The Phoenix to friends.

We had both our ceremony and reception at the Phoenix. We had a very small wedding (20 people) This was by far the best decision of the entire wedding. Everything was perfect from the food, to the staff, to the price, and to the room. We went with a 6 course wine dinner with wine parings. We crafted the menu with the chef and it was AMAZING! Not to mention surprisingly reasonably priced. The bartender paired the wines and created a signature cocktail which was phenomenal. Our wedding coordinator, Carolina, was the best. She was with us every step of the way from the initial planning to setting up to room and helping serve. We did lunch and also got ready at the venue which was so convenient. Everything went smoothly and the removed all of the stress from the day. I cannot say enough good things about this place. I would recommend it to anyone who is thinking about a wedding. Big or small they really make it amazing.

This venue is gorgeous and the food is excellent! We had our son’s rehearsal dinner in the Cincinnati room this past October and everything was perfect. First of all, when you walk in the front door there is a beautiful, massive white marble staircase that leads upstairs where you see stunning gold and silver stained glass (the banquet rooms are on either side). Not at all what you’d expect in the middle of the city and certainly not like any restaurant you’ve seen before. The Sales manager, Carolina, was so helpful and accommodating. We were planning the party from out of state and she was so easy to work with. She made sure that everything went as planned and was even there when we arrived to help us put out the favors. The food was soooo good! We had the family style southern BBQ with Cobb salad, fried chicken, pulled pork, macaroni and cheese and green beans that our guests raved about! For dessert guests could have pumpkin or apple pie — if they had any room. The Bartender was very personable and the waitstaff was very professional. We couldn’t have been any happier with the party. The price is very reasonable and they were one of the few places that offered a bar package (not pay by the drink.) You have to see this place!

SUCH a gorge wedding venue! I kept hearing how fantastic it was, so I was lucky to check it out for myself for my best friend’s wedding. I loved its glamour and kiiiinda felt like I was Beauty & The Beast with the elegant décor and staircase. We were in the top floor and the room was absolutely beautiful. There were little balconies surrounding it (one, of which, where the bride tossed the bouquet), and the dance floor right in the middle. The food was absolutely delicious, and I can imagine was well worth the price tag. It was also conveniently located to head to downtown bars for the «after party». I wish all my friends got married at The Phoenix!

I attended my son’s wedding reception this past weekend at the Phoenix, and can’t say enough good things about the food and service for nearly 350 guests. I know that the bride and bride’s mother also had great experiences during the wedding planning process and were very pleased with the event. All I know is that we were transported into Cinderella’s ball. It was absolutely stunning as we entered the Grand Ballroom bathed in purple light with stars on the ceiling and walls, and jaw-​dropping floral table centerpieces. Seriously, if you want a memorable and elegant event, you don’t need to look further than the Phoenix.

The Phoenix is a Cincinnati institution. Originally «constructed in 1893 as a Jewish Businessman’s organization designed by prominent Cincinnati architect Samuel Hannaford,» The Phoenix appears on the National Historic Register and now serves as a private banquet hall.
To say I was looking forward to spending the evening here for my choir’s 2^nd Annual Young Professionals’ Choral Collective Gala with friends would be a vast understatement. To my initial reaction, however, I was a little underwhelmed with the building’s interior. At first glance, the illustrious and historic architectural landmark was a bit understated, but upon further viewing and paying more attention to its lovely details, I noticed that The Phoenix was much more than met the eye. Its grand, expansive, and embellished grand entryway and ballroom provide a lovely welcoming into whichever event you may be attending.
Built during the Italian Renaissance, The Phoenix boasts a plethora of Tiffany-​style stained glass, which was one of my favorite details of the building’s historic charm. In addition to the Tiffany windows, I would say that the balconies featured prominently in the Grand Ballroom boasted lovely craftsmanship as well as proved to be the perfect perches for a choral performance to take place.
I was very impressed with not only the details in the building, but the service at the bars as well as the waitstaff were outstanding also. The hors d’oeuvres delicious, too. I can only imagine how fantastic The Phoenix would be for a wedding reception, seeing as the Choir Gala that was held there was simply outstanding.

Went here for a holiday party last weekend– great place, good sized ballroom, decent dance floor. The bathrooms a kind of hilarious– it feels like it was fancy back in the day, and kind of odd (but still nice) now. Bartenders did a great job, and the catering staff were professional, helpful, and not too pushy. There were beautiful staircases and Christmas trees which would look great in photos.
In all, a nice, elegant event space.

Both of my sisters had their wedding receptions here. It’s a lovvvvely place.
I played the baby grand piano and Lizz R. sang at the bottom of the grand stair case and as you walk up the staircase you enter into a big lobby area where you MUST have an open bar which then enters into the ballroom.
The best men at my eldest sister’s wedding gave the speech up on the balcony looking down on the ballroom — cheaters!
Nice big dance floor… room to sit like 300. I liked my sisters’ weddings because they didn’t have a long table for the wedding party — I hate those. They had the wedding party sit at a round table with the rest of the guests — much less formal and intimate. The staff was great and I remember the food being good as well.
I think this is a great place for a wedding reception if you want a traditional LARGE wedding.

I came here for a wedding and reception. It’s definitely very beautiful. The staff there were very professional and nice. The food at the reception was delicious! It’s a very elegant place to have an event.
My only complaint is that the bathroom didn’t have a diaper changing station which made it very difficult for parents with kids.

I was at the Phoenix for a wedding rehearsal dinner. The second floor banquet room was warm and inviting. The bartenders were attentive and the specialty drinks were made to perfection.
The dining room was so pretty for this intimate dinner. There were 7 beautifully set tables that were very elegant. The dinner was served and it was delicious. The food was fantastic.
This is a great space for a special event, the history about the building and its previous occupants is interesting; everything about the place feels like high quality.

I am a local wedding photographer and shot my first wedding at The Phoenix on 11.11.11. The couple had both their ceremony and reception at this beautiful venue. From start to finish — everything was perfect.
The ceremony and reception were held in the Archway Ballroom. This room includes the magnificent wall of Tiffany stained glass windows. We also did photos in the Monet Room, the President’s Room and adjacent bar, the main staircase, and the upstairs staircase. There are just SO many beautiful spots for photos, so we went all over to get a variety of backgrounds. And the upstairs stairs worked out well for the larger family portraits.
After the ceremony, they had a cocktail hour in another room. The staff did an excellent job of switching over the Archway Ballroom for the reception! Everything went very smoothly.
The food — wow. So many wedding venues have average food (and some have really bad food!). But the food at The Phoenix was fabulous. The couple chose the duet of Petite Filet Mignon and Roasted Chicken Breast, and it was perfection. I’m glad the bride insisted the DJ and I eat — because the food was so delicious!
In summary — I can’t rave enough about this gorgeous venue. Beautiful. Great staff. Delicious food. It definitely became one of my favorite venues!

I had my wedding/​reception at The Phoenix last year and it was beautiful. There were a few minor setbacks, but overall everything was pretty good. The food was delicious (we had a buffet with lasagna and pasta on it) The drink selection was great. The rooms were very nice and my pictures turned out great in this gorgeous building with an amazing staircase.

There’s a time and a place for sloppy, late-​night, black-​out, trashy, crazy parties … and then there’s a time for soirée with elegance. If you’re throwing the later, then you may want to check The Phoenix (because I doubt they’d enjoy the former).
This grand building is an event space that puts a lot of event spaces to shame. It basically has everything you need for the classiest of parties: giant ballroom: check. Long flowing staircase: check. Gourmet caterers: double check. If you’re aiming to impress, it’s hard to go wrong here.
I came to The Phoenix for a shop local event and enjoyed my time. I explored the place and saw giant room after room. It was very pretty, but kind of … old. It was nice in that classic kind of way, but not a timeless classic, like a library that hasn’t been updated. It’s very pretty to look at but you can feel the era in which it was made and there’s been no changes since. Sometimes this is wonderful, like in the bar; sometimes this just feels awkward, like in the individual rooms connecting to the bar.
Still, if a classic feel for your party, I’d stop here. It’s not so much my thing, but I can see why people like it, so I won’t judge it too harshly. And for sure, it was no-​sloppy super-​elegant, I’ll give it that.

I had the opportunity to go downtown to The Phoenix yesterday for the Ambassador Education and Training Seminar as part of the upcoming NAACP/​National Baptist conventions. It was in the Grand Ballroom, a place that hosts many banquets and event. There is also a Phoenix Restaurant that is open from Wednesday through Saturday beginning at 5:00 p.m., but I’ve never eaten there so I can’t talk about that.
I believe it was my third time at The Phoenix, the first two for Bar Mitzvah parties, and this time I really took note of the building. I could tell it was a very old, yet well maintained, with a grand staircase unsurprisingly called the Grand Staircase, stained glass, chandeliers, and large banquet rooms.
It turns out the Phoenix is a work of Italian Renaissance architecture and constructed in 1893, although not originally for weddings, banquets, and similar events, according to its website. The Phoenix consists of the Cincinnati Room, the Archway Ballroom, and the Grand Ballroom, each of which have different capacities that vary with the different set-​ups. For receptions, the Cincinnati Room and Archway and Grand Ballrooms can hold up to 150, 250, and 550 people, respectively.
Plain and simple, The Phoenix is a great place for a big event or banquet. I know they book a lot of weddings and receptions at the former Cincinnati Club, but there are a wide range of possibilities. The history of The Phoenix is very interesting and I’d suggest checking it out online, but I’d also recommend physically checking out The Phoenix. If you ever have a chance to attend a function there it is so nice, and if you want to drop $ 75 – 100 on dinner for two, I’d imagine it would be excellent as well.
The Phoenix is truly a great staple of Cincinnati.

Flawless intimate fine dining. Live music, our waiter even sang to us. Our every need was anticipated and attended to. The recommended wine pairing with the entrée and dessert were superb. Thank you for a wonderful experience. We will be back when next in Cincinnati.