In 1854, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow dubbed Cincinnati “the Queen of the West” in a lilting poem about enjoying a glass of wine while soaking in the natural splendor of the world.
“For richest and best is the wine of the West,” he proclaimed, “that grows by the Beautiful River whose sweet perfume fills all the room.”
The poem pains an idyllic picture, but the beauty of the city may be lost on you if you don’t have anyone sipping wine beside you. While many singles would rather breathe in the sweet perfumes of a date than river, in the real world, it’s hard to find romance. So we’ve put together some practical resources to help modern daters embark on a dating experience rooted in reality, not poetry.
Cincinnati Dating Sites
There was a time when I would’ve laughed at anyone who suggested online dating was the best way to meet singles. But times have changed, and so must we. Dating sites and apps no longer carry the same stigma they once did — in fact, 59% of Americans agree that online dating is a good way to meet people. Ten years ago, only 44% of Americans said the same. As attitudes about online dating evolve, today’s singles enjoy greater opportunities to meet worthwhile dates of all ages and backgrounds.
Want to give it a go? Then keep reading to get our take on the best dating sites for Cincinnati singles looking for friendship, love, or romance.
Best Singles Site
Match is the king of all dating sites. It is basically online dating royalty. Why? Because it’s been around forever and set the industry standards for how a successful dating site operates. Its match algorithm uses a combination of factors to recommend compatible dates. Since 1995, Match has successfully paired up more couples than any other dating site.
- Relationships: Friends, Dates, and Relationships
- Match System: Browse by zip, age, appearance, more
- Our Experts Say: Match has facilitated the most dates and relationships of any dating site, and its large audience and high success rate make it our top review. Our Review »
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Over 50 & Senior Sites
After a day of swiping on a general dating site, some older singles throw up their hands and declare that online dating is a young person’s game. But that’s just not the case. OurTime has created a senior-friendly online dating environment where singles over 50 can feel comfortable matching with and messaging one another.
- Relationships: Dates and Relationships
- Match System: Search by profiles by zip and more
- Our Experts Say: OurTime is well-known in the over-50 dating crowd, particularly because it has a ton of helpful search features and an easy layout. Our Review »
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For Black Men & Women Only
Cincinnati has been a refuge for African-Americans dating back to the days of the Underground Railroad. The city’s placement on the Ohio River enabled it to provide safe harbor to fugitive slaves from Kentucky and other Southern states. Harriet Beecher Stowe even lived here for a time. Today, nearly half the population (44%) identify as black. If you want to find a date in the local black community, you can join BlackPeopleMeet and mingle with people who share similar backgrounds, values, and perspectives.
- Relationships: Deep Relationships or Just Casual Dates
- Match System: Search by location, age, more
- Our Experts Say: BlackPeopleMeet.com is the one of the largest and most popular dating sites for black and biracial singles, and the site is used by more than 5 million people a month. Our Review »
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Hookup & Sex Site
Adult Friend Finder isn’t a dating site for just anybody. It has proudly maintained a sex-oriented community where singles don’t have to censor themselves. If you want a hookup, you can come right out and say so. AFF is a judgment-free zone. Cincinnati singles don’t have to worry about stepping on anyone’s sensibilities here.
- Relationships: Hookups Only
- Match System: Search by location, interest, more
- Our Experts Say: Make no mistake: this site isn't about making friends, it's about finding hookups and casual encounters. No adult site has a larger or more active user base of those seeking discreet fun. Our Review »
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Popular Dating Apps
At this point, dating sites can feel a bit old-fashioned. Modern singles expect there to be an app for everything, so many popular dating sites have revamped to create fully functional dating apps. These apps put a national network of singles at your fingertips. All you have to do is start swiping and messaging to build a romantic connection. Below, we’ve ranked our favorite dating apps to give you an idea of what’s out there.
Match.com
- Relationships: Fun Dates, Serious Relationships
- Match System: Browse by location, age, interest, and more
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About the App:
Available via the App Store and Google Play, Match is a fantastic app for dates and relationships. With a user base of 30 million singles, Match is where you’ll have a high chance of success. It’s free to download, create a profile, search for date prospects, and receive compatible matches based on personalized preferences. Free members can also chat with select members and send unlimited likes.
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eharmony
- Relationships: Long-Term Relationships, Marriages
- Match System: Get daily match suggestions
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About the App:
Responsible for 4% of marriages in the U.S., eharmony is among our top picks for relationship-minded heterosexual singles. To become a member, add the app to your phone (iOS or Android) and then take its 29 Dimensions® of Compatibility Matching Quiz. It’s absolutely free to do both these things — as well as receive matches and communicate during other special events.
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OurTime.com
- Relationships: Dating and Relationships
- Match System: Search by age as well as zip, gender, more
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About the App:
Made just for single seniors, OurTime is one of the most well-known niche dating apps. It’s a fun and straightforward app with simple swiping features. Once two people swipe right on each other, they can communicate. For more match options, visit the ConnectMe and I’m Interested pages.
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Cincinnati Singles Bars
Literature may immortalize Cincinnati as the Queen City, but many locals know it simply as Nasty Nati, a place of revelry, debauchery, and mischief. The downtown area perfectly captures the city’s fun-loving, free-spirited vibe. Locals spend many happy hours in the bars, clubs, and lounges scattered about town, and every drinking establishment serves as an opportunity for singles to put themselves out there and meet new people. You can up your dating game by heading to a local pub, brewery, speakeasy, barcade, or watering hole.
Knockback Nats Neighborhood Bar
Knockback Nats is at the top of our list for one very good reason: Its wings. Seriously, people can't get enough of those savory, spicy, juicy wings. You may come for the cheap drinks and the free popcorn, but you'll stay for the smoked wings and special sauces. This neighborhood bar serves up delicious dinner plates and refreshing alcoholic beverages to wash it all down. Locals come here to chow down and enjoy the camaraderie of a hot spot. Grab a seat at the bar and join them.
16-Bit Bar+Arcade
It's easy to spend hours playing games, drinking, and joking around at 16-Bit Bar+Arcade. This barcade has over 50 classic games on the floor. And the best news is you can play for free. That's right, you can spend hours working your way up the leaderboard at Duck Hunt, Tapper, or Galaga for no charge. Its drinks menu is full of nerdy and nostalgic references to heroes of the 1980s and 1990s, including the Dude, Bill Nye, Molly Ringwald, Carrie Fisher, Courtney Love, David Hasselhoff, and, of course, Kevin Bacon (a maple bourbon drink with bacon jerky). You can unleash your inner child by hanging out on the action-packed floor of the 16-Bit Bar+Arcade.
Dive Bar
Dive Bar doesn't put on airs or claim to be anything other than what it is. This isn't a home-grown hipster brewing company, and the owners don't employ snooty cocktail mixologists. It's just a bar that serves beer, wine, and spirits. Straight up. Many locals appreciate Dive Bar's authenticity and cheap drinks. You'll often find college students hanging out here enjoying vodka slushies or a game of pool. Dive Bar stays open until 2:30 a.m. every day except Sunday, so it's a perfect spot for singles to settle in for the night.
Sundry and Vice
Sundry and Vice used to be an old apothecary, and it pays homage to that history with its quirky mix of cocktails. If you're looking for a great, unique drink, try one of the bar's house cocktails. They aren't cheap, but they sure do pack a punch in terms of flavor. Where else can you find a drink with marigold-infused tequila or egg white and brown sugar in it? You can keep things simple and order an Old Fashioned or try something new and treat yourself to a smoky glass of Amber Penicillin.
Taft's Ale House
Taft's Ale House is known for its artisanal beers made with love. This presidential brewing company chose a spacious church on Race Street as its home and William Howard Taft, the 27th president of the United States, as its namesake. As you can probably tell, the owners have quite a sense of humor, but they're serious about beer. Taft's Ale House has dozens of tasty beers on tap plus a menu of classic American fare, including its famous tri-tip steak.
The Overlook Lodge
The Overlook Lodge is a rustic watering hole inspired by the hotel in Stephen King's "The Shining." And if that doesn't pique your interest, the drinks menu sure will. The lodge-style bar serves simple yet exotic cocktails, including the Writer's Block (bourbon and apple-berry sweet tea) and Jack's Grin (vodka, lemon, fig, thyme, and orange simple syrup). You can order twin shots to share with your crush at the bar. I'd recommend the Irish, which is a creamy delight that'll satisfy any palate. You can also get trail mix by the scoop here, and that's just plain fun.
Cincinnati Speed Dating
Busy singles don’t always have time to scour the online and offline dating scene for a date. After going on bad date after bad date, it’s easy to lose your patience and feel like it’s going to take forever to find that special someone. However, you need not fret because there is a better way, and it’s speed dating. At a speed dating event, you’ll go on dozens of mini-dates in a single evening and can more efficiently weed out the bad candidates and focus on the dates you want to pursue. Pre-Dating hosts monthly speed dating events in Cincinnati and can offer busy professionals a way to date more efficiently.
Cincinnati Singles Events
Singles events offer a happy middle ground between online dating and the bar scene. You get all the benefits of a targeted audience of singles while also having the chance to assess chemistry face to face. It’s an all-around good way to familiarize yourself with the local dating scene without going too far outside your comfort zone. You can meet viable date prospects in Cincinnati at a party hosted by LockAndKeyEvents.com, which themes its events to help singles break the ice.
Cincinnati Singles Clubs
You can dance your way into someone’s heart at a popular nightclub in Cincinnati. Forget starting a conversation — you can start a slow dance with your crush and create instant chemistry without having to say much more than, “Wanna dance?” Under the strobe lights, dozens of people jump, laugh, and move to the beat. Some are there with friends, while others are riding solo. It’s a great mix of locals, and a terrific place to get in your groove in the dating scene.
Cincinnati Chat Rooms
Singles with the gift of gab often prefer meeting new people online because that medium allows them to use their words (rather than their looks) to win people over. Chat rooms welcome people of all backgrounds, allowing singles to mix with a diverse and lively crowd. If you don’t like where the discussion in this virtual is headed, you can always exit out of it and move on to a different chat room. This safe space can help shy singles gain their footing in the dating world and make friends without having to leave home.
Cincinnati Personals
You don’t have to take out an ad in the Cincinnati Enquirer to get the attention of the singles community — just create a profile on a trustworthy personals site. Dating personals have become popular ways for singles to find a fast date. These free platforms offer a straight-up profile setup where singles state their age, orientation, location, and dating goals. Most profiles keep it short and sweet and leave no room for guesswork about their intentions. You can seek a date or a hookup by using the following personals websites.
Cut out the Drama & Join the Theater
You can steal the spotlight and become someone’s new leading man or leading woman by joining a theater troupe. The stage attracts some big personalities, so you’ll have an entertaining backdrop to make some magic happen onstage or offstage.
The Mariemont Players is a beloved community theater company in Cincinnati. Since 1936, this group has been entertaining the masses by organizing comedies, musicals, mysteries, and other dramatic shows. This all-volunteer organization always welcomes newcomers and gives them plenty to do. Look online to find out about open casting calls and upcoming auditions.
Mariemont Players Inc. is the oldest volunteer-run community theater in Cincinnati.
Even if acting isn’t your forte, you can still have fun collecting props, painting sets, or ushering for a play. It takes a lot of people to put together a memorable show, and volunteering with a theater troupe can help you set the stage for romance. Break a leg!
Head to a Popular Festival to Mix Things Up
Cincinnati is a well-known cultural hub in Ohio, so it’s no wonder that the city often hosts massive gatherings of foodies, music lovers, and other fans. Thousands of people turn out to attend festivals and have a great time.
The May Festival is one of the most popular festivals in Cincinnati. This two-week musical extravaganza (which takes place in May, in case you hadn’t guessed) traces its roots to the 1840s when Saengerfest, or singer festivals, brought American singer groups to the shores of the Ohio River to compete with one another.
Today, the festival includes an impressive repertoire of musical talent. May Festival Chorus members work hard all year to hone their sound and uphold the reputation of this time-honored event. You can listen to dozens of astounding vocal performances and maybe serenade a sweetheart of your own while you’re at it.
Dating Opportunities Surround You in the City of Seven Hills
The true beauty of Cincinnati isn’t in its rivers, trees, and wine, but in the kindness of its people. Members of this diverse community lift each other up and make sure all voices are heard.
You don’t need a poet to tell you how to savor your days and create fond memories here. You have many opportunities to cultivate a budding romance in the Queen of the West. Whether you’re mingling online or at an event, you can turn strangers into friends in the span of a single conversation.
Hopefully, our list of the 10 best ways to meet singles in Cincinnati has helped you brainstorm dating strategies that work for you. As long as you go in with a positive attitude, you’ll knock it out of the park. Good luck!
