Making waves on the waterfront
This quaint cafe boasts a marvelous menu and a crowd to be proud of.

Front Street Cafe
120 Front Street
New Richmond, OH 45157
513-553-4800

When I stroll into a tiny bistro on a Wednesday and can’t even get a seat it brings a genuine smile to my face. That’s exactly what happened at the Front Street Cafe in New Richmond of all places even! New Richmond hasn’t been a hot spot in 100 years (literally). In the day, riverboats, restaurants, hotels (and probably a “casino” and brothel) fueled Cincinnati’s thirst for goods and services. In a sense they could have even been considered a backbone of Cincinnati’s commerce and culture. Today, New Richmond is rising up again with new businesses and new life.
Front Street Cafe is just one of several New Richmond businesses that are striving to recapture the magic hidden in the muddy waterfront that has been lost for so long. To see this level of vibrance in a tiny New Richmond cafe is invigorating.
Some credit for the crowd is due to the cool fresh menu. Simple but satisfying, Front Street offers paninis, wraps & sandwiches such as the River City Reuben, roast beef with mozzarella & roasted peppers, chicken or tuna salad and even a fine veggie sandwich option. All under $7.50 with your choice of breads, chips & pickle.
Evening lunch entrees are offered after 5 pm and early birds can use the wifi while having a Belgium waffle or breakfast panini.

Of course a cafe like this just has to offer a plethora of fine coffee bean drinks. Fresh fruit smoothies go great with those waffles too. Aside from that, there are soups, salads and a kids menu to choose from.
Oh yeah, there is stocked bar with a nice wine selection too.
The food is fresh the coffee is all Fair Trade but the live music is where the fun comes in. Wednesdays the place gets packed with folks from all over who come out to see the bands (even as far as Lexington like guest singer Ruby Whitaker) The band East Fork Junction had this place swinging too man. Just look at the photo, this is a little cafe in New Richmond on a Wednesday!
Thursdays jam just as good. The Blue Chip Jazz Band lights the evening up with old standards and show tunes including a very popular show tunes segment. There is even a sing along that gets the whole crowd involved, all ages come together in an old fashioned family fun evening of singing and laughing out loud (Thursdays 6:30-9).
Front Street Cafe marries a cool modern menu with the small town fun and excitement of yesteryear. The sounds and aromas spill out across the historic waterfront street. The sun slowly slides behind the misty blue hills of Kentucky across the water, and all is well again in New Richmond. You can almost feel the ghosts from the town’s riverboat heydays coming in to dance along side you. Too bad they can’t wine & dine as well.
The ghosts may only mingle, but the living can certainly find life in this quaint cafe.
Normally we print big fat photos of the dishes that we describe. In this article we skipped the food porn only because we really wanted readers to see the crowd that Front Street Cafe had on this Wednesday night. Just like we said before, not an empty seat in the house. You’ll see the food for yourself when you make a dinner (or lunch) date with this cool cafe.