Zip's Cafe
Rating
Family of 4
Roughly $45-$70 for four burgers with fries and drinks.
Duration
45-75 minutes
Best Ages
6-17
About
Zip's Cafe has been serving burgers on Delta Avenue in Mt. Lookout for generations, and it is exactly the kind of place a visiting family should want to find. It is small, it is dark in a cozy way, the walls are covered in old Cincinnati and sports memorabilia, and the food comes out fast.
For parents, that last part is the whole story. The gap between sitting down and the kids having food in front of them is short, and a short gap is the difference between a pleasant meal and a meltdown.
The signature order is the Zipburger, and it is what almost everyone at the table should get. The burgers are not enormous, which works in your favor with younger kids who can split one with a side of fries rather than needing their own. There is not an elaborate dedicated kids menu the way a chain would have, so plan on ordering a simple burger plain and dressing it at the table.
Check the current menu at zipscafe.com before you go so nobody is surprised.
Be realistic about the space. This is a small neighborhood dining room with tables close together and a bar in the mix. That means it works beautifully with kids who can sit at a table and eat, roughly age six and up, and it is harder with a crawler or a full-size stroller.
Bring a carrier or an umbrella stroller you can collapse, and expect to be seated shoulder to shoulder with the next table. Changing table availability is not something we can confirm, so bring your own changing pad if you have a baby along.
Timing is the single biggest lever. On a Friday or Saturday night the wait can run thirty to sixty minutes, and it is spent outside on the sidewalk rather than in a lobby with seats. Weekday lunch is a completely different experience: you walk in, you sit, and you are out in under an hour.
Call (513) 871-9876 to confirm hours before you drive over, since independent neighborhood spots adjust their schedules.
The smartest way to build a family afternoon around Zip's is to pair it with Ault Park, which is a short drive up the hill. Eat first, then let everyone run at the playground and walk up to the pavilion overlook. Mt. Lookout Square itself is walkable, with coffee and ice cream within a block, and street parking is free, so the whole outing costs you nothing beyond the food.
Age Suitability
Parent Logistics
Stroller-Friendly
Limited
Nursing / Changing
Unknown
Kid Meals
Limited
Setting
Indoor
Rainy Day
Great option!
Plan Your Visit
Best Time to Visit
Weekday lunch or right at opening. The dining room is small and fills quickly at dinner and on weekends
Wait Times
30-60 min on Friday and Saturday nights, often no wait on a weekday at 11:30 AM
Nearby Food
You are in Mt. Lookout Square, which is a compact walkable block of restaurants and coffee shops, so if the wait is too long there are alternatives within a few hundred feet. BrewRiver Creole Kitchen is the closest sit-down option. There is also ice cream in the square, which makes a good bribe for a patient kid. Ault Park is a five minute drive if you want to pick up food and eat outside instead.
Why Kids Love It
Zip's is the kind of place where the burger arrives fast and looks exactly like a burger should, which is a rare and underrated thing for a picky eater. The dining room is packed with old Cincinnati memorabilia, neon, and sports photos, so there is plenty to point at and ask about while you wait. Kids also pick up quickly that this is a place grownups get excited about, and being let in on a local institution is its own kind of fun.
Pro Tips from Parents
- Go at lunch. The dining room is small and the Friday and Saturday night wait can hit an hour, which is a hard sell with young kids.
- The famous order is the Zipburger. Order it plain for kids and dress it yourself at the table if they are particular.
- Pair the meal with Ault Park, which is a short drive away. The playground and the overlook at the pavilion make a natural second stop.
- Space between tables is tight, so leave the full-size stroller in the car and bring a carrier or an umbrella stroller you can fold.
- Call ahead at (513) 871-9876 to confirm hours and whether they are taking names, since this is an independent neighborhood spot and hours can shift.
What to Bring
- A carrier or a fold-flat umbrella stroller instead of a full-size one
- Your own changing pad, since changing table availability is not confirmed
- A small quiet activity for the wait, which happens on the sidewalk rather than in a lobby
- Cash as a backup, which is a good habit at older independent restaurants
- A change of clothes for little kids, because burgers and ketchup
Cost Info
Estimated Cost (Family of 4)
Roughly $45-$70 for four burgers with fries and drinks.
Check the current menu at zipscafe.
com for pricing.
Tips to Save
- This is already one of the better value sit-down meals in Cincinnati, so the savings lever is timing rather than ordering.
- Come at lunch when the room is calmer and you are not paying for a long wait in babysitter time.
- Burgers here are modestly sized, so kids under about six can usually split one with a side of fries instead of ordering their own.
- Street parking in Mt.
- Lookout Square is free, so avoid paying for anything.
