Son Garden, a plant-forward cocktail lounge, quietly opened this week in Cincinnati’s Walnut Hills neighborhood, sliding into the narrow East McMillan storefront that previously housed Comfort Station. The new spot leans into a botanical, greenhouse-style approach to cocktails and now occupies the century-old comfort station structure, the latest step in McMillan Street’s slow but steady evolution into a corridor of independent restaurants and bars.
Botanical cocktails and a green-room vibe
Operators are billing Son Garden as a botanical cocktail lounge, with plant-forward drinks, terrarium-inspired touches, and a curated spirits list, as reported by the Cincinnati Business Courier. The Courier notes the lounge opened at 793 E. McMillan and presents Son Garden as a fresh concept in a building that had long been eyed for reuse. Photography in that report is credited to David Kalonick, giving an early look at the garden-meets-bar aesthetic.
From public restrooms to cocktail bar
The building itself dates to 1920, when it was constructed as a public comfort station before being rehabilitated for commercial use, according to the Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation. The foundation retained ownership and championed the rehab as part of broader neighborhood reinvestment. The space first turned into a cocktail destination in 2019, when Comfort Station opened in the former public facility, a transformation chronicled by WCPO. The Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation notes that it focuses on recruiting local entrepreneurs whose operations reflect neighborhood values.
Licensing and local approvals
City records show that Son & Garden LLC filed for a liquor permit tied to 793 E. McMillan and that the application reached the Cincinnati City Council without drawing any objections, according to Cincinnati City Council documents. That paperwork, which moved through the Ohio Division of Liquor Control process, indicates the operator completed standard local permitting before opening. The Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation will continue to own the building while leasing the space to the bar operator.
What this means for McMillan
Son Garden’s debut adds a deliberately curated drinking option to McMillan Street’s growing lineup of neighborhood-focused spots and tracks with the redevelopment goals outlined by the Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation. The Cincinnati Business Courier article includes early photos and initial details of the concept as operators settle into the historic space.
