Front Street just got a serious upgrade. New Richmond Tavern, a new craft cocktail spot, has quietly opened its doors along the village riverfront, bringing roughly 3,600 square feet of bar space and an estimated $600,000 investment to the downtown stretch. The bar launched in early June, centering its menu on small-batch spirits and cocktails that lean into the town’s historic distilling roots.
Owners Rod Crousey and Mike and Maggie Huntwork cut the ribbon after about two years of work on the buildout. As reported by the Cincinnati Business Courier, the project wrapped at roughly $600,000 and around 3,600 square feet.
What You'll Find Inside
The tavern bills itself as a neighborhood gathering place, with a focus on carefully built cocktails, a tight beer and wine list, and seasonal features that cycle through the bar program. Its website highlights a private bookings room that can host up to 36 guests, weekday evening hours, and sample cocktails made with house spirits, according to New Richmond Tavern.
A Local Distillery Tie
The drink lineup is anchored by New Richmond Distilleries, which traces its lineage back to 1835 and notes it was reborn in 2017. The distillery also runs a bottle shop and production space on Front Street, giving the tavern direct access to small batch whiskies and vodkas that show up across the cocktail list, per New Richmond Distilleries.
Permits And The Build
Clermont County permit records show an alteration permit for 218 Front St. was issued June 3, 2025, with a declared value of $122,000 - one piece of the multi-phase renovation that prepped the space for bar use. The tavern’s opening also surfaced on local event roundups, including a community calendar entry on Let's Talk Clermont, signaling neighborhood curiosity about the new hangout.
What This Means For Front Street
Front Street has been steadily adding small businesses and events aimed at drawing both daytime visitors and evening traffic, and New Richmond Tavern gives the strip a late-day anchor that could help fuel nearby shops and riverfront activity. For a village the size of New Richmond, a private investment of this size in a downtown storefront marks a notable vote of confidence in Main Street's stability and appeal.
New Richmond Tavern is located at 218 Front St. Check the bar’s website for current hours and event listings, and the business’s social pages for pop-ups and ticketed nights. For more on the opening and the people behind the project, see the report from the Cincinnati Business Courier and the venue’s official site.
