Braxton Brewing Co.'s heated rooftop igloos are coming back to downtown Covington on Nov. 6, giving Cincinnati-area drinkers and diners a cozy, skyline-view spot to ring in the holiday season. The ten holiday-decorated igloos sit atop the Northern Kentucky brewery's Covington taproom and each fits up to eight people.
The return date was confirmed by WLWT, which reported that the igloos overlook the Cincinnati skyline and accept reservations through OpenTable. Braxton co-founder and CEO Jake Rouse told the station that the igloo experience has been reinvented with Christmas in mind this year, including decorations and a cocktail menu, as a way to kick off the holiday season.
This isn't the igloos' first winter on the rooftop. The Northern Kentucky Tribune reported that the 2024 setup also featured ten fully heated igloos, each equipped with a Bluetooth speaker, alongside an exclusive seasonal food and drink menu available only at the IGLOOBAR. By early 2026, Cincinnati CityBeat's roundup of cozy winter spots noted the heated igloos had expanded to all three of Braxton's locations.
Booking Details and a Discrepancy Worth Noting
Reservations are handled through OpenTable's Experiences platform, according to Braxton's official product page, and require a $40 non-refundable fee per igloo. That page, hosted on Braxton Brewing's website, describes the booking window as a 2.5-hour time slot. OpenTable's own listing for the experience, however, describes a two-hour time slot, so guests may want to confirm the exact duration before booking.
Each igloo is limited to guests 21 and older, and visitors can order food from Dewey's Pizza along with drinks from Braxton's beverage menus during their reserved time. Braxton notes that the igloos do have heaters, but the brewery still recommends dressing for cold weather and bringing blankets for extra warmth.
Part of a Growing Regional Trend
Braxton isn't the only Cincinnati-area spot leaning into heated outdoor winter seating. Shires Rooftop Restaurant Bar has said it is bringing back its own heated igloos and greenhouses for what it describes as a fifth winter season, a sign that the format has staying power across the region's rooftop bar scene.
For now, the key details for Covington visitors remain the Nov. 6 opening, the $40 per-igloo fee and the option to reserve through OpenTable. Further specifics on 2026 operating hours and the full holiday menu had not been detailed beyond what Braxton and WLWT have shared.
