Start at 5923 Hamilton Avenue, the address of Patrick's Park, and count the numbers on either side. Just Q'in BBQ is at 5903, Brink Brewing at 5905, Big Chill at 5912, Tortilleria Garcia at 5917, Island Frydays at 5920, Rasheedah's Cafe at 5922, and the former Kiki storefront at 5932. Most of what's new in College Hill's evenings this year sits on that one block.
That block is also where the College Hill Forum sends people to pick up their passports for the third annual College Hill Bar Crawl, Haunting on the Hill, on Saturday, Oct. 17. That timing helps, because the headlines about Hamilton Avenue are a step ahead of the storefronts right now. One announced business is open, one was announced this week, and one has been "coming soon" for most of a year. If you know which is which, you'll know what the crawl can actually show you.
Where Each New Name Stands as of Oct. 7
Here's the short version, sorted by address.
| Address | Business | Status as of Oct. 7, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 5920 Hamilton Ave. | Island Frydays and The Paradise Room | Reopened; online ordering lists this address |
| 5932 Hamilton Ave. | A Bar Called Pup | Announced Oct. 7 for the former Kiki space; no opening date published |
| 5841 or 5833 Hamilton Ave. | The Night Kap | Not open in College Hill; owners say it is "still very much in the works" |
The rest of this post explains each row and how the three fit together.
Island Frydays Came Back as a Bigger Business
Island Frydays spent 16 years on Short Vine, then ran as a food truck for about two years. In May 2026, owner Leo Morgan announced a permanent home at 5920 Hamilton Avenue. WKRC's report describes a 5,200-square-foot flagship that pairs the restaurant with a lounge called The Paradise Room. CityBeat confirmed the 5920 address in its own May coverage.
The plans were specific. They called for an indoor-outdoor layout, a self-pour tap system, Caribbean-inspired cocktails, Sunday brunch, live music, and private event space that can be rented. The announcement said grand opening details would come later. We didn't find a grand opening date, so we won't guess one here. What the record does show is that a later Tour de Cincinnati roundup describes Island Frydays as reopened at 5920 Hamilton Avenue with "a new bar and lounge in the heart of College Hill." The restaurant's online ordering page also lists that address.
Emmanuel Karikari, CEO of the College Hill Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation, put it this way in the announcement:
"This is exactly the kind of intentional, community-driven investment that transforms and anchors a business district."
One practical note: CHCURC's food and drink directory is dated February 2026 and still lists Island Fryday's at 5833 Hamilton Avenue with daytime hours. Use the restaurant's own ordering page, which shows the 5920 location.
Pup Is Taking Over a Space That Was Built for Evenings
The newest name on the block arrived today. The Cincinnati Business Courier reported on Oct. 7 that a neighborhood redevelopment group says A Bar Called Pup will open in the former Kiki space. The story groups it with "recent additions like Island Frydays and Night Kap." The public preview doesn't name owners, describe the concept, or give an opening date.
The address gives a little more to go on. CityBeat's February 2025 story on Kiki's closing put that restaurant at 5932 Hamilton Avenue. From a building standpoint, a space that ran as a restaurant already has a layout shaped by kitchen equipment, a bar, and seating. That's a different starting point from a first-time conversion. It doesn't predict an opening date, and nothing published so far sets one. When Pup opens, it will be about nine doors up from Patrick's Park, at the north end of the same 5900 block that Island Frydays anchors.
The Night Kap's College Hill Opening Is Still Pending
The Courier groups The Night Kap with the recent additions, but its own announcements tell a longer story. In July 2025, CityBeat reported that owners Kirshane and Kyrah Ervin planned to move their soul food restaurant and bar from Silverton to 5841 Hamilton Avenue, with hours running from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. The restaurant later posted that its last day on Plainfield Road would be Nov. 1 and that the College Hill spot would open "after the holidays (Jan/early 2026)."
That timeline slipped. A later update on The Night Kap's site tells customers the College Hill location is "still very much in the works" and sends them to a new Madisonville location in the meantime. Madisonville held its grand opening on Saturday, July 11. The same post says "The College Hill dream is still alive." The address is also still unsettled in public records. CityBeat and CHCURC's annual report list 5841 Hamilton Avenue, while CHCURC's directory lists 5833 and labels the business "Coming Soon." Both numbers are in the 5800 block, a short walk south of Patrick's Park.
The Night Kap has moved before. Its fourth-anniversary post traced the business from Silverton to Evanston, then Mt. Airy, back to Silverton, "and now to college hill." A small, family-owned business opening a second location before its long-planned move is a common sequence. For anyone on Hamilton Avenue, it means The Night Kap is a future addition. It isn't on the crawl map this year.
What Haunting on the Hill Covers on Oct. 17
The Forum's event page has the details:
- When: Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, 4 to 9 p.m.
- Where: Pick up a passport at Patrick's Park, 5923 Hamilton Ave., any time during those hours
- Tickets: $10 for Forum members, $12 presale until the day of the event, $15 standard ticket
- Costume contest: 6 p.m., with entries and voting on site
- Raffle: Finish all the stops to be entered for prizes
The hours changed from last year. The 2025 crawl ran on Oct. 18 from 6 to 11 p.m. This year it runs 4 to 9 p.m., two hours earlier at both ends. The Forum hasn't published a list of participating bars for either year, so the passport you pick up at Patrick's Park is the only official route. We won't guess at it.
What we can say is which food and drink businesses are within walking distance, based on CHCURC's directory. Within a few doors of the park, you'll find Brink Brewing Co. at 5905, Just Q'in BBQ at 5903, Big Chill at 5912, Tortilleria Garcia at 5917, and Rasheedah's Cafe at 5922. Farther north are Marty's Hops & Vines at 6110, Bacall's Cafe at 6118, and Free Parking at 6200. To the south are Chung Ching at 5842, LaRosa's Pizzeria at 5830, and Hook Fish & Chicken at 5800. That directory dates from February, so check each business's own hours before you plan a stop around it.
The Rest of the Calendar Starts at the Same Park
Patrick's Park comes up again on the Forum's calendar outside the crawl.
- Saturday, Oct. 10, 9 to 11 a.m.: The Forum's monthly cleanup with Keep Cincinnati Beautiful, meeting at Patrick's Park.
- Saturday, Oct. 24, 2 to 4 p.m.: A free Trunk or Treat at 1805 Larch Ave. This is the one event on the list held away from Hamilton Avenue.
- Tuesday, Oct. 27, 7 p.m.: The October Forum meeting at the College Hill Recreation Center.
- Friday, Oct. 30: CHCURC's calendar lists a Halloween event at College Hill Presbyterian Church, with no other details posted yet.
- Saturday, Nov. 14, 9 to 11 a.m.: The next monthly cleanup, again at 5923 Hamilton Ave.
Pup still has no opening date, and The Night Kap has no new College Hill date. Both will show up in local news when those dates are set. Until then, 5920 is the open address on the list, and 5932 is the one to keep an eye on.
Watching a storefront change hands tells you a lot about how a street's buildings get reused, and that kind of reading is close to Laura Zembrodt's architect's eye. If you live near Hamilton Avenue and want to talk through what your house could become, or what its next sale might look like, schedule a consultation with Laura.
