Zip’s Cafe in Cincinnati Just Turned 100. The Burger Hasn’t Changed Since 1926.

Zip's Cafe opened in Mount Lookout Square in Cincinnati in 1926. Six owners across a century have followed the same recipe, sourced from the same Cincinnati butcher (Avril-Bleh and Sons Meat Market), and maintained the same cast-iron grill approach.

In 2026, Zip's turned 100.

The ceiling-mounted model train has been circling on the same route for as long as anyone working there can remember. It made Only In Your State's 50 best burger spots.

Current owner Mike Burke grew up in Mount Lookout, got his first job at Zip's as a teenager in the 1990s, and eventually bought the business. 'At the end of the day, it's simply burgers and fries,' he told WKRC in February 2026, marking the centennial.

What to Order

The Zip Burger: hand-formed fresh beef from Avril-Bleh's, cooked on a flat-top, served deluxe on a Klosterman bun with lettuce, tomato, and onion. No secret sauce. The beef and the method are the story.

The Train Wreck adds shaved ham, a split grilled mettwurst, and three types of cheese. The Double Zipburger doubles both patties with a slice of cheese on each.

House-made chili, thick and tomato-forward with a slight sweetness, is the essential side. Fresh-cut fries. Cold beer on tap.

House-made chili, thick and slightly sweet with a tomato-forward base, is the essential side. It has its own devoted following among regulars who order it on fries or alongside the burger.

Zip's keeps the menu tight. The discipline is part of the philosophy: after 100 years, the kitchen knows exactly what it does well and has no reason to expand beyond it.

The shoestring fries are engineered for crunch: cut in-house, soaked overnight in slightly sweetened water, par-fried, then frozen before service. That process produces a fry that holds its texture from the first bite to the last.

The natural wine list rotates regularly and features producers from Vermont, the Northeast, and Europe. The rotating local draft beers are worth asking about before ordering.

The OG Burger provides a more traditional reference point for those who want to understand the baseline before exploring the Lao Burger. Both are worth ordering if you are there with someone to split them.

Happy hour runs from 3 to 6 p.m. daily and covers both food and drinks. The outdoor seating fills quickly on warm evenings in Capitol Hill. For more on the food scene nearby, see Cincinnati's most iconic restaurants.

A Century in Mount Lookout Square

The code room at the back, where bets on horse races were placed mid-century, is a preserved piece of Cincinnati social history.

The women's restroom is at the front of the bar. The men's is at the back. Burke told WKRC: 'Women weren't allowed back in the bar room when Zip's first opened.' Both are still there, exactly where they were placed in 1926.

100 years of the same burger from the same butcher on the same cast-iron grill is not something that happens without deliberate intention. Every owner understood what they were carrying.

Zip's Cafe's centennial in 2026 prompted recognition from Cincinnati media and city council that reflected how thoroughly the restaurant has been woven into Mount Lookout's identity across 100 years.

The model train circling the ceiling has become one of Cincinnati's most distinctive restaurant features. Multiple generations of the same families have sat beneath it. For more of the state's dining history, see Ohio restaurants open for more than 50 years.

Plan Your Visit

Zip's Cafe is in Cincinnati's Mount Lookout Square neighborhood. First-come, first-served seating. Check current hours via social media or phone before visiting.

Plan for a wait on weekends. The model train runs continuously during service hours. While you're planning the trip, check out the best restaurants in Mount Lookout.