Nothing works up an appetite like organized crime…or professional baseball. At The Ohio Club, the oldest continuously operating bar-slash-restaurant in Arkansas, the “who’s who” of both realms have pulled up a barstool and made history. The Ohio Club has been serving the Hot Springs community since 1905, when it was first opened as a bar and casino. Over the years, Ohio Club fixtures have included Al Capone (who was a regular at The Green Mill bar in Chicago), Bugsy Siegel, Bugs Moran, Lucky Luciano, and Babe Ruth (a famous Scotch whisky fan). Notably, none of these celebrities were primarily based in Arkansas, or even nearby. Babe Ruth stayed in Boston and New York for most of his professional career, Capone and Moran were based in Chicago, Luciano was based in New York, and Siegel was based in Las Vegas. Years later, The Ohio Club continues to appeal to both local patrons and tourists passing through the Springs.
Today, Major League Baseball Spring Training is held in either Arizona or Florida, varying by team. But, in the early 1900s, many MLB teams held their annual training in Hot Springs – including the Boston Red Sox, for which Babe Ruth played from 1915 to 1919. Hot Springs was also one of the first spring training locations south of the Mason-Dixon Line in MLB history. The town quickly became a cutting-edge destination that, in the early 1900s, attracted and bred danger, excitement, thrill, and rowdiness. Enter: gambling (and the mob).
The Ohio Club persevered through anti-gambling legislation and Prohibition
As a bourgeoning nightlife hub, Hot Springs’ The Ohio Club quickly became a “hotspot” (pun intended) for A-list gamblers of the early 20th century, attracting celebrity guests and legendary performers, including Mae West in the 1930s. A century later, the joint keeps this bustling nightlife spirit alive and well, hosting live music entertainment on Thursdays through Sundays as of this publication.
Back then, however, the casino was navigating the anti-gambling laws of 1913. Shortly thereafter in 1926, as the American Prohibition Era roared into full effect, The Ohio Club converted into a speakeasy, renaming the joint the Ohio Cigar Store. A 10-foot-deep facade of a cigar store was constructed at the front of the business, concealing doors that led back to the bar and casino.
Even as legal restrictions have banned both gambling and alcohol sales, The Ohio Club has endured. Now, on the other side of the good fight, a life-sized Al Capone statue has been constructed to honor the Club’s roots, depicting the mobster sitting on a sidewalk bench right in front of the bar’s entrance. In many ways, the Ohio Club has even outpaced its most famous patrons. Around the same time that the Club was hosting Mae West, Babe Ruth would finish his professional baseball career in 1935 — one year before Lucky Luciano went to jail, where he remained until his deportation to Italy a decade later.
Elevated gastropub fare and a vintage feel keep The Ohio Club roaring
While Hot Springs may not be the proverbial “hot bed” of nightlife that it was during the early 1900s, modern foodies will still find much to enjoy. These days, The Ohio Club is more of a restaurant than a bar-casino. But, this establishment still keeps with the times, offering an impressive mocktail menu (or a Coors Light for $4.75). Brought a bigger appetite? The Ohio Club also serves a sprawling gourmet burger menu made from black Angus beef on a brioche bun. Or, the fancier Kobe coffee rub burger ($28.75 as of this publication) stars a coffee-rubbed Kobe beef patty, cheddar cheese, spicy grilled onions, and house creolaise sauce. The Ohio Club even named a sandwich after its legendary mobster patron, Bugsy Siegle. The Bugsy stacks house-made corned beef, pastrami, spicy mustard, and Swiss cheese on toasted marble rye bread.
Inside, the Club’s interior boasts vintage historical charm. The narrow space is lined by a hand-carved mahogany bar, rich wooden accents throughout, and tables constructed from old reclaimed roulette wheels (a nod to the establishment’s casino past). It all makes for an old-timey feel, a taste of the past without being tired, and elevated gastropub fare that is still winning over customers.
