CINCINNATI — A Hamilton County judge has ordered a Clifton hookah bar to close permanently following a lawsuit with the City of Cincinnati.
Bohemian Hookah Cafe has been ordered to shut down by Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Patrick Dinkelacker after the bar was sued by the City of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Board of Health in September.
The Agreed Final Order between the City of Cincinnati and owners affiliated with the Bohemian Hookah Cafe reads that the bar "will close and vacate 340 Ludlow Avenue on or before November 14, 2025."
It was welcome news for Clifton Town Meeting President Ben Pantoja.
"I'm very excited about it. It's been a headache for the business district for the past two years," Pantoja said.
He gave current Cincinnati City Councilman and candidate Mark Jeffreys a lot of credit for drawing attention to the issues surrounding the bar.
WATCH: We talk with people who worked to get Bohemian Hookah Cafe closed
Jeffreys said watching surveillance video of late-night parties, illegal alcohol sales and the potential violence centered around the business in our reporting was "jarring."
"It was jarring, and I think that's the sense from a lot of folks here in Clifton," he said.
The councilman said the area will be safer when the lounge closes.
Clifton resident and Charter Party candidate for city council Steve Goodin was critical of the city's actions when we asked him how he was reacting to the judge's order.
"I wish I felt better about it, to be honest with you, because we started on this issue, we started beating this drum in August of 2023," he said.
Goodin said it shouldn't get to the point of a street takeover for significant change to happen.
"I'm glad that they did what they did, but, as my mother used to say, you don't get credit for doing what you were supposed to do anyway," he said.
We asked Jeffreys why it normally takes significant time for alleged nuisance businesses to be addressed.
"I mean, I'm always today, today, today, how can we do this faster? But, the reality is, the law sometimes is very deliberate," he said.
In July, a late-night street takeover took place near the bar where several people seen on surveillance footage were blocking traffic, partying in the street and fighting on Ludlow Avenue. That street takeover led to several Clifton business owners demanding action against the hookah lounge.
"Clifton has always been a very welcoming, very safe neighborhood," said Mike Anagnostou, owner of Ludlow Wines and president of the Clifton Business Association. "It really does harm to the businesses here."
The lawsuit didn't specifically address those complaints from neighbors but claimed that Bohemian Hookah Cafe repeatedly sold tobacco to someone under the age of 21 and repeatedly violated the Ohio Smoke Free Workplace Act by allowing smoking indoors without obtaining an exemption from the Ohio Department of Health.
When the lawsuit was filed, Anagnostou told us the timing of the lawsuit was uncanny, as the Clifton Business Association was planning to file its own nuisance lawsuit.
