David's Guidebook for Dayton

Food Scene

I’ve picked my favorite local independent restaurants. I’ve done advertising and marketing for many of the best- and these are the places my clients go to when not eating their own food.

Pizza Factory - Dayton's Original

The gourmet pizzas are great- and they deliver. Faves: Buffalo Bacon Ranch, Mediterranean, Classic Italian, Pesto Pizzaz and the Aussie Special. Monday night- it's buy one get one 75% off for pickup only. Highly recommend.

Pizza Factory - Dayton's Original

1101 Wayne Ave

The gourmet pizzas are great- and they deliver. Faves: Buffalo Bacon Ranch, Mediterranean, Classic Italian, Pesto Pizzaz and the Aussie Special. Monday night- it's buy one get one 75% off for pickup only. Highly recommend.

Ghostlight Coffee

I don't drink coffee, but my coffee snob employees LOVE this joint. Short walk. Some food.

28 locals recommend

Ghostlight Coffee

1201 Wayne Ave

28 locals recommend

I don't drink coffee, but my coffee snob employees LOVE this joint. Short walk. Some food.

Ginger and Spice Asian Bistro

Covid update- they don't do dine in. Order online- pickup behind the shop. They bring it out to your car. Legit authentic Chinese. Really tasty. The Chinese students at UD all go here. Very tight fit. Inexpensive. They have a menu only in Chinese if you want to be daring.

Ginger and Spice Asian Bistro

1105 Brown St

Covid update- they don't do dine in. Order online- pickup behind the shop. They bring it out to your car. Legit authentic Chinese. Really tasty. The Chinese students at UD all go here. Very tight fit. Inexpensive. They have a menu only in Chinese if you want to be daring.

CJ Chan

Sushi and Chinese. Really affordable, a little more intimate than Ginger and Spice.

8 locals recommend

CJ Chan

536 Wilmington Ave

8 locals recommend

Sushi and Chinese. Really affordable, a little more intimate than Ginger and Spice.

Linh's Bistro

My favorite place. Cheap. Awesome. Get the fresh spring rolls. Only order from the Vietnamese menu. The Spicy Salted Pork, the Basil Beef and the Pho all rock- as does their monster salad- I don't know it's name- but it has chicken, shrimp and pork- and it's so good.

6 locals recommend

Linh's Bistro

5532 Airway Rd

6 locals recommend

My favorite place. Cheap. Awesome. Get the fresh spring rolls. Only order from the Vietnamese menu. The Spicy Salted Pork, the Basil Beef and the Pho all rock- as does their monster salad- I don't know it's name- but it has chicken, shrimp and pork- and it's so good.

Old Scratch Pizza & Beer

Wood fired stone ovens. Get the Angry Beekeeper. And try the Straticatella for an appetizer. If you are vegan, the fire roasted cauliflower rocks. Outside dining.

25 locals recommend

Old Scratch Pizza & Beer

812 S Patterson Blvd

25 locals recommend

Wood fired stone ovens. Get the Angry Beekeeper. And try the Straticatella for an appetizer. If you are vegan, the fire roasted cauliflower rocks. Outside dining.

Pine Club

No reservations. Bring cash. It's on the NYTimes 10 best traditional steakhouses. House dressing is garlic to die for. No dessert- but Ben and Jerry's is right next door. My favorite - the Porterhouse for two- medium rare. It's as Dayton as it gets. Servers in black and white aprons. Dinner for 2- no drinks- $100.

24 locals recommend

Pine Club

1926 Brown St

24 locals recommend

No reservations. Bring cash. It's on the NYTimes 10 best traditional steakhouses. House dressing is garlic to die for. No dessert- but Ben and Jerry's is right next door. My favorite - the Porterhouse for two- medium rare. It's as Dayton as it gets. Servers in black and white aprons. Dinner for 2- no drinks- $100.

Taqueria Mixteca

Authentic Mexican- inexpensive. It's an old Burger Chef- and the bathroom access is outside- so, go before you go.

7 locals recommend

Taqueria Mixteca

1609 E 3rd St

7 locals recommend

Authentic Mexican- inexpensive. It's an old Burger Chef- and the bathroom access is outside- so, go before you go.

Skyline Chili

This is only if you've never had "Cincinnati Style Chilli"- which is a strange thing if you're not from here. Go to this one, not the one on Brown Street. Cincy chilli is a meat based sweet chilli server over spaghetti with grated cheddar- that's called a 3-way. Add onions or beans to both to make a 4-way or 5-way. Served with Oyster crackers- you crumble them up to sop up the leftover juice at the end for a salty finish. They also eat it on "coney's"- which are embarrassingly small hot dogs- with mounds of cheese, chilli and mustard. You'll either love it or hate it- but, it's a SW Ohio thing. It's also pretty cheap.

17 locals recommend

Skyline Chili

2724 Wilmington Pike

17 locals recommend

This is only if you've never had "Cincinnati Style Chilli"- which is a strange thing if you're not from here. Go to this one, not the one on Brown Street. Cincy chilli is a meat based sweet chilli server over spaghetti with grated cheddar- that's called a 3-way. Add onions or beans to both to make a 4-way or 5-way. Served with Oyster crackers- you crumble them up to sop up the leftover juice at the end for a salty finish. They also eat it on "coney's"- which are embarrassingly small hot dogs- with mounds of cheese, chilli and mustard. You'll either love it or hate it- but, it's a SW Ohio thing. It's also pretty cheap.

Wholly Grounds

The neighborhoods newest coffee shop. I'm not a coffee drinker- so I can't tell you if it's any good. It's claim to fame is that it has a liquor license and can sell "Irish Coffee" Nice atmosphere. Just opened 12/22/18 Has wifi. You can walk over.

8 locals recommend

Wholly Grounds

825 Wayne Ave

8 locals recommend

The neighborhoods newest coffee shop. I'm not a coffee drinker- so I can't tell you if it's any good. It's claim to fame is that it has a liquor license and can sell "Irish Coffee" Nice atmosphere. Just opened 12/22/18 Has wifi. You can walk over.

Stoney’s Munchie Bar

Chicken and Waffles- with garlic aioli sauce. Aweseome. Cool vibe- tiny joint. Mom Teresa, son Jesse opened it on 4/20/2019 and it's great. Only open Thursday to Sunday 7am to 7pm. Well worth it. Get a half-order btw- it will fill you. The protein smoothies aren't $100 ea - they are $5, but Jesse won't make them- only Teresa will.

Stoney’s Munchie Bar

1929 E 5th St

Chicken and Waffles- with garlic aioli sauce. Aweseome. Cool vibe- tiny joint. Mom Teresa, son Jesse opened it on 4/20/2019 and it's great. Only open Thursday to Sunday 7am to 7pm. Well worth it. Get a half-order btw- it will fill you. The protein smoothies aren't $100 ea - they are $5, but Jesse won't make them- only Teresa will.

Olive Mediterranean Grill

Fred is the hardest working restaurant owner I know. He also makes the best middle eastern food. My favorite is his Kufta- either as a wrap- or a platter. Gyros, Shwarma, Hummus- it's all good. His reviews online are amazing- for the food. Atmosphere- non-existent. Great for pickup.

Olive Mediterranean Grill

44 W Third St

Fred is the hardest working restaurant owner I know. He also makes the best middle eastern food. My favorite is his Kufta- either as a wrap- or a platter. Gyros, Shwarma, Hummus- it's all good. His reviews online are amazing- for the food. Atmosphere- non-existent. Great for pickup.

Charlie's Deli & Catering

Old north Dayton was the Eastern European Mecca of Dayton. Lots of factories and tool and die shops. This place opened in the sixties and is a working class sandwich shop. Inexpensive, tasty. Great for lunch pickup- or eat in the back.

Charlie's Deli & Catering

429 Troy St

Old north Dayton was the Eastern European Mecca of Dayton. Lots of factories and tool and die shops. This place opened in the sixties and is a working class sandwich shop. Inexpensive, tasty. Great for lunch pickup- or eat in the back.

Amber Rose Restaurant

Another old north Dayton institution- you want schnitzel or cabbage rolls, this is the place.

Amber Rose Restaurant

1400 Valley St

Another old north Dayton institution- you want schnitzel or cabbage rolls, this is the place.

Siam Pad Thai (temporarily closed)

It isn't closed- and it's not called Siam Pad Thai- anymore- https://www.massamantc.com/ Massaman thai. Authentic Thai- really good, and they can make it as hot or as mellow as you like. Small- not real sexy- but delicious food.

8 locals recommend

Siam Pad Thai (temporarily closed)

467 Patterson Road

8 locals recommend

It isn't closed- and it's not called Siam Pad Thai- anymore- https://www.massamantc.com/ Massaman thai. Authentic Thai- really good, and they can make it as hot or as mellow as you like. Small- not real sexy- but delicious food.

Sueño

Reservations required. If you are a foodie- and like Mexican food- you will be in for a treat. It's not cheap. Small plates for the most part- exquisite presentation, nice tastes. Very sexy atmosphere. Great place for a date. It's not been open that long- and is a hard table to get on short notice. You can eat at a table- or- at the "bar" overlooking the kitchen- which works great for solo dining.

13 locals recommend

Sueño

607 East 3rd Street

13 locals recommend

Reservations required. If you are a foodie- and like Mexican food- you will be in for a treat. It's not cheap. Small plates for the most part- exquisite presentation, nice tastes. Very sexy atmosphere. Great place for a date. It's not been open that long- and is a hard table to get on short notice. You can eat at a table- or- at the "bar" overlooking the kitchen- which works great for solo dining.

Chazzy's Kitchen

This is a hole in the wall, in a superette/drive through. The owner, Chazzy is larger than life and loud and proud. The booths seats are bumpy, the menu is hard to read- but it's home cooking at it's low brow best. We would never have found it- until one of my guests and Leslie's guests both raved about it in the same week. People must know about it- because it's been around since 2018 or so- and survived the pandemic. Known for wings, I had the pulled pork and mac and cheese- and it hit the spot. For those who like going way off the norm- it's relatively close- 10 minutes- and a trip- and not that expensive.

Chazzy's Kitchen

3351 Main Street

This is a hole in the wall, in a superette/drive through. The owner, Chazzy is larger than life and loud and proud. The booths seats are bumpy, the menu is hard to read- but it's home cooking at it's low brow best. We would never have found it- until one of my guests and Leslie's guests both raved about it in the same week. People must know about it- because it's been around since 2018 or so- and survived the pandemic. Known for wings, I had the pulled pork and mac and cheese- and it hit the spot. For those who like going way off the norm- it's relatively close- 10 minutes- and a trip- and not that expensive.

Jollity

Really enjoyed the food. If the reservation system doesn't say a table is available- call. We couldn't get a table- so sat at the kitchen table- and thankful that we did. Saw them prepping the Brussel sprouts- and ordered them. Absolutely incredible- as was the Halloumi , and everything else. This isn't an inexpensive meal- but, it's worth every penny in the exquisite preparation and presentation. The dessert- a banana miso thing- was outstanding (blow torch to the yummy cake and marshmallows...) This is a great date place- not too loud- sexy food- and a hip vibe. The bathroom walls are covered in anime art. Service is polite and attentive. May be one of my top 5 restaurants in Dayton. Reservations on weekends an absolute. It's in the Fireblocks district downtown- which means you can take the free Flyer trolly on Warren Street and get off at Courthouse square and walk 2 blocks. You can eat at the kitchen table- a bar around the kitchen- good for single diners.

7 locals recommend

Jollity

127 East 3rd Street

7 locals recommend

Really enjoyed the food. If the reservation system doesn't say a table is available- call. We couldn't get a table- so sat at the kitchen table- and thankful that we did. Saw them prepping the Brussel sprouts- and ordered them. Absolutely incredible- as was the Halloumi , and everything else. This isn't an inexpensive meal- but, it's worth every penny in the exquisite preparation and presentation. The dessert- a banana miso thing- was outstanding (blow torch to the yummy cake and marshmallows...) This is a great date place- not too loud- sexy food- and a hip vibe. The bathroom walls are covered in anime art. Service is polite and attentive. May be one of my top 5 restaurants in Dayton. Reservations on weekends an absolute. It's in the Fireblocks district downtown- which means you can take the free Flyer trolly on Warren Street and get off at Courthouse square and walk 2 blocks. You can eat at the kitchen table- a bar around the kitchen- good for single diners.

Tokyo Grill & Sushi Buffet (Centerville)

I love sushi. Problem is, unless you have a huge group, you get a roll or two- and that's it. This place, you pay $25 per person, get a bowl for the Hibachi ingredients- and you pick what kind of starch (I like the Udon noodles) and what you want- and they grill it up to bring to you. But the real deal is the sushi- they keep putting out new rolls, and you can take a piece or 3 of any of about 20 different rolls and try them out. It was fresh- and tasty. They also have a desert bar. Atmosphere isn't hip or warm and fuzzy - but that's not what you are there for. Note- there are a couple different Tokyo yada yadas this is the one in front of Sam's Club on Miamisburg Centerville Rd.

Tokyo Grill & Sushi Buffet (Centerville)

I love sushi. Problem is, unless you have a huge group, you get a roll or two- and that's it. This place, you pay $25 per person, get a bowl for the Hibachi ingredients- and you pick what kind of starch (I like the Udon noodles) and what you want- and they grill it up to bring to you. But the real deal is the sushi- they keep putting out new rolls, and you can take a piece or 3 of any of about 20 different rolls and try them out. It was fresh- and tasty. They also have a desert bar. Atmosphere isn't hip or warm and fuzzy - but that's not what you are there for. Note- there are a couple different Tokyo yada yadas this is the one in front of Sam's Club on Miamisburg Centerville Rd.