Restaurant openings and closings in the Dayton-area

The start of 2020 had lots of restaurant news.

Among the new arrivals is Mi Colombia, a spot for traditional Colombian dishes; and for pancake lovers, IHOP has made a return to the Dayton market.

Two long-time fixtures, Bar Louie at The Greene and Citilites at the Schuster Center in downtown Dayton have closed, although new dining options are already in the works for both locations.

Here’s a look at some of the restaurant news from January.

Open

Back Home Tavern & Table

The owners of a new, locally-owned restaurant that just opened near the University of Dayton want their guests to feel at home when they come in for a drink or a bite to eat.

Back Home Tavern & Table opened on Monday, Jan. 27, at 1151 Brown St. in the space that used to house Romer’s Bar & Grill, and before that, Bargo’s Grill & Tap.

The restaurant specializes in an assortment of upscale comfort and bar foods , but a few standouts include their Snake River Bites, fried pretzels served with homemade queso and jalapeno ranch, and Campfire Corn Dip from their appetizer menu, the owners said.

Dunkin’

Credit: Dunkin' Donuts

Dunkin’ has celebrated a new, 1,915-square-foot Middletown location at 1300 S. Breiel Blvd.

The new restaurant, which replaces a Marco’s Pizza restaurant, sports the company’s “Next Generation” design, including a brighter, more contemporary interior and doughnut cases placed up front for customers to see like a jewelry counter.

It also features a new tap system that will be able to dispense several types of coffee, such as Nitro Coffee, Cold Brew, Iced Coffee and Iced Tea, as well as limited time flavors.

Mi Columbia

Those looking for a taste of another culture won’t have to travel far.

A new Colombian restaurant called Mi Colombia has opened at 3937 Linden Ave. across from the Eastown Shopping Center in Riverside.

The head chef, Juan Carlos Hurtado, said Mi Colombia specializes in traditional Colombian dishes like Ajiaco, a chicken soup commonly found in Latin America; Arroz con pollo, a chicken and rice dish; and Bandeja Paisa, which is considered a national dish in Colombia.

Deg’s Chicken

Credit: Mark Fisher

Deg’s Flame Grilled Chicken — which is on hiatus at The Greene — has opened a new location in the Mall at Fairfield Commons food court.

The new restaurant moved into the food-court space that previously housed Gyro King, which shut down in June 2019.

In addition to grilled chicken, Deg’s also offers grilled wraps, sandwiches, salads, brown rice, mashed potatoes, corn and fries. Vegetarian offerings include mushroom and tofu wraps.

IHOP

Credit: Mark Fisher

One year after its three Dayton-area restaurants shut down abruptly and were padlocked, IHOP has returned to the Dayton market with a new franchise owner and a new restaurant on Miller Lane’s restaurant row.

The new IHOP is located in the former Max & Erma’s restaurant at 6930 Miller Lane, just off I-75 in Butler Twp.

Which Wich Superior Sandwiches

Credit: Contributed

The Dayton area’s second Which Wich Superior Sandwiches restaurant opened Monday, Jan. 20, in Beavercreek.

The region’s newest deli-style restaurant is located at 2820 Centre Drive, Suite 200, off North Fairfield Road near the Mall at Fairfield Commons. The restaurant is in a newly constructed retail building in Beavercreek Towne Center, in front of the Kohl’s and Fresh Thyme. The chain also operates a restaurant in Cornerstone of Centerville, under the direction of a separate franchisee

Which Wich opened its first restaurant in Dallas in 2003. It now operates more than 400 locations. The menu includes specialty sandwiches such as the “Ultimate BLT,” Philly Cheesesteak, Superfood Wich, Meatball Grinder, Cobb Salad Wrap, Reuben and Gyro.

Mariana’s Tacos y Paletas

A new Springfield family-owned restaurant is offering an authentic Mexican food experience with a unique twist to finish off the meal.

Mariana’s Tacos y Paletas, 1706 E. Main St., is selling authentic Mexican food, ice cream and popsicles.

“This is little Mexico here” Jose Hernandez, the owner, said. “The food we serve is what you would eat in Mexico.”

The menu has a variety of items including tacos, burritos, quesadillas, tortas (Mexican subs), nachos and tostilocos that customers can customize.

Winans Chocolates + Coffees

Two new Winans Chocolates + Coffees locations opened on the same day, Jan. 13, in Sidney and in downtown Dayton, becoming the 19th and 20th locations for the Piqua-based chain.

The downtown Dayton chocolate, coffee and wine shop at 221 N. Patterson Blvd. is the second franchise location owned and operated by Whitney Wedding, who also oversees the Winans shop at The Greene Town Center.

The Sidney shop is located at 1019 Wapakoneta Ave.

Heroes Pizza House

A second pizza restaurant has opened at the Wright Station development in Springboro.

“Heroes Pizza House is officially open at 92 Edgebrooke Drive in Springboro,” according to a Twitter post

The Buehler family opened the new pizza restaurant in a building behind the new Springboro Performing Arts Center in the city center development. It previously housed Campioni’s pizza restaurant.

Coming Soon

Condado Tacos

Credit: File Photo

Columbus-based Condado Tacos has confirmed it will open its first Dayton-area restaurant at 4482 Glengarry Drive at The Greene Town Center.

The new restaurant, coming to space that was occupied by EO Burgers, is scheduled to open in late May, a spokeswoman for Condado Tacos told this news outlet. EO Burgers is planning a move to the former Ollie’s Place on Miamisburg-Centerville Road in Washington Twp.

Condado Tacos says it specializes in creating “unique tacos, guacamole, tequila and margaritas at affordable prices. Fresh, high-quality ingredients including salsas, toppings, proteins and tortilla chips — all made from scratch daily — are staples to Condado’s cuisine.”

Bibibop Asian Grill

Credit: Contributed

Bibibop Asian Grill plans to open its second Dayton location at The Cornerstone of Centerville Development in February.

The restaurant announced on its Facebook page today, Jan. 27, a grand opening event tentatively scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 22, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Bibibop offers a fast-casual, build-your-own service concept similar to Chipotle. Diners choose from purple or white rice for their bowl, or have their dish prepared as a salad or wrap, then select from chicken, beef or tofu, and then top their dish from a variety of vegetables and garnishes.

The restaurant will be located at 5225 Cornerstone North Blvd., in the Cornerstone of Centerville space that previously housed MOD Pizza, which shut down in September 2019.

Ironworks Waffle Café

A Springfield mother and daughter are planning to open a waffle concept restaurant in March.

Marcy Nesselroade and her daughter, Ellie Morgan, are embarking on their first restaurant adventure through Ironworks Waffle Cafe, one of five food tenants in COhatch The Market in downtown Springfield.

The menu includes cheddar waffles with chorizo egg scramble, candied jalapenos, and sriracha crema; a classic waffle with buffalo fried chicken, ranch slaw, blue cheese crumbles and dill pickles; dessert waffles; waffles on a stick; and a kids pizza waffle.

Chick-fil-A

A spokeswoman for Chick-fil-A Inc. said the company “is happy to share that we are actively pursuing a new location in Huber Heights” and is “excited by the prospect of joining this vibrant neighborhood.”

In a Facebook post, Huber Heights Mayor Jeff Gore told residents that Chick-fil-A had submitted plans for a new restaurant as part of a request for a zoning change for the space that previously housed Osaka Japanese Steakhouse at 8120 Old Troy Pike.

“Rumors have been flying high ... (and) the rumors are true,” Gore said. “Chick-fil-A is coming to Huber Heights,” pending approval of that zoning change by the city’s planning commission and city council.

Massaman Thai Cuisine

The owner of the former Siam Pad Thai restaurant in Kettering expects to start hiring next month for her new restaurant , which will have a new name and a new location when it opens this spring.

In a message to this news outlet from Pakawan "Fon" Christman’s daughter, Damisa Christman, the family said they are preparing to open “Massaman Thai Cuisine” in March at 467 Patterson Road just west of Shroyer Road in Dayton’s Patterson Park neighborhood.

The restaurant’s new name honors the curry dish that became a signature dish at Siam Pad Thai in Kettering.

Crust & Company

Crust & Company will be the third European-style eatery in the Springfield area opened by Dan and Lisa Freeman in less than two years.

The new eatery will focus on providing customers with freshly baked bread as well as authentic Roman-style pizza. It will be housed in the old Myers Market, which is in the process of being turned into a shared office and market space in downtown Springfield.

Basil’s on Market

Credit: Mark Fisher

Basil’s on Market, which already operates three restaurants in the region, will add a new location in Beavercreek, and it also plans to launch a craft brewery in Mason to produce beer for its restaurants and for distribution in southwest Ohio.

The newest Basil’s on Market restaurant will move into the recently vacated space that housed Flyboys Deli near the main entrance of the Mall at Fairfield Commons in Beavercreek.

If all goes well, the Mall at Fairfield Commons Basil’s on Market will open this spring.

Closed

Bar Louie

Bar Louie closed two locations in the Miami Valley, at The Greene Town Center and in Austin Landing.

The Texas-based gastropub chain announced it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Both the Beavercreek and Miami Twp. locations posted on their Facebook pages that their last day of business was Jan. 25.

Kings New York Pizzeria

The owner of a Centerville pizza shop shut down the restaurant on Saturday, Jan. 25, although he hopes to find a new location later this year.

King's New York Pizzeria, at 57 W. Franklin St., has operated for four years in the heart of downtown Centerville, and owner Jaime Interiano told this news outlet that in the coming months, he will look for a new space to reopen his pizza shop.

The space has housed a pizza shop for more than a decade. Johnny’s Slice of New York Pizzeria relocated to the West Franklin Street location in 2010 after operating at 298 N. Main St.

Corleone’s Pizza

Credit: Mark Fisher

A locally owned and independent pizza shop that has operated in Dayton for more than 12 years has closed its doors and has no plans to relocate or reopen, according to its manager.

“I took it over for about six months, but it didn’t work out,” the manager of Corleone’s Pizza, 960 Patterson Road just west of Wilmington Pike, told this news outlet on Jan. 17.

Santa Clara Juicery

Credit: Alex Perry

The owners of a Dayton neighborhood juice bar shut down their storefront retail operation, but they will continue to deliver their juices and other products and will likely expand their presence at the 2nd Street Market in downtown Dayton. The storefront closed on Jan. 6.

Elizabeth and Dave Furst, founders of the Santa Clara Juicery at 1912 N. Main St. in Dayton’s Santa Clara neighborhood, said on the business’s Facebook page. “We have loved serving this community and the Gem City!”

Santa Clara Juicery has operated a Saturday booth in the pavilion area of the Five Rivers MetroParks 2nd Street Market for more than a year, and the Fursts are now considering expanding the juice bar’s presence there by possibly leasing a vendor booth inside the market sometime later this year, Elizabeth Furst told this news outlet.

Citilites

A restaurant in the heart of downtown’s theater center has closed.

Citilites — located inside the Schuster Performing Arts Center, 1 W. Second St. — will be replaced by a restaurant offering a new concept, Ty Sutton, president and CEO for Victoria Theatre Association, told this news organization.

Citilites boasted “farm-to-table American bistro-style food” in a fine dining setting for lunch and before shows.

The new restaurant will offer quicker service before and after show, Sutton said. The restaurant space will be renovated and the new eatery will open this fall with its new name, look and feel

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About the Authors

Mark Fisher

Allegra Czerwinski

Natalie Jones

Eric Schwartzberg

Larry Budd