Newsletter: This week in local food news we introduce a food truck with smash burgers and talk with the owners of Los Mariachis 🍔🌮

Hello, local food fans!

There’s a new food truck in town serving smash burgers, smash bites, lemonades and dirty sodas.

Dayton native Damon Wright and his wife, Brittney, have opened the Sip N Smash food truck and are setting up at 1451 Troy St., where Grocerylane was previously located.

Credit: Natalie Jones

Credit: Natalie Jones

Smash burgers offered on the food truck include:

The Original featuring American cheese and a house made BBQ based sauce
The Deluxe featuring pepper jack cheese, sauteed onions and a garlic aioli

Don’t forget to get a side of the smash bites — garlic, parsley baby potatoes topped with a garlic aioli — and a 32 oz. lemonade shake-up.

Credit: Natalie Jones

Wright plans to be open 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. four to five days out of the week, in addition to doing events.

WATCH: Behind-the-scenes at Sip N Smash in Dayton

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Meet the family behind Los Mariachis, a Xenia restaurant reopening this month

Credit: Natalie Jones

Genoveva “Genny” Escamilla, whose family owns Los Mariachis in London, Springfield and Xenia, said her goal is to make customers feel like they’re at home when dining at their Mexican restaurants.

“We try to stay humble, treat others the way we want to be treated and at the end of the day everyone becomes family — our employees, our customers," Escamilla said.

The family has been remodeling its Xenia restaurant after a fire in June 2024 damaged the entire kitchen.

After going through insurance and having to resubmit plans multiple times to the city, “we’re in a good place now.” They are planning to open sometime this month.

PHOTOS: Sneak peek inside Los Mariachis in Xenia after remodel

Hamilton bakery adds second location

Credit: Nick Graham

Luke’s Custom Cakes in Hamilton is opening a second location inside the Dayton Arcade.

The bakery, expected to open in early August, will be located in a 300-square-foot space within the North Arcade retail marketplace.

“We are absolutely thrilled to become a part of the Dayton Arcade’s incredible resurgence,” said Owner Luke Heizer. “To bring our creations to such a historically significant and now vibrant space is a dream come true. We look forward to serving the Dayton community and being a place where people can come together to enjoy delicious treats.”

New bakery to open near The Greene in Beavercreek

Credit: Facebook Photo

After obtaining an LLC last year and baking as a cottage baker based in Fairborn, Kristie McAllister is opening a brick-and-mortar spot in Beavercreek.

Anchored Baking Co. will be located at 3979 Indian Ripple Road, Suite E, in the shopping center that houses Jet’s Pizza and Chicago Gyros & Dogs.

Besides decorated cookies, something unique McAllister offers are cookie sandwiches with flavors such as PB&J, S’mores, Buckeye Brownie and Oatmeal Cream Pies.

Quick Bites

🍴 Underground Chuck’s opens near Dayton Mall: The restaurant has “wings, handcrafted Angus burgers and USDA Choice steaks, along with a great selection of craft beers, signature cocktails and a laid-back vibe.” READ MORE

🥤 Pulp Juice and Smoothie Bar opens in Fairborn: The shop is located at 2012 Commerce Center Blvd. next to Chipotle in The Shoppes at Valle Greene II near Kroger.

☕ Dutch Bros Coffee coming to Butler Twp.: The shop will be situated just south of Taco Bell and to the north of Wings Sports Bar & Grille in the township’s Community Gateway Corridor.

🍝 Italian restaurant opens in former Cold Beer & Cheeseburgers spot: Meef’s Pasteria is a family owned Italian restaurant serving homemade pastas.

Hidden Valley Orchards revamping food program

Credit: Natalie Jones

Hidden Valley Orchards in Lebanon is now owned by a group that wants to preserve the farmland, support local agriculture and create meaningful experiences for families.

The plan is to stay true to the orchard’s roots, while investing in it’s future.

Something new guests can expect is a revamped food and beverage program featuring farm fresh food, as well as a new bakery.

Best of Dayton: Who has the Best Pizza?

Credit: Natalie Jones

One of our most popular categories in our Best of Dayton contest is Best Pizza. Which of the six finalists do you want to win?

Joe’s Pizzeria
Marion’s Piazza
Old Scratch Pizza & Beer
Pappa’s Pizza Palace
Pizza Dive
Ron’s Pizza

Voting runs through May 16, and you can vote once per day per contest. CLICK HERE to vote.

Here’s what I’ve been eating 🍽️

Last week, I went to Shen’s Szechuan & Sushi on Poe Avenue in Dayton. I hadn’t been there in a long time, but Chinese food sounded really good and my husband really likes their sushi.

The restaurant was able to make chicken fried rice with gluten-free soy sauce for me and my husband had two sushi rolls:

California (crab stick, avocado and cucumber)
Yummy (tempura shrimp topped with crab meat, spicy mayo and eel sauce)

Everything was great! What’s your favorite Chinese restaurant? Email me here.

Connect with me ✉️

Thank you so much for reading my weekly newsletter! If you see a new restaurant opening or are wondering when an establishment is expected to open, feel free to email me here, and I’ll check it out.

Remember to follow Dayton Daily News on Facebook or search our Food & Dining section for the latest stories. I’ll have continuous updates on my Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok pages

About the Author

Natalie Jones

Natalie Jones is an All Media Journalist with Dayton.com focusing on food and dining, pop culture and lifestyle. She is a Wright State University graduate with over seven years of experience in the media field.