Coming later this year near downtown Dayton, the South Park Food Hall has already signed leases for two food businesses, CheezCake Lab and Good Hands Bread Co., with plans to add more.

Here’s a look at the delicious restaurant news that broke in April 2021 across the Miami Valley.

OPEN

Taku

A new Japanese steakhouse has opened in Xenia at 167 Hospitality Drive.

Xenia city staff said Taku is a great addition to the city.

“We are happy to have another quality restaurant in Xenia, and one that differentiates itself from other segments in our market. We have already seen a tremendous outpouring of support for this new restaurant, and look forward to additional food options in the coming months,” said Xenia Development Director Steve Brodsky.

The menu at Taku ranges from sushi rolls to sashimi to hibachi meals.

One of a Kind Dining

Credit: Staff

Credit: Staff

A new, family-owned restaurant in Riverside is getting the word out on their “One of a Kind” food.

One of a Kind Dining, better known as OKD’s, opened at 3937 Linden Ave. on March 1 by mother-daughter team, Wanda Thorpe and her oldest, Jeanetta Anderson. The space was previously home to The Vistro, a local Vietnamese food truck that made the jump to brick-and-mortar in the summer of 2018, and more recently, Mi Colombian.

While working out a menu plan, the family initially decided to supply soul food as the restaurant’s staple. However, their plan has evolved, offering “Soul food Sundays” in particular among a variety of dishes.

“Instead of just offering greens, macaroni and cheese, dressing, candied yams, sweet potato pies and (more), throughout the week we’ll also offer cheesesteaks, pork chops, ribs, grilled cheese sandwiches, mozzarella sticks, fries, (and) onion rings,” Thorpe said.

BBA Café

Credit: Staff

Credit: Staff

Downtown Dayton has a new lunchtime hero for people on-the-go who still want a home-cooked meal.

BBA Café, an acronym for Baked By Anita , is located in the lower floor of the 6 N. Main St.

The café is owned by Anita Stephens, a Dayton native who attended the University of Cincinnati and has run a successful catering business since 2009.

BBA Café is open Monday through Friday. Breakfast service will begin every weekday from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. The café will close daily between breakfast and lunch. However, Stephens said passersby will still be able to grab a granola bar or a coffee if they would like during those in-between hours.

Customers can stop-in with only a little time to spare on their lunch break, spend as little as $4 and get a filling lunch.

The café's menu offers daily lunch specials like the “Hump Day Hog,” BBQ pulled pork sandwich with chips or coleslaw for $6, and “Thank You for Fryay!,” either a chili cheese fries platter for $5 or a café or turkey burger with spicy mustard, pickle, tomato and gouda with fresh-cut fries for $7.

Mi Lindo Jalisco

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

A new Mexican restaurant with a passionate team behind it opened on Miamisburg-Centerville Road in Washington Twp. on April 2.

Mi Lindo Jalisco’s co-founders say their restaurant has an extensive food and drink menu, incorporating recipes all the co-owners have personalized and tweaked over their combined years in the restaurant industry.

The space at 520 Miamisburg-Centerville Road (State Route 725) in the same retail center that houses Hauer Music was formerly occupied by EO Burgers after its move from The Greene Town Center.

Once they have a liquor license, Mi Lindo Jalisco’s menu will offer many flavors of margaritas, including passion fruit and kiwi, in addition to specialty, house-created flavors like Rosa Negra Margarita and the Tuna Margarita — Desert Prickly pear syrup, Tequila reposado, Margarita Mix and freshly squeezed lime juice.

Desserts such as fried ice cream, Sopapillas, Mexican churros and lava cake are also served.

Verona’s Pizza

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

After what the owner called a successful first year in business in Bellbrook, Verona’s Pizza has opened a second location in Fairborn.

Verona’s Pizza opened its newest shop on April 14 at 11 W. Dayton-Yellow Springs Rd. in the former space of a Pizza Hut.

The Verona’s Pizza menu includes the shop’s signature New York-style pizza, and also includes Calzones, Subs, salads and several baked pasta dishes, including Lasagna, Manicotti, Ziti, Ravioli, Spaghetti and Stuffed Shells. Cannoli and Tiramisu also are available.

Harris Bar & Grill

A new Springfield restaurant is making it easier for local diners to satisfy their desire for Indian cuisine.

The restaurant, Harris Bar & Grill, opened inside the Quality Inn at 383 East Leffel Lane.

The restaurant’s menu includes Indian and South Asian dishes, along with options for American meals.

“Mainly, obviously, we focus on the Indian food, but there are options like sandwiches and wraps. The main thing is we’re trying to bring Indian food here, we hear people have to travel to Dayton, or Columbus, or Cincinnati for that. Now, the city of Springfield has their first Indian restaurant here,” said operations manager Deepak Gajmer.

COMING SOON

Jaqua’s

A new restaurant featuring stone-fired pizzas made from scratch and gourmet sandwiches is opening soon at The Greene Town Center.

Jaqua’s will be located at 81 Magnolia Lane Suite 214 at The Greene, near the former Choe’s Asian Gourmet restaurant and across the street from Von Maur.

Jaqua’s is a family business, said restaurant manager Bill Jaqua. The restaurant will feature upscale American bistro food all made from scratch, Jaqua said.

South Park Food Hall

Credit: Staff

Credit: Staff

An industrial and retail building in the Historic South Park neighborhood near downtown Dayton will soon transform into the South Park Food Hall.

The establishment will be located at 735 Wayne Ave., spanning the entire block between Hickory Street and Buckeye Street.

The goal is to build a strong coalition of tenants in the food hall — four to five businesses at first — that will complement each other, rather than compete for customers’ attention. As the food hall establishes itself after opening, more tenants could be added.

Two new, Dayton-owned food businesses that have signed leases inside the South Park Food Hall are the CheezCake Lab LLC and Good Hands Bread Co. Additional food hall tenants will be announced as an official opening date is decided.

Inside the food hall, there will be a common seating area in the midst of the businesses for visitors to sit and eat or drink.

Good Hands Bread Co.

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

One of the first secured tenants in the yet-to-open South Park Food Hall is a Dayton-area-born baker who returned home to share his passion.

Andrew Fisher is the founder and owner of the new Good Hands Bread Co. that will be located inside the South Park Food Hall at 735 Wayne Ave. in Dayton. The food hall will span the entire block between Hickory Street and Buckeye Street and is tentatively planned to open by late summer this year.

Born and raised in Kettering, Fisher has lived and worked in the Columbus food and restaurant industry for the past 10 years, the most recent five years being at the now-closed Baba’s in Columbus’s Old North.

The main component of the new bakery will be the retail sale of bread at the food hall, though Fisher will also sell wholesale to a number of Dayton’s local restaurants.