Dayton Restaurants

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Brixx is a relatively new bar constructed in a 19th Century ice house in downtown Dayton. This establishment has a large U-shaped bar, massive glass windows overlooking Dayton Dragon's Fifth Third Field, plenty of friendly hired help, a big outdoor patio, and good beer and food. Also, it is a Steelers bar, deep in the heart of Bengals territory, with Iron City Beer in bottles. Is there anything more a man (from Pittsburgh) could want? No, not really!

I stopped in for a late lunch on a Friday, and most of the city workers were already here by 3pm. Must be nice! I sat at the bar, grabbed a Sam Adams Octoberfest, and scanned the menu. Mostly the usual items, but the meatloaf sandwich looked tasty and unique. I asked the bartender if it was good, and she said it was her favorite thing on the menu. Awesome... I'll try one.

The sandwich was ready in no time, and it was excellent. Served with nice, crispy, thin-cut fries, the meatloaf was topped with cheddar and a barbecue ketchup mix. Later I had one of the Iron City beers, and the owner's wife even bought me a sample of a new beer they were carrying, called Archangel.

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W.O. Wright's, certainly named after Wilber and Orville of local aviation fame, is a local bar next to Wright Patterson Air Force Base. This is a big place, with an outdoor patio, pool tables, a huge indoor bar, and plenty of tables. The beer list and the menus are both pretty small but enough for a local bar.

I stopped in one evening for dinner. The crowd was pretty small, but young and lively. There was a variety of music from rap to country, and the patrons equally diverse. I had a Great Lakes Brewery beer, followed by a Sam Adams, then I had a mushroom swiss burger. The burger was extremely greasy, but full of flavor. My bill was well under $20.

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The Pub, located in the Greene Town Center in Beavercreek, has to be one of Dayton's best and most popular pubs. The Pub, which features a British atmosphere, is a small chain with locations in about 10 cities, including Orlando and Tampa. They have dozens of beers on tap, including local and European beers. They also offer great food such as fish and chips, bangers and mash, and the like. Even better, the waitresses all wear short skirts.

We had dinner here one summer evening and the restaurant was packed. We squeezed into a few stools at the bar. I had a few Guinness beers and a fried fish sandwich. Both were excellent, authentic, and filling.

Hours of Operation:
Mon - Wed.....3pm - 12am
Thurs .............11am - 12am
Fri - Sat..........11am - 2am
Sun.................11am - 11pm

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Who says you can't find good barbecue in the North? Oink-A-Doodle-Moo convinced me that you can get good barbecue almost anywhere.

Their menu is simple, with three smoked meat sandwiches to chose from: oink (pulled pork), doodle (pulled chicken) and moo (beef brisket). They also offer ribs at the two permanent locations. The sides include macaroni and cheese, beans, potatoes, and corn pudding, and their sauces range from sweet to spicy.

The prices are good, too: $6-$7 for a huge sandwich, and $2.50 more to add a drink and a side. Delicious and fast!

Three locations:

322 UNION BLVD.
ENGLEWOOD, OHIO
937.660.8900

3910 FAR HILLS AVE
KETTERING, OHIO
937.985.9346

Wright Patterson Air Force Base
Area B
Corner of 8th & P st
877-741-7427

A fourth location is planned for Troy, Ohio, to open in Fall 2011.

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I have never seen Penn Station anywhere but Dayton; however, it seems to be a reasonably large Midwest and Southern U.S. chain. According to Wikipedia, Penn Station has 185 locations in 12 states, with the vast majority in Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia. The Penn Station founder started his first sub shop in Dayton, then opened the first Penn Station in Cincinnati in 1985.

Penn Station serves 14 types of subs, including a traditional Philly Cheesesteak and a made-to-order Dagwood. Subs can be made in five different lengths: 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 inches. They also offer great french fries and lemonade.

I had lunch at the Riverside, OH, restaurant. I selected an 8 inch cheesesteak with onions and mushrooms, along with fries for a total bill of $7. The food was ready quickly and the sandwich was excellent.

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From the outside, Tickets looks outdated, and with the name like this, your first thought might be instant lottery rather than bar. Once you step through the front door, however, the bar and restaurant is surprisingly large, clean, and friendly. Notice the unique decor such as the guns and deer heads mounted alongside the NASCAR hoods. They have a good number of TVs, and you can come here to catch the local sporting events on TV.

I arrived on a Thursday and squeezed into one of the few remaining stools at the bar. I scanned the limited number of taps and decided on a Killians Red, only because the selection was so limited (it turns our drafts beers are only $2.25). For dinner I was surprised to see a selection of Greek dishes (gyros, souvlaki, etc) along side you basic bar fare such as burgers and fries. I decided on a gyro with fries ($8). My food was ready in about 10 minutes, and it was decent. The pita bread was a bit hard, which makes me think it might not have been the freshest.

The bartender was friendly and efficient.

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Hot Head is a fast food burrito joint, much like your local Chipotle. Unlike Chipotle, Hot Head has just 19 locations, all in Ohio and Pennsylvania. I stopped in one day for lunch and Hot Head was packed. After 10 minute wait in line, I ordered a steak burrito with rice, a few veggies and hot head sauce, and my meal was about $6. The burrito was huge and really tasty.

Not a bad location for a quick lunch, especially if you can avoid the crowds.

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Oregon Express is one of 8 or 10 local restaurants in Dayton's historic and somewhat revitalized Oregon District. This is a small, unique and divey bar that specializes in pizza and beer. I arrived on a Wednesday when they offered 25% off specialty pizza. I chose an Italian pizza and a few Great Lakes beers.

The pizza came out quickly, but was served on a square piece of cardboard that was smaller than the pie. The pizza was excellent, however, and the Great Lakes beer tasty. The bartender was very friendly and happy to give me directions to the Dayton Dragons baseball stadium nearby.

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Located in Dayton's most popular area, Oregon District, Dublin Pub is one of the citys best bars. I stopped in for dinner one Saturday afternoon during college football season. Late in the afternoon the bar was quiet but it quickly filled up after dark.

For my dinner I had the Sea Monger's platter with beer battered cod, fried shrimp, and fried clams for a low price of $12 (or add crab cakes for $2 more). I also had a few Guinness beers All of the food was tasty, the service great, and the bartenders friendly.

Other food options include Irish steaks, meatloafs, boxtys, shepherds pie, corned beef and cabbage, fish and chips, burgers, appetizers, and sandwiches.

They claim the largest whiskey sales in the entire state and they have been named best of Dayton in various categories numerous times.

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This is the newest Italian place to go in Dayton! They have an excellent menu with tons of options. The staff is friendly and are well trained; they know the menu backwards and forwards and are very helpful with suggestions. Sopranos has varied seating to complement your preference; high top tables that are close to flat screen tvs, booths, low tables and a round table in the corner for semi-private meetings. They can accomodate any request fior seating for large groups too. Not only is the menu affordable but they have a pastry chef who makes daily dessert specials, the Tiramisu is fantastic!!

Favorite Dish: I like a little zip with my food so I tried the Shrimp Fra Diavolo, AMAZING!! It had the right blend of spice that was pleasant but not burnng nor lasting