Dayton vegan restaurant scores a national shout-out before it even opens

VegOut Magazine, a vegan media company with city guides across the country that says it covers “the best vegan things to eat, see, and do,” alerted its readers to Cafe 1610′s upcoming opening at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 5. The restaurant is located in the District Provisions building at 521 Wayne Ave.

“While the plant-based dishes look amazing and should draw vegans from around the area, the founders’ primary intent is to market to omnivores, showing just how beautiful and delicious plant-based cuisine can be,” VegOutMag.com said of Cafe 1610 on its web site.

Cafe 1610 will specialize primarily in breakfast, brunch and lunch, and will offer a “guest-chef” dinner service every Sunday. Its three founders are Xtine Brean, who has operated the vegan food truck Om Nom Mobile Cafe and has served as food-services coordinator at Central State University, who will oversee the restaurant’s kitchen; Molly Blackshear, a Dayton native who will oversee the restaurant’s front-of-the-house operations; and Blackshear’s mother, Cathy Mong, a former Dayton Daily News reporter who retired from the newspaper in 2006 after 26 years, who will coordinate an in-house delivery service.

All items are packaged to go, although there is limited seating in the District Provisions space. Delivery service will be added soon, the restaurant’s founders said.

Cafe 1610 will operate out of the market-style space in the northwest portion of the District Provisions building, also known as the Dietz Block building, built in 1886 at Wayne Avenue and Jones Street. The building has housed Crafted & Cured, Grist Provisions and Glasz Bleu Oven. The founders of Cafe 1610 said they signed an initial four-month lease that will help them gauge the community’s interest in supporting a vegan restaurant at the site.

Cafe 1610′s Hours will be 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, closed Monday and Tuesday.

For more information, check out the restaurant’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Cafe1610.Dayton, call 937-815-1610 or email cafe1610.dayton@gmail.com.