2 widely anticipated restaurants open in Centerville, 4 more on the way

🍽 Agave & Rye

Location: 11 N. Main St.

Details: Agave & Rye, a Tequila and Bourbon Hall delivering “epic tacos” and much more, opened its doors at the end of June.

“Centerville has a reputation of being such an amazing community that we couldn’t resist the opportunity to be part of it,” Yavonne Sarber, CEO and co-founder of Agave & Rye Tequila and Bourbon Hall previously said. “We’re so excited to celebrate the city itself with local food lovers and restaurant-goers.”

The 5,400-square-foot restaurant is located in the space that formerly housed Panera Bread. It is filled with unique artwork that walks an intriguing line between fine art and street art, giving a feel of “urban grunge.”

The Centerville location seats 100 people outside and 158 people inside. Agave & Rye recently rolled out its summer menu across all locations featuring grilled street tacos and an employee favorite — strawberry jalapeño tequila salsa.

Agave & Rye first opened its doors in 2018 in Covington, Kentucky. Additional area locations include Troy and Liberty Township. The restaurant is also planning to open a new location in Hamilton at the intersection of Main Street and South East Street, which formerly housed Ritzi’s Service Station.

🍽 Manna

Location: 61 W. Franklin St.

Details: Manna, a new fine dining restaurant in Centerville’s historic Uptown neighborhood, opened its doors in May.

Executive chef and owner Margot Blondet, a Centerville resident of 18 years, previously said she had been looking to open something close to her home for a long time. What started as an idea of opening a bar, has now turned into a two-story upscale restaurant with two bars.

Blondet also owns Salar in Dayton’s Oregon District.

Manna means “food from the gods to feed the soul,” Blondet said. According to the Bible, when the Israelites were making their way through the desert, God sent them manna when they needed food.

The new restaurant offers a taste of Europe and South America. Unlike Salar, which focuses on Peruvian cuisine with international dishes, Manna spotlights European cuisine with French foods and a touch of Peruvian.

The menu features salads, hors d’oeuvres and a variety of entrees like Poulet au Four, Lamb Côtelette, Filet Poêlé and Summer Truffle.

COMING SOON

🍽 Brunch Pub

Location: 101 W. Franklin St.

Details: Construction is underway for The Brunch Pub, located in the former space of Las Piramides.

An economic development program assistance application submitted to the city of Centerville by Brunch Pub owner Ali Bas says the establishment will feature a full menu of “moderately priced ‘comfort’ food influenced by Italian, French and American cooking traditions, but based upon time-honored recipes from around the world.”

The café section will feature a coffeehouse with a dessert bar, magazines and space for live performances. A former party room will be used for a proposed “pub & grub” featuring high-end bar food and sports fare including pool tables and darts.

Guests also will be able to enjoy coffee, desserts and live entertainment or a game of cornhole in the gardens located adjacent to patio space.

Bas said the cafe will aim to provide a “sophisticated, sensual yet casual dining and/or coffeehouse experience” for area residents and visitors.

🍽 Meridien

Location: 28 W. Franklin St.

Details: The building that was formerly home to Sweeney’s Seafood Bar & Grill will soon be a restaurant aiming to offer a new experience on each visit.

Meridien is expected to open by this fall, said owners Rhonda and Matt Hiatt of Centerville.

“We will be specializing in cocktails, wine and small plates inspired by different experiences and cuisines from all around the world,” Rhonda said.

The restaurant is named Meridien — the French spelling of meridian — “because it’s about connecting the different aspects of the world. The meridians are... the rings around the world, so we’re kind of using the tagline of ‘inspired by rounds around the world,’” Rhonda said.

“We want to make sure that every time you come in, it’d be a little bit different, kind of like when you travel somewhere that you might have been before or you’ve never been before, there’s always a bit of discovery and exploration and just a really fun time where you can socialize with friends, meet new people and really relax and enjoy yourself,” she added.

Before the restaurant can open, it will undergo extensive renovations to its interior and exterior.

🍽 Waffle House

Location: 9505 Dayton Lebanon Pike

Details: Waffle House has plans to open a 2,000-square-foot location between La Piñata and LCNB National Bank.

The 24-hour breakfast chain, known for its all-star special that includes waffles and hash browns, has been operating since 1955, with each restaurant remaining open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The Centerville location hopes to open mid-2025.

The restaurant chain has several other locations in the region including 4382 Indian Ripple Road in Beavercreek, 1210 Wilmington Ave. in Dayton, 4912 Springboro Pike in Moraine and 2226 Needmore Road in Dayton. Waffle House is also projected to open a location at 1963 Harner Drive in Xenia.

🍽 International Restaurant & Delicatessen

Location: 261 N. Main St.

Details: International Restaurant & Delicatessen has plans to open mid-July in Centerville.

The restaurant’s owners are Centerville residents Muhammad Yusuf and Dr. Atif Raja.

Yusuf said the business, which previously was a beauty salon, will be the only restaurant in the region or possibly even the state to offer such a wide variety of waffle products, all baked fresh in the restaurant upon ordering.

The menu features a variety of waffle options, including waffle sticks, waffle balls and Belgian waffles, all covered with dips and toppings.

They are also expected to have wraps, subs and sandwiches that are made from Halal lunch meats, as well as hummus with pita as an appetizer and cake, pie or baklava for dessert.

Yusuf said International Restaurant & Delicatessen is a concept his father had for many years.

“He had the opportunity to travel to a number of countries overseas and the tea and coffee shop culture he experienced he wanted to bring to our area,” he said.