May restaurant news: 14 opened, 4 changing owners, 2 coming soon

Here is our May Restaurant Roundup:

If you know of a new restaurant coming to the Dayton area, email natalie.jones@coxinc.com with details.

NEW RESTAURANTS

- Gulzar’s Indian Cuisine opens across the street from Day Air Ballpark

A family-owned Indian restaurant, already popular among Daytonians, opened at 217 N. Patterson Blvd. in downtown Dayton. The restaurant joins a row of eateries including Winans Chocolates + Coffees and Flyboys Deli.

Customers can expect “freshly cooked meals that are good for the soul,” Deepika Singh said. She manages the restaurant with her husband, Jay.

Gulzar’s Indian Cuisine will feature a variety of authentic Indian dishes and fan-favorites. This includes their most popular dishes such as chicken tika masala and chicken curry, Deepika explained. Their most authentic food, featuring a blend of onion, garlic, tomato, ginger and other authentic spices, will be listed under Chef Specials on the menu.

- Steak Thyme Bar & Grill opens in Miamisburg

Miamisburg natives Jake and Jordan Shteiwi have opened a second Steak Thyme location in their hometown after success at their original location in Kettering.

Steak Thyme Bar & Grill, located at 103 N. Springboro Pike in Miamisburg, opened with a full-service bar, a large dining room, outdoor seating and new menu items.

“I want this to be the new hotspot in Miamisburg,” Jake said.

Steak Thyme Bar & Grill has 12 beers and two wines on tap. They also have twisted slushies, their signature lime and thyme mojitos and a celebrity line of wine bottles featuring Snoop Dogg, Martha Stewart, Post Malone and many others. New menu items include wings, pizza and Bavarian pretzels with artisan beer cheese.

- Mode X Tequila Bistro opens at The Greene Town Center

A tequila bar with authentic Mexican food held a soft opening this week at The Greene Town Center in Beavercreek.

Oscar Rodriguez, general manager and co-owner of Mode X Tequila Bistro, said he wants to bring a unique, new concept to the Dayton area.

“When it comes to Mexican food in the area, there is no such thing. There is more of Tex-Mex,” Rodriguez said. “What we want to do is introduce real, authentic food with tequila.”

Mode X Tequila Bistro’s menu will include tapas, tacos birria, chile en nogada and much more.

Rodriguez said they will have a wide selection of tequila as well as a full-service bar. The bistro will also have 12 signature cocktails featuring tequila including the 1948. The 1948 is their version of a margarita that uses a secret ingredient from Mexico.

- Greek Street opens brick-and-mortar in Centerville’s Cross Pointe Shopping Center

A food truck known for its authentic Greek cuisine has opened a restaurant in Centerville.

Greek Street, owned by Centerville native Chris Spirtos, offers a larger variety of Greek cuisine compared to its food truck. Spirtos said the restaurant has more gyros and desserts - including baklava soft serve ice cream.

Spirtos said what sets his restaurant apart is that he serves whole muscle meats.

“We use whole legs of lamb,” he said. “We braise it down for four to five hours, so you’re actually getting 100 percent legs of lamb instead of processed meat. Ninety-five percent of our stuff is made in-house.”

Greek Street’s most popular menu items include lamb, chicken and pork belly gyros, Greek fries and baklava.

- Chicken Head’s Ghost Kitchen kicks off soft opening in Kettering

The time has come for fans of Chicken Head’s and the Cookieologist to unite as the two locally-owned businesses collaborate in a new ghost kitchen concept in the Dayton area.

Chicken Head’s Ghost Kitchen kicked off a soft opening from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday at 1122 E. Dorothy Lane in Kettering.

The ghost kitchen’s menu will be limited, but it will feature Chicken Head’s tenders, wings and fries and the Cookieologist’s cookies. Head said they plan to add beverages from Jegna Coffee Company to the menu in the coming weeks.

“Food is our love letter,” Head said. “We were in the kitchen just yesterday marveling over how good it is. We can’t wait to serve people our delicious food.”

- DOUGH, A bakery by Ghostlight opens at 2nd Street Market

One of Dayton’s favorite gathering spots for shopping local has a new vendor with a longtime presence in the Dayton area.

DOUGH, A bakery by Ghostlight is open at 2nd Street Market, 600 E. Second St. in Dayton.

“2nd Street Market is a landmark for the downtown community,” said Shane Anderson, owner and founder of Ghostlight Coffee. “It’s an honor to have a presence there.

The bakery will have reimagined sandwiches from the Patterson Blvd. location, new sandwiches, homemade soups, a variety of bagels and schmears, bagel chips and dips, pastries and canned beverages.

- Culver’s opens new restaurant in Vandalia

A fast-food restaurant chain specializing in ButterBurgers and Fresh Frozen Custard has opened its closest location to Dayton.

Culver’s, a Wisconsin-based restaurant chain, is now open at 6425 Miller Lane in Vandalia.

Mark Myers, who owns the restaurant with his wife, Jeanette, in partnership with the Potts Family said, “The welcome from the community has been phenomenal.”

Culver’s offers more than made-to-order ButterBurgers and Fresh Frozen Custard, which Myers describes as “silk on a spoon.” He said they have several “hidden gems” including the pot roast, pork loin or veggie burger.

- More Than A Apron LLC moves into Miamisburg event center

A new chef cooking up birria tacos, salmon cheesesteak and much more has moved into The Vault Event Center in Miamisburg.

More Than A Apron LLC, owned by Darion Lewis, recently signed a lease to sell and cook food at the event center, located at 23 E. Central Ave.

Lewis said he started selling food in Huber Heights, transitioned to doing pop-ups in front of area businesses, borrowed a food truck during the winter months and even cooked at Back Home Tavern & Table on Brown Street in Dayton.

More Than A Apron LLC features beef, chicken and lamb birria tacos, bowls and fries. He also has a salmon cheesesteak with a homemade bourbon glaze sauce.

- Jubie’s Creamery opens new shop in Moraine

A Fairborn ice cream shop, owned and operated by a Miami Valley native, has opened a second location in Moraine at 2749 W. Alex Bell Rd. in the former Heartland Pharmacy location.

Jubie’s Creamery is a “one-stop ice cream shop” with 32 flavors of homemade ice cream, including Choc-A-Lot, its nationally acclaimed flavor. The ice cream shop also has a soft-serve custard that owner Julie Domicone described as denser and richer than a typical soft-serve. Guest can order traditional scoops, sundaes, shakes, blasts, parfaits and much more.

Domicone owns the ice cream shop with her father, Fred, and mother, Stacey. Her father has owned and operated Domicone Printing on Kauffman Avenue in Fairborn for 50 years. Her mother purchased the Fairborn Jubie’s location, 471 W. Dayton Yellow Springs Rd., in 2011 and the family opened the ice cream shop in 2018.

- CheezCake Lab opens in Spark Fairborn

A new dessert bakery that specializes in cheesecake has opened in Spark Fairborn, a combination incubator kitchen and co-working space.

CheezCake Lab, owned by Vivian Wong, is planning to offer everything cheesecake. Right now, the bakery offers a variety of cupcake-sized cheesecakes with plans to add cheesecake filled cookies and dips.

“Anything we can stuff cheesecake into, we’re going to try it,” Wong said.

CheezCake Lab also does 9-inch cakes for special orders and catering for events.

- Chicka Wing to open in Huber Heights at end of May

A fast-casual, chicken restaurant is opening in Huber Heights at the end of this month.

Chicka Wing will open its doors at 6315 Brandt Pike on Tuesday, May 31.

The menu features several combo options, including choices of “chicka fingers” and wings, available bone-in or bone-out. Familiar chicken restaurant sides like Texas toast and French fries are also on the menu.

Chicka Wing opened its first location at 1875 S. Limestone St. in Springfield in March, but closed its doors this month due to an increase in food costs and inconsistent foot traffic.

RESTAURANT RE-OPENINGS

- Weekly buffet lunch is back at the Dayton Woman’s Club

Lunch is back at the Dayton Woman’s Club every Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Dayton Woman’s Club, located at 225 N. Ludlow St., is open to the public for a weekly themed buffet served by Rich Taste Catering Co. Guests can dine-in for $12.95 or get a carryout container for $10.95.

Rich Taste Catering Co. started serving a weekly buffet at the historic Victorian mansion in 2021, but as coronavirus cases began to increase, the buffet was suspended.

- Springfield Wendy’s re-opens after 3-month renovation

The Springfield Wendy’s, located at 2411 E. Main St., reopened after being under construction for nearly three months.

“They’re not going to recognize it,” Wendy’s Regional Director Krista Nix said. “It’s all new.”

Nix explained the restaurant closed in February for renovations, including new flooring, equipment and decor.

- Germantown Gold Star to re-open after dining room update

Gold Star Germantown, located at 2395 Beechwood Dr., held a grand opening celebration this month after closing for a few weeks to update the dining room.

“It’s been an honor serving the Germantown community for nearly 10 years, and we are glad to share an updated dining room with our guests for years to come,” Gold Star Germantown Owner Emad Hamdan said.

The renovations included updates to the kitchen layout as well as new flooring, seating and other amenities to enhance guest experience.

OWNER NEWS

- Ha Ha Pizza in Yellow Springs looking for new owner

A well-known pizza shop that has been in Yellow Springs for 50 years is seeking new ownership.

“I’m not looking just to get out, I’m trying to pass a torch,” B.J. Walters, the owner of Ha Ha Pizza said.

The pizza shop has been for sale for four to five years, but many people did not know. Walters explained he wanted somebody local to take over, but after feeling like he had burned through that option, he opened it up to everyone.

The ideal owner “would be a young, ambitious person trying to start a career, looking forward to putting a lot of work and effort into it and reaping the benefits of expanding the business and the value of the business,” Walters said.

- Zemore’s Wine Cellar and Bistro in Bellbrook looking for new owner

A boutique wine cellar and bistro in Bellbrook featuring wines not typically found in your local grocery store is looking for a new owner to carry on their concept.

The owners of Zemore’s Wine Cellar and Bistro, Greg and Melanie Zemore, are ready to retire.

“We are looking for someone to carry on the concept,” the owners said. “It is a nice location and a great space for another family-owned business to find good wine, good food and good friends.”

- Beavercreek Pizza Dive finds new set of owners

A Beavercreek pizza shop well known in the area for community outreach and daily specials has a new set of owners.

Amy and Michael Jones have officially taken over ownership of the Beavercreek Pizza Dive, located at 4021 Dayton Xenia Rd., as of Wednesday, May 18.

Not much will change at the pizza shop, but they plan to try out and test new items, Amy said. This includes bringing back the Monday night buffet, where customers can try different pizzas by the slice.

- Troni Brothers Pizza in Kettering finds new set of owners

A Kettering pizza shop known for its New York style pizza and pasta dishes has a new set of owners.

Troni Brothers Pizza, located at 4654 Wilmington Pike, is now owned by Kettering natives Dave and Gina Keen. They are operating the pizza shop with the help of their sons Dylan and Riley.

“The appearance and the people may have changed, but the quality and taste of the food is never going to change,” Dave said.

He explained they may tweak the menu in the future by adding and removing items, but nothing drastic. At this time the family is also working on remodeling the dining room and updating the dining format. Dave said in a few weeks customers will be able to place their order at the counter and have their pizza brought to them.

COMING SOON

- Shaq’s Big Chicken now set to open three locations in region

A fast-casual chicken concept founded by NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal will be landing at not one but three locations in the region, two of them in the Dayton area.

Big Chicken, in addition to the previously reported location opening by late June to mid-July at 10655 Innovation Drive in Miami Twp.’s Austin Landing, also is looking at opening restaurants in Beavercreek and West Chester Twp. in 2023 and 2024, respectively.

The three locations are part of an agreement inked by franchisees Steve Christensen and Reid Richards and Ohio restaurateur Mike Craddick, whom they met eight years ago through his ownership of several Five Guys and Another Broken Egg locations in Ohio.

Big Chicken offers crispy chicken sandwiches, sliders, popcorn chicken, chicken tenders, salads and “sidekick” side dishes, including signature dish Lucille’s Mac ‘n’ Cheese. It also offers ice cream shakes, soft serve cones, ice cream sandwiches, plus boozy and non-alcoholic beverages.

- Blue Spoon Cafe has plans to open second location

A convenience store that sells soul food including chicken and rice is planning to open a second location in the Dayton area.

Blue Spoon Cafe, located in the Talbott Tower in downtown Dayton, is on track to open a second location at 120 South James H McGee Blvd. in September or October, the owner, Willie Parson said.

“I want to take this whole corner and just change it,” Parson said.

The 3,036-square-foot building on the property was a former church/place of worship, according to the zoning administration. Willie said he previously rented the building out to people, but it has now sat vacant for a little while.