New restaurant expected to open in former location of El Greco’s Pizza Villa

Credit: Lauren Rinehart for Dayton.com

Credit: Lauren Rinehart for Dayton.com

A new restaurant is expected to breathe new life into a building that previously housed a restaurant with a long-standing reputation in the Dayton community.

Tina Casey, a Dayton native and pastor at House of Deliverance in Hamilton, submitted a conditional use application to the city of Trotwood to open D’oir’s Restaurant and Lounge at 3976 Salem Avenue where El Greco’s Pizza Villa was formerly located.

El Greco’s Pizza Villa is believed to have opened in the 1950s. Its heyday came in the 1960s and ‘70s, when the Salem Avenue corridor was a bustling, thriving destination for area residents and diners.

Casey said her main focus is to give back to the community and build generational wealth for her family.

“I’m a builder,” she said. “I’m looking forward to meeting new people. When you don’t have too much and you begin to have things, other doors begin to open.”

Casey told Dayton.com she would also love to open a coffee shop in the area where people can drink coffee and enjoy jazz music.

D’oir’s Restaurant and Lounge will specialize in similar items the previous restaurant had including pizza, subs, salads, burgers and much more. Casey said they are planning to have a weekly homemade special and breakfast. The restaurant is expected to be open Monday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The family-oriented restaurant is still in the early stages, but Casey said they are hoping to open in three months.

The Trotwood Board of Zoning Appeals held a public hearing Thursday, June 23 to discuss the conditional use permit.

“They approved the opening of a restaurant at that location,” said Debbie McDonnell, planning and development director with the city of Trotwood. “However, the zone does not permit alcohol to be served in it. Therefore, the applicant needs further action for rezoning and allowable uses before they are allowed to serve it.”

El Greco’s Pizza Villa survived major disruptions in 2019, including a water emergency and the Memorial Day tornadoes, but the forced shutdown of dine-in services due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 caused the restaurant to close.

Dayton.com will update this story when we know more about an opening date.

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