RESTAURANT ROUNDUP: 4 opened in February and 4 more coming soon

Credit: Tom Gilliam

Credit: Tom Gilliam

Even in the shortest month of the year, the Dayton dining scene was still as busy as ever.

Four area restaurants — including a wine bar and a brewery — opened their doors for the first time, while four eateries announced plans to open soon.

OPEN:

🔪Warped Wing Mason

The grand opening of the Warped Wing Brewpub & Smokery, located at 5650 Tylersville Road in Mason, took place on Feb. 4 after much anticipation.

“It was definitely a unique and rewarding experience melding what was once an old-world Irish pub and a fine dining restaurant into a brewery and taproom, but our contractors and design team knocked it out of the park,” said Nick Bowman, vice president of sales and marketing at Warped Wing. “I’m proud of what we’ve put together and excited to share it with the Mason community.”

The brand new, 13,000-square-foot facility includes a large taproom featuring a menu filled with smoked foods, an outdoor biergarten opening in the spring, a small pilot brewing system and flexible event space.

Credit: Tom Gilliam

Credit: Tom Gilliam

🔪Silver Slipper

Silver Slipper wine bar held its grand opening on Feb. 18 at 1105 Wayne Ave. in Dayton. In the works since founders Lorelei Fink and Simon Gifford came into ownership of the building in 2019, the bar has held some private events and pop-up markets while waiting for the approval of its liquor permit.

After finally receiving that approval on New Year’s Eve 2021, Silver Slipper is ready to fully open its establishment to oyster and wine connoisseurs in Dayton.

“It’s been cool to be so many people’s first oyster,” Gifford said.

In addition to its curated wine menu, the bar will feature a few select beers on its menu as well as a mocktail option. The oyster menu is the culinary focal point of the bar to start, but in the future, Gifford said they will expand to include charcuterie, fish en papillote, salads and more.

Credit: Tom Gilliam

Credit: Tom Gilliam

🔪Bessie’s HomeMade Noodles

For more than two decades, the Easterling family has been gracing local festivals with their famed homemade noodles. Now, for the first time, their noodles have a home with four walls.

Bessie’s HomeMade Noodles is under a soft opening status at its new deli and noodle shop at 1476 N. Broad St. in Fairborn. The space was formerly a butcher shop before the Easterling family acquired the space two years ago to move their noodle production from Miamisburg.

In addition to all of Bessie’s noodle dishes, the deli carries more than 40 other items from fresh ground beef, steaks, pork chops, baked goods, ice cream, meats and cheeses from Walnut Creek and more.

Though the deli is still a few weeks away from a grand opening, according to Matt, the shop’s permanent hours are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Credit: Contributed

Credit: Contributed

🔪Me’ Yanna Berry Co.

Downtown Dayton now has a designated stop to indulge in desserts and wine.

Me’ Yanna Berry Co. held its ribbon-cutting celebration on Feb. 22 at 2:22 p.m. alongside members of the Downtown Dayton Partnership, including DDP President, Sandy Gudorf. The bakery and wine café opened in the shadow of the Victoria Theatre, at 15 E. First St. on the ground floor of the Biltmore Towers.

“We’re continuing to see more and more businesses opening downtown on our first floor and so that’s the exciting thing,” Gudorf said. “Even during the pandemic, we’re just seeing so much activity. So, we’re excited that people who want to start their businesses want to be right here in downtown.”

Me’ Yanna offers cupcakes, an assortment of desserts and the cafe’s own line of wine called “Brown Sugar Legacy Wine.” They also provide non-food items like gourmet cigars, prayer candles, crystals, incense and more.

Hours are Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Friday from noon to 6 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and closed Sunday through Tuesday.

Credit: Staff

Credit: Staff

COMING SOON

🔪El Toro

The space of a former long-standing restaurant at The Greene Town Center is seeing new life with a familiar name.

El Toro Mexican Bar & Grill, which currently has 13 Dayton-area locations, is planning to close its 4448 Indian Ripple Road location in Beavercreek to move across the street into the former space of Mimi’s Bistro & Bakery.

El Toro’s district manager, Enrique Alvarez, confirmed the restaurant will close and relocate its Indian Ripple location to 4402 Walnut St. at The Greene, where Mimi’s Bistro & Bakery once operated for 14 years before closing in February of 2021.

Alvarez was not immediately available to provide a closing date for El Toro’s Indian Ripple location or an opening date for its new home at The Greene.

🔪Chicka Wing

In the former space of Wiley’s Wings Tenders Fries in Huber Heights at 6315 Brandt Pike (Ohio 201) will soon be a new, local chicken-restaurant concept called Chicka Wing. The new restaurant will simultaneously open a second Chicka Wing at 1875 S. Limestone St. in Springfield.

Chicka Wing founder Adam Price, a Dayton transplant from Alabama, and Chicka Wing vice president, Kyle Smith, a Vandalia native, expect the restaurant to be ready to open within six to eight weeks. Price and Smith, also brothers-in-law, say they want to serve the community and “take off on their own.”

“We are excited to bring a truly fresh, never frozen establishment to our communities,” Smith said.

Chicka Wing’s menu will feature several combo options that include choices of “chicka fingers” and wings, available bone-in or bone-out. Familiar chicken restaurant sides like Texas toast and french fries also are on the menu.

Credit: Contributed

Credit: Contributed

🔪OH! boba

A brand new bubble tea shop is preparing to open in Troy this spring with unique offerings in store.

“OH! boba” is a new bubble tea, or boba tea, shop slated to open around the first week of May. In the meantime, it’s open at Troy’s Popup at Main event on Thursdays and some Saturdays through April. Follow the pop-up event’s Facebook page to stay informed about the shop’s next appearance.

Owners Jess Justice of Germantown, QQ Qiang of Centerville and Ting Shi of Miamisburg all moved from China to the U.S. at different times between 1998 and 2017, then later met and grew closer through different friends. The trio’s mission is to create a boutique-style milk tea shop that will bring people together, create personal connections, and make memories.

The tea shop’s brick and mortar will be located at 217 SE Public Square in Troy, next to Haren’s Market on Troy’s Public Square.

🔪Juicing Jammers Juice and Smoothie Bar

Juicing Jammers Juice and Smoothie Bar is moving into a space at 13 N. Williams St., and the Black, female-owned business has signed a multiyear lease to occupy the space.

Owner Tawnni Miles started the business in 2017 and bought a trailer in 2020, which she took to a variety of events and farmers’ markets.

The new space will allow the business to expand its menu to offer yogurt bowls, acai bowls, lemonades, overnight oats, avocado toast, fruit bowls and salads, according to a release from Wright Dunbar Inc.

The new business is expected to open this spring.

Credit: Tom Gilliam

Credit: Tom Gilliam

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