Downtown Springfield Restaurant Week is here: Where to find deals, special menus

In an effort to encourage more people to visit downtown Springfield, a group of restaurant owners decided to introduce the city’s first restaurant week.

Downtown Springfield Restaurant Week runs from Sunday, April 6 through Saturday, April 12 with 16 businesses participating.

“It’s increasingly difficult to reach our audience to let them know what we provide — particularly for downtown just because there are no chains." said Dan Freeman, who owns four restaurants in downtown Springfield with his wife, Lisa, under Amichi Collective. “There’s nothing like an anchor of some sort forcing people to come downtown like a Chick-fil-A where everyone would be there.”

Comparing traffic at his restaurants prior to Covid to now, Freeman estimated it’s probably down about 30 percent. From 2023 to 2024, traffic was down by a double digit percentage.

“We’ve noticed people don’t really eat the same anymore,” Freeman said. “Pre-Covid people loved to go out to eat and sit down, relax all day long around lunch. That doesn’t happen anymore.”

Freeman said their lunch crowd is stable, but it has a long ways to go to reach pre-Covid numbers.

ExploreDayton Dragons adds new food, drinks ahead of 25th season at Day Air Ballpark

In addition to changing habits, restaurants are continuing to deal with price increases.

“All costs have gone up,” Freeman said. “Pre-Covid costs were increasing yearly at a normal rate and then post-Covid everything astronomically moved up.”

For example, Freeman said five dozen of eggs cost $2.30 in 2019. Now, it costs $32 — which isn’t the highest it’s been.

When asked why they continue to invest in downtown Springfield, he said they feel like they are providing something that the city needs.

“We are the most concentrated area of unique, independently owned food places,” Freeman said. “We want the people that have never been downtown or haven’t been downtown in five years to come and see.”

Businesses participating in Downtown Springfield Restaurant Week include:

Station 1

Location: 325 N. Fountain Ave.

Special: A free add-on topping for large pizzas.

Credit: Submitted Photo

Credit: Submitted Photo

Viva La Fiesta Mexican Restaurant

Location: 42 N. Fountain Ave.

Specials: Chile Relleno Burrito ($14.99) Filled burrito two chile rellenos inside rice and beans, queso sauce, avocado on top and green sauce on side.

Birria Empanadas ($14.50) Three empanadas filled with birria and cheese and topped with house made cilantro and lime dressing. Served with a side of consume to dip.

Milanesa Torta ($13.50) Freshly made torta bread filled with breaded fried skirt steak, beans, avocado, onions, tomatoes and cheese with a side of jalapenos.

Carnitas Torta ($14.50) Freshly made torta bread filled with deep fried carnitas meat, beans, cilantro and onion with house made hot sauce served on the side.

Credit: Submitted Photo

Le Torte Dolci/Salato Deli

Location: 36B/40 N. Fountain Ave.

Specials: Free mug with $35 purchase.

BBQ Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese or Cubano Sandwich for $10.

Winan’s Chocolates + Coffees

Location: 32 N. Fountain Ave.

Special: Free meltaway chocolate with purchase of a Strawberry Cupcake drink.

Blended By J

Location: 30 N. Fountain Ave.

Specials: Special fruit offerings

Credit: Submitted Photo

Charlo’s

Location: 45 N. Fountain Ave.

Specials: Three-course dinner for two for $45. Guests can choose one appetizer, two entrees and one dessert to share. All drinks and alcohol is separate. Does not include tax or gratuity.

Appetizers:

Fried Green Tomatoes (roasted poblano with pimento cheese and red pepper jelly)
Roasted Portobello Mushrooms (stuffed with ratatouille and topped with smoked provolone)
Warm Bleu Cheese Dip (topped with bacon and green onions and served with house chips)

Entrees:

Fried Chicken Penne alla Vodka (penne tossed with homemade vodka sauce, topped with fried chicken and melted burrata)
Grilled Bourbon Glazed Salmon (8 oz. North Atlantic Salmon topped with bourbon glaze and served with parmesan broccoli and rice pilaf)
14 oz. Bone-in Pork Chop (served with Yukon gold mash potatoes and bourbon bacon green beans)

Dessert:

Mini Churro Bundt Cake (with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce)
Limoncello Mascarpone Cake (with white chocolate-vanilla sauce)

ExploreBy Golly’s to open restaurant in Springfield; owner considers sites in Dayton

Stella Bleu

Location: 20 N. Fountain Ave.

Specials: Lunch ($10.25) Pulled Pork Sandwich that’s house apple and maple smoked with Stella’s BBQ on a brioche bun served with kettle chips.

Dinner ($20.25) Country Fried Steak served with brown butter mashed, sawmill gravy and a hot honey buttered yeast roll.

Dessert ($5.25) Brownie Sundae featuring a double chocolate Guiness brownie with vanilla ice cream, whip and hot fudge drizzle.

Tuesday ($6) Old Fashioned and Manhattans

Wednesday ($6) Hummus and Bleu Cosmos

Thursday ($6) Stella Frites and Well Martinis

Friday ($6) Lemon Shake-Ups

Saturday ($6) Bloody Marys and Mimosas

Credit: Bill Lackey

Hi-Hat Social

Location: 28 S. Limestone Ave.

Special: Half-off first drink.

All Saints Grill