The public voted in 132 contests this year in categories including food and dining, bars and nightlife, fitness and recreation, shopping and services, arts and entertainment and people and places.
This year’s contest drew a record-setting 93,000 nominations and half a million votes throughout November and December.
“We are so thrilled with the level of community involvement in nominating favorites and casting votes,” said Michelle Fong, Dayton.com editor and manager. “This contest is about celebrating everything that’s great about Dayton. We hope everyone sees some of their favorites in the winners list or discovers a new future favorite.”
The biggest winner in this year's poll was Tank's Bar & Grill in Dayton with eight wins, including first place for Best Breakfast, Best Cheap Eats, Best Bloody Mary, Best Chili, Best Dive Bar, Best Late-Night Eats and Best Grilled Cheese, and second-place for Best Burger.
>> The top 10 most popular Best of Dayton categories and winners
Another big winner was the Dayton Art Institute, which is heading into its 100th year with big plans in store.
“This is a big year. 2019 is the centennial of the founding of the museum in Dayton, so there is a lot that is going to be happening this year,” Dayton Art Institute director and CEO Michael R. Roediger said during the Best of Dayton Reveal radio program that aired Sunday on WHIO radio. “We’ll be kicking off the year with 100 happenings throughout 2019, including some community days and extra-special exhibitions. All of the galleries are being renovated. It’s going to be a special year. We hope the community comes out and is a part of it.”
Credit: Lisa Powell
Credit: Lisa Powell
The Art Institute had seven wins, with first-place honors in Best Art Gallery, Best Festival (Oktoberfest), Best Gala (ArtBall) and Best Wedding Venue, plus second place in Best Dayton Landmark, Best Museum and Best View of Dayton.
Other big winners included:
• The Pine Club with first place in Best Classic Restaurant, Best Fine Dining and Best Steak, second place in Best Restaurant to Take an Out-of-Towner and third place in Best Onion Rings.
• Warped Wing with first place in Best Craft Beer Selection, Best Local Brewery and Best Locally-Made Beer.
• Marion's Piazza with first place in Best Pizza Restaurant, Best Restaurant to take an Out-of-Towner and Best Square-Cut Pizza and second place for most unusual pizza for its ham and sauerkraut combo.
Credit: Lisa Powell
Credit: Lisa Powell
There were several repeat winners from last year’s contest, including Bill’s Donuts in Centerville for Best Donuts, Slyder’s Tavern in Dayton for Best Burger, The Century Bar for best cocktails, Ghostlight Coffee for Best Coffeehouse, Zombie Dogz for Best Food Truck, Mamma DiSalvo’s for Best Italian and Warped Wing for Best Local Brewery, among others.
🏆 BEST OF DAYTON 2018 WINNERS LIST
The first-place, second-place and third-place winner of each individual contest are organized by topic. Click on the links below to read through the results in each broader category and then each individual contest.
>> Bars, Beer & Nightlife winners
>> Arts, Music & Entertainment winners
>> Shopping & Services winners
About the Author