July ushers in 4 new Dayton-area restaurants with 3 more coming soon — but a longtime favorite closes

Dayton’s first food hall, the opening of a downtown Mexican restaurant and the closing of a longtime favorite are among the food stories that broke in July.

Construction on W. Social Tap & Table, a $2.1 million project in the Historic Wright Dunbar Business District, kicked off this month, and Sueño, a new upscale Mexican restaurant in downtown Dayton, opened its doors.

But Las Piramides in Centerville decided to close for the last time July 6.

Here’s a look at some of the Dayton-area restaurant news for July.

OPEN

Sueño

Opening tonight, July 7, Sueño is a new restaurant situated in the Avant-Garde building, located at 607 E. 3rd St. in downtown Dayton, directly next to its sister operation, Tender Mercy.

Credit: Carly Short

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Credit: Carly Short

Sueño, Dayton’s newest upscale Mexican restaurant, has opened in the Avant-Garde building, located at 607 E. 3rd St. in downtown Dayton, directly next to its sister operation, Tender Mercy.

Inside, there is an almost 360 degree bar that is first-come, first serve, with seating for 25. It’s the centerpiece of a large dining room filled with cacti, other succulents and plants, all engulfed in the aromas from the flames of the wood-burning grill visible for guests to watch.

Highlighting their scratch-made tortillas, all of Sueño’s protein dishes and many side dishes are served with tortillas and are meant to be a kind of replacement for a fork.

Jersey Mike’s Subs

Jersey Mike's Subs to open a new location in Springboro on Wednesday at Wright Station in Springboro. CONTRIBUTED

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Jersey Mike’s Subs has opened in Springboro at the new Wright Station at 24 W. Central Ave.

Jersey Mike’s Subs, with more than 2,500 locations open and under development nationwide, serves authentic fresh sliced/fresh grilled subs on in-store freshly baked bread — the same recipe it started with in 1956.

Blossom Juicy Bar

Blossom Juicy Bar in Dayton serves up bright, colorful bubble teas packed with chewy, flavorful ingredients. SOURCE: FACEBOOK

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The first stand-alone bubble tea shop in the area has new roots in the Dayton Mall.

Blossom Juicy Bar opened July 7 inside the Dayton Mall’s upper level food court. They are also located at 2801 S. Dixie Drive in Dayton, where they first opened in 2019, next to Kung Fu Noodle.

According to Mic.com, bubble tea is a drink that features a base made from tea, fruit, coffee or milk and chewy ‘pearls’ at the bottom of the cup. Blossom has an extensive menu, which can be overwhelming for people new to the craze.

Eatly

Tom Thompson, the owner and chef at Eatly American/Italian  Comfort Cafe, with one of his ravioli and meatball dishes. BILL LACKEY/STAFF

Credit: Bill Lackey

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Credit: Bill Lackey

An outdoor homestyle Italian food venue arrived in Springfield near the Wittenberg University campus.

The restaurant’s name, Eatly, is a play on the country name of Italy and his family’s roots, said owner Tom Thompson. It opened at 601 N. Fountain Ave. on July 23.

“It’s gonna have a combination of both American and Italian comfort-type food,” Thompson said.

He said items on the menu will reflect family recipes, and the restaurant’s atmosphere will mirror Italian cafes.

COMING SOON

W. Social Tap & Table

An interior rendering of W. Social, a food hall planned for 1100 W. Third St. CONTRIBUTED

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Construction has started on W. Social Tap & Table at 1100 W. Third St., and the $2.1 million project will transform a former conference center into Dayton’s first food hall.

The food hall, located in the Historic Wright Dunbar Business District, will be home to a bar, Grind House Coffee & Tea Co. and five other independent businesses: De’Lish, ILLYS Fire Pizza, Taco Street Co., Soca and The Lumpia Queen.

The food hall expects to be open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

W. Social, a joint venture between Wright Dunbar Inc. and Dillin Corp., is expected to open in late fall.

Latin Arepas

Latin Arepas Café hopes to open its doors at its new Springboro location by late August or early September. The new restaurant at 85 W. Central Ave. will feature tropical South American fare. CONTRIBUTED

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An entrepreneurial family will make the jump from providing food at a downtown Dayton bar to a cafe of their own in Warren County.

Abraham Guerra said he and his family members started their own business, Latin Arepas food truck, in 2015 featuring authentic Latin American food. Three years later, the family landed an agreement to serve food at Bar Granada at 5 W. Monument Ave.

They are currently transforming a former business into their new home at 85 W. Central Ave. in Springboro. He hopes to be ready to open by late August or early September.

Tropical Smoothie

A sampling of items from Tropical Smoothie Cafe, which has a location slated to open in Warren County next month.

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Smoothie lovers in Centerville will have another destination this fall.

The Dayton area’s newest Tropical Smoothie shop is “opening soon” at 5615 Wilmington Pike in Centerville, according to the Tropical Smoothie website.

An opening date has not yet been confirmed by an owner, however, the shop has an opening date of Oct. 19 listed on the site.

CLOSED

Las Piramides

Huber Heights’ Las Piramides at 6290 Chambersburg Rd. will remain open.

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

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Credit: CONTRIBUTED

It’s the end of the road for Las Piramides Mexican restaurant in Centerville.

The restaurant, at 101 W. Franklin St., closed for the last time on July 6, according to Fabian Leon, son of one of the Las Piramides founders. The Centerville location opened in August 1993. The restaurant’s Huber Heights location, at 6290 Chambersburg Road, will remain open.

“Please let all our patrons and friends know we have made throughout the years, (that) we appreciate them immensely and thank them for being loyal customers,” Leon said in a Facebook message. “Unfortunately, it is time to close the doors.”

Rapid Fired Pizza

The Rapid Fired Pizza at 2001 E. Dorothy Lane in Kettering and the location on University of Dayton’s campus at 1200 Brown St. both officially closed following the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Signs telling customers of the closures were posted on the restaurants’ doors on Tuesday.

Credit: Staff

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Credit: Staff

The Rapid Fired Pizza at 2001 E. Dorothy Lane in Kettering and the location near the University of Dayton’s campus at 1200 Brown St. both officially closed following the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Rapid Fired Pizza co-founder Kelly Gray said the closures were due to low foot traffic due to the COVID-19 pandemic keeping many nearby employees and students home.

The UD location, which opened in October 2019, was the latest Dayton-area Rapid Fired Pizza to be added to the roster.

The Kettering restaurant, opened in 2016, acted as the franchise’s flagship store due to its proximity to the Rapid Fired headquarters in Kettering.

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