But in Springboro, the Main Street Deli closed after 27 years of business, and Gyro Palace, a favorite located in Riverside near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, also closed its doors. Crossroads BBQ & More, which had moved into larger space in the former Cadillac Jack’s space in Fairborn in 2019, made the decision to shut down permanently.

Here’s a closer look at the Miami Valley’s restaurant and dining news during January 2021.

OPEN

Venecia Italian Restaurant

Credit: MARK FISHER/STAFF

Credit: MARK FISHER/STAFF

The new eatery called Venecia Italian Restaurant in south Kettering is now open.

The new restaurant is located at 1980 E. Whipp Road just west of Bigger Road, in the building that previously housed McGillicutty’s Pub.

The menu includes a wide variety of pizzas and pasta dishes, as well as sub sandwiches, calzones/stromboli, New York-style rolls, salads, appetizers and desserts. Interior seating is available, as is carryout.

The pasta dishes include spaghetti, ziti, lasagna, manicotti, ravioli and stuffed shells. Dinner entrees also include Fettucine Alfredo, Shrimp Scampi, Gnocchi, Pierogies, Eggplant Rollatini, Chicken Primavera, Veal Cutlet Parmigiana and Linguini with white or red clam sauce.

Wiley’s Wings Tenders Fries

A new chicken-restaurant concept, Wiley’s Wings Tenders Fries, has opened in Huber Heights.

The restaurant at 6315 Brandt Pike (Ohio 201), is open 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, according to its founders, which include Ray Wiley, co-founder of both Hot Head Burritos and Rapid Fired Pizza.

The new eatery has a relatively limited menu that, in addition to its namesake core items of wings, tenders and fries, will include cole slaw and Texas toast. There are more than 20 sauce and rub choices to allow diners to customize their wings.

If the concept is successful, expect to see more Wiley’s Wings Tenders Fries coming to other locations across the region, and perhaps beyond, Wiley said.

Skyline Chili

Credit: Skyline Chili

Credit: Skyline Chili

The Miami Valley’s newest Skyline opened Tuesday, Jan. 26 at 217 S. Progress Drive in Xenia.

Only the restaurant’s drive-through is open for now, although its dining room is gearing up to open to the public in the coming weeks.

The Xenia restaurant is operated by Skyline Chili franchisee Nader David of the Mount Orab-based David Restaurant Group. It is the first Skyline Chili restaurant in Xenia.

In addition to its signature 3-way, 4-way and 5-way dishes with spaghetti topped with chili, shredded cheddar cheese, and optional diced onions and beans, Skyline serves cheese coneys, salads, wraps, bowls and steamed whole potatoes.

COMING SOON

Mi Lindo Jalisco

A new Mexican restaurant with a passionate team behind it could open as soon as late February on Miamisburg-Centerville Road in Washington Twp.

Mi Lindo Jalisco’s co-founders say their restaurant will have an extensive food and drink menu, incorporating recipes all the co-owners have personalized and tweaked over their combined years in the restaurant industry.

The space at 520 Miamisburg-Centerville Road (State Route 725) in the same retail center that houses Hauer Music was formerly occupied by EO Burgers, and before that, Ollie’s Place.

Final menu details are being finalized, but Mi Lindo Jalisco will offer many flavors of margaritas, including passion fruit and kiwi, in addition to specialty, house-created flavors.

Daruma Hibachi Express

Credit: MARK FISHER/STAFF

Credit: MARK FISHER/STAFF

A new restaurant called Daruma Hibachi Express is gearing up to open in the Beavercreek Towne Center near the Mall at Fairfield Commons in Beavercreek.

The restaurant will be located at 2850 Centre Drive off North Fairfield Road, in the retail center that includes Fresh Thyme, Lowe’s and Kohl’s. The space previously housed a Qdoba restaurant.

The family that is launching the Beavercreek restaurant also owns and operates two Japanese steakhouse-style restaurants in the Columbus area, according to Edward W. Hastie, a Columbus attorney who represents bars and restaurants across the state, including Daruma.

The Beavercreek location will have more of a fast-casual service concept than its Columbus hibachi-steakhouse counterparts, Hastie said.

Kia Cake & Co.

Credit: Staff

Credit: Staff

The popular homemade desserts of born-and-raised Daytonian Kia Johnson will soon be a sweet fixture in the heart of downtown.

Kia Cake & Co. — a gourmet dessert and cupcake café — is scheduled to open soon at 15 E. First St. on the ground floor of the Biltmore Towers.

A “Cake in the name of Love” grand opening has been set for Valentine’s Day, Sun. Feb. 14, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Cupcakes à la Mode will be available, as well as coffee, puddings and more — meant to be eaten in-store, café style, or to-go.

Five Guys

The Dayton-area franchisee for Five Guys burger restaurants confirmed that his team is moving ahead with plans to open a new location on Old Troy Pike (State Route 202) in Huber Heights.

The coronavirus pandemic had prompted a pause in the plans for the new Five Guys restaurant coming to a portion of the former TGI Fridays at 7777 Old Troy Pike. But Tom Gunlock, the co-franchise owner for Five Guys in the Miami Valley, said his team has applied for a building permit to complete the renovations to the space on the north end of the free-standing building in an out lot in front of the Waynetowne Plaza. The space most recently housed Al’s Smokehouse barbecue restaurant.

“We hope to start construction in February, with an opening in April,” Gunlock said.

Five Guys, also known as Five Guys Burgers and Fries, was founded in Washington D.C. in 1986 and is headquartered in northern Virginia. It now operates more than 1,600 locations across North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Its restaurants offer hot dogs and ice cream shakes in addition to its signature burgers and fries.

CLOSED

Crossroads BBQ & More

Credit: Mark Fisher

Credit: Mark Fisher

The locally owned and operated Crossroads BBQ & More restaurant, which moved into a former Cadillac Jack’s space in Fairborn in April 2019, will shut its doors at week’s end, its owners announced on their restaurant’s Facebook page.

“We’re sad to announce we will be closing permanently at the end of this week,” the restaurant’s owners wrote on Monday. “Thanks for your support.”

“Hate to hear this,” one commenter wrote. “The past year has been so hard on small business. ... Wish you the best of luck in future ventures.”

Crossroads BBQ & More moved across town and into the larger space at 1156 Kauffman Ave. from its previous location at 1888 Colonel Glenn Highway in April 2019.

Main Street Deli

Credit: Ron Alvey

Credit: Ron Alvey

The Main Street Deli at 465 N. Main St. in Springboro announced Tuesday, Jan. 19 on its Facebook page that it would shut down at the end of January after serving customers for more than a quarter century.

“After almost 27 years, we have made the decision to close,” the deli’s owners said. “This last year hasn’t been easy, and there were many factors involved. The biggest is not being able to justify the commitment of signing a year or more lease when we don’t know what the future holds. Thank you to everyone who has supported us all these years!!”

The deli served soups, salads, subs and sandwiches, along with breakfast and baked goods.

Gyro Palace

Credit: Mark Fisher

Credit: Mark Fisher

Gyro Palace, a Greek-Mediterranean restaurant that has operated since 2001 in Riverside and was a popular lunch spot for Wright-Patterson Air Force Base employees has closed its doors.

Gyro Palace, 4884 Airway Road in the Airway Plaza Shopping Center, opened in December 2001, serving a variety of Greek, European and Middle Eastern dishes.

Two other Dayton-area restaurants that share the “Gyro Palace” name — one in Miamisburg across Ohio 741 from the Dayton Mall, and one on Brown Street near the University of Dayton — are not affiliated with the Riverside restaurant, employees at both locations said, and both of those restaurants remain open and operating.