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Restaurant Reviews

Italian Dining in Dayton, Ohio

When I ask people from Dayton where to eat Italian, everyone suggests Dominic's, particularly their lasagne and salad with house dressing. Although I must admit that it's not bad Italian, I couldn't help but think that there was something better.

The first place worth dicovering is The Flying Pizza. A family business, there are three Dayton-area locations: downtown, Centerville (near Dayton Mall) and Fairborn (near Wright State University). The specialties are thin crust pizza, Sicillian pizza, and calzones. Our favorite is the thick, square slices of Sicillan pizza. The calzones are made with the best cheeses, and ooze with bubbly ricotta.

After reading a favorable review in the Impact Weekly, a local alternative newspaper, some co-workers and I headed to La Pergola in nearby Kettering. La Pergola offers Sicillian pizza, pasta, salads, and "calzones as big as your head." We're not kidding.

A few blocks further from La Pergola is Armando's Italian Market. Armando's is an Italian grocery, deli, and restaurant all-in-one. The lunch choices vary daily and show great creativity. So far, I've had the best roast beef sandwich of my life (on a homemade Italian roll) and a linguini dish made with Gulf Coast shrimp and pesto sauce. The best part? You can get inspired then take home Italian groceries to make dinner.

Looking for something upscale? Drive right past Dominic's and head over to Franco's Ristorante Italiano, located on Fifth Street near the Dublin Pub. Franco offers an express lunch, for those in a hurry, but we suggest waiting for the regular menu. The lunch menu includes several varieties of pasta with an array of sauce choices. Our favorite is the gnocchi (Italian potato dumplings) with the homemade marinara sauce.

Finally, Dayton was blessed in 2004 with the first Dewey's Pizza location outside the Cincinnati area, off Brown Street near the University of Dayton. Our favorites are the gourmet mushroom pizza and fresh (and generous) house salad. Kids will love watching the kitchen staff toss pizzas into the air.

Armando's Italian Market
1314 East Dorothy Lane
Dayton, Ohio
(937) 643-0485

Dewey's Pizza
131 Jasper Street
Dayton, Ohio
(937) 223-0000

The Flying Pizza
223 North Main Street
Dayton, Ohio
(937) 222-8031

421 Miamisburg-Centerville Road
Centerville, Ohio
(937) 439-1234

2640 Colonel Glenn Highway
Fairborn, Ohio
(937) 426-4688

Franco's Ristorante Italiano 824 East 5th Street
Dayton, Ohio
(937) 222-0204

La Pergola
1122 East Dorothy Lane
Dayton, Ohio
(937) 643-9012