Came here from Harrisonburg a little after noon on a Sunday after visiting a couple restaurants earlier that just had long waits or a menu that conflicted with my allergies. My girlfriend and I decided to come here because the reviews were great and we hoped that it wouldn't be crowded. And boy am I glad that we did! Do note that parking can be a bit awkward, we decided to park across the street in the post office parking lot which I'm not entirely sure was legal but it was a Sunday so they weren't open anyways. Immediately upon walking in you can take in the entire restaurant. Maybe ten tables, a little counter, and then two doors leading to the restrooms/kitchen respectively. The hostess sat us down immediately and I felt like we were treated so nicely. The small town vibes of the place really shown through. Seems like the place had a bunch of regulars too and the hostess was making conversation. I was torn between the Dayton burger and the waffle with breakfast meat, but ultimately went with the burger. I was not disappointed at all! The burger was cooked perfectly, super juicy and tender. It got a little messy but that's what you want out of a good burger. I also got a side of onion rings. They were very crispy and delicious, and paired well with their aioli. The sandwiches also come with a pickle spear on the side which I love. My girlfriend got the cali burger which was advertised as coming with guacamole. She said it tasted more like mashed avocado than true guacamole; nevertheless she enjoyed her burger. I will definitely be coming back here! Do yourself a favor and enjoy some delicious food while also supporting this super friendly local business. read more

Dayton Tavern - Dayton Burger - Seafood Near Me - Dayton, Virginia

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We were absolutely floored by the friendly service, the food and history of the owner's path from a food truck to this quaint restaurant. My wife got the Bistro Chicken. She was totally impressed with this dish!!! I got the Angus Cheesesteak, I think it may have been the best cheesesteak I've ever had!! Wow!! Love this place!! I almost forgot the pics!! read more

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We are visiting the area and wanted a solid lunch place. Dayton's had 5 stars and within our price range. We didn't have a reservation, but were seated immediately. The service was impeccable, everyone was welcoming and friendly. We had the pirogies and nachos for appetizers and burgers for dinner. Everything was great. I highly recommend Daytons!! read more

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Very cute small brick building in a little town not far from JMU. The food was delicious! We both had steak which are dry aged and they were perfectly cooked. We also tried the crab soup and crab cakes both of which were great! The lost star was only due to not being acknowledged for some time when we walked in. The servers were definitely both busy but even an acknowledgment of our presence before standing there awkwardly for 10 minutes would have been nice. Once seated everything was perfect! read more

Buckle up Buttercup. This will be long! Just in town for the night and looked up restaurants in the area. This one popped up with 5 Stars. That's all I read!Apparently this used to be a lil dinner tavern... until word got out! Now you need a reservation just to get in. Everyday of the week!! If your following directions to this location and BLINK you will pass it. Small place in an old renovated building. There are 11 or 12 tables. 6-8 bar stools (closely seated) you will be in close proximity of others guests. If your not a friendly type, don't come here. We were unaware of needing a reservation and to get in was 1.5 hours. We then asked the hostess for recommendations of other places we had seen with great reviews. She was great, complimented the other locations and gave us details about other locations menus. We were about to walk out when she called us back up. (It's great when the hostess knows the patrons) she said I have a table that will be available in about 20-25 minutes. That couple over there is not having alcohol tonight so should be done shortly. If they had wine then they would be here much longer. We all giggled . So we ordered our drinks and waited. Sure enough 25 minutes later we were seated. The 2 servers were hustling and the hostess was helping. This place is BUSY! We ordered the perogies (I've never had) very good, sirloin steaks I added shrimp. They only deep fry or steam their shrimp. Our meal was excellent, salads great mixed greens, steaks cooked perfectly, my only complaint was my shrimp was a bit over cooked. But heck, with everything else it was an excellent meal! We did not get dessert as we were full. Plus we wanted to free up the table since they were so gracious in fitting us in. (We needed to be rolled out, but managed to walk) Over all we felt so welcome and spoiled, even from our servers. They were gracious, busy, polite and helpful. The hostess was the best. She really new her stuff. This Tavern is a wonderful stop. Don't miss it. They also cater!!! Too bad we are out of towners. I have taken some photos, hopefully you enjoy the vibe and festive atmosphere. I encourage you to look around and really see what is there in this little Dayton Tavern with a BIG heart! read more

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Our family always argues over where to eat. Today my son chose and nobody argued. Amazing choice! We all loved it! Everything was wonderful. PLEASE NOT THE UNEVEN SIDEWALK I FELL COMING OUT. read more

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We recently had a holiday lunch catered by Dayton Tavern. Everything was great! We ordered the roasted chicken, and it was moist and very flavorful. All the sides were good as well. Most noteworthy, however, is that the service was exceptional. Communications during the planning process were clear and someone always responded promptly to my emails. The food arrived exactly when they said it would, and the delivery person was kind and helpful. I highly recommend!!! read more

The fish tacos and fried pork sammish were incredible. Also had amazing pierogies. Highly recommend. Josh was a fantastic host! read more

One word to describe this place would be WOW! Sometimes with small town restaurants, you never know if it's truly good or if it's just the best-of-the-worst option around. Definitely not the case with this place. Everything came out wonderful and service was great. The best steak I've had in a while. A lot of the reviews I read were about brunch and lunch, but their dinner doesn't disappoint!!! Such a short drive from JMU and was the perfect place to bring my family for graduation weekend (definitely make a reservation if you do the same!) read more

Dayton Tavern - Dayton Burger - Seafood Near Me - Dayton, Virginia

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We were able to stop by Dayton Tavern on a Saturday afternoon. We got there around 3:40pm and the place was empty. After a few minutes we called out and someone came out to seat us at the bar. We had both the lunch and dinner menus available to us (Dinner menu starts at 4pm). I ended up with the Cali Burger and a Minute Man IPA. The burger was cooked medium as requested. It had great flavor, about halfway through I realized it didn't have the bacon. At that point it wasn't with it to request. The fries were good as well. I was a little disappointed at the lack of a tap list. I assumed being a Tavern there would be a few more choices. The service was ok, I'm sure it was tough trying to be attentive but not overbearing when you only have one table. Parking is available behind the tavern. There is street parking but I wasn't sure what was resident parking or business parking. I'm glad I got to give it a try, maybe during normal meal hours next time? read more

Dayton Tavern - a burger and fries on a plate - Seafood Near Me - Dayton, Virginia

Just adorable. Cute spot we went to for lunch. Seats 43. Heard the hostess / waitress/ manager making reservations and serving and running credit cards. She,was busy, but committed to give everyone the best experience. Food was great and so was the service. Great little Yelp find. Nice job. read more

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All I can say is WOW!! Exceeded all of our expectations. Group of four seated immediately for dinner without reservations. Made me a little nervous...but I shouldn't have worried. Pleasant, friendly service... The wine selections were surprisingly diverse and with the help of one of our hosts, referred to as "our resident sommelier", We enjoyed a delicious bottle of Cabernet. All of our meals were well prepared and delicious. My ribeye steak was prepared to the proper temperature, a perfect medium rare. And I must add that the prices are very moderate for what you get. Dayton, Virginia? You bet!! Put this one on your must try list!!! read more

This cute little restaurant is a hidden gem! It's in this cute town with such a cozy feel. My friend and I decided to stop by for lunch. And they didn't disappoint! We both had burgers, which were cooked and seasoned perfectly. A slice of peanut butter pie... Lord it was delicious!! No pics taken of it because of course I ate it all! Our awesome waitress Sara recommended the red Sangria. Let me tell you, it was THE BEST SANGRIA I've had in years!! YEARS!! I drink a lot of Sangria ok....And hands down it's #1! We met the owner Diane and she is just the sweetest. Great hospitality and awesome service! I will be retuning next week for the steak. You'll want to make reservations if you come for dinner, as it does fill up. And parking is on the street. If you're in Dayton, stop by. You'll be missing out if you don't. read more

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Great food great prices friendly staff!! Daily specials are always really good. Good quantity of food pleasantly presented

Great food, Great people, Great service. I don't even know where to start, the food was absolutely out of the world me and my husband will be 100% returning read more

Diamond in the rough. Charming atmosphere and great food. The waitress was wonderful. We live about 2 hours away but when we are in the area this is always our restaurant of choice. I have told family and friends that travel 81 to make sure to stop here for lunch or dinner. You won't be disappointed. read more

Went here while staying at Massanutten solely based on the Yelp reviews. We had a very different experience. First, despite there being two waitresses, the service was quite slow. I ordered the fried chicken salad and my wife ordered the shrimp scampi. The chicken was very dry and chewy while the lettuce was near end of life . Seemed like the chicken had been microwaved after being cooked in the past. The scampi was OK. The homemade dill ranch dressing was probably the best part of the meal. All in all, not much better than I would expect to get at a Denny's. Disappointing for a place with such good reviews. Maybe we got an off night? read more

My fiance has gotten me hooked on this place! I've eaten here more times than I can remember now. A few months ago when we last ate here I had the fried shrimp. This was THE best fried shrimp I've ever had. I don't remember exactly what they looked like as far as size but they were perfectly breaded and they didn't feel "heavy" on me after eating. I asked the owner (who is very nice) and she said they bread the shrimp themselves. Forget going anywhere else for fried shrimp or the grocery store frozen section I want fried from Dayton Tavern!! I also love the Tavern Fries and the nachos could be split between a whole table! They have daily specials that sometimes are really interesting like September there was one involving something with chicken and watermelon I think. It was good though. We've always had great service and even at the busiest times been well taken care of. It's small and it's best to get a reservation because they are popular and get busy quickly. The only negative thing I have to say is parking is a bit of a hassle. You can parallel park on the street or park in the small parking lot outback. And the pimento cheese with chip type things they give you when you sit are addicting and always leave me wanting more. This place is a true gem in a small town! read more

Food was amazing. We had the crab soup/bisque as an appetizer and it was delicious. I had a Mahi blackened and it was cooked perfectly. Atmosphere was great and the restaurant decor. Our served was very friendly and the restaurant has also great beer and wine. 100% recommended read more

Great place! We found the place by accident! Great customer service and really good burgers! read more

Dayton Tavern - Seafood Near Me - Dayton, Virginia

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Beautiful place. History. Absolutely fantastic food. Great service. We Enjoyed ourselves read more

On our way to Bridgewater College for a concert this afternoon and looking for a place to grab some lunch that isn't on our list of "regulars." We drove into Dayton and found the Dayton Tavern. We had been there once, right after it opened, several years ago, and had a good experience, so we thought we would swing by. This place is super quaint and rustic. Absolutely love the exposed wood beams and brick. We got the brunch menu and I loved the choices. A small sampling of delicious breakfast options and a small selection of sandwich/burger options. I love a tight menu with great selections. The service was delightful and attentive. I got the Philly Cheesesteak with fries and my bride got the French toast with house potatoes and bacon. We were both very happy with our choices. The cheesesteak was delicious and just the right size that I finished, but did not feel overly full. I would say my bride felt the same about her French Toast, very good. We will definitely go back!! read more

I want to clarify up-front. I really want to give this a 4 1/2. It is better than a 4, but just misses a 5. I have been once for lunch and once for dinner. Both were very good experiences. For lunch I tried the burger with fries--a simple meal that far too many restaurants are incapable of doing well. Dayton Tavern does it VERY well. It's a good-sized juicy burger with a flavorful beef blend. Bacon, cheese and bun were very high quality. The fries were excellent and tasty enough I didn't need ketchup. A little pricey for the market maybe--these are Charlottesville or RIchmond prices unfortunately--but the meal was superb. For dinner, I tried ribeye. I have a couple of quibbles here. The menu states that steaks come from the "upper 2/3 of USDA Choice Grade Beef." That's not exactly claiming you have fabulous beef although I appreciate the honesty. About 75% of beef grades choice or prime. What you have told me as that you have taken your beef from the upper 55% of graded beef. if you are going to tout your beef, I would encourage you to be a little more selective in the standard. Same with saying the steak is aged 21 days. That's nothing special for a wet-aged steak. But perhaps I protest too much. The Valley is notorious for having great beef but generally lousy steak restaurants. Dayton Tavern is the exception. The ribeye actually quite good. The chef hit med rare on the nose with a nice sear. The steak has good flavor. For $29 it was a good value, especially since it comes with two sides. The sides bear mentioning. My first side was the loaded baked potato. Plenty of bacon and cheese goodness to be had and the potato was hot and tender. But I must note that it came out in foil like I was in a Ponderosa circa 1979. If you are going to use foil for baking the potatoes please remove it when plating the meal. The restaurant is too nice for it to be served this way. My second side was applesauce. Weird choice but I was in the mood. I am glad I made the choice because it was OUTSTANDING. Bursting with Granny Smith tart flavor. I don't know where it comes from (it is not made on the premises) but it was many levels above applesauce in a jar from the supermarket. On both visits I experienced excellent and professional service. Absolutely in point. read more

This was my first time eating there for the brunch. I had the breakfast bowl, it was delicious. Great atmosphere and service. Highly recommended. read more

They need to update their info! We traveled 45 minutes after finding the establishment on yelp. When we arrived we found they are not open and construction was going on in the building read more

Second time we have been here for dinner. Small, quaint place so I would recommend reservations. Maybe fifteen tables. Staff was quite accommodating. I asked about the stone walls and stained glass windows and Dianne, the owner, stopped by our table to explain the history of the building. I had one of the daily specials of swordfish and my girlfriend had the filet. Both were very good. I had mentioned that we never order crab cakes when we travel outside of our hometown of Baltimore and to our surprise a complimentary crabcake showed up at the table. It was very good. We vacation yearly at Massanutten and are always looking for a new place to dine. We surely found a hidden gem in Dayton. read more

Great find! A little off the Highway but it was worth the extra few minutes of driving to visit this cute Main Street gem. Our server was fantastic and we were very happy with our food. I had the California burger with bacon. The added guacamole wasn't the best but the perfectly cooked burger and crisp bacon made up for it. My fiancé had the haddock Sandwich and as the menu promised it truly was huge. His fries were nice and crisp and he finished every bite. You can't go wrong here. Thanks! read more

Wow!! My husband and I stopped by there and it happened to be JMU graduation weekend and the restaurant was packed. I should add that we went there because we were supposed to go to my son's track meet, but I looked at the wrong school, and we ended up in the wrong place! The amazing owner took pity on us and squeezed us in! And then we had a great meal. Nice selection of draft beer, and the sangria is fabulous!! My husband had a burger and I had the shrimp scampi! Delicious!! Highly recommend and we hope to go back soon....and not by accident! read more

Food is delicious! If you are visiting Harrisonburg it is worth the short drive to Dayton Tavern. Hubby ordered a pimento burger and was cooked to order. The special of the night was blackened jalapeño-Parmesan chicken which was full of flavor. Once seated they give you a small order of pimento cheese and chips...again delicious! We saved room for Chocolate chip cookie sundae and peanut butter pie. Yummy. Definitely coming back. It is a small restaurant and they do take reservations especially on busy nights. read more

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Amazing fish tacos!! Burgers and onion rings are top-notch also, service very friendly and atmosphere is very cozy

In the area for the weekend so looking for a local lunch spot and selected the Dayton Tavern. Cute, intimate spot with a very nice selection of luncheon items at a reasonable price. I had the haddock sandwich (1/2 portion), subbing slaw instead of chips and it was more than enough. Lightly breaded, then fried...served on bun with tartar sauce, lettuce, tomato. A great fish sandwich! Everybody else in our group of 4 loved their lunches, too. Nice, small tap beer but did have Skipping Rock, Brothers, and Pale Fire (3 great small breweries). Service was prompt, friendly, and professional. A charming small town find. If you're in the area and looking for something beyond the usual...stop in and give them a try! read more

Food Delicious, atmosphere great, a great place to eat. The Burkholders from Ruckersville, Va. Rating #5. read more

We always look forward to visiting my youngest born at college, but we especially enjoy the time we spend together. We're not very familiar with Harrisonburg but prefer to eat at the local eateries vs. the chain restaurants and were all very happy we chose Dayton Tavern. The waitress was amazing, knowledgeable and accommodating. The menu was varied and if you needed anything adjusted they were kind enough to do so. I had to have my meal customized and I couldn't be happier. My broiled halibut was flavorful and cooked to perfection, the string beans were fresh and delectable. Everyone was equally satisfied with their meal. The portions were huge, even for the half size meal I ordered, and the pierogies appetizer my daughter had. The service was super fast and friendly. It was a very quaint hidden gem. We will definitely be making the rounds there again! This is the type of service and restaurants I enjoy! If you are ever in Hburg passing through and looking for an excellent fresh bite to eat, by all means please don't sleep on Dayton Tavern! read more

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Found this place by mistake. So glad I did! Small size but big on taste. Ate there on our way down to nc. Ate on the way back too! Friendly staff and food is amazing read more

Dayton Tavern - Seafood Near Me - Dayton, Virginia

The welcome here is immediate and the staff are really friendly and try to accommodate while adhering to the COVID rules. They bring housemade pimento cheese with housemade chips. I ordered cream of crab soup which was different than I had before. It was a creamy rue poured over a pile of fresh crabmeat and densely sprinkled with seasonings. I tried to eat eat it as it was served and it just didn't work well but once I stirred everything together it was pretty good. Everything presented very well though. The main enter was Tavern fish, it was very good it was lightly breaded and was served with a choice of sides. I would recommend this place. All in all I had a wonderful night. read more

WOW this is a total gem! We were visiting from out of town and read the reviews so we decided to try it. We came between lunch and dinner so we were one of 2 customers. Our waitress was amazing. We are spend a good amount of time talking to the owner, she gave us great tips of places to visit in the area. Absolutely everything we had was amazing- steak ribeye and shrimp shrimp, fettuccine Alfredo (Wow the sauce might have been one of the best I've ever tasted), two burgers, pierogies, onion rings, coconut pie, & peanut butter pie. And the homemade Sangria is a must!! You have to go eat there! You need to Make reservations- very small intimate space (about 12 tables). read more

So glad we found this place. We really wanted a good steak and everywhere in Harrisonburg was slammed. Stumbled across Dayton Tavern and were lucky to have done so. Our waitress was so kind along with the rest of the staff. No need to make this any longer. My steak was AMAZING. Service was great. Support this restaurant. read more

My boyfriend and I went here for dinner a few weeks ago and I really wanted to leave an amazing review! The food was fantastic! I had crab cakes that were delicious, but the real highlight was the sirloin! It was juicy and tender, we could cut it with a butter knife! We will definitely be back in the future and would recommend to anyone look for an upscale, delicious meal! read more

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Great service Great food It's a small Gem in Dayton, visited for lunch and dinner, can't go wrong. read more

Very nice, GREAT servers, however the manager (older woman with shoulder length in dire need of a coloring) could be a smidge bit more friendlier. Each time we visit, she is usually curt and rushed and seems under pressure. If it weren't for her (by the way she was not wearing a mask and her staff was), the visit would be flawless. Food is freaking amazing, very fresh and in season. I will say though about the shrimp scampi, the shrimp is sadly a disappointment size wise AND the shrimp is not deveined which is gross. For the cost of that meal, the shrimp should be larger and deveined. It definitely would be worth the price then. Just sayin. read more