Looking to discover new dining venues with character around the City of Dayton? As part of the “Hidden Gems Project” conducted by students at the University of Dayton, this article was written to communicate the uncovering of a few local dining spots and their historical background. We were required to make visits to each place, interview the owners and/or workers, and record our experiences of each “Hidden Gem”. The benefit that came from this project is that it serves as a means to learn about the history of Dayton through restaurants which have been around for generations. It also helps to spread the word that these restaurants are still around and have their own story to tell—along with their food and spirits.
Kramer’s Tavern
Location: 1018 Irving Ave
Dayton, OH 45419
Contact Number: 937-294-9141
Hours of Operation: Monday 4pm-1am
Tues-Sat 11am-1am
Sunday 12pm-1am
By Xirui Yin
Looking to discover new dining venues with character around the City of Dayton? As part of the “Hidden Gems Project” conducted by students at the University of Dayton, this article was written to communicate the uncovering of a few local dining spots and their historical background. We were required to make visits to each place, interview the owners and/or workers, and record our experiences of each “Hidden Gem”. The benefit that came from this project is that it serves as a means to learn about the history of Dayton through restaurants which have been around for generations. It also helps to spread the word that these restaurants are still around and have their own story to tell—along with their food and spirits.
Kramer’s has been in establishment for 70 years, with 3 generations under the family name (Kramer). Kramer’s used to have factory workers come in after their shifts all the time. They would line up at the bar and just relax. Kramer’s was their hangout.
Now it is becoming more diverse in a sense. We see new faces but there is still a type of community. It’s a location where people can meet and enjoy a beer together. Kramer’s is a community that allows workers gather together after their work. People chat with each other and enjoy a cold beer.
We went to Kramer’s on November 5th. Because it’s very close to our campus (University of Dayton), it only took us 5 minutes to drive there.
My first impression walking inside was that it reminded me of a big sports bar. There were more than 5 TVs hanging on the wall, which showed different sports games. A huge freezer was behind the bar, it was full of beer. There were 15~20 people in Kramer’s. A group of men sitting around a table, with some bottles of beer, were chatting with each other. Some of them looked like retired workers. There was a family sitting in the corner of the restaurant. A baby boy was having his fried fries, while his parents were drinking beer and talking.
As a group of four people, we found a table and waited for a waiter to take our order. After waiting for 5 minutes, we started wondering why no one came to us. Here’s a thing you should notice when you come to Kamer’s, don’t wait at table, order at the bar. There were only two staff members present. One was busy taking order and bar tending, the other one was cooking in the kitchen.
We ordered a cheese pizza and chicken nuggets. The price was really reasonable, less than $15 total for 4 people. The homemade pizza was good, full of cheese and pepperoni. The chicken nuggets were just so so. It’s a pity we didn’t have a bottle of beer during our visit. We considered coming back here again on Friday or Saturday. By the time we were leaving, more and more people came to Kramer’s. We even met a group of girls who were also students at UD.
All in all, it’s a very nice experience to having a meal in Kramer’s. It’s a good choice for hanging out with a lot of friends.
Other stories in our UD student series of articles by a team from Professor Blust’s Engineering students:
UD Students Hidden Gems Project Discovers Falb’s Restaurant
The Second Discovery by UD Students Hidden Gems Project: Frank’s Tavern
UD Students Hidden Gems Project Discovery # 3: Carmichael’s Pub
The Fourth Hidden Gem Discovered By Our UD Team: Carmel’s Grill
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