The neighborhood restaurant brings thin-crust pizza, thoughtful service and tavern warmth to the historic Burton Building
At Wayfarer Tavern, owner Mike Dew built the kind of restaurant he wanted to find in his own neighborhood.
Located in Dayton, Kentucky’s historic Burton Building, Wayfarer centers on pizza, but its identity reaches further than crust, cheese and sauce. Dew describes the restaurant as relaxed but lively, “nice-ish, but casual,” with enough attention to detail to make dinner feel special without making guests feel out of place.
“We want to offer a place that can be elevated without pretense and friction,” Dew says. “I’m being selfish in that I built a place like that that I wish I had in my neighborhood.”
The idea came together slowly. Dew says opening Wayfarer was the result of “almost perfect timing,” from personal circumstances to the building becoming available to the development of the restaurant’s pizza style. His interest in pizza began early, growing up on chain pizza before learning more about regional styles and what makes a pizza memorable.
“It always frustrated me that I could not find pizza like what I had in mind around here,” Dew says. “I wanted to add to that momentum by offering something beyond focusing on another established style.”
Wayfarer’s pizza reflects that mix of influences. Dew calls it a hybrid of the “Bar-Style Pizza Belt,” stretching from Milwaukee and Chicago through St. Louis, Dayton, Ohio, Columbus, New Jersey and Boston. The crust leans toward East Coast thin crust, the slices are cut into Midwestern party squares and the edges carry a Detroit-style crisp.
The menu also leaves room for play. Early summer seasonal pizzas include the Meatwad, made with house-made meatballs, Peppadew peppers, whipped ricotta, torn basil, red sauce and a five-cheese blend, and the seasonal Summer Corn Elote, topped with sweet corn, pickled jalapeños, Peppadew peppers, red onions, confit garlic cream white sauce and a five-cheese blend, then finished after baking with chipotle aioli, tajin, feta, cilantro and lime. Beyond pizza, Dew points to wagyu beef carpaccio, marinated beans, fresh oysters, shrimp cocktail and a wine list built with bottles that “punch well above their price point.”
Still, the building matters almost as much as the food. Dew says he and his wife often passed the Burton Building before it was brought back to life. Its corner location, large windows, historic character, bar area and storage made it the right fit, especially for an unknown concept outside the center of downtown Cincinnati or Over-the-Rhine.
Since opening, Dew says the response has been “overall fantastic,” with some guests driving more than an hour and others becoming regulars. For him, that neighborhood role is the point.
“Every neighborhood needs a place for a nice night out without having to travel too far,” Dew says.
Wayfarer Tavern, 635 Sixth Ave., Dayton, Kentucky. Su-Th 11 a.m.-9 p.m., F-Sa 11 a.m.-10 p.m. 859-360-0943, wayfarertavern.com
