14 Ohio Spots Where The Best Dishes Are Still Written Like In The Good Old Days
I learned early on that in Ohio, the most interesting meals are often announced before you even touch a menu.
On road trips across the state, I have developed a habit of scanning sidewalks, windows, and entryways for chalk and marker like a seasoned detective of comfort food.
Those handwritten boards feel personal, a quiet promise that someone in the kitchen cared enough to decide today mattered.
I still remember pulling over on a whim, reading a smudged special out front, and realizing I had just changed my entire afternoon plan.
Ohio has a long tradition of trusting cooks to speak plainly, and these signs do exactly that without polish or performance.
Some list pies that are actually available, others hint at a single plate everyone seems to be ordering without discussion.
What they all share is confidence, the kind that lets a few handwritten words carry the weight of reputation.
This list is my love letter to 14 Ohio spots where the best ideas stay out front, waiting for curious eaters like me.
1. Nutcracker Family Restaurant, Pataskala
Walking into Nutcracker Family Restaurant, I felt like I had stepped straight into a snow globe that someone accidentally left up all year.
The nutcrackers line the walls, the checked floors shine, and then your eyes find the handwritten list of daily specials that regulars check before they even consider a laminated page.
One day it might be meatloaf with mashed potatoes, another day a roast turkey plate or a stacked hot sandwich, but the board is always where the best ideas appear first.
I ordered breakfast at noon because the all-day griddle section was still tempting me, and that plate of eggs and home fries made me grateful for diners that still trust a piece of chalk.
By the time I reached the parking lot, it was clear that the little specials board is the true heartbeat of this retro Christmas colored dining room.
Address: 63 E Broad St, Pataskala, OH 43062.
2. Boyd & Wurthmann Restaurant, Berlin
The line outside Boyd & Wurthmann was my first hint that the real menu here starts before you even step inside.
Right near the front of the dining room, a well-worn board quietly lists the day’s specials and the pies that are actually left, and locals glance at it with the focus of people checking the weather.
I watched regulars breeze past the printed menu because they already knew that hot roast beef, ham loaf, or whatever the kitchen is pushing that day would be written there first.
My own plate of roast beef with mashed potatoes tasted exactly like the kind of food that keeps a board full of daily specials from ever going out of style.
That single board and the parade of pies suddenly made perfect sense as the real engine behind this little Amish Country dining room.
Address: 4819 E Main St, Berlin, OH 44610.
3. Big Boppers Restaurant, Lakeside Marblehead
On a summer morning near East Harbor, I followed a line of campers and boaters straight toward Big Boppers and its crowded specials board.
Inside this low-slung roadside spot, breakfast plates and lake town comfort food are spelled out in marker before they ever show up in print, and everyone seems to read that board like a daily briefing.
One visit, the chalk promised stuffed hash browns and a perch sandwich, and it felt almost rude not to order exactly what the board was practically bragging about.
The dining room is simple, with vinyl booths and families squeezed together, but those handwritten specials give the place a sense of momentum that never really slows down.
Wiping away the last crumbs of toast, I had the sense I was eating in a place where the news of the day is written in hash browns and lake fish.
Address: 7581 E Harbor Rd, Lakeside Marblehead, OH 43440.
4. Tommy’s Diner, Columbus
Franklinton’s morning traffic always seems to drift toward Tommy’s, and once you step inside the retro chrome and vinyl, the first thing you notice is the specials board watching over the counter.
Even regulars who know the menu by heart still pause to scan that board for pot roast, stuffed cabbage, or whatever old-school comfort the kitchen is pushing that day.
I slid onto a stool and spotted a handwritten open-faced turkey special, and suddenly my plan for a light breakfast became something much more serious.
Plates flew past stacked with home fries, corned beef hash, and pancakes bigger than the plates, but that little panel of daily ideas kept pulling my eyes back.
West Broad Street felt a little warmer on the walk out, thanks to a diner where the chalkboard talks almost as loudly as the regulars.
Address: 914 W Broad St, Columbus, OH 43222.
5. Joya’s, Columbus
In Old Worthington, Joya’s feels like the kind of place where the chalkboard has as much personality as the chef.
You walk past the front and instantly see neat handwriting spelling out a rotating cast of breakfast sandwiches, fried rice variations, and seasonal specials that never seem to sit still.
I came in for the famous breakfast sandwich, but caught sight of a limited-time fried rice written at the top of the board, and every plan I had immediately changed.
The dining room is compact and always buzzing, yet that board keeps things grounded, reminding you that behind the playful flavors is a very focused little kitchen.
Stepping back onto High Street, I found myself already curious about whatever wild idea the chalk might be pitching on my next visit.
Address: 657 High St, Worthington, OH 43085.
6. Preston Eatery, Columbus
Tucked into a busy stretch of northwest Columbus, Preston Eatery proves that a chalkboard can feel like a handshake.
Instead of a massive printed menu, they lean into a changing board of sandwiches, salads, and soups, all written out in tidy lines that make you read every word.
House-baked focaccia, bright salads, and from-scratch soups cycle through depending on the week, which turns staring at that board into a kind of gentle decision crisis.
I picked a turkey sandwich and a cup of soup straight off the chalkboard list, and every bite tasted like someone had edited the choices down on purpose.
By the time I tucked my leftovers into the car, I was already half planning a return trip just to see what new ideas had claimed a spot in chalk.
Address: 1093 Bethel Rd, Columbus, OH 43220.
7. Dark Horse Restaurant, Findlay
On the north side of Findlay, Dark Horse looks like a straightforward neighborhood spot until you notice how many eyes drift toward the specials board.
The regular menu covers steaks, sandwiches, and hearty plates, but that changing list of weekly lunch specials is where the kitchen clearly has the most fun.
One afternoon I watched the room fill with people who ordered the special before they even sat down, trusting whatever combination of soup, sandwich, or plate the board was offering.
My own pick was a hot sandwich with a side that tasted suspiciously like the kind of thing somebody once threw together on a whim and never dared to remove.
Driving away afterward, it struck me that the board here is less a decoration and more the quiet ringleader of the whole operation.
Address: 4136 N Main St, Findlay, OH 45840.
8. G & R Tavern, Waldo
Driving into Waldo, you do not really need directions to G & R Tavern, because the sign proudly talking up its famous bologna sandwich does most of the work.
That message over the door sets the tone before you even see a menu, and inside, nearly every table has at least one thick slice of that locally made bologna staring back.
I ordered the classic fried bologna sandwich served on a simple bun, and it arrived with the sort of confidence that comes from decades of being the headliner.
The dining room is pure small-town tavern comfort, with regulars trading stories and newcomers quietly realizing that the sign out front was not exaggerating at all.
Long after I pulled back onto the highway, I could still picture that sign promising a sandwich that absolutely knows it is the star of the show.
Address: 103 N Marion St, Waldo, OH 43356.
9. Maid-Rite Sandwich Shoppe, Greenville
In downtown Greenville, the Maid-Rite Sandwich Shoppe announces itself with a simple facade, a historic sign, and the steady hum of people chasing one particular sandwich.
The loose meat Maid-Rite sandwich is the headliner, and the short, no-nonsense menu is backed up by boards and windows that keep the focus on that signature order.
I watched regulars step up, call out their sandwiches like old friends, and glance at any written specials only to decide that the classic was still the move.
My own Maid-Rite arrived in its paper wrapper, crumbly, savory, and exactly as straightforward as the building itself.
Stepping back onto Broadway, it was easy to understand how one humble sandwich and a few lines of text have carried this place through generations.
Address: 125 N Broadway St, Greenville, OH 45331.
10. Tony Packo’s Cafe, Toledo
On Toledo’s east side, Tony Packo’s feels like a story you walk into, starting with the sign promising Hungarian specialties before you even spot the front door.
Inside, walls covered with signed hot dog buns surround a counter where the board and overhead menus highlight chili-topped dogs, stuffed cabbage, and other favorites that made this place famous.
I ordered a pair of Hungarian dogs with a side of cabbage noodles, and the tray looked exactly like something a regular would have recommended without hesitating.
The dining room hums with a mix of locals and visitors who clearly came because they heard the name long before they saw the building.
Heading back toward the Maumee River, I felt like I had finally connected the legend on the sign with the flavors that keep it alive.
Address: 1902 Front St, Toledo, OH 43605.
11. The National Exemplar, Mariemont
In the storybook village of Mariemont, The National Exemplar hides inside a Tudor-style inn, and the first hint of what the kitchen is up to sits on the specials board near the front.
While the main menu covers comforting American and European-leaning dishes, the changing list of seasonal plates gives you a peek at whatever the chefs are most excited about.
I watched a server walk past with a board listed salmon special that had half the room quietly reconsidering their safe choices.
My own order leaned into that board, and what arrived tasted like the inn had decided to show off without losing its classic charm.
Stepping under the old inn sign afterward, I liked knowing tomorrow’s best ideas would appear in chalk long before they ever reach the printed page.
Address: 6880 Wooster Pike, Mariemont, OH 45227.
12. Youngstown Saxon Club Restaurant, Youngstown
At the Youngstown Saxon Club, the first thing members and guests check on Fridays is not their phones but the specials board in the restaurant.
The kitchen is known for generous fish dinners, rotating chef’s plates, and classic sides, and that hand-lettered list quietly announces what kind of comfort is on deck each week.
I stopped in for a Friday meal and watched people greet one another in line while already debating between the featured plate and their usual order.
When my fish dinner landed with crisp edges and plenty of sides, it felt like the board had steered me exactly where the cooks wanted.
Walking out past the signboard, I could not help thinking of it as a weekly bulletin written in crispy batter and lemon wedges.
Address: 710 S Meridian Rd, Youngstown, OH 44509.
13. Joe’s Bar & Restaurant, Put-in-Bay
On South Bass Island, Joe’s Bar & Restaurant looks like a laid-back house with picnic tables, and the daily specials board is the unofficial welcome mat.
Before you even grab a seat, the board starts talking about mac and cheese, grilled chicken sandwiches, burgers, and whatever the kitchen is pushing as the comfort choice of the day.
I picked the macaroni and cheese and a smoked bologna sandwich right off that list, and both felt exactly right for an island afternoon that did not need any fuss.
Families, boat crews, and island workers drifted in and out, always pausing for a second look at the board before ordering.
By the time I headed back toward the docks, the red house, the yard full of tables, and that board had all blurred into one easygoing island ritual.
Address: 1400 Catawba Ave, Put-in-Bay, OH 43456.
14. Combine Brothers, Boardman
In Boardman, Combine Brothers is the kind of Italian spot where the chalkboard specials section on the website accurately reflects how things work in the dining room.
You settle into a booth thinking you will just order pasta from the main menu, and then your server points you toward a list of chalkboard dishes that change with the week.
One visit, that meant bruschetta, shrimp and broccoli alfredo, and a cheesecake that all sounded too convincing to ignore.
I ended up with a pasta special that tasted like a family recipe someone finally decided to share with the whole room.
Carrying my leftovers out to the car, I kept thinking that the chalkboard here feels like a backstage door where the kitchen sends out its favorite ideas first.
Address: 7412 Market St, Boardman, OH 44512.