What is Bar Louie?
Bar Louie is more than a bar. It is a place to meet up with your friends, have a drink or two while nibbling on their delicious food and listening to great music they play.
Where is Bar Louie situated and when is it open?
Bar Louie is situated in an outdoor shopping village, called The Greene mall. You can find it just a short drive out of Dayton, Ohio, in the Beavercreek township. More precisely, on 4492 Glengarry drive. The bar is open daily from eleven in the morning to two in the morning, which is pretty awesome, if you feel like having a late night drink.
Bar Louie can be pretty crowded on Friday nights, simply because a lot of people need a drink (or three) after a long working week. Also, in United States of America, it is pretty common for families to eat dinner in a restaurant on Fridays. Because, let’s be honest, nobody feels like preparing dinner for five after a ten hour long working day. And Bar Louis seems to be a pretty common destination for families on a Friday night.
If you are just getting a drink during busy times, you can always just sit at the bar. Alternatively, if your group does not feel like waiting for a table, you might be able to be seated at the bar. Not the most comfortable solution, but it is fast.
There is plenty of parking all across this outdoor shopping mall, but the closest one is the parking garage just next to Bar Louie. You might have to drive all the way up to find a parking spot, depending on the time of the day. This usually happens when a popular movie comes out and everybody goes to see it in the movie theater.
And the best thing: they have outdoor fireplaces and heaters for cooler days. It looks really cool, and it feels really nice, sitting right next to the fire. Oh, and if you are still cold, you can use one of many blankets they have outside.
Bar Louie is also a very popular spot for watching football games in fall, because of the big screens they have, and going there during the game is truly an experience. The only bad (or good) thing about staying for a whole game is that you have to keep ordering drinks. They will ask you to leave if you just order one drink during the whole game. Which is understandable, if you ask me.
And if you are familiar with the website meetup.com, Bar Louie is the place where a lot of these meetups take place. The reason is simple - the movie theater is situated right next to the bar, and therefore, a lot of local meetup.com groups come to Bar Louie for a drink or two before heading to the movie theater to see a movie.
Drinks
Bar Louie has a variety of awesome and colourful alcoholic drinks, and they are especially famous because of their martinis.
The drinks are reasonably priced, but they can be even cheaper if you visit the bar during the happy hours. For example, a regular martini will cost you almost eleven dollars (but trust me, they are worth it), and during happy hours, the martinis are fifty percent cheaper, so you will only pay a little over five dollars.
You should definitely try the following drinks: Pineapple Express sangria, s’mores martini, honeydew martini, ninety miles to Florida martini and the Strawberry peach Bellini. You might be surprised by the small size of their martinis, but do not let the size fool you, because they do pack a punch. And you know what they say, poison is kept in small bottles.
This is the s'mores martini. The rim of the glass is dipped in Nutella (!) and sugar and it even has little marshmallows on top! I could not resist licking the rim of the glass at the end. Sorry not sorry.
Ninety miles to Florida... I wonder where the name comes from. Maybe the reason is that this martini will warm you up so much you will feel like you are in Florida!
Strawberry peach bellini, also known as awesomeness in a glass.
And if you are feeling brave (or you are drunk enough), order the Pina Colada martini. And not only because it is so good, but because you have to sing the song ‘If you like Pina Coladas’ when ordering it. In all seriousness, they will not make you the drink if you do not sing. And it is hilarious, especially after you already had a few drinks beforehand. And the bartenders will be even more generous with alcohol in this one!
Food
The best thing about eating food at Bar Louie (other than the tasty food itself, of course, but more about that later) is the fact that their kitchen is open late. More precisely, until the place closes for the day, which is super convenient. Why? The most important reason is that the movie theater that most Daytonians go to, is situated just across the street from Bar Louie. And imagine seeing a movie late at night and feeling like eating a burger after the movie is over. Well, you will be able to satisfy your cravings easily, just cross the street and order food at Bar Louie!
The view of the movie theater from Bar Louie's patio.
I have been to Bar Louie quite a few times, and I can say I tried a fair amount of their food, and these are the dishes I would definitely recommend you to try:
The flatbread. Well, they have more than one kind of flatbreads, but the roasted vegetable flatbread is my absolute favourite. And please do not expect to be able to eat the whole thing by yourself - one flatbread will easily feed three people!
Drunken fish sandwich. This work of art tastes a bit like fish and chips, the famous British dish. It consists of two perfectly grilled burger buns, beer - infused deep fried codfish, a lot of coleslaw and fries on the side. You can ask for no coleslaw if you do not like the taste, but in my opinion, the coleslaw makes this sandwich taste even better! And try dripping some lemon juice on the codfish - delicious!
Another delicious dish on Bar Louie's menu is their blue cheese and pear salad. This might sound like an unusual combination, but the two flavours compliment each other very well. Who says salads have to be boring?
And I just recently discovered this dish - salmon sliders with bacon and a side of herb - rubbed fries. And just to give you an idea about how generous the portions at Bar Louie are, let me tell you that this is supposed to be an appetizer, not the main dish. I could barely move after eating all of it, and I had to refuse dessert, which rarely happens. The sliders are very flavourful, the blackened salmon is just salty enough, and the herb - rubbed fries have a very special taste. And they come with a blue cheese dip, which is also divine.
If you are still hungry after your meal (well, I doubt so, because Bar Louie’s portions are pretty generous, but people say there is always room for dessert), please order their key lime and strawberry cake in a mason jar. Key lime and strawberries sound like a pretty unusual combination in theory, but in real life, this is one of the most mouth - watering desserts I have ever had. They also offer a six layer chocolate cake, which I yet have to try. I will definitely report how it is once I try. But I am sure it tastes delicious.
Specials and happy hours
Bar Louie is a very cheap place to eat, and they constantly offer different specials to make everything even cheaper. And that is why everybody loves to go there. The famous happy hour goes on from Monday to Friday from four to seven in the evening, and the bar is usually pretty crowded during those times. Which is not surprising at all. During the happy hour, you can get all martinis for half the price, and some appetizers and flatbreads are also cheaper than usual.
Then, on Tuesdays, you can get any burger for just a dollar, if you also purchase a drink. Their burgers are mouthwatering, so please do yourself a favour and try them. If you do not like them, oh well, it only cost you one dollar. And on Wednesdays, you can have a bottle of beer for one dollar and twenty five cents, and the promotion goes on all day. Cheers!
There are many more offers, and I only listed the ones I usually use and like. You can check the Bar Louie’s website for a complete list.
A few words for the end
Bar Louie is definitely one of my favourite hangout spots in the Dayton area, whether it is for good food and drinks or just plain people watching. And the awesome specials they offer almost every day in the week always lure me and my friends there after a long work day.
