Golden Dawn Restaurant - Youngstown

I have come to the conclusion that if you were to define Youngstown cuisine, it would be neighborhood tavern food. We have a bunch of them…all bringing us back to the glory days of the steel industry, even as we move forward where no Rust Belt City has gone before. We are so fortunate to have the likes of the Elmton, the Royal Oaks, the MVR, Avalon Gardens, the Boulevard Tavern…and the Golden Dawn Restaurant on Logan Avenue.

I have to confess, for being a Youngstown foodie of sorts, I had never been to the Golden Dawn. I’m kind of ashamed of that. I didn’t even know where it was, though it was legendary back when I was attending Youngstown State University 1968-70. Mostly I heard about its breakfasts. Somehow, in my mind, I pictured it as a dump, and I just never made the effort. Maybe it reminded me of the Golden Dawn grocery chain. Whatever the reason, I just put it out of my mind.

Then this past week, jumpin’ Joe Biden was in town stumping for Ted Strickland’s re-election, and they brought Joe to the Golden Dawn for lunch. Big news!!!! Stories abounded on the local news media about the establishment’s rich past, and how its original owners, Ralph and Carmen Naples, are still running the place well into their 80’s, wearing their trademark white long sleeved shirts and black ties. I said to my self “Self, if it’s good enough for Joe Biden…it’s good enough for me.” So I grabbed my lovely wife, Ginger, and off we went to the Golden Dawn.

Driving there is a sad trip down memory lane as Wick Avenue turns into Logan, and you pass the myriad of closed car dealerships…where Youngstown, and me, bought many an automobile before they all moved to Boardman. Nevertheless, as we passed the Ursuline High School, and the old Barrett Cadillac…there it was!

What a neat place. Plenty of parking surrounds this old house with an added on front restaurant. It was opened for business in 1934, and was one of the first bars to get a liquor license in the area as Prohibition (the Progressives’ dream for the early 20th century) ended. I believe the Royal Oaks was THE first. Go through the front door, and you rapidly conclude that this place is great. It is roomy. It is spotless spit shiny clean. It is open unlike many other tavern spaces. The booths are bright red. The wall to your right is a mass of green Ursuline Fighting Irish memorabilia. And the left is this wonderful curved ½ moon bar.

We perused the menu. Holy smokes. How does this place stay in business? On the breakfast list is eggs, bacon, and toast for $2.75. It has its signature 8 oz. steakburger for $3.75. Sandwiches galore, and entrees mostly priced between six and seven dollars. I had a hunk of ham steak dinner. It was huge, served with corn and home fries and big slice of canned pineapple right on the top. I think I paid around $6.75. The menu has the full gambit, from pizza to breakfast to sandwiches to dinner to wonderful Italian selections (of course). My wife had spaghetti and meatballs, and she said this place is on the A list to go again.

I love places like this. You can kick back and relax. I tend to get a tad claustrophobic, so the openness is a plus for me. Criticisms: the television was blaring LOUD. I know that WYTV did a story on them that we watched while there, so I assume it was turned up so everybody could hear…but it was a tad annoying. And the service was harried. They only had one waitress working that night, and a party of 14 came in, and everything stopped until the guy at the bar, who I assume is one of the family members, jumped in to the rescue. That being said, I felt right at home to the point I could have gotten up and helped out.

If you haven’t been there, go. If you have been there but not for a long time, go back. This place is worth keeping around.

I give it a very enthusiastic 3 ½ meatballs. I need another visit to raise it to 4.

1/2

The Golden Dawn Restaurant
1245 Logan Avenue
Youngstown, OH 44505
330-746-0393