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Best known as a live music venue and lively bar in Oregon District in Dayton, you’ll immediately be impressed by the assortment of stuffed things hanging on the walls from the moment you walk in. Food isn’t the first priority for the place; certainly it’s mostly a location for music and libations, but it does also have a specialty for breakfast and brunch the morning after the craziness and a lunch menu that dabbles here and there, mostly for the enjoyment of a set of local barflies. Gritty is the word here, but still a memorable scene.
The menu is really kind of a smattering of Americana, in practice you rely on the boards on the street for a real sense of what’s to eat here. Some of those things:
- New York Strip: A $13 Friday special, served with a baked potato and a salad, cooked to taste though the meat was a tad over medium-rare. Not a steakhouse for sure, but altogether a pretty inexpensive lunch.
- House salad: A mix of chopped veggies and most notably a house-made bitter raspberry-based vinegar to top things off.
- Margarita: Extra salty on the rim. Perfect for a hot day.
- Jello Shots: Legendarily served in a giant syringe, usually for $3 a pop and usually contagious in a bar; you grab a few and suddenly the next group of friends wants them, too. Get the red ones, purple is just disappointing.
Years as a drinking establishment has added a lot of color to Tumbleweed; there’s a patio if you desire, but the real fun is on that upstairs balcony which offers a rare second-floor view of the Oregon District and has its own, always less-busy bar. And of course the stage here is often host to local acts, and there tends to be an engaged crowd who wants to see the music play.
On the overall, Tumbleweed is a low-key bar and probably one of the lower-key must-try experiences in the Oregon District, both because it’s always seeming to have a good crowd and a laid-back atmosphere, and because its place right in the middle of the district makes it a common rallying point for the nightlife here.
Oregon District has a bunch of unique watering holes, most of them these kinds of dives that Daytonians swear by. Tumbleweed Connection is going to be one of the more colorful stops here.
Recommendations
- The bar does have a cover later in the evenings, usually tied to the bands.
- Go upstairs and hang out on the second-floor balcony. It has a great view of the street and it’s a decent chance to see a live act, too.
- The food is mostly an afterthought but during the day, the bar does in fact serve food.
Another Food Critic 