Coldwater Cafe

Great light lunch… lobster cakes, mushroom soup and a nice glass of Louis Martini cabernet sauvignon. Lovely atmosphere more appropriate for the older set, but nothing lacking. Very nice and attentive service. Add a star if you’re out for a special ocassion or taking your mom or grandmother out.

Oh man oh man oh man oh man!!! This place is Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood!!! A definite must if you have not been yet. Perfect place for a date night. You do not have to travel to Miller Lane or farther to get something amazing to eat.

I made reservations for last evening at 6:30 for our anniversary. When we arrived (early), we sat at the bar for a while, which was pleasant enough (CWC should consider revamping its cocktails as they aren’t as finely crafted as one would expect). Upon arrival, I told the receptionist that we were present for our anniversary. No response (i.e., a congratulatory greeting, I thought, would have been appropriate).
We were seated in the private alcove booth. I asked the hostess if we were being placed there because the restaurant didn’t want us to be seen (we are a gay married couple). She simply said «no». The alcove booth needs better lighting (dimmer and a candle on the table) and music access as it’s very «dead» in that corner.
We ordered (the waitress was attentive) and received an appetizer which was amateurish at best (artichoke dip)…I had a few bites and left it. I ordered the chowder. It was good (needed seasoning) but it was oddly served in a very small cup. Chowder needs to be in a bowl to eat with the bread that was served.
I was recommended to have the Ahi, which I ordered (always do) medium rare. It arrived and looked fine, but upon disassembling it, the middle was completely raw. I called the waitress over. She said, «hmmmm», and took it away. No apologies, no attempt to correct… nothing. I told her that I ate the cooked section but, again, I left ½ the meal.
We ordered dessert. It was good.
Side note: we mentioned for a second time that it was our anniversary (to the waitress), but she actually came to us when the meal was over and asked if we wanted separate checks. Would this have happened to a hetero couple? Doubt it.
Also, I was also perturbed when I received the bill and no adjustments for the appetizer and my meal were made. Being our first anniversary (and our 31^st year together), we picked CWC as a locally owned spot. We travel and dine all over the world, but will not return to CWC.
I also left a message on voicemail en route home. No response from CWC.

I used to eat at Coldwater years ago (late 90’s) when we lived in Troy. With a son now attending UD, we decided to treat him to a meal here along with our youngest daughter (in highs school so young is relative). The food was as great as I remember. They have moved up the street a bit to a new location, but the food is still wonderful. They had venison as a special and it was perfect. There was no gaminess at all, and the sauce did not overpower the meat. Two filet’s were ordered for the meal as well, along with a veggie pasta. The steaks were perfect, and my daughter, who usually is not big on vegetarian meals enjoyed her pasta.
Finally, I have to mention desert. They do an amazing job on deserts — English Tea Cake is a signature dish for them and is wonderful. The carrot cake cannot be beat. The vanilla crème brûlée and chocolate mousse cake were also excellent.
The service was as good as I remembered. If you want a nice, relaxing meal, make sure you hit Coldwater.

My husband and I just celebrated our anniversary at Coldwater Café… we cannot say enough about our experience. For starters, they went out of their way to help us celebrate our special occasion by wishing us a happy anniversary from the start. Seating us in a private area, and treating us to their house specialty desert made our special day extraordinary. Amy, our server, was perfect in every way. Attending to our needs in a timely fashion with an appropriate and pleasant familiarity made the evening feel cozy and intimate. Now to the food… an experience unto itself. We highly recommend the ostrich if available. Tasty and succulent… it will melt in your mouth. The scallops were perfectly prepared and simply divine… when combined with the wild mushroom risotto it was a celebration. The cheese plate was fun and adventurous, and as my husband says «the cesar salad was just rediculously good». Thank you Coldwater for such a wonderful and memorable evening!

My husband and I have celebrated our anniversary at Coldwater the last 2 years at their Chef’s Table in the kitchen. What a perfect way to spend a special evening! The executive chef/​co owner selects your menu (ours was 6 courses) and you can opt to have wine pairings with each course. Both times, everything was fantastic! From service to dessert, we have no complaints. Oh, and the bathrooms are really nice, too.

We had an excellent meal here last week! The food is fresh and expertly prepared and the service was amazing. I had the crab and lobster cakes, which were very rich and filling. And my husband had the Ahi Tuna and apparently really enjoyed it! I would definitely suggest this restaurant for a fun adult evening out probably best to leave the kids at home

I took my Mother here, and we REALLY enjoyed our dinner. My only complaint (I’ll just get it over with right away) was the location of our table. We were right on the end, nearest to the door, and we could barely see the décor because we were staring at a wall and watching as staff and customers walked by. Not a big deal… we can request a different table in our reservation next time.
Now to the important parts — the service, wine, and food.
Our server was knowledgable, and she checked on us several times, despite having a full house of customers. We were never left waiting.
We ordered Opus One. Enough said there.
My favorite part about the wine list was the prices of the bottles. I’m not sure I’ve seen good wine ever served at near retail price in a restaurant. Thank you! I hope you continue to do that! If so, I’ll continue to buy the good stuff when visiting my Mom in Ohio.
We both ordered a filet, and each of ours was cooked exactly as prescribed. I hate an overcooked filet, so I was so happy!
We did order the signature dessert, and it went well with our espresso, but it was rich! Recommend sharing one between two people.

Such a nice place! I had never been to this restaurant, but apparently it used to be in a much smaller space before it moved into this old bank. The décor is very high end, and there are private rooms in the back that used to be the vault and board room. We dined with a group of 8 in the board room for my grandmother’s 82^nd birthday.
The menu is diverse without being overwhelming, and I was really pleased with the quality and creativity of the food within the price range. I was expecting to pay $ 15+ for a meal, but all of the menu items were at that price point or lower. I had a super fresh and delicious salad with mint, watermelon, and feta cheese. I started with a cup of their soup of the day, which was a vegetarian mushroom soup. It had such a unique broth that must have had some kind of red wine base. Would totally order it again. Our server was great, and my grandma was given a free tea cake for her birthday! The server even brought it out on a plate with a lit candle and led the group in a rousing chorus of the birthday song.
I’ve passed by this place so many times and had no clue how nice it is inside. This place is definitely on my radar now! Come check it out for a delightful meal at a great price.

Coldwater Café is clearly one of the best restaurants in the Dayton — Miami Valley area. The restaurant occupies a former bank in downtown Tipp City. The décor has a charming elegant, yet homey feel. The overall layout allows for a quiet romantic setting. We sat in what was the bank vault area, complete with the vault door still present.
The staff was friendly from the young woman that greeted us and led us to our table to the our server Kate. There was a very professional manner in which Kate presented the special of the day. Even though our area had only about 6 tables, once over half were occupied, another server became present. I have been in restaurants where servers are responsible for a large area making service suffer. Not the case here. I must give kudos to management for great utilization of their servers.
As for the food, the menu is eclectic. There is something for everybody but all done with a culinary flair. I had the special, encrusted walleye fish on a bed of mashed red potatoes and sriracha sauce. My husband had the tuna steak on a bed of Chinese style noodles. Everything was cooked perfectly and presented beautifully.
I highly recommend this restaurant and we will return.

Went here for Lunch with my mom. A good friend had suggested this place and it was everything thy said it was. A super cute place with amazing food, wine and desserts! Service was spot on and very helpful! We got the Ahi tuna salad, burger and cheesecake. It was all very good!

After reading good reviews and being in the area decided to give it a try.
Came several minutes before closing on a not so busy day (Tuesday), but that was not a problem.
Greeted by a kind waitress ready to offer advice on menu or help you pair the wine with your dinner.
Some words of caution:
— Soup or salad will come extra
— Vine selection by the glass is not that great (Cherry Tart Chardonnay) was just OK, but I have to say I was told to let them know if I do not like it and they will bring me something else to try.
Now on a good side I had Salmon: cilantro mustard glaze, warm French lentil
salad, banana and horseradish cream
— Unusual combination but taste was wonderful. Decent piece of Scottish salmon glazed with cilantro mustard and just the right amount of salt was placed on cooked lentil
— I have added some horseradish cream, but did not mix slices of banana.
Salmon did have one catch that waitress missed to point out, they prepare it medium cooked which means that very middle of the salmon piece remains raw.
— I just mentioned it the waitress when she came to see how do I like it, not as much as complaint, but as advice to point it out when receiving order.
— I did not want her to take it back and put it back on fire.
When bill came she apologized and took of 50% of salmon order price as «it was not prepared to my liking», nice gesture.
All in all food was very good, you will end up paying a little bit more, but on the other side you will not feel like someone tried to rob you while you were having a nice dinner.

Stopped by for lunch with a coworker and thought highly of this little delicatessen. We were immediately intrigued when the hostess sat us in a small room where we had to walk through a large opening where the door was actually a full on bank vault! Very neat, although cell reception was terrible being inside the vault.
The service was superb! The waitress, wish I would have written her name down, was enthusiastic and engaging. It was our first time there and she did a wonderful job explaining the menu and their food. I could easily go back just because of how good the service was.
I ordered the triple decker grilled cheese on sourdough with the House made potato chips. The grilled cheese was very tasty, very rich with butter. The house made potato chips were frankly very average. All in all, not a bad meal for under $ 10.

I went to lunch here with my mom one day after shopping downtown. They had a great wine selection, and the food was also good. I had a crab cake sandwich and she had the turkey panini. It was a beautiful place to sit and relax. They were busy but we did not feel rushed at all. Would also be a nice place to sit and have a cocktail at the bar.

Spectacular meal and service. Everyone enjoyed their choices from the regular items and specials. Wine list is a bit too extensive to decide. In a recent visit during the holidays they had enjoyable live music in the lounge.

Great food! Nice location! Service is excellent. They took the time to make sure the large group was well taken care of! This place is a must if you are in the area.

I grew up about 45 miles north of Tipp City, and while my cousins who lived in Tipp had casually mentioned the restaurant (probably to give me directions or something), I never actually dined there until last summer, when I had a mini-​reunion with two of my oldest friends. What a great place to reminisce and catch up. Our server knew the menu well, was competent, and smoothly and patiently handled the gluten– and dairy-​free requests from one of these friends. Whatever the case, the unflappable server was a real pro, and I say that as someone who has done my time in the industry (in Minneapolis).
What was most unforgettable to me was the ostrich with the cherry reduction, which I ordered on the server’s recommendation. It was lean, juicy, flavorful, and fantastic. It’s been nearly a year since I had it, and I am still thinking about that meal. While there was a bit more sauce than was necessary, it didn’t bother me.
The ambiance is intimate and cozy, and being that it’s in a former bank vault, it’s a really nice place for a date or for a small gathering with two or three friends. I’m sad there are not more reviews for Coldwater — I’d add ten more favorable reviews if I could!

Fish (special) was unusual for my taste. Very affordable wine list, especially when I’m used to $ 17 – 25 a glass in NYC.
Great ambience, super attentive bartender, and some very solid food.

What a great place in the heart of Tipp City! Happened to stumble on this place recently (thanks to Unilocal of course!) and I was pleasantly surprised. The menu is awesome, featuring some really interesting items that you won’t find at many places. I can’t wait to come back in the future, unfortunately making an hour drive is a little difficult to do on a regular basis.
The service here is great and the building is super neat. We ate inside the vault when we went, so that was really cool.

We discovered the Coldwater Café on a house hunting trip in Tipp City. What a fantastic place!
Over our first 5 visits, we have had:
Muscles Sambuca — Yummy! The Sambuca sauce is perfect!
20 oz Porterhouse: The flavor is perfect and cooked perfectly (medium rare)
Filet Mignon: Again, cooked perfect and tasty. The Jasmine rice side is seasoned just right.
Shrimp and Brie Pasta: Yum, yum, yum.
Baked Artichoke Dip with Pita Bread Chips: The Pita bread chips are seasoned with garlic and compliment the artichoke dip.
Shrimp Cocktail: 5 HUGE shrimp (an oxymoron?)
Café Burger: Great tasting burger.
The Frozen Peanut Butter Pie: Photo posted and delicious.
They have a nice wine selection that is changing over the next couple of weeks.
The service provided during our visits has been impeccable. The staff is very professional, courteous, and attentive.
Highly recommended!!!