Restaurants in Middletown

Great American Grill shows it patriotism not only through the flag waving proudly on its menu cover, but also with classic American cuisine. The kitchen’s country-fried steak and breaded shrimp evoke down-home charm, as does the hearty housemade chili. Sandwiches range from juicy bacon cheeseburgers to chicken salad, and a rotating daily special infuses the menu with surprise more safely than garnishing every other meal with a lit firework.

When whipping up tasty teas and edible accompaniments, The Tea Parlor calls on the finest local ingredients available, ensuring the beverage's boasted health benefits don't get lost like a baby hedgehog in a ball pit. The full tea menu for the month of May starts with freshly steeped Garden Rose tea, impeccably paired with shortbread, seasonal fruit, and assorted finger sandwiches filled with cucumbers, carrots, cheese, turkey, and ham salad with orange marmalade. Savory asparagus is balanced with mixed-berry crumble cake, hazelnut truffle, and strawberry bread to satisfy sweet-seeking incisors. The featured menu items change monthly, so check back periodically to update your cravings accordingly.

Conceptualized by Chef Joshua Steven Campbell, a Cincinnati native, Mayberry and World Food Bar bring creative tastes to the community without ever pressuring the community to adopt creative eating techniques in return—traditional methods such as teeth and forks are acceptable. Mayberry's modest, warm atmosphere invites patrons to feast on fancified versions of classic comfort food such as the Sloppy Josh sandwich (slow-cooked beef with rosemary and spicy mustard, $7) for lunch, paired with a tater-tot casserole ($3). Transitioning palates to dinner hour are elegant small plates such as pepper-bacon-wrapped pork medallions sweetly accompanied by barbecue chickpeas and goat cheese ($10) and the restaurant's herbed flatbread with guava, kalamata olives, and feta cheese, which can be made with lamb or with minted tofu for vegetarians ($10).

Bucks Tavern combines the atmosphere of a cozy neighborhood sports bar with the menu of a locally minded gastropub. Start with an order of crispy potato skins—stuffed with cheese, bacon, and scallions, and served with sour cream ($9)—or a bowl of Bucks' homemade beef chili ($5) before tempting your taste buds into swimming up-tongue with a grilled-salmon salad (baby spinach, provolone, tomatoes, candied walnuts, and hard-boiled egg, topped with Atlantic salmon, $13). A hand-breaded, all-natural whitefish sandwich ($8.50) will satisfy lunchtime customers who suspiciously resemble a flock of seagulls in a trench coat. Even pub staples are delivered with an upscale twist. The grilled cheese showcases creamy havarti, tomato, fresh basil, and a drop of honey on a pedestal of wheatberry toast ($7), and Dan's burger tops a hand-sculpted beef patty with pepper jack, bacon, fried-onion straws, and a drizzle of barbecue sauce ($8). All sandwiches come with a side of Bucks’ slaw or seasoned fries—the raffish, fast-living, smooth-talking brother of waffle fries. A children's menu, meanwhile, delights toy-humans with favorites such as sliders, chicken fingers, and mac ‘n’ cheese, all served with a side of fries.