The Ugly Duckling — Restaurant in Dayton

Really enjoyed the overall experience with Ugly Duckling! The breakfast menu seems well balanced, the service was on point, but the atmosphere really sold it for me. I love the wall art choices and my kids had a great time with the unexpectedly awesome coloring book. As for the food, I enjoyed it but had some thoughts afterwards on how I wished it was improved (except for the tater tots which were literally PERFECT). I had the breakfast sandwich made with Bills donuts. I think that the donuts themselves are a nice addition to breakfast foods that I look to often pair with hot sauce. However, the addition of powdered sugar on top of the donuts did not interact well. The end result was powdered sugar that did not stay dry and also made the overall sandwich too sweet in my opinion. I think this was further compounded with the addition of a Thai chili-based hot sauce which is also known for having a sweet quality to it. I tried this hot sauce on the breakfast burrito as well but ultimately thought that it does not quite fit in with American breakfast fare. Overall I think the experience was really nice. The staff offered his coffee before we even sat down which was welcomed on a cold day. They made sure to be thoughtful of my entire family, and the atmosphere is exactly what I would want for a neighborhood bite. This is exactly the kind of place I could see myself getting behind and visiting often. I think a few small adjustments and we'll have a real contender in the Dayton...

My friend and I decided to try this place out. It was our first visit. I have to say that it was a little challenging to find if you aren't familiar with downtown. We didn't realize it was a remodeled home and the sign isn't very visible or noticeable from the street. When it comes to parking, it's a bit tricky, but you can just park on the street. There is a back parking, but only for the other businesses beside it. You can risk being towed, but we went on a Sunday morning and it seemed just fine. 😃

Nonetheless, let's get to the good stuff, the ambiance is very casual dining. Great for family brunch events. It's also great for breakfast dates too. It's a chill place with pretty unique art and photos on the wall. As a vegan, this place had a great selection. The best part to me was the pancake since it was also gluten free and tasted INCREDIBLE! No joke. I don't like pancakes that much, but I was a fan of these. The vegan sausages (more like flat patties) were okay. They definitely felt store bought and thawed out. But my friend's burrito looked amazing though. And you can make them vegan. I don't recall if they had an egg substitute, but nonetheless, the...

I ordered the chicken club with tots and a cup of coffee and it was a nice basic breakfast. Met one of the owners and he was a very nice and friendly guy! The vibes of the place gave this hey this is my every day place. Price was a bit spicy but that’s due to market today. Coffee was a bit watery but not a deal breaker. The coffee was sourced locally so you gotta respect that. Will I come again!?!?!? Yes, yes I believe I will to try other menu options!!

Updated thought: now that I think about it, the fact that the chicken cutlet was the size of a small piece of paper and everything there I could’ve bought at the grocery store for literally less then 7 dollars I now feel kind of robbed.

Hear me out, the price for a bag of frozen chicken cutlets is roughly $12-$13. They charged me $17 for 1 chicken cutlet sandwich! That’s the price for a whole bag and a half of chicken pieces $11 if you go to Gordon’s. Being local and across from a school I now feel like they could do better to connect with the community cause those prices will drive customers to McDonald and take away from this nice...