Where to Eat in Youngstown, OH: 15 Local Favorites Worth the Drive

Looking for where to eat in Youngstown, OH? Start with build-your-own tacos at Condado Tacos in Boardman, a game-day table at Twin Peaks, North Indian cooking at Delhi Cafe on Belmont Avenue and Nick & Harry’s in Austintown, an old-world Italian market at Jimmy’s Italian Specialties, wild ales in Smokey Hollow at Noble Creature, pho at Pho LV, a pie from Nicky’s Pizzeria, small plates at YOSTERIA, and Caribbean plates by Wick Park at Dalia’s. Then open the Youngstown browse deck and pick dinner by the plate.

Browse Youngstown food photos

Youngstown eats bigger than its size. Downtown and Smokey Hollow pour local beer and pass around small plates, Belmont Avenue on the North Side is a run of family kitchens, and Boardman and Austintown fill in everything from poke to brisket. These are the spots I keep coming back to, and every one already has real food photos on Where’s This Food, so you can see exactly what shows up on the table before you go.

This is our third city guide in the same photo-first style, after Where to Eat in Pittsburgh, PA and Where to Eat in Erie, PA.

Condado Tacos (Boardman)

Walk in and the walls hit you first. The Boardman Condado is painted like a neon drive-in movie night, a wink at the old drive-ins out on Elm Road and the Skyway, and it sets the tone for a loud, happy dinner.

The move here is the build-your-own taco card: pick a shell, a protein, sauces and toppings, and make it as weird or as classic as you like. Get a round of chips with a trio of dips for the table while you decide, and a margarita if it’s been that kind of day. Weekday happy hour runs in the afternoon, and there’s a patio when the weather plays along.

Twin Peaks (Boardman)

When the Browns or the Steelers are on and you need a big screen, a cold beer and a plate of wings, Twin Peaks on Tiffany Boulevard is where the crowd ends up. It’s a lodge-style sports bar with a lot of TVs and a kitchen that leans hard into comfort food.

Grilled wings are the lighter way in, and the sandwiches come piled high with a mound of fries on the side. It stays open late, so it works just as well after a night out as it does for kickoff.

Delhi Cafe Indian Cuisine & Bar (Belmont Avenue)

If you only try one Indian spot in town, make it this one on Belmont. The room is warm and comfortable, the staff are genuinely glad you came, and the smell of the tandoor follows you out to the car.

The lunch buffet is the easy introduction, and weekends bring dosa into the rotation. Order off the menu at dinner, though. Tandoori lamb chops, pepper goat and grilled salmon tikka are the big plates, and vegetarians get real choices like soya chaap, grilled paneer and crispy tamarind-glazed eggplant.

Nick & Harry’s Indian Cuisine & Bar (Austintown)

Out on the Austintown side, Nick & Harry’s is the place to bring a group and order the whole table’s worth of curries, naan and rice. Plan on three or four dishes for four people and pass everything around.

If the menu looks long, just ask. The servers are happy to walk you through it and steer you toward the right heat level. It’s open from morning to late evening, which makes it an easy weeknight call.

Jimmy’s Italian Specialties (Belmont Avenue)

Part deli, part bakery, part grocery, all Youngstown. Jimmy’s is the kind of old-world Italian market where you come in for a sandwich and leave with a tray of pastries, a bag of imported pasta and a bottle of wine.

Grab a panini or a sub for lunch, or a slice of pizza (whole pies too). For dinner at home, pick up the handmade pasta and meatballs. There’s a courtyard with a fountain out back that feels like a little trip to Italy. Go during the day, since they close in the early evening.

Noble Creature Wild Ales & Lagers (Smokey Hollow)

Tucked into Smokey Hollow near the YSU campus, Noble Creature is a brewery first: wild ales, lagers and a tap list worth working through slowly. Some nights there’s live music, and it turns into the best kind of neighborhood hangout.

The kitchen keeps up with the beer. The burger is the order, and the mac and cheese and the chicken Caesar wrap are close behind. Weekdays it opens late afternoon, and weekends start earlier.

Pho LV (Boardman)

On a gray Ohio afternoon, a steaming bowl from Pho LV fixes a lot. It’s a clean, bright little spot on Boardman-Poland Road, and the service is quick and kind.

Get pho, obviously, with a plate of fresh herbs and lime on the side to load up as you go. Add the rice-paper spring rolls and a Vietnamese iced coffee, which is strong, sweet and dangerously easy to drink. Kitchen hours wrap up around 8:30, so don’t push it too late.

Nicky’s Pizzeria (Lincoln Knolls)

Every Youngstown neighborhood has a pizza shop people defend like family, and on the East Side by Lincoln Knolls that’s Nicky’s on McCartney Road. Nothing fancy, just a good crust, a good sauce and plenty of sausage and pepperoni when you want it.

Don’t skip the wings. The spicy garlic and the Greek-style are the two flavors to try, and both travel well. It opens at noon and handles delivery, so it’s an easy Friday night answer.

YOSTERIA (Smokey Hollow)

YOSTERIA on Valley Street is where I’d take someone who thinks they know Italian food. The menu goes well past the usual red-sauce lineup into dishes that feel more like a trip to Italy, and it pairs everything with a smart list of wine and cocktails.

They’ve added more seating and grown the small plates menu, so it’s great for grazing: share a few plates, a pizza and a bottle and stay a while. The owner and staff treat regulars and first-timers the same way, like family. It’s a dinner spot that opens in the late afternoon.

Dalia’s Caribbean Kitchen (Wick Park)

A few blocks from Wick Park on Elm Street, Dalia’s feels like eating at a friend’s house, if your friend’s family happened to be incredible cooks. It’s family-owned, the dining room is cozy and pretty, and you’re treated like a regular from the start.

Brown stew chicken over rice is deep, savory and exactly what you want on a cold night. Sweet fried plantains belong on every plate, and the pineapple iced tea is a must. Lunch and early dinner only, since they close at 7.

Ely’s (Boardman)

Ely’s is an all-vegan counter-service kitchen on Western Reserve Road, and it’s good enough to win over meat eaters. The cooking is fresh and full of flavor, and the folks behind the counter make it easy to order even if plant-based is new to you.

Pair a pressed sandwich with a cup of whatever soup is on, and get dessert, because the sweets are a big part of the draw. It’s a daytime place that closes mid-afternoon, and dogs are welcome.

Hawaiian Poke (Boardman)

For something light and bright on Boardman-Canfield Road, Hawaiian Poke builds bowls that are absolutely loaded. Even a regular size comes stuffed with whatever you pick.

Build your own if you know what you like. If you don’t, try the tempura shrimp with krab, which adds a nice crunch to the usual bowl. There are drinks on the menu too, so it works as a sit-down lunch as well as a grab-and-go.

The Youngstown BBQ Company (Boardman)

Smoke is the whole point at this Market Street joint. Ribs, brisket and chicken come out on trays with white bread and pickles, and the crew is happy to talk rubs and recipes if you show a little curiosity.

Get a combo so you can try more than one meat, and come hungry. It’s a lunch-into-afternoon kind of place, not a late dinner stop, so plan your barbecue run for daylight.

The Take Out (East Side)

The Take Out on Oak Street is soul food made with real pride, and you can taste the care in every recipe. It’s mostly a carry-out operation, so this is the place to grab dinner and eat it the second you get home (or in the car, no judgment).

Ribs with mac and cheese and Cajun corn make a perfect plate. Chicken and waffles and glossy, saucy wings are worth a second trip. It’s open from late morning to early evening.

Johanzel Pizza (East Side)

A little neighborhood pizza shop, now on Oak Street on the East Side. It’s the kind of place you find by word of mouth and then keep to yourself. The pies are big on flavor, the prices are friendly, and once you’ve had one pizza you’ll want to work through the rest of the menu.

It’s an evening operation and isn’t open every day, so check before you head over.

How to use Where’s This Food in Youngstown

Open wheresthisfood.app/browse/?area=youngstown-oh and swipe Yuck or Yum through real plates from all over the Youngstown area. When a photo hits, you find out where it’s from, with no guessing from stock menu shots. Ate something great tonight? Submit your own photo and put it in the deck.

Start the Youngstown photo deck

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