In the Theodosopoulos family since 1963, Theo’s Restaurant in downtown Cambridge, Ohio can trace its early roots back to 1931. Credited with for bringing the Coney Island Coney Dog to Cambridge, “The Coney” changed has changed names and hands through the years—managing to uphold its reputation as one of the favorite family dining venues in town. Equally popular with local residents and tourists traveling along the Interstates 70 and 77 corridor (the highways come to a crossroads just south of downtown), Coney Dogs are a 70-year mainstay on the menu.
Known for some of the best pie around, a popular strategy for dining at Theo’s is to start with dessert. A slice of the “mile high” meringue sells for $1.95/slice. Employing forty-five chefs in their kitchen, owners Alex and Steve Theodosopoulos regularly serve between 500 and 1000 hungry customers on any given day. With 200 seats in the dining area, the Theodosopoulos brothers credit their affordable menu pricing to the consistently high volume of patrons. “If we do have a wait for a table, say on a Friday night, it’s usually not a long one.” said Steve Theodosopoulos. “Using ingredients from all over the country, we still make all of our food on site,” Theodosopoulos added.
Curious about any Greek culinary influence, I ordered and thoroughly enjoyed a lamb meat gyro for $5.50. (Way to go Ohio!) Based solely upon on the name, the Moist and Sassy chicken sandwich (marinated in wine, olive oil, and spices for $4.25) is a close runner up. Unfortunately on the Children’s menu, choices are not as exotic. That said, for $1.25 you can coax your kids with a bowl of vegetable soup or let them order mini corn dogs and fries for $3.25. After4PM, spaghetti is available for $2.95 a plate. My personal opinion is this: Prices at Theo’s are low enough for the entire menu to serve as an extension of the kids cuisine (heck, with extras to take home or share between friends and siblings).