Carmen's Deli

Carmen’s Deli opened at the beginning of the great recession of 2009 in downtown Dayton in a building pending bankruptcy with a high vacancy rate. It was the dream of Chef Haitham Imam, encouraged by his wife, Carmen, to leave the world of corporate food service and open his own restaurant.​Quickly embraced by the downtown office workers, the little deli where the food is hand crafted with the freshest ingredients by the friendliest staff, grew from two to six people. Thanks to new owners of the Kettering Tower, Carmen’s was given the opportunity to move across the street and continue to build on the tradition- expanding to serve dinner, spirits and become a bistro. Chef Imam is a graduate of the culinary and hospitality program at Sinclair Community College. He’s proud to be living the American dream as naturalized citizen, working in the same community where he received his education. He’s thankful to his family and extended family and especially friends for encouraging him in his pursuit of good food and exceptional service at Carmen’s Deli and Bistro. We thank our customers everyday for their support, because ultimately, without you, we couldn’t do what we love.