Located on E. Dixie Drive in West Carrollton, El Meson Restaurant has grown from humble beginnings as a pizza parlor into one of Ohio’s finest restaurants, renowned for its innovative and imaginative pan-Hispanic fusion of foods from throughout Latin America—Mexico, Cuba, Colombia, Costa Rica and beyond—and Spain. The El Meson story began in 1966 when Herman G. Castro, a computer tech instructor for NCR and would-be restaurateur, was transferred to company HQ in Dayton. The Castro family emigrated from its native Colombia and soon bought a small pizza shop.

The current El Meson seats more than 450 people in several rooms and features a bar, outdoor patio, banquet rooms, gift shop and full-service catering operation. Bill, Herman R. and Marie Castro now help run the restaurant their father founded. Besides serving outstanding fare not often seen locally, El Meson also hosts frequent cooking, dance and Spanish-language immersion classes.