Akron Things to Do, Where to eat

[TexanMark]

Was wondering if you guys could give some recommendations of what to do in Akron

Looking for restaurants, sports bars near the stadium

Any special foods to try?

What are the campus bars for the 20 somethings?

I know alot of our fans are going to the Pro FB HOF...any tips? any discounts available?

Any other good things to see?

As Always Links are appreciated to restaurants, bars, etc....

I'm going to link this thread over to our board.

[ddoverspike]

Send them to the ohio.com site or the new the330.com site. Plenty of dining, to do, and other sites there.

[K92]

The Barley House is a fairly large sports bar on Main Street only a few blocks from campus. website

Europe Gyro is right across the street from the stadium and is famous for gyros (of course), jojo potatoes, and (my favorite) pizza on a pita! http://fox8.cityvoter.com/europe-gyro/biz/71551

menu

[xu9697]

Helpful site:

http://www.downtownakron.com/enjoy/dining

Barley House is a good place.

Spaghetti Warehouse works good for a large group, mostly b/c it is right on the edge of downtown with plenty of on site parking. Food is solid, but there is better stuff out there.

[InTheZone]

If you're looking for good bars for 20 somethings on Friday or Saturday night, I'd venture to the Valley before Downtown. Just google The Valley Akron, OH and you can find a lot of nice bars and clubs.

[TexanMark]

If you're looking for good bars for 20 somethings on Friday or Saturday night, I'd venture to the Valley before Downtown. Just google The Valley Akron, OH and you can find a lot of nice bars and clubs.

Good stuff but can you be more specific...what street intersection would put you in the middle of the bar district?

[GP1]

Looking for restaurants, sports bars near the stadium

Any special foods to try?

As Always Links are appreciated to restaurants, bars, etc....

I'm going to link this thread over to our board.

From the looks of your post, my guess is you are in your 20s. I'll leave the downtown bar scene picks to the younger ZipsNation members. If you are going to list this on the Syracuse board, your readers should know my picks below are probably for the "not interested in the bar scene" crowd...older folks who like good food without all of the drunks.

If you want something really special, go to Lannings. It is the best steak place around. I actually think it is the best steak place in Summit County. You will need your own car. If you are coming with your wife/girlfriend, she will love the place. Dockers and button down shirt minimum. Diamond Grille is overrated.

Ken Stewart's Grille is another good local Akron place. Used to be much better than it is now, but still good. Great cocktail bar. Away from campus.

Crave is the best place to eat downtown and technically, you could walk there from the stadium but I would advise driving.

I lived on the west side of Akron and my wife and I used to love to eat at Gasoline Alley. Great deli food and really good specials. Off campus and will need a car.

If you are walking around campus on Friday around lunch, go to the Martin Center and eat in the restaurant in the basement. Really good food.

If you are looking to knock off 3-4 hours, a tour of Stan Hywet is always interesting. The Seiberlings built the place and they are the people who founded Goodyear Tire and Rubber. If the Biltmore is a must see in Asheville, NC, then Stan Hywet is a must see in Akron, OH.

If you feel like taking a walk in the country, drive up to Peninsula, OH and rent some bikes or walk part of the Towpath Trail. Walking about a mile north and a mile south is a good trip. You could eat lunch at the Winking Lizard or Fishers (is Fishers still in business?). Only about 30 minutes at the most from campus. Take the interstate there and don't drive through the Valley. When you drive through the Valley, you drive by the sewage plant and it smells like a....well......a sewage plant.

I would recommend anyone staying a night or two to stay in west Akron/Montrose. Close to Cleveland if you want to see the Rock and Roll HOF, but it is still basically in Akron. Anything you may need is within 4 miles of the area.

Enjoy your trip.

[Wally B]

I'll add one for the older (refined) crowd! Try the LOCKVIEW on Main St. across from Lock3 park.... Incredible GORMET cheese sandwiches, and i do mean GORMET! Incedible beer selection (best in Akron) and i urge everyone to splurge and get a Lindeman's Fambroise, a rasberry infused lambic beer from Belgium.

[InTheZone]

If you're looking for good bars for 20 somethings on Friday or Saturday night, I'd venture to the Valley before Downtown. Just google The Valley Akron, OH and you can find a lot of nice bars and clubs.

Good stuff but can you be more specific...what street intersection would put you in the middle of the bar district?

Here's a link with info on a pretty popular bar down there, which includes a map with some of the other bars/clubs nearby.

http://cleveland.metromix.com/bars-and-clu.../374766/content

That whole area is pretty nice, much nicer than what you'll find downtown and probably more the type of people you would want to mix with. The main road is Merriman/Riverview Rd. The Dorm is pretty centrally located to the nightlife so if you mapquest directions with the address it'll take you where you want to be. The whole Valley district was developed within the last decade so it only became a hotspot recently, which is why a lot of the old timers on this board don't know much about it. Barley House downtown is nice, but if you want options to hop from bar to bar with places populated by upper/middle class 20 somethings, the Valley is the way to go.

[Bleacher Bum]

Luigi's -- Nuff said.

[Dave in Green]

The original request was for hot spots "near the stadium."

If "near" means walking distance, that narrows it down quite a bit to a matter of blocks. If driving distance, it depends -- 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 60 minutes? There are many nice places in the Akron region, but many fewer within blocks of the stadium.

[you am i]

Luigi's -- Nuff said.

For a little local color, I'd second Luigi's. Good Italian food. Local institution. Decent prices. Located Main St. on the north end of downtown. Short drive (5 -10 minutes) to the stadium.

Also, if you're a comics fan, the creator of Funky Winkerbean lives outside of Akron and he used Luigi's as the model for the restaurant Montoni's in the comic strip.

Website: luigisrestaurant.com.

[RowdyZip]

Luigi's -- Nuff said.

For a little local color, I'd second Luigi's. Good Italian food. Local institution. Decent prices. Located Main St. on the north end of downtown. Short drive (5 -10 minutes) to the stadium.

Also, if you're a comics fan, the creator of Funky Winkerbean lives outside of Akron and he used Luigi's as the model for the restaurant Montoni's in the comic strip.

Website: luigisrestaurant.com.

I'm a fan of Luigis. However, don't go after about 10pm on a weekend unless you want to wait a decade and bring cash. I think they're still cash only or local personal checks.

[johnnyzip84]

Luigi's is an excellent Akron institution, but be prepared for a decent wait on the weekends unless you hit it early (4:00 pm or earlier). MetroBurger on Market Street in Highland Square is a modern, interesting and tasty take on the burger joint. The Lockview downtown on Main is excellent for it's beer selection and grilled cheese (as noted earlier). 69 Taps, also downtown, is another place with an excellent beer selection (including some of Akron's microbrewery offerings from Ohio Brewing and Thirsty Dog).

There is also a BW3's (wings) right across the street from the Info. It has a decent beer selection and good wings, but it gets pretty crowded on game day.

[ZachTheZip]

Swensons if you want to experience a different kind of burger, while eating in your car like at a '50s drive-up joint. There are several locations around town. One is right next to the aforementioned Metroburger.

But if you want something close to the stadium, your options are pretty limited. When the stadium was built last year, there wasn't much to begin with. It was hoped that in time the regular crowds of people from our games and high school games and concerts (seriously, Akron, get some concerts here) would spur some development in the area. There is a Buffalo Wild Wings across the street. Europe Gyro was mentioned. We have Subway, McDonalds, Penn Station, and Taco Bell right there if you want to stick to fast food chains.

Something that's happened recently is a flourishing in the area bridging campus and downtown thanks to a new student apartment complex. There you'll find some of the college bars like the Barley House. There's also a Jimmy Johns sandwich shop, a Brubakers, another Subway, some clubs, th Spaghetti Warehouse, Lock 3 park (some event is always guaranteed to be happening there), and The Ohio Brewing Company among others. That's all along Main Street on either side of Exchange Street.

Also, I'm shocked to see that no Chipotles are located in or near Syracuse. Go get some burritos.

And a word of caution when navigating downtown Akron. half the streets are one-way. A GPS is strongly recommended lest you find yourself going the wrong way into oncoming traffic.

[Dave in Green]

Honestly, if you're driving in from out of town and don't have a good parking pass close to the stadium, downtown Akron is an easy walk from the stadium -- 15-20 minutes. Check it out online on Google or Bing Maps. There are quite a few nice places downtown. Just park in a downtown deck, visit a downtown joint or two, walk 15-20 minutes to the stadium, walk back to the parking deck after the game, and you won't have to worry about traffic jams or lack of cool places to hang close to the stadium.

[TexanMark]

Also, I'm shocked to see that no Chipotles are located in or near Syracuse. Go get some burritos.

Cuse is getting their first Chipotle soon...about a mile from the campus. BTW, to the poster above...I'm not in my 20s but wanted to get info for the younger fans coming to Akron.

[GP1]

Also, I'm shocked to see that no Chipotles are located in or near Syracuse. Go get some burritos.

Cuse is getting their first Chipotle soon...about a mile from the campus. BTW, to the poster above...I'm not in my 20s but wanted to get info for the younger fans coming to Akron.

It is frequently the case that a city must update their sewage system prior to opening a Chipotle. Maybe that was the case.

[johnnyzip84]

Also, I'm shocked to see that no Chipotles are located in or near Syracuse. Go get some burritos.

Cuse is getting their first Chipotle soon...about a mile from the campus. BTW, to the poster above...I'm not in my 20s but wanted to get info for the younger fans coming to Akron.

It is frequently the case that a city must update their sewage system prior to opening a Chipotle. Maybe that was the case.

BTW Zach, Ohio Brewing Company no longer has a pub. They're making beer again, but it's only available on tap in other establishments (69 Taps Downtown, Johnny J's Pub in the Merriman Valley among others).

[Blue & Gold]

One thing to keep in mind when visiting Akron is that our downtown is long (north-to-south) but not wide at all (east-to-west). It's actually kind of goofy. (This is due to it's gradual evolution along the old Ohio & Erie Canal.) The stadium is on Exchange Street, which is on the southern end of downtown. If you patronize south-side establishments (Brubaker's Pub, Jimmy John's, Bricco, 69 Taps, Rubber City Grill), it's about a 5-10-minute walk from the stadium to the intersection of Main & Exchange. If you patronize a centrally-located establishment (Barley House, Lockview, the new Wing Warehouse in Canal Park) it's about a 15-minute walk to the stadium going through the central part of campus. However, you will definitely want to drive if you want to hit any eateries on the north-end of downtown (Crave, 3 Point, Diamond Grill - I humbly disagree w/ GP1 in that it's overrated. It's an Akron icon. There's a running argument over the best steakhouse in Ohio, the feud is between Akron's Diamond Grill & some steakhouse in Dayton, who's name escapes me) or the Northside District (Luigi's, Northside, Veggiteranean - Akron rocker Chrissy Hynde's - of The Pretenders - vegan eatery.)

I'm not a tailgater, so my gameday typically played out like this.

We'd park in the Barley House parking garage, centrally located in downtown. I'd much rather patronize the old OBC, but I'm still waiting on them to re-open (fingers crossed) somewhere downtown. The Barley House (though they think they're in Columbus) has good food, a great selection of beer & a great college gameday atmosphere. The girls I'd have w/ me call it a "man-bar."

After the Barley House we'd walk up University Avenue through the central part of campus, south and through Gate 2 into the Info. We'd then proceed to watch the Zips lose a football game.

After the game, since we went to a "man-bar" prior to the game, we'd go to one of the more trendy, lady-friendly establishments for dinner. If we'd go to Bricco, we'd simply make the 5-10-minute walk down Exchange. If we'd hit Crave or Veggiteranean, then we'd most definitely drive.

[TexanMark]

I would recommend anyone staying a night or two to stay in west Akron/Montrose. Close to Cleveland if you want to see the Rock and Roll HOF, but it is still basically in Akron. Anything you may need is within 4 miles of the area.

Enjoy your trip.

I know alot of Cuse fans are staying north of Akron in Macedonia next to I-271. I've driven through the area and looks pretty nice. Any good late night restaurants around Macedonia that will still serve around 11pm?

BTW, so where is "The Valley"? anyone have a street intersection? I googled it and it looked to be pretty far out in the suburbs.

[GP1]

I would recommend anyone staying a night or two to stay in west Akron/Montrose. Close to Cleveland if you want to see the Rock and Roll HOF, but it is still basically in Akron. Anything you may need is within 4 miles of the area.

Enjoy your trip.

I know alot of Cuse fans are staying north of Akron in Macedonia next to I-271. I've driven through the area and looks pretty nice. Any good late night restaurants around Macedonia that will still serve around 11pm?

BTW, so where is "The Valley"? anyone have a street intersection? I googled it and it looked to be pretty far out in the suburbs.

I would tell your friends staying in Macedonia to change their reservations to this Courtyard in Stow. Macedonia is a nice place, but I don't think it offers much of what you are looking for. The Courtyard is off of Rt.8 which you will need to drive to get to UofA. Around there is a Brubakers and a Skyline Chili. There are other places as well. Within walking distance if you have been drinking. It is not much further south than Macedonia...just a few miles that you have to drive at some point.

Remember, be safe. A DUI in Ohio results in a 3 days in jail. We want you to come back to Ohio, but not for that reason.

[ZachTheZip]

I would recommend anyone staying a night or two to stay in west Akron/Montrose. Close to Cleveland if you want to see the Rock and Roll HOF, but it is still basically in Akron. Anything you may need is within 4 miles of the area.

Enjoy your trip.

I know alot of Cuse fans are staying north of Akron in Macedonia next to I-271. I've driven through the area and looks pretty nice. Any good late night restaurants around Macedonia that will still serve around 11pm?

BTW, so where is "The Valley"? anyone have a street intersection? I googled it and it looked to be pretty far out in the suburbs.

Macedonia? There's no way to get to campus from there without driving through major construction. Route 8 is still the fastest way, but you have to go through the Boston Heights speed trap. Macedonia is mostly chain restaurants and strip malls. It's about the most generic suburb that you'll ever see, unless you head off into the national park.

As far as the Valley goes, it's still in Akron, but barely. We're used to having to drive to get places. Nothing's really centrally located in Akron, everything is spread out all over so we don't really think about it. It's where most of the complaints come from when people out of town complain that there's nothing to do, because they don't know where to go and wrongly assume that all the good stuff is concentrated downtown like in other cities.

[johnnyzip84]

I would recommend anyone staying a night or two to stay in west Akron/Montrose. Close to Cleveland if you want to see the Rock and Roll HOF, but it is still basically in Akron. Anything you may need is within 4 miles of the area.

Enjoy your trip.

I know alot of Cuse fans are staying north of Akron in Macedonia next to I-271. I've driven through the area and looks pretty nice. Any good late night restaurants around Macedonia that will still serve around 11pm?

BTW, so where is "The Valley"? anyone have a street intersection? I googled it and it looked to be pretty far out in the suburbs.

Heading northwest on Market Street (northern edge of campus), the intersection for Merriman Road is a mile or two away. Make the slight right at the light and take Merriman for a couple of miles until it descends into the "Merriman Valley".

[TexanMark]

I would recommend anyone staying a night or two to stay in west Akron/Montrose. Close to Cleveland if you want to see the Rock and Roll HOF, but it is still basically in Akron. Anything you may need is within 4 miles of the area.

Enjoy your trip.

I know alot of Cuse fans are staying north of Akron in Macedonia next to I-271. I've driven through the area and looks pretty nice. Any good late night restaurants around Macedonia that will still serve around 11pm?

BTW, so where is "The Valley"? anyone have a street intersection? I googled it and it looked to be pretty far out in the suburbs.

Directions to the Merriman Valley, from Market Street on the northern edge of campus

So this is the place?