Good Company in Akron elevates casual food in casually beautiful atmosphere | Local Flavor

Good Company is a casually glamorous spot to hang out and dine in Akron.

The vibe was cool and lively during a visit Monday night to Akron's newest restaurant, located in a 120-year-old West Hill building that was formerly home to the Spotted Owl.

For dinner, we sat in a fabulous green velvet booth set in a front bay window with a vintage Murano glass chandelier above, which made us feel like royalty. Believe it or not, amid this finery, Good Company is a hot spot for wings, burgers and milkshakes.

Originally a fire station, this restaurant's dining room is full of greenery with its faux palms. A gorgeous green mural pops out on the whole back bar wall, reproduced from a painting by Cleveland-area artist Dana Oldfather that's hanging down the hall. The decor, including a multitude of mirrors and framed artwork all over the walls, is a carryover from the Spotted Owl.

Will Hollingsworth, owner of Good Company in Cleveland's Battery Park, opened his second Good Company in Akron Friday. He formerly owned the Spotted Owl in the same Akron space, as well as the original Spotted Owl in Cleveland.

Good Company Akron has a fun green and red "Have a Good One" neon sign amid its glam decor, which Hollingsworth created to have an old Hollywood feel.

Casual food elevated at Good Company

But back to Good Company's burgers, wings and milkshakes. All of these menu items are elevated at this eatery.

On the restaurant's crowded first Monday, I had dinner with Beacon Journal photographer Lisa Scalfaro and reporter/TikTok producer Tawney Beans. Starting out with appetizers, I thoroughly enjoyed the flavor-packed bourbon apricot barbecue wings, with the sweet apricot contrasting nicely with the fried garlic on the wings.

Tawney went for the house-made soft pretzel ($12), which comes with white American cheese sauce and brown butter cream cheese. I sampled part of the pretzel with the warm, creamy sauce and another bite with the delicious cream cheese, which Tawney and I agreed turned the pretzel into a dessert.

Lisa went for the loaded Philly fries ($14), which impressed her with their crispiness despite being topped with shaved certified Angus beef, white American cheese sauce, onions marinated in an oregano marinade and house-pickled banana peppers.

Lisa and I both ordered snickerdoodle shakes ($8), which I pronounced tasted like Christmas. The cinnamon sugar-flavored shake was rich and came in a small glass, which was just the right size for me.

The staff was friendly and attentive, checking in on us often as we spent the evening noshing and gabbing. We also briefly met chef Ryan Williams.

For entrees, Tawney and I ordered The Good One ($15), a smash burger made with two Angus beef patties that are a custom sirloin and beef belly blend topped with griddled onions, malted pickles and more. Tawney noted that the house-made malted pickles, which were quite yummy, weren't as acidic as most pickles.

One of the greatest parts about this sandwich is the creamy "company sauce," which is a mustard caper aioli.

We told Hollingsworth we especially loved the company sauce.

"It's all about layering salty flavors,'' he said.

The Good One burger is served on a fresh, house-made poppy seed milk bun with a side of the restaurant's "famous red relish."

That's a tomato-olive tapenade that you spread on the bun, so ketchup's not necessary on this burger. I also enjoyed dipping my fries into the red relish to taste its full, refreshing flavor.

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Lisa ordered the hot Gabagool ($16) sandwich, made with house-cured capicola ham, Italian-dressed shredded lettuce, pickled banana peppers and American cheese on a house-made poppy seed hoagie roll. The sandwich, named in honor of James Gandolfini and "The Sopranos," was made famous on an episode of Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" on Food Network in 2022.

"It holds up to any deli," said Lisa, who is of Italian descent.

More Good Company foods to try

Tawney also tried out the fried chicken skins side dish ($6), which were crispy and lighter than pork rinds, served with house-made buttermilk ranch. They're tossed with Nori salt but Tawney said she'd prefer them to be more salted.

She topped off her meal with cookies and ice cream, namely Good Company's 12 house-made, mini chocolate chip cookies ($7) — which came in an adorable macaron-style box — and two scoops of the restaurant's house-made chocolate ice cream ($4), which she sweetly shared with me.

The community has been buzzing over the last year about the old fire house on South Maple being reactivated with Hollingsworth's return to Akron with Good Company. In my first visit to the new restaurant, I enjoyed running into diners I knew from different walks of life, including some in the food industry.

The prices are reasonable at Good Company, where you can get anything from a steak supper for $20 to carrot and kale, featuring sage-roasted carrots, maple vinaigrette and spiced pepitas for $7. My bill came out to $70, before tax and tip, for a truly tasty dinner for two.

Arts and restaurant writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.

Details

Restaurant: Good Company

Where: 60 S. Maple St., Akron

Hours: 4 to 10 p.m. Sunday-Tuesday, closed Wednesday, 4 to 11 p.m. Thursday-Saturday

Reservations? No

Information: goodcompanyakron.com or 330-252-9099

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: New Akron restaurant Good Company brings the good vibes, great food