Pumpkin pancakes, bubble tea and more: 11 local restaurants with fall-flavored everything

It's the most wonderful time of the year, assuming haunted houses, pumpkin patches and eating pumpkin-, apple- or caramel-flavored foods are your favorite pastimes.

After all, who doesn't enjoy eating a fall-themed dish after spending a chilly Saturday afternoon romping through a pumpkin patch or cruising around town looking at fall foliage?

Some local restaurants have put truly creative eats on their fall menus this year, with some offering pumpkin pancakes topped by salted maple butter and toasted pecans and others selling caramel apple pie sundaes.

Don't fret if you're not a fan of Starbucks or other national chains. Here's a list of local alternatives to get your fall flavor fix in the Greater Akron area.

Chameleon Café

Chameleon Café offers a variety of fall-flavored drinks, including a pumpkin chai, apple cider and black tea with caramel foam, and caramel brûlée shaken espresso topped with oat milk and toasted vanilla sugar. The little shop also carries a variety of autumn-themed energy drinks and baked goods, including a pumpkin pie bar. $4.50-$5.45. 23 S. Main St., Akron.

Sunrise Social

Fall features here are pumpkin pancakes topped with salted maple butter and toasted pecans ($12.99) and baked white chocolate French toast with apple cranberry compote ($12.99). Their seasonal drinks include: old fashioned maple brown derby ($9); spiked salted caramel latte ($8); pumpkin cold brew with pumpkin cream foam ($6); iced or hot apple pistachio latte ($6); fall afternoon tea ($6); and Mexican caramel latte ($6). 3875 Massillon Road, Suite 20, Uniontown.

A must-try breakfast joint: Local Flavor: Sunrise Social serves innovative, traditional breakfast in Green

111 Bistro

111 Bistro has scallops with sweet potato pancakes, brussels, pickled cranberry, sage brown butter and candied walnuts ($32). It also serves pork tenderloin alongside pumpkin-walnut stuffing waffle and brussels in a guajillo-maple glaze ($24). Their fall-focused dessert option is an apple trifle made of baked apples, maple pastry cream,caramel and granola ($9). 2736 Medina Road, Montville Township.

Swensons

Caramel apple milkshakes are back! $4.40-$8.75. Has locations across Northeast Ohio, including two in Akron at 658 E. Cuyahoga Falls Ave. and 40 S. Hawkins Ave.

Sweet Mary's Bakery

Sweet Mary's Bakery serves toffee apple, vegan molasses crinkle and snickerdoodle cookies as well as apple dapple cakes, which are dense spice cakes with chunks of apples and toasted pecans covered in a brown sugar glaze that's soaked into the cake while warm. The shop also has baked goods made with pumpkin, squash and other gourds, such as chicken curry and butternut squash croissants.  $2.50-$5.50. 76 E. Mill Street, Akron.

Chill Artisan Ice Cream

Those with a chillier sweet tooth can still head to Chill Artisan Ice Cream for their fix of fall flavors, which include bourbon pecan pie, apple pie a la mode, pumpkin praline with salty caramel sauce, cinnamon candy apple and Aunt Lulu's Pumpkin Pie. Has locations in Akron (209 S. Main St.) and Medina.

Ming's Bubble Tea

Seasonal offerings here include a pumpkin spice vanilla chai bubble tea and, later in October, their witches brew: a sakura rose bubble tea with purple yam puree. $5-$6. Has locations in Kent and Hudson.

Melt Bar & Grilled

Melt offers an undead tiki cocktail comprised of Captain Morgan rum, blue curacao liqueur, pineapple lime juice syrup and grenadine (with a spooky garnish, of course). It also has voodoo zombie jerk chicken in a grilled cheese ($20) or wrap ($18.25), which has grilled jerk chicken, fried and smashed plantains, pickled peppers, a peach habanero marmalade, pepper jack cheese and a special zombie dust seasoning. For an extra kick, customers can add some grim reaper pepper cheese for $1. 3921 Medina Road, Akron.

Skoops' Ice Cream

The fall menu here has apple cider frozen slush, pumpkin Oreo flurries, pumpkin roll custard sandwiches, caramel apple pie sundaes and much more. $4.75-$7. Has locations in Barberton and Seville.

Best of the best: I scream, you scream: Where to get the scoop on ice cream in the Akron area

Nervous Dog Coffee Bar

This coffee bar has a menu full of signature fall drinks: harvest spice latte, Snicker's mocha, apple pie latte, bonfire mocha, Coco's caramel drizzle mocha and triple threat latte. $4-$6.15. Has locations in West Akron (1530 W. Market St.), Stow and Montrose.

Sammie's Bar & Grille

This spot has a cinnamon-crusted apple crisp topped with vanilla bean ice cream and caramel as a seasonal dessert. It also serves many fall-themed adult drinks: pumpkin pie martini, caramel apple sangria, spice autumn mule and more. $6.50-$11. 498 South Ave. Tallmadge.

Contact Beacon Journal reporter Tawney Beans at tbeans@gannett.com and on Twitter @TawneyBeans.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Check out these spooky fall-flavored foods, drinks in Greater Akron