From ribs to rollies: The ultimate guide to dining in Akron’s Kenmore neighborhood

When you think of Akron’s restaurant districts, what comes to mind?

Highland Square? Downtown? Maybe the Merriman Valley?

It’s time Kenmore was added to that mental list.

Once its own municipality before being annexed to Akron in 1928, Kenmore holds the title as the largest neighborhood business district in Akron. Yes, even larger than the city’s beloved Highland Square area.

And it’s continuing to grow, particularly in its restaurant scene. The Better Kenmore Community Development Corp. has been laser focused on revitalizing the Kenmore Boulevard Historic District. The organization has been acquiring and renovating buildings as well as giving incentives for business to put down roots in the neighborhood.

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Their effort seems to be paying off. A new barbecue joint called Reggie Ray’s hit the boulevard just two months ago and, in another month, a hot dog shop is slated to open near Bank Lounge. Next spring or early summer, yet another restaurant will make its stake on Kenmore Boulevard in its McCoy building, according to Josh Gippin, executive director of Better Kenmore CDC.

With a new K-8 school coming to the former Kenmore High School property in 2026, making the area family-friendly, especially for families of performing arts students, has been a top priority for Better Kenmore CDC. As everyone knows, there’s nothing like a solid after-school snack (or meal) to really put a pep in your step before rehearsal.

We know, we know. Much of Akron’s music scene has also found a home in Kenmore, but we’ve decided to focus on its more flavorful characteristics this time around. So, sit down, put on a bib and drool through our ultimate guide to dinning in Kenmore.

Dessert / Fried chicken: Showcase Meats

Address: 2355 Manchester Road

Phone: 330-753-4219

Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily

Website: showcasemeats.com

Now everyone be honest. Would you rather eat dinner or dessert first?

If you answered dessert, that mentality is exactly why we’re starting this shindig off with the sweet stuff. I’m glad we have similar priorities.

If your answer was dinner … who hurt you?

Never in my life did I think I’d get quality desserts at a butcher shop, but it turns out Showcase Meats has quite the selection of homemade cheesecakes, brownies, cookies, cakes and more. It was hard to choose, but I left with a caramel mocha brownie, Mississippi mud cake, maple sweet potato cheesecake and center slice of extra thick cornbread. Total, this lot came to $13.36 — a real steal compared to what high-end bakeries charge nowadays.

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Caramel mocha brownie

The mocha flavor is so subtle and the caramel so strong that it’s nearly nonexistent, exactly how the cashier described it. This works great for me, since I don't like coffee or coffee-flavored sweets. Showcase Meats’ caramel mocha brownie won over Digital/Breaking News Editor Lauren Young and breaking news reporter Bryce Buyakie, even before it reached its ooey-gooey potential in the microwave.

Mississippi mud cake

This thing is so chocolaty it’s a little obscene and, of all the sweets, the favorite of Beacon Journal Metro Editor Joe Thomas. Its fudge brownie texture would be perfect with a hefty scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

Maple sweet potato cheesecake

Maybe it’s just desperation for fall to begin, but the nutmeg and cinnamon punch that this creamy cheesecake delivers made it my favorite. If you’ve been muttering “this is Halloween, this is Halloween” or Over the Garden Wall’s soundtrack lately, give this a whirl.

Chicken and waffles

Now, on to the more savory section of Showcase Meats.

There’s no greater disappointment than seeing Belgium waffles on the menu but being served something clearly made in a traditional waffle maker using Bisquick. Luckily, Showcase Meats stuck to its word and delivered dense, sugar-crusted waffles topped with out-of-this-world chicken for just $7.99. I think it may be my new favorite of the area’s fried chicken (sorry Hopocan Gardens).

— Tawney Beans

Southern cuisine: Reggie Ray’s Smokehouse BBQ

Address: 1002 Kenmore Blvd.

Phone: 330-510-8272

Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. We advise calling ahead to confirm if it is open.

Website: facebook.com/foundations91

Previously located on South Arlington Street, Reggie Ray’s has brought its sticky sweet barbecue and other southern favorites to the boulevard. They have quite an extensive menu featuring fried chicken, oxtails, sandwiches and sides like dirty rice, collard greens and broccoli rice casserole.

Being a rib girlie through and through, I had to order their pork ribs. The sauce really is the boss of this entire dish, which costs $18. You can taste the smokiness from the grill on each rib and it pairs beautifully with the sweet, sticky and mildly spicy sauce that clings to it.

The sides delivered, too.

Garlicky green beans are what I hoped for and garlicky green beans is exactly what they make.

The sweet potatoes were candied with lots of warm seasonings like cinnamon and nutmeg.

Truly, anyone would be hard pressed to eat this dish and say it’s lacking flavor. I expect the same is true of their other offerings.

— Tawney Beans

Late-night bites: The Nite Owl

Address: 992 Kenmore Blvd.

Phone: 234-678-7488

Hours: 4 p.m. to midnight Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday

Website: https://www.theniteowlrestaurant.com/

You don’t have to be a night owl to enjoy the Nite Owl. It’s open late, for sure, but you can dine anytime after 4 p.m. if you’d like an earlier meal.

Owner Sharness Dowdy opened the corner restaurant in September 2021. It fills plenty of takeout orders at night and does bustling business with the bar crowd on Kenmore Boulevard. For those who wish to eat inside, there’s a small dining room with seven tables.

You can order over the front cooler, stocked with cans of soda and bottles of water. The restaurant doesn’t provide dishes. If you’re dining inside, the food arrives in a bag at your table, everything wrapped in paper.

We’d heard this place has great burgers — and it does — but it also has other fare like Cajun shrimp Alfredo, fried catfish and chicken wings. Sides include greens, fried okra, crispy whiting fish, chicken wings, coleslaw and mac and cheese.

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Rollies, the Nite Owl’s take on egg rolls, were a revelation to me.

The menu offers several deep-fried variations, including a Cheeseburger Mac Rollie (ground beef and macaroni and cheese), a Firecracker Chicken & Rice Rollie (grilled chicken, spicy gravy and rice) a Philly Rollie (thinly sliced seasoned steak, peppers, onions and mozzarella cheese) and a Veggie Rollie (seasoned cabbage and carrots).

I ordered the Soul Rollie ($7.35), a jumbo egg roll stuffed with collard greens, smoked turkey, chicken and macaroni and cheese. This was incredible, a mixture of ingredients I never would have thought to combine. A side container of Boom Boom sauce ($1.35), a creamy, orange concoction made with cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes, added a spicy kick. I need more Rollies in my life.

I also ordered a double cheeseburger with fries ($10), and it was just as tasty as advertised. I topped the juicy beef with tomato, lettuce, pickles and grilled onions, and found it to be a welcome addition to Akron’s pantheon of great burgers. The golden fries were nice and crispy.

Specialty fries include Boom Boom fries (with ground beef, peppers, onions, jalapenos and Boom Boom sauce), BBQ Bacon Burger Fries (with ground beef, grilled onions, cheese sauce and barbecue sauce), Loaded Fries (with cheese sauce, sour cream and bacon) and Chicken Garlic Parm Fries (grilled chicken, mozzarella cheese and garlic parm sauce).

Hungry? The Nite Owl is open late.

— Mark J. Price

Homestyle cooking: Eat ’n’ Run

Address: 1323 Kenmore Blvd.

Phone: 330-848-3212

Hours: 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

Website: None

The late, great Frances B. Murphey, a legendary reporter at the Beacon Journal, loved the Eat ’n’ Run.

A regular customer in the 1980s and 1990s, she called it “a working men’s restaurant,” a place where blue-collar laborers and retirees gathered for meals to chat and chew.

She’d be happy to know that the restaurant is in good hands with current owner Peggy Seiler. The cozy diner, located around the bend from Shadyside Park on Kenmore Boulevard, offers classic American breakfasts, lunches and dinners in a friendly atmosphere.

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The large menu features everything from French toast to grilled ham to strip steak. You want grits? Just ask. A turkey club? Go for it. A roast beef dinner? Be right up.

Eat ’n’ Run has four tables, five booths and a counter with eight swivel stools. The décor is an amalgamation of Disney, Harley and NFL memorabilia. A Mickey Mouse clock keeps time on the wall.

Be aware, as many signs remind, that the restaurant is CASH ONLY!!!

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This is a place where customers and servers know each other by name, and patrons recognize each other, too. When the restaurant’s phone rang one recent morning, a diner piped up, “If that’s for me, tell them I’m not here.” Laughter ensued. A hungry fellow took a seat and warned a waitress, “I’m going to put you to work now.” On the way out, another guy shouted to the hard-working owner in the kitchen: “Later, Peggy!”

I ordered Hop’s Scrambler ($8.35), two eggs scrambled with ham on top of home fries topped with melted cheese and served with buttered toast. Talk about a big breakfast. It could’ve been delivered by forklift. This was a comforting meal: savory, soft and salty. I patted hot sauce onto my plate and polished off the scrambler between gulps of orange juice and bites of rye toast and grape jelly.

If you like homestyle food with a side of friendliness, this definitely is your kind of place.

Later, Peggy!

— Mark J. Price

Tea, coffee and more: SRINA Tea House & Cafe

Address: 975 Kenmore Blvd.

Phone: 234-334-1599

Hours: 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Saturday

Website: SRINA Tea House & Cafe on Facebook

If feels and tastes good to have a light, healthy lunch at SRINA Tea House & Cafe in Kenmore. And this place truly has a room with a view.

The exotic view, which creates a relaxing respite for tea and lunch, comes from the cafe's wonderfully colorful mural representing the Sri Lankan tea farm where SRINA's teas are grown.

My husband and I started out with hot coffee for him and a ginger spice blend green tea for me at SRINA, which is approaching its one-year anniversary Sept. 16.

Last time I had tea at SRINA, I drank from a glass bowl without a handle. Owner Monaqui Porter Young wants patrons to be able to see the tea they're enjoying.

This time, my tea was served in a large glass tea cup with a handle and a glass tea infuser bowl built into it that contained the loose-leaf tea. The ingenious contraption has a glass top that's removed and turned upside to double as a stand for the infuser bowl once it's time to drink from the tea cup.

The café has fine-tuned its menu to offer customizable lunch fare that starts with a base of organic mixed greens, ramen with bone broth, Mediterranean pita wrap or either a brioche bun or multigrain bread.

Next, you choose a protein from among grilled chicken, jerk chicken, chicken salad, pulled pork, tuna salad or salmon. Grilled veggies are another option. Finally, your salad, ramen, wrap or sandwich is topped with a choice of 13 toppings, including cheeses, onions, red chills, hummus and several vegetables.

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Most of the food is made by chef Glenn Gillespie of Edgar's in Akron, from the meats to organic sautéed kale or quinoa.

The cafe's 18 teas come from Paradise Farm in Sri Lanka and its choice of seven kettle-boiled bagels come from the Bronx.

For lunch, I had ramen ($8.75) with grilled chicken, scallions, crispy onions, carrots and cilantro. I had requested jerk chicken but it was sold out, so crushed chili flakes in olive oil added some nice heat. The ramen broth was both spicy and sweet, including a taste of ginger.

I also tried the cafe's non-GMO roasted street corn with parmesan cheese ($4) — a nice side for the ramen.

My husband enjoyed pulled pork on a brioche bun, topped with crispy onions and coleslaw ($7.75).

We were definitely happy with our reasonably placed lunch in such a vibrant environment. On our way out, Steve and I couldn't resist sharing a delicious chocolate croissant drizzled in frosting, compliments of Summit Croissants in Kenmore.

— Kerry Clawson

Steak and cocktails: Old 97 Cafe

Address: 1503 Kenmore Blvd.

Phone: 330-745-5493

Hours: 4:30 to 11 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday

Website: theold97.com

I can't remember the last time I ate filet mignon. But there couldn't be a better place to enjoy this luxurious steak without a big splurge to the wallet than at Old 97 Cafe.

My husband and I had been talking for weeks about checking out Old 97's Wednesday steak dinner, the brainchild of new owners Natasia and Mark Metz that features an 8-ounce filet with a small salad and rosemary redskin potatoes for just $24.99.

The steaks are grilled by Caiden Mynes out back on Old 97's beautiful, extensive patio and the rest of the cooking is done in the building next door.

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We're so glad we visited this Kenmore landmark, where we enjoyed eating tender, juicy filet mignon inside Old 97, which has a cozy, warm wood interior. It was a great, classic meal, including a dinner salad with white French dressing that hit the spot.

And the 8-ounce steak, which I ordered medium rare, was just the right size for me.

I also ordered a delicious Bourbon sling ($11), which featured bourbon, Cointreau, pineapple, bitters and cherry syrup. At Old 97's beautiful, long wood bar, you can order everything from speakeasy cocktails to flights of martinis or margaritas.

Old 97 is a historic property, built in 1917 and tucked into an industrial area of Kenmore Boulevard. The place, which has been a bar since at least the 1940s, was named after Akron's last trolley stop 97.

The Metzes, longtime patrons of Old 97, became the new owners in March, when Debbie Chapman passed the torch after owning the place for more than 12 years. She had called the Norton couple, who are Realtors, to list the property and they ended up buying it.

They've expanded the menu, which now offers entrees ranging from three varieties of burgers to salmon tacos and also features flatbread pizzas, bar-style appetizers, salads, sides and desserts.

The restaurant and bar has long been known for its live music, which the Metzes are offering three nights a week. On a recent Wednesday, the back patio was warmed up with heaters and a fire pit as diners enjoyed steaks and more to the music of singer/guitarist Jen Maurer.

Never fear, Wednesday filet night will go on indefinitely. Old 97 also hosts a $7.99 Thursday burger night and plans to have a tap house ready for customers to enjoy in a back garage by late October.

— Kerry Clawson

Old school eats: Pierre's Brooklyn New York Style Pizza and Deli

Address: 964 Kenmore Blvd.

Phone: 330-745-7900

Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday to Friday and noon to 8 p.m. Saturday

Website: pierrespizzaanddeli.com

Want to create a ruckus in the Webb House?

Simply yell these words: "I'm ordering pizza. What do you want on it?"

You will be greeted by a dichotomy of voices.

All my ears hear is pepperoni and mushrooms.

Unfortunately, no one shares my taste in a proper pizza.

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Thankfully, Pierre's Brooklyn New York Style Pizza and Deli has 17 different toppings to pick from the usual sausage to the unusual pickles.

On this particular night that I ordered, there were five mouths to feed so some compromises had to be made.

So long, pepperoni and mushroom.

For the non-meat eaters, I picked up a small 10-inch White Pizza ($12) that came with ricotta and fresh mozzarella.

It was a refreshing change from the typical red-sauce pizza.

I also ordered a small pepperoni and a small sausage ($8.50 each) for our teenage boys who can't seem to agree on toppings.

We also tried a small Bella Tia Maria pizza ($12) that came with pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms and red sauce with extra virgin olive oil and fresh garlic.

This pizza was the bomb and the garlic gave it a nice and tasty extra kick.

Many fans of this mom-and-pop pizza shop also recommended the subs that range from a cold pastrami and cheese to a hot chicken cutlet parmigiana.

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I added a large Italian sub to our order ($12) that was practically big enough to feed the whole family by itself with the ham, salami, provolone cheese, tomato, onions and shredded cheese spilling out of the large roll.

The Italian dressing added a nice sweetness to the sub that had a hint of salt seasonings too.

Pierre's is a great place for lunch or dinner on the run.

It also has a cool backstory as its owner Pierre Sahlani moved to Akron from New York where he operated a deli after the 9/11 attack.

— Craig Webb

Contact Beacon Journal reporter Tawney Beans at tbeans@gannett.com and on Twitter @TawneyBeans; Craig Webb at cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com; Mark J. Price at mprice@thebeaconjournal.com and Kerry Clawson at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Ultimate guide to dining in Akron's Kenmore neighborhood