MEXICAN: Nuevo

Nuevo is a brand new Mexican joint in downtown Akron. It's centrally located near the main stretch of the city and the University. It has the vibe of an upscale restaurant and the prices to match. This is not your typical Mexican restaurant. It feels more like a knock-off of the high end places in Ohio City. If this place seems intriguing to you, do yourself a favor and drive to Momocho's. You won't regret that.

When my friend and I walked in the door the hostess was not very kind to us because we didn't have a reservation. Her exact words (with a grimace), "So, uh, we could give you a table, but there's a group of people who thought ahead and reserved a table for 6:15 so if I give you this seat, you must be finished by then," It was almost 5:00 p.m. This is not a big deal of course, but the place was empty. There were about six tables in the main sitting area without any guests. I guess since they're trying to be high end and classy they expect people to make reservations the day before.

They also do NOT give chips and salsa. This is kind of a big deal for a Mexican restaurant. I know that it's Mod Mexican. Which is slightly different. I ordered a gourmet guacamole -- almond, goat cheese, and cinnamon, and it was incredible, but for $6, I would expect enough to finish the basket of chips. Alas I was wrong!

The food came out very quickly, was quite pretty, and okay tasting. I ordered the vegetable burrito. Which had smoked tofu & cheese. On the side was rice, salsa, and black beans. The rice was REALLY gross. It was rock hard and sticky. The tofu, however, was made to perfection and with the salsa + black beans added the burrito was pretty good. For $9, I definitely expected a more decadent tasting dish, but it wasn't bad.

Essentially, I like the idea of this place and I think the food is pretty okay, but I definitely don't think it lives up to the anticipation.

Visit Nuevo: website: nuevomodmex.com
address: 54 EAST MILL ST.
AKRON, OH 44308
Hours: M-T -- 10-10
Thursday-Saturday -- 11-11
Closed Sundays

BREAKFAST: Fred's Diner

Oh Fred's. Fred's is the seedy breakfast joint that everyone secretly loves, but nobody talks about. It's the place that looks like a run down trailer. The place that when you walk in, the air is thick with old grease and cigarette staleness -- even if smoking was never permitted inside. It's the breakfast place straight out of television shows.

With that said, this dive of a spot is PERFECT. It's the greasy and ridiculously cheap breakfast of your hungover dreams. This is the kind of place that you'll wait awhile for the day after a drinking holiday. It's the kind of place worth waiting for because the portions are huge and the bills are cheap.

There's a lot of debate over this place. See the Yelp reviews, but the general consensus is the same: weird decor, cheap food, yes, please.

Visit Fred's
website: fredsdiner.net
Phone number: 330-535-FRED
Hours: 6 am-3pm
Address: 930 home ave
Akron, Ohio

Photo c/o Fred's website

ICE CREAM: Mary Coyle

Mary Coyle is an Akron staple. If you've ever spent time in Highland Square, you're probably familiar with the owner. He runs around outside yelling at people with a huge floppy chef hat on. He's quite hilarious.

Mary Coyle is the best local ice cream in Akron. The shop looks like an old school ice cream parlor. The sundaes come in adorable metal cups and everything is handmade. They also have delicious chocolates. If you like peanut butter, do yourself a favor and get the peanut butter syrup on your sundae.

Mary Coyle also has food, but I can't vouch for its quality as I've only gone for the ice cream. This place has all of the old school charm and the amazing ice cream to back it up.

Visit Mary Coyle:
Address: 780 W Market St, Akron, OH 44303
Phone number: (330) 253-1511
Hours: 11:30 am – 10:00 pm
Photo found on a Google Search

LATE NIGHT: Luigi's

You didn't think I was going to forget the Akron staple Luigi's now did you? Luigi's is infamous for a couple reasons:
1) their salads
2) their late hours
3) their bangin' pizza's
4) how annoying it is that they don't take debit cards in 2014.

Let's go through these. How can a salad be special? Well, Luigi's salad is more like a heaping bowl of fresh mozzarella cheese with a wee bit of lettuce underneath. There are also black olives, radishes, and a wonderful Italian dressing, but who cares when there's a HEAPING mound of cheese? This salad is legendary for those that want to indulge in cheesy goodness. A Luigi's rite of passage.

Luigi's is open until 2:00 A.M. This is wonderful because at these hours if you want food your options are cooking (who is cooing at one am? Not many.) or fast food. Fast food is never a good idea and definitely not the proper way to cure a drunken night. Delicious Italian food though? That will surely soak up all those beers and put a smile on your face.

Pizza. I love pizza. Pizza is my go to food. If you can't find me, I'm probably somewhere with a pizza. Luigi's pizza is very traditional, but it's very good. There's a wide variety of toppings and the pizza's are big enough for multiple people. It is expensive (to me, anyways) so I make sure to ALWAYS share with my friends. They also have incredible traditional italian dishes like pastas and meatballs. They also have amazing unlimited fresh bread. I love any place that gives me fresh/free food to eat before I eat.

This is a cash only place. This is ANNOYING for us modern day dwellers. But fear not, they do have a machine in the back that gives you a slip that the cashier gives you cash for. Come prepared or come ready to be inconvenienced. This isn't a big deal because I don't think it charges, but it surely is annoying.

This place is very unique and has the vibe of a classic dive (it is), but it's also really fun and good. They don't mind your annoying conversations and loudness if only because they're too busy ignoring you, but still. Not the best service, but definitely the best of its kind.

They are also open for lunch/dinner and occasionally you will have to wait in a line that wraps around the building for a table and that's pretty freakin' awesome to see.

Visit Luigi's: Website: lugisrestaurant.com
Address: 105 N Main St, Akron, OH 44308
Phone Number: (330) 253-2999
Hours: 11am-2am

BURGERS: The Rail

There are more than a few places in Akron to get a good burger. If you're a vegetarian, like me, then the Rail is probably not your number one choice. Their veggie burgers are pre-frozen patties which to me is very annoying. I, however, appreciate their honesty when I asked. They used to serve homemade but decided that they were too crumbly and messy. Which is basically the signature of a tasty veggie burger. But what do you expect from a meat based establishment?

However, for you meat eaters this place is fabulous. There are plenty of options and they're all very creative. The Rail wins my vote of approval because they have delicious sweet potato fries, amazing pickles, delicious milkshakes and everything is local. Plus they have ridiculously fabulous salads. Their staff is generally really attentive and fun as well.

It has the vibe of corporate burgers, but yet the taste of local and handcrafted. It's the good middle ground for people with different interests in restaurants.

Oh, and they give 10% off for having a student id and they have a location in Canton & Cleveland area.

**Picture from the Rail's website**

Visit the Rail:
Website: railburger.com
Address:3265 W. Market Street
Fairlawn, OH 44333
Phone number: 330-864-RAIL (7245)
Hours:
Sunday—Thursday: 11am-10pm
Friday & Saturday: 11am-11pm

LUNCH: Stew Pot Kitchen

The Stew Pot Kitchen is a soup lovers dream. It's like a homemade delicious fairly priced better version of Panera Bread. It's ran by a former stay-at-home Dad that wasn't fully certain what to do after his youngest child was in school, "Back then the job market was bleak. To get a good job (or any job) I realized I'd have to compete against people that had nine years more experience than me, and they'd probably have a lot more training. But I loved to cook." Scott Malensek, owner.

The Stew Pot is unique for a couple reasons. One, they have a ridiculous amount of delicious hand crafted soups. They cater to the vegetarian very well. Even their potato soup is vegetarian which is very rare. They have unique soup flavors as well as your tradition broccoli cheddar and chicken noodle. I mean, they even crafted a beer cheese soup and a pepperoni pizza soup. Seriously, this is real life. And it's AMAZING. Second, the sandwiches! They have huge panini sandwiches -- grilled cheese, pepperoni pizza, ham and cheese, and even hot dogs. Lastly, their prices. This place is really cheap. The portions are really generous and the prices are great. But even better when you get a combo.

Stew Pot is very quaint, delicious, and affordable. Plus did I mention they have a hot sauce wall? Because they do. It's a dream come true.

Visit the Stew Pot:
Website: Stewpotkicthen.com
Address:
23 South Main Street
Akron, Ohio 44308
Phone number: 330-376-STEW
Hours: M-F 11:30-5:30, closed weekends

LATE NIGHT: Mr. Zubs Deli

Zubs is connected to the infamous Highland Square bar, The Matinee. Zubs isn't necessarily somewhere you would go for dinner, but definitely okay for lunch, but mostly it exists for late late nights. It's open until 3:00 a.m. and you can order food from the bar or drinks from the food counter.

Zubs has a lot of charm. It lies between the neon yellow decor, the greasy creations, and the pop culture references in the title of every menu item. Head chef Micah Townsend thinks the appeal is simple, "It's because we’re the only one there is."

The sandwiches at Zubs are original creations and mostly under $6. Ever wanted a sandwich with mac and cheese and bacon? The Hightower has you covered. Ever dreamed about grilled tofu, sprouts, veggies, and cream cheese? The Rosemary is for you. Every dream about Krispy Kreme donuts as your bread? Zubs has that too! There are over twenty sandwiches and not one of them is something you'd find at a Panera or some other chain.

The tater tots, hummus, and soups are also delicious. Their hummus rivals that of most restaurants and there is no such thing as a trip to Zubs without tater tots.

Zubs isn't somewhere you'd take someone on a date, but definitely somewhere to go if you want a delicious and cheap lesson in self-hate.

Visit Zubs:
Website:: mrzubs.com
Address:
812 W Market
Akron, Ohio 44303
Phone number: (330) 252-0272
Hours: 11 am - 3 am

BREAKFAST: Sweet Pea

Oh, Sweet Pea.

Let's get started: Sweet Pea is one of those awkward places that when you walk in no one greets you. No one tells you to seat yourself. No one even looks at you. It's like you're simply supposed to know where you should go. And no matter how long you stand there, no one will tell you what to do. It's a simple thing, but a really annoying one.

The actual service is okay. It's decent at best. Some people there are WAY better than others. But overall, the workers are negligent. Sometimes you have to ask for more coffee, go up to the counter to get jelly, and sometimes half of your meal never comes out.

This is horrible and annoying, so why am I writing about them?

WELL, their FOOD is incredible. Sweet Pea is like Blue Door with natural and vegetarian options. It's better than a chain or a dive spot. The menu is huge and everything can be made for the vegan/vegetarian. I appreciate this. The portions are huge. Everything is fairly prices and the wait for the food is relatively small.

The lunch here is also incredible. There's something here for everyone. I mean that. So, yeah, the service is terrible, the organization of this place is nonexistent, but damn is the food incredible.

Visit Sweet Pea:
Website: sweetpea.com
Address: 117 Merz Blvd. Suite 116
Fairlawn, OH 44333
Hours: M-S 7:00 am - 2:30 pm

DINNER: Pub Bricco

Pub Bricco is the mecca of gourmet burgers. It's got the pub vibe and the classiness of its parent restaurant, Bricco.

First we'll focus on the burgers. The way Pub Bricco works is you select a meat option: chicken, turkey burger, regular burger, veggie burger, crab-cake, sliders, or salmon. Then you select a pre-made combination -- like apple pie filling and gouda cheese (seriously, to die for) or bacon, eggs, and cheese. You are also able to custom make, add or remove. Which is something I as a picky eater really appreciates. I typically get avocado, pepper jack cheese, and tomato. Classic combination.

The veggie burger is house made and AMAZING. I know, I know, I've talked a lot about veggie burgers, but being a vegetarian in Akron isn't always easy. I, however, think that Pub Bricco wins the best veggie burger. But beware: it's very, very messy. Which is a surefire way to tell if a veggie burger is made in the restaurant or is a frozen patty. Homemade burgers crumble as there is no binding agent to hold it together.

Pub Bricco also has delicious french bread pizzas, salads and appetizers. Their goat cheese + spicy marinara with pita is 50% of the reason I eat here. It's the perfect blend of spiciness and savory cheese. It makes a nice topping on your veggie burger as well. They serve this at Bricco too!

One of my biggest complaints about this place is that the sandwiches do not come with anything. For over $10, I believe french fries or a salad should come complimentary. While this isn't the case, they do have delicious sweet potato fries that they serve with syrup. Yup. Syrup and fries. Also their service isn't the best, but otherwise, delicious.

Visit Pub Bricco:
Website: Pubbricco.com
Address:
841 Merriman Road
Akron, Ohio 44313
Phone: (330) 869-0035
Hours:
Monday - Thursday: 11:00am - Midnight
Friday and Saturday: 11:00am - 1:00am
Sunday: Noon - 11:00pm

DELI: Diamond Deli

As a vegetarian, when I hear the word "deli", I run. This, however, isn't the case with Diamond Deli. They make a killer grilled cheese. I mean, five cheeses and on fresh rye bread? Yes, please. The soups are also out of this world. Ever wondered what mac and cheese soup would taste like? Me either, but they made it and it was beautiful.

The owner and his family/friends are the ones that are usually working and there's something different about a family ran operation. When I say different, I mean that they actually care about the food and the quality in which you receive. Sure, it's just sandwiches and soups, but they go the extra mile to make sure that it's top notch and that the customers are happy.

Diamond Deli is my go to dinner spot in the summer and my ultimate winter lunch spot. While I can't vouch for all their huge and extra meat filled sandwiches, the faces my friends make when they eat here for the first time is that of pure ecstasy. So, that counts, right?

This is the kind of place that thanks you for coming in and they truly mean it.

Visit Diamond Deli:
Website: Diamonddeli.us
Address:
378 S. Main St. Akron, OH
Phone number: 330.762.5877
Monday thru Friday 8-8
Saturday 8-7