Best of the City 2019: The Winners List

Food & Drink

Best Bakery

• 1. West Side Bakery
• 2. Stacked Akron
• 3. Pallotta’s Pastries

Best Cocktails

• 1. One Red Door
• 2. Jilly’s Music Room
• 3. Northside Speakeasy

Best Chicken Wings

• 1. Beau’s Grille
• 2. Winking Lizard
• 3. Wing Warehouse

Best Barbecue

• 1. City Barbeque
• 2. Oak and Embers Tavern
• 3. Jimmy’s Backyard BBQ

Best Breakfast

• 1. Blue Door Cafe & Bakery
• 2. Fred’s Diner
• 3. The Eye Opener

Best Burger

• 1. Swensons Drive-In
• 2. Ido Bar & Grill
• 3. Flip Side

Best Drive-in

• 1. Swensons Drive-In
• 2. Skyway Drive-In
• 3. Retro Dog

Best Chinese Takeout

• 1. Noble House
• 2. House of Hunan
• 3. Chin’s Place

Best Sushi

• 1. Sakura
• 2. Sushi Katsu
• 3. House of Hunan

Best Asian Restaurant

• 1. Noble House
• 2. Lemongrass Grill
• 3. Cilantro

Best Brewery

• 1. Missing Falls Brewery
• 2. Thirsty Dog Brewing Co.
• 3. Hoppin’ Frog Brewery

Best Craft Beer Selection

• 1. Fat Head’s Brewery
• 2. Winking Lizard
• 3. Lager & Vine

Best Deli

• 1. Diamond Deli
• 2. Primo’s Deli
• 3. DeVitis Fine Italian Foods

Best Food Truck

• 1. Swensons Drive-In
• 2. The Square Scullery
• 3. D & M’s Grille

Best Diner

• 1. Fred’s Diner
• 2. Yours Truly
• 3. Johnny’s Diner

Best Seafood

• 1. Beau’s Grille
• 2. Kingfish
• 3. Ken Stewart’s Grille

Best Ice Cream

• 1. Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream & Yogurt
• 2. Pav’s Creamery
• 3. Stricklands Frozen Custard

Best Independent Coffeehouse

• 1. Nervous Dog Coffee Bar
• 2. Angel Falls Coffee Co.
• 3. Artisan Coffee

Best Pizza

• 1. Luigi’s Restaurant
• 2. The Brick Oven Brew Pub
• 3. Gionino’s Pizzeria

Best Italian Restaurant

• 1. Luigi’s Restaurant
• 2. Dontino’s Fine Italian Cuisine
• 3. Papa Joe’s Iacomini’s

Best Kids’ Menu

• 1. Rockne’s
• 2. Honeymoon Grille
• 3. Hudson’s Restaurant

Best Patio Dining

• 1. Beau’s Grille
• 2. Gervasi Vineyard
• 3. Burntwood Tavern
• 3. Aladdin’s Eatery

Best Steakhouse

• 1. Diamond Grille
• 2. Beau’s Grille
• 3. Ken Stewart’s Grille

Best Taco

• 1. Bomba Tacos & Rum
• 2. Taqueria La Loma
• 3. Taco Tontos

Best Vegetarian Menu

• 1. Aladdin’s Eatery
• 2. Mustard Seed Market & Cafe
• 3. Ms. Julie’s Kitchen

Best Winery

• 1. The Winery at Wolf Creek
• 2. Gervasi Vineyard
• 3. Sarah’s Vineyard

Arts & Entertainment

Best 5K

• 1.Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank’s Selfless Elf
• 2. German Family Society’s Lederhosen 5K
• 3. Autism Society of Greater Akron’s Step into Autism

Best Museum

• 1. Akron Art Museum
• 2. Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens
• 3. Akron Children’s Museum

Best Art Gallery

• 1. Don Drumm Studios & Gallery
• 2. Zeber-Martell Gallery and Studio
• 3. Summit Artspace

Best Artist

• 1. Don Drumm
• 2. Claudia Zeber-Martell and Michael Martell
• 3. Ron White

Best Jazz Musician

• 1. Theron Brown
• 2. Sausalito
• 3. Dan Wilson

Best Band

• 1. Acid Cats
• 2. Buck Naked Band
• 3. Jim Ballard and The Strangs

Best Free Event

• 1. Lock 3 Summer Concerts
• 2. PorchRokr Music and Art Festival
• 3. Akron Arts Expo at Hardesty Park

Best Live Music Venue

• 1. Blossom Music Center
• 2. Lock 3
• 3. Jilly’s Music Room
• 3. Blu Jazz

Best Live Theater Company

• 1. Weathervane Playhouse
• 2. Ohio Shakespeare Festival
• 3. Magical Theatre Co.

Best Public Golf Course

• 1. J.E. Good Park Golf Course
• 2. Raintree Golf & Event Center
• 3. Challenge Golf Course at Edwin Shaw Rehab

Best Nightlife Spot

• 1. Blu Jazz
• 2. Jilly’s Music Room
• 3. Musica

Best Radio Show Host

• 1. Keith Kennedy, 98.1 KDD
• 2. John “Couch Burner” Denning, WNIR 100
• 3. Tim Daugherty, 97.5 WONE

Best Trail

• 1. Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail
• 2. Goodyear Heights Metro Park
• 3. Sand Run Metro Park

Best Weekend Hot Spot

• 1. Blu Jazz
• 2. Jilly’s Music Room
• 3. Missing Falls Brewery

Services & Shopping

Best Bike Shop

• 1. Eddy’s Bike Shop
• 2. Marty’s Bike Shop
• 3. Dirty River Bicycle Works

Best Car Dealership

• 1. Ron Marhofer Auto Family
• 2. Serra Auto Park
• 3. Klaben

Best Clothing Store

• 1. The Grey Colt
• 2. Jabbour’s Clothing & Tailoring
• 3. Rubber City Clothing

Best Dance Studio

• 1. Martell School of Dance
• 2. All About Dance by Kristen
• 3. Christine Meneer School of Dance

Best Dentistry

• 1. Zavodny Dental
• 2. Alexiou Dental Arts
• 3. Barsan & Stefan Family Dental
• 3. Dr. Kenneth Hudak, D.D.S.

Best Eye Care

• 1. ClearVision Centers
• 2. Northeast Ohio Eye Surgeons
• 3. Davis Eye Center

Best Florist

• 1. The Greenhouse
• 2. Every Blooming Thing
• 3. Pam’s Posies

Best Homebuilder

• 1. Wagler Homes
• 2. Louis Stile Construction
• 3. Schumacher Homes

Best Independent Bookstore

• 1. The Learned Owl Book Shop
• 2. The Bookseller
• 3. Logos Bookstore

Best Jeweler

• 1. Jewelry Art
• 2. Taylor Made Jewelry
• 3. Kimberly Jewelry

Best Landscaping Company

• 1. Lewis Landscaping
• 2. Jimmy’s Lawn Service
• 3. Suncrest Gardens

Best Pet Day Care

• 1. Pooch Palace
• 2. Camp Bow Wow
• 3. Heartland Kennels

Best Pet Groomer

• 1. The Groom Room at Quick Clean
• 2. Celebrity Pets Salon & Boutique
• 3. Doggy GoGo Kitty GaGa

Best Salon/Spa

• 1. Gavin Scott Salon & Spa
• 2. Scott Talbot Salonspa
• 3. Nolas Salon and Day Spa

Best Tattoo Shop

• 1. Red Rabbit Studio
• 2. Three Anchors Tattoo
• 3. Good Life Body Piercing and Fine Jewelry

Best Vintage Shop

• 1. The Bomb Shelter
• 2. Life is Sweet
• 3. Hidden Pearl

Best Wedding Reception Venue

• 1. Gervasi Vineyard
• 2. Hilton Akron/Fairlawn
• 3. Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens

Best Yoga Studio

• 1. Yoga Lounge & Barre
• 2. Yoga Bliss
• 3. Yoga Squared

Best Fitness Studio

• 1. Tallmadge Recreation Center
• 1. Summa Health Wellness Center
• 2. Cuyahoga Falls Natatorium
• 3. Akron General Health & Wellness Center-Montrose

Best Wealth Manager

• 1. Kelly Pariso, Ameriprise Financial Services
• 2. Wells Trecaso Financial Group
• 3. The Courtad Group, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management

All about the 330

Best Charity Event

• 1. Charity Ball, Akron Children’s Hospital
• 2. Pawsibility Ball, Humane Society of Summit County
• 3. Golf Outing, Akron Snow Angels

Best Corn Maze

• 1. Szalay’s Farm & Market
• 2. Maize Valley Winery
• 3. Dussel Farm

Best Festival

• 1. PorchRokr Music and Art Festival, Akron
• 2. National Hamburger Festival, Akron
• 2. Italian-American Festival, Akron
• 3. Art on the Green, Hudson

Best Natural Wonder

• 1. Cuyahoga Valley National Park
• 2. Brandywine Falls
• 3. Gorge Metro Park

Best Reason for Waiting in Line

• 1. Luigi’s Restaurant
• 2. Swensons Drive-In
• 3. Stricklands Frozen Custard

Symbol of the Rubber City

• 1. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.
• 2. Akron RubberDucks
• 3. Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens

Best Thing to Happen to Akron (Last 12 Months)

• 1. I Promise School
• 2. Downtown Redevelopment
• 3. Brewery Boom

Best Way to Improve the 330

• 1. Road Repair/ Infrastructure
• 2. Finish Downtown Construction
• 3. More Jobs