Best Slice of Akron History

EDITORS’ PICK:  Lou & Hy’s Cheesecake at Niko’s Sandwich Board

1947 W. Market St., Suite 104, Akron

Though the iconic Lou & Hy’s Deli closed in 1998 to make way for a CVS store, its plain cheesecake lives on today. Niko Manolis makes it for the menu at his deli, Niko’s Sandwich Board — in the same plaza where Lou & Hy’s once stood. “It’s different from other cheesecake recipes,” says the 64-year-old Detroit native who moved to Akron about five years ago. “[It] has flour in it, so it rises. It’s a little more fluffy and not as dense as a New York-style cheesecake.” Not long after purchasing his deli in 2013, Manolis discovered the Lou & Hy’s recipe in a newspaper article. He never tried it but had heard everyone liked the cheesecake, so he revived the recipe to the delight of many nostalgic customers. “They get a big thrill out of it,” he says. “People come here looking for it.” Has Manolis put his own twist on the recipe? The shrewd entrepreneur who owned a deli in Detroit for 20 years knows better than to tinker with tradition. “Why change it?” he says. “It works.”