The Industry Kitchen & Bar Brings New Life to an 1890 Schoolhouse

When you step into the Industry Kitchen & Bar’s red brick Romanesque revival building in Green, you’re walking into over 135 years of history. While it’s housed in an 1890 one-room East Liberty schoolhouse, the atmosphere is entirely contemporary and upscale —plaster is tastefully chipped away to reveal patches of brick, while vines crawl up walls and twin murals frame both sides of the stylish vestibule entrance.

“For the mural there, which is the hand of David being handed a drink …that’s actually the original plaster as well that we had an artist paint over, chisel out,” says partner Kyle Oberlin.

Opened in March 2025, the Industry’s renovations took about 20 months. Wooden cutout feature walls make it modern — as does a slatted wooden ceiling with myriad pendant lights crowning a chic lounge area with sheer white curtains and original wooden floors throughout.

The restaurant aspires to offer the industry’s best in atmosphere, food and drinks with elevated, from-scratch lunch, brunch and dinner menus from chef Ben Myers. For a small plate with a stunning presentation, order the deviled eggs ($14) topped with smoked mustard seed caviar, dill, an artful dusting of paprika and bourbon-glazed crispy pork belly that’s been roasting for eight hours.

“Our prep is very intense,” says Oberlin, adding that the restaurant doesn’t have a freezer or microwave and spends most of Mondays and Tuesdays, when it’s closed, on prep.

Dig into a French dip ($18) with hand-sliced rib-eye cooked on the flattop on ciabatta with garlic cheddar, parsley, house-made horseradish aioli and a side of house au jus. The rich ravioli ($28) showcases Ohio City Pasta’s cremini mushroom and fontina cheese ravioli with a goat cheese Alfredo, blackened chicken breast, confit cherry tomatoes and herbs.

“The Alfredo and goat cheese really pop on that,” Oberlin says.

Enjoy Cuyahoga Falls’ Salt and Light espresso in the pistachio tiramisu, featuring ladyfingers, dunked in espresso, and 100 percent pistachio paste — a creamy dessert inspired by a similar one Oberlin had in Italy. The Fireside espresso martini ($15) also incorporates Salt and Light espresso with fire-roasted marshmallows on top and more. The old-fashioned ($18) starts with smoking a glass over smoldering hickory chips on a wood plank. Buffalo Trace bourbon, house demerara, cherry bark vanilla bitters, muddled orange and cherry, orange peel, a Luxardo cherry and egg white froth combine for a layered experience.

“We use cherry bark vanilla bitters, so it has a little bit of a vanilla element,” says Oberlin, adding that the Industry offers many mocktails too. “Then the egg white froth adds that velvety mouthfeel.”

The Industry gives new life to a historic gem through a distinctive, top-tier dining experience.

“The atmosphere makes it very unique,” Oberlin says. “We have …foodies, and they’re like, Wow, this is some of the best meals we’ve ever ate— we’ve had that happen quite a bit. So much work goes into each meal.” //KP

3492 S. Arlington Road, Akron, 330-563-4048, theindustryohio.com