Push on a bookshelf and it swings open, revealing seating for 24 gameplayers in a rentable secluded library space. Or rent a 12-seat dungeon-themed room — complete with stone walls, glowing torches and an impressive, chained chandelier — fora role-playing game session. At the Green Dragon Inn game bar and cafe in Akron, carefully selected decor, imaginative drinks and a fantasy-forward atmosphere plunge guests into a world of medieval whimsy.
“It’s a lot of love and passion,” says general manager Riky Borroto. “When you walk into this place ... it feels like you’re almost in Disney.”
Opened in 2023, the Green Dragon offers around 800 games housed in a ladder-accessible library. Try Jaipur, a two-player card game that pits dueling merchants against each other; Wingspan, a card-driven birding game; or the Resistance, a social deduction game.
“Being in a space like this really helps immerse yourself ... helps you become the character that you’re trying to be,” says Borroto.
The Green Dragon’s seasonal menu includes original illustrations and stories. Find coffee drinks, mocktails, cocktails, appetizers, flatbreads, sandwiches and more. This summer, try a sunmaw ice cream ($12) that’s made with banana-infused Towpath spiced rum, vanilla ice cream cordial, guava and waffle cone foam.
Sit under ivy-draped lanterns while you sip a floral Moonflower Elixir ($15)— prepared with Crème de Violette, lemon, prosecco, house-made lavender syrup and a float of Towpath gin. Perch on a throne for a photo-op before ordering a whispering goat flatbread ($13) with pork, goat cheese, blueberries, cashew cream sauce and onions. Savor the Green Dragon($11) — made with rum, house-made almond syrup, lulo, pineapple juice, lime juice, saline drops and a float of spiced rum — while you play a game of King of Tokyo.
“We’ll set that drink on fire for people,” Borroto says. “I’ve seen people use that as a birthday cake.”
The Green Dragon also hosts themed events, such as a fanciful, fairy-focused Fae Masquerade July 19.Often held in conjunction with Rubber City Cosplay, these events encourage guests to come in costume and escape reality.
“It’s cool to see that people feel like they can do that here, in the middle of downtown Akron ... come outdressed in a wizard getup and just be themselves,” says Borroto. “It’s that feeling of community, of culture, of trying something new.”
115 E. Market St., Akron, 234-231-1534, greendragoninn.com
Mal McCrea
Mal McCrea
Mal McCrea
Mal McCrea
Mal McCrea
Mal McCrea
Mal McCrea
