1 of 10
Mal McCrea Photo
2 of 10
Mal McCrea Photo
3 of 10
Mal McCrea Photo
4 of 10
Mal McCrea Photo
5 of 10
Mal McCrea Photo
6 of 10
Mal McCrea Photo
7 of 10
Mal McCrea Photo
8 of 10
Mal McCrea Photo
9 of 10
MALLORY&JUSTIN Mal McCrea Photo
10 of 10
MALLORY&JUSTIN Mal McCrea Photo
Canton’s oldest restaurant, Bender’s Tavern, is located just under 10 minutes from the city’s crown jewel —the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It’s fitting: This gem of a restaurant is where, in September 1920, football greats George Halas, Jim Thorpe and others dined after forming what later became the NFL.
Founded in 1902 by Canton legend Ed Bender, the restaurant has both evolved and persevered during its 122-year history — surviving the Great Depression, Prohibition and a 1988 fire. From the interior’s tin ceilings and marble walls to the exterior’s antiquated “Men’s Restaurant” and “Ladies’ Restaurant” signs, its sense of history is part of its draw.
“When you’ve been open this long, we’re so much of people’s family history as well as business history,” says manager Joe Prestier. “People think of it as a place of comfort.”
Bender’s is known for its fresh seafood, like Eastern halibut and walleye pickerel, but one of its most famous dishes is reptilian. Its turtle soup ($7-$10), an oft-ordered classic on the menu since at least the 1920s, is a rich dish made with mirepoix vegetables and snapping turtle.
“Turtle was something that people would catch, and so it was easily accessible. It was popular all over the United States, and so a lot of restaurants in the ‘20s and ‘30s had turtle soup,” says fourth-generation owner Jon Jacob, who bought Bender’s from his father, Jerry, in 2018. Traditionally served with a side of sherry, the meat’s texture is comparable to a chicken thigh. “It eats like a sweet, tomato-based chowder,” says Prestier.
The tomato salad is another landmark dish ($9-$15). Served with dry blue cheese, basil, parsley and red onion, the salad is complemented by a zesty, house-made Italian dressing — a Bender’s recipe for over 50 years. Jerry selects the fruit himself, searching suppliers both in and out of Ohio for just the right vine-ripened, flavorful tomatoes.
“If he has to literally carry them himself, from another state … he’ll do it,” Prestier says.
For over a century, locals have passed through Bender’s storied doors for a refined, time-tested experience.
“If these walls could talk,” Jacob says. “Think about all the conversations, all the celebrations, all the business deals … we often hear, Thank you so much, because you’ve been such a part of our family for all this time.”
137 Court Ave. SW, Canton,
330-453-8424,
