Nervous Dog Coffee Bar
1530 W. Market St.
Phone: (330) 864-2326
Open Monday to Friday 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Website: https://www.nervousdog.com/

An anxious-looking dog that’s peeking above the rim from the inside of a cappuccino cup is the face of Akron’s Nervous Dog Coffee Bar. 

Best of the City Signal Akron logo.

Opened in 2006, Nervous Dog is a spin off of a previous coffee shop – Coco’s Cafe – after a dog named Coco, said Adam Bonomo, one of the Nervous Dog managers.

Walking into the West Market Street location, the moody lighting makes the room almost feel like a bar. But instead of alcoholic beverages, they serve a range of hot to iced to frozen coffees, cold brew and tea-based drinks.

“I’d say it’s warm,” said Bonomo, who has been with the coffee shop since 2017, of the vibe of the shop. “Usually just reminds me of, like, you know, a family room or something. It’s very dim, it’s kind of dark; a little contrast from the high-frequency lights that you see in a lot of more modern places, but it’s a nice little time.”

On a Wednesday afternoon, the cozy shop was bustling with patrons ordering coffee drinks and working on laptops at each of the roughly half-dozen tables. Music played in the background, and the whirring of the espresso machine hummed throughout the coffee shop.

The logo of Nervous Dog Coffee Bar.
The logo of Nervous Dog Coffee Bar features a dog named “Coco.” (Kassi Filkins / Signal Akron)

If you want to take a bit of Nervous Dog home with you, more than a dozen different coffee beans fill a wall at the back of the shop, all available for purchase. Bonomo recommends the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe for dark roast fans.

“It’s fruity, it’s earthy, it’s a nice little blend,” he said.

For the light roast connoisseurs, go for the Brazil Santos.

“It’s dry, it’s nutty, super smooth,” Bonomo said. “But there’s really no wrong options.”

The baristas at Nervous Dog see a lot of the same people each week, with frequent flyers making up 70% to 80% of their business.

“It’s kind of like a little hub for anyone to get the work that they need done in a nice, safe, calm environment,” he said.

Barista Max Adams makes an iced mocha latte at Nervous Dog Coffee Bar.
Barista Max Adams makes an iced mocha latte at Nervous Dog Coffee Bar Tuesday, June 25, 2024, in Akron’s Wallhaven neighborhood. (Kassi Filkins / Signal Akron)

At the end of the day, Bonomo said Nervous Dog is all about making high-quality coffee and tea-based drinks. Stop in and ask for his favorite drink: a cold brew with Irish cream, hazelnut and soy milk; or try one of their top two specialty drinks: the Nutty Irish or Triple Threat.

“Feel free to come by whenever you like,” Bonomo said. “Everyone’s always welcome here.”

2nd place:
Angel Falls Coffee Company
792 W. Market St., (330) 376-5282

3rd place:
Akron Coffee Roasters
30 N. High St., (330) 208-0516

Multimedia reporter/producer (she/her)
Kassi Filkins strives to be an active part of whatever community she finds herself in and joins Signal Akron in its mission to bring accessible and community-focused news to all Akronites.

Kassi was born and raised in Central Ohio and is a photojournalism graduate of Kent State University. She was a staff member at the Southeast Missourian and the Hartford Courant before working in non-profit communications.

Kassi lives in Highland Square and enjoys local coffee shops, walking along trails in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and hanging out with her dogs, cat and husband.