Relationships are the secret sauce at Ken Stewart’s Grille.
Sure, the food is great. From the halibut and filets to shellfish stir-fry, pork chops and tableside Caesar salad.
“There’s a potato-crusted halibut that’s been on the menu for like 25 years that can’t come off,” said Executive Chef Jeremy Heinl. “We would anger people at this point.”
Also beloved is the selection of approximately 150 wines — highlighted by the restaurant’s private-label Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Cabernet, Merlot and Final Word, an anniversary Meritage blend.
Then there’s the ambiance. From the main dining area and bar to private rooms and the patio, the space is routinely bustling with a range of patrons. Decades-old golf buddies catching up. A young couple enjoying an intimate dining experience. A family celebrating their young son’s birthday (the 5-year-old says it’s his favorite restaurant).
VIPs include LeBron James, when he’s in town. Assistant General Manager Meghan Callahan said she believes James signed an NBA contract at the restaurant, though she could not confirm when.
They come for the upscale American fare. They keep coming back for the elevated hospitality. The relationships.
“We make people feel special here,” Callahan said, “whether it’s your first time or your 100th time.”
In a dining age where to-go is trendy, this West Market Street staple gives customers in Akron and beyond a reason to dine in, again and again.
By remembering faces and names. Drink orders. Past conversations. Even bringing back old menu favorites.
“We’ll try to do anything,” Heinl said, “even if it was something that was on the menu in like 1995.”
The family behind Ken Stewart’s Grille
Who’s the gentleman featured in pop art across the restaurant — literally, from the entryway to a plant centerpiece at the bar to soap dispensers — often wearing a dark suit jacket and styled in wild, swept-up hair and large, bright-red frames?
Ken Stewart, of course.
In 1990, the Akron native opened the grille, replacing Foley’s Restaurant. He inherited an existing clientele, then made sure he kept it.
He and wife Lori’s daughters, Carley Stewart-LaRose, Hailey Stewart and Lindsey Stewart Maurer, are now a part of the ownership team. The family also operates Ken Stewart’s Lodge and Ken Stewart’s Tre Belle, both nearby in Bath Township.
He’s still around. Stopping by tables, mingling with customers.
“I personally have been given a lot of freedom from Ken to do whatever,” said Heinl, who started as a sauté cook in 2007 and five years later became the executive chef.
“But I also get with him and his daughters based on … their travels of the whole world and what they would like to see, not necessarily specifics, but just certain directions that we go seasonally.”
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Familiar faces on both sides of this Akron bar
It doesn’t hurt that some employees have been around so long, they predate the restaurant.
Behind the bar, Carol Giacobone has worked here for all 36-plus years of its existence — and 11 years before that at the previous restaurant in this space. On a recent weekday afternoon, she entertained George Brown, a Medina native and a regular. He’s spent decades ordering at the bar. The black bean soup is one of his favorites.
“George, tell him the truth,” Giacobone teased. “You come to see me.”
Brown agreed.
1st place
1970 West Market St., (330)-867-2555
11:00 am to Close, Monday through Sunday
Second place
1824 Merriman Rd., 330-865-9510
4 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday
4 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., Friday through Saturday
4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday
Third Place
77 West Market St., 330-253-0041
11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Thursday
11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday
5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday
