Best Akron restaurant: Papa Joe’s Iacomini’s secret sauce? Cherishing its customers

Diners at Papa Joe’s Iacomini’s in the Merriman Valley don’t just come for the chicken marsala, steak and lasagna. Fans of the establishment know the family behind the name, too, and many dined at the early iterations of the restaurants in Bath and Hudson. 

In fact, Augusto Iacomini opened his first joint in 1932.

But the Papa Joe’s at the corner of Akron Peninsula Road and West Portage Trail is now run by Augusto’s granddaughter and great-grandchildren, who have carried on his legacy, serving families over the years.

“I love to see the next generation like a baptism where we’ll see … them grow up and then we get to do a wedding. … We just follow these families from, we call it, from the cradle to the grave,” said Judy Amato, Augusto’s granddaughter and daughter of the restaurant’s namesake, Papa Joe. Amato has been working in the family business for 51 years on and off.  

It’s no wonder, then, that Signal Akron readers have voted the establishment the best restaurant in Akron. 

So what brings these diners back week after week for years? 

“Definitely consistency, but along with that, I think that people want to be welcomed,” said Kim Mclaughlin, Amato’s daughter. “With the day and age that we’re in, they come in because it feels good. It’s home.”

Aside from the fact that the family has operated this restaurant for 40 years, the establishment also holds onto its workers. The same chef has manned the grills for 36 years, while the same bartenders have served up drinks for 25. 

Of course, the business has evolved over the years. Augusto’s son, “Papa Joe,” always had an eye toward the future. His ingenuity and forward momentum is another key to the family’s success, Amato said. 

🎉Akron’s favorites, revealed! Did your go-to spot make the Best of City 2026 list? Explore Akron readers’ picks across 13 food and drink categories. See all the winners here.

“Not being complacent, trying to make it better every day. Finding one thing that you can improve on,” she said. “And that’s what my father did when we opened the wine shop and the market to go.”

The Italian market sells prepared foods from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday while patrons can purchase bottles from a selection of about 1,800 labels imported from around the globe at the wine shop. The restaurant also maintains a schedule of catering events and on-site banquets for everything from weddings to baby showers to 800-person events at Akron’s Civic Theatre. 

“We can follow you wherever you go, and the exact same food that’s served in this building can be served buffet style to a special event,” Mclaughlin said.

When they first opened, you could get a spaghetti dish with meat sauce for 85 cents. These days, the prices are a bit higher, but the quality and atmosphere remain the same. 

“We cherish our customers, and I think that’s the secret to the sauce,” Mclaughlin said.

2nd place:

Cilantro Thai & Sushi Restaurant (first place winner in 2024 and 2025)

330-434-2876
326 S. Main St.
https://www.cilantrothai.com/

3rd place (tie):

The Lockview (tied for 3rd place in 2025)

Editor’s note: The Lockview announced it is closing on Aug. 19, 2026.

330-252-5128
207 S. Main St.
https://www.thelockview.com