Lock 15 Brewing Co.
21 W. North St.
Phone: (234) 900-TAPS (8277)
Open: Tuesday thru Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Website: https://www.lock15brewing.com
There are so many things to like about Lock 15 Brewing Co.
They smoke their meat. The seven-barrel brew house, visible through the main dining room and bar, is stocked with an extensive list of year-round, seasonal and experimental beers. They play great music. You can park your bicycle outside the patio tent. They didn’t forget about the tiny tikes (kids menu). And they embrace behaved pups on the patio.
Located in the Cascade Lofts apartment building on the corner of North and Howard streets, Lock 15 offers one of the largest and most scenic dining spaces in Akron. All within walking distance of the Ohio & Erie Canal and Cascade Locks Park.
Did we mention the food?
Nothing is basic here. Every dish is well thought out, from the taste to the colors to the presentation. The menu manages to offer something for just about everyone without seeming disjointed. From smoked chicken wings and rock shrimp ceviche to summer fruit salad and pork belly BLT.
Don’t forget dessert, which includes semifreddo, a semi-frozen dessert topped with brown butter caramel and toasted almonds.
Appetizers range from $12 to $19, while entrees range from $21 to $34.
Executive Chef Jessica Starr joined Lock 15 in 2022, and changes the menu twice a year.
“It seems lately, a lot of the driving factors — probably the past few menus — have been sauces or sides that we want to do,” said Starr, whose 17-year career in restaurants includes stops at Russo’s Restaurant in Peninsula and Nuevo Modern Mexican and Tequila Bar in Akron, which closed in 2019.
“That drives the theme of the menu, what we can do with three or four main ingredients and work our way back from that.”
Lock 15’s indoor dining space invites patrons to peek at the open kitchen, where chefs prepare the season’s menu items and place them under copper-colored heat lamps.
With the summer season welcoming good weather and hungry customers, the restaurant hosts a total of 250 seats to accommodate guests inside and outside.
“Ninety percent of the time on the weekends it’s completely full,” Starr said.
For in-house brews, Starr recommended the Over the Top Berliner Weisse, a seasonal sour that contains pineapple and cherry flavors. Meanwhile, year-round fan favorites include the Killer Fog, a Hazy New England IPA that matches its bitterness with hints of tropical fruits.
2nd Place:
Missing Falls Brewery
540 S. Main St., suite 112
(234) 231-1000
3rd Place:
Akronym Brewing
58 E. Market St.
(330) 805-4081