The Eye Opener
1688 W. Market St.
Phone: (330) 867-1114
Open for breakfast: Monday thru Saturday, 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Open for dinner: Monday thru Friday, 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (last seating)
Website: https://www.akroneyeopener.com/
Step into The Eye Opener, and you will find morning eats, drinks with a little extra something added in and Rubber City nostalgia.
Since opening in 2010, this breakfast and brunch spot has won the hearts and stomachs of Akron-area residents.
On a recent morning at the quaint brunch spot, vintage postcards showcasing Akron landmarks decorated its red and yellow walls. Owner Elizabeth Keener offered customers warm smiles while visiting with regulars.
Keener, an Akron native, earned an English degree at Albion College in Michigan. After graduation, she worked in public relations and marketing for the Ohio Ballet. She received her first taste of managing a restaurant while helping her ex-husband manage his pub.
The pub took a financial dive during the 2010 Great Recession, motivating Keener to launch The Eye Opener.
“We needed a new venture, and when a space became available in the same plaza, we jumped at the chance to open a breakfast spot,” Keener said.
The Eye Opener’s name comes from the playful expression — eye opener — an alcoholic drink often consumed early in the day.
“We had an idea that it would be nice for people to enjoy an alcoholic beverage with their breakfast,” Keener explained. “Back then, we were about the only brunch spot in Akron that had a liquor license and did that.”
Classics on the menu
The Eye Opener offers classic breakfast staples such as eggs, pancakes and French toast at affordable prices.
Customers looking to start mornings with an extra kick can choose from more than 10 alcoholic beverages, including four different types of bloody marys like the Curry Mary and The Works Bloody Mary with Horseradish.
For customers with more of a spicy palette, Keener recommended the Red Eye Hash.
The dish includes a house-made, slow-roasted corned beef and potato hash spiked with green chilis, hot sauce and pepper jack cheese. The meal is topped with two eggs and toast.
The brunch spot also has recently expanded to a dinner menu that includes a small selection of vegan options and is served from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
‘If I come here to eat, the food must be good.’
Walt Powers, 73, has been a regular at The Eye Opener for a few years now. He said he used to pass the restaurant on his way to and from work at Wright Tool, but he didn’t stop in until his grandson told him about the eatery.
“I tried it one time and said, ‘Hey, this is good,”’ Powers said as he scooped up potato hash for a taste.
Powers swallowed and took a sip of lemonade before continuing. “I come here once a week before work, and on the weekends, I come here for lunch.”
Powers had already placed an order for a burger to enjoy later on his lunch break.
“I’m a picky person about food,” Powers continued. “If I come here to eat, the food must be good.”
2nd place:
Akron Family Restaurant
254 W. Market St., (330) 376-0600
3rd place:
Wally Waffle
845 W. Market St., (330) 374-4915