A pizza joint, a jazz club, and a new spot for potato lovers
I’m Emily Anderson, and I’ve been working in bars and restaurants in Akron and Cleveland for more than a decade. I love living here and exploring the ever-changing landscape of where to eat and drink.
Each month, I’ll be sharing news about what’s happening on the scene. Connect with me on Instagram if you’d like to share an experience or recommend a new place for me to test out. For my inaugural edition: I’m taking a look at a new option for pizza, two new watering holes, and a fun spot to take your favorite spud-lover.
More ‘Za
Merriman Valley Pizza officially opened Nov. 11. As the name suggests, it’s located in the Merriman Valley at 640 Portage Trail West, previously home to DiCarlo’s Pizza. MVP serves a variety of classic pizzas, boneless wings, calzones, and hot sub sandwiches.
Where: 640 Portage Trail West, Akron
A classy, cozy spot for jazz
New cocktail bar The Circle of 5ths officially opened on November 22. The classy jazz bar is located on the street-front floor of Blu Jazz on the corner of Market and Main Streets downtown.
Ryan Austin is the man behind the bar’s concept–and its cocktail recipes. Chef Ian Lotz has curated a menu of upscale small plates to eat at the bar.
Circle of 5ths fits right into the Historical Arts District, surrounded by live music venues and art galleries. Fun fact: The “circle of 5ths” is a counting tool musicians use to find harmony and choose keys when composing music.
Where: 45 E Market St ., Akron
Calling all potato lovers
Across the street from Lock 3 Park, Danny Basone (owner of the Lockview) has a new concept for his next-door quick-service restaurant space, which was home first to El Gato Taqueria in 2015 and then to Funny Noodle in 2022.
The new restaurant, United States Potato Service (USPS), focuses on–you guessed it–potatoes. “I had a hard time finding talent to make the last ones authentic,” said Basone. Now, he’s sticking with what he knows. “Call me Mr. Potato Head.” he laughed.
USPS serves all kinds of fried potatoes with a variety of toppings and dips available. They have everything from loaded nacho fries to potato soup to Akron’s favorite, crispy Jo Jos. They have a small beer selection and room to dine in.
Where: 209 S Main St., Akron
An old favorite returns
Highland Square also has one less empty space this month–Highland Tavern reopened after losing a three-year court battle over violating COVID-19 restrictions in 2020.
Highland Tavern, which had a loyal following, lost its liquor license and was forced to close after it received three separate citations in 2020, including lack of social distancing, unmasked employees, and serving alcohol after the 10 p.m. curfew.
After losing the court battle, the liquor license was not reinstated.
To get around this issue, one of the owners, Jess Williams, obtained a new liquor license under a new business name. Not much else seems to have changed about Highland Tavern besides its legal name, so Akronites can expect to find the same atmosphere they remember.
Where: 808 W. Market Street, Akron