Restaurants in Akron

Metro Burger's premium patties come in one shape but three sizes: $5.75 for a third-pounder, $7.25 for two-thirds of a pound, or $8.75 for the plate-abusing one-pound pattybomb. Once you've sized up your stomach, move on to the meat. Patty options include beef, ground chicken breast, turkey burger, or special house-made veggie burger. Slap it between wheat, egg, or pretzel buns, and cheese it with blue, cheddar, swiss, havarti, pepper jack, American, provolone, or smoked gouda. Then, choose from 16 free toppings (such as pineapple and tomatoes) and 12 special sauces (including chipotle-ranch and horseradish mayo) to give your creation life before immediately taking it away. Burger combo classics are also available for diners who refuse to create a Frankenburger. Click here to see the full menu of massively customizable eats.

For Domenic Fragomeni and Chad Leek, the quest to open a restaurant began on a basketball court. The two met during a pickup game of hoops in 2008, during which they discovered that they both had a passion for entertaining guests and getting trounced by the Harlem Globetrotters. Their friendship eventually blossomed and led to the foundation of a casual fine-dining spot in downtown Akron—a place where busy professionals can grab a quick bite during lunch and diners can savor a gourmet meal for dinner.

The duo's menu of hand-cut steaks and fresh seafood springs from the sauté pan of Chef Josh Pere and the old-world recipes of Olympia Fragomeni; more than 20 inventive martinis flow from the shakers of a team of experienced bartenders.

Owner and executive chef Aaron L. Ruggles char-grills flank steak and tops it with a balsamic drizzle and pan-sears fresh Atlantic salmon. Dim, romantic lighting surrounds diners as servers ferry plates of pastas, sandwiches, and pizzas to four-top linen-clad tables alongside house-baked focaccia bread, widely considered to be more delicious than bread baked from dismantled houses. Aaron's Cheap Date Night menu and kids menu proffer plenty of options for every type of occasion, as do a series of daily specials, such as Monday's all-day happy hour and Tuesday's retail-wine night.

The chefs at Tres Potrillos are perfectly in tune with the dozens of Mexican dishes that have been enjoyed for generations. They pile pork, shrimp, and chorizo into big and extrabig burritos, top enchiladas with fresh green tomatillo sauce, and craft specialty tacos with wheat tortillas and avocado-cilantro sauce made in-house. If you're in the mood for steak, they've got it cooked with Jalisco-style sauce, grilled up with chicken, or buried in shrimp and melted cheese. To wash down feasts and to help you break the ice with all those balloon animals that show up for Kids Night Thursdays, the bartenders hand out daiquiris, sangria, margaritas, and Coronas.

First-time visitors to Chowder House Cafe often fixate on the dining room’s walls—or lack thereof, as every square inch has been painted over with electric flowers, guitar players, crowned kings, and other artistic testaments to the café’s funky and unconventional outlook. This same outlook makes its way onto the menu, which features the namesake clam chowder alongside salads, sandwiches, and dinner entrees similarly inspired by the sea. Aside from the Sunday brunch’s traditional omelets and buttermilk pancakes drenched in fresh Ohio maple syrup, a crab cake benedict celebrates the weekend atop a toasted ciabatta roll. Regardless of the time of day, a considerate BYOB policy accommodates the sailors who often stumble into the café with unlabeled bottles of clam juice.

Delicious fuel springs from The Pufferbelly Ltd., a railroad-themed eatery in a refurbished train depot where canoes and stagecoaches hang from the ceiling. In addition to celebrating the steam engines of yore, the restaurant’s name hints at how diners fill their bellies to the brim after whiffing hearty Americana fare such as smoked St. Louis–style ribs and reubens made of corned beef or sautéed grouper. For Sunday brunch, cooks build a sprawling buffet from housemade muffins, eggs benedict, and crispy, made-to-order waffles. As festive as a piñata stuffed with birthday cakes, friendly staffers throw seasonal parties galore, from breezy autumn clam bakes to vibrant Mardi Gras fetes.