Restaurants in Wadsworth

T.G.I. Friday's transforms the six worst days of the week into the only day of the week that is acceptable to most Americans. Friday's is equipped to fill your life with Jack Daniel's sauce and endless salad and breadsticks. The multipronged menu contains prongs for burgers, sandwiches, salads and soups, seafood, pastas, chicken, and more so that any craving-flame can be put out.

Eager eaters can begin their Vaccaro's journey with a plate of savory antipasto ($15) before hunkering into classics such as veal saltimbocca ($29) or the meatless eggplant involtini ($22), a breaded or grilled slab of eggplant with ricotta, goat cheese, vegetables, and lemon butter. Pasta offerings include angel hair, penne, and whole weat linguine with your choice of sauce ($14), and lasagna al polpette with meatballs, fennel sausage, and baked mozzarella ($17). In a feat of culinary alchemy, Vaccaro's house-made noodles are fashioned in part from the skins of cabernet sauvignon grapes, filling pasta guzzlers with antioxidants while diminishing the appearance of wine lips. Visitors can even savor guest-inspired pizzas ($10–$15), such as the pepperoni-packed Kelly Janas; the Steve Marks, a barbecue-chicken concoction; or the Boba Fett, a treacherous mixture of mozzarella and greed. A resident sommelier is on hand to advise patrons which pours pair perfectly with their plates; with such an extensive wine list, sippers may find themselves in need of guidance.

At Fred's Diner, breakfast is king. Kneel at the feet of the most important meal of the day with a selection from the diner's menu. The three pancakes ($5.99)—with choice of sausage, ham, or bacon—forge a feast from flattened flour, while a three-egg cheese omelette ($4.99, with additional ingredients $0.85 each) sidekicks its stuffed sustenance with home fries and toast. Enjoy bread-bookended breakfast bites with a two-egg sandwich ($4.29), topped with choice of ham, bacon, or sausage, or simply feast on an uncomplicated half-pound of bacon ($2.50) with coffee ($1) or cranberry-orange juice ($2). Lunch-lovers are also in luck at Fred's Diner, with a fallout shelter's worth of soups, salads, sandwiches, and more on tap. Spoon-survey a bowl of Fred's famous chicken dumpling soup ($3.29), tenderly embrace the tenders of the grilled chicken salad ($7.49), or digestively dissect a 6-ounce rib-eye steak ($7.99). Specialty sandwiches include the Cuy-a-Hoagy ($6.39), topped with hot roast beef, and the triple-tiered tastiness of the Diner's Club ($6.99).

Devore’s Hopocan Gardens serves Barberton-style chicken, which is locally raised, cut to conserve the tastiest bits of meat, lightly breaded for a natural, seasoning-free flavor, and deep-fried to a golden brown. The crisp, fresh taste of a classic white-meat combination (a breast, back, leg, and wing; $8.95) or a large dark platter (three thighs, two drumettes, and a back; $9.55) makes Colonel Sanders roll over in his roost. Most dinners come with a choice of three sides, such as hot sauce, coleslaw, and mashed potatoes. The menu of fowl-focused palates includes chicken buckets, hot wings, sandwiches, and paprikash (chicken stewed in a paprika sauce), along with freshwater pike, shrimp, and ham.

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.