Eat. Drink. Crave.

Photos by OHventures

Crave

57 E. Market Street

Akron, OH 44308

Downtown Akron's hottest restaurant is - hands down - Crave. It's modern, chic, affordable, and adventurous with its food. Crave isn't afraid to push the envelope when it comes to finding fantastic flavors that are both interesting and mouth-watering. Dining at Crave makes you feel like you are at a five-star restaurant in Manhattan. The decor is eye popping: from the flowing curtains, to the blown-glass light fixtures, down to the curve-shaped glassware.

The menu is set up in a clever fashion with the categories "First," Next," "So On," "So Forth," and "Last." Very handy for determining just how much food you're in the mood for. In the "First" category, the grilled cheese & tomato soup is one of the restaurant's specialties. This is not a sandwich, but instead, it is a classic tomato soup with delicious cheese mixed in. You can NOT go to Crave and not start out with this staple!

Another favorite appetizer of mine is the Sicilian sausage & roasted garlic goat cheese stuffed fried green olives (pictured above along with the wedge salad). My mouth literally waters when a plate of these olives hits the table. SO good! I have been here many times and could literally go on and on about all of the meal offerings. So, I will simply name a couple of my other favorite dishes: the low-card grilled steak wrap with peppered bacon, chihuahua and smoked cumin & ground bay leaf aioli; and the BLT of bacon, butter poached lobster, tat soi, fried green tomato, fontina, grilled artichoke, and tomato powder aioli on Texas toast. See what I mean when I say that they think out of the box?

Owners Deann Akers and Aaron Harvey are super friendly and are likely to stop by and ask you how your experience is. They truly care about their customers and have a passion for their food and business. It makes Crave that much more fantastic, and is indicative as to what all restaurants should be like.

I bring everyone I can to Crave whenever I am in Akron, and honestly can say I would choose Crave over any other restaurant in the city anytime! It's that good. I crave Crave!

Pumpkin & Bacon Soup (I am unsure of the exact name and ingredients, but this was a seasonal soup that was sweet, smoky, creamy, and had a spicy kick to it! Very unique flavor pairings)

Me and my family (and family friends) dining at Crave in December 2011