Crave is always a good choice for us. They make good drinks and they have a pretty vast and unique menu. I like to try something different every time I go. My husband said the decor and atmosphere are really progressive and make you forget you're in Akron. read more

I went to school at UA, and have been back only infrequently since. Akron has certainly changed since I was there, as some buildings I knew as landmarks are gone, and new ones have cropped up. As a poor student I pretty much had to stick to cheap places close to campus for dining options. I certainly would not have hung out at a place like Crave. I can't recall what was in the vintage building when I was around, but the restaurant occupies the whole street level. They opened up the space to allow easy connection between the already large dining room and the bar area. It seems unthinkable that a place with 200 or so seats at a fairly high price point would do well in downtown, but apparently it does. The menu is a mix of small plates and entrees, pretty hip and adventurous items as well. We sampled lobster pierogies, chicken and waffle, and a banh mi, all quite delicious and nicely presented. The beer and wine list is also pretty nice. I found Bell's Two Heated Ale, my all-time favorite. Service was generally good, but we spent something like an hour and a half between being seated and leaving, with some pretty long waits in between. Fortunately we weren't in a hurry, and we actually liked the easy pace as a way to socialize. Akron has a happening hangout! read more

The folks at Crave deserve credit for their passion and enthusiasm to be an upper-tier, modern, forward-thinking food establishment in a "rebound town" that has yet to develop a strong, centralized gastro culture.. There is a concerted effort to stay contemporary, fresh, and cutting edge at Crave; this is why a typical menu might have such wide ranging items as a steak bahn mi sandwich, ceviche, and tenderloin skewers packed into a single, sleek page along with your standard scallop/steak/crabcake/salmon etc. lineup. Unfortunately, when it comes to execution, I'm not convinced that Crave is an upper-tier kind of place yet. The dishes more often feel like faint shadows of their traditional namesakes; they draw you in with the "hot name" going around in the Cleveland food scene (i.e., brussels sprouts, confit wings etc) but don't quite deliver the goods like you'd hope. A gourmet bahn mi, for example, sounds so promising as you sit and look up at the high ceilings, elegant curtains, contemporary colors and sleek booths that frame the Crave experience. But a bahn mi, even in its most sophisticated re-imaginings, should never be served on a soft, grocery store hoagie-like roll, as it was at Crave, nor should it have big, gristly chunks of meat. For bahn mis, one must go thin, super thin, and a sweet, salty, long marinade for the meat is an absolute must. Don't even think about leaving out fish sauce in this process. "Confit" wings, meanwhile, should never be attempted with anything but the utmost seriousness and attention to detail if you are a restaurant that happens to be within a 100-mile radius of the Greenhouse Tavern. The bar has been set very, very high for this dish, which requires a patient, slow roast and a minimalist sauce to accent, not overwhelm, the soft, delicate chicken meat. At Crave, my "confit" wings were simply bar wings with a different name. They came on a plain white plate with celery sticks, bleu cheese, and hot sauce, and the texture was no different than if they had been dropped in the fryer. Maybe they were. Crave is about a 2.5 star kinda place, in my book, but we can round up here, because Akron needs places like Crave who are willing to come in and take some risks and think outside the Ken Stewart-esque box where 80's dishes like calamari, ahi tuna and scallops in beurre blanc are still seen as dashing new concepts by their country club Republicany crowds. read more

This place continues to impress us. We have been regulars here since we moved to Akron. We were recently here for my husband's birthday. We once had a peanut butter and jelly cheesecake there which was the cheesecake of the moment ~ 1 year ago. They have not had it since then. I called ahead to make a reservation and mentioned our love of the cheesecake. The head chef Jeff Kucko spoke to me personally and helped plan a birthday menu and specially made two servings of this cheesecake just for us! Our waitress Megan was amazing as always as well and provided excellent service in spite of a very busy night there. Would recommend this place to anyone looking for fine dining in Akron! read more

This would be a 3.5-star review, but based on the attentive service I am bumping up to 4. Went to this restaurant for weeknight dinner with folks from work. We started with apps for the table and then I had a po'boy. The food was good, the ambience is nice, and service was great. read more

Creative menu and pleasant contemporary setting. Try the Confit chicken wings! The cod, haddock and tuna were also very good!

We went here for a business meeting one time, I did not expect such a fancy place hidden in downtown Akron. Everything was so... elegant and intricate. My girlfriend said, "you can make anything fancy by putting garnish on it. I bet you the waffle you ordered will have a parsley on top!" And sure enough it did. That was great. We had a great laugh about it. The food was... alright. Not something I'd "crave" per se. I don't know if it's just because I ordered a dish I did not like (I ordered a steak on top of eating the waffle). The service was fantastic! As expected of a restaurant of this calibre. I like the fact that our server only checked on us sparingly because we were discussing business and would appreciate that we weren't interrupted. read more

I was in town on business, and I received a recommendation from the hotel staff to try Crave. The menu looked good, so I decided to give it a shot. I sat at the bar as I always do when traveling on business, and I was quickly greeted by the bartender. He was excellent in terms of service...very polite, timely, not pushy. I started with the steak skewers, chimichurri, with a Manchego fondue. It was delicious. The steak was cooked perfectly and there were five small pieces of steak. The fondue was a great compliment to the steak. I then moved on to the Patagonian Salmon served with a grilled vegetable couscous, smoked tomato butter, mustard creme Fraiche, and chives. The salmon was cooked perfectly and fell apart, but was still very moist inside. The couscous was a perfect starch to go with the salmon, not too filling yet very good flavor. Ambiance of the restaurant was good. You can tell they have tried to be creative with the setup and they achieved it. The only reason that I am not giving it a 5 star is because the place could use some updates and organization. The bar looked to be cluttered, as if there was too many bottle out along with too many bottles of wine. Also, the granite bar top has a in counter light that is covered in frosted plexi glass. The glass seemed to be dirty and was not able to be cleaned due to the sealant. Aside from these picky things, I would certainly recommend this place for anyone in town. read more

Came here rather early on a Friday night; it wasn't crowded yet and we got a nice big booth for two of us. As others have mentioned, the hostesses didn't seen especially friendly; however our waiter was pleasant, so I'm not complaining. The drink menu is exciting and full of possibilities, but I'm a wino and was not disappointed with my cab sauvignon choice. I got the chicken and waffles and I think I craved (lololol) this meal for the next week. Really though, all joking aside, the combination of flavors were crazy awesome. I absolutely loved it. My boyfriend also loved his dinner, though I was too obsessed with my dish to remember what he had at the time...... Also, it didn't break the bank. Which is definitely a plus. read more

We went there yesterday, food was great, I got the Cornflake Crusted Chicken, it was amazing. My wife had BLT, Bacon, Lobster it was good too, I thought it was a bit oily, but we enjoyed it a lot. It was very loud though, we were surrounded by people who were just shouting and screaming, I felt it was a bit loud. The service was good but we had to wait for a long time before we could place the order and before food arrived. Definitely recommend it and would there next time I am in town. read more

I've eaten here twice now (once on a girls' night, once on a date), and I'd recommend it to anyone (although from other reviews, vegetarians and people with food allergies might not agree). The food is creative and the flavor combinations are excellent. The wine selection is very nice, the martini list is extensive, and the coffee is delicious. Although it looks expensive, their prices are actually pretty reasonable, depending on what you want. For example, the entree selection ranges from surprisingly inexpensive (really awesome angus burger - $8) to kinda pricey (strip steak with sides - $32). A note: There are two similar but different menus on the menu page on their website: You get one when you click "Lunch/Dinner Menu" and a different one when you click "Download Menu." Neither is identical to the paper menu at the restaurant. The changes are small, but if you get your heart set on something on one of the online menus, there's a chance it won't be available when you get there. read more

Food and ambiance is good for the price point. Love the chic Nice beer and wine selection Had a reservation and the hostess kept saying they were waiting to clear some tables, you could see there were many clear tables so obviously the kitchen was in the weeds or they were short staffed, just be honest. read more

Here's my deal with Crave - good location, nice atmosphere, friendly staff (from what I recall), nice curvy glasses, expensive, yet mediocre food. I've been here several times and each time the different items have failed to impress me. Their menu is quite possibly the most annoying thing to read, ever. It is a long list of items (none of which really sound appealing) in a poor font, categorized all wrong and hard to read under their lighting. The one good thing I will say is that I went there with a vegan friend once and she basically told the waiter to tell the chef to surprise her, and apparently what he brought out was quite spectacular. I didn't try it but I appreciated that the chef took the challenge and gave it a good shot. Go here for the atmosphere and possibly the drinks but if you don't care about the superficial things and just want good food, look elsewhere. read more

Crave is one of the best restaurants in Akron if you like local places with a little bit of creativity about them. It's above average but not 5 stars. I take business lunches here all the time because it's really one of the only places you can go downtown for that type of thing. Everybody ends up loving it. The menu is chaotic at best. The items don't really have names so it is extremely confusing to someone who has never been there. For the lunch crowd, just understanding the menu and ordering can cut in to the limited time most people have. The portions of food are ginormous. I tell people all the time and they think that they eat a lot and so they order an appetizer and soup with their meal and can't finish everything. Seriously, it's a lot of food, just pick one thing. It's unfortunate that this hasn't really started a trend in Akron. It's a promising start but nobody seems to want to take the next step and make Akron a modern restaurant scene. read more

I moved to Hawaii a little over a year ago and I, well, crave Crave. Sigh... When ever I'm in town to visit this is my first stop. I always start with the fried green tomatoes (crab meat on the side). They are perfectly crispy and delish. We also get the baked goat cheese app with a smoky tomato sauce which is very weird because I'm not a fan of goat cheese, but it is just so good here! The grilled cheese tomato soup is also a must try but you need a bowl because a cup is NEVER enough! The smoke gouda mac & cheese is to die for! I'm vegetarian so I get it with out the chicken and they just add extra veggies on top. The plate is decorated with sriracha which adds a nice little kick and extra flavor to the dish. My husband's all time favorite dish is the Ahi Tuna. He has had tuna here on the island and has yet to find any that he loves as much as Crave's and that's saying A LOT because AHI is a huge staple here. I always finish with the bread pudding. It's my favorite and no matter how full I am I just have to have it! Oh, and the chocolate chili cake is super good too! Everything I have ever eaten here has been amazing. I have never had a bad meal, or bad service. They are very accommodating to vegetarians, vegans, food allergies and special dietary needs.... all you have to do is ask. They might even make you something off menu if you are nice and not demanding. There is a great wine and beer selection, and every martini on the drink list is fabulous! The atmosphere is very modern and chic! I love the art work on the walls by Mary Ann Flynn-Fouse! Please open a Crave here in Hawaii.... please? pretty please? read more

Seriously awesome. Prices rock if you come from a real city (or have been living there for some time) and the choices are so surprisingly unique for a place like Akron. Totally unexpected and awesome. Was there in July for a large conference and my friends ate there three times. So good. read more

I prefer to eat in the bar area as it has a nice ambiance. If I were to rate just the servers/staff, I would give 4 stars. The menu is interesting and there are a wide variety of dishes. But I think it is a bit high priced for what you get, hence the 3 star rating. Don't let this deter you from visiting this restaurant. The next time I go, I may just sit at the bar and have some small plates. read more

I loved this restaurant took my two girls 11 and 12. Maybe the menu was a tad much for them but our waitress helped them decide and they loved their meal. read more

Crave - My 12 year old .. that's all I have to say but she's all smiles with her chicken and waffles - New American Near Me - Akron, Ohio

Finally, a place that offers a pulled pork sandwich that isn't chewy or tough! With the meat being brazed in root beer & served on a pretzel bun, how could you go wrong. It wasn't an orgasmic experience but it was definitely a delicious mouthful of foreplay worth exploring again. The sweet potato fries were served with a sweet mixture of what I think might have been brown sugar, butter & maple syrup instead of the typical ketchup most places offer. My husband enjoyed their seafood lasagna in a white sauce & the spinach/bacon soup as well. My only regret was ordering the Masco Mule, it was so strong that I couldn't get past five sips & it tasted awful. Otherwise, our waitress (Annie) was perfectly attentive & knowledgeable- can't wait to go back for the mac-n-cheese! read more

I was very unimpressed by Crave. There are a lot of interesting sounding items on the menu, but the execution is lacking. My wife and I split the "ceviche" to start. It really wasn't ceviche, it was more like seafood cocktail in a not particularly interesting cocktail sauce. And they give you pieces of crab legs in the shell that are impossible to get out of the shell. A very poor dish. We each got a sandwich: she got the lobster BLT and I got the corn flake chicken sandwich. Both were OK, but they just weren't very good. Her BLT had so much cheese on it that it was more like a grilled cheese and you hardly could taste the lobster. Mine was kind of a hodge-podge that just didn't work. It is a nice looking place, and the service was OK. The waiter was very friendly, but he went through some stretches where is wasn't attentive enough. That and two drinks was $50. Not worth it. read more

Business trip. As usual rely on Yelp to guide me through the muck. Found this on another tourist site, confirmed through Yelp as I sat outside. Reviews if read really cover it. Great creativity in the menu. I have a couple problems with it. One, despite only one other table being taken at 6:30 (Monday night) I was told by the host I could either choose to sit at the bar or he would give me a small table. I chose the bar. The menu when handed to me was pretty road weary, torn, dirty, sad... and this is what I was supposed to order my food from? The Wedge salad was pretty good, unique take on it. Took a phone call and as I wandered the bar talking noticed the disgusting wooden floor, needs a re-finish in the worst way, heck, it needed a mop also, dirty, sticky, disgusting. My dinner came - ordered a vegetarian noodle dish. One of two things happened, either they dropped it on the floor and scooped it up or they do not wash their vegetables. I got gritty crunch in every bite. I was hungry and have a rule about not sending food back or I would have asked them to remove it from my bill and gone elsewhere. Gritty, sandy pasta was not really on my mind as a must do in Akron. On the bright side they do have Guinness on tap, that was good... although when I ordered a second she refilled my original glass, I thought that a bit odd. Overall, won't be going back to Crave again. read more

One of my favorite restaurants in NEO. Everything I got and my friends was amazing. Had the lamb, steak, scallops and desserts read more

Wow. I was in Akron for an evening event and got held up on the way, so I arrived in town needing a quick bite. I parked a few blocks from the Art Museum, where the event was, because I saw a Subway. Thank God it was closed! I walked towards the museum and there was Crave. It looked pretty cool and the menu was interesting, so I went in and got a seat at the bar. I ordered perogies and a beer. The perogies came out quickly and were very very tasty. They had lamb in them, with roasted red peppers and a bunch of other tasty stuff. It all went down well and didn't break the bank - under $20 as well as under 30 minutes. Thank you, Crave. I'll be back (but probably not any time too soon). read more

Crave is a short 15 minutes away, but we forget about it for some reason. When we do manage to go like we did Saturday night, we always have a great time and even better food. The menu is extensive and unique. We had the steak skewers with fondue for a starter...as good as always. I decided to try the chicken and waffles for dinner. So delicious! Every piece of that dish was perfect. I want to bottle the hot sauce that was of it. My husband had the duck which he loved. The drink, beer and wine menus are excellent too. Nice to see wines at a variety of price points. Highly recommend! read more

Decor confused me. Scallop broth was too lemony. Basil Margaritas has some artificial strawberry purée (yuck!) Definitely not an Akron favorite. read more

Crave - Scallops entree. No Brno :-( - New American Near Me - Akron, Ohio

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Great place for a power lunch, happy hour or date night. Wife hosted her office Christmas party there and Crave did a great job. Dinner was good last night: Small cheese plate appetizer was more than enough for two cheese lovers. Very happy. Lobster salad was fantastic. Vegetarian angel hair pasta with beets and radicchio was not what I had hoped. Gigantic beans on the menu were silently replaced by just garbanzo beans. Can't I make pasta with garbanzo beans at home? read more

Ooooh, I love this place. Such a romantic vibe about this place, with great food, great place for a date night. My boyfriend and I have been here a good handful of times already and we just discovered it less than a year ago. The portions are bigger than you would expect of a "fine dining" restaurant. We have ordered an appetizer every time, because it's just necessary, especially because of the options they have. The goat cheese with bread was great! I've come to love the airline chicken dish, I've already ordered it twice. Served over gouda mashed potatoes, mmm. We love treating ourselves on date nights at this place, right on the edge of the city, right next to a little music venue if you want to stop by there after dinner for some drinks and live music, this is a perfect place to do that. read more

I walked away with a feeling of friendship -that is the food didnt distract my hoping for a foodie explosion - however I did enjoy the atmosphere we went at a busy time which our waiter was here in there - BUT for scallops and another pasta dish & desert I am thinking it was over priced read more

Crave - Hmmm after looking at other photos I might got jep! It was good but it's wasn't worth my splurge for the month - New American Near Me - Akron, Ohio

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Service is slow as molasses while sitting at a booth near the bar!!!! thought we were forgotten while sitting then finally given a menu. Food is tasty, and the drinks are great - well that is if you ever get your drink! The bartender should ONLY work behind the bar making drinks not serving or waitering - can't multitask. I ordered my second drink and never received it until I asked for the bill! So ridiculous! We asked for additional bread for our charcuterie plate and was charged $2.00 for 4 slices of toasted bread with a side of butter.......uh, not what we asked for. Additional bread to compliment the large $18.00 charcuterie plate should be complimentary. Lots of staff just walking around - which is an indication that the bartender should focus on making drinks and not waiting tables. Not sure I will return, but maybe just for the charcuterie platter. read more

The food at crave is always delicious. I always get the steak skewers with the cheese sauce -- I could DRINK this sauce. Anyways, I always get the corn flake crusted chicken and it never disappoints. Their house dressings are also always delicious -- I always go with the suggested house dressing and always love it. And they are so inexpensive! It's a great place to get great food at reasonable prices but feel very upscale. Definitely a great place I suggest to everyone. read more

Very good food had chicken and waffles was really good waffle was awesome with the syrup and butter topped with hot sauce. Also corn and crab soup was delicious. Wife had blt with lobster and bacon. Big chunks of lobster really good to. Service was quick and very polite. read more

An absolute shock! Best food I have had in quite a while! I ordered the scallops and asparagus. Service was fast, friendly and professional. Very nice environment. But most importantly the food was outstanding!!! Everything from the scallops to the fried egg to the asparagus were cooked perfectly. The flavors and sauces were excellent! Highly reccomended!! read more

Personally I felt that the food was definitely worth the high cost. They cater well to large groups if you give them enough notice. Great service. Don't forget an appetizer the calamari is terrific! read more

Highly recommend the BLT. It's loaded with bacon, lobster, fried green tomato, fancy lettuce & cheese!!! Super delicious!!! I switched my side from their chips (really good by the way) to sweet pot fries. Again, super delicious!!! read more

Great environment!! Friendly staff efficient service. The menu is one of a kind everyone in Ohio who comes to Akron should try this place!!! I know the chef at my work in Westminster CO would love this place it's authentic and amazing!!! If I were to grade this place I would give it an A+ for service quality and uniqueness thank you Crave for fulfilling my crave!! read more

Crave - This is the cocktail drink I had outside in the rain - New American Near Me - Akron, Ohio

Amazing food! The Gouda Mac and cheese, scallops, chicken and waffles, pierogis and steak were all fantastic! The only weird thing about the experience was that the host pointed to our table instead of taking us to our table. read more

We stopped in around 4 on a Tuesday. I'm used to being the only patrons in a place, it sucks, but whatever. We tried Crave on our way to the B.Spears concert in Cleveland. We split walleye fingers, crab cakes, fried green tomatoes and a trio of desserts... and cocktails;-) The food was superb and we considered coming back on the way home to try more items. The atmosphere was nice too. I always check out the bathroom because you know a place is paying attention to detail when the bathroom is as "cool" as the dining areas. I found the desserts to be lacking but my friend liked them, we have slightly different preferences n dessert but generally agree on entrees. If Im ever in the Akron area again I'll come back to try the root beer pork! read more

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Great service at lunchtime. Not many diners on a Monday afternoon. That's a shame because it is a delicious dining experience. The grilled cheese and tomato soup was perfectly presented and tasty. Waitress recommendations were spot on. The BBQ pork sandwich was an exceptional mix of fresh flavors. Complex but comforting. read more

Crave - Grilled cheese and tomato soup - New American Near Me - Akron, Ohio

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I cannot rave about Crave like the others. It might be that I've tasted far better especially for what it is really trying to be (i.e. hip, trendy, foodie). Their food is not bad and I can understand some of the really high ratings but perhaps it is because, once you have more perspective, you can see that this isn't really anything special. I grew up in Akron and when to UofA. I grew up on Swenson's, Lou and Hy's, and the Mustard Seed before it became the monolith that it is now. I've eaten at Diamond Grill and Tangier's (you can do better at both) and I fondly remember Ding Haw's (Merriman Valley) and Bangkok Gourmet (Highland Square) -- RIP. The prices are high for Akron; they are average for SoCal. But the taste quotient is well below par for places outside of Akron (i.e. with competition). Perhaps Crave exists as the "splurge meal" spot or the "exotic trendy spot" for those who haven't really experienced that much. The place was half full on the Saturday night when we visited (any only after we couldn't get in at Luigi's). The chef is obviously someone who likes adding heat to his/her dishes as nearly everything on the menu has some sort of chili pepper or other form of heat listed as one (or more) of the ingredients. Now I like heat and will frequently eat spicy items especially when they are done well. My wife doesn't mind heat but will choose more savory over that. This is the reason why she chose the Gouda Mac and Cheese with is literally the only main dish that didn't list some sort of heat added (here is exactly what is listed: Smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese, Blackened Chicken, Roasted Garlic Butter). I chose the Cornflake Crusted Chicken sandwich (which promised Manchego, Caramelized Onion, Carolina Mustard BBQ, Smoked Paprika Aioli to go with it). So when my wife's Gouda Mac and Cheese was delivered we noticed a curly line of red sauce all around the bowl rim and already mixing into the dish. What was this? Sriracha. Now I like Sriracha (I have two bottles in my fridge right now) and my wife likes Sriracha in small doses. But to have the equivalent of a teaspoon and half drizzled around a dish THAT IS ALREADY SMOKY IN FLAVOR because of the Gouda is ridiculous. Especially since nowhere on the menu is this listed. I tried to take it off but most of it got mixed in the process. We complained to our server who's response was "well, Sriracha is something new and interesting". Really. A product that you can purchase in every grocery for the past 5 years at least (and you have been able to purchase in any Asian market for 30+ years) is "new and interesting". She made no attempt to rectify it or even apologize, she just walked away and continued to provide the completely minimal amount of service she already had been providing. And my "Cornflake Crusted Chicken"? Pretty basic, not much to write home about. Certainly nothing that I would ever "crave". read more

Great for groups/parties! We reserved the back room ($50 reservation fee) and when we found out we would only have one waitress for 25 people, we were honestly worried! Boy, was our waitress good though! We were quickly served our drinks, our apps and our food. Even our separate checks came out quickly and with no errors. Out of the group, we ordered a variety of options. Every review I heard was excellent, sparring from one girl who didn't like the Manchego cheese on her chicken sandwich. Props to Crave though, because after she mentioned it, a brand new and this time, cheeseless, chicken sandwich was brought out to her, not 5 minutes later. Way to keep the customer happy!! Some of the favorites were the Bahn Mi, the Lobster BLT and I personally enjoyed my blackened catfish sandwich. We all felt like the prices were VERY reasonable, portions were large (a note on the Lobster, I heard one girl mention it was way more than she'd expected) and everyone was honestly thrilled with the experience. Crave is a wonderful place for a party, the prices were very reasonable, the food was excellent and the service was everything I'd want it to be. Overall, a wonderful experience. read more