Pleasantly surprised. I've been hearing about Erie Street Kitchen for awhile now but Kent is sort of out of the way for me. My boyfriend and I decided to make it a point to stop when we were in town for sports. Dive bar vibes with a fantastic gluten free menu. You do have to specify you want gluten free as they'll make it both ways. They are very mindful about cross contamination. And have separate prep areas and fryers. We ordered the goat cheese balls as an appetizer and they did not disappoint! We ended up splitting the pimento Mac and cheese with pulled pork on top. Omg delicious! We will be back to try more of the menu! read more

We decided to try Erie Street Kitchen for our date night tonight! And while it not really a romantic vibe, the food was absolutely delicious! We started off with some appetizers Cheese Curds and Fried Green Tomatoes. I hade the Lake Perch Dinner & my husband had the Pulled Pork Dinner with a side of Plantains and Rice. We got our dessert to go Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake and Caramel Apple cheesecake Crumble. Almost everything on the menu can be make Gluten free, they have a dedicated fryer and mark your food with a GF stick. The staff was very friendly and answered all our questions on the menu. read more

See all

In Kent for parents weekend. Several places could not take us for lunch. We walked by and decided to give it a try and we're happy we did. The chicken is really good. Our group got bahn mi chicken sandwich, blackened tenders, southern chicken and waffles and shrimp po boy. Everyone enjoyed their lunch. The restaurant has a nostalgic corner bar atmosphere. The service was efficient and friendly. read more

The southern fried chicken is chicken strips from costco the food and the service and drink were bad read more

Erie Street Kitchen - Seafood Near Me - Kent, Ohio

A college town location. But more professors than students I my observations. I went for the lobster roll and it did not disappoint!!

Pros: I like the atmosphere. The restaurant was clean which is huge for me when I dine in. The menu has many gluten free options which is awesome because my husband has celiac disease. He loved the catfish. The tartar sauce was great! Staff were friendly. Con's: Food took longer to arrive than expected. I ordered a bacon cheeseburger, parts of the bacon were overcooked and hard to chew. I also ordered a chocolate pie to take home and it was very disappointing. I was expecting a crust, with a chocolate filling, and whipped cream on the top, but, the filling was a watery sponge like consistency with whipped cream on top. I personally wouldn't order a burger or a dessert again, but I'd give the other items on the menu a shot. For now I'd say worth a try if you have celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity. read more

Love the menu, service and dive bar vibe. Used to frequent the bar when I went to Kent.

Inside the almost empty Venice cafe, which I had never been to, I found the Erie Street Kitchen, and let me tell you, it was an EXPERIENCE. I'm not sure what the appeal is of this restaurant. It's inside a dive bar, which I think was pretty cool looking, had pool tables and whatnot, which is neat. But it smells like... rat? Unclear. A musty aroma is what I noticed first. That and the older, unkempt fella who was standing just inside the door. Maybe he exuded the aroma? Geez idk. He didn't work there but he did walk into the ladies room at one point. That was pretty funny I guess. Anyway, the server girl was pleasant, but seemed like she had a long day already and it was only 11:15 AM. My first order of business when sitting at a brunch stop is to get an Americano. Not all places have espresso so I asked and sure enough, no espresso. That's totally fine, I can drink drip and enjoy it. But... the drip I got was almost completely undrinkable despite being freshly brewed. I asked if they had half n half, no. Milk? No. Only buttermilk or the little plastic thimbles with half n half that need no refrigeration. Ok cool. It did not improve the coffee so I didn't drink it. For food I ordered a basic breakfast with 3 eggs over medium (hard white with runny yolks) bacon, fruit, and sourdough toast. What I got was 3 eggs over hard (hard white hard yolks), 3 strips of bacon, and a huge pile of marble rye with the little plastic thimbles of butter this time. Glad it was real butter! When I noticed the eggs were hard, I politely asked for them to be refired- no biggie. It happens. The server was very kind and ordered the refire. In the meantime, the music changed from some easy listening classic rock to Metallica's One, which is one of my favorite songs, but seemed a bit intense for brunch. Haha I had fun singing along while I ate all my bacon and some of my rye bread, waiting on my eggs, "darkness.. imprisoning me.. all that I see.. absolute horror.." lol what a time! In fact it was the whole In Justice For All album playing. So they must be purists. Very cool. Eventually I got back 2 over medium eggs. I did mention it and she offered me a 3rd egg, but I didn't really want to wait any further. It's fine. These are just things that happened. The over medium eggs were tasty and went well with my rye bread - I do in fact LOVE rye, so that was a pleasant surprise. The bacon was mid. The strawberries were mushy. The grapes were pretty good. My brunch buddy got a goat cheese mushroom scramble and said it was good. The only good things were the server and the rye bread. tl;dr: I will not be back. I do not recommend this place. Also I need to go get coffee still. read more

Erie Street Kitchen - Basic breakfast with 3 eggs, bacon, and rye. Across from that is a goat cheese mushroom scramble with a gluten free bun and tater tots. - Seafood Near Me - Kent, Ohio

Stopped in to grab some late night desserts and we ended up grabbing key lime pie, chocolate pie and a maple pecan bar. They were all single servings and delicious. Erie Street is a very hip spot to hang out and grab a drink or for a fast dessert like tonight. The place was definitely busy tonight so the service was a little slower than normal but we got in and out still quick. Highly recommend Erie street for some delicious gluten free food. read more

See all

A group of us like to try new restaurants, usually monthly. Some are casual, some fancier, just a place we've never been to. I called here earlier this week and explained that several in the group were senior citizens so wanted to make sure it wasn't really loud or bar type and that they had a lent menu. She was very nice and said, 'oh no, it's not like that, you all will be good' so I reserved for 9 people at 5:00 on Friday (tonight). We arrive and although I was told otherwise, we walked into a bar restaurant. I had to put tables together because clearly the reservation meant nothing. Within 15 minutes we couldn't hear one another...yes it was loud. The chairs were very narrow making them uncomfortable if you weren't a thin person. Then we find out we need to place our orders at the make shift counter. Now you would think when I previously called, explaining some would be elderly in our party, she would mention they would need to get up and order, that didn't happen. To make it easier on my group I wrote down all of our orders and went to the counter. After waiting in line, she transferred the orders to order tickets, while I waited and servers were trying to bring food out around me. The set up made no sense. Then I had to pay for everyone's because this is all rung up together. Then checking out asks for tip with options of 18%, 20% and 25%...for what, they should be tipping me! For the alcohol beverages you had to go to the bar to order, we didn't bother. Beverages come out first and then food arrives in cheap baskets (not complaining about baskets it was how incredibly crappy these were). Two of us had the perch dinner, 3 chicken finger baskets, 1 jambalaya,1 cheeseburger, 1 egg po boy and 1 grilled shrimp dinner. The cheeseburger and egg po boy eaters said theirs were okay, chicken finger eaters said greasy and bland, jambalaya had no heat that you would expect from this dish, grilled shrimp looked anemic, not sure where the grill came in and tasted how they looked, the hushpuppies were so disgusting I spit it out and others took a bite and left theirs and the perch, which myself and another had, was absolutely horrible. No flavor what so ever. No seasoning and mushy fish. Even the fish itself was flavorless. Thought it was just me but asked the other person how his was and he had the best response "yeah the tarter sauce is good". Someone came and asked how everything was, and I told her, she made an attempt to care but fell flat or maybe I was just so irritated at this point. Nobody ever came back to our table and our beverages sat empty. As we are getting up starting to gather our coats someone rushes over with the big nasty collection bucket to clear the table, while we are still right there at the table! We couldn't leave this place fast enough! Save yourself from this experience and drive through a fast food place. I'm confident you will have a much better experience and your meal will be far better. read more

Erie Street Kitchen - Seafood Near Me - Kent, Ohio

Erie Street Kitchen is located in the Venice downtown in Kent! The Venice is one of the oldest running bars in downtown Kent and is a great place to grab a drink and bite to eat. The owner is also someone who does quite a lot for the Kent community, and has been awarded many times over the years. Their food has strong southern themes in all of their dishes, I don't think I have ever had something that I didn't like. My favorite has to be their lobster poutine or lobster rolls, and they are worth every penny. When it comes to quality ingredients, Erie Street Kitchen goes the extra mile. Usually there is some type of live music or open mics throughout the week and especially on the weekends at Erie Street Kitchen making it a great place to stop while you are out and about. read more

Erie Street Kitchen - Lobster Poutine - Seafood Near Me - Kent, Ohio

Chicken tenders can rival CFA here-- super yummy with a perfectly crispy breading. Burgers are also a great choice, nice and hearty with a solid amount of cheese, and the sides of GF Mac and Cheese is worth the time every time. Lots of gluten-free options, is a go-to for my partner and I. Being big on texture, everything I've ordered here has been perfect. read more

There was quite a bit of nostalgia as this was the Venice Cafe when I was in college. I thought I'd give the food a try while visiting and our party of three had a small sampling of what was on the menu. The place needs a good cleaning and some new furniture. The food was about what you'd expect at a college bar. It was your typical fried food extravaganza. read more

Had to go to Kent Ohio so decided to check out the local food scene and chose Erie Street kitchen cuz the menu sounded amazing! You pre-order your food and drinks and then have a seat to a pretty interesting environment pool tables bar to your left. We waited over 40 minutes for food and my daughter was getting fidgety and asking when she can eat. I noticed the guys sitting across from us who ordered after me get their food, and had to go ask why we hadn't gotten our food. Host said it's was coming up. I was like 46 minutes at this point. When I say I wanted to be mad, the food was really really good. We had the chicken and waffles and shrimp Po boy. I don't normally leave reviews good or bad. But, if you're passing through I wouldn't recommend here, the prices and the time it takes to get your food. (Over 45 minutes) I don't think we'll go back. There were 6 other places to eat here but I choose this once based on the food they offered. Thanks read more

You gotta try the Nashville Hot chicken banh mi. You just gotta. The combination of great bread, spicy chicken, pickled veg and sirracho mayo is, well, something I'd never expect - creative and tasty. Ask for extra napkins. read more

Erie Street Kitchen - a chicken sandwich and tater tots - Seafood Near Me - Kent, Ohio

Erie Street Kitchen is inside the Venice a long standing (circa 1940s) bar in the heart of Kent. Have you ever watched a movie and there is this great "hole in the wall" and you yearned to have a spot like that you could become a regular. Well, this is your place! It is hard to define this place - college hangout, southern style restaurant, locals hangout, place where two professors are discussing metaethics? Yes too all of these. The bar and restaurant are different owners so you pay for liquor/beer at the bar, the waitress will do it for you but you pay separately. The food is southern American - cornmeal catfish, fried chicken Bánh mì (highly recommended) and pulled pork dinners. The wait staff is some of the friendliest in town and show true enthusiasm. Give this place a try read more

Erie Street Kitchen - Pulled pork dinner - Seafood Near Me - Kent, Ohio

See all

First time coming here and to the heart of downtown Kent. I looked up the menu prior and I absolutely loved what was on the menu. I was in charge of finding a great restaurant to take some close colleagues too.... This place did not disappoint, it definitely felt better knowing that it was a family friendly place, they had tons of great drinks and an amazing menu. I love the vibe from this place, it felt very retro. Pool tables were great. Prices are worth what you get too. I would happily come back here! read more

Great food, solid service. A go too for us especially for DORA during the summer. Perch banh mi and chicken tender basket is our go to.

This place is delicious always has Gluten Free options and great servers that are attentive! Please make sure to visit! Also the drinks are homemade items! The food is fresh and also lobster! I mean come on now gluten free seafood options!!! And Mac and cheese with grits and waffles!! Please come here and support small business and places that help people with allergies!! Hugs all and eat safe! read more

See all

Don't let it fool you! This little place is a culinary gem! Get the lobster roll and lobster bisque! Yep. I'm dead serious. Best around! P

Visiting the boyo at Kent State (freshman year!) and wanted to take him out for a yummy local dinner. Found this spot and the Yelp community did not disappoint. The chicken was awesome - any way you order it. Chicken tender basket, bahn mi sandwich - doesn't matter. Never frozen chicken, homemade batter (thin, not too heavy) - this spot was great. We had a couple beers and the kids enjoyed a Harry Potter inspired butterscotch soda. If you're a college student, this is the spot to bring your friends any night. If you're parents visiting, this is great for families as well. I wish I had pictures of the outside, this is located in an adorable section right across the street from the Kent State campus. Definitely recommend! read more

See all

I am excited to finally have found an amazing seafood place close to home. I came here to catch up with a friend for dinner and very glad we stopped. The setup is certainly different, the restaurant is actually inside the Venice Cafe, just leasing the space, but don't let that deter you from thinking you'll get subpar food. You go to one side of the building to order drinks, from Venice Cafe, but the other side for your food from, Erie St Kitchen. Fortunately a host came up and explained that or we may have been there for a few minutes. I got dill pickle soup to start and it was delicious, especially if you're a pickle lover. Then for my entree I got a lobster roll and pimento Mac and cheese. The lobster roll was absolutely amazing. Topped with nothing more then clarified butter it was refreshing and light and the roll it was served on was airy and light. The Mac and cheese was really good as well, wish it was creamier, but was exactly what the description said. For dessert I got caramel cheesecake and wasn't disappointed there either. It was rich, but not over bearing, with the right amount of caramel swirls running through it. On the way out when I paid my tab for drinks I saw they had Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies and couldn't pass one KD those up either. Overall, a great experience. Expect to pay about $20-30 per person depending what all you get, but it's going to be worth it. read more

See all

Never lets us down! Guests had perch - enough for TWO as was the grilled shrimp dinner and salad. Perfectly cooked. A total of four wines and one beer and yet, the bill was under $70 - including a FABULOUS deviled egg half dozen. Wow. read more

Located at the intersection oie Street Kitchen when looking for a place to eat in Kent a couple of months ago. I was intrigued by the menu, heavy on seafood and some really interesting items. Since I was out on the motorcycle I figured I would give Erie Street a try. Located at the intersection of Franklin and Erie Streets in Kent right across from the old train station; look for the sign that says Venice Cafe, Erie Street is inside. I cannot tell you anything about the inside since at lunch time they only do takeout and a couple of tables on the sidewalk. The menu is diverse with Cajun, Banh Mi, seafood, Lobster and some Southern items. The item that caught my attention initially and what I ordered was the Lobster Poutine. Let that settle in: FRENCH FRIES CHEESE CURDS LOBSTER BISQUE LOBSTER MEAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had to try this and boy am I happy I did. A basket of thin French Fries were an excellent base, crispy and perfectly seasoned. The fries were topped with buttery cheese curds, lobster bisque and a nice sized portion of lobster meat. The highlight was the lobster, which was perfectly cooked and bursting with flavor that was enhanced by the lobster bisque. If I wanted to nitpick some of the cheese curds were still cold; but that can be easily forgiven since the dish was so good. Often I will see a menu item that sounds great and it will not live up to expectations, it is such a pleasure when an item exceeds the anticipation and is a true home run. The Lobster Poutine at Erie Street Kitchen was out of the park with the fireworks going off. A bit expensive but well worth the price. If the rest of the menu is anywhere near as good as the Lobster Poutine, it is well worth your time to give them a try. I will be back for sure. read more

I'll keep this review short and sweet. We've been coming to Venice Cafe for a few years now for drinks, because we dig the atmosphere and love music. So, we finally tried the food at Erie Street a couple of weeks ago. Honestly, we had high expectations because of the style of menu and multiple recommendations and were pretty disappointed. We tried the lobster bisque and Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich, and both were just mediocre. The bisque was super thick and tasted mostly of heavy cream, with the only lobster coming on the top as garnish. I give points for the bread though. The sandwich was even more disappointing, as it was just three chicken fingers on a bun with no hot sauce at all. I'd possibly give it another try in the hopes that maybe the kitchen was having an off night or maybe was training new workers with all the high COVID turnover. read more

Erie Street Kitchen - Lobster Bisque (looks a lot better than what it delivers) - Seafood Near Me - Kent, Ohio

Good place for families with variety of menu items. Strongly suggest Cheese Curds and Deviled Eggs apps. The Jambalaya and Perch entrees were excellent. Good local beers and a fun mixed drinks selection make this restaurant a place I hope to come back to read more

All is I can say is the food is good and service is great. I recommend this place. The ambiance is ok! read more

Great tasting, fresh food. Fried goat cheese balls are a must try, we had to get a 2nd order for our table. Chicken tenders were lightly fried and coleslaw was fresh & tasty. read more

I didn't have high hopes walking in... But YUMM! I had the pulled pork dinner! I usually don't care for smoked meat, let me tell you- it was so good!! The sauce to go along with was delicious also! Hush puppies great, French fries yummy, coleslaw yummy too (I wish it was colder tho) My date had a grilled po-boy sandwich w/ tots. He also raved about his food. Chicken was juicy and the bun was delicious!! read more

Yes it's in a dive-ish bar but the drinks a good & the food is amazing! They are able to accommodate food sensitivities without compromising flavor! Price is reasonable for the quality of the food! Def try them out or order to go! read more

Fish was good, but expensive. It was really greasy. Took a very long time to get our food.

So very excited to have found out about this place!! Almost everything on the menu is either gluten free or can be made gluten free and a lot of it is things you can't get anywhere else. I absolutely loved the lobster roll!! It basically melted in my mouth!! The hush puppies were really good too. I also had the key lime pie which was so yummy! I can't wait to go back and try more things! read more

See all

Great service with great food. Will definitely come again when visiting our son. The menu has something for everyone. read more

See all

Erie Street Kitchen is the very best. Consistently wonderful. a great menu, and they do a lot of specials. Owner/Chef Jeff Crowe is a very cool guy. Knows his stuff. read more

Fantastic place. Was there in the Venice in the 70's and it looks exactly the same. And that's a good thing. Great feel and comfortable . I had a 20$ fried shrimp dinner and for the first time in my life had to have my friend eat four or five of the shrimp to help me finish it. Amazing and excellent food . I was stuffed and happy. Everything I've had there in the last few years has been so good. read more

The best lobster roll I've ever had and it was in Kent, Ohio! So much lobster dipped in delicious butter that makes the sandwich melt in your mouth. The atmosphere is great too and there was a live band while we were there adding to the fun. This place is a must! read more

What happens when there are more than a few things you want from a menu? Just order them all and hope for the best. And order them we did at Chef Jeff Crowe at Erie St. Kitchen in Kent Ohio. We ordered, in no particular order, Lobster Roll, Deviled-Eggs, Gumbo, Jambalaya, Goat Cheese Balls Cajun Cheese Curds. With a. Side of Cardiologist. . All of it was elevated from "bar food" by the care that Chef Jeff and his staff put into the prep. Located in the historic Venice Cafe in Kent. This should be a "must try" on your destination food trips. read more

See all

Best food in kent Ohio. Super fresh and the crowes are a wonderful family. Service is always nice, food takes a bit but that's because it is served so fresh with fresh ingredients! Jeff is truly a magician in the kitchen. Good vibes:) read more

We were at Venice (bar next door) where they serve Erie Street's food. I got the chicken tenders basket with honey mustard sauce. The tenders were freshly breaded/battered and were sooo good. Juicy, but not gross and not greasy at all. The real winner of the meal was the honey mustard sauce - holy crap. I'm still thinking about it 24 hours later. read more

Lemme start by saying that everything we tasted here was amazing and a good bit totally changed my preconceived notions about how some food can be prepared and will taste. I do mean everything we tasted. Got it? Good. Let's talk about gluten free. My daughter was home from college and I had a busy day and told her to find a place that serves gluten free so she would have the widest selection. EVERYTHING that is fried here is gluten free and most of the menu is available in a gluten free option. I am still thinking about the chicken tenders... I can't describe the light crispy texture and taste... awesome, delish, and umami all seem to fall short.The lobster Mac and Cheese was a hearty portion and the lobster was generous and tasted like it was poached in butter. Burgers were juicy and tasty too. Add in a large selection of beers and you have something we here in Ohio call "A great night" Almost forgot to mention EVERY desert is also gluten free and the cherry cheesecake will please the most seasoned cheesecake connoisseurs. Prices are REASONABLE and the portions are GENEROUS! Go grab your keys and your favorite humans and get there now!! read more