Here is my list of Akron area stores that a home cook should know about. They include ethnic and gourmet grocery stores, and high end cookware suppliers. I've shopped at every one of these stores, most of them many times, because of the quality of the ingredients you can get at them.
I also have a list of shops that are a short drive from Akron, and are worth the trip.If you know of any other ethnic or gourmet markets in the Akron area, let me know in the comments and I'll add them to the list. Thanks!
Akron area
Sherman Provision (map)
Full service butcher. (Tell Mike and Mauri that I said "Hi!")
(Here are my road trip notes: Sherman Provision)
4002 Johnson Road
Norton, OH 44203
(330) 825-2711
ShermanProvision.com
DeViti's Italian Market (map)
Italian grocery, great meat and deli counter
(Here are my road trip notes)
560 E Tallmadge Ave
Akron, OH 44310
(330) 535-2626
DeVitis.com
Asian Food Market (map)
Multi-asian grocery, specializes in Korean and Japanese
(Here are my road trip notes)
2419 State Road
Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44223-1503
(330) 928-4710
Difeo and Sons Poultry (map)
Butcher, specializing in poultry
(Here are my road trip notes)
1073 Grant St
Akron, OH 44311
(330) 773-7881
facebook.com/difeoandsons
La Chiquita Latinos Market (was: La Michoacana Market) (map)
Mexican grocery
(Here are my road trip notes)
1448 Copley Rd
Akron, OH 44320
(330) 864-0565
West Point Market: CLOSED (map)
Gourmet grocery, full service meat and fish
Best wine selection in town
(Here are my road trip notes)
1711 W Market St
Akron, OH 44313
(330) 864-2151
westpointmarket.com
West Point Market is back! They're in a new, smaller location:
33 Shiawassee Ave.
Fairlawn, OH 44333
Phone: 330.864.2151
westpointmarket.com
Mustard Seed Market (map)
Health food and organic grocery
3885 Medina Rd
Akron, OH 44333
(330) 666-7333
mustardseedmarket.com
Kirbies Meats and Catering (map)
Full-service butcher
4062 Fishcreek Rd
Stow, OH 44224
(330) 688-4333
Kirbies.com
The Cookery (Western Reserve School of Cooking store) (map)
High-end cookware and cutlery
140 N Main St
Hudson, OH 44236
(330) 650-1665
wrsoc.com
A Best Fixture/A Best Kitchen (map)
Restaurant supply store with low priced (but good) cookware. Open to the public
(Here are my road trip notes)
424 W Exchange St
Akron, OH 44302
(330) 535-2811
akitchen.com
Hana Asian Market: CLOSED (map)
Asian market
Here are my road trip notes)
1390 N. Portage Path
Akron, OH 44313
(330) 836-2700
(h/t Lisa Abrahams, ohio.com)
Szalay's Sweet Corn Farm (map)
Farmer's market, open daily in season, specializes in fresh sweet corn.
(Here are my road trip notes)
4563 Riverview Road
Peninsula, OH 44264
(330) 657-2727
SzalaysFarm.com
The Spice Corner (map)
Indian market
319 E. Market St
Akron, OH 44304
(330) 535-1033
(Photos from the owner in Google Maps)
La Loma Supermarket (map)
Mexican supermarket, with a full service butcher shop specializing in Mexican cuts
Now part of La Loma Taqueria - will have the butcher again soon?
(Here are my notes: La Loma Supermarket)
459 Darrow Rd
Akron, OH 44305
(330) 784-9300
(h/t Tom at ExploringFoodMyWay.blogspot.com)
Al's Quality Market (map)
Eastern European butcher, specializing in sausage
(Here are my notes: Al's Quality Market)
155 2nd Street NW
Barberton, OH 44203
(330) 753-7216
AlsQualityMeatMarket.com
(h/t Lisa Abrahams at ohio.com)
CLOSED: BayLobsters Fish Market (map)
High quality fish market in NE Akron area
(Here are my notes: BayLobsters Fish Market)
9224 Darrow Rd
Twinsburg, OH 44087
(330) 486-0713
baylobsters.com
Klein Seafood (map)
High quality fish market in downtown Akron area
1072 Grant St
Akron, OH 44311-2418
(330) 773-1551
kleinseafood.com
Duma Meats and Farm Market (map)
Full service butcher
(Here are my road trip notes: Duma Meats and Farm Market)
857 Randolph Road
Mogadore, OH 44260
(330) 628-3438
dumameatsfarmmarket.com
Duma's Hartville Marketplace (map)
Duma Meats second location - see entry above for details
1289 Edison Street (Stands #2 to #8 in the Hartville Marketplace)
Hartville, Oh 44632
(330) 587-0032
Near East Market (map)
Eastern Mediterranean, Middle East and Indian market
(Here are my road trip notes: Near East Market)
3461 Hudson Drive
Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221
(330) 475-0538
Indian Grocery (map)
Indian market
2619 Bailey Rd.
Cuyahoga Falls, OH
(330) 928-7060
CLOSED: Frank Cianciola and Son (map)
Italian specialty, mainly supplies restaurants, but open to public
(Here are my road trip notes: Frank Cianciola and Sons)
180 Cuyahoga St
Akron, OH 44304
Phone: 330–253–0454
Cianciolas.com
Cuyahoga Valley Countryside Farmer's Market (in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park)
(Here are my notes: Winter Farmer's Market in the Cuyahoga Valley)
Summer markets:
Late May through October, 9AM-12PM Saturday at Howe Meadow in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park (map)
June through September, 4PM-7PM Thursday at Highland Square (map)
Winter market:
Two Saturdays a month, November through April, 9AM - 12PM at Old Trail School (map)
See cvcountryside.org for schedule details and more information [cvcountryside.org]
Nearby in Northeastern Ohio
CAM Cleveland Asian Market (map)
Chinese and Multi-Asian; large and well stocked, with signs in English
Full service butcher and fish counter
(Here are my road trip notes)
21200 Miles Rd
Cleveland, OH 44128
(216) 518-1600
huaxin.us
The Olive Tap (map)
Olive oil specialty store
(Here are my road trip notes)
1031 N Court St
Medina, OH 44256
(330) 721-6500
theolivetap.com
Penzey's Spices (map)
Dried herbs and spices
28699 Chagrin Blvd #200
Woodmere, OH 44122
(216) 839-0777
penzeys.com
Vitamix Factory Store (map)
The best blender available anywhere, locally made in Northeastern Ohio
(Here are my road trip notes)
4720 Great Northern Blvd
North Olmsted, OH
(440) 235-4840
vitamix.com
Vitamix Factory Store Solon (map)
6134 Kruse Drive
Solon, OH 44139
(440) 782.2002
vitamix.com/solon
Hours:
M, T, W, F 10AM-6PM EST
Thurs 10AM-9PM ET
Sat 10AM-6PM ET
Sun 12PM-5PM ET
Lehman's Old Time Hardware
Non-electric tools for the Amish market. Huge selection of kitchen gadgets, cast iron cookware, and canning supplies, among other things.
(Here are my road trip notes)
4779 Kidron Road
Dalton, OH 44636
Phone: (330) 828-8828
Web: Lehmans.com
Other good sources for finding Akron area markets and groceries
RubberBuzz
A stale list - hasn't been updated since 2006
rubberbuzz.com
Jane Snow's newsletter, "See Jane Cook"
Jane was the former food editor of the Akron Beacon Journal (see below) and is the one who introduced me to most of the stores on this list
janesnowtoday.com
Akron Beacon Journal food section
ohio.com/lifestyle/food
Cleveland Ethnic Eats
As you can see from the title, most locations in this are farther north, but it does include a good selection of Akron area markets. Unfortunately, it is no longer updated. the 8th (and last?) edition came out in April 2009.
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Bipbop says
We live in Stow, OH, ane we used to buy yummy fresh swordfish steaks at the fish market in the plaza across the street from the "new" Giant Eagle on Darrow Rd. at Norton Rd. Just wondering what happened to the fish markets in our area? We love fresh fish, especially catfish & swordfish, but the grocery stores seem to be gouging people when it comes to the prices they want for fish! Who can afford to pay $8 or $9 per pound for catfish? Catfish are very easily raised on farms in this country for not much $, but they act like it's a delicacy...we used to call catfish "garbage" fish because they eat the crud on the bottom of the lake or river where they live. I can see why swordfish is so expensive, but catfish??? Anyway, didn't mean to whine, just wish we knew where all the fish markets have gone. Thanks for listening!
Sherry V says
You would really like Sanabel Middle East Bakery on South Street in Akron, Ohio
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
Jess, thanks for the tip!
Jess Wood says
Giant Eagle carries their frozen doughs. At least the one at Chapel Hill on Howe does.
MikeV @ DadCooksDinner says
@King-Kumari:
I was just told about a new Indian market in the Akron area, that I haven't had a chance to check out yet:
"Cuyahoga Falls across from the Acme on Bailey Road"
The other Indian market I'm aware of is in Parma Heights, on Pearl/Old Yorke road, right next door to Upudi cafe.
I don't know if either have what you're looking for. I'll keep an eye out myself. Good luck!
KING-KUMARI says
HELLO, GREAT SITE BY THE WAY.I HAVE CHECKED THE ONLY INDIAN SPICE STORE THAT I KNOW(THE SPICE CORNER) WHICH IS GREAT, BUT THEY DON'T CARRY DAHRBA GRASS,OTHERWISE KNOWN AS KUSHA OR MUNGA GRASS IN INDIA, ANY SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED,THNX
MikeV @ DadCooksDinner says
@Anonymous:
Thank you for the tip about Near East Market - I'll have to check them out.
Anonymous says
Near East Market
(330) 475-0538
Cuyahoga Falls
3461 Hudson Dr
Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221
They have a pretty good selection for a small store of Middle Eastern, Eastern European and Indian foods at very good prices. I don't buy spices at the grocery store anymore if I can buy it here. They also make some of the standard foods like shawarma and stuffed grape leaves etc.
MikeV @ DadCooksDinner says
Chrystal:
No, I haven't seen them. I'll keep an eye out the next time I'm at La Michoacana and La Loma. Neither of them has much in the way of frozen food, so I'm assuming I would have seen it.
What say you, readers? Anybody out there know a source for Goya frozen empanada dough in the Akron area?
Anonymous says
Love your website!!! I have a question.....do you know where I could find La Goya discos? They are frozen ready made empanada dough and they are amazing!!! Don't know if anyone local carries them??? Any help would be much appreciated! As it is, I have to drive to Cleveland to get these.
Chrystal Knight
Anonymous says
Very useful informations. Thanks a lot.
Regards
Sharanya