The Lockview, Akron

The Lockview

207 South Main Street

Akron, OH 44308-1301

(330) 252-5128

The Lockview

 

I have to make a confession... I had been looking forward to going to The Lockview for months before I actually made it there.  I had been told that it was Akron's response to Melt, the incredibly successful and delicious gourmet grilled cheese restaurant out of Lakewood.  I went in with pretty high hopes.

I embarked on this particular journey with my counterpart from Cleveland.  Although enthusiastic, he wasn't as excited as I was about the prospect of a delicious grilled cheesery in Akron.  We arrived around 6:30 pm on a Friday night.  There was parking available on the street, which was nice.  There is no parking lot, so if we had arrived any later, we would have been walking pretty far (which would have been obnoxious since it was in the high teens that night).  If it had been a bit warmer, it would have been nice to check out Lock 3 or any of the little shops that are peppered along Main Street.

We approached the outside of The Lockview and were greeted with a sort of "college bar" feel.  The lights had a yellow hue, outside and in.  When we walked in the door, we were immediately pushed out of the way by a group of guys coming out of the restaurant.  Translation: Very little space in the entrance/waiting area.  We elbowed our way through to get inside The Lockview.  After putting our name in, we were given a wait time of 35-40 minutes.  Not too bad, considering any Olive Garden or O'Charley's would have quoted you at least an hour and a half (but we're getting away from the mainstream!).  

While inside waiting for our table, I was shocked to see the incredibly long chalkboard above the bar.  It was divided in half by a flat screen TV, playing an old black and white movie.  I was in awe of the colorful words made of chalk that spelled out dozens of different beers available. 

**Side note: One downside to waiting inside: You are literally standing right next to someones table.  Seriously, butt in face action.  Uncomfortable for all involved.

We sat down in the back of the restaurant, which was a bit roomier than the front and middle portions.  The place is not big whatsoever.  The wall to the right has mirrors on it, creating the illusion of a bigger room.  That helped because, without it, it would have felt claustrophobic and cramped.  We opened the menu to check out the grilled cheese offerings.  **WARNING**  If you enjoy eating meat, your choices are limited.  The menu can be accessed on their website, but I'll comment on a few items:

• Appetizers- We did not try any, however, they look delicious and worth a try.  I'm most interested in the Lockview Croquettes: Panko crusted mashed potatoes mixed with cheese, deep fried, and served with chipotle ailoi.  Yum.

• Gourmet Grilled Cheese Sandwiches- Due to lack of meat (and two very hungry foodies), we opted out of the sandwiches that got the most hype.  Some did sound tasty, like the Number Five: Goat cheese mixed with diced portobello mushrooms, caramelized onions and roasted garlic, topped with swiss cheese on multigrain bread. 

• Although most were meatless, there were sandwiches that featured bacon and pepperoni.  There was a cute touch though: each gourmet sandwich was served with a side of cheddar goldfish crackers!

• Signature Sandwiches-  This is what we came here for.  I ordered the Black Forest Ham Sandwich: Black forest ham topped with grilled pineapple, swiss cheese, and BBQ sauce, served on country buttertop bread. My partner in all things cheesy got the Chicken Cordon Bleu Sandwich: Grilled chicken breast topped with black forest ham, swiss cheese, and honey dijon mustard, on ciabatta bread.  YUM. 

• I customized the Black Forest Ham Sandwich by adding some peppery arugula to it.  My cohort then asked to change the cheese on his Chicken Cordon Bleu Sandwich from swiss to pepper jack.  This elicited a strong negative reaction from our server.  She stated, "We do not switch out cheese when we are this busy."  We were both taken aback, and then my partner said, "I don't even like swiss cheese though... maybe the taste of the mustard will cover it up."  The server looked at us for a moment, and then turned and left the table.  Besides the blatant poor customer service, this lead us to believe that, possibly, some sandwiches could have been pre-made (yuck).  We hope that this is not the case. And, for the record, they weren't even that busy :P 

While waiting for our food, we each had ordered a beer: Bombshell Blonde and East India Pale Ale.  The IPA didn't disappoint, while the Bombshell lacked any sort of "explosion".  Unless you're a beginner with beer, go for one of the IPAs.  We ended up getting a second beer, Founder's Centennial IPA, on draft.  Best beer of the night.  If you visit, you MUST try that beer!
 

We were seated next to an art exhibit that was being featured that weekend.  The exhibit showcased local artists, and made for good conversation pieces while waiting on our food.

As we finished our beers, we saw the server approaching with our sandwiches... the next 15 minutes or so was spent in happy silence (you'll see why..)

 (Chicken Cordon Bleu)

(Black Forest Ham with Arugula)

 
We swapped one half of a sandwich with each other.  The fries were included and were really good.  Hand cut is always a favorite!  The Chicken Cordon Bleuciabatta bread was a little soggy as well.  The real winner of the night was the Black Forest Ham.  The salty ham and sweet, juicy pineapple went together perfectly. The bread was buttered, toasted, and crispy.  The BBQ sauce was not apparent, but we decided that the sandwich was better without it.  I think that adding arugula to this sandwich is a must.  It broke up the salty and sweet flavors with flashes of crisp, fresh, spicy goodness.  The sandwich itself was really thick, and they were generous with the portion of fries.  It was delicious.

Overall Impression/Rating 
Here's the scoop: The Lockview is no Melt.  We learned it, came to terms with it, and we moved on.  However, for a cool place to eat with a unique menu (and an endless list of beers), it's worth the trip to check out.  Parking is hit or miss- be sure to wear your walking shoes, just in case!  If you're watching your spending, it's wallet friendly.  Our bill for two sandwiches and four beers came out to less than $35.  The best part is, you can check out the menu online and actually see the prices of the food (a rarity for online menus).  The beers were not expensive, and it was nice to try something new.  The wait wasn't unreasonable, but it was cramped.  Don't expect to be floored (or substitute your cheese!), but we give this a 7 out of 10.  

**Feel free to post any comments or questions- or let us know what you think!