Mamma Mia, more speakeasies! These 8 restaurants opened in Summit County in July

The restaurant gods were most certainly smiling down on Summit County in July.

Many new spaces for residents to feast and drink are now in business. Some are home-grown eateries created by local talent, while a few others are chains with their first locations within the county.

A long-awaited business serving as a sports bar, speakeasy and restaurant finally opened its doors in Cuyahoga Falls. While a Nepali and Serbian restaurant popped up in Akron's North Hill neighborhood. Two pizza shops, one in Cuyahoga Falls and another in Stow, also saw their first customers. And one of those pizza places also has a secret entrance to another new, adjoining speakeasy.

We checked out all these hip new spots to see what they have to offer. Here’s what you need to know.

This is not an exhaustive list of all restaurants that opened in July, but we would like it to be! Help make it more complete by contacting Beacon Journal reporters Tawney Beans at tbeans@gannett.com and Kerry Clawson at kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com with tips on restaurants openings.

Vacancy

Local residents are quite eager to fill Vacancy , the much-anticipated two-level speakeasy, sports bar and restaurant located on Front Street in Cuyahoga Falls.

Its ground floor is sports bar oriented, with live odds boards for sports betting and late-night grub from The Farmer's Rail soon to be served via a stainless steel tunnel connecting the two establishments. Here, customers will be able to nosh on burgers and fries, salads, wings and more.

The basement has been revamped into a swanky prohibition-era speakeasy that patrons can only enter after finding the entrance and using a secret code given by the upstairs bartender. About 28 guests can fit in the speakeasy’s indoor section and an additional 12 can sit on its patio.

Vacancy 's hidden watering hole will serve high-end cocktails, martinis, wines and beers. One of the notable drinks served at the speakeasy will be a tiramisu martini comprised of in-house tiramisu made with cognac and espresso-soaked ladyfingers. Another is an adult Lunchable, which is a dirty vodka martini with Danish blue cheese-stuffed olives served with a charcuterie board that attaches to the stem of the glass.

Framed TVs displaying art and black and white films make the space feel old-timey and unique but not too foreign. A large wall of antique keys is on display above a plush corner booth near the outdoor patio door.

“That's the thing about a bar, at some point all there is to do is look around," said owner Mitch Pachta. "So that's why we took so much time with the details and the lights and the woodwork and the crown moldings and everything.

Many may remember when Tommy Bruno's and, later, Larry Jerry's Corkscrew Delicatessen operated out of where Vacancy now resides. The space has been unoccupied for over 30 years, which led Pachta to the name Vacancy.

Vacancy will serve as a sister location to Cashmere Cricket , a popular bar known for craft beers and cocktails just a few doors down the sidewalk, which Pachta purchased three years ago.

2225 Front St., Cuyahoga Falls; Sports bar hours are 4 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday, Speakeasy hours are 5 p.m. to last call Thursday, Friday and Saturday; instagram.com/vacancylounge

— Tawney Beans

Oak & Olive/Mattioli's Pizza

Mattioli's Pizza/Oak & Olive speakeasy in Cuyahoga Falls has a dual identity.

Among the newest businesses on Front Street, this restaurant and speakeasy, connected through a secret door, opened in the Watermark building July 20. The culinary experience starts with Mattioli's, the cheerful pizza shop that can be seen from the street.

It's a tiny space where folks can walk up to the counter to order a wood-fired pizza or pasta freshly made in the open-concept kitchen led by executive chef Eric Hinman.

Customers can get takeout or eat outside on the front patio at Mattioli's, which also offers starters such as sauteed calamari and burrata and prosciutto, more than a handful of Italian salads, handheld paninis and calzones, and, of course, Italian desserts.

If you can find the hidden entrance to the adjoining Oak & Olive speakeasy — which owners Joel and Cassie Testa created to meet pent-up demand for the long weekend waits for the other hidden Watson speakeasy in the same building — you'll step into a whole different world of relaxing glamor. (Mattioli's and the speakeasy are open concurrently, for the most part.)

Inside Oak & Olive, the lights are low, the seats are velvet or leather and you'll see chic chandelier lighting and warm drapery. The speakeasy features creative, dramatic and delicious cocktails in an atmosphere where presentation matters as much as taste.

Assistant General Manager Erica Smole's the diva behind the creation of Oak & Olive's 62 cocktails and nine mocktails. Smole, who reported that she is the world's first double-executive bourbon steward, said the bar offers 150 bourbons.

Among her highly creative cocktails is the smoke-breathing Green Dragon, presented in elaborate fashion from a dragon pitcher with a smoking mouth.

Two of the best seats in the house at Oak & Olive are in Club 400, a cozy little private room with a curtain that can be drawn. When guests want service, they can flip a switch on the wall.

In this awesome nook, waitress Katie and Smole provided top-notch service opening night.

Smole also created an elaborate Maple Bacon Old Fashioned with a tall wooden infuser, using Buffalo Trace bourbon infused with maple-pepper bacon, dark chocolate, orange, ginger and cinnamon.

For this cocktail, smoked tableside, Smole even included drippings from the bacon in the drink and added the bacon as a garnish.

Other fun or gorgeous cocktails among the many include Cereal & Milk, a creamy, Fruit Loops-inspired drink served in a clear "milk carton" on a lunch tray with snacks; a Floo Powder Harry Potter-inspired cinnamon-flaming absinth drink and the very pretty Grey Tea Bella featuring Empress Elderflower Rose gin infused with Earl Grey tea, amaretto, honey, cinnamon and lemon.

You don't have to drink on an empty stomach at this speakeasy, where the full Mattioli's menu is served. I went for four pizza cupcakes, a tasty sampling of miniature fig and pear; prosciutto, arugula and goat cheese; pepperoni and sausage; and cheese and pepperoni that left me definitely wanting to order a full pizza next time.

Make sure to also try the delicious Zeppoli, little Italian donuts, that you dip in chocolate and Nutella.

1846 Front St., Mattioli's 4 to 11 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday. Oak & Olive 4 to 11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday-Saturday. Call Oak & Olive at 330-810-1551. oakandolive.xyz , mattiolispizza.com .

— Kerry Clawson

Scooter's Coffee

It’s taken three years of searching and construction, but Scooter’s Coffee has finally opened its first Northeast Ohio location in Akron’s Middlebury neighborhood.

The drive-thru coffeehouse has four other locations in the state serving up its signature caramelicious coffee, smoothies, energy drinks, lemonade, teas and breakfast foods.

Aurora resident and franchisee Dylan Ehle was hooked on Scooter's after trying it for the first time in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

“When I saw the product, I thought ‘This is something that people in Ohio would love,’” Ehle said. “I wanted to find a community that I felt really could benefit from something a little different. Akron ended up being the place that I found. There wasn’t a ton of coffee shops out here that are drive-thru.”

In 1998, Scooter’s Coffee was founded by Don and Linda Eckles in Bellevue, Nebraska. At first it was called Scooter’s Java Express but was later renamed Scooter’s Coffee. The change was made to better represent the business’s mission to keep customers happy by helping them “scoot in and scoot out” quickly, according to its website.

910 E. Market St., Akron; 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily; 234-208-8420; scooterscoffee.com

— Tawney Beans

Little Blue Pastries & Cafe

Little Blue Pastries & Cafe is the perfect pit stop to get some delicious Parisian-style street food in Akron's Merriman Valley.

The two-table cafe, which opened July 2, grew from Melissa and Kevin Salmon's home-based bakery they started three years ago as well as their mobile Little Blue Pastry Wagon they added in 2022.

Now, with their brick-and-mortar shop, they offer 11 varieties of 15-inch, folded, Parisian-style crepes, including classic, savory and sweet choices. That includes everything from the Classic French Crepe with Black Forest ham, egg, swiss and chives on a buckwheat crepe to a Cheese Course variety on the sweet list that sports brie and goat cheeses, local honey and spiced walnuts.

"I like to stick to the traditional fillings," Melissa said.

Customers can get the crepes in a cone, which is convenient for hikers and bikers coming off the Towpath Trail.

The Salmons, who live in Akron, have even replicated the Cream Chicken Crepe that used to be served at the old French Coffee Shop in Cuyahoga Falls. It's a to-die-for concoction made with pulled chicken, gruyere, bechamel sauce and chives.

Other fare includes breakfast sandwiches, a yogurt parfait and berry bowl. Melissa's culinary background includes work as a pastry chef, so naturally, Little Blue Pastries & Cafe offers bear claws, cookies, biscotti, dessert breads and more.

Each week, different scone flavors (some gluten-free), sides and lunches are featured at this mom-and-pop shop, with the latest lunches being spinach strata and chicken cordon bleu roll. In the future, Melissa plans to offer picnic packs, including breakfast picnics.

The Salmons, who used to sell their baked goods at the former All Paths Merge in Akron's Highland Square, also offer locally made goods from consigners at their new cafe.

1827 Merriman Road, Akron; 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Tuesday and Thursday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, closed Wednesday; 234-274-3220; Little Blue Pastries & Cafe

— Kerry Clawson

The Fruit Stand

There's a new twist in the city of Fairlawn. A smoothie twist, that is.

At The Fruit Stand, which opened July 16 at Fairlawn Town Center, you can get a smoothie twist that features the smoothie flavor of the week paired with strawberry acai, loaded with three types of fruit and your choice of crunchie and drizzle.

On a recent Friday, the smoothie flavor was peach. The smoothie base flavors are dairy-free and have no added sugar.

The Fairlawn shop is the fourth Fruit Stand, the brain child of of Jason Carpinelli, who opened his first in early 2021 in Kent. He's since opened others at Playhouse Square and in Broadview Heights.

The young entrepreneur, 26, came up with the idea for his business when he was a student at Kent State University and wanted to eat more fresh fruit but felt that running to the store and cutting up a bunch of fruit was too time consuming. Now, his business offers those on the go customizable bowls featuring plenty of fresh-cut fruit at affordable prices.

When you walk into the spacious Fairlawn store, you see a "Let's Get Fruity" sign and a counter dominated by eight fruit choices, 18 crunchies (toppings) and eight drizzle choices. Customers can order a smoothie bowl, fresh-cut fruit bowl, oatmeal bowl or pound cake bowl in regular ($8.99) or large ($11.99) sizes.

Crunchies include multiple granola varieties as well as Oreos, pie crust, waffle cone, almonds and more. Drizzles from NOSH Butters in Cuyahoga Falls range from Nutella to local honey to maple syrup.

The result is a quick, relatively healthy, tasty treat. And the enterprising Carpinelli has signed a deal for the first Fruit Stand franchise to open in Aurora in the fall.

2855 W. Market St., Fairlawn; 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday; thefruitstandohio.com

— Kerry Clawson

3 Little Sisters

Most often, a restaurant will stick with a single culture or style of cuisine.

Occasionally one will branch out, combining recipes from neighboring areas of the world. Think spots known for serving Tex-Mex, Indo-Chinese or sushi burritos.

Then there’s Three Little Sisters, a new eatery serving Nepali, Indian, Serbian and American dishes in Akron’s North Hill neighborhood.

“You’ve never seen this mix,” laughs Vladimir Popovic of Stow, who opened the restaurant with his wife, Ghani Baral, July 14.

Menu items from the four countries are not fused together, allowing each to shine and stand on its own. In fact, some dishes are only prepared by staff members from its home country.

Popovic mans the grill when someone orders cevapi, a staple in the Balkans and the national dish of Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Cevapi is small rolls of seasoned ground meat, in this case pork and beef, that are grilled and served in a flat bread bun with onion and kajmak, a Balkan cheese spread similar to clotted cream.

Chef Gyan Khadka whips up customers’ momo, delicate steamed dumplings that are one of the most popular foods in Nepal. Apparently, he also makes a delicious burrito, according to Popovic.

And when the time comes for chicken tikka masala, one of the most popular Indian curries in both the United Kingdom and United States, Baral takes the reigns.

The menu also has its version of fried chicken and hot rice, similar to what's found in Barberton, where Popovic lived for 17 years. Desserts include crepes, baklava, rice pudding and a personal favorite, gulab jamun — fried dough balls soaked in a syrup flavored with cardamom, rose water, saffron, and cloves.

Since opening, momo and chow mein have been customers’ go-to choices. The owners hope that the wide range of options on the menu will allow a diverse pool of patrons to try dishes from cultures they may not have otherwise been exposed to.

“Nepali people will come for Nepali food, maybe they’ll get to try out some Serbian food,” said Popovic. “Americans can try out all of it and Serbian people can try out Nepali food.”

Namaste Cuisine, a Nepali restaurant, operated out of the space until 2023. Popovic and Baral decided to keep part of the signage to honor the death of Namaste’s former owner. The new section of the restaurant’s name is named after the owners’ daughters, Pranita, 14, Arpita, 10 and Zara, 3.

257 E. Cuyahoga Falls Avenue, Akron; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday through Monday; 234-226-7150; facebook.com/3.Little.Sisters.LLC

— Tawney Beans

EverBowl

The eastern section of downtown Hudson has been hustling and bustling since Everbowl, an açai bowl and smoothie franchise, opened its doors July 25.

Located next to the city’s Chipotle, this new spot is Everbowl’s first in Summit County. Fans of the brand have had to travel over an hour south to Mansfield, the next closest location, until now.

Customers can choose from nine signature açai bowls and four signature smoothies or customize their own. So far, the most popular bowls have been the Everbowl, made with their traditional açai base, and full moon, which has chocolatey cacao wow and vanilla cream bases.

Many of the base flavors owner Christian Heller and his team serve are vegan, dairy free and soy free.

“You could literally come here every single day for the whole year and make a different bowl and never have the same bowl,” Heller said. “Because there are so many combinations of what you can do, it’s really up to your imagination.”

The seed for opening such a business was planted by none other than Heller’s 14-year-old daughter Delaney Flynn, who came home after dining at a similar establishment, and said “We should buy one of those.” His wife, Lori, repeated the statement after trying an açai bowl.

After being connected to Everbowl, Heller fell in love with the franchise, which he said has been extremely supportive during the whirlwind of opening.

Though it seems none have rooted for its success more than the Heller’s children, who all stopped by at one point or another during the business’s first full day in operation.

Yes, even Riley, who was still recovering from wisdom teeth removal the day prior. Don’t worry too much, we are confident they kept her far away from the smoothie straws.

5 Atterbury Blvd., Hudson; 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily; 234-380-1042; everbowl.com

— Tawney Beans

Pizza Cat

You've gotta check out a pizza shop whose motto is to "Keep Pizza Weird."

Pizza Cat, which was founded in Toledo and is now based in Detroit, has started its expansion into Northeast Ohio with a shop in Stow, which opened July 8.

The pizzeria, identifiable by its bright orange, yellow and fuchsia vibe, offers a number of specialty pizzas as well as a build-your-own option, with five crust choices and 30 topping choices.

Crusts include a keto-friendly chicken crust, vegan and gluten-free hemp crust, vegan thin crust, a vegan and gluten-free crust and gluten-free cauliflower crust.

Just to say we did it, some of our staff decided to try a hemp crust pizza. It was a very thin, crispy, small, dark crust that Stow shift manager Amanda Gillette explained shrinks in the oven to become a snack-sized 6 inches. She'd already sold three hemp crusts when I visited on a recent Tuesday.

We didn't detect much flavor in the hemp crust, which I ordered as a specialty, small North End Brisket made with Midwest-style beef brisket, sweet barbecue and a cheddar blend ($11). The hemp crust comes only in small but $11 was a pretty high price for this particular specialty pizza, considering how small the hemp shrinks.

Next we tried the Bubba Gump'n pizza, one of Pizza Cat's Alfredo Madness seasonal offerings through the end of August. It was a winner, featuring alfredo sauce, roasted garlic, shrimp and cheese with a 12-inch thin crust for $22.

This pizza scored with its ultra garlicky taste and it didn't skimp on the shrimp.

Other specialty pizzas with fun names include the Smelly Cat, with garlic butter, salami, roasted garlic, red onion and sausage; Keto Bandito, which has a chicken crust, ranch, cheese and bacon; and Slick Willys, made with cheese, pizza sauce, mustard, ground beef, pickle and red onion.

Pizza Cat offers $2 off daily specials on different pizzas daily. On Tuesdays, that's $2 off any pizza. The Stow store recently added online ordering .

1628 Norton Road., Stow; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to midnight Friday-Saturday; 234-602-1002; pizzacat.com

— Kerry Clawson

Got a story recommendation? Contact Beacon Journal reporter Tawney Beans at tbeans@gannett.com and on Twitter @TawneyBeans. And follow her adventures on TikTok @akronbeaconjournal. Arts and restaurant writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Mamma Mia, more speakeasies! These 8 restaurants opened in Summit County in July