From backyard barbecues to ballpark hot dogs, summer ushers in a season of fond food memories. “We always want people to come in and enjoy something that reminds them of their childhood,” says Tommy Fello, owner of the historic Tommy’s Restaurant on Cleveland Heights’ Coventry Road. Here are six more summer spots in Northeast Ohio that tap into our sunny nostalgia.
808 Ice
After trips to maui, Kayla and Nick Kudej always missed the tropical Hawaiian shaved ice. So, in 2017, the couple created 808 Shave Ice to bring an island escape to Fairview Park. They now offer 33 gourmet flavors sourced from Honolulu and have locations in Avon, Strongsville and the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Handshaved ice creates a fluffy snow-like texture, instead of the crunchy crushed ice of a snow cone. The Ohana ($4.99) — the Hawaiian word for “family” — offers a beachy blend of Kayla's favorite, cotton candy, and Nick's preference, blue Hawaiian and pina colada. Get it topped off with a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk ($0.75) that sinks into the ice and creates a creamy dream. “When you’re visiting us," Kayla says, "we want it to be a really good feeling — like your own little getaway.” 808ice.com
Bearden’s Peanut butter Burger
Topped with melted peanut butter and sweet pickles, this 4-ounce steak burger has been a Rocky River staple for decades. It looks simple (albeit peculiar), but the complex collision of sweet-meets-savory is anything but. facebook.com/beardensrockyriver
Dynamite Dawgs Fair Food
Be honest: The food is always the best part of the fair-going experience. But there's no special event necessary to indulge in childhood bites like giant corndogs ($4), crispy jumbo funnel cakes ($5) and decadent deep-fried Oreos ($5) at this Mentor spot. dynamitedawgs.com
Eddie's Grill Slovenian Sausage
Staffed by three generations of founder Ed Sezon’s family, this beloved walk-up spot at Geneva-on-the-Lake has mini jukeboxes at the tables and only takes cash. A fresh-squeezed lemonade washes down the juicy Slovenian sausage ($5.50) loaded with zingy horseradish in a toasted bun. eddiesgrill.com
Honey Hut Ice Cream
With 13 original flavors and specials that rotate every two weeks, we can’t get enough of Honey Hut’s honey-sweetened ice cream. Look out for heavy hitters like banana nut bread and lemon meringue pie at its five locations this month. gohoneyhut.com
Pickle Bill’s Lobster House All-You-Can-Eat Seafood
Nothing says summer like seafood, but enjoying Alaskan snow crab ($32.99 per pound), whole Maine lobster ($68.99 per pound) and deep-fried scallops ($17.99) right on the water, as you can at this nautical Grand River lobster house, is next level. For a little extra coin, everything comes all you can eat. picklebills.com
Tommy’s Restaurant Milkshakes
The darling of any sweltering summer day is a cool, creamy milkshake ($5.79) from this Coventry hotspot. Tommy’s expansive menu caters to all manner of food restrictions, and the milkshakes are no exception. Try a Tofutti version to get that time-honored taste without a drop of dairy. tommyscoventry.com
