BURGERGUYZ:

The search for Akron’s best burger

Louie’s Bar & Grille 

By Philip Cecil  

 This month's hunt for Akron's best burger led the gang to a University of Akron favorite, Louie’s Bar and Grille on Glenwood Avenue in Akron. Most of the other guys had been here previously but this was my first venture and I was not certain what to expect. I had heard of the award winning burgers previously and was expecting something truly special.

When I walked into the door I was surprised to see how small Louie’s actually was. There were only a handful of tables, a few booths and a bar in a pretty narrow seating area. The walls were covered with the normal bar décor as well as awards for burgers over a modern jukebox. I was quickly greeted by our server who was friendly and quick to answer any questions about the menu and was incredibly knowledgeable about the food that was served. Even though there was a lot of noise (which is expected from a bar) it was not difficult to have a conversation at our table.

The thing that we all came there for, the burgers, were clearly marked in the menu with a title page of “Award Winning Burgers”. The menu allowed for a create your own option for $6.29 that would grow in price depending on what topping you added while each topping touted a $.50 - $1.25 price tag which covered the normal items such as cheeses, peppers and bacon. The remaining ten burgers had prices varying from $6.29 - $8.69 which was incredibly reasonable considering the burgers included fries or with a slight upcharge you could substitute for “house favorites” such as onion rings or soup.

I decided to tackle the Ranchero Burger which was a half-pound burger topped with bacon, onion rings and a special BBQ sauce. I was informed by my server that the sauce that came on my burger this evening was not the normal sauce and I would have to return at a future date to get the full burger experience. The burger came out at a pre-determined medium cook (we were not asked how we wanted our burgers cooked but was informed later that if you ask you may have it cooked to order) and was juicy, seasoned well and clung to the bun with passion. The sauce was a little overpowering but I took that with a grain of salt considering I was warned previously. The fries were piled high next to the burger but were not as impressive. They were various shapes and sized down to semi-charred scraps from the bottom of a frozen bag. They weren’t terrible, but they were nothing special either.

I looked around the table at the other burgers and everyone else was in the same boat. Their burgers were delicious and felt that they could have won awards in the past but the sides were nothing special. The overall winner at our table seemed to be the St. Louie’s Bleus Burger that was piled high with crumbled Bleu cheese and crispy bacon. The member who was eating it couldn’t stop taking large bites and complimenting the amount of cheese supplied.

Louie’s Bar and Grille was definitely worth the trip for us local guys but so far it hasn’t been our favorite. If you are in the area and want a good bar burger that would be worth coming back for, give it a go. For us though, this was about an average experience.

BURGERGUYZ RATING: ☆☆☆

739 E Glenwood Ave.

If you know who flips a great burger in the Akron/Canton area, we want to check it out! Email us at burgerguyz@hotmail.com or friend us on Facebook: Akron-Canton Burger Guyz.