Category: "Markets"

Akron- Lock 3 Farmers Market, Diamond Deli, Urban Eats

By on Jul 16, 2011 | In Akron, Restaurants, Markets | Send feedback »

Lock 3 Farmer's Market

Friday during the summer; 11am to 1:30 pm

Downtown Akron on Main Street

lock3live.com 

Lock 3 Akron- Farmer Market
After seeing a post about a Farmer's Market at Lock 3 on the @downtownakron Twitter feed, I thought I'd check it out.  The market is being held on Fridays from 11am until 1:30 every Friday during the summer.  When I visited, I was pleased to see a pretty decent turnout- there was live music and probably 20 or so booths.  The majority offered a nice array of fruits and vegetables.  There was also someone selling gourmet garlic, a baker selling croissants, and an individual selling hummus tabbouleh, and quinoa salad.
 
I had hoped to find something for lunch, but didn't really see anything other thna the hummos and salad to eat right then.  I can't fault the organizers of the market for this- I wouldn't necessarily expect to find prepared foods at a farmer's market, but I thought I'd give it a shot.  In any case, there are plenty of great places to grab lunch in downtown Akron.  

Diamond Deli

The Diamond Deli

378 South Main St., Akron, OH

(330) 762-5877

www.thediamonddeli.net

Diamond Deli on Urbanspoon

Diamond Deli Akron

So, I took this as an opportunity to hit the Diamond Deli.  I like a good sandwich, and the Diamond Deli is the place to get one- it's one of my first picks for lunch when I'm in Akron; right up there with Luigi's Pizza.  If you want corned beef, this is the place to go when you're in Akron.

 Diamond Deli, Akron

I ordered the Chad's "Wait ?Till You Hear This Story!"- it's hot corned beef, pastrami, swiss cheese, and hot mustard on rye bread.  I opted to not have the sandwich grilled; the corned beef had enough fat to add flavor, but not so much that I would call it fatty, and the pastrami had a good, peppery flavor.  All in all, a really good sandwich.  As a matter of fact, it's so good that I've gotten the same thing every time I've visited- I have to try something else the next time.

style="font-family: Arial; ">I wanted to get some coffee, so I thought I'd make a stop at Mocha Maiden.  I'd seen their sign on a building off of Market Street for a couple of years now, but I hadn't ever bothered to stop in.  I was a little confused at first- I pulled down Maiden Ln which off of Market Street and pulled into one of the parking places in front a couple of shops were there were some tables and chairs.  One of the shops looked like a clothing shop; the other was a place called Urban Eats.  It didn't sound like a coffee place, but I thought that it might be the best place to start.  When I asked about Mocha Maiden, the woman behind the counter said that they had changed the place over to Urban Eats a few months ago.  However, they still served coffee and espresso drinks. 

Urban Eats

 17 Maiden Ln., Akron, OH

(330) 310-7135

www.urbaneatsmusica.com

Urban Eats on Urbanspoon

Urban Eats Akron

The atmosphere was bright and had an eclectic look, and the food offerings that I saw listed on the wall sounded tempting.  Not that I hadn't enjoyed my sandwich from Diamond Deli, but I wished I hadn't already eaten.  I ended up ordering a latte (which was very good) and drank it outside at one of the umbrella tables.  Even though I was sitting on a deck in an ally facing a parking lot, they've made good use of the space and there was a nice atmosphere.  I plan on stopping back soon to try the food!

 Urban Eats Akron

Tags: coffee, corned beef, farmer_s market, sandwich