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photo by Brianna Phillips
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photo by Brianna Phillips
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photo by Brianna Phillips
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photo by Brianna Phillips
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photo by Brianna Phillips
Complete with Italianate pastoral paintings, white linen tablecloths and low lighting, the banquet rooms at Papa Joe’s Iacomini’s evoke an increasingly fleeting feeling in the world of dining: old-school warmth. From attentive servers to classic dishes, a night at Papa Joe’s in Akron’s Merriman Valley, either in a banquet room or the main dining area, is lively, personable and comfortable — values the restaurant still prioritizes.
“We’re happy with our customers, we cry with our customers, we celebrate with our customers,” says founding family member Kim McLaughlin. Along with her brother, Jeff Bruno, and their mother, Judy Amato, she’s working to maintain a legacy that’s generations in the making. “We’re always changing,” McLaughlin says. “Even though we’ve been around for over 90 years, we stay in the now.”
The restaurant’s sense of history is deep: From black-and-white photos of the spot’s founders to vintage menus, it’s clear that Papa Joe’s has staying power. Judy’s grandparents, August and Eletta, brought the family into the restaurant industry early.
“In 1932, he took my father, Joseph Iacomini, who this restaurant was named after, out of West High School,” Judy says of August. “They started this little restaurant called the Florentine Grill in their house, and they served people right out of their kitchen. It was a hit. During the [Great] Depression, they fed as many people in the back door for free as they did in the front door.”
The eatery flourished — evolving in both name and location to become Li’l Joe’s Pub in Hudson and Bath, and, finally, Papa Joe’s Iacomini’s in the valley. Through its previous iterations, however, the restaurant’s core of family devotion hasn’t wavered.
“All my kids have worked in all the restaurants together. My kids grew up in it,” recalls Judy, whose mother had to leave her lunch shift to give birth to her at the hospital.
Today, Papa Joe’s serves up authentic Italian staples, from stuffed banana peppers to spinach cannelloni, as well as steaks, whole lobsters and fresh fish. Though its offerings are always evolving, its most famous dish is prepared with the same recipe used by August in 1932. Papa Joe’s Tuscan-style, house-made lasagna ($17.99 with salad and bread) is made using fresh Parmesan and mozzarella, beef and bechamel. Consisting of butter, flour and milk, the sauce imbues the pasta with a full flavor. The lasagna is beloved and sold through Papa Joe’s market in oven-ready trays.
Another customer favorite, the chicken Francaise ($24.99), features chicken medallions sauteed in a butter-lemon sauce. Judy recommends the dish, prepared with precision, to new diners.
“He would watch every dish that went out,” Judy says of her father Joseph’s standards. “If it wasn’t right, it didn’t go out.” Over the last 30-plus years, current executive chef Joe Alvis, a graduate of Johnson & Wales University, has maintained the kitchen’s high standards of quality.
Judy, 83, has experienced a multitude of occasions through Papa Joe’s — from communions and proms to weddings and funerals. With tears in her eyes, she expresses a community-wide sentiment: The restaurant and its legacy continue to endure.
“What’s unique about us is the heritage of families, grandchildren, the next generation,” she says. “They keep coming back.”
1561 Akron Peninsula Road, Akron,
330-923-7999, papajoes.com
