Local Flavor: Fred's Diner a step back in time with delicious grub

After living in Akron for 24 years, my husband, Steve, and I can't believe it took us this long to visit the Akron institution that is Fred's Diner.

Eating at the 33-year-old North Hill eatery is like stepping back in time into a 1950s-style diner, dominated by an orange-topped lunch counter with turquoise seats. The turquoise wall behind is decorated with vintage signs including Coke, Pepsi, Royal Crown and Akron Sealtest milk.

We were seated in a booth immediately at this 53-seat restaurant, situated in a small, white cinder block building amid industrial businesses on Home Avenue. It was 11:30 a.m., and Steve was in the mood for breakfast and I had a hankering for lunch.

Steve ordered the biggest breakfast I've ever seen — the No. 3 — for $10.49. That included two eggs that he ordered poached medium (part runny, part solid) with corned beef hash, home fries and toast with jelly.

"I'm gonna get the corned beef hash. I can't pass that up," he proclaimed. 

The eggs and perfection and the salty corned beef hash was delicious, Steve said.

Because the old-school Fred's is famous for its perfectly cooked, very large portions of bacon, Steve ordered that on the side for $4.75.

"Wait till you see the bacon," our waitress said.

This was no small side, with seven strips of bacon.

"A little bit crispy, a little bit chewy," Steve said, pronouncing it perfectly cooked. 

More:Akron's Fred's Diner serves up plates of comfort food

Bacon is the top seller at Fred's, ranked in numerous local reader polls as the spot for the best breakfast in Akron. Before the pandemic, when the restaurant was open seven days a week, Fred's used to go through 14 tons of bacon a year, said owner Fred Spencer.

So how does Fred's get its bacon so perfect? The restaurant first bakes it halfway in the oven in a big batch first thing in the morning. Then it deep fries the bacon to order, which takes just 35 to 40 seconds

"Instead of farm to table, we're fryer to table,"  quipped Spencer, 62.

Satisfying lunch at Fred's Diner in Akron

I started out with some pure comfort food — a cup of Fred's Famous Chicken Dumpling soup ($3.79). The soup came hot and fast, delicious with its soft dumplings, chunks of chicken, bits of celery and tasty broth.

"It just tastes bright," Steve said of the broth.

Spencer said the chicken dumpling soup recipe came more than 30 years ago from one of his kitchen employees, June Smith, and used to be called June's Famous Chicken Dumpling soup. It's so comforting, he's had customers show up with their own containers asking to fill it up for loved ones going through chemotherapy.

For my lunch entree, I chose fried clams ($9.99) with a huge side of homemade mashed potatoes and a roll. The crispy clam strips, served with cocktail sauce, were a rare treat for me. I asked for tartar sauce, my favorite with fried seafood, and our waitress was happy to oblige with the restaurant's tangy housemade condiment.  

The tasty mashed potatoes, which I ordered with the thick, dark gravy on the side, meant more comfort food for me. The portions were so big, I took almost half of my meal home.

Our bill was $28.22 before tax and tip.

Cool ambiance

Fred's Diner may look inconspicuous on the outside but the quick, friendly service and ambiance inside makes for a great dining experience.

That includes pastel floral wallpaper put up by the previous restaurant owner in 1989, a Norman Rockwell print of a little boy and policeman sitting at a diner counter. A vintage-looking sign was actually created by scratch by Spencer's son Max, who painted, wired and framed a sign that lights up to say either "wait to be seated" or "seat yourself." 

Fred's Diner history

The white cinder block building that Fred's in located in was built as a house in the 1950s, Spencer said. The building has gone through multiple incarnations as a restaurant, including Mugsy's, The Horn, Pandora's, Duff's and Beth's before Fred's Diner.

A former, longtime mailman told Spencer that he was the 13th restaurant owner at the property.

"He used to call me Lucky 13," said Spencer, a Tallmadge resident.

Spencer started renting the restaurant in 1989 from Charlie Costa, an Italian immigrant who owned a machine shop next door. Costa had owned the place as Mugsy's for just two months — with a '40s speakeasy theme that featured the floral wallpaper as well as lace curtains and doilies — before deciding he wanted out.

More:Fred's Diner celebrates 30 years

Spencer took the place over over the weekend and the transition was seamless at the turnkey restaurant, where Costa had spent $20,000 in improvements.

"He was a super nice guy. I didn't even have to buy a fork when I started," said Spencer, who purchased the property from Costa a decade later.

When Fred's Diner opened in 1989, two eggs and toast cost 99 cents. That breakfast is now $3.79.

Spencer, who has a background in the bar and entertainment business, formerly worked at the old Iacomini's that was in Akron on West Exchange Street. He said son Donald, who's the kitchen manager for Fred's, and Donald's wife, Gia, a server, will eventually take over the diner.

Top sellers at Fred's Diner in Akron

Any of the breakfast selections are top sellers at Fred's, the owner said, with breakfast served anytime from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. That includes the big seller salmon and eggs (No. 12), the highest-priced breakfast entree at $12.89.

Spencer also serves a lot of country-fried steak topped with sausage gravy ($10.49) and a "ton" of grilled marinated chicken ($11.89), marinated in honey and Italian seasoning and then grilled, which caramelizes the honey.

Fred's, which used to be open seven days a week, cut back its days of operation during the pandemic to Fridays through Sundays. But since early July, Fred's has added Mondays back into the restaurant schedule. 

Old-school liver and onions, the Monday special, sold out again July 18, Spencer said.

"Nobody cooks it at home anymore because it stinks up the house," he said. 

Another thing that's changed during COVID is Fred's to-go business, which was about 20% of sales pre-pandemic and is now about 40%.

Reader's Digest recently rated Fred's the most iconic diner in Ohio based on customer ratings, TripAdvisor scores, and "local gossip." The writeup cited the eatery's no-frills ambiance, delicious food, big "side" of bacon and menu with most items under $10.

What's the secret to Fred's 33-year longevity?

"Just being there, countless hours," Spencer said. "The key is you have to be there."

Arts and restaurant writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.

Details

Restaurant: Fred's Diner

Address: 930 Home Ave., Akron

Hours: 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday-Monday

Carryout: Yes

Phone:  330-535-3733

Website: fredsdiner.net

Facebook: @fredsdinerakron