For decades, I admired the old schoolhouse on East Turkeyfoot Lake Road near South Arlington Road.
I never dreamed that I’d someday step inside and have dinner there.
The Industry Kitchen & Bar is an upscale restaurant in a historic building at 3492 S. Arlington Road in Green.
Built in 1890, East Liberty School opened as a one-room schoolhouse and added a second classroom in the early 1900s. In its final year of operation in 1927, it served 90 students in first through eighth grades.
The 2,000-square-foot brick structure later housed an auto salvage operation and a furniture store before closing in 2002. The city moved the building about 500 feet north in 2015 to spare it from demolition. A Circle K gas station occupies the corner where the school originally stood.
Business partners Ben Myers, Kyle Oberlin, and Steve and Madelyn Whitt opened the restaurant in March 2025 after nearly two years of renovations.
How does it look?
Whoa. Those students from long ago wouldn’t recognize their alma mater.
The place is stunning. My wife, Susie, and I marveled at the finishings as we arrived for dinner on a Friday.
“It’s beautifully decorated,” Susie said. “It’s rustic but modern at the same time.”
From the exposed brick to the wooden floor to the corrugated metal ceiling to the painted murals to the pendant lights, the building exudes charm.
The modern bar is bright and cheerful. A spacious patio offers dining al fresco. The atmosphere is festive.
Reservations are recommended but not required. Patio and bar seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.
We studied the menu in a cozy corner where I imagined that naughty pupils used to wear a dunce cap more than a century ago.
What’s on the menu at The Industry?
The one-page dinner menu is clear and concise with many enticing selections.
Small plates include deviled eggs, calamari, pretzels, lobster rolls, a “bread & spread” plate and crispy onigiri (Japanese rice balls). Caesar salad options (full or half) are classic, beet and crispy chickpea with protein add-ons such as chicken, halibut, salmon, flat iron steak and Wagyu beef.
Handhelds like the East Liberty Burger, The Dip and Spicy Chicken Caesar are served with paving stones, which are smashed fingerling potatoes.
Knife-and-fork dishes include duck, halibut, steak, lobster gnocchi, chicken, venison and ravioli.
Sides include truffle stones, Brussels sprouts, broccolini, whipped potatoes, mushroom risotto, gnocchi mac, heirloom carrots and lobster bisque.
Happy hour specials are 2 to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
Here’s what we tried at The Industry
For starters, I ordered the lobster bisque ($12), which may have contained the most seafood I’ve ever seen in a soup.
“Those lobster pieces are swimming in bisque,” Susie noted.
Unfortunately, it came out lukewarm. Our server immediately rectified the situation and returned with a bowl of piping hot soup. That’s more like it!
The bisque was rich and creamy. The lobster was decadent. This was a luscious beginning to dinner.
For my main course, I selected the ravioli ($28), a generous portion of cremini mushroom and fontina cheese ravioli with goat cheese alfredo, blackened chicken breast and confit cherry tomatoes.
Such tasty pillows of happiness. Ohio City Pasta in Cleveland handcrafted the ravioli and The Industry cooks slathered it in a wonderful, savory sauce. The citrus really came through on the tender chicken.
I used my leftover soup spoon to ladle up all of the alfredo sauce. I don’t think I missed a drop.
My wife ordered the chicken entree ($28), a beautifully arranged dish of panko-breaded chicken cutlet, vodka sauce, gnocchi, burrata, balsamic glaze and basil.
“The chicken is really good,” Susie said. “I like the crust. It’s crunchy. It has a nice coating on it.”
The vodka sauce had a kick that caught her by surprise. The spice level was a skosh too high on the Susie meter, though.
She reached for a glass to cool her palate.
“I’m glad they have water,” Susie said.
I like heat. I tried the dish and thought it was nice and zingy.
But I was glad they had water, too.
“It was a tongue-tingling dining experience,” Susie summarized.
The bottom line
Finally, we split a goblet of pistachio tiramisu ($10), a layered Italian dessert with espresso-soaked lady fingers, a mascarpone cream and crumbled pistachios.
The tiramisu was light with a subtle sweetness. I’m not a coffee fan, so I tapped out as we dug deeper, but I was quite happy with the pistachio layers. Susie preferred the coffee over the nuts.
Our server, Kait, was pleasant and attentive. Although the restaurant was quite busy, she checked on us often to make sure everything was good.
With tax and soft drinks, our bill came to $91.81, not including tip. The Industry Kitchen & Bar is a fun place for a night out.
About the only thing I questioned was the restaurant’s name. The Industry? I would have expected a name that better tied in with the building’s original purpose. Something like Alma Mater, Academia, Slate, The Inkwell, The Blackboard or Old School.
But no one asked me, so I’ll just shut up and enjoy my meal.
“So your food made the grade?” Susie quipped. “See what I did there?”
Oh, Susie. You get a gold star for that one.
Mark J. Price can be reached at mprice@thebeaconjournal.com
Details
Restaurant: The Industry Kitchen & Bar
Address: 3492 S. Arlington Road, Green
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Brunch from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday
Alcohol: Beer, wine and cocktails
More info: 330-563-4048, theindustryohio.com/, info@theindustryohio.com and facebook.com/TheIndustryOhio
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: The Industry Kitchen & Bar has old-school charm | Local Flavor
Reporting by Mark J. Price, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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