Something like 36 years ago, Tom Metlovski, who not long before had immigrated to the United States from Macedonia, helped his father build the building that now houses Village Gardens Restaurant & Pub on State Road in Cuyahoga Falls. According to the restaurant’s website, the building was not constructed with any specific use in mind, but after tossing around a few ideas, the restaurant concept was settled upon, and the rest, as they say, is history. Village Gardens now stands as a Cuyahoga Falls institution for breakfast, diner-style entrees, a smattering of Macedonian-themed dishes, and even live music.
Macedonia, by the way, is somewhat confusing in terms of its place on the globe. It may refer to an entire region of the Balkan Peninsula, including North Macedonia (also known as the Republic of Macedonia) and parts of Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, and Kosovo. Otherwise, it refers specifically to North Macedonia, and the ethnic Macedonians have migrated hither and thither throughout history, sometimes with considerable conflict. If Metlovski is representative of the disposition of Macedonians in general, then they are a kind people with a great sense of community and a love of food and music.
The Village Gardens Restaurant & Pub is situated further back from the street at 2437 State Road than its neighboring businesses, and parking is a bit weird, but that is, of course, par for the proverbial course at State Road businesses. A tent is set up in front of the restaurant, offering cover for outdoor seating, and entering the restaurant’s front door, patrons are greeted by a host from behind a bakery case which is filled with desserts ranging from cakes and pies to tiramisu and more. Typical booths and tables fill the room, with a kitchen window at the back of the room. Another half of the restaurant, just beyond the bakery case, boasts a bar and second seating area that doubles as a music venue for Friday night cover band concerts featuring acts such as Time Machine, Storm, and Akron’s Original Silk Band.
Diners sometimes fall into the trap of using largely pre-made, foodservice-type ingredients to create culled-together menu items, but Village Gardens seems to avoid doing so. Their facebook page recently announced the addition of Chef Patrick Amato, whose experience includes Peachtree Southern Kitchen and Cocktails, Darby’s on 59, Wise Guys Lounge and Grill, The Standard, and more. The addition of a chef to oversee a staff of line cooks is telling—it shows Metlovski cares about the quality of the food he offers. Metlovski himself can be found in the kitchen putting out orders, including menu items that give a nod to his Macedonian heritage, such as the Kebapi Plate appetizer with grilled kebabs and tomato-onion salad served with tzatziki sauce, Macedonian Omelette with gyro meat, tomato-onion salad, and roasted pepper, Chicken Vlaki with marinated chicken served on pita with fresh and grilled vegetables, Chicken Paprikash with dumplings and homemade sauce, and more.
On our visit, the kids at the table ordered hot cocoa and were treated to the ultimate version of the warm classic. The cocoa was topped with whipped cream, chocolate chips, and chocolate syrup—the perfect addition to a short stack of plain, blueberry, or chocolate chip pancakes from the griddle. Adults at the table tried out the Feta Omelette, which was tasty if perhaps a little heavy on the feta. The eggs themselves were slightly under-seasoned, though that could be forgiven, what with the preponderance of feta cheese. We also sampled the Breakfast on a Bagel, which we got without the ham, being vegetarians and all, subbing for tomato. Unfortunately, the bagel was barely toasted and the cheese was placed atop the tomato, which kept it from melting on the egg. Still, given our customization, it was a forgivable mistake. Both the omelet and breakfast bagel came in at eight bucks, which is fair enough for an omelet with toast or a breakfast bagel, but in both cases we ordered home fries a la carte, which were a bit over-seasoned and really just basic pre-cooked potatoes, crisped up on the grill. For these we paid five dollars, bringing our breakfast to $13. Kids items were reasonably priced, and hot chocolate came in at two bucks.
One of the real stars of the experience at Village Gardens was the Macedonian coffee. Basically espresso with a little added sweetener, we asked the waitress what made it Macedonian, and Metlovski himself appeared at our table to explain. It seems the sludge at the bottom of the cup is to be avoided (we made the mistake of swirling it into the cup and taking a swig—don’t do it!). In Macedonia, upon finishing the coffee, one would flip the cup over on the saucer and the pattern of the residue on the bottom of the cup would run down onto the plate and tell a fortune. The concoction runs $3.29 at Village Gardens and doesn’t come with a fortune, but it will be a hit for those who appreciate espresso.
All in all, Village Gardens has earned its status as a Cuyahoga Falls community staple over nearly forty years in business. This is thanks in part to Metlovski’s commitment to the community as well, as evidenced in part by nearly 17 years of giving away Thanksgiving dinner to area families in need. Metlovski now offers the meal in honor of his late wife, who passed away in 2013 after the tradition had started seven years earlier. Beyond this and other manifestations of Metlovski’s passion for community, Village Gardens offers some great food, and even some live entertainment. With this rich a history and a love of the Cuyahoga Falls community alongside some pretty good food, Village Gardens is definitely worth a try.
