Welcome in! Today, we’re excited to be talking about a coffee shop with four different locations in the Akron area (three of which are on the coffee trail), Nervous Dog. So sit and stay while we go for a not-so-nervous walk around the shop. The particular shop we went to is located at 1530 W. Market St., and can be found in a store strip. Plenty of cool outdoor seating, but we’ll cover that in a bit.
Coming in from the bright afternoon day, the shop’s aesthetic can be summed up in one word: dark. The rather hum-drum outside appearance does not translate to the Hogwarts/dark academia/English pub interior. And this was even with the giant store front window wall! Definitely a great place to bring a date and chill, but maybe not the place to settle into work.
Speaking of settling in, this place had several nice seating places with a few nooks and crannies to get lost in. On top of that, and in addition to the window wall, this location offered a wide variety of bag-your-own coffee beans. We gotta say, it was really nostalgic seeing beans in dispensers and smelling each of their sweet aromas throughout the store. It reminded Jason in particular of grocery store trips with his mom, back when stores only really carried canned Foldgers/Maxwell coffee or bag-your-own bean selections.
While the nooks and cranny tables helped with privacy, we came at the day’s last working hour. There really was only us and one other patron in the shop (though this dude was literally working on writing his own music with a mini piano). Because of that, we don’t feel like we can adequately judge the noise level.
Overall, Nervous dog offered a nice selection of coffees, frozen coffees, and coffee alternatives for any palate. And, if you were feeling particularly hungry, they had a good selection of breakfast and lunch sandwiches and even salads. Always a win for us.
Once again, Jason ordered his go-to drink, while Kali branched out just a bit with a cold brew with oat milk and vanilla. Unfortunately, our drinks came in a to-go cup, so no mug alert today. As far as the drinks go, Kali liked hers; it tasted like chocolate milk, so a bit too much on the sweet side for her personal preference but overall pretty good. Jason’s cortado was the right size, so +1 off the bat. Unfortunately, the milk texture was sub-par. It’s very easy to “foam” the milk and not “texture” it. While the latter produces microbubbles, has the consistency of paint, and an overall pleasant mouthfeel, the former reminds you of foaming hand soap in your mouth. This is no easy task, by the way, and requires a fair bit of training and intuition to get right. For a more in-depth discussion, James Hoffman has a phenomenal YouTube video to check out (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaKRBBpA4fw). The espresso was a bit on the bitter side with not enough sour flavor. That being said, Jason would definitely get a flavored espresso drink next time.
We’ve already covered the dark aesthetic, giant window wall, and nostalgic grocery store bag-your-own beans, but one of the real draws of this location is the outdoor seating. Yes, they do have simple tables, umbrellas, and chairs to sit and relax in, but they also have a giant pergola to sip coffee under! With an attached bar on the inside, this fixture changes the game, and really gives this shop a wonderful dichotomy of experiences. The real question, then, is will you enjoy the quiet dark interior with a date, or the bright sunshine exterior with a friend? We guess you’ll just have to go there and find out for yourself!
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