The Green Dragon Inn — Restaurant in Akron

After buzzing around the circumference of the building once, I floated into the game shop to pretend that is where I meant to find myself. After steeling myself for the chance at feeling foolish, I asked and was kindly directed by the attendant there through a hall next door and up the stairs to the Inn. Both businesses, she explained,have the same owner. Having just lost my most recent call to tend bar just 3 days prior, a patron of my wicked and bigoted former employer advised I seek out this spot run by spiritual kin of mine. They do not know me from Adam, but that's how I prefer it.

The atmosphere is most pleasant and inviting. There were two anime that graced the screens behind the bar to my recollection; YuYu Hakusho and Full Metal Alchemist - so. Clearly, this is a den of culture.

The game cases behind bar house evidently less than a third of the total amount available for free use with patronage.

Eager to to be the Dragon-fly on the wall, as it were, I spent my last $5 on their cheapest offering, ($4 PBR) (so i could still tip appropriately) the potion Mistress quieted her regret at my choice then I flitted to a deep seating booth in the corner and contented myself with some cartomancy whilst engaged in extra-extra light people watching. Even with no more coin to my name, I was treated most kindly and with great friendliness by 2 of the employees, my Attending Server and the Potions Mistress (cocktail bartender). 3 other servers had no need to interact. (I'm sad to say the Barista Maestro came enough into my sphere that his decision to ignore my presence and cast disparaging side eye at my lone presence was... discomforting.) The venue filled quickly to roughly 70% capacity with all sorts of people, mostly groups of 3+ and I saw many tasty things coming through the kitchen doors. (I say see, but truthfully, I have lost my glasses, so I can't see all that much) My server checked on me 3x even though I had alerted him to my lack o funds. Still,he endeavored to make contact and assess my needs. On his third visit to my booth, I asked for a glass of water w/lime. (To fruit the warming remnants of my tall boy) he explained that they do not have fresh citrus and I was INCREDULOUS. A BAR?? NO CITRUS?? I relocated to the bar to investigate further.

It was evident in moments that the Mistress has honed her craft to mastery. As her green dragon dangle earrings swung past her wavy black locks, she dispensed near a dozen hand-crafted bottled liquids to a small cup, then to glassware of myriad of styles. Eyes alight with pride as she detailed the process of distillation and dehydration of citrus for use in her wares. Fresh pineapple leaves, rosemary, this is no amateur cocktail hour here!

Unexpectedly, she kindly offered some of her lime essence to flavor my water free of charge, courtesy I did not anticipate but appreciated! I then sat front row-center transfixed as she continued her craft as business swelled. One after the next, beautiful drinks took shape, and it was magical to behold.

To a lesser degree of finesse and with a couple missteps, the aforementioned barista puffed steam from his espresso maker. In spite of close quarters and delicate dancing, Mistress and Maestro seemed at odds. He would supercede her space, though likely unwittingly, while crafting his coffee-based beverages and was NOT mindful announce himself "behind" as is often courtesy in this realm. Her eyes flashed and swiftly softened from frustration to patience multiple times. They bickered about more than a handful of things, and their frustrations with one another appeared simmering just to the underside of boiling. It was quite entertaining, I must say, in a voteristic sense. Some couples' counseling needs to be administered for a better working relationship, I reckon.

I finished my missive to inquire about job opportunities and left a gift of a brand new game I happened to have on my person before leaving for the day. SLIDE IN THE DMs.

I shall return for food SOON. Until then,that portion of my review remains open....

Review of The Green Dragon Inn

After circling the building once to gather my courage, I wandered into the adjacent game shop, pretending it was my intended destination. Gathering my nerve, I inquired about the upstairs Inn and was kindly directed through the hall next door and up the stairs. Both businesses, as it turns out, share the same owner. Having just lost my bartending job three days earlier, a patron of my former (and regrettably bigoted) employer had suggested I seek out this venue, run by spiritual kin of mine. They didn’t know me from Adam, but that’s exactly how I prefer it.

First Impressions The atmosphere was warm, inviting, and vibrant. Behind the bar, two anime—Yu Yu Hakusho and Fullmetal Alchemist—played on the screens, cementing this as a haven for cultured patrons. The game cases behind the bar held only a fraction of the total games available for patrons, free to use with any purchase.

Eager to observe and blend in like a dragonfly on the wall, I spent my last \

5 on their cheapest offering—a \\

Even without funds for further purchases, I was treated with exceptional kindness by the Potions Mistress and my server. Both went out of their way to make me feel welcome, with my server checking in three times despite knowing I wouldn’t be ordering more. On his third visit, I asked for a glass of water with lime to freshen up my warming PBR. His explanation that the bar didn’t carry fresh citrus left me incredulous—a bar with no citrus?! I relocated to the bar to investigate further.

The Potions Mistress It became immediately evident that the Potions Mistress was a true artisan. With her green dragon earrings swinging alongside her wavy black locks, she dispensed a dozen handcrafted bottled liquids with precision and flair. Her eyes sparkled with pride as she detailed her use of distilled and dehydrated citrus in her creations. Rosemary sprigs, fresh pineapple leaves—this was no ordinary cocktail hour.

To my delight, she offered a touch of lime essence to flavor my water, free of charge—a kindness I didn’t anticipate but greatly appreciated. I remained seated at the bar, transfixed as she worked her magic. Drink after beautiful drink took shape, each one a testament to her mastery.

The Barista Maestro In contrast, the Barista Maestro’s performance was less refined. His espresso-making efforts included a few missteps, and his lack of spatial awareness caused occasional disruptions for the Potions Mistress. Though likely unintentional, his habit of encroaching on her space without announcing himself led to visible moments of frustration. Their simmering tensions—marked by bickering and quick flashes of emotion—were oddly entertaining to witness. Perhaps a bit of couples’ counseling is in order for a smoother working dynamic.

Final Thoughts Before leaving, I inquired about job opportunities and left a gift—a brand-new game I happened to have on me. Though my review of their food remains incomplete, I fully intend to return soon to sample their...

I have to split the difference because we had completely two different experiences here. We went here the first time with some friends before going to the Akron theater. The gentleman that helped us was so enthusiastic about the place it was hard to not be enthusiastic ourselves. He explained everything and even how the menus were designed. The food was great!! We each got the special drinks and appetizers. He checked on us regularly. We had a blast. Plus we were pleasantly surprised with our bill! We were so excited to share this with others. So a few weeks later my daughter wanted to go for her birthday. We were there March 1st. My daughter and I were excited to show this place to the rest of our family really talking it up. Our waiter was soooo grumpy! It just seemed like he was annoyed with us. But in general as we observed, he just didn't seem to be having fun at all with anyone. Appetizers were ok, the pretzels were still great, the baked Brie and mushrooms were skimpier than the time before. We had like 8 chips to share amongst the 4 of us for the brie. The mushrooms were really small. Then the other Cuban which was huge and delicious I recommended and they were also super skimpy like not even filling the bread to the end. Each half had at least over an inch or two of just bread at the end. We changed our minds about dessert and decided to be spontaneous and go somewhere just for dessert. Dumb part was it seemed like maybe we were there at a shift change and the lady who was going to take over our table seemed super nice and another gentleman had asked if we wanted refills on our drinks when we didn't see the other guy anymore. So I wonder if things would have been nice if we had them instead? And that we just happened to be there when our guy was having a bad day? But it really was a bummer. I don't think that I will be able to convince my family to go back. I feel like my daughter and I would be willing as it was so great the first time. I'll just post pics of...