My partner and I went to the Academy for our engagement dinner. We didn't want anything super fancy (or super pricey!) and we're not native to this area of Cleveland, so we pulled up some local restaurants and the Academy looked great to us.

We weren't disappointed! After a very brief moment of confusion when we walked in - I thought it might be a UK pub-type setup, where you order at the bar - we sat ourselves and our server, the manager for the night (so sorry I forgot your name!) came right over. The manager was amazing: great service, really kind, and clearly loves the place.

We each had an Ace pineapple cider, which was maybe one of the best ciders I've ever had (and I love hard ciders). On tap, perfect blend of sweet and dry, and the pineapple flavor isn't overpowering. I liked it so much I had a second.

For food, we got six Buffalo wings, a basket of onion rings, and the Academy burger and fries. The wings were literally everything I want from a chicken wing: fresh, hot, tossed but not soaked in sauce. Some people might prefer a crisper wing - as far as I could tell, these weren't battered or floured (although I could be wrong) but for me they were perfect. The onion rings were fresh out of the fryer and not too greasy, so that's an immediate win. We didn't end up eating much of the burger, but that's through no fault of the burger! The portion of it I did have was well cooked, juicy, and thick. Great quality burger, I just wish I was hungry enough for it! And, of course, my fiancé's star of the show: the fries. Fries were the perfect thickness, not too thick and not too tiny, freshly cooked, and the seasoning on them was top notch. I think my partner ate more of the fries than any other part of the meal.

All this and our meal and drinks came out to about $47! I literally did a double take at the bill because I couldn't believe it was so low.

I want to give a special shout out to the manager (again, so sorry I forgot your name) for being so helpful and kind. Without him our experience would still have been great, but he was an absolute star.