We have been long time customers and sad to say that our experience Saturday was a big let down. When we arrived 9 minutes before our reservation time we found that someone had given our promised better bar seats to someone else, this has happened to us 3 times out of the last four visits. Instead we were asked to accept the two worst seats in the house. If the readers of this have been to Russo's you know what I am describing. My dinner was also a let down, it was fish with hardly any vegetables and maybe six crawfish in a bowl of cream soup. We were sorry to see such sloppiness at such a previously fine restaurant. read more

Russo's is an up-scale restaurant and bar which offers good quality Italian and Cajun food. My wife and I like to start with the gumbo, which is thick and definitely NOLA. Once through the gumbo you have two alternatives -- have another starter (under $10) or go for a large entree ($15-25). Last time I was there I had a sea food stew that was platter size and, combined with the gumbo and a nice ale, made for a very filling meal. Service is good, noise levels can be high since the kitchen is open and behind the bar. read more

The real deal. Worth the ride. Gumbo was great. Stacked salad with heirloom tomatoes interspersed with fried green tomatoes was a keeper. Pork chop with collard greens and red beans and rice was superior. Wine list comprehensive and contemporary. Daily menu options. Good crowd present. On the pricey side but they deliver. read more

Great corn dusted yellow perch!! Sitting at the bar and just about everything passing by looked delicious. My parents have always come here and one of the top restaurants in the Akron area. read more

We all really enjoyed our Cajun dishes and barbecued shrimp. They have a wonderful wine selection and several draft beers to choose from including a raspberry ale for my husband who doesn't typically drink. We loved our prosciutto wrapped Figs and liked the salads that came with the meals. Our friends recommended the French onion soup which we will return for in November when it gets cold. Our service with our waitress, Marissa, was wonderful. She was attentive and refilled our drinks and water when needed. read more

I can't say enough about the delicious food. Russo's is my go-to restaurant for a flawless dining experience. I guess I can agree that it's not a quiet spot, but it is a reflection of how "alive" this place is! The ONLY downside it might have is that is really is not on the main drag, geographically but that's OK with me; makes it a bit easier to get in without a rezzie! read more

This is our "no kids, splurge" spot. Phenomenal food and a nice, grown-up atmosphere.

Food and the service was very good, but it was extremely noisy inside to the point where it was hard to have a conversation.

Didn't even make it to the table. Hostess staff was unbelievably rude. This was on the evening of 12/8.

Food is good but certainly not excellent. The prices don't warrant the mediocre service and OK ambiance. They had it right when they first started with a laid back South Louisiana flair with good food at a reasonable price. We've also ordered food to go several times to find that the portion size is much less than dining in. read more

We have never been disappointed by Russo's. While it is rather noisy, we've never had difficulty conversing. Recently had the shrimp and grits which was outstanding. My husband had a vegetarian pasta dish which was also very tasty. Our daughters were equally pleased with their dinners. Our server was relaxed but efficient. One of the things we appreciate about Russo's is that they continually update the menu so there is always a nice variety in addition to their core menu. While I agree with one of the reviewers regarding the casual dress worn by many of the patrons, I'm afraid that this has become the new normal at many restaurants. We still like to dress up a bit when we dine at more expensive restaurants, and have become accustomed to seeing others dressed similarly but even more in t-shirts and baseball caps. Russo's is a true hidden gem - we love it! read more

One of the very Best Creole - Cajun style food you'll find outside of New Orleans"! Anywhere! The Gumbo was prepared perfectly and shrimp and Andouille salad entrée was superb! Service was "spot on" and for my first (of many) visits to this Cleveland "gem", they made us feel like were "one of the regulars"! read more

One of the best Nawlins style food I've had. The gumbo is unbelievably good and authentic. Originally from Akron, while living here, this place was a regular. Came home, from Atlanta for the weekend, it was an absolute must that I eat here. The soft shell crab and the greens and the.....well, I have yet to have anything that's not any good. And, I anticipate that never happening. Great place to indulge. read more

Good Cajun standards - everything is way over priced. Went to lounge for an app and wings and couple beers and the bill was $60, never again

Delicious food, great service. A little on the pricey side. Great for a date night !!

Very disappointed. Atmosphere was great. Loved the back bar area. The issue was the food. Server told us they were known for their pizza. The salad ordered was browning and wilting. It looked like they just dumped it out one of those bags from the grocery store. The pizza came out severely undercooked. Wet dough and unedible. When we addressed with the server she said she would have them make us another. All they did was space the pieces apart from the old pizza and put it back in the oven. The result was burnt crust. With the poor quality food and limited menu I will never go back which is a shame because the building and bar are great. read more

Great food and good service. Atmosphere is a little different. Very loud inside the restaurant and I felt like I was yelling my entire meal. Food makes up for the loudness. read more

Just had to give a shout out to our favorite restaurant in Summit county. We've never had a bad meal in the many years we've eaten here. Husbands favorites are the ya-ya soup, shrimp etouffe, and eggplant parmesan with their homemade bolganese sauce. I love the Navejo tacos with seafood, any of the catches of the day, and their bread pudding. Everything is always fresh and homemade. No prepackaged, frozen junk ever. read more

Have never been disappointed. The angus steaks are always so good and tender. Veggies and sides are usually delicious. Calamari is excellent! Seafood selections are a little pricey at times and crawfish are sparse but they are having to 'import' them from out of state. Chicken is very good. Highly recommended. read more

We love the surf and turf. Have never had an issue getting a reservation and the peanut butter pie is TO DIE FOR

By far my favorite Cleveland/Akron restaurant! Great food, very consistent. Bartenders are always great. If it is on the menu... Try it. Only the Navajo tacos have been so so. Everything else is outstanding. read more

I arrived at 7:30 with reservations and I'm just leaving at 9:30. The filet my husband ordered was over cooked and dry. My seafood was amazing as well as the appetizer of crab cakes. The service was terribly slow. Suggest the seafood and go with lots of time to spare. read more

We went to Russo's on Saturday and the place was packed. Despite that, the service was great. Jennifer was very attentive. Russo's is our go to when we crave creole. However, something was off on Saturday. Ordered the Chicken Etouffee and it was cold and there was maybe a spoonful of rice on the plate. My dinner companion ordered Jambalaya and enjoyed the meal. This was the first disappointing experience I have had at this restaurant. It is pretty pricey so I expect the meal to be more than decent. Will go again, but the restaurant has slipped a notch on our list of favorites. read more

Wonderful menu and food here! They are the only place I know that makes gumbo like this. They also fly in fresh crawfish daily- A must have for first timers. read more

Had the opportunity (2nd visit) to go to russo's on our date nite... Once again not disappointed...we started with fried green tomatoes with a remoulade sauce and delicious shrimp...and a large bowl of Gumbo Ya Ya seasoned to perfection (as close as you can get to the real thing in New Orleans)...we ordered an entree of Jambalaya and a scallop (appetizer) with hush puppies... 2 scallops on appetizer over puréed parsnips... Delicious but a bit pricey.. Jambalaya was good but not the best thing I've had at Russo's.. Probably order something different next time.. Disappointed that Soft Shell Crab Appetizer not on menu.. Must be out of season ... Bread is very good, especially homemade Focaccia..had a wonderful dessert, Peanut Butter Pie..(you have to order it) light creamy drizzled with caramel and chocolate sauce and crushed nuts!! Overall had a great experience and would recommend Russo's as one of the premier restaurants in Akron/NE Ohio area... read more

Best and most consistent restaurant in Akron, never had a bad meal. Both the Italian and Cajun food is top notch. Had family in Louisiana and Russo's is definitely authentic and up to par read more

Russo's is one of the best restaurants in the area. I have been there about 10 times I would say. Some favorites are the mussel appetizer and as far as entrees the cold smoked pork chop, the chicken fried steak, the cavatelli pasta, the shrimp and grits, and the one with fish in crawfish sauce are all incredible. Those are the best, but everything on the menu is great. The service is also great as the people at the bar are very nice. Russo's is a fantastic restaurant in all aspects. read more

I'm from New Orleans and been in Akron for 5 years and finally tried Russo's last night! I have been missing out on their amazing Cajun cuisines this whole time while in Akron!!! I was super impressed by the quality of the seafood they prepared. Very fresh. The raw oysters weren't salty and were very delish! Among the table we also tried the redfish with crawfish sauce (which includes crawfish tails on top) and this was fresh and cooked to perfection. The Mardi Gras veggies were a so tasty as well. Another was the halibut cheeks - so fresh again. I was very impressed and sad to say I had not given it a try over these last few years! Def recommend this place to anyone who wants to feel like you are eating Cajun delicious food like you would in Nola! read more

Russo's has been my favorite special occasion restaurant since it opened. I have consistently enjoyed fabulous meals. However, Friday, my friend order her standby when she doesn't find anything on the specials menu that she is interested in, country fried steak and mashed potatoes. When the server placed our plates on the table, I was shocked. "Where are the mashed potatoes?",they usually fill half the plate. Low and behold, they were tucked under the steak and amounted to about a forth of the usual serving size. I don't believe potatoes are so costly that shrinking the serving size to this degree is going to make a difference to the bottom line. I would have paid a little more to have the meal unchanged. read more

We live close to russos - so we have been there PLENTY of times. Not customer friendly, not worth the price, and certainly not a place that I want to give my hard earned money. They often make you feel they're doing YOU a favor. I love their bar and would happy to pay $75 for a meal for my husband and I if it was worth it. Staff picks up owner's crappy attitude read more

Amazing menu! Seafood specials (or anything on the specials menu) are a must to try. Didn't even order anything off menu - just specials which you won't know til you get there. Not too many tables, but would highly recommend reservations (ask to sit at bar so you can view kitchen). Service was good too! Usually can find one area of improvement but not this time - will definitely be back. Only suggestion is to be open on Sundays. read more

We went here before a concert this summer at blossom and were just blown away by the food-it was so good. The wine was great, service was great (and fast even with a before-concert rush!) and was an all-around great experience. There was no food left on the table when we were finished-it was that good. We will definitely be going back!!! read more

Horrible, rude service! A special night out was ruined due to the arrogant attitude of the server and the overall disrespectful staff. Reservation was for 7pm, our group was seated at 7:35 after standing around in high heels for over half an hour. No apologies, guess they don't understand the concept of a "reservation". Dinner was served extremely slowly and the server was MIA most of the evening. The group was not ordering alcohol (under age), so it appeared the restaurant had no interest in serving the group. When the checks came, they had added several "up-charges" for salad dressings, refills, etc. and the checks were filled with errors. The main issue is that they restaurant treated the young group poorly, and didn't realize that although the group is not yet at an age to purchase alcohol and spend hundreds per person, they have parents who recommended the restaurant and do eat there. Well, not anymore! the young customers shared their horrible experience with their parents, and now over 20 adults from the area are telling all their friends and posting on social media the details of the bad experience. The measure of a restaurant's character is measured by how they treat ALL customers, not just the "high rollers". Very disappointing, I know my husband and I will be changing our anniversary plans to eat at a local competitor!! read more