The Hartville Kitchen

Residents from Ohio and their neighboring states are probably pretty familiar with the Hartville Kitchen in Hartville. The real secret is for the rest of the nation. Granted they have a website, but that does little good when you are not familiar with the Hartville Kitchen, itself. The Hartville Kitchen sits just outside the Hartville Flea Market, Ohio's largest and most respected flea market. Inside the Hartville Kitchen, you will see two great winding staircases. Follow the stairs and you find Hartville Collectibles and a fantastic art gallery offering some of the most fantastic artwork available.

The Hartville Kitchen was originally a tiny lunch stand set up outside the Hartville Livestock Auction in 1939. In 1966, the lunch stand was upgraded to a restaurant called Country Kitchen, which lasted until 1979 when the Country Kitchen restaurant chain informed them they could no longer use that name, because the restaurant chain had it registered in 1939. So, 1979, was the official year they changed their name to the Hartville Kitchen. In 1995, the Hartville Kitchen was once again upgraded. This time they upgraded to a building 103,882 square feet long. The current building seats up to 440 people in their dining room and 500 people in their banquet rooms. Inside this lavish building, you will find a bakery and a candy shop, and the Hartville Coin and Jewelry shop, on the main floors. This gorgeous restaurant is located at 1015 Edison Street in Hartville. They are open from Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., closed on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Their entire menu is home made, with only the freshest products available. They were also voted as the Best Meat and Potato restaurant in Ohio by Ohio Magazine. Their menu is as follows:

Soups and salads-
Chili, vegetable, and broccoli served in either a cup or bowl. (Highly recommend the vegetable)
Chef salad with cold ham or turkey
Chef salad with hot beef, broiled or fried chicken.

Sandwiches-
Hamburger
Cheeseburger
Double Cheeseburger
Breaded Veal with lettuce, tomato, and honey mustard
Chicken Salad on toasted bread
Patty Melt 8 ounce burger with sauteed onions and cheese on texas toast
Hot or Cold Ham
Hot Dog
Roast Beef or Pork
Barbecued Roast Pork
Fish, Mild Cod broiled or fried
Grilled Cheese
Hot or Cold Trail Bologna with cheese

Hot sandwiches-
Roast Beef with Mashed potatoes and gravy
Roast Pork with Mashed potatoes and gravy
Creamed Chicken with mixed vegetables over biscuits and mashed potatoes
All hot sandwiches can be ordered by the half

Dinners-
Roast Beef with gravy
Roast Pork with gravy
Fried Ham with pineapple glaze
Breaded Pork Chops
Broiled Pork Chops
Breaded Veal with gravy
Chopped Sirloin
Chopped Sirloin with sauteed onions and cheese
Broiled Cod
Breaded Cod
Chicken Thigh, drumstick, or wing
Chicken Mixed
Chicken White
Broiled Boneless Chicken Breast
Broiled Chicken smothered with cheese and sauteed onions
Breaded Shrimp
Fish and Shrimp
Chicken Tenders all white
All dinners come with rolls, butter, and choice of three sides

They are known for their salad dressings and delightful pies to go.

Their pies to go are:
Banana, coconut, lemon, butterscotch, chocolate peanut butter, chocolate, raisin creme, apple, dutch apple, cherry, cherry crumb, blueberry, black raspberry, rhubarb crumb, peach, custard pecan, pumpkin, vanilla, peanut butter, sugar free apple, and sugar free cherry.

Their salad dressings are:
sweet'n'sour, fat free sweet'n'sour, reduced calorie sweet'n'sour, Italian, reduced calorie italian, creamy italian, french, thousand island, blue cheese, poppy seed, buttermilk ranch, homestyle ranch, fat free ranch, and honey mustard.

There are almost always lines out the door. Never fret, the waits are never as bad as you would think. The only word of warning I offer is this, they do not use a whole of seasoning in their food. However, the salt and pepper is always at your disposal. The food is tremendous, portions are generous, and prices are unbeatable. So, you had better leave some room in your refrigerator, when you plan a trip to the Hartville Kitchen.