Best of Kent 2019

Winner: GRAZERS

Stacey Lasher and Carl Bauer, the owners of GRAZERS, started their careers as elementary school teachers.

“When we decided to give up teaching, we wanted to do something else where we could make a difference in the world,” Lasher said.

After a few years in downtown Kent, GRAZERS quickly outgrew its small location on Franklin Avenue and moved into a larger location on North Water Street. Soon after, GRAZERS debuted its location at the Kent State Student Center.

GRAZERS is the go-to place for vegan or vegetarians looking for fresh, healthy options.

Lasher said their menu is 93% vegetarian and 75% vegan, so there is something for everyone.

GRAZERS takes pride in its transparency with its customers about what ingredients are used.

Second: Laziza

Located in Acorn Alley, the Mediterranean restaurant, Laziza, offers a contemporary dining location.

Laziza invites its customers to indulge their senses in its variety of vegan and vegetarian-friendly options such as baba ghanoush, tabouli and other Mediterranean cuisines.

Third: Erie Street Kitchen 

Erie Street Kitchen, another downtown Kent restaurant, brings the “taste of the south, in your mouth,” according to its website.

Erie Street Kitchen brings farm-fresh produce from local suppliers and farmers to its kitchen to create wholesome, one-of-a-kind dishes. Although the restaurant primarily serves seafood and chicken, Erie Street Kitchen has unique appetizers and side dishes, too.

With a menu ranging from deviled eggs to fried plantains, Erie Street Kitchen offers a variety of local and organic food items for vegetarians and vegans.

Located inside of Venice Cafe, Erie Street Kitchen might sometimes be forgotten. But the restaurant is “excited to preserve the historic downtown and strengthen its economy while keeping a small-town sense of community feel,” its website says.