Stark Bites: Poppys Tacos opens in StarkFresh kitchen in Canton
Stark County has a new spot to get tacos.
Poppys Tacos opened Aug. 15 in a temporary home at StarkFresh in downtown Canton. Owners Drew and Gillian Eisen of Canton are renting the kitchen on Cherry Avenue NE until their food truck is ready to be used. Drew Eisen said they hope it will be ready by spring.
Poppys Tacos is open from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays, and 5:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Orders, for takeout only, should be made by calling ahead at 330-451-6058, or via DoorDash.
Drew Eisen, a Cleveland native, said his wife’s love of tacos led to the business.
More Stark Bites: North Canton Jamaican bakery opens; Japanese restaurant to open in Jackson
“I have always had the dream of one day opening my own restaurant of some sort,” he said. “My wife has a huge love for tacos, so one day I tried to come up with a few ideas to make for her that had some of her favorite foods together on them as a taco. We had a few friends over one night, and everyone kept telling us that we needed to start our own taco truck.”
A bad day at work not long after that caused the dream to be achieved earlier than planned.
Poppys Tacos, Gillian Eisen said, is dedicated to Drew’s beloved grandfather.
“We decided to name our place Poppys Tacos because that was the nickname Drew called his grandfather growing up,” said Gillian Eisen, a Massillon native. “He was his father figure and his biggest inspiration. He was a business owner himself, owning camera stores for decades growing up. Sadly, he passed back in 2017 and Drew thought it would mean the world to him knowing him and his wife opened their own restaurant named after him.”
More Stark Bites: Plain Twp. winery to close, Canton coffee roaster adds Braille menu
Poppys serves up a variety of different tacos, and the menu also includes options for diners to build their own nachos or quesadillas.
The couple also is getting into catering, offering different “boxes” that contain large numbers of tacos, along with sides such as rice, beans and street corn. One item on the catering menu is the “Large Cater Box,” which comes with 100 tacos, six large rices, three large beans and three large orders of street corn. Drew Eisen said the large box must be ordered two days ahead, because of the need to order ingredients, but only takes about 20 minutes to put together.
“We also offer a custom build-your-own taco bar choice as well,” Drew Eisen said. “We think our main audience of catering is aimed toward businesses, weddings and parties. We actually booked two weddings and a birthday party already.”
The couple, who now reside in Canton, said their top seller has been the smoker taco, with BBQ pulled chicken and mac and cheese, along with the street corn.
StarkFresh is at 321 Cherry Ave. NE in Canton.
Frankmobile in Stark, Mahoning counties
If you like to impress your Facebook friends, you’re in luck this week.
The Oscar Mayer Frankmobile will make stops this week in Marlboro Township, Canton and at the Canfield Fair in Mahoning County.
The witty crew of Aioli Anna and Jumbo Dog Jimmy let us know where they’ll be this week:
Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Meadow Car Cruise at 6193 Edison St. NE in Marlboro Township.
Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. at 400 Market Ave. N in Canton. It’ll be parked across the street from Centennial Plaza during Canton's First Friday celebration.
Sept. 2-3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Canfield Fair. The vehicle will be parked at the fairgrounds by the grandstand. The Canfield Fairgrounds are at 7265 Columbiana-Canfield Road.
When you stop to take a peek at the famous vehicle formerly known as the Weinermobile, you can get photos taken and a tour. Visitors also can receive a special whistle as a memento.
You can follow the Frankmobile as it travels across the country online at oscarmayer.com/frankmobile.
More on the Canfield Fair: Koe Wetzel, Boyz II Men to play 177th Canfield Fair
Soft opening for Lobys in Canton
Lobys on CLE has been working under a “soft opening” status since Aug. 2. The restaurant opened in time for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Festival Canton Repository Grand Parade, which passed by toward the end of its lengthy route.
Moments from the Grand Parade: Scenes from the 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame Grand Parade
The restaurant posted selected menus on its Facebook page over the past week: A specials menu that features select $5 appetizers all day, dine-in only with a beverage purchase; and a breakfast menu.
Lobys on CLE is the third eatery in the restaurant group. It also includes Loby’s on Hills and Dales in Jackson Township and Lobys Irish Pub & Grill in Massillon.
Lobys on CLE is open seven days a week, with hours 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; and 8 a.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. It is located in the former Hog Heaven location.
Lobys officials said via email that they plan a formal opening celebration in September, when they’ll have the final menu set. The restaurant has the original Hog Heaven barbecue sauce available on site.
More Stark Bites: Slim Chickens opening in Jackson Twp.; Hog Heaven in Canton closed to rebrand
Soft opening, too: Bourbon Room
The Bourbon Room, at 2710 Easton St. NE in Plain Township, opened Aug. 15 under a soft opening status. The restaurant has been operating under a limited menu for lunch and dinner, and continues to add items to the menu available to diners at this time.
The restaurant has a full kitchen and an impressive drinks menu that includes classic cocktails and a large selection of whiskey and bourbon cocktails.
We clicked into the on the restaurant's website and were drooling before we got past the appetizer section, stumbling upon barbecue pork or barbecue chicken pizzas for $12.99, and andouille sausage hushpuppies for $7.99. The menu also contains sections for salads, sandwiches, dinners that include a huge selection of barbecue dishes, and desserts.
Check out the menu and more at www.cantonbourbonroom.com/menus/. Check out its Facebook page to see menus as they update.
This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: Stark Bites: Poppys Tacos opens in StarkFresh kitchen in Canton
