All photos courtesy of Amazing Travel Photos
Last fall when I was visiting the midwestern U.S. I spent a few days at Oberlin College in Ohio. Oberlin College, a small liberal arts college, is located in tiny Oberlin, Ohio about 50 miles from Cleveland. The college dominates all activities in the town. In other words it’s a college town.
While in Oberlin, I found a wonderful place for lunch or Sunday brunch. The restaurant is called The Feve and it is located on Main Street about one block from the center of town. Most small towns in America have a Main Street and often have just one key intersection of two highways. Main street in Oberlin is Highway 58 and the cross street is West College St.
According to babel fish, feve is French for “broad bean”. When the restaurant originally opened a dozen years ago it was a coffee house. In fact the sign on the front says Coffee House. But there was already enough coffee houses in town, so now it is more of an English or Irish pub where you can get a pint of good draught beer. They have Guinness Stout and Newcastle Brown Ale on tap, as well as several other premium and designer beers. ($3.75 a pint)
There is a wonderful ambiance in the restaurant. The building is old, probably from around 1900, so the dining room has old brick walls and an old tin ceiling. The centerpiece of the room is a curved copper bar. The lighting in the dining room is designed with numerous small hanging lights that create pools of light. When you speak to other patrons, you will find that the clientele at the Feve are highly educated: students, professors and graduates who just refuse to leave town after graduation.
Their food menu includes salads, deli sandwiches, grilled sandwiches and hamburgers. The burgers are as good as you will find anywhere so I recommend them highly. The half-pound chargrilled hamburger with fries, tater tots or hummus & pita is $6.75. Cheeseburger is $7.25. One trick I learned from the bartender was to put vinegar on the french fries, state fair style. Delicious.
On weekends, they have a completely different menu for brunch that include amazing pancakes that you must try. They do get very crowded on weekends when it seems just about everyone in town is there for pancakes.
I ate lunch at The Feve several times and was there for weekend brunch. For lunch, I ordered a cheeseburger with fries and ice tea, The bill with tax came to about nine dollars and with a $2.00 tip the total was 11.00 USD. They accept all major credit cards including Discovercard.
If you are in the Cleveland area near Oberlin College The Feve is a great place to go for lunch. Or head over there in the evening after work for a pint or two.
Rating: Four Stars
Name: The Feve Bar & Grill
Location: 30 South Main Street, Oberlin, Ohio 44074
half a block south of West College St.
Telephone: 440-774-1978
Hours: Mon-Sun 11am - 12am
Brunch: Sat-Sun 9:30am - 2:30p
website: The Feve Bar and Grill
