I used to come here a lot when I was living in Akron. As the other reviews have stated, it is the quintessential dive bar. In fact, it could possibly be the most perfect dive bar in Northeast Ohio (it's easily the best dive bar I have ever seen in all of my travels across the country and the world). The beer was cheap ($1 Amber Bocks drafts at the time), the jukebox had all the right albums, and the state of the bathrooms made pissing in your pants sound like an attractive option.
But sitting in there and nursing a beer, you would get to see a colorful cross-section of Highland Square, and Akron in general, blowing through the doors: Students from the university, tattooed artists and hipsters from the Square, office workers from the brownstones up the street, and people who just enjoyed drinking in a dive bar. It was a beautiful place to hang out on a Friday night after work, with the Pixies, Elvis Costello, and the Clash booming over the speakers.
I give this place 5 stars because for what it is, it's the best, but anyone looking for fancy cocktails and upscale gastropub-style food in a clean environment should be forewarned...
Annabell's is a Highland Square institution that has been around for decades. Â It is the very definition of "dive bar". Â The place is dirty and the bathrooms are even filthier, and I have helped keep the bathrooms filthy on multiple occasions.
Annabell's is a hot spot for bands to perform at. Â We came here once during a death metal festival, and it was impossible to hear - partly because we were blaring Meshuggah and Nile on the boombox to make the upstairs "more metal". Â The patio is also a "hip" place to hang out.
The drink selection is not by any means the widest in Akron, but it is more than acceptable. Â It is one of the only places where I have found Rogue beers and Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale in Akron. Â Their "house beer" is atrocious, though. Â PBR is very cheap here.
After all these years, two things in Akron have stayed constant: Â Don Plusquellic is still mayor and Annabell's is still the best bar in the city.
Order PBR. This place goes well with PBR- cheap and good. Annabell's has a small (at least on tap) but okay beer selection. Doesn't matter though because unless it's Christmastime you should probably be drinking PBR.
Place is super dirty, probably hasn't been thoroughly cleaned since my mom used to hang out there about 30 years ago. Yep, it's been around that long.
Definitely my favorite place in Highland Square. Music all the time in the basement and plenty of tables/bar space for hanging out upstairs. Perfect dive bar.
I can proudly say I was present and participating the first time Voguing happened at Annabell's, while we played Lady Gaga and Madonna songs on the Jukebox.
Nice little dive bar in the Highland Square area of Akron. Surprisingly good sound for the "stage" which is just the part of the floor in the back of the basement next to where they keep the soda syrup. They have great specials on crappy beers, which I certainly indulged in when I was here. One of my friends had money, so they drank upstairs at the more old-school-looking bar, where I heard "Sister Ray" in its entirety as background music. Now THAT is the sign of a sweet bar. Bonus if you're a dude: you get to pee in a trough, which reminds me of Boy Scout camp.
Review Source:Where in the world do you see a patio hoedown featuring dueling banjos, a washboard rhythm section, a guitarist with the voice of an angel and a guy dressed in a chicken suit playing the accordion? Â Akron, my friends, Akron Ohio. Â We ventured south to Akron to Annabell's Bar and Lounge to check out the Misery Jackals with Hey Mavis and Rachel Brooke. Â Annabell's reminds me of a cleaner version of a Spitfire or Now That's Class. Â They have a decent beer selection, plenty of seating, a little patio out back and the beat up charm of a indie rock club. Â Service was pretty good, and the crowd was pretty decent. Â Aside from hearing a conversion of a blond girl talking to her male friend about her 38 caliber handgun with hollow points the crowd seemed pretty subdued.
I will admit first off I never actually got to see the actual Misery Jackal set at all. Â We were on the road back home by midnight. Â However that doesn't mean I didn't get my Misery Jackal fix. Â The Jackals love to pick and play. Â They don't let silly things like microphones and stages hold them back. Â They were playing on the patio, at the back of the bar, and on the sidewalk in front of the bar. Â Hell they played everywhere that night with the exception of the ceiling and that's only because there was a Jameson Bike blocking them. Â They ran through quite a few songs unplugged including originals to bluegrass standards like I'll Fly Away and even the Ramones and the Dead Kennedy's. Â To hear that kind of old school punk rock bluegrassified is something you need to check out.
The main stage at Annabell's is downstairs. Â It's a nice open room with a smaller bar, pool table, bench seating and Ms. Pac-Man. Â I only wish you could put your initials on that damn Pac-man because I owned that shit up in the that bitch, yo. Â One downside of Annabell's is it's so hot down in the basement your internal organs actually cook. Â It's like sitting in a microwave. Â Interrupting my gaming and internal combustion was the twangy country sounds of Rachel Brooke. Â She was absolutely amazing. Â The sweet country voice of one of the original Carter Family coming out of this adorable looking indie rock girl. Â The girl could play, she could sing and she definitely can write songs. Â Her voice was melting the crowd faster than the actual 90 degree sweltering heat of the basement.
Next on the bill was a soulful trio called Hey Mavis. Â They were absolutely amazing. Â A complete throwback to early traditional bluegrass with one of the most amazing fiddle players I have ever heard. Â He added this element of electronic to a very old timey sounding act. Â Something about it just mixed perfectly. Â It was like these 2 beautiful muses were singing traditional bluegrass with this almost space age instrumentation. Â Surreal, ethereal, call it what you want it works and it works well.
After Hey Mavis it was hitting around the midnight hour so we ducked out before the stage performance of The Misery Jackals. Â I pretty much had it with the heat and witnessed 2 incredible performances, beat the shit out of Ms Pac-man and that patio hoedown was something to believe in.
The Urban Dictionary has three definitions for 'dive bar'.
1). Dive Bar - A well-worn, unglamorous bar, often serving a cheap, simple selection of drinks to a regular clientele.
2). Dive Bar - A bar that is sleazy, poorly maintained and in overall bad shape.
3). Dive Bar - Annabell's in Akron, OH.
If these definitions don't appeal to you, don't go. However, this place does it right; good music, cheap drinks, and genuine people. I'm never shocked by the regulars here. It's not uncommon to see mohawks talking with three piece suits, or aging hippies discussing whatever it is hippies discuss with clean cut youngsters. If you are looking for pomp and a $20 drink, look elsewhere.
Now, if only Luigi's was a little closer. . .
If you bathe, or wear clothes that aren't from a thrift store, or in general are a normal person, DO NOT go to this dive bar. Â
The crowd: Â Mostly male, lots of leather jackets and jean jackets covered in patches, not showered and not shaved, unfriendly, seemed shocked to see non-regulars
The staff: Â Rude, confrontational if you're not a regular, misinformed
It's dirty, super tiny, and just way too gritty for most peoples tastes. Â If you're a girl who doesn't look hippy-ish (and your guy doesn't look like a biker), definitely stay away.
This is often times my first destination upon heading home for the weekend. Annabell's has always treated me well and I can't go here without running into some familiar faces. I've never tried any of the food, but I've eaten plenty of popcorn here, so I can't speak for the menu. What I can say is that this is a fantastic dive bar and it's hard to beat an $8 bottle of wine when you go out at night.
Review Source:This place is a serious dive bar, but if it wasn't, it just wouldn't be right. Â The food and drinks are dirt cheap and everything else is just dirty. Â Like seriously, the bathrooms are legendary for being torn the hell up. Â
I'm not sure if they are still running 75 cent beers and dollar appetizers on Thursdays, but needless to say that rocked.
The best thing about this place though is their jukebox, which is rivaled only by Joe's Bar in Canton.
A true institution in Highland Square.
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