The Honeymoon Grille is having a second honeymoon.

On Monday, the popular Coventry Township family restaurant opened in its new, much larger building, constructed behind its old location at the intersection of Portage Lakes Drive and Manchester Road.

The family-operated business was closed for just one week, and the old space — which had originally housed Honeymoon Donuts — was demolished, making room for the expanded parking lot.

“We’ve been really happy with the turnout,” Honeymoon’s owner Steve Rector said at the bustling eatery midmorning Monday, with an at least outwardly calm demeanor.

“At 6:30 a.m., there were 25 to 30 regulars waiting at the door,” he added.

They perhaps didn’t remember or didn’t know that the new place comes with new hours: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Sunday hours remain the same, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Previously, it opened at 6 a.m. Monday through Saturday and closed at 2 p.m.; it is now serving dinner on those days, beginning at 4 p.m.

“Yeah, we’re going to give dinner a try,” Rector said, “and keep it simple at first until we find our way.”

Dinner items include an 8-ounce and a 4-ounce filet of beef and honey-glazed salmon. “We’re trying to keep everything under $20,” said Rector, 42, who also owns a pizza shop in Massillon.

“It’s hard to believe that’s the parking lot,” he said, motioning to where the old Honeymoon Grille stood. The restaurant opened in 2013, with Rector and his family remodeling the space. The doughnut shop, which dated to 1978, had closed some time earlier.

Now Rector and his wife, Mandi; his father, Dan; and other family members are thrilled to have a building that was made to be a restaurant.

It’s about 4,400 square feet, double the size of the old building. It seats about 140 people, including the patio. It has a main dining room and one off to the side that will double as an event space. The Honeymoon also has a liquor license now.

There’s an attached 2,000-square-foot storefront south of the building that Rector plans to rent, and he may build two more storefronts.

He declined to say how much money had been spent for the new building, other than “enough.”

Breakfast and lunch are still served all day. The breakfast menu includes omelets, waffles, French toast and specials. The lunch menu boasts sandwiches, burgers, fresh-cut fries, salads and more.

Many of the desserts, including the popular Hummingbird Cake, are made by Barb Rector Schlagenhauser, Steve’s aunt who once owned Bob’s Hamburg.

Honeymoon’s address is 3458 Manchester Road. Its phone is 330-644-4355.

Sweet discovery



Honeymoon Grille is just south of a plaza on Manchester Road that houses one of the three locations of Muggswigz Coffee and Tea Co.

On Monday, I stopped in at the place, which roasts its own coffee and blends its own teas. And to my delight, I found homemade cinnamon rolls.

They’re a lot smaller than those from Cinnabon, but one more than satisfied my craving for a sweet with my coffee.

This Muggswigz Coffee, in Coventry Township, opened in February 2017. The original one opened in 2003 in Canton, and there's another in Jackson Township.

The hours of the Coventry Muggswigz are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.

The address is 3452 Manchester Road in Akron. The phone is 234-900-8101.

Hungry for Hungarian?



• The Akron Hungarian American Club, at 694 E. Waterloo Road, is selling Hungarian cabbage rolls and sausage, with orders due May 31.

Pickup is from 1 to 3 p.m. June 8. Cost is $5 a pound for medium or hot sausage, $18 for a dozen cabbage rolls.

To order, call the club at 330-724-0259 or email akronhungarianamericanclub@gmail.com.

• Your Cabbage Connection, a take-out place offering cabbage rolls and other Hungarian savory foods, as well as homemade crepes for dessert in four flavors, has opened at 2455 Canton Road in Springfield Township.

Hours are 1 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, noon to 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday and noon to 6 p.m. Saturday.

The phone is 330-961-5022. See the menu at cabbageconnection.com. We’ll have more on this place soon.

Wine events

• Vaccaro's Trattoria, 1000 Ghent Road in Bath, will offer a five-course Andrea Falorni Wine Dinner at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

Cost is $75. To reserve, call 330-666-6158.

• Local wine importer John Bee hosts a wine dinner at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Wise Guys Lounge and Grill, 1008 N. Main St. in Akron's North Hill neighborhood. Cost is $65 and reservations are recommended. Call 330-922-3006 after 3 p.m.

• The Mustard Seed Market & Cafe at 3885 W. Market St. in Bath will host a Welcome Back Summer wine tasting, featuring 20 light-bodied reds, whites and roses from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday. Light appetizers, cheeses, breads and "something sweet" will be included. Tickets are $35 at eventbrite.com or $40 at the door. Reservations also can be made by calling 330-666-7333.

Send local food news to Katie Byard at 330-996-3781 or kbyard@thebeaconjournal.com. You can follow her @KatieByardABJ on Twitter or on Facebook.