Royal Oaks Youngstown Ohio

Title

Royal Oaks Youngstown Ohio

Artist

Janice Pariza

Medium

Photograph - Photography Art

Description

A capture of the Royal Oaks with downtown Youngstown in the distance with a grey sundown.
This bar, established in 1934 has a rich history.

Articles below from the Youngstown Vindicator News.
By Anthony M. Fuda

BurgerGuyz@hotmail.com

There is a rich history in the Royal Oaks’ walls ... and we’re really not sure what you’ll actually find in there.

Maybe gold, or a map to where Jimmy Hoffa is located, or that creepy doll that kept the women’s restroom door closed. But we do know there are plenty of stories to be told. Oh, if those walls could talk.

Originally built as a grocery store in 1919, The Royal Oaks opened its restaurant/bar doors in 1934, and after prohibition was repealed, it received Youngstown’s first liquor license, and from there, it got fun.

The motto at the Oaks is “It’s in the hood, but it’s all good.” All that means is that you will find people from all walks of life pulling up a bar stool and sitting right next to each other, while having a drink and a burger and chatting about daily events. And EVERYONE is always welcome at the Oaks.

The Royal Oaks went through a little renovation a couple of years ago, getting some new beer taps, a new smoker, and some much needed paint – and removing the creepy baby doll hanging from the ceiling – we’re still waiting for her to surface somewhere.

You might remember the Royal Oaks remodel on Bar Rescue when John Taffer and his crew made some changes to one of Youngstown’s favorite hang outs. The changes helped bring the Oaks some new client ®le, but the bar still keeps the same integrity that has ushered in droves of loyal Oaks customers who keep coming back again and again; not just for the food and spirits, but to hear owners Louie and John Kennedy tell stories about the people who have passed through the Oaks’ doors. When you go to enjoy some of the great food, ask for Louie to stop by your table and tell you some vintage Royal Oaks stories,.

The Oaks is known for its homemade BBQ sauce, wings and smoked meats, but we were on a mission to have their burgers with that famous spicy raspberry BBQ sauce. The raspberry BBQ sauce can almost stand on its own, but we are glad it goes exceptionally well with burgers, ribs and wings.

Our server, Kate McCann, guided us on our burger journey and even talked some of the guys into trying the pepper jack ghost pepper cheese, which meant it was time to heat the place up.



We opened the menu and looked over the burger offerings:

Single Stack Burger (lettuce, tomato, onion, ketchup, mustard)

Cheese Burger (choice of cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, ketchup/mustard)

Double Stack Burger (2 patties, bacon on both layers, lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, cheese)

Black & Blue Burger (Cajun burger topped with blue cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion)

Cajun Burger (lettuce, tomato, onion, Oaks’ famous Cajun seasoning)

Oaks Southern Burger (topped with bacon, cheese and an onion ring smothered in the Oaks’ famous BBQ sauce)

You have your choice of a 1/3 lb or 1/2 lb patty, and it can be topped with: lettuce, tomato, raw onion, grilled onion, mayo, wasabi mayo, BBQ sauce and your choice American, Swiss, hot pepper jack or provolone cheese).

All the burgers are served with a good portion of hand- cut fries.

I had the Cajun burger, this wasn’t the first time and I know it won’t be the last. The Royal Oaks’ Cajun seasoning has a great flavor, and I always add a little bit of the hot raspberry BBQ sauce, which combined with the Cajun seasoning makes this pure burger bliss. The beef is cooked perfectly and the toppings are extremely fresh. Combine all of that into each bite and it’s no wonder you find people from all walks of life sitting at the bar with one of these amazing burgers in their hands. Now I know we can all get along, and all it takes is a burger from the Oaks and a tub of raspberry BBQ sauce.

Eric hasn’t been to the Oaks for a few years, and was excited to try out what they had to offer. Remarking, “After some self-debating on what to order, I settled on the Oaks Southern Burger. I found out I could have it topped with the delicious Royal Oaks Hot Raspberry BBQ sauce and Ghost Pepper cheese, I did not regret this decision. I would swim in that sauce if it was socially acceptable. Plus, the heat that the Ghost Pepper cheese brought paired with the sauce is right up my alley. The beef itself was cooked just as I asked, and the bun didn’t give in to the onslaught of flavor. After I downed my burger, we were treated to a Chorizo Burger. There is no doubt that this culinary masterpiece needs a permanent home on the menu. It was a unique flavor that I could see myself ordering weekly. There is a reason the Royal Oaks has been a Youngstown staple since the 1930s. These burgers make that case even stronger.”

Scott also had the Oaks Southern Burger and agreed that “the sauce made this burger. Combined with the price, which is very affordable and borderline cheap. I don’t think you can find a burger of this quality at this price anywhere!”

JT enjoyed his Oaks Southern Burger, remarking, “Any time you can get a burger that tastes as good as this for a price like this, it’s a win. Enjoying it with good friends and quenching your thirst with an ice cold brew while sitting in the middle of a piece of Youngstown history makes it a mega win! The raspberry barbecue sauce is my all-time favorite. It works on the burgers just as well as it works on their famous ribs. Nice job, Oaks!”

The Royal Oaks’ motto says it all. Whether they are talking about the people, the food, or the area in general, it holds true – “If it’s in the hood, it’s all good,” especially if a burger is involved and some raspberry BBQ sauce is slathered on it.

Keep reading the Valley food section each Wednesday for the best food the Valley has to offer.

If you think you know where the next Burger of the Year is, send the info to BurgerGuyz@hotmail.com, or on our Facebook page BurgerGuyz.
At this time last year, anticipation was running high for the premiere of the “Bar Rescue” episodes on two Youngstown establishments.

The Spike-TV reality series aired its show on The Royal Oaks on Oct. 18, and The Federal on Oct. 25.

At the one-year anniversary, it’s obvious that the changes made at both bars have proven to be effective.

The expensive physical makeovers that show host Jon Taffer made – not to mention the changes in menu and management mentality – are still on display and in effect.

The new look at the Oaks was the most stark, like night and day. The dark and dingy bar had become a museum of questionable curios, and a lot of them weren’t exactly family-friendly.

The place had tons of character but not enough customers.

Co-owners John and Louie Kennedy had some discussion about bringing back the offbeat memorabilia. But they ultimately decided to keep the bar the way Taffer & Co. left it: brighter and simpler, with its historic charm restored.

The bar’s rear room went from a cluttered clubhouse with a dartboard to a decent place to sit down with the family for a plate of ribs.

“We were always a dive bar with good food,” said John Kennedy. “It wasn’t uncommon for foodies to make the drive from Canfield and Boardman for the food, but the atmosphere wasn’t conducive to family-style eating. The biggest change was cleaning up the back room. Now, you don’t have to look at what’s on the walls and be offended. And I love the fact that people treat us like a restaurant now, and we are getting more and more new faces in here.”

In the first few months after the remake, there were actually customers waiting in line for a table on some nights. That level of interest was mainly due to curiosity, however, and has since died down.

Still, on any given night, it’s not unusual to see parents and their kids – wearing Poland High jackets – at a table for dinner. Believe me, that never used to happen.

The Kennedy brothers (who just celebrated their 15th year of ownership of the East Side watering hole) did change a few things “Bar Rescue” implemented – most notably to the menu.

For the most part, it’s back to the original, with a strong focus on cherry wood-smoked ribs. On any random Tuesday, the Oaks will sell between 30 and 40 full slabs of ribs. Any chain restaurant in Boardman would likely be OK with that number for that night.

Taffer was spot-on about a lot of things. But for food, the Kennedys know what they do best and what their customers want. Drink prices also seem to be back to the working man’s range.



The Oaks retained its core of regulars after “Bar Rescue,” although there have been times when they had to be reminded that they are now in a family place. Anything still goes after, say, 10 p.m., but just not before then.

The Federal, which is in the heart of the downtown nightlife district, had a different set of strengths and weaknesses than the Oaks.

But for the most part, the establishment — which was known as Martini Bros. Burger Bar until Taffer changed it — also kept its “Rescue” improvements.

As the name suggested, burgers were always the focus, and the Martinis, in fact, had won quite a few awards for theirs before “Bar Rescue” came to town. Taffer didn’t mess with burgers as the centerpiece of the menu.

A few new items (turkey burger, portabella mushroom sandwich, pasta dishes, and some appetizers) implemented by Taffer remain. And so does the Build a Burger option.

And while the signature cocktails were the first to go at the Oaks, the five that Taffer & Co. concocted for the Federal are still strong sellers: the Youngstown Mule, Federal Collins, Burger Bomb (which has meat in it, but people love it anyway), the Ice Cap and the Forge.

“We debated whether to change some things back to the way we had it, but it made the most sense to roll with it,” said bar manager Sophia Martini, who is the sister of Dan and Joe Martini, who run the kitchen. Building co-owner Jacob Harver is also part of the Federal team.

Sophia had enough trouble trying to catch up to the re-branding. “He changed our name, and we had to rush to get T-shirts made for servers and print new menus,” she said. The Federal got a very expensive makeover – well into six digits. The addition of costly fog and laser machines over the dance floor only improved the bar’s wild popularity with 20-somethings on weekends.

For Sophia and her brothers, being on the show was surreal.

“I remember when I was 14 sitting in the living room watching ‘Bar Rescue’ and talking with Dan about it,” she said. “He has seen every episode and always loved the show. We would talk about how cool it would be to one day be on it.”

Her only regret was that some of the best footage wound up on the cutting room floor. “We did 13-hour days shooting the episode,” she said, which got reduced to 40 minutes or so of air time. “So many good moments didn’t make it.”

Even after a year, both the Oaks and The Federal continue to get the “Bar Rescue” bounce: customers from across the globe who like to visit the spots they’ve seen on TV. The Oaks recently had visitors from Denmark, while The Federal had diners from Australia.

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December 12th, 2018

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