Annex Bar and Grille

Last Sunday, we found ourselves at another 2014 To Dine restaurant...the Annex Bar and Grille in Solon. It popped into my head, because we wanted to watch the Browns game. Now, if only the game had been a little less disappointing...

At least we were at a fun place for the game, exploring and checking another restaurant off of my challenge list!

As we pulled up to the bar's parking lot, a party bus was unloading. Apparently, we were crashing a birthday party for a regular patron that was clearly well-liked. The bar was packed with his family and friends, and we did feel a bit out of place the whole time. But, everyone was very friendly and in a good mood, despite the game.

The Annex is quite the hole-in-the-wall, but in a good way. It's very casual, with plenty of charm and classic hometown bar atmosphere.

They have a pretty appealing menu of bar snacks. During the first quarter, we shared a basket of Fried Pickles (five for $4).

Once they cooled down a bit, they were awesome. Not too much breading, the pickle was still a bit crispy, and the unusual house-made dipping sauce (maybe a Cajun Ranch?) was delicious.

Now, I've heard a lot about their hamburgers. That's why we were there. Some claim that they are the best in the Greater Cleveland area. While I won't give them that title, I was pleasantly surprised.

I ordered the "Shroom Burger" with mushrooms, onions, bacon and choice of cheese ($4.75). I went with bleu cheese. You also have your choice of fries, between steak or fresh-cut and regular or Cajun. I knew "R" was getting the fresh-cut, so I wanted the steak fries.

The bun was fresh, and toasted lightly on the grill. You don't always see that, so it was appreciated. The bacon was crispy, and there was a lot of it. The onions were grilled, and tasted great. The mushrooms were canned, but that didn't detract too much. The patty was clearly handmade, because it didn't quite stick together very well. It crumbled a couple of times, making it pretty messy to eat. The meat could have used more seasoning, but overall this was pretty darn good for a bar burger.

"R" got the "Western Burger" with BBQ sauce, bacon, onion ring, and choice of cheese. He also selected bleu cheese, and paired the fresh-cut fries with his order.

He thought that the BBQ sauce was nothing special, and a little watery, but overall another good burger for this type of bar.

Best burger in the Greater Cleveland area will remain from the Tremont Tap House, in my opinion.

It's been a while since I've seen that much camouflage and Jager bombs, but it was endearing and I felt like I was back home in Upstate NY. The place was lively, everyone was so friendly, great music was on when the game wasn't playing, there is plenty of parking in the lot next to the bar, and the bartender was as sweet as can be. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Our Solon adventure was a success.

Annex Bar and Grille (unofficial website)
36200 Pettibone Road
Solon, OH 44139
440-248-5725