Video: Check out Lake Life Deli & Dogs and Sicily’s Italian Ice Box
Portage Lakes is home to Lake Life Deli & Dogs and Sicily’s Italian Ice Box, two nautical-themed eateries with lots of color and flavor.
Lake Life Deli & Dogs is a fun spot where customers can sit in boat-turned-bench and chow down on creative sandwiches, hot dogs, salads, soups, and fried snacks.Sicily’s Italian Icebox is a small dessert shop with dirty sodas, lemonade and Lotus energy drinks as well as water ice on its menu.Sicily’s Italian Icebox owner Candice Thacker produces all of the shop’s Italian ice flavors in its back room.
Portage Lakes is home to many bars and ice cream shops, but it’s also home to two wonderful nautical-themed eateries; one specializes in sandwiches while the other offers Italian ice.
The former is Lake Life Deli & Dogs, a fun spot where you can sit in boat-turned-benches and chow down on creative sammies, hot dogs, salads, soups and fried snacks.
Sicily’s Italian Icebox is, of course, the second establishment. The small dessert shop has dirty sodas, lemonade and Lotus energy drinks as well as water ice on its menu.
With such a selection, I felt it necessary to bring in a soon-to-be food expert. My childhood friend Alex (yes, Idaho Alex) recently moved back to the East Coast and will soon be starting culinary school. Her boyfriend Darin also accompanied us.
Dinner at Lake Life Deli & Dogs
At Lake Life Deli & Dogs, it was a bit hard to settle on just one entrée because of its diverse menu, but eventually we all made our picks.
I ordered a toasted Italian sub ($9.99) filled with salami, capicola, ham, lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, oil and vinegar. Normally, the sandwich also comes with provolone and banana peppers.
My sub was certainly one of the better sandwiches I’ve had in recent years. It was simple, yet flavorful. I would choose it over a chain’s sub any day of the week.
Dinner for Alex included the shop’s bestseller: the nautilus ($12.99), a toasted sub sandwich filled with chopped ham, roasted turkey, salami, white American cheese, provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion and Italian dressing.
“I think out of everything, I liked my sub the best,” said Alex. “The ratio of ingredients was spot on, and the Italian dressing was really good. The bread was soft, but not too soft.”
I later learned that “soft, but not too soft” bread comes straight from Ideal Bakery in Lakemore.
Darin purchased the amigo ($6.99), an all-beef hot dog topped with house-made coney sauce, shredded cheddar, jalapeños, red onion and crushed Fritos. The slight sweetness of the coney sauce and added texture of the Fritos were some of his favorite aspects.
“It reminded me of something that you would get from a really good food truck,” said Darin. “I was impressed.”
The three of us shared a few sides: hushpuppies ($4.99), fried mushrooms ($5.99), macaroni salad ($1.99) and potato salad ($1.99). All tasted as expected.
Lake Life Deli & Dogs’ history
Long-time Portage Lake resident Alyssa Bowling opened Lake Life Deli & Dogs Dec. 6, 2022.
The space was previously occupied by Captain Nemo’s Subs & Chicken, PLX Deli and Portage Lakes Deli & Dogs.
Bowling worked in the medical field for 12 years before becoming an entrepreneur. Her goal was to work more independently in a way that allowed her individuality to flourish. Opening the shop gave her not only freedom, but also the opportunity to dig her heels into the community.
“It’s a beautiful thing,” Bowling said. “It’s changed my life. It’s allowed me to grow, you know, personally and professionally.”
Keeping the space family-friendly, from its throwback overhead music to the funny animal videos playing in Lake Life’s dining room, is a priority for Bowling. Affordability is also important, evidenced by the daily specials on subs, hot dogs, cheesesteaks and more.
Sicily’s Italian Icebox
It’s not really dinner in the lakes without some dessert.
We ordered at the back counter, which was aptly decorated as a tiki bar. I asked for a taste flight ($6) that included pineapple, mango, coconut and lemon flavored Italian ice.
Before leaving I also tried Sicily’s island time dirty soda ($5), comprised of soda water, orange juice, mango, passionfruit and coconut cream. After some concentrated mixing, it was a fun, bright little drink to sip on.
Alex requested a dirty pepper ($5) — Dr. Pepper, coconut and vanilla creamer — since she hadn’t had her pepper fix that day yet. Darin bought a small dish ($4.50) with one scoop of banana flavored Italian ice and another of Sicily’s cherry, mango and pineapple swirled flavor, dubbed “no problems” on the menu.
The Italian ice was more flavorful than any of us expected. We had imagined a spiffed up version of Luigi’s Real Italian Ice from grocery stores but got something strong and smooth.
The texture of Italian ice is usually unpleasant for Alex, hence her dirty soda order, but Sicily’s smoother version didn’t bother her at all. Although, she did enjoy the dirty pepper.
The flavor, texture and contents of the Italian ice is definitely how Sicily’s has gotten to where it is today. It turns out, many people with food allergies regularly visit the shop because their ice is free of gluten, eggs, peanuts and dairy.
Sicily’s Italian Icebox: What to know
Owner Candice Thacker produces all of Sicily’s Italian ice flavors in the store’s back room.
There are eight year-round flavors and six to eight rotating flavors on the menu at any one time. Sicily’s swirl menu is where fixed flavors are combined into new creations. Customers can also swirl any combination of flavors together when ordering.
Of the year-round flavors, blue cotton candy is their bestseller by a long shot, according to Thacker. When it comes to the swirls, surfin’ USA (cherry, blueberry and lemon) and last mango in Paris (mango, pineapple and coconut) are the most popular.
History of Sicily’s Italian Icebox
Sicily’s Italian Icebox’s story originally began with a different owner, location and name.
Kupuna Joe’s Ice Shack operated on the corner of Mogadore Road and state Route 91 in Ellet in the summers of 2021 and 2022. Over those two summers, Kupuna’s became a beloved sweet treat spot for Thacker, her husband and their two children.
In the summer of 2023, the Thackers bought Kupuna from its original owner, who was having health problems, and operated it that summer through the end of September.
The day Kupuna’s doors closed for the season, they saw that the spot in Portage Lakes was available. Before Sicily’s moved in, the space was occupied by Party Line Beverage & Bait.
The family decided to reinvent the business and change its name to something more personal. Thacker’s paternal grandfather came to the U.S. from Sicily, the birthplace of granita, the inspiration for Italian ice.
Since its opening, each summer has been busier than the last. In summer 2026, Thacker hopes to take Sicily’s on the road with a trailer for catering events.
Details
Place: Lake Life Deli & Dogs
Address: 5187 Manchester Road, New Franklin
Phone: 330-400-4087
Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday
Website: lakelifedeli.com
Place: Sicily’s Italian Icebox
Address: 424 W. Turkeyfoot Lake Road, Akron
Fall hours: 4 to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, Noon to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Website: facebook.com/sicilysitalianicebox
Got a restaurant recommendation? Contact Beacon Journal reporter Tawney Beans at tbeans@gannett.com and on Instagram @TawneyBeans. And follow her adventures on TikTok @akronbeaconjournal.
Dining and Cooking