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When it comes to food, every culture has their version of a “come inside and get warm” type of meal.
Sometimes the origins of these meals were born out of circumstances like African Americans in the South remixing a one-pot tradition from West Africa and turning it into smothered pork chops.
Or maybe one culture borrowed curry powder and baguettes from the French and made them a Vietnamese staple. Maybe another got pastry and tomatoes from the Spanish and made them Boricua. Both have the same ritual: tear, dip, and enjoy!
Trumbull County, in its own right, is a passport in disguise. You can eat your way around the world without ever crossing the county line, whether you’re venturing into Vietnamese, Hungarian, BBQ, Puerto Rican yuca fries and more. The world begins to feel just a little smaller when somebody else’s recipe is occupying space and offering warmth in your belly.
Full disclosure about my palate…although it has been expanded with this piece, it doesn’t extend to seafood unfortunately.
So, chasing a certain feeling this winter, I went around asking local spots: when it’s cold outside and you want something that hugs you from the inside, what do you order off the menu? The answers became the map to show me how food can turn strangers into cousins and make Trumbull County feel like the center of the everything.
RBG Eatery – Warren
I started close to home with flavors I already know at RBG’s on Palmyra Road. The Pugh family has been feeding this community for decades with plates that taste like memories if you grew up on soul food. For me, it’s their smothered pork chops that help me beat winter every time. The chops are thick-cut, fried golden and then buried under onion gravy that’s been simmering low and slow. It’s the kind of dish that sticks to your ribs in the best way. The one you eat when the wind is kicking up and you just want rice or mashed potatoes on the side.
Soul food like this came out of the South where winters aren’t always as brutal as ours, but a need for something filling never changes.
An’s House – Downtown Warren
An’s House is welcoming even on the grayest days.
I walked out still thinking about their Vietnamese chicken curry weeks later. The meal features a golden coconut broth, tender chicken, soft potatoes and taro, all fragrant with lemongrass and just the right amount of spice. The real move is tearing into one of their homemade baguette rolls, crispy outside, airy inside and to me it’s perfect for dipping it straight into the broth. Every bite feels like a warm welcome.
Dylan Trihn, who runs the spot with her husband Thomas, told me that up north in Vietnam places like Hanoi or the mountains around Sapa winters actually get chilly. Folks there reach for curries and stews just like this to stay warm. It’s the same instinct we have here, just different spices. The world shrinks a little every time you realize that.
Lena’s Pierogi House – Hubbard
Drive out to Hubbard and you’ll hit Lena’s, a classic, American diner-type feel that makes it seem like it’s been there forever (even though it opened in 2019). The owner, Lena Stefanski, pointed me straight to the Hungarian Platter which is mashed redskins swimming in paprika, sour-cream, gravy, roasted chicken thighs, cheddar pierogis stuffed cabbage, and haluski. Personally, I liked having options with the platter because it gave me a well-rounded experience; of course living in Trumbull County it’s hard not to have a pierogi, but the rest of the meal was a welcomed venture into something different. I sat down and didn’t get back up until the plate was clean.
She told me straight up, “it’s just a hearty warm-you-up meal.” Chicken paprikash is the Hungarian winter go-to—paprika, onions, sour cream, everything slow-simmered until it melts together. Hungary’s winters are serious and this dish was made for them. Every piece at Lena’s is made fresh in-house—dumplings twice a week, cabbage rolls rolled by hand, sauce from scratch.
Red Rican – Niles
The last stop for me was Red Rican and I honestly didn’t want to leave. A small spot but with big energy behind the counter as the staff were excited to talk about food. They picked my order for me; Yuca Loaded Rican Fries piled high with seasoned yuca, chimi chicken, pulled pork, Rican sauce, cheese, and bacon. Yuca, they told me, is like a potato’s sweeter, softer cousin—no starchiness and it just melts in your mouth. Then they threw on a three-cheese pastelito with a side of their house-made tomato-basil sauce.
The whole crew lit up describing it too. Yuca fries are comfort food no matter where Puerto Ricans land. They’re filling is crispy-edged and perfect for sharing when the temperature drops. The pastelito? Pure nostalgia. One of the ladies told me she made her daughter the same thing at home the night before with whatever cheese was in the fridge. Same craving for a different kitchen. She likened the meal to being an equivalent of a grilled cheese with tomato soup.
So next time the forecast says snow it shouldn’t just make you hibernate. Hop in your car or place a delivery order. Look a in any direction to pick a culture and let somebody else’s winter tradition warm you up.
