50 Best American Restaurants in Gainesville

“Absolutely amazing service! I came here for the second time and took my friend who had never been for his birthday. All the staff members were incredibly sweet, especially our waitress Jimmy Bynum. He was incredibly social and also very polite. They even brought out cookies and a candle for my friend’s birthday. Even better that we happened to come at the same time as Coach Spurrier for dinner. Overall great staff, amazing food, and great environment.“

“Delicious healthy option! We loved it for lunch so much that we ordered it again for dinner!“

“Ford's garage fries, crispy yet soft on the inside. Flaky and peppery with a perfect balance of salt to compliment it. Hard to get on point fries, however these people accomplished it. The burger is larger than you would expect from a visual standpoint. It has fresh ingredients. I had the bison instead of the standard beef. It's freshly ground instead of ground beef. So as opposed to the patties being frozen coming in it's slabs of meat that they grind and then cook. The medium well option that I went with I recommend highly. They seared it on the outside and cooked at medium on the inside. The char has good flavor to it and the barbecue sauce has a very nice marriage with the cheddar cheese and the applewood smoked bacon. The romaine lettuce adds a nice touch on the bottom of the burger instead of the top. It's overall a very hard Burger to beat by any other restaurant. I very strongly recommend Ford's garage to any nostalgic burger lover.“

“Val was an amazing server! She was so sweet and attentive. My friend has celiac and she helped to make her have a comfortable experience. I asked for extra strawberries on my pizookie and she went out of her way to cut up some more for me! Thank you for being so sweet.“

“What a great diner! The food was delicious, the staff was friendly, and the coffee just kept coming. My friends and I have found our new breakfast spot!“

“I have to give Maxwell and Eddie their applause. I wish I could give more. They were very patient kind and receptive to my concern of my food. Not only did I receive accommodations, my company was made comfortable as well. This is what brings me back because the friendliness of the staff, the cleanliness of the store and managers that care. I am going to continue to come back for my lunch daily and to per usual. Thank you Bolay Team 😇

Kid-friendliness: Great customer service keeps us coming back“

“Went so far above and beyond helping me get a gift certificate for a dear friend - 1000% dedicated to community, care, and top notch YUM! Thank you Fehrenbacher's Artisan Sausages“

“I had a very good experience going here and they have very good food! Thank you!“

“This place is so awesome. I just had one of my best meals and service and overall dinning experiences ever.“

“Outstanding service by Alex! We were able to get a table pretty quick and ordered a couple of burgers and beers. Food was tasty and the service was on point. Will add Gators Dockside to the list next time we are in town. Go Gators!“

“Had a great meal yesterday afternoon with my husband and even had a chat with the manager, Ann, she is a lovely person!“

“****Edit-been here a second time on 14 October. Sat on the patio again. This time in a regular chairs and table. Got here for the lunch rush. Fried pickles was our appetizer. Relief to see the pickle chips were thicker than most places in town. Good and lightly breaded. Entrees came within 25 mins of my order being taken. Salads were bright and fresh. Chicken wraps were ordered blackened. So good. Service was courteous, friendly and prompt. Thank you Nicole for your help. Also thank you to Allie who helped me my first time here in September. 2/2 here.

First time here. Was a excellent experience. Sat outside for lunch in the high chairs. Plenty of seating at 1145 for lunch. The waitress was attentive and friendly. Had the one old the lunch specials. Caesar wrap with a side garden salad. Had the dressing on the side. I'm picky on the amount used. Chicken was blackened and tasted wonderful. Not to dry. Dressing was, ingredients fresh. Zucchini fries appetizer was lightly breaded and the zucchini inside tasted good. Breading was bland. Go the Cali chicken club also. Chicken was blackened again. Good choice. Avocado was good. Will definitely come back again. Good food, service and price. Ty“

“You'll be so happy you've chosen to give Brick Road a try. Its casual atmosphere and fair prices were the first draw, because we were only avoiding hurricane Milton, and weren't dressed for fine dining. But then our server, Ayonna, brightened our moods and made our whole dining experience fun.
There were 7 of us, and one of us was on a very restricted diet due to illness.
Not only was it "no problem at all" , but Ayonna went to the kitchen and returned to with the chef, who asked more questions, and assured the ill person that his food will be given special attention. Now, for the best reason for you to go to Brick Road; the food was delicious! We all ordered something different, and each of us commented on how fresh the salads were and how good everything tasted. Don't miss trying Brick Road.“

“Delicious food. The chaat tots were amaaazing!“

“Awesome food. Great people. 5 stars“

“My husband and I went to Applebees for dinner. We had the most amazing server Ketsy! Very attentive and polite. What she didn’t know is I’m a stickler for service. She met all of our needs. Thanks Ketsy you rock!!?“

“Great place to enjoy with someone“

“We had a great dinner tonight and our server, Drew, was very friendly. She took the time to chat and talk about the food. 5/5!“

“This is a great little place for takeout food between classes. It’s like a pod market but also has a boars head, starbucks express, kfc express, and a smoothie place (think smoothie king).I got a takeout sub from boars head with spinach, tomato, banana peppers, onion, roast beef, and wheat bread and a whole sub was only $8. I found the price amazing for being on campus food. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone if you’re tired of subway!“

“Love it!!“

“Great food and wonderful service!“

“Staff and food are always excellent...“

“Had the largest bowl, amazing variety, so many excellent flavors“

“Everything is delicious, custard is the bomb 💣“

“Absolutely, hands down, my favorite restaurant in Gainesville. You can taste the love put into every dish. The best hummus I’ve ever had. Vegan and vegetarian options were a big selling point for us.

Dietary restrictions: Gluten free and vegan options were easy to find.“

“My daughter and I agreed that the pastrami sandwiches we had pre-flight were among the BEST we've ever had, anywhere. And the onion rings definitely were the best - perfectly crispy until the last one was consumed. Great service, too!“

“Food was fabulous, our waitress Jasmine was awesome“

“I went to this restaurant for the first time a week ago. It is a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. The service was fantastic. The food was outstanding. I highly recommend the Paramount Grill.“

“I have the blessing of living across the street from this awesome restaurant with Al Fresco dining, great entertainment from lively jazz to classic rock n roll, friendly staff, reasonable pricing and sometimes watching little ones run n play and fur babies too!! Some great dancing -anyone can join in whether you are a “west coast swinger” or freestyle hippie!!“

“Love this Restaurant! It’s always a pleasure to visit!!!“

“This is my favorite restaurant. We eat here all the time I belong to the fridays club
So I get free salsa and chips every visit and I get points for every visit that I use to receive free entree’s. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone
12/01/24
We are still in love with Fridays. MJ was our server today and she was awesome. The club
Changes but the deals are still awesome the people friendly and ready to serve. I 🩷Fridays“

“If you go in the afternoon and Marcelo serves you, you will have excellent service, he remembers your order, you don't have to call him to ask for things, the cooks do an excellent job too, the food comes out quickly and exactly as you order, I recommend it 100%“

“Great vibes, great atmosphere, great service!!“

“CLEAN & actually made the food correct ✅ Food & service was on point 10/10! We will be back! Glad we stopped in since the one near where we live is not good! 💯 Finally I can start eating Millers again! 😮‍💨🤤🇺🇸🫶❤️‍🔥👏🙋‍♀️“

“Great food, excellent service, clean. Breakfast options are amazing. Good choice for vegetarians.“

“Great food, excellent service, clean. Breakfast options are amazing. Good choice for vegetarians.“

“The owner is a really nice guy, the food I had was great even after I got it to go and drove 20 mins away, the burger I had was absolutely amazing. Will definitely be going back.“

“Food was awesome and service was spot on!!!“

“The food is always fresh and absolutely delicious! The Dutch baby is one of my favorite things ever, I dream of it. The espresso drinks and baked goods are also phenomenal. One of my favorite joints in town!“

“We went here after we had both our kids at shands. They were in the nicu 2 different years and we always went there! We moved to Illinois so anytime we come to Florida we make sure to stop at country foodly!“

“I genuinely enjoyed my dining experience here. The staff was incredibly kind and welcoming. They were very attentive, and we never had to wait long for anything. There is a great selection to pick from on menu with options for everybody. The food was absolutely delicious, especially the home-fries. I would definitely recommend Keke's if you're in the area. It was far better than the other breakfast options around.“

“East End Eatery is my favorite breakfast place in Gainesville! The best breakfast burrito in town! Always fresh veggies, gouda cheese grits that always satisfy, even a Florida native like me. Treat yourself to the best waffle in town. Crisp outside with light fluffy center. Not heavy at all. Real shrimp and grits worth the wait for cooked to order meal. The service is always friendly with a smile. The owner works all areas. She loves to meet customers. Hope you enjoy the experience as much as I do.“

“I enjoyed Longhorn. The ribeye steak was tasty and cooked perfectl medium. I liked the fresh free bread and butter. My house salad was better than usual with good size and selection of veggies and croutons. Prices where on scale of other steak houses.“

“First time eating here today and it won't be our last! Amazing food and super nice people! I highly recommend you give them a try.“

“Great Gator spot! Good food. Sports etc!“

“What a great restaurant! Not only are they known for their wide variety of beers on tap, but they have phenomenal food, too! Everything I've had there is beyond good and the service is always great.“

“I have been to Sandy’s place twice now, each time a a different but absolutely amazing experience. The food is great and staff is very friendly and welcoming. The new owner and chef is amazing too! I highly recommend.“

“Our second visit was just as great as first visit last month. Erin was super as usual and LT made us comfortable. They are five star all the way. We will definitely come again. A group of 10 men.“

“This is just an awareness! Have you ever venture into an online trade that was a scam? Because I was once a victim and now I’ve gotten all my asset recovered with the help of the American Brokerage firm… in this recovery process you don’t pay any recovery feees. Check my profile and see how I made contact with Mrs Lisa the manager of the recovery company“

“Excellent service, food are great, you guys have to try their chocolate corruption and chocolate PB cheesecake desserts… but beware you guys might enjoy too much their meal its hard to make room for dessert. Unless you make it to go LOL like what we did
We ordered calamari for appetizer, classic burgers both well done with fries on the side and the other was salad and chicken tenders and fries for kids meal.
Everything tasted fresh especially the salad and the burger was tasting fresh and juicy i just felt it was seasoned very well it doesnt need any condiments at all . Definitely will be back and somewhere i will take guests to.
Fyi: I also love that they make sure they clean regularly as when we left the staff were moving frames and wiping corners of wall edges especially by the customers table area. Great to see that when you actually go to a diner

Kid-friendliness: They have kids menu, cant remember the options but my son got the chicken with fries and sprite, he did ate his order for a picky dude he is

Wheelchair accessibility: Spacious area to make room for people who needs wheelchair access“