23 Best Bars in Gainesville

“We were there last night and had a great time. Clean establishment and Brendan was wonderful. He was very, nice and helpful and joined in on the fun right before we were done. Definitely recommend him and the facility.“

“Usually go here after rollerderby bouts (thank u for sponsoring GRR!!!)! Staff was nice and they have lots of good vegan options. Tried the vegan meatloaf which was like a vegan meatloaf burger ??? It was super good! I’ve also heard good reviews for their veggie and impossible burger! Def will be there again especially for their love of the rollerderby team 🩵“

“Nice place for weekend afternoon“

“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.“

“The Midnight Underground has a long and storied history in Gainesville as a local bar, hangout, artist venue and safe space for everyone. Current setup has almost daily events with a stage for trivia, open mic, bands, performances, sometimes karaoke and more. A nice, chill vibe to get away from the college "fraternizing" at some other spots. Beer, wine, and tasty food. come check them out!“

“Awesome people, and cold beer.“

“Great experience seeing Honey Revenge, Pollyanna, Colorblind, and Wreckless Giants. Wonderful concert for a good price. The drinks were solid with good prices for a bar. Would definitely recommend this little hole in the wall if you're in Gainesville. My ONLY complaint is the parking. Maybe it's just because of how popular Honey Revenge is getting, but I would love more options to park at around this location, which I know is not High Dive's fault. The parking lot isn't great, but I'm sure that's enough space for their usual amount of traffic. The bartenders were very pleasant. Good experience.“

“Went to Satchels after the Gator Nationals.Decided to have a few beers at Lightning Salvage while we waited for a table . We ended up staying at LS and having pizza and salad. All very good. Afterwards went exploring thru all the very cool rooms and areas“

“Fun!!🐊🐊🐊💗💗 weekends gonna by too fast!“

“One of the best bars in Gainesville. Quality drinks, creative and skilled bartenders. Go to if you want good cocktails and a chill atmosphere.“

“I can't give this place 5 stars because it is a dive bar and that wouldn't be appropriate otherwise I would. Coming from Wisconsin and looking for that redneck, biker, and sometimes ghetto people kinda bar who all get along is what is a dive bar staple they nailed. Prices incredibly reasonable, bartender Emily was tentative and friendly. If I ever return to Gainsville im coming back. They really made us feel like we were home“

“Really great trout and excellent seasonal mocktails!“

“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.“

“Went for pinball. Lots of UF students celebrating. 3 floors, the third available for groups.The door to the Arcade on the West side is actually the original First National( name may have changed over time)which located on the opposite side of Main and is now,I think,the Morgan and Morgan building and Wells Fargo.I just wanted to play pinball,at Arcade. Great atmosphere for it.“

“Awesome exterior heating system on the rooftop bar!“

“we had a appointment at Shands and decided to have an early dinner. we started with the grouper fingers which were excellent. For my dinner I had the fried green tomatoes and she crab soup. They were both delicious 😋 Hubby had chicken sandwich and fries which were both good but he wishes he would have gotten something else like the shrimp etouffee. We will definitely be back. Our waitress was an absolute sweetheart sorry I forgot her name. But highly recommend!!“

“Between the staff (bartenders, waitresses, and door guys), the food (wings, tenders, corn nuggets), and the deals (2.40 happy hour doubles, dog lager pitchers), you cannot go wrong with salty dog saloon. The staff is great, food is great, and prices are even better. The pool table and AMI jukebox are just the icing on the cake! Best bar in Gainesville.“

“Best part of midtown!“

“Fun with friends 🧡 great time“

“Heard so many good things about this place and finally getting to go was well worth it! The food is amazing. If you are expecting subway, no no no. These Sammies are packed and so well worth it. They even asked if I wanted half of my foot long wrapped up, I get why now. I finished it, but wow. Super think sandwich and great tasting!!! Go a little further down to the bar and get some beer. Great selection for sure and everything from the Sammies to the beer is inexpensive. Cash only to give you heads up but there is an ATM inside. So worth it!!!!“

“I went here a lot when I hit rock bottom. I always ran into my neighborhood polycule and random local hotties. Perfect spot to fall in love with a sexy drifter (they/them), even if it’s just for the night. You might as well smoke at the bar because you’re gonna smell like it anyway.“