Gainesville Food Options

I've just found it to be the most consistent around here. We usually share a three meat combo with ribs, brisket, and turkey. I've never had bad ribs there, brisket is on point 90% of the time, and my wife likes the turkey. They have good sides and a great whiskey selection.

I didn't know they don't cook on site. They do a masterful job of keeping it fresh if that's true. I'm sure there's a shack somewhere on the eastside that has better food, but I haven't found it. Davids is awful, top hawg is awful, sonny's is sonny's (and most of them don't cook on site anymore either), 4 rivers is pretty good (but just another chain), backyard in Newberry is meh. There's a new weird little butcher shop place in Jonesville that has pretty good brisket, but they only serve one meat a day and only serve during lunch, and everything else there is lacking. *Forgot about Adam's- I've tried it a couple times, but we generally drive right by it to get to MOJO if we're craving BBQ. I know a lot of people like it, but it's not drawn me back for some reason.

I still make a run out to Dianne's in Hawthorne to get the original sonny's sliced beef, original beans, and original sauce, but that's more nostalgic for me than great bbq. Ken's in Lake City also has good sliced beef.

 

Chains are easy to get open and operating. They're proven and they work. The places we crave take special people to run them, and those special people are retiring. That's what it boils down to more than anything else, imo.

 

That place has been under renovation since two years before it opened. lol

Last time we were there, they told us the upstairs area was being converted to a take out kitchen. I don't care for it too much. If it's my choice, I'm going somewhere else.

 

Momoyaki on 13th is good Korean/Asian and Sushi. The Swamp on SW 2nd Ave is popular.

 

Gosh, that seems weird....was their old kitchen too small? That's gonna kill the little bit of sports bar vibe it had if so.

 

The Burrito Brothers didn't have any of their children that wanted to pick it up. One guy was able to franchise it and opened up a place in Carrollwood on N. Dale Mabry (that's Tampa for you non-locals). It was IDENTICAL in taste, quality and service to the original. I would go there as often as I could but they couldn't make it work even though they were more expensive than the original in Gainesville it was worth it.
They should have opened it in S. Tampa where all Gator alums live, not Westchase where all the Noles live.

 

Hard Pass on the current version of the Swamp unless you like drunk frat boys spilling beer on you. It never was much known for good eats and libations, it was all about the vibe and University Ave location. Now the location is terrible, especially if you don't want the vehicle you drive to the venue to get booted by the parking vultures.

 

From what they were saying, the demand was backing up their kitchen and causing issues with the dine in experience. I've been a half dozen times and never had a great experience. I haven't been in a while, so don't know if that's completed and operational, or scrapped, or whatever.

 

That is what I thought happened, and seems to be the way a lot of our local haunts have gone. Yes, the city is growing upwards. In that area, there's not really any other direction to go but up. It's cookie cutterish, gentrified, whatever, it is what it is, but I don't think it's what killed our favorite local places. What killed them is people simply getting old, and the new era wanting something easy and proven to invest their money in.

 

I haven't been to Gainesville for a few years, but last time I was there, really enjoyed this place called "Crafty Bastards" as the food was excellent. They also had Weihenstephan on draft, which was an awesome bonus

 

RIP Purple Porpoise, Skeeters, Napolatonos, Farahs, Burrito Bros, Cafe Gardens, El Indio, Tony and Pat's, Sovereign, The Swamp, Joes Deli, Original Pizza Palace, Calico Jacks, Leonardos, Steamers.

Those were the days...

 

All the developers are from Miami. Do the math. They're currently in the process of ruining my hometown of St. Petersburg. Miami 2.0 is clearly the blueprint and you can see it in the lack of authenticity in the pre-fab garbage they put up. These people literally assume that everyone in the state wants to be like them, when it's actually the opposite. It's really sad what's happened to Gainesville.

 

Whatever that bar restaurant is just north of Gainesville that serves all the sandwiches and beer and has the military aviation stuff all over the walls makes a pretty damn good sandwich and is a good place to have a beer

 

hogan’s? That’s well inside Gainesville, lol. It is good, we eat there at least once a month. Don’t forget your cash!

 

Yep, Archer and 34th is just a travesty. It's not even planned well from a traffic standpoint. I think there are 3 Publix's in that one area (that are close but you wouldn't want to walk to them).

 

Yep, that place is pretty good

 

They took over the old Albertson’s, so the one that’s been there forever and then the other in the next shopping strip over. Next closest ones would be 34th and Uni (which was torn down and rebuilt), 34th and 75, or the one at tower and archer. They all stay busy though. Could probably easily make money with another one or two stuffed in the middle. I’d personally prefer some more options, but Publix pretty much owns the state.

 

If it's cash only, you know it's good.

 

It's the developers buying the buildings in many cases. Then raising rent and pricing out all but the most well known chains. No way something like gator city or burrito brothers can compete with much fancier establishments that have private equity backing them.

Also the increase in international students and out of state kids funding their lifestyles on student loans means it's not the same type of student body. No longer a party crowd but more 'luxury' student living types.

Since the majority of your customer base cycles in and out yearly you don't have to worry about customer loyalty to old businesses or anything like that.

 

If you haven’t been to Gainesville in a while, there’s now a Publix on 13th St just north of University Ave