



 |
|
|
|
|


Gainesville, FL
Best American (Restaurants) (10 Overall Closest) |
 |
|
Café Gardens |
|
(Restaurants - American) |
|
1643 NW 1st Ave, Gainesville 32603 352-376-2233 |
 |
| |
Description:
GAINESVILLE. Hidden away off University Avenue, Café Gardens can be a little hard to spot, but that's one reason locals love it. The other is definitely its private outdoor patio, which is always the best place to enjoy any time spent here. The menu essentially consists of burgers, sandwiches and salads, with a few main courses thrown in for good measure. Whatever you order, don't forgo the sweet potato fries – they're a signature, and for excellent reason. Local art and live music are added perks, and the restrooms are papered in ocean depth charts. Very Florida! |
| |
|
|
 |
|
Mark's Prime Steakhouse |
|
(Restaurants - American) |
|
201 SE 2nd Ave Union Street Station, Gainesville 32601 352-336-0077 |
 |
| |
Description:
GAINESVILLE. Special-occasion dining reigns at Mark's, a top-quality, downtown steakhouse. Wood-grilled USDA Prime beef, sizzling and butter-basted, comes in a number of cuts, from an 8-oz. filet to a 20-oz. rib-eye. If that's not to your taste, opt for crab cakes, chicken breast, lobster tail, lamb chops, ahi tuna or pork chops. Family-style, a la carte side dishes include asparagus, mashed potatoes and a classic creamed spinach. For the complete Mark's experience, splurge on a rich dessert, and indulge in a good vintage from the wine list, which exceeds 600 bottles. |
| |
|
|
 |
|
Mildred's Big City Food |
|
(Restaurants - American) |
|
3445 W University Ave, Gainesville 32607 352-371-1711 |
 |
| |
Description:
GAINESVILLE. Mildred's has built a stellar reputation on sublime food crafted from only the best and freshest local and organic ingredients. Everything is homemade, and quality and flavor are painstakingly maintained. The menu changes daily, but you can expect dishes like braised rabbit, grilled pork chops, prosciutto-wrapped black grouper, seared duck breast and Black Angus filet mignon. An exceptional wine list promises apt complements to any meal, and topnotch desserts are made in-house. The lunch menu offers gourmet salads and hot and cold sandwiches along with a few main courses. Next door, the New Deal Cafe is great for quick, casual dining, thanks to sandwiches, burgers, salads and scrumptious, one-dish entrees. |
| |
|
|
 |
|
New Deal Cafe |
|
(Restaurants - American) |
|
3445 W University Ave, Gainesville 32607 352-371-4418 |
 |
| |
Description:
GAINESVILLE. Located next door to Mildred's Big City Food, the New Deal Cafe offers the same great quality as her sister restaurant but with a lighter fare. Check out the 12-oz. burgers that they say are "the best anywhere!" Go with a classic burger, or try the blue cheese and bacon burger to wake up your taste buds. For the vegetarian, a delicious meatless portabella burger is offered. If a burger is not what you have in mind, other scrumptious eats are available as well. |
| |
|
|
 |
|
Paramount Grill |
|
(Restaurants - American) |
|
12 SW 1st Ave, Gainesville 32601 352-378-3398 |
 |
| |
Description:
GAINESVILLE. Chef-owner Clif Nelson, by all accounts, has a way with food. His insistence on fresh, premium ingredients and his talent for combining flavors and textures is always spot-on. The inviting, carefully edited dining room lets the menu shine whether you select pan-roasted pork tenderloin with its hint of horseradish or something like an herb-infused rack of lamb. If cheese couscous is available as a side, it's an innovation worth sampling, as are desserts, which get treated to Nelson's creativity and skill in presentation. |
| |
|
|
 |
|
The Yearling |
|
(Restaurants - American) |
|
14501 E County Rd 235, Cross Creek 32640 352-466-3999 |
 |
| |
Description:
CROSS CREEK. Located near Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' rural home and inspired by her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, this appealing restaurant is a wonderful throwback to Florida's early days. Florida Cracker fare, a variation of soul food, capitalizes on local ingredients and the culinary heritage of farming settlers, as evidenced by venison, steamed crawdads, fried catfish, alligator tail and frog legs. They're joined by USDA Prime steaks and a variety of other seafood options and accompanied by hush puppies, turnip greens, cheese grits and the like. Within the knotty pine-paneled restaurant, a fire blazes and memorabilia adds character. Plus, a staff of locals makes sure that everything's authentic, from citrus-tinged desserts to live blues music played by a talented one-man band. |
| |
|
|
|

|
|
|
|
|
 |