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Balls

3.8 (46 reviews)
InexpensiveDive Bars
Open 8:00 pm - 2:00 am (Next day)

Balls Photos

BALLS ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Juke Box
Live music
Loud
Good for groups

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Reviews With Photos

The urinal mints are on the floor as that's where most of the piss is.
Gerald R.

A true Dive Bar. The bathrooms are something less than a dive bar, which is hard to achieve and puts Balls into a league of its own. If you want to throw back some shots and puke, this is THE place in Gainesville for you. Great bartenders, wonderful wall art and colorful patrons. It really is a fun place.

a bathroom with graffiti on the walls
David B.

Terrible. I got super wasted, puked all over myself, a couple of chicks and the bathroom and nobody helped me. I though Gators would be more compassionate.

a man at a bar with a neon sign in the background

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2 years ago

Helpful 16
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3 months ago

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6 months ago

Worker was very rude to his own customer, kicked out a college kid for tipping one dollar on a drink, won't be coming back.

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2 years ago

A large selection of great drinks. Service - they will get you your order as fast as they can. Ambiance - unique and entertaining!

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6 years ago

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8 years ago

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

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7 years ago

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7 years ago

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14 years ago

Helpful 4
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17 years ago

Helpful 5
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13 years ago

Helpful 4
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16 years ago

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17 years ago

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11 years ago

Helpful 3
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8 years ago

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18 years ago

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9 years ago

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17 years ago

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5 years ago

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11 years ago

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8 years ago

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11 years ago

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9 years ago

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13 years ago

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17 years ago

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16 years ago

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13 years ago

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10 years ago

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14 years ago

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18 years ago

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10 years ago

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10 years ago

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11 years ago

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13 years ago

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12 years ago

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18 years ago

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12 years ago

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9 years ago

reat place to come with friends! Plenty of drink options, board games to play, tv on the wall, and music playing.

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Review Highlights - Balls

When I picture college bars, I see wet floors, gross bathrooms, shoulder to shoulder crowds and cheap drinks.

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Loosey's - Chili Dog

Loosey's

(211 reviews)

$$

We stopped in on a Saturday afternoon which was good because the parking meters weren't working on…read morethe weekends. On the street parking. Beautiful day so we sat outside in a lovely patio area. Great beer menu with draughts imported or domestic as well as a full bar. The menu was pretty much standard bar fare I had fish and chips and my wife had Mac and cheese. The fries on my plate were covered in salt. I tried to shake it off and wound up with a layer of salt on my plate. Most restaurant food is too salty for me as I cook at home low salt but this was crazy. I decided to try the Mac and cheese. It also had a cap of salt on it. I tried to dig to the bottom of the crock thinking that wouldn't be salty but I was wrong. The dish was prepared with salt throughout. Time to go and I did complain. The waitress said she hears that a lot and she offered to replace our meal to go but we didn't take her up on that offer. The fish was great! And we loved the vibe of the restaurant inside and out. I would go back again but knowing that I would order SALT FREE !!

Loosey's is s great little spot just 5 minutes from UF registration office. We happened to run into…read morethis establishment after touring UF. To be honest it looks like a old pub but we were pleasantly surprised how great the food was. We started with the Kalbi burnt ends which were great with its kimchi mayo. Then we shared the Nashvillle hot chic-fil-loosey which was fried perfectly. The mac-n-cheese which was creamy and delicious and finally the enormous chili dog topped there pbr chili that has beef and smoked sausage. All in all we had a great experience and can't forget about there great draft beer menu!!!!

Flaco's Cuban Bakery - Cuban sandwich

Flaco's Cuban Bakery

(278 reviews)

$

Friday night , we stopped into Flaco's for some late night eats after listening to our friend's…read moreband play at the bar/lounge next door. My first time at Flaco's but definitely NOT my last The person (who I assume must be the owner) working the register, taking the orders,and making the food was so kind, suggesting options for me given it was my first time there. I got the beef arepas and a cheese pastry cause I was not too hungry. The food was piping hot and delicious. Others in our group got their empanadas, Cuban sandwich, cheese arepas, quesitos, loaded nachos, and guava cheese pastry. As we sat there eating, the line was growing longer and longer, and out the door by the time we left. It was not due to slow service but volume of last night revelers. The one person working that night was incredibly efficient. Kudos to him. Clean bathroom is a good sign of a clean establishment. Flaco's bathroom was clean. I will be back for more tasty eats!

Has Flaco's quality gone down over the years, or was I just a drunk college student when I used to…read morelike it? We were driving up north and craving Cuban food, so we decided to quickly stop at Flaco's for a bite. The parking was horrendous, but that's expected of downtown Gainesville. Just as bad as the parking was their selection and quality of bakery snacks. The guava and cheese pastelitos were horrible; stale dough and barely any cheese. After my first bite I even thought they gave me the guava-only pastelitos... you couldn't taste the cheese. The empanadas were dry, and the dough was terrible as well, but the flavor of the filling saved them. The quesitos were the best of the bunch. If you're expecting South Florida quality Cuban dulces... you're in for a treat. Maybe I just had too high of expectations?

The Swamp Restaurant - It's dessert time at the swamp restaurant. Our mouthwatering warm skillet brownie is the perfect way to end dinner.

The Swamp Restaurant

(286 reviews)

$$

My friends and I came here for the CFB National Championship this past Monday and had a blast! The…read moreSwamp is probably the best place to go to watch any sporting event. The atmosphere is just the best and I always have a good time! Seating is first come, first serve or seat yourself situation. So if there is a big game, you should get there a couple hours early to ensure you get a seat. Otherwise you will be wondering the restaurant trying to pounce on an open seat the second you see one. We actually arrived 2.5 hours before the game even started and almost all the seats were taken already. While this can be a little chaotic, it really adds to the experience of eating here on a game day! It was absolutely PACKED for the national championship, people were even bringing chairs from home to sit outside. We ended up sitting at a small outdoor bar. Our bartender or server, Maddie, was excellent. She made sure we were satisfied the whole time and did a great job checking in on us. She was also super friendly and great to talk to! Considering how busy it was, the food didn't take too long to come out. When it is super busy, you can order food at the bar (inside or outside one) and don't need to have a table to receive service. The staff did a great job keeping up with everything and making sure things were running as efficiently as possible. For the food, the five of us started with an order of mozzarella sticks and their famous buffalo chicken dip. The mozzarella sticks are a new menu item and feature golden-fried mozzarella sticks, crunchy on the outside and gooey on the inside, served with ranch marinara. These were really, really good, with a nice cheese pull and the perfect amount of breading. I was quite surprised with how tasty these were! The Buffalo chicken dip consists of pulled chicken mixed with buffalo wing sauce, melted cheddar, pepper jack, and cream cheese, finished with ranch and an extra kick of hot sauce, served with tortilla chips, celery, and carrots. This was AMAZING and a perfect starter for the table to share. Served in a cast iron skillet, the portion is huge and the dip is super flavorful and creamy. There weren't enough chips served with the dip for all of us, but our server was happy to give us a complimentary tray of chips. I can easily see why this is a favorite and I will definitely be ordering this next time I come here! I also got a side Caesar salad and thought that was great as well. It was a nice portion, with fresh romaine, shredded Parmesan cheese, croutons, and capers. We ordered our entrees around kickoff, I ended up getting the Founder's Club Sandwich. The Founder's Club included a grilled chicken breast topped crispy bacon, lettuce, tomato, provolone cheese, served on toasted sourdough bread, with a side of swamp sauce. All the entrees come with fries, unless you want to upgrade to another side or request not to have them. I really enjoyed this sandwich. The chicken had a nice char to it and was surprisingly juicy. I appreciated the sourdough bread over a regular bun as well. The subtleness of the provolone cheese and the fresh tomato were great too! Overall, we had an awesome time watching the CFB national championship at The Swamp. The atmosphere and vibes are unmatched. Service was awesome and the workers there are so on top of things. Food hit the spot and the Buffalo chicken dip was our favorite. Can't wait to come back!!

We had a great experience at The Swamp Restaurant. Parking was okay, but since they don't have…read moretheir own lot, be prepared to walk a bit if you prefer something closer. We were seated promptly, and our waitress, Alexa C., was fantastic--very attentive and helpful. The food was delicious. I ordered the steak and cheese, which was flavorful, messy (in the best way), and definitely required extra napkins. C had the Spicy Ahi Tuna Bowl, and it was just as tasty. If we could change one thing, it would be to expand the on-tap menu or include more detailed descriptions of their specialty brews. The atmosphere was enjoyable, and it's a fun spot to hang out. Any Gators fan absolutely needs to stop by--it's part of the Gainesville experience.

Balls - divebars - Updated May 2026

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