I took my wife here for our 1st experience here, ( late Valentines dinner) Sunday February 15, 2026. The ambiance was wonderful, not too dark, not too bright! Chatter noise was low enough Iwe could reasonably talk together! She started with a french onion soup, steamy and thick, obviously homemade!! I had a lobster bisque with baquettes. She then chose the chicken fried steak with mash potatoes & green beans. I had the braised short ribs Mirepoix, garlic mash potatoes & csteamed carrots with short rib reduction! We topped the night off with a delightful PRINCESS DIANA'S Taste of Ocala award winning Bruleed Bread Pudding w/ fresh berries & Amaretto , Almonds!! Btw, the Chicken fried steak is offered every Sunday. Our server, Joanne, was excellent and very knowledgeable!! The only downside was about 3 items unavailable due to heavy traffic on Valentine's Day on Saturday. The tables were candlelit, clean, and seating was comfortable. I wont mention our coke & tea, we just dont imbibe in alcoholic drinks. But it appeared they had a wide assortment of choices!! I recommend THE BRAISED ONION!! read more

The food was pretty good but a bit pricy. My salmon was dry so I was disappointed after spending 45 bucks on that dish alone. The rolls and their butter were fabulous as was their onion fritters and short rib pasta. Service was great and the restaurant was a nice comfortable temperature. I'd go back but would skip the salmon! read more

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July 2026 - Nice place, friendly staff and great food. Stopped on a Friday afternoon and had the fish & chips: grouper fish. Try it, you'll like it. read more

Rolls they brought out were delightful, but I wanted to keep eating them. The Wellington wontons were delicious and cooked nicely, my salad was a huge disappointment because the dressing itself wasn't much in flavor or quantity, not very much of the goat cheese, and the best part of the whole thing was the small poached pear in the middle, and my husband said his salmon was overdone. I do very much regret, not trying their onion soup because I would imagine they would've knocked that out of the park or at least I would hope so. read more

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My wife and I heard some good reviews about Braised Onion so we made a "date" for a late lunch there. When we arrived, we were the only ones dining there. We were going to be seated at a stand alone table but we requested a booth and the hostess made it happen after checking with someone else...with the caveat that we have to leave by 6:30 PM since the table was reserved. We got there around 3:30 PM so we were quite sure we'd be out of there with plenty of time to spare. We perused their menu online so we pretty much knew what we wanted to order. My wife opted for the Braised Onion Soup and the Poached Pear Salad. I ordered the Short Rib Stroganoff after asking our server which one he recommended between that and the Kurobuta Pork Tenderloin. Our server added the short rib stroganoff is their most popular dish. The short rib stroganoff was served warm, not hot. My wife's soup was also warm and not hot. The stroganoff was OK, nothing that wowed me. The short rib was quite tender but did not stand out. My wife liked her soup but wished it was hotter. She thought her salad was tasty but wished it had more to counter the bitterness of the arugula...and the dressing, while tasty, didn't seem to be enough. The menu indicated toasted almonds but she doesn't recall seeing it in the salad. All in all, a disappointing meal for us. Service was lackluster as well...I had to track down our server to ask for more water...and we were the only diners in there! While the ambience was nice, the detached service, warm not hot dishes and lack of value make it difficult for us to consider coming back. Lunch for 2 with tip came out to just over $56 with tip. read more

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July 9, 2025 - Two for late lunch. We were travelling many miles and need a break and to relax. Came off the highway after about 40 minutes of web, Yelp, Google, Open Table etc searching in the car. Spoiler Alert: WORTH the diversion and as others say an unexpected diamond in the rough. Top of the list ----- SERVICE was exceptional by Allison!!!!! The zone defense kitchen and bus folks were pleasant and nice!!!! We also pleasantly and quickly seated and the host/hostess kindly said goodbye and asked about our experience. This was dining like in the 60s and 70s!!!!! My wife got the French Onion Soup $11 that was actually vegetarian made with a mushroom base.... she loved it!!! Found out the chef or owner is a vegan??? I was disappointed no vegan or vegetarian options on the menu listed??? 9/10 She got the Hawaiian Salad $15 and added 4 Shrimp $14. The salad was fantastic and varied and fresh - REALLY awesome. 10/10 She said the shrimp were good, but at $3.50 a piece - that's crazy. 2/10 for price. I went with the Large Farm Salad which might sound boring and plain - it was anything but!!! A picture here somewhere. Cucumbers, onions, carrots, spinach and mixed greens, tomatoes and a lovely dressing on the side that was tasty and light. 10/10 my only quip is I would have LOVED to had a bean (garbanzo, black, kidney, anything) option to add. I tipped more generously than usual as the service and people here were exceptional. A great dining experience. read more

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My family of 6 came here to eat dinner with my brother in law and his wife . We had a reservation for 5:00. There was one other table with people when we got there. We got sat right away and greeted by our server. Our server was nice and helpful with the menu. We ordered fish n chips, Hawaiian salad, pow pow chicken, and chicken picatta. The salad came out with fresh ingredients and the dressing was delicious. The rest of the food was not good. The pow pow chicken was mostly breading and no chicken. The few small pieces of chicken we did have were way over cooked. The fish and chips had the same problem - mostly breading and no fish. Also, they don't have tartar sauce. I've never been to a place that sells fish n chips that doesn't have tartar sauce. The dining area is an open concept. There were some plants spread around the place is clean. Over all, the server was nice but the food wasn't very good. I wouldn't recommend eating there. We will try someplace else next time we are in town. read more

From the moment we walked in the door, to saying goodbye, this restaurant delivered an amazing experience. The tables had cute Christmas candles and I thought the place was very charming and cozy. We made reservations, but because it was around 2 pm, it wasn't necessary. I had the top shelf margarita and it was excellent. My hubby had the Jameson manhattan and loved it! The braised onion soup was piping hot and full of flavor on a frigid day like today. We also shared the pow pow chicken and were surprised how much we truly enjoyed it. I got the short rib stroganoff and it was melt in your mouth with amazing flavors. My husband got liver and onions, and he also enjoyed it. We ended the meal with a homemade Oreo cheesecake. What a special lunch. Both of our servers were so kind and wonderful. We will remember this meal for a long time to come. read more

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6/5/2026. Friday evening. Hardly anyone there. Red light.... What happened to this Restaurant!!??? Used to be one of the better restaurants around. $35 dollar fish fry??? Really, 4 to 5 index finger sized, overcooked pieces of "grouper". Laughable sides. Drinks, OK. Other orders were, at best, mediocre. Portions were skimpy, except for the "grouper" fish fry, that needed to be seen to be believed! , bring your glasses. the way to upscale a restaurant is to upscale the food not upscale the prices. The parking lot, on a Friday evening said it all !!! Really Pissed........Wait staff was good. read more

Our 1st time eating here. Staff were friendly and attentive and went over the specials. Onion soup and the poached pear salad started our dinner. I have to say the onion soup was probably the best we have ever eaten and the poached pear salad was a delicious grouping of flavors. I had the braised beef rib stroganoff and it was delicious. All the flavors of the ribs and mushrooms and the homemade pasta was truly an explosion of flavors that was amazing. Husband had the pork tenderloin in a mango chutney. Very tender and flavorful. The dinner rolls are addictive as well as the honey garlic butter. Definitely a delicious dinner. Was very full after eating but brought home a pint of lemon blueberry ice cream and just had a sample. It is delicious. We will definitely be back read more

This place is a jewel; a must stop and try in Ocala! The ambiance gives off late 1990's bistros. The service was impeccable! Ask for Alyson, she was amazing! She gave great recommendations and described the dishes in delicious detail! My wife ordered the lobster Mac and cheese. With a hint of truffle oil. The truffle oil was a finishing note on the palate, not the star! The star was the lobster!!!! Wow amazing! I had the Delmonico steaks. The char flavor was exquisite! We are definitely coming back here for future meals! read more

Braised Onion - Del Monico steak with asparagus and mashed potatoes. - New American Near Me - Ocala, Florida

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Tried this while on the road from Jax to Ocala...great little setting with small bar area plus dining. Everything we ordered was fabulous; onion soup, short ribs, prime rib special. Service was prompt and our waiter knowledgeable. We will go back! read more

Above and beyond service with exceptional quality food. Enjoyed the Shrimp and Gritts along with a salmon salad. Delicious. Restaurant is nice and themed around onions. Very modern inside with a cute atmosphere read more

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Wow. We (as a family) had thanksgiving buffet here maybe 5-6 years ago, and absolutely loved everything. This trip was just lunch for my husband, myself, brother and sister in law. It was a late lunch (1:30). When we arrived we were seated promptly. The service was EXTREMELY slow. It took about 10 minutes to get 2 waters and an iced tea, but I had to be difficult and order a cocktail. My Bloody Mary took a half hour to get! 30 minutes for ONE drink. There were only a few other tables in this large restaurant. A 6 top, and two 2 tops. So 14 patrons in total, and it appeared I was the only one drinking alcohol so I'm not sure why it would take half an hour for just one drink. We had the fried green tomato appetizer, and the onion fritters. The tomatoes were very good, the fritters were terrible. There were no onions to speak of. More like globs of onion flavored, greasy batter fried until they were hard as rocks. I was the only one who liked my entree which was the bbq sandwich. My brother in law got the fish and chips which were also swimming in grease, and mostly breading, my husband had the short rib stroganoff which was a joke, no flavor whatsoever, and the pasta was cooked to death and mushy. My sister in law had the salmon which was also overcooked, dry and flavorless. $160 lunch (before tip) for a horrible lunch. We will never return. They must have changed owners or management. The service and food quality has plummeted. read more

This place is awesome. Service was great and the food was delicious. Better than we expected.

14 of us went out to dinner Sunday night. Their menu had something to please all our appetites! We had one server all evening Andrew and he was great! Customer service could not have been better. Drinks stayed full. His recommendations to were spot on. Sunday night country fried chicken was delicious. Coconut shrimp appetizer was light and flaky. Creme Brulee was dreamy. Andrew even took a group picture for us! Evening was a hit. Definitely recommend for a group dinner or intimate evening. Great server ask for Andrew! We will be going back soon! read more

Excellent food and service with nice atmosphere. Good for groups, families and couples.

Had good experiences in the past, so I booked a reservation with my Valentine. Big mistake. Had to wait (while most tables were empty) a half hour after reservation time to be seated. Then, bottom line, it cost approximately $200 for an OK meal. Server was either not well trained or very poor. e.g. had to ask multiple times for salt and pepper. Never got bread plates, although we could see them all around us. read more

Everything we had was 10/10! Gator bites! Bread and butter! Drinks! Dessert! They're known for their stroganoff and it was very delicious but pro tip: substitute the pasta with mashed potatoes.... new fav place even if I have to drive 45 mins! read more

Revisit this spot on our way back from Gainesville. Order some chicken parmigiana, coconut shrimp, and lobster bisque. The food is just amazing. read more

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The food and service were excellent, will definitely be back! Loved the atmosphere of the restaurant!

Delicious shrimp and grits; I've never really had grits with an entree before, so I thought I would try it. The shrimp is in a spicy sauce with sliced sausage; the grits did well with the sauce. There were fresh garlic rolls at each table and our server Alex, got everything right for the party of 17. Altogether, a lovely meal, cozy atmosphere, great service and reasonable prices. I heartily recommend! read more

One of the best dining experiences we have ever had! The food was absolutely superb; delicious, perfectly seasoned, and hot hot! Nice quiet and clean atmosphere. The service was second to none. Everything was timed perfectly. Fabulous restaurant! read more

Last night I finally tried The Braising Onion... after living in Ocala for over 20 years. Or at least, I attempted to try it. Checked online beforehand--Google clearly says they close at 10:00 PM. We arrived at 8:40 PM, which I thought was a respectable, law-abiding dinner time. About 20 minutes before 9. I figured, Great, plenty of time. At the door, I was told they "would not be receiving us." Not because they were at capacity--there were maybe 10-15 people inside--but because the kitchen closes at 9. Fair enough... except it wasn't 9 yet. I was then informed that next time I need to make a reservation. A reservation. For a restaurant that was mostly empty. On a regular night. Before closing time. I didn't say it out loud, but in my head I was doing Olympic-level mental gymnastics trying to understand how a place open until 10 can't take guests at 8:40 unless they booked a table like it's a Michelin-starred pop-up in Paris. To top it off, the gentleman at the door suggested we go to Harry's instead. Which is... a chain. And the whole reason I didn't go to Harry's was because I was trying to support a local Ocala restaurant. So instead, we happily went to our favorite Venezuelan spot, were welcomed with smiles, fed incredible food, and didn't need a reservation, a crystal ball, or a permission slip. Maybe The Braising Onion is amazing. I genuinely don't know. But after more then 20 years in Ocala, last night wasn't the warm local welcome I was expecting--more like a soft "please leave." Two stars for honesty at the door, but minus several points for closing vibes before closing time. Maybe next time... if I remember to book a reservation three business days in advance read more

A long overdue visit to The Braised Onion - we've talked about making a stop here for years and we finally did it! The atmosphere is perfect for date night. We risked it without a reservation and happily were seated right away around 6:30 pm. Rachel, our server, got us started with our drink order, some tasty bread and our appetizer order: an onion soup for my squeeze and the coconut shrimp for me. The shrimp came out first and was delicious! The pow pow sauce was a perfect blend of spicy and sweet. I wasn't as excited about the mango salsa, but it was fine. The soup, which came out super hot (and that's okay) was very good. Filet mignon, roasted asparagus and Mac/cheese. Ribeye, roasted asparagus and mashed potatoes. Oh. My. Word! Absolutely amazing food. Perfectly prepared, perfectly seasoned. The filet truly melted in your mouth. Even the bread served before dinner was perfect. A couple of the asparagus ends were far too tough, but so very tasty! The only negative - and this was a first for us - the steak knives were the absolutely dullest we have ever used at a restaurant. Not so bad as to impact the experience, but very surprising. Update: Second Visit Celebrating our 16th anniversary, we circled back to The Braised Onion for our second visit. Our reservations were a little early on a Sunday evening but the place was packed! My lovely bride had a braised onion soup for an appetizer and I had the shrimp cocktail. Both portions were enormous and so tasty! Oh my goodness! That Strip Steak was absolutely PERFECT! Melt-in-your-mouth perfect. The green beans were prepared just the way I like them - not too crisp, not too mushy. The filet was excellent and the asparagus was very flavorful. We finished off dinner with a (shared) triple layered cheesecake. So very rich! Another awesome dining experience! read more

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No cheese on onion soup. Pets welcome in add but almost declined service. While waiting for take out venomous caterpillars were crawling everywhere on patio so ate in car. Food was a disappointment. No French bread with soup this time either. Never again! read more

This place is the kind of restaurant that reminds you what "really good" tastes like. Every dish feels intentional, the flavors are clean and confident, and the service makes you feel genuinely welcome. The staff professional at the top level. read more

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They have the very best short ribs in Ocala, and their lobster bisque is to die for! Wait staff is attentive but not pushy, atmosphere is quiet and refined. Save for special occasions, because it's pricey but worth it! We will be back!! read more

This restaurant was such an unexpected surprise! The food was excellent- gourmet level entrees. We had the Pecan crusted Ora King Salmon - it melts in your mouth. The fried chicken is next level! So moist with an amazingly tasty crispy crunch. The short rib stroganoff was better than grandma's! Oh and the French onion soup and the creamy crab soup were both to die for. We didn't have reservations so had to sit at a high top In the bar area, which was fine with us. Our server was friendly and attentive. The We don't come this way often but we will definitely be back. A+++ read more

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Great food, really nice service in an open atmosphere. The ribeye was spectacular. Great reviews for the fried green tomatoes, liver and onions and prime rib at our table! But the ribeye was mine and it was terrific read more

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the onion has superbly cooked meals,with a very attentive wait staff and the dining area is mostly formal!!! This is the first one on my list MmmmHmmm. definitely good eating! read more

Love crossing town to enjoy their great food. Wish they added more the the dinner for the price. But over all a great place. Chicken and risotto $24. Sale should easily be free with this. read more

Very disappointed in meal. We went for a light meal, we ordered 2 appetizers and both had soup. I ordered lobster bisque, and hubby had onion soup. My soup was a lump of glutinous , heavy seafood stink, and no lobster. My husband's onion soup was ok. Appetizers we got the beef and mushrooms dumplings and green tomatoes. So dumplings were horrible, tasteless mush, and the tomatoes were Hard like rock, with cold crab on top, mostly corn. So glad we didn't order mains, 60.00 and we left hungry and disappointed. Nope never again. When will a Good rest open .Also we watched a large table being served, as the waiter was placing entrees down, he asked all if they were having dessert. Wtf just placed meals down. The entire table of 12 , were like What? We haven't eaten our dinners yet, the waiter wa like well it could save time. NO ONE got dessert. read more

We have been there several times. While the foo!d was good, I find it a little expensive. I do highly recommend it. They have a good Thanksgiving menu. We like the decor. The mixed drinks were good as well. read more

We had one our most memorable dining experiences last night at this family run establishment. We had the Beef Wellington wonton appetizer and it was a home run. We were a party of four and for entree's we had liver & onions, meatloaf, Beef Stroganoff and a swordfish special...everything was delicious. We tried a trio of the in house freshly made ice cream...the star was the lemon blueberry but all were great! Nice wine list and they certainly know how to mix a cocktail too! Our server was Matthew and here's amazing! We will be back for sure the next trip we make to Ocala! read more

Being from the San Francisco Bay Area. We have very high expectations for food and this place exceeded our expectations. We had the French onion soup, Lobster bisque and the lobster Mac n cheese. It was delicious. The service was great as well. read more

Fun place! The gal at the desk gave us a bit of a hard time saying we were too early but I showed her our confirmation and we were taken care of. Excellent food. Well prepared and big portions. Too big. Am a lobster snob from the northeast and had both bisque and lobster Mac and cheese. Great flavors. Bisque didn't seem to have much meat in it tho. Onion fritters were great too. Husband enjoyed liver and onions. Biggest hit was coconut cream pie. Cute decor but felt a little like function rooms were we were. Server was delightful and fun. Will be back! read more

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Excellent food and service. The eggplant rollatini was outstanding, and the wait staff was very attentive.

Food good along with service. Never overly loud. They do a brisk business. A little more upscale than most places in Ocala.

I was told this place was a hidden gem and damn if that is an understatement! Atmosphere is very comfortable and relaxing. I started with a nice martini and wife had Aperol spritz. Both were very well prepared. French onion soup was amazing. Lobster bisque was very tasty as well. Entrees were meatloaf and fish and chips. All I can say is wow! 2 traditional dishes prepared to perfection. All with a nice bottle of Chianti. What a great All around experience at a reasonable price. read more

Braised Onion - Fish and chip's - New American Near Me - Ocala, Florida

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