Alright, this is one of those times that I must say some honest words that aren't all glowing and…read morepositive but I shall be fair as well. This is a good restaurant on the verge of greatness, short version. The longer version reads like this: First, the service here at Sanctuary on the Square is warm, fast, a pleasant feel. And the space itself is cool, on an awesome little small downtown square, so lots of positives to mention. Now, I LOVE tapas. IMO it is a cuisine tailored to the show off chef, but that also means it must be done with flair, beauty and flavor. LOTS of flavor... and that's what was missing here tonight. The goat cheese croquettes were nice and the shrimp scampi was too, but is "nice" what the kitchen is hoping to hear? I'm thinking not. Even the blue cheese on the gorgeous wedge salad was a tad underwhelming. Three dishes and I did not finish even one of them. Now, to be fair, I have very high standards and a breadth of food experience, so if the kitchen insists I expect too much, they could be on to something. And honestly I'd bet this was a mid-week off night, so ultimately I suggest you give it a try and decide for yourself. For me, though, it came in just under the standard I'm looking for. Cheers until the next one!

We came in on a Saturday night as a party of two with no reservation, and they were kind enough to…read moreseat us. Our waiter was pleasant, attentive, and genuinely tried -- so none of this reflects on him. We tip regularly, and we still did, because the issues we experienced felt more like management and kitchen pacing, not server error. The biggest problem was the timing of the food, and it was honestly awful. Our soups and appetizer came out almost at the same time, which I could have overlooked -- but then the entrée was dropped on the table immediately after the soup, with no pacing at all. It wasn't even our waiter bringing the food; it was other staff members just setting plates down without checking where we were in the meal. Because my entrée was seafood, it cooled down quickly while I tried to finish the earlier courses. Then the scallops came out undercooked, partially clear in the center. When I mentioned it, the waiter said it's a common complaint because they don't cook them long or they fall apart. He took them back, and they came out more cooked -- still not great, but at least edible. The dish itself (with black bean hummus, corn, and avocado) wasn't worth the price. The corn tasted like cold canned corn, and overall the entrée just didn't feel special. My husband had the spinach, chicken, and bacon salad and enjoyed it. Both soups -- tomato basil and butternut squash -- were delicious. The brie rosemary dip was just okay. There were a few flies around the table, which was annoying, and the inside is a bit dark, so more lighting would help. I can see myself coming back to try more soups, salads, appetizers, and burgers here, but I'll avoid the dinner entrées unless reviews become more consistently positive. There's definitely room for improvement, especially with pacing and kitchen execution.

One of the best restaurants in Gainesville, if not the best. The owner is extremely nice and is…read morealways happy to see me every time I eat here. Butter chicken is absolutely amazing, the sizzling special salad with the chicken skewers is another favorite of mine. The ambiance is another great part, the place is very dimly lit with relaxing music and is present in a very old house. It makes you feel very at home. Highly recommended! Note - The lunch and dinner services are a bit different, at lunch you order butter chicken, receive rice, naan and a small salad. But at dinner, you order a protein and it only comes with rice, but you receive a much larger portion, everything else comes separately. But they're more than willing to provide a lunch portion during dinner, and vice versa, just worth keeping in mind.

Ooooooh my gawwwwd. I have to say, best Indian I've had in America. Seriously. Get the garlic naan…read morewith whatever you order, holy lawd it's amazing. My husband got the goat bhuna and I the chicken tikka masala. I also ordered a red wine and garlic naan... absolutely fantastic. My two year old actually said "delicious" when he had the naan Highly recommend!!!!! Ambiance is fine dining Service was fantastic. Go go go!

A Gainesville favorite for my wife & I. The food is excellent and top tier service. Katie was a…read moregreat waitress. If you place a reservation like we did, they will seat you right away at a reserved table. Great drinks, great food, easy parking by the deck. We'll be back weekly!

Grew up in south texas. This is one of the best mexican restaurants ive tried. Home made thick…read moretortillas, everything made to perfection! Good service, nice atmosphere, great location. Wasnt expecting to find this diamond in the rough in gainesville ga

Luna's catered a birthday party at my home in December. The food was amazing and Jason (one of the…read moreowners) & his staff were unbelievable. They took care of every detail, from setting up the tables/chairs & linens, to serving the food, to mixing drinks to clean up. The entire experience was seamless. We will definitely use them again because they offer such high quality and great value. We have also eaten at the restaurant in downtown Gainesville. The food is excellent there as well.

This is a review for the Easter brunch only…read more I'm sure my grandparents would've loved this place if they were still around. You got your white tablecloths, rooms full of retirees, and a vibe that hasn't changed much since the Reagan administration. Unfortunately, there was none of that live music that this place is known for. My family and I came for the Easter brunch buffet @ $55/person. The menu looked great: herb crusted prime rib at the carving station, shrimp and grits, Belgian waffles, deviled eggs, bourbon glazed carrots, cheesecake dessert squares. But the reality was that it's more like an upscale hotel breakfast. Safe, mostly bland, and probably exactly what the "usual" crowd there was looking for. The bacon was overcooked and shriveled. The deviled eggs didn't even have any paprika. And who puts a giant vat of syrup BEFORE the waffles? And their signature strawberry punch would've tasted way better chilled or iced instead of being kept at room temperature. The prime rib was what made it all worth it. It was tender, juicy, cooked just right, and the horseradish took care of their seasoning problem. That carving station is what saves the day along with the fantastic staff. Even the manager was great to talk to. I just wish the rest of the food was better than "meh." A couple of tips: call for reservations, there's no online booking. Parking is annoying because of the app. If you don't have a walker, just use the giant free public lot one block over on Main Street. Also, the "Order" button on their website goes nowhere. Maybe just replace it with "Menu," Luna. Looks like Mother's Day is getting the breakfast buffet brunch encore, so if you want to experience what I did, go for it. I probably won't be back even though the regular menu looks interesting.

If I could, I would give Cotto 6 stars. Located in the historic square in Gainesville, GA, Cotto…read moreModern Italian restaurant was one of the best dinners we've had in a long time. Compared to south Florida's cost of living, the pricing is surprisingly inexpensive for the quality and service. We brought our standard poodle with us, since we were on vacation. We enjoyed their outdoor seating, which was spacious and relaxing. We were welcomed and really made to feel at home. For my south Florida friends, if you are passing through north Georgia, Cotto's should definitely be on your itinerary.

Atmosphere is beautiful! My husband and I have been there several times celebrating special events…read moreand taking guests and friends as well... only disappointment is the hit or miss service. Starts out great and then declines:(

I was meeting a buddy of mine in Gainesville to celebrate his birthday. This is where we want to…read morecome. We were very happy with our experience here. Get to eat deviled eggs for an appetizer they were very tasty! I got a brisket, Philly it was super tasty. Service was phenomenal,. Overall, this is a great restaurant in Gainesville. I will be back!

This was me & my husbands 7th year anniversary, we wanted to get out and go somewhere nice…read more Im really satisfied and happy that we chose this place. There was an aura in the air when we got here, i swear im not being dramatic. The smell of the food hit us walking up, but it wasnt over-powering...it was just the right "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" amount. Our waiter was attentive and consisent with checking on us and asking about quality - while answering other tables which im sure is difficult. I wasnt able to quite catch his name - but that is on our part since we didnt let him know we hadn't heard when he did say his name. The other waiter that brought out the food was also kind. The food was of course delicious, unsuprising since the other reveiws had already raved so much to the point it was honestly kind of expected. The steaks on both plates had been cooked to perfection - my husband and I are grateful to the chef that unknowingly gave us such a wonderful anniversary dinner. The Mozzerella Mac & Cheese had such depth of favor. The cheese though... we are absolutely suspecting the chef of using gouda! Smokey and rich in flavor - thoroughly creamy & cheesy with such consistent flavoring... we loved it. The fries were homemade and delicous, not much to say besides the fact they didnt taste of chemical preservatives whatsoever. In fact, I think at one point both our stomach thanked us for eating this wonderful food. My drinks were delicious, we got the Georgia Mule and then the margarita that is also on the drink menu. Both were delicious but the Georgia Mule was refreshing! Hands down the best we have ever tried. The weather, sun, and love of my life definetely played a part of this reveiw - I must be honest of my bias. The band that was playing on 03/24/2026 was great. If I could compare the vocalist I would say they sound exactly that of the singer "Hozier". Thank you to everyone that played a role in the experience.

We were pleasantly surprised this Gainesville restaurant. Our table sampled several different…read moreappetizers and a small plate. All amazing. Fried pickles that were perfectly seasoned, pimento cheese Rangoon that had a very unique flavor and delicious dipping sauce, our friends enjoyed bacon wrapped dates. We also tried the duck confit chorizo egg rolls. I didn't taste the chorizo, but the egg rolls had a fantastic flavor. I had hush puppy coated fried red fish over smoked Gouda grits. It was so good. My wife and one of our friends had the chicken special. So many flavors. The final dish at the table was the short ribs that were, again, seasoned perfectly. The only challenge was how loud it was in the restaurant. When we arrived, there weren't many people in the restaurant but, as the place filled up, it became impossible to carry on a conversation. However, the service was great and the food was interesting and flavorful. Definitely recommend!

Recess saved my 80th birthday party! When another restaurant where we had made arrangements closed…read more(with zero notice), Recess was eager to bail me out. With 24 hours notice, I was able to book the party room and our 30 guests enjoyed a great meal and beverages. Kudos to Emily & Daphne for their outstanding service and attention to detail.

Had been a minute since I've eaten here. Bragged on the burgers to some out of town friends…read more So disappointed in the burgers. We went late lunch during the week but it's hard to chalk it up to time of day. The burger was less than average. Maybe a different beef supplier than in the past. Small, overcooked, relatively flavorless. Tiny plate with few tots. May give it a try again when I'm up that way, and hope it was just a fluke. Service was slow for it being an after lunch and no one there.

Our first visit there. Sat at the bar, which is a lot more comfortable than the tables in the…read moremiddle of the room. The back and arms of the table chairs are short - quite uncomfortable for tall people. Anyway, we asked to be moved to the bar which they accommodated. Our bartender is also the manager during the week. Friendly, professional, and the drinks were awesome. We ordered a half order of the nacho chips as an appetizer. And then I had the salmon entrée and my husband had the Philly cheesesteak sandwich. Both were amazing! Definitely recommend if you haven't been there before. We will return for sure!