Not very impressed. Arrived after 1pm for a late lunch. Waited about 10 minutes to be seated. They were either short staffed or unprepared. 15 more minutes until server came to our table. I ordered the shrimp po boy with fries. Po boy had just 6 shrimp, but looked like more because of the heavy breading. My son ordered the garlic shrimp pasta. Pasta sauce was quite sweet, very little garlic. Really the only good thing was the crispy fries. Don't think I'll be returning any time soon. read more

Ordered delivery. Fried Shrimp platter, Grouper Sandwich, and Fried Flounder Fish with Chips. The main courses were very well prepared and tasty. My complaint is the wrong sides were sent that were not ordered. Ordered home fries and got French fries. Ordered sweet baked potato and received regular baked potato. Asked for cocktail sauce and tartar sauce and received none. Not paying attention to what customer ordered and not checking what goes out for delivery. Recommend eating at restaurant only as our meals were somewhat spoiled without properly Ordered sides and Condiments. read more

I worked near by and decided to try this restaurant. The reviews were very high, unfortunately my experience was okay. I am pescatarian so I eat a lot of seafood, and was excited when I saw this place near by. I ordered the Seafood Chowder and the Stuffed Mushrooms. The chowder was great, very flavorful but my to go container was only filled 2/3 of the way. The stuffed mushrooms were the downfall of this order. They look very appealing but the filling has nothing that is promised in the description. It states that it has scallops and shrimp and cheese, the insides are just cream cheese. That does not justify an 11 dollar price tag on 5 mushrooms without any real filling. Really disappointed but I would still try their other options based on the chowder. read more

Northwest Grille - Seafood Chowder - Seafood Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

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It's been a while since I've eaten here and that was long before Yelp. My fiancé and I stopped in for lunch after Christmas shopping and wow, were we ready for a cold beer! We opted for a local, the First Magnitude 72 Pale Ale, one of our favorites. It was cold and didn't disappoint. Let me add that we had planned to eat at the restaurant behind Northwest Grill (cold beer and a burger) but it wasn't open. So here we were....at a seafood restaurant. I decided to stray off the "seafood at a seafood restaurant" (aka "When in Rome....") philosophy and ordered a grass fed burger with home fries. The burger was cooked almost to order but acceptable (I ordered medium rare and it was medium in the middle and slightly more done at the edges but still okay). The flavor was good and it was served on a ciabatta bun. Okay, so we're doing pretty well so far. Then, screeching halt. The home fries. They looked like yesterday's (or a few days before) leftover baked potato that was sliced and fried. They didn't taste bad but they didn't seem fresh. I was hungry so I ate some but I wish they had been fresher. I love potatoes with the skin and had these been not quite so hard they would have been great. Even better if they had thrown in some onion! So, that's why I'm giving a three. I'm not sure I'll be back anytime soon but next time I will order seafood! read more

Northwest Grille - Grass fed burger with home fries - Seafood Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

Great food! We really enjoyed their appetizers of fried gator and calamari. Only con is that it's two hours away from my house. I'll def be back next time I'm in Gainesville area. read more

I ate there yesterday evening and had the crab cake appetizer and Gorgonzola steak. The crab cakes were cold inside. The grilling did not get them even warm. Perhaps they were frozen to start and the sauce was overpowering. I am from Baltimore and have had better crab cakes in a roadside diner. The steak may have been better but the mushroom gravy was WAY too salty and ruined it . The loaded baked potato was well done. The service was good, but overall I was very disappointed. read more

The food was good and plentiful. Had the Thai shrimp, St. Augustine shrimp and chicken salad sandwich. The fried portabella mushroom appetizer came hot and the dipping sauce was garlicky. Had a Caesar salad for a side and it was as large as a main Caesar is at most restaurants. The shrimp were fresh and properly cooked. No runner shrimp here. Service was very attentive. Will be back. read more

I have been going to Northwest Grille for over twenty years. It is my favorite restaurant in Gainesville. For the past two years we have been doing takeout rather than dining in. Always good no matter. Love this place. read more

I am now back in Ohio and I miss The Northwest Grille already! I could eat there everyday. Nowhere have I found Fried gator tail and fried oysters any better (and I have sampled many places)!!!! I like the light breading on the tail and oysters. Such a wonderful menu and such reasonable prices! Gainesville is lucky to have the Northwest Grille. Our server "Tee" was so much fun...glad we got her table! I wonder if they can deliver the gator tail up to Cleveland!?! read more

Food was good. I had the fried oyster as an appetizer and the drunken grouper as my meal. Love the cheese grits they are unlike any I have ever had. Fries were very bland, next time I would get double grits. The grouper itself was good but the garlic and sauce on top of it was not great at all, dont recommend anyone ordering that. Was my first time being here and I will definitely be back to try some other dishes. read more

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We were in Gainesville and decided to look for food; lots of possibilities but my husband wanted steak and we got lucky on this one! The specials sounded wonderful - more fish options than expected, but he was determined and decided on an 8oz sirloin - it was cooked perfectly and with the 2 sides @ $16. Seemed like a bargain! Lots of great choices between the specials and regular multi page menu with a wide variety of proteins and non meat options and by the way LOTS of beverages as well (fancy cocktails, tried and true, wines and beers). Despite being tempted by a shrimp etc over angel hair, I really wanted the portobello Napoleon appetizer featuring a stack of hot mushroom, crab cake, sliced tomato and eggplant, then topped with arugula and shredded Reggiano - AND an olive oil and pesto border - it was perfect. Deciding that maybe just some soup was a good plan, I ordered the loaded potato soup du jour - big mistake- huge soup plate of serious sustenance meaning that over half of my mushroom madness came home along with the death by chocolate that himself could not finish. (That was actually a little rich for me, I would have gone with the pineapple upside down cake). Our waiter Adam, was attentive and friendly as was the hostess at the door - everyone was moving fast and getting it done. Located in a shopping plaza, it seemed like a locally loved inspired casual dining place and was a great find for us. read more

Ordered fried oysters, stuffed fried shrimp, gator tail, crab cakes, shrimp penne, cheddar cheese grits, and broccoli. The cheddar cheese grits were cold they looked very cheesy but they did not taste cheesy at all. Broccoli is broccoli there's not much you can do to dress that up. The shrimp penne had a nice cheesy Alfredo sauce that was pretty good and the gator tail was good but over all not impressed with anything else. Very bland and boring not worth the money. read more

Didn't need all the French fries but the small amount of seafood I did get was tasty. I got 3 diff seafood combo (fried oysters blackened scallops and fried fish) Togo. Again didn't realize it was more fries than seafood. read more

The food was really good, particularly the seafood. Grouper Sandwich was excellent. The fried potato side item was great compliment to the main dishes. All u can eat fried fish was solid!! Not too many places have all u can eat fried fish. This restaurant is highly recommended. read more

Was visiting family and went out to lunch with them, decided on this place. Wasn't impressed. The tuna on the tuna melt was cold, and the food took a while. There was way too much seasoning on the home fries. A good atmosphere in the restaurant though, with a nice theme. It was good, but I probably wouldn't go back. read more

My husband and I had dinner here for the first time and we're looking forward to a good seafood meal. Let me first say, we are in our 60's and grew up in Florida. We have fished all our lives and we know the difference between good fresh seafood and frozen or not so fresh seafood. We are adventurous eaters and rarely have anything left on our plates to ask for to go boxes. We have never returned anything to the kitchen when eating out and generally are not that hard to please when it comes to food. We had ordered the fried shrimp during the pandemic and loved it, so we finally made it to dine in this restaurant for the first time. Sadly, we were so disappointed. First, we ordered the Paloma cocktail special which was advertised as tequila, fresh grapefruit juice, lime juice and simple syrup. Paloma is my favorite cocktail and this was not prepared properly - it tasted like a powdered mix had been used rather than fresh juice and there was zero sweetness to it, it was bitter and undrinkable. I asked the waitress to just ask the bartender if something had been left out or to add some agave syrup (which should be used for a Paloma) or add simple syrup. She was very nice and returned quickly with the same drink and said they added simple syrup. One taste and it was still an over powering bitter taste and we could not taste tequila at all and could not get past how bitter it tasted. For the first time ever, I send a cocktail back and asked for wine. Then, moving to the appetizer we ordered the mahi-mahi dip with crackers for $11. I love smoked fish dip or any fish dip, but this was mostly mayonnaise and celery with very little fish or flavor. Next, I had the special of the day - grilled swordfish for $24 that does not come with sides but the waitress described it as placed on a bed of roasted corn, mixed peppers and black beans. The fish was a good portion and cooked right but it was on a bed of hominy, not roasted corn. I am far from a picky eater but I don't like hominy and would not have ordered it if I had known that. I did not complain and just enjoyed the fish but was disappointed I had asked twice for the waitress to describe what it came with - she had said the second time that is was a roasted corn but similar to polenta - umm, no, hominy is neither roast corn or polenta - it is very bland and tasteless. The dish also had three boiled shrimp that tasted like farm raised frozen shrimp and they had no seasoning at all. My husband couldn't wait to get his St Augustine fried shrimp ($19). He dug in and after the first shrimp he asked me to taste one. I did and it was over done and tasted like a ton of seasoned salt was in the breading. I put salt on everything and I could not eat more than one. For the first time I can remember, my husband did not clean his plate, he ate four of the fourteen shrimp and just ate his coleslaw and half of his garlic mashed potatoes. He said the potatoes did not have any flavor or seasoning and just didn't taste good. He ordered peanut butter pie and enjoyed it but said it was typical refrigerator boxed pie. So, it was $70 and $84 with tip. I'm not sure what has happened to this restaurant, but the quality of their food has taken a nose dive simce 2020 when we're ordering pick up dinners that we really enjoyed. We so wanted this meal to be good, but it was marginal at best at high prices, we will not go back. read more

The Napoline Mushroom Appitizer was Asome, and the Thia Shrimp was amazing. Server was great, sorry I can remember her name. Price was right. read more

Friendly, efficient, and helpful server. Delicious trout lightly battered and served hot. Delightful chicken piccata served with of linguine (extra charge). read more

I had the beer battered fried shrimp & my wIfe had the steak & fried shrimp (lighter portion) we both did an upgrade to the side salad. The salads were well worth the $1.50 up charge! They included almond slices, raisins & a large slice of red bell pepper - really nice and worth the up charge. I should have gotten the lighter portion fried shrimp because they are very large shrimp and then my wife gave me most of hers . Her steak was cooked just right but she could not eat all of it after polishing off her sweet potato/ and salad. A nice dark bread loaf was included. Sadly, the desserts looked great but we had no room. Maybe next time. read more

Whoever does afternoon salads on Saturday deserves a raise. Greens were clean, well cut, and dry. Also best salmon I've had in a while. Got what I paid for, 5 stars. read more

First time visiting this restaurant. Arrived at 7:00, no reservation. We were seated in about 15 minutes. Took a few minutes for the server to check on us. Ordered surf and turf (filet medium well) and a combination platter (fried shrimp and trout). Waited over an hour for our food, was delivered lukewarm and the filet was RARE! Server didn't check back for several minutes, then offered to return the steak to the kitchen. I said don't bother, we've waited long enough to eat. Manager deducted $20.00 from the bill for the steak, no apology for the delay or messed up order. Will not be returning the Northmess Grille. read more

This place was amazing. We started out with the crabmeat fondue which we enjoyed (although I would have liked a bit less spinach). I ordered the fried cod which was delicious, and my husband ordered the salmon with the shrimp/goat cheese topping and he really enjoyed it. I also liked that the salads had almonds and craisins as well. Our server was very attentive and efficient. We visit Gainesville about every 3 months so we are excited to eat here again! read more

We were in Gainesville on business and a friend suggested Northwest Grille for dinner. We were not disappointed. All 3 of us ordered the St. Augustine shrimp and they were fresh and delicious. Our server was prompt and attentive without hovering. We will definitely return the next time we're in Gainesville. read more

Just looking for seafood restaurants in Gainesville, this place had good reviews so we tried it. We arrived at 2:30 and they had a Sunday Brunch until 3. We were told we could order from the menu. We had the hot crab dip which was served with a loaf of great bread. It was plenty for Both. Then the seafood chowder was thick and rich. The entrees were just as good. Fairly priced but the service was wonderful. Our waitress was prompt and was on top of our needs. The villages would be happy to have your next location so we wouldn't have to drive so far next time, but we will be back! read more

I went here when my parents came up to Gainesville visit me and had a wonderful experience! Our waiter was extremely attentive and friendly, and there was a great variety of appetizers and main courses to choose from. Food was very good, definitely come here if you want to visit a great local restaurant! read more

Do not walk in...MUST make reservations! We have been waiting an hour, still not sat, they said 35 minutes. Reservations get sat first.

I have been by this place several times over the last year or so. First chance to stop and eat. I had the NW burger as you see by the picture I posted. The burger was good and juicy and not over cooked. You get a choice of ff, home fries, or coleslaw. I opt for the home fries which are baked potatoes sliced and then fried. Only thing I have an issue with is the menu you have a lot of alacart items. If you order the fried chicken strips, that's $3 more for fries. read more

Northwest Grille - Northwest Burger - Seafood Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

Used to come here often when they had first opened but then the quality sharply declined. After several years we met some friends there and well...... Service spotty and the food was not all that good. Had fish and chips. Heavily breaded but it didn't really stick and the fish was slightly over. The other dishes around the table just didn't wow anyone. Not sure I will go back. So sad since it was so very good when they first opened. It's almost like they have lost their passion to produce great food. read more

Normally I like eating here, but I had such a terrible experience today I had to write this review. My group of six called ahead and made a reservation for 11:30. We got there early and waited patiently. The restaurant was not busy at all. We could see numerous empty tables that could have accommodated us. At 11:45, we asked politely about our reservation and were told it wasn't actually a reservation, but a call in (not what we were told on the phone). By noon, we had watched several parties walk in without a call ahead and be seated - even one that was a party of five, nearly our size. We inquired again politely, indicating an empty, clean table with six chairs at it. There was no one else waiting. The hostess coldly told us that there might be a group coming in the next 10 minutes. What about the group that's been waiting for 45 minutes? If there are no reservations, how could this other group have priority? We were all going to order full meals and alcoholic drinks. We're big tippers and easy customers. It was so saddening to have this experience, because I used to take everyone here. It was the only place I would go out for brunch or breakfast in Gainesville, but after the experience today I am going to find a new place to enjoy my Saturday and Sunday mornings. read more

The food was great! The service was excellent. The waitress catered to my food allergies and made efforts to make sure it was right. I will definitely be back! read more

Northwest Grille - House Salad with Italian - Seafood Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

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Our first time eating here... we will definitely be back! We did have reservations since we were advised it would be busy on a Friday night! Friendly host staff welcomed us and got us to our table. Our server was great giving us great recommendations and took great care of us! The food was very good... we got the mussels for an appetizer followed by the stuffed grouper and chicken caprini - all was fantastic! They also have a huge variety of desserts so we got a carrot cake to go - also delicious!! Great food, great service! Well done! read more

We found Northwest Grille on google as we traveled through the area. We saw the great reviews, and loved that it is a local, family owned business. We were greeted at the door and promptly seated. My wife is a light eater and went with the peel and eat shrimp as her meal. I had the St Augustine style fried shrimp. Both portions were generous and get high marks for perfect cooking and seasoning. The only negative for me was the smashed potatoes which were extremely bland. Even copious salt and pepper couldn't save them so they went uneaten. Great service and highly recommended. read more

This rating is for service since I didn't have the opportunity to try the food. After 15 minutes waiting with no acknowledgement from either manager or waitress, I had to leave. I can't say it was because they were busy because they weren't at the time. Very disappointing. read more

OH- MY- GOD!!!!!! I went to this restaurant on a job outing with my tattoo shop and the food was absolutely to die for!!!! Reminded me of 5th Avenue seafood 5 star restaurants in NYC. Definitely try the fried mushrooms, gator bites and the combos. The service was perfect! Waiters were polite and pleasant! Not one complain for this place! A must try! Thank you to the staff and chefs there we are very happy! read more

This used to be a great lesser known restuarant. But like the Archer Road eateries it has become too crowded with long wait times and a ridiculous reservation system that leaves tables & boothes unoccupied far too long while walk-ins are standing waiting for a table. Sad to see this place become too popular. Not on my list of favorites anymore. read more

Had dinner tonight. In the past have had very good food and service. I ordered the seafood linguine All of the seafood was over cooked, chewy and tough. The bread was so hard on the bottom could not cut with the knife given, overall was very disappointed. read more

Food was great. We had no problem ordering or with our meal. I ordered the stuffed Florida grouper with a sweet potato and cheese grits. Very good. For desert I had the salted caramel cheesecake, amazing. We had someone order a desert and a small piece came out so they brought a 2nd piece. The waitress was very friendly. I would recommend this place. read more

We had a 40th wedding anniversary at north west grill with a party of 29. The service and the food was fantastic. All food came out hot At the same time. No one was disappointed. They surpassed all my expecations. Great job!!! read more

Here's why Northwest Grille gets 4 stars: They really enjoy their customers. If you go there twice they remember you. Not because they're not busy (because oh yes they are busy!) but because they're just that good. The staff all seem to have worked there for awhile; turn over doesn't seem to be something they ever have to worry about. They're friendly. Honestly, not the fake, "What are we going to have tonight, dear?" Well, I'm going to eat a blackened grilled chicken dinner with a side of French fries; not sure what you're going to eat. Northwest's clientele is mostly older but because they have an excellent brunch younger 20- and 30-somethings are showing up. It's a family friendly place. The food is good. My husband adores the steaks. I'm down with the death by chocolate cake...or the grilled chicken breast. YUM! So why not 5 stars? Well, it's really the dated decor. Yes, it's a seafood restaurant but it doesn't need to look like a Cedar Key tourist shop. It used to be dark inside but they painted everything white. So it's a bit brighter. Just...I don't know. I think it would be good to have some improvements since it is such a popular place when people want fresh and local seafood. Oh yeah, LOCAL seafood, y'all. Like just down the street, either coast. read more

I am reviewing Northwest Grill because we DID NOT go there tonight. I couldn't get excited about going there. Maybe they have the blues, or maybe they have lost their fire - I don't know - I just know they peaked a couple of years ago, and given the opportunity to go there last night, we chose to go somewhere else. Northwest Grill, even when it first opened, had this old feeling to it, like a throw back 70's family restaurant, and it was kind of hit and miss for many years. Had there been a Yelp back then, I would have given them 4 stars. But then, 5 or 6 years ago, it got its stuff together: the menu started clicking, they started putting out some really delicious specials, and somehow the the greeters and servers became less depressed, and they joined the 21st century. The whole feel of the restaurant changed for the better. One of the specials they did a lot, the stuffed grouper, is my favorite. It is tricky and delicate, and they do not always get it right - often the grouper is over cooked, and sometimes the stuffing is undercooked - but the balance and flavors really work, and, when it is served with the dirty mash potatoes, the potato and the sauce and the fish and stuffing all come together into an absolutely heavenly special. They also have a sushi grade rare sesame incrusted tuna steak that is yummy - yes, I eat so much tuna that I get taller in the summer and shorter in the winter. My husband says Northwest Grill is the only inland place in North Central Florida that has a clue how to batter and deep fry a scallop. They are arguably the best Gainesville location for a variety of seafood. So perhaps I have just been there on off nights, but lately the greeters have not seemed happy, and the wait staff has not been engaging, and the bar has not been putting care and love into making a precise drink. And worst of all, the specials have started to loose there specialness. They should start calling the specials the occasionals. It seems to me, based on a very small sample of recent experiences, that the restaurant is starting to loose its energy again. So I am giving Northwest Grill 4 stars in the hope that I am either being unfair or that Northwest Grill finds it's heart again. I will revise or re-review them in the fall. I am hoping, expecting them to become a 5 star dining experience again. read more