I tried making a reservation for Saturday brunch the week of, but was told they were all booked. The waitress recommended coming invat 11AM when they open for first come, first serve seating. We showed up 5-10 minutes before 11 on a Saturday and the line was down the block already. From listening to people standing behind me, this is considered normal. When they did open, the seating process was very slow but thankfully we were able to get seats at the bar. We got mimosas, a bloody mary and a blackberry lemonade. The mimosas were the best value, bloody mary was good but tasted very salty, lemonade was not too sweet. My husband got the farmer's breakfast with sausage. He was very disappointed in it, the eggs had no flavor whatsoever. I got the hot chicken biscuits, which was pretty good. Chicken was juicy and biscuits were buttery and flaky. The only issue is that the biscuit flakes apart in your hand so I ended up having to cut it into pieces. Overall, this place is fine for brunch, would probably not wait in line for it again. read more

See all

Went for Sunday Brunch & Bottomless Mimosas/Bellinis! The food was excellent and the chicken was juicy yet crispy. The server was so nice, attentive, and constantly filling our glasses which was great. The restaurant felt lively yet still allowed me to have a great conversation with my friend. I loved the open area of the restaurant that let the fresh air inside. read more

OAK - Chicken & Waffles - Bars Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

Went to Oak after a day spent around Gainesville where it's situated right in the midst of this college town's downtown. Aesthetically the place is urban with it's brick walls and iron light fixtures with the bar right smack in the middle. The outside seating area is quite spacious and you get a good view of passersby. Due to Covid, my friends and I were spaced three tables away from another group of people and there were hand sanitizers placed at the entrance, outside of and in the bathrooms, and near the entrance to the outside seating space. The food was decent. For starters my friends and I shared their Oak Pretzel [$10] (Bavarian pub style) and veggie dip (made of kale, artichokes, and shaved parmesan on top). The pretzel was hot when it arrived and it was good enough to hold down our hunger until our meals came out. I ordered the Herb Roasted Chicken dinner [$18] which came with tri-color carrots and mashed potatoes. The chicken was seasoned okay but the chicken was dry when I got it. Good thing there was a generous portion of gravy to soften it up or it would have been hard to chew. Lastly, I got the Fried Oreos with powdered sugar and chocolate drizzle. Out of all three, that was probably my favorite. It was warm, gooey, and super delicious! Overall food was okay, nothing too memorable. A little on the pricey side for me which was also a let down. Upside though was that service was quick, staff was friendly, and it's located in a prime spot. read more

See all

Oh Hell Yes! What an excellent place. Great bar, wish the bar seats had backs. Perfect bartenders. Attentive, good recommendations. Their food is great. A few inventive creations, sure to please. This place just continues to be a favorite. read more

Great food & atmosphere. Music is always chill. Reception Love the vibe. Definitely would recommend them read more

Raw food alert ! The salmon was raw in the middle, see photo attached. We showed it to the waiter but she only took $5 off... if the food is not cooked through I'd think they should do better than $5.. The restaurant smelled like rotten eggs so that was the ambiance read more

OAK - Raw salmon - Bars Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

Came to oak with my lacrosse team and they were very good at accommodating such a large group. All of the food was so fresh and yummy. The steak I had was the best steak I've had in Gainesville. The combination of the steak, sauce, fried onions, and mashed potatoes was amazing. The asparagus was also cooked perfectly. I shared the flatbread for an appetizer and it was delicious but very filling. All of the food ordered was amazing. As usual, the waitresses were very friendly and quick. The restaurant is always a cool vibe with the decor and the open bar to the outside patio. It was also nice to have some TVs to watch some games. OAK was the best host for our team dinner and I definitely recommend trying it out. read more

OAK - Oak Filet - Bars Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

I got the Luke's lox bagel for brunch on Sunday and was looking forward to having this bagel, especially since Luke's is a popular bagel place in Gainesville. However, the bagel itself was underwhelming, especially since it came deconstructed and I had to assemble the bagel myself, and the quality of the ingredients was okay. The bagel was hard and maybe warmed earlier but when it came out it was room temperature, and it hurt my jaw a bit to bite into the bagel and chew. The restaurant's atmosphere is great for a brunch, especially for bottomless mimosas with friends. read more

I came with my s/o for a brunch date. My s/o really enjoyed the simple American breakfast that they had ordered, however I am docking stars because the staff had forgotten to serve us ketchup with our potato wedges. I know to some people this isn't a big deal, but as a daughter of a restauranteur, it's disappointing to serve customers with missing pieces to their meals. It's the equivalent to ordering coffee at a coffee shop, and receiving milk in a cup because the staff forgot to serve the espresso with it. Unfortunately, this isn't the first time that the staff had missed key parts of our orders. Last week, I came for bottomless mimosas and brunch with two friends. One of my friends ordered the lox bagel from the menu, and when the food arrived, it was LITERALLY A BAGEL ON A PLATE. No smoked salmon, no onions, no tomatoes, and none of the rest of what was stated on the menu. We had to flag down our server to ask where the rest of the food was, to which they responded with "sorry we have new staff in the kitchen today". But if something as simple as missing ketchup from the food we ordered this past weekend, could the staff really use the same excuse of "new staff in training"...? My only advice I'd give if you were to eat here, make sure you receive everything that is stated on that menu when the food arrives. read more

suchhh good food and drinks!!! their trivia is sooo fun. definitely get the White Lotus and the pretzel

In short, OAK is a high priced place with mediocre quality food. I've been here a few times and I've had a mediocre experience each time. The food isn't anything special. I've had the shaved ribeye sliders and the black + bleu burger, and they were both very average. I don't think any of the items on the menu are worth the price. Their dishes taste like there's something missing from them. The drinks are decent, but like the food, they're nothing special. The one perk about this place is that they give a free flaming drink on your birthday. The reason why most people come here is because it's a cute, aesthetic place where college students go to feel bougie. For me, OAK will not be my go-to place any time soon because I value food/price over the ambiance of a place. read more

What a great place to eat. I promptly seated at the bar seating area and the bartender was able to get our order right away. While i waited for food various staff members came up to me and asked how i was. The food came out hot and very good! I loved my salmon, filet with rosemary glaze and the mashed potatoes were amazing. This was a last minute stop and I appreciate them able to get me in last minute. I'll be sure to visit them again. read more

See all

Visited OAK with some work colleagues. I had the grilled chicken Caesar Salad. Average taste and presentation. Could have used a little more flavor. Nothing special. Overall, average visit. Service was a little slow, even though the restaurant wasn't very busy during the lunch time frame. read more

OAK has a festive vibe, with lots of dark wood paneling and tables, string lighting, TVs, and plants all around. Both indoor and outdoor seating options are good for meeting a friend or group. I ordered the Wild Mushroom Ravioli, and it was good! A little heavy on the cream sauce, and not the most flavorful I've had, but soft snd comforting (and the garlic bread had a strong garlic kick!) read more

OAK - Wild Mushroom Ravioli - Bars Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

Cute little place in downtown Gainesville. Decor is rustic and they sell beer by the oz with pre purchased cards self serve. We dropped in for lunch. The menu is really unique. I tried the chicken sandwich fries which had tobacco fried onions. Tomato aioli, grilled cucumber on a brioche bun. Served with waffle fries. The fries were seasoned really well almost too much. And they were barely warm. The sandwich broken down was great in isolation. The actual chicken inside the breading was tasty and moist. The breading was thick, flat and separated from the chicken and cracked off. The cucumbers were tasty and so were the onions. Over all it was okay not great. read more

OAK - Menu lunch - Bars Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

First time visiting last night. It was busy for a Friday night, and our waitress had a lot of tables, but was still super attentive and always available. Had the sweet potatoe wedges and chicken sandwich. Both were very good, filling, and sizable portions for the price. I would definitely bring friends back here. read more

OAK - Chicken Sandwich, outside islanding seating - Bars Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

See all

I had my graduation dinner at Oak and I definitely recommend. There's a reason you need to get reservations so far in advance, and it's because it has some of the best food and service around. The cocktails were fantastic and the ambiance was very nice with lots of decorations, a large round bar that opens to the outside, and low lighting. I have also been for brunch, and I definitely recommend the bottomless mimosas. They are very reasonably priced and they even have different flavored mimosas to try. The breakfast food was less exciting to me, but I thought the drinks were the highlight. read more

We were walking by and decided to stop bc the smells pouring out of this place made our mouths water! It's a Very trendy place in downtown Gainesville. We started with the buffalo cauliflower which was delicious. Then we each ordered a salad - the beet salad and the quinoa salad. The beet salad was huge. Wonderful flavors from the dressing and candied walnuts. My only critique would be that the salad needed more of the dressing. I wanted to ask our waitress for more but unfortunately I just couldn't get her attention. The quinoa salad was very flavorful, especially with the egg on top. Sadly, the kale was too tough to enjoy with the salad. I would love to go back bc there are other items on the menu that really sounded delicious. I must admit that the acoustics in the restaurant are horrible. It was so loud we couldn't even talk to one another. read more

OAK - Buffalo cauliflower - Bars Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

Updating to one star due to seeing roaches across the bar and the staff member who was alerted and shown video of the roaches could not care less. Management contacted me to say that they knew about the infestation the previous day yet they still opened for business. Gross This used to be one of my favorite places in Gainesville. read more

3.5 stars. Initially I loved this place, but over time it has become quite inconsistent. I went for brunch on Saturday. They have bottomless mimosas and rum punch for 15.99. Not a bad price, but it gets a little difficult to have then refilled on such a busy day, understandably so. The food today was beyond mediocre. We ordered multiple items. The quiche came out cold. COLD. Thankfully, they eagerly replaced it. I ordered the chicken and biscuits. The portion was a great size, and the chicken has a nice balance of herbs and hot sauce, but the frozen biscuits that crumbled when you picked them up, really detracted from the dish. The omelet of the day ws quite bland. Service was below average, except for the bartenders who were very kind. Generally, I'm excited for OAK but I'm a bit hesitant to recommend it because of the inconsistencies. read more

See all

Absolutely love this place!! The ambience was really nice and lively, and the food was delicious! My two favorite dishes are the herb roasted chicken and shrimp and grits. Both dishes are packed full of flavor. The herb roasted chicken is not dry at all, which was a concern of mine when I was debating on what to order. It also comes with the truffle mac & cheese, which tastes amazing. Also, if you have a big sweet tooth, you HAVE to leave room for their fried Oreos!! They literally melt right in your mouth. Would definitely recommend OAK to anyone looking for a nice night out with friends, family, etc. read more

See all

Not good! We came in at 1:30 on a Saturday. It was busy with the lunch crowd, but not overly. Most folks were finishing up and heading for the door, so the wait wasn't long. Younger crowd. Mostly college aged. Then we got seated. No menus. 20 minutes later, a young lady brought water and four glasses. She didn't say a work. Just placed the glasses on the table and took off. Five minutes later our sender appeared and asked for our orders. Still no menus. We worked around that and placed our orders. I asked for black coffee, eggs benedict with eggs poached MEDIUM and CRISPY bacon. It also came with fried potatoes. Twenty minutes later I was presented with a tall, clear glass, mug, filled with what appeared to be tea. It was supposed to be coffee. It tasted like hot colored water. The server took it back, saying she could fix it by running it back through the coffee maker, to make it stronger. She apologized for the weak coffee and said people complain about it a lot. Hello? Management? Do you talk to your servers? Your coffee sucks! Thirty-five minutes later, fifty- five since placing our order, our food arrived. My poached eggs were poached hard, and inedible. The bacon was limp and dripping with grease. The potatoes were burnt, but a small cup of ketchup was provided on the side. Perhaps to revive the potatoes? Didn't work. I couldn't eat my meal. It was terrible. My improved coffee showed up five minutes after the food. It wasn't much improved. It was less transparent. Sort of. Now it tasted weak and burnt at the same time. After everyone finished we waited and waited. When the server came back, she offered to give us a free dessert since my meal was bad. We asked for it to be wrapped to go, and to please bring the check. Thirty minutes later, she swung by our table and asked if we needed anything else. Duh. How about the dessert and our bill? She said she'd be right back with both. Five minutes later she brought the bill and a dessert, beautifully plated, and not at all ready to go. We mentioned that we'd clearly (2 of us) asked for it to go. She took it away, and came back about ten minutes later, with it wrapped to go. She also took our money. A lot of it. So, in conclusion: Ambiance - B up-scale college vibe Food - F Service - F Pricing - F $$$ If you're older than 25, you'll want to give this place a hard pass. The clientele is almost all college age and they appeared much more interested in the bottomless mimosas than the food. read more

Food, service, ambiance all very good. Interesting menu, decent wine & beer selections. Dessert was special treat, too!

I've lived in Gainesville for five years, but I've never ate here before! I went for the first time with my friend for bottomless mimosas, and I loved my experience. I had a great time with my friend, meeting new people, enjoying some laughs and LOVING the food. I always go for an eggs Benedict when I try new places, and this Benny exceeded my expectations. The breakfast potatoes were super crispy, how I love them. The Benedicts were savory and flavorful. And the crunch of the bacon? Amazing! This restaurant takes bottomless mimosas literally. Our waitress always made sure that our glasses stayed full. Almost felt like we were competing to see whether we could finish our glasses or not LOL. For $16, you get your money's worth with bottomless mimosas. Check this place out with your friends! I promise you'll have a great time with some great food. read more

OAK - Not So Traditional Benny - Bars Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

OAK is such a good vibe. We haven't been in a minute but we came here just before dinner and had drinks and an appetizer. The waitstaff was really nice. It wasn't too crowded either. The Buffalo cauliflower app was good; very spicy like they poured the entire hot sauce on the veggies! Good thing I love spicy! read more

OAK - Buffalo cauliflower - Bars Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

I was recently in Gainesville for a medical appointment and stumbled onto OAK, not realizing it was a sit-down type of place, and with a time crunch. My friend and I didn't have time to sit and eat at the restaurant (so no pics for this one), but we took it to go. The place has a semi-upscale ambiance, with brass touches and Edison lights strung around. Seems like it would be a nice spot for a date night. Service was very friendly. I got the burger and fries, and my friend had the grilled fish sandwich, also with fries. My burger was delicious, fresh and juicy and his sandwich was large and tasty, too. By the time we ate, our fries were cold but they still had good seasoning on them. Would go again! read more

My wife and I went on a Sunday early afternoon after a home football game. We were staying in the Hampton so we just walked over. There was a 15 min wait. We made a lap around the block and by the time we came back a table was ready for us. The server was very nice and knew the menu well but I think she had a section that was too big or too spread out because she wasn't very attentive. It took a while for water to get dropped off. It took even longer for my wife's Bloody Mary and another gap to have our food order taken. I'm pretty sure there was a mimosa special and it seemed like that was consuming most of the time of the front of house staff. It took a while for our food to come out too. I ordered the Fried Bird + Waffle and my wife got the Farmer's Breakfast. It was the first time I had chicken and waffles when the chicken didn't have bones. That was a plus. My wife didn't say much but this was one of the few times I've ever seen my wife not finish her bacon. She asked me to try it but I figured I didn't need to give it a try if she didn't want it. I suppose if we're hungry enough we might give it another try. read more

The last time I was in Gainesville I didn't get to visit. So I was excited to visit this time and for a Saturday night this was a moderate crowd. We were seated immediately which was a plus! I ordered the root beer short ribs with glazed carrots and garlic mashed potatoes. I was a little disappointed when I asked if I could substitute the carrots for asparagus and was told I couldn't because there were graduation parties going on but I could add them on. That made no sense to me. Seems as if they could add them on they could substitute them but what do I know. Anyway - the short ribs were ok although I didn't really taste any root beer. They were soft and tender. The carrots and garlic mashed were ok as well. Nothing really stood out. I tried a brown ale beer which had hints of coffee, chocolate and toffee. Very tasty. My meal was not hot or cold - it was warm which lead me to believe that perhaps due to the large parties the food was prepared in advance perhaps? For dessert I had the bread pudding with bourbon glaze sauce and ice cream. That was yummy! The portion was huge and the bread pudding had a nice crunch to it which was surprising. Overall I'd try Oak again it wasn't a total disappointment. Maybe the graduation parties had things a bit off. read more

See all

So sad our experience just now. Only because of what just occurred with reservation. Literally just walked up....and mind you I've eaten here before and it was delicious and pleasant! So yes I recommend food and cauliflower tacos but we just walked up and asked for a reservation. Front girl said 7:30pm is the only time. Then she precedes to say someone online just asked for same reservation so she cancelled ours. My mother was waiting at front of restaurant while I parked and my dad grabbed a beer at a bar next door. So sad. So rude and so uncalled for. It's good food. Eaten here before. But didn't like what just happened. Not sure who makes rules or who decides. But just Bc an online reservation is made shouldn't over rule your IN PERSON RESERVATION...while you're waiting. I think this is my first bad review. I hate doing it. But wow. read more

OAK - Fried Green Tomato's (do it) - Bars Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

Mia and allison have been amazing!!!! They are the best bartender's we have had in a long time!!! They made gameday so fun!!!!

some of the best sausage gravy ive ever had. make sure to check gravy levels before you leave. they serve it in fancy little cups that were not full. and gravy is not on the breakfast/brunch menu which was weird to me because the only reason I was there was to get some gravy only things that couldve been improved would be the wait time (took about 50 minutes to get a breakfast) read more

Great Place. We are from Florida and decided to take a tour of UF. Ate at Oak. The food was truly amazing. The service was great. Our entire family are very fussy regarding Restaurants. We all loved the food here,, We will be back, even with the 2 hour drive from Amelia Island Fl. read more

I have been several times to OAK for their brunch and it has been amazing each time. They have bottomless mimosas if that's your thing and they keep them coming! As for food I love their chicken and waffles! The burger is just okay but I love their waffle fries. I went for dinner once and ordered the peach tree short rib with mashed potatoes and carrots and when I tell you it was amazing, I mean it's like a party in your mouth with all the flavors! Super savory! It's a bit loud for brunch, overall a great atmosphere with great service. read more

Had a great dinner there with friends. Highly reccomend grilled cheese and tomatoe soup. Had the filet for main and it was superb.

I loved the inside setting of OAK, where it had pretty lights hanging from the ceiling. I ordered the root beer short rib, and it was amazing. It was very tender and not dry at all. However, when trying the herb roasted chicken, although it was huge, the inside was very dry. The side dishes are also good, I recommend the kale and sweet potato fries! Overall nice setting and food. read more

OAK - Root beer short rib - Bars Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

OAK is awesome for bottomless. It's around $16 for bottomless mimosas or rum punch. I've been there on the weekend and i believe it goes from 11am-4pm. We went with a big party and it sort of took a while for the refill on drinks, but our waitress was really nice and attentive with our food orders. The food is really good for brunch or lunch. The potatoes are well seasoned and the food is cooked perfectly as requested. Their menu offers a good variety that isn't too overwhelming. Some items are more on a the pricier side but it's a cute place to have a date and hang out with friends and family. They have high tops and booth seatings, as well as a bar with tvs and outside seating. The only downside about this restaurant is the really bad odor in the bathroom that i think is from the water. read more

OAK - veg eggs benedict - Bars Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

See all

While the food is decent - expect some slower service but still very kind staff. I've been to OAK twice now. They have good food and are usually not too difficult to get table at. However, the fries I ate had a strong defrost taste so I did not bother to eat them. The second time I went I got the mushroom ravioli - I could not stop eating it!! I preferred it to The Top's. Dessert always wins at OAK. Make sure to save space for the bread pudding and the fried oreos. I can never decide which I like better. read more

Fantastic service and portions. Brunch is popular so a reservation is a must, or be the first in line at opening. read more

See all

The service was mediocre, I felt alot of unnecessary shade, and like nobody really wanted to be there. The menu looks good, the space is nice but the vibe is a little off. The shrimp and grits was nothing special and made me feel kinda gross after eating, tried it again cause it's one of my favorite meals. Same thing both times, not sure why. Gonna try something else next time? read more

I came to OAK on my birthday with a friend after eyeing their menu for months. The atmosphere inside is a mixture of fine-dining, quirky college bar, and kitschy catch-all. The menu ranges from classics you would expect (fillets and roasted chicken) to the unique flavors you never knew you needed (sweet tea short ribs, fried green tomato sliders, quinoa bowl). We started with the pretzel and veggie dip as an appetizer. Unlike a lot of places where the pretzel to dip ratio is skewed towards the pretzel, we had an excess of the creamy, savory kale and artichoke dip. I ordered the shrimp and grits for my meal and while it was lacking it a bit on the number of shrimp, the roasted tomatoes and roasted red peppers added excellent flavor. Our waitress was very pleasant and attentive throughout the entire meal. Whether you're out for a special occasion or just a weeknight meal, check out OAK for an interesting experience. read more

OAK - Shrimp and grits. - Bars Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

See all