Alright, this is one of those times that I must say some honest words that aren't all glowing and positive 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! read more

We came in on a Saturday night as a party of two with no reservation, and they were kind enough to seat 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. read more

I really wanted to love this place. We really liked the last restaurant Hopscotch so my husband made reservations for Valentine's Day. We started with drinks and I had the tequila mule which was good. A little weak but ok. We started with great apps and even talked with one of the owners on how much we love their restaurant, service and music. They play 80s new wave music which we love. We had 3 small plates which was great. A little too much breading in the crab cakes but over all really flavorful. For our entree we had the garlic bites and Bessel sprouts. The Brussels sprout was just ok, needed a sweet component. The garlic bites were inedible and tough. Just awful. Ambiance 5 Service 5 Food 3 For me it's all about the food and unfortunately the garlic bites ruined it for me. read more

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This weekend was our first time at Sanctuary, and I was excited about tapas. We reviewed the menu before our visit and had some ideas of what we wanted to try. The overall experience was underwhelming and might not be worth another try. Of particular disappointment was the tenderloin filet. We had steak we got was just about 8 ounces and we ordered medium rare. This was something we would be sharing with our other dishes. The steak was significantly over cooked and had no steak flavor. Both my wife and I had one bite and that was all we would touch. I had thought our server would have at a minimum ask if we liked the steak of if we needed anything else. Did not happen. Other food was better but nothing that would make us return. Our meal with tip was just under $200 and the quality did not match. The meal in total was "Disappointment on the Square" read more

Service was great. My friend and I went for brunch, ordering biscuits and gravy and BEC sandwich. We felt a bit duped since the biscuits were basically sheet cake and not real biscuits. The gravy and bacon was good, but the bread was terrible. I'm interested to try their dinner menu, but I probably won't come back for brunch. read more

Service was great, a little pricey, drinks are not traditional at all. Food was good, but definitely different! Very cute inside, loved the old brick. read more

The owners of this restaurant have staffed it very well. We had such a positive experience the first time we went, we've asked for the same waiter, Chase every time we go. The food is excellent, and the service even more top notch. Both owners are there every time we go, and support their staff in a very positive manner and chip in wherever is needed. Sanctuary has been so awsome, and the seasonal changes of the menu provide such a quality variety, we find it hard to want to try other places now. I'd give it 10 stars if I could! read more

Sanctuary on the Square - Seafood Near Me - Gainesville, Georgia

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security made my group uncomfortable all night and was being weird with intoxicated women, management was at least polite and hepful about situation. read more

Ok, 4 1/2! It's hard not to love this restaurant and their staff. We had Chase as our server again and he's a true pro. The owner also always makes it a point to say hello. This visit was just below perfection. I ordered a Cajun Fettuccine Alfredo. Sounded interesting and I love a little kick. Unfortunately way, way too over spiced for me. If you love ultra spicy, this dish if for you. Also the portions are significant for the very reasonable price point. Some chefs like to add their twist where none is needed. It wasn't really an Alfredo sauce so I think the dish would be better received if you simply made it the traditional way. I hate heavy cream, garlic, butter, and loads of Parmesan has been said by no one ever. Lastly, they forgot to remove a bay leaf from my onion soup. It happens, but it shouldn't. I was wondering if I was eating plastic before pulling it out. My daughter had a bay leaf caught in her throat years ago and almost choked to death. read more

Loved the ambience and their music was A++.. old school rock... Bowie, Talking Heads, Zeppelin... it was awesome. Waiter was pleasant. Only thing was the kitchen was busy and getting our food took a very long time. He was apologetic and we were ok with it but it was slow., Bread is not served with the entree, it's considered a side so we asked for bread mid meal, thinking it'd be out immediately, I mean it's bread, right? (Our meals were Chefs Kiss. I had the salmon, my partner had the pork schnitzel. It was great. ) We didn't get it until we were both done with our meals. Dessert was tres leche... tasted more like tiramisu. All in all.... Really great meal. We will be back. read more

Sanctuary on the Square - Salmon with cheese grits - Seafood Near Me - Gainesville, Georgia

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I ate here a few months ago with a friend. We ordered salads, the crab cakes, and Brie dip. The crab cakes were really salty and thin. I didn't finish it. The Brie was overcooked, to the point the cheese wasn't a dip - it was hardened. Salads were fine. Service was ok. The place was so slow for 5-6 pm. Flies were hovering around in spite of being inside. Not a great experience. I wouldn't go back. read more

Food was great when we finally got it and got it correctly.... Waitress forgot to put in our order then when we finally got it, we were missing items (we ordered a cheese burger and didn't get cheese), ordered sweet potato fries and got regular fries. Also waitress didn't know how to answer basic questions about the menu. read more

Had a nice low key Lunch midweek at Sanctuary on the Square in Gainesville. SOTS has booths & tables & high ceilings with ceiling fans keeping the place a bit chilly for early February. Totally casual laid back atmosphere - where the chef checks in with the patrons. As it is the winter months we loved the fact that the Menu promoted two soup options but only one was available on the day we dined. The menu can best be described as eclectic- lite: creative salads, & apps, soups, sandwiches & some vegi sides that got our attention: garlicky green-beans that may have been of the frozen variety as they were not whole but chopped in various lengths & fresh roasted & charred honey carrots. We liked our tuna sandwich made special by a touch of anchovy & chopped hardboiled egg - really different if a little on the salty side. Our warm , smoked brie & honey would have earned the place an extra half star if the focaccia logs for dipping had been fresh. Staff, attentive & helpful. Will come back for dinner to try again. This experience: 3.5 stars. No more, no less read more

The food and drinks were amazing! Shared the crabcakes and grits, along with the fried green tomatoes, and brie. Will definitely go back! read more

Sanctuary on the Square - Seafood Near Me - Gainesville, Georgia

Vibe is really cool, however not sure why they filled the restaurant with fog at some point during our dinner. We shared small plates amongst 4 people. The Reuben croquettes were the standout the rest of the small plates steak bites, Brussels, crab cakes were just so so. read more

The food was great and amazing service. Try the Brussels sprouts, so good. A cute spot on the square in Gainesville.

Our family of 10 had brunch at Sanctuary on the Square last Sunday to celebrate my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. The food was delicious (Crab cakes! Pancakes! Omelets!), the atmosphere was so charming, and the staff was delightful. The team at SoS made the experience go from great to truly fantastic. They even signed a card for my parents and asked us if there was special music my parents would like to hear. So sweet. Nate, you are awesome and really took care of us. Can't wait to go back! read more

Great food, service, and atmosphere. Owner was very engaging. Will def be going back.

Love this restaurant on the G'ville Square. Such a great spot to hit in the Spring with the front gate open to the square. The service here is the 10/10, everyone from the host to the bartenders, servers, manager making sure you are enjoying your experience! The food is exciting with many differnet options to try, small plates, mains, salads and burgers. This will be on an eating out in G'ville rotation for us going forward. read more

Food and service is great. Sundays are nice! Live music after 5pm. Try the Brussels sprouts!

If you haven't been to Sanctuary on the Square, aka SOS, you're missing out. The staff is friendly, polite, and will make you feel right at home. The unfinished, exposed walls give it dive feel without being dirty. The low lighting gives it an intimate feeling. The paintings on display are by a truly talented local artist. And then there's the food! The truffle fries are an absolute MUST! So far I've had the Italian Smashburger. It requires two hands to eat, and a napkin close to hand! It's so big that I have to cut it in half to handle it. And it's enough that I can get two meals out of it. The flavor is absolutely out of this world. I've also had the chicken tenders. It's only two tenders, but these aren't tenders you get most places. They're large, and juicy. And the house made spicy honey mustard is the PERFECT dipping sauce. It's the only sauce I'll eat with them. And the latest culinary delight I've enjoyed is the Spicy Chicken Alfredo. There's so much I had to take at least half of it home in a box! I don't know what my favorite is so far, they're all absolutely incredible. And the drinks are fantastic. Watching Gina behind the bar is so enlightening. She is a true artist. She takes her time crafting each drink, ensuring that they're perfect every time. Her knowledge and bar craft is fascinating. So try SOS now, I'm sure you'll enjoy it so much that you'll become a regular! read more

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Been twice.. The shrimp options are great... friendly service.. nice atmosphere on Sundays. Beef could use some love.

Great food, great service. A little light on the beer selection. Does not appear to have draft beer. Will certainly go back.

Food is horrible. Example: ball of noodles with bbq sauce and bits of pulled pork covered with blue cheese. No one could eat it

So good. Great atmosphere and staff. My wife and I really enjoyed our meals (Chicken Marsala and a Smash Burger). The truffle fries were great and my wife's cocktail was original and delicious. Staff was super friendly. We'll be back. read more

Food here is great! Service from the bartender Chase was over the top! Best drinks on the Gainesville Square! Chill laid back vibes kept me here for a couple hours! read more

The atmosphere was great and the food was delicious and fairly priced. service was exceptional. Great experience - will definitely go back.