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If you’ve found yourself living in or visiting Gainesville, GA, you’ll be happy to learn that there is no shortage of great restaurants around.
Gainesville is a bustling place and is growing faster than ever. The small Southern city offers plenty of variety when it comes to places to eat and features some amazing American fare, Asian fusion cuisine, Mexican food, and Spanish-inspired tapas restaurants.
If you’re looking for the best restaurants in Gainesville, GA, read on. Here are the restaurants you should pay a visit to if you’re in the area.
1. Harvest Kitchen
One of the best restaurants in Gainesville, Georgia is Harvest Kitchen. Harvest Kitchen serves a great variety of food in the style of Spanish tapas and offers a taste of Spain.
Originally started as a catering company, Harvest Kitchen naturally expanded into a restaurant after finding success. Since then, it has become one of the most popular eateries in Gainesville.
The restaurant serves a variety of tasty dishes and tapas along with wine and craft beer. From Spanish paella and exquisite steak and potato dishes to brunch specialties and elegant salads and desserts, you can’t go wrong with Harvest Kitchen. Not only does the food taste amazing but it’s also presented well and is reasonably priced.
Be sure that you check out this hot spot for cuisine if you’re in the city of Gainesville.
2. Recess Southern Gastro Pub
Recess Gastro Pub has been around for quite a while and is another Gainesville hotspot that’s well worth a visit if you’re in the city. The restaurant is located just off of Gainesville’s downtown square, so you can enjoy an evening in the lively downtown area before or after your meal.
Where Recess really excels is with its exquisite Southern dishes. This includes favorites such as Nashville hot fried chicken thighs, fried pickles with spicy ranch, and more. You can also find your favorite pub-style food as well, including impressive burgers with hefty portions.
Be sure to check out Recess if you’ll be spending some time on the Gainesville square.
3. Zen Ramen & Sushi Burrito
A welcome addition to the Gainesville culinary scene, Zen Ramen & Sushi Burrito has earned its place on this list.
This Japanese-American fusion restaurant brings Japanese cuisine to the Gainesville downtown area and does it in style. The restaurant features some of the best ramen dishes and sushi burritos around.
You’ll want to indulge in some of this amazing Asian Cuisine while you’re in the Gainesville area, so make sure that you put visiting Zen Ramen and Sushi Burrito on your trip’s bucket list.
4. Hopscotch Restaurant
Hopscotch Restaurant is also worth a night of dining if you visit Gainesville and is located right on the downtown square.
The restaurant is perfect for casual dining and offers a variety of amazing dishes that will leave you satisfied. There are finger foods and tapas-style appetizers as well as filling entrees.
From dishes such as chicken and waffles to cauliflower pizza and linguine carbonara, you’ll find something on the menu that will be sure to please everyone that’s part of your group. The restaurant also offers a great variety of drinks that will be sure to satisfy your thirst.
5. Avocados
Avocados Restaurant is next door to Hopscotch and is just as good of a choice if you want to have a meal in the city limits.
The restaurant features impressive American classics from executive chef and owner, Albert Lunalover. Avocados Restaurant features some amazing takes on simple dishes such as the Angus burger, chicken tenders, fish and chips, and fried shrimp. The restaurant also features tasty dishes such as shrimp and asparagus pasta and chicken and mushroom alfredo.
Aside from these main dishes, Avocado’s also offers great sides, desserts, salads, and appetizers. Each of these will be sure to have your taste buds begging for more.
6. Luna’s Restaurant
Luna’s Restaurant serves American fare in a low-key environment and even has live music in its piano lounge on the weekends. The casual fine dining environment is a favorite in the Gainesville area and is located just off of the Gainesville square.
From shrimp and grits that were crafted with care to chicken marsala and chopped steak, there are many entrees that are sure to please when dining at Luna’s. If you’re looking for a delicious meal in a comfortable and upscale setting, you’ll be sure to enjoy your time at Luna’s.
Finding the Perfect Meal in Gainesville, GA
There are many more great restaurants in the area, but we think that these are the best restaurants in Gainesville, GA overall. Whether you want the Spanish-inspired dishes that Harvest Kitchen offers, an amazing sushi burrito from Zen Ramen, or classic American fare, you’re sure to be satisfied when visiting Gainesville.
Want to visit some of the surrounding areas when in Gainesville, GA? Be sure to click here to learn about the most interesting small towns in the North Georgia mountains.
Hey, I’m Harrison! I’m the creator of Southern Portals and the writer of many (but not all) of the posts you’ll find here. I’m a native of the North GA mountains, an avid traveler, and a singer-songwriter. This website is one of my passion projects and I hope to share a bit of my expertise with the world through it, so I hope you enjoy the articles that you find here. Thanks for reading!
