Best Restaurants for Special Occasions in Gainesville

I’m always amazed at the consistency and high level experience at Zaytinya. We had the lunch tasting menu. Probably a total of 15 small plates. All were delicious and creative. Service and timing also impeccable.

Christmas Eve dinner at OEG is a 24-year tradition for my daughter and me. As always, the food was awesome. My daughter and I were quite surprised and disappointed by the lackluster greeting and overall experience when we walked in. The word "dismissive" comes to mind. Because our previous experiences were fabulous, I will look at this visit as a "one-off" one. Merry Christmas and a Happy 2025!!!

Great atmosphere and delicious food! Almost canceled our 9:30 pm reservation but so glad we didn’t. The place was packed but the service was efficient. We had both kinds of gnocchi, vegetable frites, Caesar salad and fusilli with three kinds of meat- it was all excellent!

We were greeted with a big smile at the front stand and promptly seated. This vibrant spot featured fresh, well-prepared sushi and an array of American and Italian selections. Every dish we selected was excellent. Though the place was packed and the noise level was predictably high, I had requested a quiet table when reserving and we were seated in a private booth complete with a door and coat hooks - the closest thing to our own dining room. The star of the evening was was our server Brian S. He was cheerful, informative, professional, welcoming, and everything one wants to insure a good experience when dining out. Kudos to The Hamilton - everyone got everything right!

Restaurant was very busy, most tables filled. Our table was immediately available because we had a reservation. Meal was exceptional, service impeccable, and we did not feel rushed to finish and leave. We will return in the near future.