Probably the nicest perhaps not best restaurant in gainesville. We ate late and did not try the steaks but the food was average we had in my opinion (two salads, salmon and fries). Decent wine list with a few great wines available. Great friendly and attentive service even though we were the last seating and last to leave. Love the decor and comfortable upscale dining area. Biggest complaint would be distance to parking which can't be remedied. Will try again.
Laura R.
Party of 10, we had good service. The waitress was knowledgeable of the menu and had good suggestions. I had the shrimp and grits, which was good. Noone had a meal they would say was more than good.
Augusta Nwokafor
Top notch.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
PatrickT
My visit was on a weekday. It was not crowded at all. The establishment had a lovely atmosphere and was quiet. The meals were very tasty. The prices were a little on the high side, but I blame that on the commander with dementia and his son.
GregoryC
Always a must do for us when in Gainesville. Amber has looked after us well for several years, and the meal in true Shula's style never disappoints. As close to Bern's as you will find in north Florida.
FrankS
Superb dinner. A very special place for a special dinner. Service was excellent, food was delicious, very well presented. The bread is to die for!!! Expensive but worth it. A true calming experience.
Mary M
Only 3 minor issues that I’ll mention at the end, otherwise a nearly flawless meal. We were staying at the Hilton, so the location was very convenient!We started with an Old Fashioned with bullet rye. It was very good. Pretty classic.We both ordered the Wedge Salad. Much more interesting than the classic. The Blue Cheese dressing was outstanding- good blue cheese flavor but more mellow. Instead of bacon bits, the bacon jam was thick and savory, with just a hint of sweetness. The tomato jam was sweet. A few small grape tomatoes (would have loved more) and a large wedge of iceberg. One of the best ever.We shared the Ribeye. It was 16 ounces and very flavorful. It was perfectly medium rare and lightly seasoned and actually not that much fat.For sides, we ordered the Brussels sprouts and the sautéed spinach. The Brussels sprouts were well prepared and a bit sweet, but when eaten with the spinach it was actually perfectly paired. The spinach was nice and garlicky.We were too full for dessert.The 3 minor flaws. 1) the water was not drinkable. He said it was filtered but something was definitely off. 2) the menu prices were significantly more than the menu on their website. There really isn’t much excuse not to update your website when it changes. 3) I really like bourbon cherries, so I asked for extra on each if the 3 Old Fashioneds. They charged $.50 for EACH cherry! I’ve never been charged for extra cherries, and we weren’t told until presented with the bill. For $18 per drink, I would have expected better from a restaurant like this. Otherwise it was excellent.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Wedge Salad
D D.
We made a dinner reservation for 6 PM on a Tuesday evening to dine for our first time at Shula's in Gainesville. We arrived on time and were promptly seated. Server was friendly, however, very distracted, the dining room was not that busy, perhaps he had to help serve food in the bar area, too, not sure about that because it took 45 minutes for our salad to be served?? We ordered the Shula salad, crabcakes, NY strip steak and mashed potatoes. All the food was tasty and well prepared. My only critique is there was a heavy use of scallions on the salad and the mashed potatoes as a garnish, which did flavor the food quite a bit. The garnish of rosemary on my husband's steak actually added a nice flavor for it however. All in all it was a nice experience. The ambience was fine & the prices were as expected. I would recommend trying it if you are looking for a nice evening out in Gainesville.
JoeS
This was the first time I'd been to Shula's, at least in Gainesville. This was an early Valentine's Day meal. Walking in, there was literally no one in the private dining room. Which was concerning but also not a bad thing especially if the food was good. The environment was beautiful and elegant. Fine dining for sure. We were sat right away, given menus, and asked how we would like to start off with to drink. Standard for most restaurants. I ordered lobster bisque for an appetizer and she ordered the calamari. Both dishes were subpar. The table bread was great. Warm sourdough with real butter. We were asked about our entree, which I ordered the dry aged cowboy steak with a side of lobster Mac and cheese and she ordered the ribeye with an order of wild mushrooms. Both steaks were great with the exception that the preferred cooking temp was wrong (rare, medium rare, etc.) The lobster Mac n cheese needed seasoning, the mushrooms were WAY oversalted (had to send that one back). Overall, the service and environment were wonderful but the food stood very dull considering the price. Surely with competition in the area Shula's could do better.
Robyn, our Waitress, was amazing. From once we arrived till we left, she made sure that we had our needs taken care of. The food and the staff were excellent. Definitely try their Sea Bass!
I actually ate at the no name lounge but my understanding is that it's the same kitchen. With that said I had a burger there. It seemed fresh and tasted pretty
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Sage Boots
Had a wonderful first time with my husband for his birthday. Major was a great server. Loved all the food we had, everything was on point.
Was our anniversary and we were welcomed and cared for by the amazing Steven, we felt the love at Shula's!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Crispy Brussels Sprouts
Amber Parker
I had such a great experience here. Gainesville has definitely been lacking in the customer service/serving area since Covid. I went to Marks Steakhouse and had the worst experience and the food was subpar. Embers is a frequent of mine as well, but I was looking for a new fine dining restaurant for me and my finance to try and I decided to give Shulas a try. Everything from booking my reservation, to ordering my food and my waiter was so smooth and so wonderful. My waiter, Major was OUTSTANDING. His energy definitely fit the atmosphere and he was constantly checking on us while also not being too pushy. It was relatively slow on the night I went, which was perfect because our waiter was able to give us a more personable experience. Overall, definitely a 10/10 and am surprised more people don’t know about this place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Queen
Wonderful dining experience with our waiter Kirk! Salad, lobster bisque, scallops and Chocolate Lava dessert shared with my husband were all outstanding. If we travel through here we will visit again.
Probably the nicest perhaps not best restaurant in gainesville. We ate late and did not try the steaks but the food was average we had in my opinion (two salads, salmon and fries). Decent wine list with a few great wines available. Great friendly and attentive service even though we were the last seating and last to leave. Love the decor and comfortable upscale dining area. Biggest complaint would be distance to parking which can't be remedied. Will try again.
Party of 10, we had good service. The waitress was knowledgeable of the menu and had good suggestions. I had the shrimp and grits, which was good. Noone had a meal they would say was more than good.
Top notch.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My visit was on a weekday. It was not crowded at all. The establishment had a lovely atmosphere and was quiet. The meals were very tasty. The prices were a little on the high side, but I blame that on the commander with dementia and his son.
Always a must do for us when in Gainesville. Amber has looked after us well for several years, and the meal in true Shula's style never disappoints. As close to Bern's as you will find in north Florida.
Superb dinner. A very special place for a special dinner. Service was excellent, food was delicious, very well presented. The bread is to die for!!! Expensive but worth it. A true calming experience.
Only 3 minor issues that I’ll mention at the end, otherwise a nearly flawless meal. We were staying at the Hilton, so the location was very convenient!We started with an Old Fashioned with bullet rye. It was very good. Pretty classic.We both ordered the Wedge Salad. Much more interesting than the classic. The Blue Cheese dressing was outstanding- good blue cheese flavor but more mellow. Instead of bacon bits, the bacon jam was thick and savory, with just a hint of sweetness. The tomato jam was sweet. A few small grape tomatoes (would have loved more) and a large wedge of iceberg. One of the best ever.We shared the Ribeye. It was 16 ounces and very flavorful. It was perfectly medium rare and lightly seasoned and actually not that much fat.For sides, we ordered the Brussels sprouts and the sautéed spinach. The Brussels sprouts were well prepared and a bit sweet, but when eaten with the spinach it was actually perfectly paired. The spinach was nice and garlicky.We were too full for dessert.The 3 minor flaws. 1) the water was not drinkable. He said it was filtered but something was definitely off. 2) the menu prices were significantly more than the menu on their website. There really isn’t much excuse not to update your website when it changes. 3) I really like bourbon cherries, so I asked for extra on each if the 3 Old Fashioneds. They charged $.50 for EACH cherry! I’ve never been charged for extra cherries, and we weren’t told until presented with the bill. For $18 per drink, I would have expected better from a restaurant like this. Otherwise it was excellent.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Wedge Salad
We made a dinner reservation for 6 PM on a Tuesday evening to dine for our first time at Shula's in Gainesville. We arrived on time and were promptly seated. Server was friendly, however, very distracted, the dining room was not that busy, perhaps he had to help serve food in the bar area, too, not sure about that because it took 45 minutes for our salad to be served?? We ordered the Shula salad, crabcakes, NY strip steak and mashed potatoes. All the food was tasty and well prepared. My only critique is there was a heavy use of scallions on the salad and the mashed potatoes as a garnish, which did flavor the food quite a bit. The garnish of rosemary on my husband's steak actually added a nice flavor for it however. All in all it was a nice experience. The ambience was fine & the prices were as expected. I would recommend trying it if you are looking for a nice evening out in Gainesville.
This was the first time I'd been to Shula's, at least in Gainesville. This was an early Valentine's Day meal. Walking in, there was literally no one in the private dining room. Which was concerning but also not a bad thing especially if the food was good. The environment was beautiful and elegant. Fine dining for sure. We were sat right away, given menus, and asked how we would like to start off with to drink. Standard for most restaurants. I ordered lobster bisque for an appetizer and she ordered the calamari. Both dishes were subpar. The table bread was great. Warm sourdough with real butter. We were asked about our entree, which I ordered the dry aged cowboy steak with a side of lobster Mac and cheese and she ordered the ribeye with an order of wild mushrooms. Both steaks were great with the exception that the preferred cooking temp was wrong (rare, medium rare, etc.) The lobster Mac n cheese needed seasoning, the mushrooms were WAY oversalted (had to send that one back). Overall, the service and environment were wonderful but the food stood very dull considering the price. Surely with competition in the area Shula's could do better.
Robyn, our Waitress, was amazing. From once we arrived till we left, she made sure that we had our needs taken care of. The food and the staff were excellent. Definitely try their Sea Bass!
Restaurantji Recommends
I actually ate at the no name lounge but my understanding is that it's the same kitchen. With that said I had a burger there. It seemed fresh and tasted pretty
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Had a wonderful first time with my husband for his birthday. Major was a great server. Loved all the food we had, everything was on point.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Surf & Turf, Truffle Fries, Roasted Wild Mushrooms, Mashed Potato
Was our anniversary and we were welcomed and cared for by the amazing Steven, we felt the love at Shula's!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Crispy Brussels Sprouts
I had such a great experience here. Gainesville has definitely been lacking in the customer service/serving area since Covid. I went to Marks Steakhouse and had the worst experience and the food was subpar. Embers is a frequent of mine as well, but I was looking for a new fine dining restaurant for me and my finance to try and I decided to give Shulas a try. Everything from booking my reservation, to ordering my food and my waiter was so smooth and so wonderful. My waiter, Major was OUTSTANDING. His energy definitely fit the atmosphere and he was constantly checking on us while also not being too pushy. It was relatively slow on the night I went, which was perfect because our waiter was able to give us a more personable experience. Overall, definitely a 10/10 and am surprised more people don’t know about this place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wonderful dining experience with our waiter Kirk! Salad, lobster bisque, scallops and Chocolate Lava dessert shared with my husband were all outstanding. If we travel through here we will visit again.