This place used to be amazing. I looked forward to visiting to watch games. The atmosphere was friendly and the servers/bartenders were great. In the past 5 years it has taken a steady decline. They now do not have servers. They have a quick service window that took 30 minutes or more to get food. The draft beer I ordered tasted weird. I’m not sure why they changed their business/service model, but it is definitely not the same place it was 5 years ago. Oh and now they charge an automatic gratuity of 18%.
Gr8 time yesterday. Smash Burger was amazing. Service was outstanding. Gr8 ambience and very friendly staff! Highly recommended Monday vibes!
Title: Delicious Food, But Beware of In-House Dining FeeRating: ⭐⭐⭐I recently visited the social with my son and wife, and overall, we had a satisfying dining experience. The highlight of our meal was undoubtedly the mouthwatering Tender Mountain with Swamp Sauce. The flavors were fantastic, and the portion size was quite generous, leaving us feeling satisfied and content. My wife opted for the Buffalo Mac and Cheese Bowl, which she said was ok, but was a much smaller portion for nearly the same price.The food quality was commendable. The flavors were well-balanced, and the dishes were prepared with care and attention to detail.However, my enthusiasm dampened when I realized the in-house dining fee. Paying over $7 just to dine within the restaurant seemed exorbitant and left a sour taste in my mouth. This unexpected cost was disappointing and took away from an otherwise enjoyable experience. Its important for restaurants to be transparent about additional charges, as it can significantly impact a customers perception.While the food deserves praise, I must admit that the in-house dining fee has made me hesitant about returning. Its disheartening when a hidden charge leaves you questioning the value of the overall dining experience. I hope the management takes into consideration the impact such fees can have on customer satisfaction.Without this fee I would recommend the social to others solely for the delicious food and impressive flavors. However, I would advise potential diners to be aware of the additional cost associated with dining in-house. If youre not bothered by such fees, then this restaurant might still be worth a visit for its delectable offerings.
A poorly ran place. Took 30 mins to get food and they tell me they are out of broccoli and would you like something else? Request a salad and said they would buzz me. Waiting ten minutes before going and asking for the salad myself since it shouldn’t have taken over 1 minute to replace a side you don’t have. Also, ordered a grilled cheese and the cheese wasn’t even melted. Who messes up a grilled cheese?
Went to watch Utes play Gators and when we drove to Gainesville this was the first bar we saw. The line builds up fast to get in on a game day. There are entrances on both sides of the building. You can walk through the whole bar and walk out to the other street in the back of the building. This bar is massive. 2 stories. We went to the rooftop area. There are 2 bar areas upstairs, food truck, restrooms and lots of seating areas.The ones under pergolas are reserved. Pay attention, they usually tape a piece of paper with the name. You have a great view from the top on all the tailgating going on across the street. There are at least 2 bar areas downstairs, you can play pool and sit outside. We met a lot of friendly Gator fans, there was barely any hostility against Utah fans. We mingled and hanged out on a rooftop from 12 pm to 6 pm at least. The drinks were good. I enjoyed frozen mango margaritas the most. Perfect for a hot muggy day in Gainesville.
Ive had plenty of fun experiences here over the years, but Social definitely has its flaws. They do Karaoke on Wednesday and $10 (Was $5) All-You-Can-Drink on Thursday from 10 - 12 each night, but those get insanely busy, especially the latter. If you enjoy waiting for an hour and a half to get in and another 10-15 minutes at a time for drinks, its fun and youll probably run into someone you know. But its definitely frustrating at times.The best time to go to Social is on game days or graduation where they open up both levels and have all the bars staffed. Its usually easier to get in and get a drink, and the atmosphere is a lot of fun. Drinks are also more expensive here than the rest of midtown, but that comes with the territory and they have some cool beers and other things on tap in the back bar. I will also say the food is pretty mediocre and expensive, even for bar food. Stick to appetizers if you get anything, theyre alright.
Stopped by here on game day and it was packed. We were hungry and new they had food so we figured we’d get a bite and a drink before heading over to the stadium. Waited online and when we finally got to the front there was a $10 cover. I wasn’t going to argue but I did notice it was selective cover and the girls in front of us didn’t pay.It was wall to wall people. Ordered from the food truck and the burgers were great. Seating was limited and the line to get a drink at the bar was 5 deep. We ate our food and left. Moral of this story… it’s a fun place to watch the game…but don’t bother if you plan on going to the game.
Been a customer here for years…. The environment has always made up for the service! However it seems the new ownership and marketing tactics will make this place fail…. I literally made a joke about the worst marketing clip I have ever seen… “literally a Bacardi bottle flash and a drink pouring” saying it was bad marketing… which it is …. Then so person hiding behind the company name was childish enough to call me names….. DO NOT SPEND YOUR MONEY WITH THE NEW OWNERSHIP. Place has become a joke in more than one way.Go to Cantina for a wayyyyyy nicer and better experience. Owned by way better people.Screenshot attached
Rating: 4.8 StarsI really love the food here. Pre-Covid, this place was so much fun to visit, socialize, drink, and get amazing food. The open air-atmosphere and plethora of TVs meant you could enjoy live-action sports in a great environment. They had my favorite beer--Funky Buddha Floridian--on draft, which was awesome. The food here was always good, so definitely continue to give them the business. The Social Mac N Cheese was awesome, especially the BBQ Pork Mac. It had great overall flavor! Yum. The Mojo Pork Tacos were some of the best tacos that I have ever eaten; it is disappointing to see them off the menu. Hopefully, they make a triumphant return post-COVID! While it is sad you cant enjoy this place like you could before the pandemic, definitely give them the take out business!
Nothing worth coming here for other than the convenience of having multiple dinning/snack options under one roof right across from campus.At here at dinner time on a Wednesday evening. Service was slow despite not being busy. Food wasn’t too flavorful or tasty. Would suggest just going somewhere else if you have 15 minutes.
We went for the Fl Colorado BB game. Band was supposed to start playing after game but the guitar player kept playing over announcers so you couldn’t here game. Management allowed this. Food quality has gone down and slow service. I won’t be back
The menu does not reflect correctPricing for food items, and there were added charges with out letting us know before hand. In the menu the items we ordered totaled to about $16 and the total ended up being $24 and they still ask for additional gratuity. Wouldn’t have an issue with it if they were transparent and upfront.
The Social at Midtown is hands down my favorite place in Gainesville. The staff has become a second family and the service, food, and drinks are always perfect. My parents visit often and they always request to go to the Social for the amazing atmosphere! I definitely recommend for groups, families, and college kids looking to have a great time! Jim, Mia, Jordy, Steph and the rest of the crew are top notch!
The Social is as popular as it sounds, bustling with college students. The food is Americana-Continental all with various twists in the recipe.If youre an adventurous drinker, I definitely recommend trying one of their mixed drinks, however, if you like your mojito being a regular mojito, stick to the more traditional recipes at the bar or just order yourself a beer.Aside from the good food and busy atmosphere, the place was kept very clean. It was very impressive for a Friday night.
Drinks were great! The bartenders are fantastic!Food was great, highly recommend the loaded tots.100% would hug the security from the back.
Caio is hands down the best bartender here. He was super engaging and very attentive. Honestly, I’m only eating here if he’s working.
Classic college bar in one of the best college towns on planet Earth. Food was better than expected, and I would definitely go back based upon the quality of music that was playing that night.
Have been coming here for many years and while the menu has changed many times over that period, the quality was still that of like a chili’s or TGIF at least. But why last visit could not have been more of a let down. I made the mistake of bringing my parents here after a year away from gainesville and it’s almost impressive how much worse their Mac n cheese was. There was a suggestion of a cheese sauce at best. Luckily I got the bbq pork Mac and the frozen pulled pork was enough to make it edible. Will NOT be coming back again, which is sad since I’ve been coming since 2016.
1st and last time Ill go here. Didnt have a server for starters had to walk up to the counter to look at the menu with no prices was given a faded menu. Theres a hidden fee at the end as their tip and then asks you to tip in top of that. Got 2 meals and an appetizer which ended up being $70 which is more than going to a regular chain restaurant. They gave us ups but the lids were too big for the cups and plasticware for our food. Not to mention they were blasting 2 different kinds of music for it guess the club and restaurant area. Gave me a headache. Dont ever eat here its not worth it.
The chicken tender melt deal sucks not only was it over cooked it had a very salty taste , the hamburger was hard as rock and very dry.The food sucks - expensive cheap quality. It would also be nice to advise the prepaid gratuity before charging and asking for a tip on top of it. DISGUSTED
The happy hour prices are fantastic here of course thats compared to places that arent next to a college. Bartenders were very friendly with good service. Food not bad in great deals at happy hour. A good place for the older crowd to hang out in the earlier hours that is convenient to see a football or basketball game at the university.
Most of the staff are professional but ladies watch out for the 50 something bouncer “boss” that inappropriately touches people to “kick them out.” The person he yelled at was a designated driver and completely sober… there was no explanation for his behavior. Weirdo that ruined such a fun place for my friends and I while simultaneously letting groups of his friends and family cut the line and skip cover.
Great atmosphere with personable bartenders and respectful security staff. Always throwing different events that are top notch and fun to attend. Best bar in Gainesville hands down!
This place has an excellent energy and soul to it. The waiters/waitresses are very friendly and the food is excellent. I have given the chef my compliments many times while I have gone. If that was not enough, this place also has excellent happy hour deals like no other. A massive plate of barbeque chips for just 5 dollars?! Chicken strips for 6? While I cannot drink, I have heard the deals at the bar are absolutely unbelievable. Its things like this that attract my friends and I week after week, and we dont plan on stopping any time soon. You will not regret coming to this establishment.
The atmosphere is great, as is the selection of beers.The food, though, can be cold on arrival (mashed potatoes) and bland (potatoes, rice, taco Mac, broccoli). I did ask for salt and pepper when dining in to make it more palatable. Also, I’ve ordered had broccoli as a side and discovered rice with it - why? There were some clumps beneath the broccoli.I’ve dined here three times (one takeout, two dining in) but it’s a mixed bag with the food. Will probably just get beer in the future.
Cool place to be on game day and Different. Wings were good. Took a long time to get. Understandable with the crowd though. Right across from the stadium and in the heart of the entertainment. Line can get long to get in but it moved quickly. Paid a cover charge to get in. Upstairs was a nice atmosphere. They switched out guys sitting at the stairs and he gave people a hard time about going back Upstairs even though they only came down to get food...mainly because the 1st guy was who saw everyone go up. Other than that great place. Visited 11/25
The food was overpriced and mediocre at best. They also charge a 20% fee for a private/catering event even though we just went in for lunch.RIP OFF!!!
The Social is your typical on-campus pub/pub grub stop. Lots of TVs and space at the bar. Needless to say this place was not here the last time I was in town.This monstrosity was called The Mac Stack. Texas Toast, Mac & Cheese, Bacon, Burger (I opted for the Turkey patty) and all the fixings with Tater Tots.
I used to love coming here but tell me why yall raised the price of cover to $10 no matter what. I get past that only to come in and find you are adding an automatic gratuity of 20%. HOW ABOUT YOU JUST PAY YOUR EMPLOYEES BETTER? Or is the management taking all that money. Who know. Not coming back here again.
Love social especially on thursdays they have aycd and the vibe there is so chill. It is also a really good spot on game days. They usually always have something going on and they have karaoke on wednesdays. Also I’ve only had the food once I had the Buffalo mac and cheese it was soooo good like one of the best dishes ever
Be careful with your debit/credit card here. My son had his card overcharged by about $100 (on a $10 order), and The Social doesnt really seem to care.
On Saturday night, Social posted to their own Instagram that said there was no cover that night if you were wearing a costume. Me and my friends decided to attend, waited in line for an hour, and once we got to the front of the line we found out that we had to pay ten dollars. Everyone around us was very surprised and trying to find cash, so I kindly asked the bouncer if he could clarify that there was no deal anymore. He immediately started yelling at me and getting very aggressive with me and I got scared and just handed him my (real) ID. He had me recite my address and date of birth, which I was happy to do. Once he handed me my ID back, he again got very aggressive and yelled at me to get out of line. I asked what was wrong and he kept yelling & screaming. I was all alone, as my friends were already inside. They asked where I was and he yelled at them to get inside without me, to which they obviously refused and followed me out. I have always loved the atmosphere of this place and to be treated so horrifically was a massive surprise, especially for asking a question that any bouncer should be able to answer with no problems. I have never been treated this way at any other bar in my life, and as a woman I did not feel safe that night. I wish I had asked for his name, but I just wanted to leave. Do better, Social.
I appreciate the atmosphere and the service. Pricing can be a bit inappropriate at times, and they sometimes advertise pricing deceivingly. My biggest issue is that they refuse to turn on the space heaters they have on the roof. I talked to a manger, and they refused to put them on at several people’s requests even at 55 degrees and 10mph winds. Great place, just wish it was run better.
Previously, this establishment was known for providing a wonderful experience for drinks and enjoyment back in 2017/18. Unfortunately, it seems to have undergone a decline recently. The condition of the restroom on the upstairs deck is appalling, with significant damage and filth. Even a stall door was found on the floor, which is quite surprising. Its worth noting that they closed their doors at 12 on Thursday, and even though an order for a drink was placed around 11:50, there wasnt enough time to fully savor it. Its disappointing that the establishment lacks a consistent standard and enforced policies, as well as a refined atmosphere. While its understandable that they target a younger demographic as a college bar, maintaining higher standards could significantly enhance their appeal and success. The potential is there, but improvements are sorely needed. Do better social…#bringbacksocial
Awesome place, cool spot to grab a beer and hang out or party like an animal. Food is great!
Meh place for lunch. Decided to come here with some friends for lunch. The food quality would be what you would expect from a place that is a bar first and restaurant second.We tried the beef sliders, chicken tenders, and a salad. The beef sliders were pretty good. The chicken tenders were super dry and my friend couldnt finish her salad bc it didnt taste good.
Ldettt nice bar, went in the summer on a Monday night so it was pretty empty. However the service was still slow getting our bill paid which didnt make any sense. The drive ka were good though and friend a who for food had no complaints. I think I need to go again when its busy to really get a feel for it I got the sangria and it was $3
Great college hangout, the bartenders were great and hooked us up on drinks.All these copy past blue haired weirdos can go pound sand.
This is a solid college bar in a great college town! The food is not bar food, it is great food! How do you recommend the wings
Sad to see this place go, lots of good times! Thanks for the great service guys! You will be missed.
Atmosphere was electric. I went to the gator Collective event for the LSU game at the Rooftop Bar. Had no idea how large it was up top. Service was very good, drinks were excellent and the bartenders were quick. They have a really cool area to order food that looks like a food truck thats been built into the roof. We had a margarita pizza and it was absolutely excellent. As evening got later the DJ came in and was playing some awesome music and it got quite crowded. Was a really good time
Best bar in town!! Great atmosphere & great prices! Bartenders are fantastic !!
I’ve always had a soft spot for the social. The potential is there, sports bar, decent food, large tap menu.However going in today, I was shocked. I tried to order the KC BBQ Nachos, which on their menu rang up as $10.99. However when I got my total, I was shocked to find the final total being $17.00. How is that?Let’s break it down…the nachos in their system are ACTUALLY 13.99+ tax+ a 2.71 autograt charge.Full disclosure… I don’t mind autograt charges, i’ve worked in restaurants and bars so I understand. But the autograt for a self-service is kind of disappointing. But the lack of transparency in these practices plus the dishonesty in menu prices is very disgusting. I urge all of the customers to really look at their receipts and double check cause these are disgusting practices.
Very cool place. Very big and busy. We were there right after University of Florida Lacrosse game, plus the basketball game, softball and baseball games. It got super busy. We had a large group. We had a server who was working her first day. She was very friendly, professional and took great care of us. The food was good and the beer selection is great.
Social is so fun and iconic for game days and everything in between. Good food too
No more table service and they ran out of hamburgers and beer tap availability was pretty bad last visit (first four asked for were out). One beer they did have tasted really off (drank it anyway). The bartender was super apologetic and great about everything though which helps. Ill go back for the convenience of the location before basketball games but will certainly lower my expectations.
If I could leave zero stars I would. I came in with a group of cheerleaders over the weekend and I’ve never experienced such unprofessional service from management staff. We did have a larger group, so we were very understanding and patient when our food came out very slowly and one at a time. No big deal. Waitress was nice and did her best to accommodate us. After we had all received our checks and paid for our food, one member of our party had still not received her any of her order after being there for 1 hour and 10 minutes, AND she had already paid for it. When the general manager, Cory, was approached nicely by a member of our party to address the situation, we were met with a terrible attitude and phrases like “well is she like this on the field when she cheers?” aimed at a team member for being quiet and unconfrontational (Which obviously has nothing to do with our restaurant experience) and also told one member of the party to get out of the restaurant just for speaking up for not receiving part of our order. You know it’s bad when the staff apologizes for their managers behavior. We will never be back.
Never had a bad time at Social, the go to place ALWAYS with great events!
Great place to hang with friends, drink good booze, and make great memories!
Honestly, I wasn’t a huge fan. I liked the atmosphere, dancing, etc. but the rest wasn’t very impressive. The rooftop was closed last time I visited which was a bummer.Food is advertised as something you can sit down and eat (especially price wise), rather than bar food, but I’d say it tastes closer to the latter. Appetizers were pretty good, but arrived at our table cold (cold cheese curds on the poutine with cold globs of gravy). The rest of the food wasn’t extremely flavorful. Our waitress didn’t check on us unless we called her over, even with the place being pretty empty since we were there early.Will probably look for a different place to go next time.
Its Saturday night, you close the front door access and make ppl go around back for some reason. Then some guy is asking for $10 to be sent to his venmo account which is his personal venmo account. The whole same shady. Not worth it. Go downtown.
I had such a great time! Music was dance oriented love the hip-hop and rb mix, drinks were strong and the food came out timely. The service was excellent. Especially during homecoming. Ill be back!
This place changed their entire atmosphere and only allowed you to have a table for two hours and then they asked you to leave to seat another party. Zero notification they are doing that. We had a party of three and ordered food and drinks continuously but we were still asked to give up our seats/table. Obvious to us that it was new management policy because we have been there many many games. Zero signage, zero notice when we were seated. “management”-boys had no class and I am assuming zero management tact training because they were frankly a-holes but just doing what they were told. Never going back! Not worth the aggravation and insultingGoing to the SwampFU
Great beer selection. Went early on a Saturday night off season so no classes or crowds so no problems 4 us. Was a large family dinner & server (Alexandria) was awesome at taking care of 9 of us. We played pool, drank beers, ate, & had fun. Woulda loved 2 have dinner on roof but it was closed. Dont trust the online menus, theirs or Googles cause neither are current. U have to scan the QR code at the tables 2C new menu which was disappointing compared to old outdated menus.
After waiting a half hour to get seated and another hour for food to arrive the waiter told us it would still be 15-20 minutes. It wasn’t that crowded but apparently kitchen was understaffed. Would have been helpful to be told that up front instead of having to leave without eating. At least the server was nice.
I am astonished by the customer service of the general manager. I have never experienced anything like it in my life. I was in a party of 16 and one person did not receive her food after an hour. The general manager singled her out for being quiet and unconfrontational by trying to teach her a lesson and ask if she is “that quiet on the field” (because she is a cheerleader). This is just so uncalled for and after a few of us stood up for our friend, he demanded that we leave. Instead of walking away, he continued to heckle us and make the situation worse. He apologized to our friend for our behavior….what is this?!?! I am appalled. I used to love this place but they will not be getting my business anymore.
This place is a scam and will steal your money. Never buy any kind of online tickets for any event they will not let you in. They will say the event is over even if your ticket say otherwise. This place should be have a class action brought against them for the criminal systemic business practices.
Me and 15 of my other teammates came for lunch on a Saturday in between two volleyball games. 15 of us ate and paid before one of our teammates had even gotten her food. When asked for the meal comped because we had waited over an hour already the manager was extremely rude and singled out or teammate for not asking for the refund herself when one of the others asked for her. He was continually rude and proceeded to ask us to leave our teammate there to wait for her food alone after some of us stood up for her. He made sly comments like “wow you don’t like confrontation, are you this shy on the field” to my teammate after he called her over to talk to him alone. Definitely won’t be going back after I have already heard questionable reviews about the place. It’s embarrassing when the waitress is trying to continually apologize for her bosses actions. I believe the managers name was cory.
Great fun place to be! Huge place for all kinds of events! The owner and his staff are terrific people. The food is quality. They are very particular about appearance and freshness. Our Congressman Ted Yoho has had three events here. Always superb service. The ladies that tend bar are great too. One in particular is very kind and sweet. I wont embarrass her. Parking is well, another story. We parked two blocks away near the construction area. No dings. We walked. We are healthy so no big deal. Go have fun and tell them Art said hi! Happy Eats!
Has anyone ever worked in a kitchen and the line cook coughs straight in his hands while plating every order. Then at last call walked out during the last 30 mins of orders came back and because he shut the grill off and couldnt cook burgers... Took the old cooked burgers in the trash can and serves it? Welcome to the social.
The staff literally dragged my friend out by the wrist for holding the door open for the rest of the group. We would have left if asked but the staff thought it would be easier to physically assault a 23 year old woman. What was meant to be a fun night out started and immediately ended with the unwarranted aggression of this establishment.
I really like the atmosphere of this place and I love being there on game weekends. They are actually very good at handling large crowds so service is not sacrificed even with all the people in the building. You cannot say that about everywhere else you go in town. Its also nice that they served more than just Lite beer from Miller as well. Cocktails have a nice pour as well.
Scam place! Fraudulent charges to my card! They charged my card a separate transaction for $20 with no explanation. Watch your receipts!
I just witnessed a Social employee physically assault two gay men. The employee threw these men up against the walls of the rooftop extremely aggressively and would not heed to any of the requests of the 20+ people nearby pleading with them to stop. My friend recorded the altercation on his phone and another employee came by and intentionally smacked the phone to the ground. I have never in my life witnessed such a disgusting display of homophobia. I have previously encouraged many of the organizations I am part of to host events here. This will never happen again. Regardless, the service here is always terrible and the food is always disappointing. I will never return and I implore others to do the same.
This place has been consistently one of the worst managed places in Gainesville for the past year. They have great food and a great ambiance, yet they are consistently understaffed and the service is particularly slow. For example, they do not have enough staff for multiple tables the night of the national championship game, and we had to wait 30 minutes to get served. I understand there is a labor issues, but come on people. The drinks have also been subpar for the $10 price, and it is generally too expensive for what you pay. They had a power vacuum when Swamp left and clearly failed to take advantage.
We went for the NYE party. It was a great time because of the company I was with. I felt a lot of the advertised features of the evening were misleading. Yes.. there were appetizers all evening. ... downstairs. Yes there was a band... upstairs. . To hear the band meant no appetizers ..and vice versa.Unlimited tap beer and premium wells were advertised for the party. From 8pm to 2am was what the flyer said... however .. as soon as the ball dropped so to speak. . There were NO more free drinks... and no more band playing. And also no more appetizers. So... we paid for a 6 hour event. Got 4. I had a great time and other than the false advertising. It was a good deal. But I would consider this for future events at this venue, because. .what they advertise may or may not be what you get.HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
20% automatic gratuity when I have to order at a counter? I’m done here. This place fell apart.
We were there when the Gators played so the place was packed. Atmospheres was great and the beer was cold. Food was also good we had some burgers and a couple of rice bowls. Staff was friendly and service was pretty fast considering the place was full.
Venue is very nice and clean, especially the rooftop. All staff was great except the bartenders who at one point refused to serve you if you didnt have money out for tips. At one point saying only tippers will be served. While I get where they are coming from, it sucks that there was was no way to get served a drink unless I paid extra for each one even if I had already tipped when I first arrived.
Everything good except some shady business!Ambiance and variety and cleanness is much better than other businesses in the neighborhood.I usually go to have beer and watch games. Every time I have 4 beers and every time they put 5 or 6 beers on my check!!! So if you go there make sure you double check before paying, specially if you order alcohol.Some waiters are very nice and professional some others are not good at all. Social needs to revise the training approach.
Ugg. It was ok. Its certainly not the best place Ive ever been, and I feel theyre gonna have step their game up if they want to keep up in Gainesville. The food was good, the service was awful. They were very friendly, but more interested in being friends than actually working. We waited so long for our waiter, that a coworker had to come over and explain away his absence. (And this is on a Sunday evening, place is close to empty.) No drink menus. No straws. No bottle beers. When we finally got our food, (which was very good) my fries were ice cold. I specifically requested no pickle and it was littered with pickles. I asked for a side of ranch that I never got, and they served my margarita in a jar (again, no straw) ...and the table was kinda sticky. Its very college-esque, so everyone is pretty young, but its a friendly atmosphere. Overall, its ok. But there are better places that I can swipe my card at.
Yes, I miss the Porpoise, but this place is quite an upgrade. They went all out on the renovation and created an awesome space. Love the back bar and how you can sit outside on 1st Ave. The pork rinds are absolutely amazing, make sure to try them out. Staff is always friendly and they have plenty of local breweries represented. My one complaint is I wish they would open the rooftop earlier in the evening so I can enjoy dinner and hanging out before the late night crowd starts arriving.
This place has just continued to go downhill. Slow service, bad attitudes from servers have become standard. Today was my breaking point. They refused to honor happy hour deal that was on their website and then said that it was just an error in the way it was written. When we became frustrated, the server told us: its not that big of a deal. Then, she came back and told us that the manager would honor it and then a few minutes later, someone (never the manager!) came out and said they couldnt. I couldnt believe they would see the error and not at least do something. No place like this deserves my money. And its terrible for them because I regularly have to give recommendations to people for places to eat around campus. I will make sure that no one I talk to gives their money to this place.
I love this place! The drinks and food are always great. But that is not the reason that we come here... Brittney is!! And last time we met TJ who is equally awesome. Britney plays fun games, makes us feel safe, and provides for us in any way we need. We are grateful for Brittney and can’t stop coming back for more!
This place is great. Lots of fun, dance floor on the first floor and the second floor becomes a mini dance floor. I was there as part of our alumni association meeting. They had incredible pork sliders. Absolutely exception. The drinks were good and reasonably priced. The only reason I give it a four is because of the ironically modern look to it. For those I went to school here two or three decades ago this place has had multiple iterations. It was called City something not too long ago, and it was the purple porpoise 20 years ago. Its a large space now because they combine the old spaces of the purple porpoise and a club called access or excess that was in the back. Parking is a drag. We had a blast here!
I prefer no cover charge places but was meeting some friends and had a good time.
The most disorganized service ever!!!! Took over an hour to never get food. Tables around us were getting the wrong food delivered to their tables. Manager tried to give food that had already been in front of someone else to another customer. Manager needs to do less talking and more actual management. Who tells a restaurant customer they want to rebuild a relationship with a customer. Just get your staff organized, keep your tables straight, and deliver food to the proper tables. Even after telling manager 3 times what we ordered she still tried to deliver wrong food. 1 bad experience = never going back!
Really beautifully designed building with an interesting menu. Definitely more for the bar scene and bar crowd, as it has huge open spaces - dining is not the main priority if you look at the square footage. The beer prices are higher compared to other local spots but you get what you pay for. Our bartender was not overly friendly or helpful but I guess I cant blame him for the normal clients he has to deal with - we are not the college crowd and would have appreciated more of a friendly service.
Went to the Social for happy hour. We had a wonderful server named Shannon. The drinks were excellent, the food was delicious and the service was perfect. I would absolutely recommend.
This place is a great spot to go with a few friends for a night out and to grab a quick bite to eat. The hospitality of the bar tenders and the host were good and the bar tenders were very attentive to us while we were their. Kelly happened to be taking care of us that night and she did amazing, the food came out great and she made us feel very welcomed. Overall I would highly recommend making this a destination if you are ever in Gainesville.
This place is pretty mediocre. The food honestly is mediocre and has gotten worse over time. The customer service is definitely mediocre. Only thing going for them is location and I feel like they know it. The rooftop is nice but if you’re looking for quality food and service especially from management, don’t do it.
The staff was friendly and went above and beyond to make sure we were taken care of. Our waitress even brought over an extra sauce because she thought it would go well with our sweet potato fries. Very impressed, well done guys!! The restaurant is dimly lit and gives off a cozy yet industrial vibe. Very unique 👌
I have had great experiences at the social. The servers and bartenders are attentive and efficient, even during very busy nights. The happy hour is hard to beat! I love the lavender bees knees and the buffalo chicken wontons! Definitely a fun and relaxing place to have a drink (or 3) and enjoy a bite to eat. Will definitely return!
Overall, very content with The Social. The open atmosphere is relaxing, and the rooftop bar is amazing and really what Gainesville needed. The food is far above average, always fresh, delicious and portions are huge. My only critique is that they lack specialty cocktails. Its more generic (vodka soda, etc). They could really do superbly if they offered exclusive, craft drinks, as they are generally more beer geared. Overall all, highly recommend.
Cole, the kitchen manager, was extremely rude and unprofessional. My friend ordered the Buffalo chicken wontons (which she gets all the time and is literally the whole reason we even went there) and they weren’t cooked all the way so she asked if they could remake it. A few minutes later the kitchen manager came out and was telling her -with an attitude- that, “that’s how we make them I don’t know what to tell you” “have you ever even had them before?” “you can just order something else”Waitress was great though, had nothing to do with her or the cook.
I was there during the day on Saturday so sure it was a different experience than being there at night.. The servers were very kind and helpful. The food was pretty good and I liked the open airy floor plan. Nice experience.
IF YOURE IN THE LGBT COMMUNITY OR AN ALLY DO NOT COME HERE THE BOUNCERS VIOLENTLY ATTACK GAY PEOPLE.My best friend and his partner got hate crimed and assaulted at The Social in Gainesville yesterday. As a queer person in nightlife, it’s terrifying to realize that at any time u can be subject to literal assault for just being gay.The establishment and the general manager are not taking accountability at all. We need to put an end to hate crimes and hold the aggressor and the establishment accountable in order to prevent this from happening again.WE WILL BE SUING.
This establishment has made it loud and clear that it does not care about creating a safe space for members of the LGBTQ+ community and only host drag events for the money, not for celebrating queer and marginalized people. Beware of violent security guards and bad music.
Very attentive staff. I have not had one bad experience from any of the servers or bartenders. I like that there is a lot of security too. -- Great food, a lot of great choices. Flatbreads are great; add bacon. Mojo pork tacos excellent, the plantains in it are an awesome touch.You can never go wrong with the Tuscan sandwich. Thursday lunch special, blackened chicken pasta is a must. Lots of drink specials. Check out the roof bar, they often have entertainment, but it is under promoted.
Have had a number of bad experiences here: hair in food, problems with the bills, aggressive management. Talked to a manager last night and he explained that, in their eyes, the customer is always wrong because they mostly deal with drunk students. One manager, TJ, even tried to physically intimidate me and a friend when an error on the bill needed to be corrected. The waitresses seem very afraid of management and are not treated with the respect they deserve. Clearly, the owners and management of the Social don’t care about people, only profit, but they don’t understand that they are earning their reputation as a bad business. They think all they need is to milk drunk college students of their money, but they will tank. Good riddance.
The social is an amazing and fun place to relax with friends and to enjoy watching football. They have a huge selection of locally brewed beers from First Magnitude and Swamphead as well as an interesting and diverse drink menu. The food is equally impressive. Was very impressed by the size and ambiance of the building. I highly recommend checking this place out!
What an amazing time after work. Find Cade the bartender he was amazing, friendly, and fun. Today was my first time there and happy hour was great. Such a beautiful location to have a drink or even to just have a meal. By far the best spinach artichoke dip ive ever tasted!
The Social at Midtown is good but can be improved. The drinks are top notch quality in terms of its cocktails obviously depending on how much you want to spend there. The food is delicious but kind of expensive for what you get. The atmosphere does change tremendously depending what hour and day you go. But the music there isnt my style, I would recommend getting a new DJ for ladies night at Midtown, they play the same songs over and over again, mix it up a bit. Finally, I would like them to use their rooftop bar more often, it seems like every time I go its closed for some reason! Good job guys keep it up and stay classy!
We attended a private party in which we (black women) were violently attacked by the white workers there while in the restroom. We endured micro aggressions and racism. This is not a POC friendly establishment. It’s 2022, stop putting hands on black women and aggressing towards us then making yourselves out to be the victim. Emmett Till’s murderer behavior, those white women really had to the audacity to treat us like that.
Great place great atmosphere all around great nite club. Fast service downstairs with awesome music. Upstairs is open and breezy. If you attend on Friday before game day you must stay until close. The end of the night was the best to me complete awesomeness.
I absolutely love Social’s atmosphere. You can tell they put effort into making this restaurant/bar a welcoming and fun environment.Besides the nice atmosphere, the food is also amazingly delicious. The buffalo chicken wontons are one of a kind and man are they good!This is definitely the nicest place in midtown and totally worth checking out.
Have experienced bad service both times I’ve been in. The first experience was with a male server who we had to ask for a refill, the check and a to go box for two or three times before we received any of them. Just today we went in and got some drinks and meals and after waiting for our lunch for 45 minutes our waitress just brought us our check for the drinks, as she had completely forgotten we even ordered meals. We were speechless and too shocked to even say anything to her. Not sure why the staff is completely spaced out...
Location location location! It is the biggest nicest place on the strip in front of the stadium. It can accommodate a lot of people. Ive been here a couple of times and the staff is super energetic and friendly. The Food is quality. Its Pro is also its gone. A big beautiful Gator crowd. Go Gators!
Disrespectful Staff. Overpriced Drinks and food. Disrespectful manager and owner. Doesnt listen to suggestions from anyone. Doesnt utilize space properly. Employees make you feel uncomfortable hawk eyeing every step you take in case they can catch you doing something wrong or god forbid you do not have a wrist band they give you. Never giving my business to them again. Waste of space to this precious town. Sad!
Come here only to eat on days when football is not happening. if you do go on the saturdays in the fall, i warn that there are limited spots and the wait is very long. quality goes down too. go on any other day and the food is marginally better. asked for a side dish as a main and was refused as well. service is ok and good could be much better
Was there yesterday for the game. We spent most of the afternoon upstairs and wanted to order food. I asked a waiter if I could order food up there, but he said I had to go order it downstairs then bring it up. Ok, no problem. I go do that after struggling to get to the bar because there were so many ppl there. I got apps for our whole table and go to bring it upstairs and the bouncer dude tells me we’re not allowed to bring it upstairs! This is a message for the management: please make sure there is clear communication between your staff downstairs and your staff upstairs, so this doesn’t happen to other guests. I was particularly upset because a friend of mine had literally just brought food upstairs from below also. I won’t be coming back after that experience.
Food: 3/10 on good dayWaitresses/hostesses: pretty good, no complaintsManagers: 3/10; not highly capable individualsCooks: see aboveNightlife: never seems to reach its potential for a large rooftop bar in the heart of a college party scene. Hit or miss.Overall, there are much better places to go in the immediate area. Keep looking
Very impressed with this new version of the old gator city! They have a patio out back now as well as a very open front and an upper patio (which was closed for a private event the day we visited so that was a bummer). Quick service and great happy hour, will definitely be back next time were in town. Go Gators!
A big nada on any level! There was a afternoon cover charge to get in $5 dollars each for adults and $7 for under 18. After you wait in line for 10-20 mins and pay the cover, then its a 2 hours wait for a table. You can sit at the bar or go up stairs. If you opt to go up stairs there is a food truck where you can get drinks pretty quickly thats only a 35 minute wait; food will be a little over an hour. If you are fortunate to find a place to sit up top you will have to bus your own table. Didnt get to try the food maybe its amazing.
I am a Hostess here. It is a very nice place and Im not just saying that because I work there. It actually has very decent food and the staff are all nice people. I mean I am not the age to drink, but its not the place that you see a lot of raging drunks and horribly rude people. This is why its called the social because people come there for social events and family friendly dinners and lunches and other things. I say bring your wives bring your kids bring your families. Its a fun place to be. :)
Look if you want drinks and atmosphere youre gonna pay for it. But dont order food on the rooftop, the only decent thing is cold macn cheese and you need to be pretty hammered to even order that if you value your money. Cheese curds were cold and hard as a rock with zero cheese in them. Chili nachos were basically just stale chips and 2 slices of jalapeno. Ive seen better sliders at white castle. Look I get it was busy as hell, but what a waste of money and a horrible experience that was allowed to happen for the sake of getting money from ppl. Clearly not prepared for the capacity nor demand. Oh AND I waited 1hr + to get my food.
This place could be great because the drink selection and the food is pretty good. However, the management, bouncers and the majority of the servers are rude. It’s obvious that they don’t want to be there and it can be an unpleasant experience if you need anything from them.
They would be great other than being strict over little things that don’t matter that drive away good customers who are actually not under age away. I think they don’t focus on their customer base enough or customer responses enough at all. Overall, they have great beers/drinks and bartenders and would only be better with better management. They aren’t a 5-star bar in Gainesville for a reason.
Fantastic menu. Red fish over grits is a spicy explosion of flavor. Filet mac is creamy goodness to die for. Exceptional local draft list. Craft cocktails too. Quick, competent service. Highly impressed!
Rude, snobby service. The young woman served me and my friends (men and ladies) then never returned. I wanted to order something else, so I made eye contact with her a number of times to get her attention, but she ignored me. I finally got her attention by waving across the bar and making eye contact. She simply looked at me then looked away. A customer shouldnt have to wave their bartender down.Supposedly another server had switched with her. I would not have known, as this other person didnt ask if we needed anything, didnt look at us, but walked by with her brow wicked and lips closed tight like she was posing for a selfie. They were also being selective in who they talked to.I usually dont leave these reviews and have no issues with customer service at restaurants and have respect for servers. But rude is rude.
This is probably one of my favorite places to go on Gainesville and they have such good food options. It impressive their selection and the taste, especially because you might not anticipate such from a bad. It’s slightly annoying that on game days the charge you to get in but I guess you can’t expect much else. I definitely would recommend going here; just not when there’s a football game.
Service was great. The food was also food. I had the burger with an egg on it and French fries. The burger was very tasty and not dry. The French fries were different, more potatoey than normals French fries - but good. Pretzel bites were ok. Will try a different app next time.
Definitely one of the cleanest bars you will find in midtown. However, the service was pretty bad. The hostess was rude from the minute we walked in the door. Bar tenders upstairs were also rude to several members of our party. Drinks were okay...food was also just okay. Fine for a drink but expect long waits and subpar service.
Homophobic and unsafe for queer individuals.In 2022, this place should be ashamed.Social @ midtown, more like antisocial and ignorant.Our friends are in the hospital and have to get physical therapy because an uneducated bouncers and security.If girls can to the bathroom and in the stalls to check on each other, it should be accept for men as well.If was this was two straight cis gender girls it would have NOT been handled this way.
Good atmosphere, decent draft selection and prices, and delicious bar food. However, some of the bar tenders should be more professional.I also think it would be helpful for the bathroom doors to have a male/female sign instead of a M or a W since there are so many international students who visit. Or they could have a unisex bathroom...
I usually like social but have recently had horrendous experiences there, multiple times in a row. We had a waitress that maybe checked up on us once. My boyfriend and I only intended to be at the restaurant for an hour/an hour and a half, but were there for almost three hours because our waitress would take forever to bring anything. We also both ordered mac and cheese, and it had no cheese whatsoever on it. The previous times I have come to social they had great mac and cheese, but this time I had to complain but it was disgusting. The waitress then proceeded to shout across the restaurant telling her manager that we were complaining about our food, and her manager told her we would have to pay for more cheese, which is ridiculous because last time I checked you did not have to pay for the cheese when you order mac and cheese. By the time she came back with it, our food and the cheese was cold.
For being in an area where theres many many options for places to drink / mingle, the Social really doesnt live up to the hype. Seems badly managed and I saw an account of security assaulting two LGBTQ people to the point that they needed to be in the hospital. Not really somewhere worth spending money, especially for LGBT+ individuals. Disappointing but not surprising.
This is my favorite bar in Gainesville, although Ive only been to maybe 5. The rooftop setting means its quiet enough to hear your friends talking, they have some games like cornhole, its not terribly crowded, the bathrooms are very clean, the drinks are affordable, and best of all, theres karaoke.
It was so nice. the restaurant was huge. There was no host when we walked in and had to walk over to the bar for help. Maybe because it was not busy that someone went to the back? The buffalo wontons were very full and they were very delicious. It was a little pricey, which was a down side. All in all, I would go back.
This is a large venue, and a great place. They have Wed specials of mac n cheese bowls that are amazing, Id suggest the buffalo mac n cheese. The staff is always friendly and make me feel right at home.
What a place to enjoy any sports event especially the Gators! The food I had was topnotch, friendly and professional staff, no one is a stranger. A stones throw from the Gator sports venues, check out the views from the rooftop bars!
Avoid this rat race - no plates or utensils with your food when served, expected to eat with fingers. You pay to get in and receive a wrist band. Wife and daughter ordered food left drop off keys for son took one minute. Then were asked to wait in a huge line again. Hope you dont want a beer. Rotation is about 30-45 minute wait. Food takes over 75 minutes for a simple sandwich. You guys got my money this trip. Never again!!
First experience at a club and it was pretty cool. I am very socially awkward and I went with a group of friends I have at UF. Not really sure how to dance/move/interact in a crowd of people inside of a club and certainly got a death glare or two from some people I probably accidentally bumped into. Overall, probably should wait till I am old enough to drink; might make me less self conscious and less awkward. 8/10 would recommend
This place was awful. The manager was so rude, everyone seemed very disorganized, and none of the servers or bar tenders seem to be on the same page as far as their policies go. It was taking forever to get the food, and when we decided to cancel our order, they all of a sudden immediately brought us our food and forced us to take it. For all of the attitude and outright rude behavior, the food is definitely not worth it. The food was less than mediocre. Spend your money down the road at The Swamp instead!
My friends were assaulted there on Cinco de Mayo, one was sick and in the bathroom stall, so the other came in there to check on him, only to be attacked my someone acting as management! Witnessed by everyone in attendance!! Covered in blood and bruises, they were then treated at the hospital! Definitely not safe!! I’ll never go back for sure!😡
Great place for older students and alumni who dont want to deal with the stuffy bars and drink cheap warm beer before games. The music playlist has to be better though on gamedays. Its hard to get into a party mood with depressing Country songs playing every other song.
Not professional or safe and CERTAINLY not LBGTQ+ friendly. the security should be completely ashamed of themselves for the violent acts that have taken place on our community. 2 beautiful loving caring LEADERS are currently in the hospital because of the monstrous hateful ignorant people who work here. they are supposed to be put in place to protect people.
Food was great!!! My husband had the Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese and I had one of the sliders. Not exactly sure on the name. The flavors all blended well together. Very good food!
This is my second time coming to the amazing gator nation city!!!! With such a great atmosphere around on a college game day, this bar right here is by far the best on the strip.... BRITTANY (the bartender) made it such a blast with her upbeat personality all night long. Thank you social bar for truly making our night memeorable and one for the books.Till next time!GO GATORS 🐊
I am choosing to post this review as a warning to others, and it took me awhile to do so. If you choose to go here, please take precautions: go in a larger group, if you have any disagreements with staff use your phone to record them. This staff (5 males) attacked one in my party (there was 3 of us) which resulted in an ER visit. At the ER we were told by one staff member that she personally has treated several victims from this place and thankfully this person was in a lot better shape than the last few. We went to the furthest ER (out of 6 in the city). So if you choose to go here please be mindful of this.
Good place to hang out and grab a beer. Went in the afternoon so wasnt too busy. Lots of room and multiple bars. Imagine it gets busy at night. Weird to see the whole midtown area as a long ago alumni.
Its a nice place to go, generic bar food. The UF MBA program hosts end of semester events and it is a fun time. On game days IT IS packed! The roof top is nice when the weather is great.
We were just there. FL is hosting the SEC softball tournament, and the manager wouldnt turn it on the tv on the patio. It should have been on the game, along with the sound supporting the girls.
The fried buffalo chicken mac n cheese is actually the only food I get there. 10/10 on that dish at least. Theyre nice and quick with service if youre going for lunch. But sometimes kitchen takes a bit.
Dangerous place, needs to be shut down. Do not go here if you are lgbtq+ or a decent person. This business has allowed their security to beat two people senseless to the point of them needing to go to the hospital. Management has done nothing about it except silence people trying to speak out.
Had a great time here. Was extremely pleased with my burger and food, service was also awesome. Love watching the drag races on the televsion. Loved the fact they had great specials pretty much every day. Will definately come back here to catch a game
A group of coworkers and I went there last night and everything was excellent. The food, drinks and service were all fantastic and the Manager on duty was great. The out of town coworkers were impressed we had a place like this in Midtown Gainesville.
Sports bar. Has 27 tvs, but only 4 channels. Playing 2 games on 27 TVs, Fishing on one, and horse racing. On a Sunday at 1pm. (When 9 different games were on). Food is ar 1 hour and 25 min. Excuse was they were not expecting a lot of people (day after Gator home game). Bartenders and Manger we spoke with to change the tvs are rude as hell.
Delicious food options! The drinks are not the best but not the worse. Some of the drink options are a hit or miss depending on your bartender. The music is also usually good. The 2nd floor provides a more relaxing setting to just relax and drink!
Easily one of the worst establishments Ive come to visit! DONT GO!! The security here is awfully rude and aggressive. My friends left with bruises and marks on their bodies by the people who are supposed to ensuring safety!! Consider other places first
I have never had a bad meal here. I was disappointed that they took the veggie burger off the menu, but there are still plenty of choices. I really enjoy the variety of beer on tap.
This establishment is just what its titled but nothing more. The food was okay and the service was, well, just absent. But to be fair, its a social bar where college students hang out just as the whole area is like and the food was a different twist which was pretty good.
Dont be fooled by the crazy Thursday night parties and the MidTown location. The food here is actually pretty good. The Mac & Cheese offerings are really damned good. The beer cheese pretzels are also excellent. If youre already in MidTown dont be afraid to stop here to eat.
This is an update from todays experience. January 24th, 2020. 8 adults all over the age of 60 tried to go into the social and we work hard. Two of us did not have IDs on us. They wouldnt let us in because of this. Common sense flew out the window because none of us look a day younger than 50. He said it was Florida state law that no one could go in without showing their ID. I say goodbye to social forever.Love going there for gymnastic meets. Great entertainment for a low price. The gymnastic meet move quickly and the gymnasts are top notch. I might add that I am an alum from the UF gymnastic team.
Was wrongfully kicked out after the manager singled me out, and put his hands on me TWICE:I understand when someone gets kicked out you probably think they were acting stupid or had it coming in some way, but I genuinely was sitting at the bar having a drink when two bouncers and a manager approached me. I’m 110lbs and very scrawny, was that neeeded?Without a word they ripped my band off my arm and told me to step outside. Went with them (not by choice), tried to ask what I did wrong the whole time but I never ONCE got a reason, he just kept telling me he wanted me gone.I told him it was my friends birthday (who was waiting for me back inside), I hadn’t seen her in over a year and he just sarcastically said, “Cool.” I tried asking AGAIN AND AGAIN what I did wrong, but I never once got an answer, he just sat with his arms crossed, didn’t listen to me, and then put his hands on me a second time and PUSHED ME BACK.I tried calling the next day to speak with someone about this, but they never called me back; I doubt they care.I also just want to restate I was never given a reason as to why this all happened. I tried speaking to the manager like an adult, but he continued to try and grab at me. Ridiculous.
Nothing like walking 15 minutes in the Florida heat to find out they decided to close. If you value your time and not being sweaty, call ahead to find out if theyre open.
Got overcharged on my credit card (tipped 20 Percent, got charged more). Contacted them and got no response. Its just a few dollars and the waitress was nice. But that is just unethical.
My first time here was today we were a party of 5! I am from Boca Raton FL and I was visiting to celebrate my birthday with some friends. I received the worst service at the bar. The Bartender we had by the name of Anthony was very sarcastic and rude. He wasn’t clear on the specials that were going on and was annoyed that we needed time to think about what we were ordering. When we got our tabs it was a different price then what was told. It was no big deal it’s was only a $1 more. I simply asked why it was a different price and he swore he told us it went up a $1 after the first hour. He didn’t but he rudely asked if I wanted to be refunded a $1. I said no it’s fine I was just curious. I debated on tipping him so one of my friends and I tipped him 0.50 each on a $2 tab. As we are walking away he said “Thank you ladies for the dollar combined tip”. I asked him what had been his problem the entire time we were there, we’re from out of town. He said he was glad so we wouldn’t come back he said am I mad because I felt my tip wasn’t good enough. Horrible customer service won’t be back if I come in town again. I honestly hope he was just having a bad day because I can’t imagine him being so rude all the time.
WARNING: This is a RACIST establishment. If I could give zero stars I would. The manager on duty treated our party like second(or 3rd) class citizens, until we were forced to cancel our orders. Even though we cancelled our orders long before the food was ready, we were told if we do not pay for the food that we ordered(and didnt receive yet), we would have the police called on us. We were also forced to stay in the building by two large bouncers. We were told that we were threatening the manager with theft of service (for service we hadnt even received yet). In the end we paid for our food and just left without it.
Went during happy-hour and didnt spend more than $4/beer!! The biggest downside was at 5pm the entire place is blasting music, that frankly wasnt in good taste and way too loud. Could hardly hold a conversation...
Wings, drinks and pretzels while watching basketball. Big space and plenty of TVs. Our waiter was great but as with much of the restaurant industry short in staff. Took awhile to get drinks.
I usually like this place, but I think they lost my order, and they finally brought it after the folks next to me (who ordered at the same time I did) had finished eating and left. Then they got it wrong, AND charged me $2 extra to swap goat cheese for blue cheese on a small salad. No manager to be found to talk to. Hopefully it was just a bad night.
Great bartenders and staff, solid drinks, good happy hour... but the music really sucks. Friday afternoon is never the time for pathetic cry-in-your-beer country. Bring some rock, edm, or least something different and upbeat and the vibe would improve dramatically!
Great place to hang out with friends. Went on a busy Family weekend and upstairs deck was reserved. Definitely hope to get back before they tear it down for more apartments.
Great atmosphere. Multiple areas for different feels; comfy tables and booths, internal machinist bar, dance area, pool spot, sidewalk bar, upstair pavilion. Great place, had one rude worker at the upstair pavilion. Although, some exceptional service and conversations with the sidewalk bar servers. A definate spot to return to. All around good place.
This place has an awesome atmosphere and its so much bigger than everywhere else. Every single time Ive gone the music absolutely sucks, the dj tries to please everyone way too much. This place makes a lot of $$ they should def look into a way better DJ
Been here several times and it’s always been an awful experience. one time they threw my non-alcoholic soda on the ground because they thought i was underaged drinking. super hostile environment!
Currently this is my favorite weekend hangout in Gainesville.Two things set it apart in my opinion:1) spacious both indoor and outdoor, and the rooftop is really nice.2) in the two times Ive been there, they put more diverse music that you can dance to compared to other dance spots! Stuff from 2000-2015, older, latin, etc.
Would give zero stars if I could. I used to love this place before COVID however there safety measures during covid are not what they should be. Many staff members were walking around without masks and our waitress never had the mask over her nose. Which means the mask was a mute point.
Went to the social like 2 and a half weeks ago it was actually my first time visiting and i must say i had a great time the drinks were perfect i will definitely be going back on September 1st to watch the gators play and hopefully i get the same experience from last time
Super chill place. Very nice and understanding staff. There was a mix up with an event my girlfriend and I went to involving another company and they helped as much as they could. Great bar tenders too!
$20 for four half-filled shot glasses of El Jimador, even after we asked the bartender to top off the least full one to subtlely inply that they werent full. Good music, roof was nice. An a*hole bouncer kept pushing people out of the way to walk through the dance floor. As said though, the bar service was bad though, and thats the most important thing I look for when going out.
Visited for work lunch with coworkers. One coworkers fries were undercooked. Anothers tenders were overcooked and he was charged $9.98 instead of $8.99. Waitress didnt offer any water refills nor did she let third coworker know about the $2.99 upcharge to change something on her order. I tried to order a drink at the bar, as I hadnt seen our waitress, and the bartender said hed let my waitress know, but nothing ever came of it... First time there, not in a rush to return.
It’s alright. The place has no character and no soul. Basically just a giant rectangular box with polished floors serving beer in three different bars spread out equally in the restaurant (front, back, rooftop). Go somewhere else if you’re looking for some atmosphere.
Went on a Sunday afternoon to watch the NFL games with a group of friends. We asked to be seated in front of a tv that was playing a specific game, and that request was granted. 10 minutes into the game, they changed the game to a different game. I asked if they could put the first game back on, or on a different tv, and was told that they are not allowed to change the games (even though it clearly just happened). We were directed to the manager, who walked around the entire establishment trying to find a different place to seat us (rather than change the tv back to the original game) and were told that the only tvs showing the game we had originally been watching were outside, and we could move out there if we wanted to. Meanwhile we had already ordered drinks and food when we had originally sat down. When asked why they couldnt just put the game back on the tv it was originally on, the manager was extremely rude and told me thats not what happened. Nobody changed the tv even though it had clearly happened. He seemed more interested in arguing than providing any kind of solution other than you can go sit outside. Needless to say, we immediately left, at which point he tried to apologize. I told him that he had more than enough opportunities to remedy the situation, but instead insisted on trying to tell me that I didnt know what I was talking about. If I could give this experience 0 stars, I would.
A very large bar with great prices! Dropped in when I was visiting for a graduation. Great location and blown away by the prices. If only New York bars had those prices! Maybe we were there on a good night, who knows.
Awesome place! Less crowded than the other bars in the area and they have top shelf liquor! Played a variety of music too. Well worth the $5 cover charge.
After showing my ID and a valid one. Exams so did not have any other card on me ( I carried just cash and my ID) they kicked me and my boyfriend out for both of us bot having any other “card” to help validate the authenticity of the ID? I’m really upset and writing this after we had to Uber home because all of our fitness were there and we wanted to party as a group. I’m 25 and my boyfriend is 28. It’s ridiculous. If I did not have a valid ID I would understand but This is ridiculous. I’m literally copying and pasting this and putting it on every review platform. Thanks for ruining our night out that we get few of.
Was hard to find parking. Once there though, its pretty nice. Wide open environment. Two bars, one inside, one on the street. Friendly service. Food was out in less then 10 minutes. 3 pool tables, 1$ a game.
This is the place to go to if youre not in a hurry at lunch. The service is very slow considering that there hardly any customers. They play good music, but the food leaves something to be desired.
I went here for lunch and was seated (while holding a Dunkin Donuts cup) I sat there for roughly 5 min. Connected to WiFi and set up my laptop and papers to study. Then, someone came up and told me i wasnt allowed to have outside drinks. This wouldnt be a problem if other people didnt also have Dunkin Donuts cups, at their table, while eating. I dont like playing the gay card. But, it felt as though it was because of that reason I were kicked out. I was singled out and not served. I will no longer be going to social. I enjoyed it the few times Ive gone. However, this experience ruined it for me. It was as if the drink was just the excuse, but again, i saw other people there with Dunkin cups and tumblers on the tables.
The only reason I am not giving this place a 4/5 stars is because their sound system malfunctions. Went with my buddies to watch the Super Bowl and couldnt hear the game for the first 20 minutes. However, played some fire music in the meantime.This is quite ironic however, because on Friday or Saturday nights, they have amateur DJs who play music from their Iphones or laptop, who do not gauge the party and see what the club is feeling. Other than that, I would take a friend out of town to come here.P.S. Coming here on a rainy night is the move :)
This place is much nicer after the remodel. Downstairs and outside patio are nice. Great beer and drink specials. Food is good for midtown bar food, but can be a little pricey.
It might be little bit pricey for some students. Plates have very nice appearances! Except this tenders! Location is great but parking is challenging. I would recommend it though!
Thought we would have dinner after the gymnastics meet last night. Left something behind that was important to my teen daughter. The was no one willing to help me. in helping me locate it. Got hung up on a couple of times, cut off when I tried to explain... and even left 9n hold for several minutes.The social displayed lack of customer service. the hostess would not even allow me to talk to the manager. THIS was my first outing since having brain surgery on Jabuary 7, 2019. I call again on that following Monday, left a message for a manager to call me. Waiting three days and called again. This time I was told that the managers were all in a inspection. I asked for coperates information the young lady went on to explain that the resturant had NO coperate and the it was just owned by three guys and they had no contact information. I am beyond irritated with this experience. I am a life long resident of Gainesville. Although The Social is targeted at the college population, it 8s residents like me that keep businesses afloat when the students are gone. My experience was so poor that it needs to be expressed at a higher level. I understand that there are a couple other restaurants that have the same owners. I will continue to research until I am able to reach the owners.
Today I was denied access with my service dog in training, Hatteras, of New Horizons Service Dogs, a non-profit 501(c)(3) that provides service dogs to those with disabilities, veterans with PTSD, and children with autism. As an FYI, Under Florida state law, I am granted the EXACT SAME access rights as a disabled handler would be. I was met by a hostess with an offering of a table in a “dog only” section (it is illegal to only offer a certain part of the restaurant to those with service animals). When I asked her for a table further back, she went and got what I am assuming to be is a supervisor, as he indicated he was not the manager or an assistant manager, I unfortunately did not catch his name. He was rude, off-putting, and demeaning with his ignorant and illegal questioning. I attempted to inform him that offering only certain parts of the restaurant to those with service dogs is illegal, yet he did not care. He then demanded to see some “registration” for her. I attempted to inform him that there is no such national, governing body over all service dogs, and that anyone who claims to have their dog “registered” is breaking the law. I also told him that even asking for some sort of identification is illegal. He still did not care. I told him that this interaction was not the first I had experienced at this restaurant and that other times I had been given a table further back after informing that my dog was, indeed, a service dog. He then was combative and told me “you have only been seated here before” (gesturing to the front where dogs are allowed). I told him that was not the case. He still did not care. As someone who dedicates thousands of hours of their time and hard-earned money training dogs like these to eventually assist those who are disabled, you make it very hard for me to recommend your place of business to those who would wish to spend their time and money in your establishment. I am DISGUSTED. I sincerely hope you all get your act together regarding the Americans with Disabilities act and what questions you are legally allowed to ask.Let me assist you with that:#1. “Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?”#2. “What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?”Your supervisor flat-out LIED when he said he “asked what job the dog does for [me] and that I ‘refused to answer’”.I am writing this review to inform you that not only did you break the law, not only did you upset and anger me, you made it very clear to me that you do not care at all about your reputation as a business amongst those who are disabled.Shame on you.
Landon was such a cool dude, awesome and personable bartender. Bill, the manager, was extremely knowledgeable about beer and had perfect stories to tell that made our experience at the bar extraordinary.
As far as midtown bars go, The Social is the probably the most complete. By complete I mean that its got pool tables, a dance floor, food and drink specials and a ton of room. Every bar in midtown is missing at least one of these things. However, the place is so big that semi slow nights feel like you are in an open warehouse.
A bar/restaurant with a wide selection of food and drinks. A lot classier than the other drinking establishments in Midtown and also the only one including a full food menu, but its also pricier than the other offerings.There is an extensive list of beers on tap including all the regular offerings from First Magnitude and Swamp Head and seasonal beers from the same breweries.
What can I say, I enjoyed every bite, every minute I had there. Great food and wonderful staff. Bow in respect to an amazing chef that has the most unique and wonderful palette.
Fine place. Wait staff can be a bit iffy and mixed drinks sometimes pretty poorly made, but its a nice spot with a trendy, UF under grad crowd. They usually dont take over until after 9pm, so the environment beforehand is much calmer.
The service was terrible I ordered a drink waited over 30 minutes to get it the bartender was extremely rude ignored me when I was trying to pay my bill... I requested a song the Dj never played it. Overall the restaurant was spacious and clean
Definitely a great place if you wanna be physically assaulted by security and never receive any kind of justice from staff there. About as lgbt friendly as a conversion therapy center
One of the worst establishments I have been to. Upon entering my friend who is a girl accidentally went into the mens bathroom by accident. Immediately the so called manager and owner jumped on us and tried to kick her out. Without even trying to listen to our explanation they called us liars and other swear words and the security guard started shoving us out of the club. They refused to listen to us and put their hands on each and every one of us. Overall, screw this club and screw the owner, manager, and security. If I could press charges I would. Save your money and dont bother.
The beer is fine. Food, fair to poor. Ordered the Ahi Tuna. Tasteless, grey fish served on a cold pile of tasteless rice. Awful. S
The bouncers were extremely rude to my friend because they mistook him for someone else and when we spoke to a manager about it he said the bouncer had PSTD and might kill you if you mess with him ??? Uhm excuse me ???? Tf ???? Sorry but thats not okay. 👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻 This place has super bad vibes. Bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad. Definitely never going back, this place is garbage and a waste of money.
The social does not support Gator women sports. Asked manager why they do not support Gator women and was told they only play sound at night. This was for the Gator womens softball regional tournament and we had called ahead and was told that it would be on with sound. VERY disappointed and will not be back. Have been there in the past during a football game in the afternoon and the sound was blarring. Need a new manager!
Kicked out my of age friend for literally no reason, we were chatting and they ripped off his band and kicked him out with literally no reason provided. They also got physical with him, grabbing and pushing him when he didnt resist at all. The situation was handled with no tact, if it had been someone less sober than my friend or with less patience it could have played out much worse.
- Address:1728 W University Ave, Gainesville, FL 32603, United States
- Site:https://macdintons.com/macdintons-gainesville/
- Phone:+1 352-373-7383
- Monday:12 PM–2 AM
- Tuesday:12 PM–2 AM
- Wednesday:12 PM–2 AM
- Thursday:12 PM–2 AM
- Friday:12 PM–2 AM
- Saturday:12 PM–2 AM
- Sunday:12 PM–2 AM
- Outdoor seating:Yes
- No-contact delivery:Yes
- Delivery:Yes
- Takeaway:Yes
- Dine-in:Yes
- Fast service:Yes
- Karaoke:Yes
- Live music:Yes
- Live performances:Yes
- Rooftop seating:Yes
- Sport:Yes
- Lunch:Yes
- Dinner:Yes
- Solo dining:Yes
- Wheelchair-accessible car park:Yes
- Wheelchair-accessible entrance:Yes
- Wheelchair-accessible seating:Yes
- Wheelchair-accessible toilet:Yes
- Alcohol:Yes
- Arcade games:Yes
- Beer:Yes
- Cocktails:Yes
- Comfort food:Yes
- Dancing:Yes
- Food:Yes
- Food at bar:Yes
- Happy-hour drinks:Yes
- Happy-hour food:Yes
- Late-night food:Yes
- Private dining room:Yes
- Quick bite:Yes
- Small plates:Yes
- Spirits:Yes
- Vegan options:Yes
- Wine:Yes
- Lunch:Yes
- Dinner:Yes
- Catering:Yes
- Dessert:Yes
- Seating:Yes
- Bar on site:Yes
- Toilets:Yes
- Wi-Fi:Yes
- Wi-Fi:Yes
- Casual:Yes
- Trendy:Yes
- Groups:Yes
- LGBTQ+ friendly:Yes
- Tourists:Yes
- Transgender safe space:Yes
- University students:Yes
- Accepts reservations:No
- Credit cards:Yes
- Debit cards:Yes
- NFC mobile payments:Yes
- Credit cards:Yes
- Has changing table(s):Yes
- High chairs:Yes
- Kids' menu:Yes
- Free of charge street parking:Yes
- Free parking lot:Yes
- Paid multi-storey car park:Yes
- Paid street parking:Yes
- Parking:Yes
- Dogs allowed:Yes
- Dogs allowed outside:Yes
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