Mildred's Big City Food — Restaurant in Gainesville

I was so excited to finally try out Mildred’s, but I was left very disappointed. I booked my graduation dinner with friends and family around a week and a half in advance, and showed up to our reservation on time with my party. The interior of the restaurant is dated and a bit “stale” as someone put it (except for a beautiful bar), but I knew that going in. We went to sit at our table when we notice a giant clump of ants (around the size of a computer mouse) and multiple long lines of ants from the window sill onto the back of the bench for the table’s inner seating. It is Florida, ants are a thing, but how the table was dressed without any notice of the ants by staff is perplexing. We alert our waiter, who was not at all apologetic or that caring, and said the best he could do was spray it down with Lysol. So he did, and tried to adjust the blinds over the window to do so, but they fell apart, revealing that they were way too dusty and gross to feel comfortable (this is coming from a group of college students; we have low standards already). He left a bunch of dead ants along the seating and window. Our seat smelled way too intense, like the fake lemon Lysol. We ask if we can have another table; they say no, they are fully booked. Understandable, we ask to move the table slightly so we aren’t at least leaning against the bench/wall that was gross; they say no. Either we sit there or we sit outside, which was in the 40s with no heater. When we said we don’t feel comfortable with the options given, the waiter had not much to say besides “oh well”. My guests were all shocked by the rudeness of the waiter and the situation, and I was mortified. We established that we were getting the 3-course meal per person and were supposed to have a really nice dinner; it is not like the food is cheap. I stepped outside to call up other places, and thank goodness I found a place to take us in for dinner (which was lovely and I am so so grateful!!!).

I hate the idea of writing a poor review for a local business, but the thought of anyone else having to deal with a similar fiasco is an idea I hate more. I don’t think I could ever go back unless a lot of changes happen....

I'm An African American woman who went into this restaurant thinking it was going to be an uplifting experience for me, but boy, was I wrong. As soon as I entered the door I was stereotyped, I was approached by a young man waiter who seemed to be ok, but the staff was all white people who looked at me as if I was a circus attraction and like they didn't know what to say to me. Eventually, what looked like the manager came over and whispered in the young man waiter's ear and looked over his shoulder at a group of white customers on one side and then looked back at me and told the young man waiter to seat me alone on the other side of the restaurant. I waited for my food for 30 minutes then they messed my order up and then I had to wait another 30 minutes for the rest of my others. My food was decent, but the manager kept coming near me watching me, but not once did he come over to check on me or even speak to me just kept staring. They served me cold bread super late and I just felt isolated or racially profiled. Then the waitress that was assigned to me was forgetful and unprofessional...not to mention, they knew their service was horrible and that it was a possibility i would not be leaving a tip so THEY TOOK A TIP OUT AUTOMATICALLY! I absolutely hated my experience there and I will never...and I do mean never Go...

Mildred’s has been around for a long time and what they do, they do well for Gainesville. Everything is relative, right? Attentive personable wait staff: check. Well prepared and cooked food: check. Lamb was fork tender and braised to perfection, but the peppers were too bright and vegetal which clashed with the roasted flavors of the dish and falafel failed to hold its structure, breaking down to a bread-crumb like texture. Swordfish was perfectly cooked, but drowned in a sauce that was too heavy handed with cream and the broccoli side was an odd pairing, despite being cooked nicely. Dessert selection was lacking - cake/pie everything? Please broaden your horizons! Or maybe I should temper my expectations? I would have probably given a 4 star to Mildred’s, again, we are in Gainesville, but the mysterious 12% service fee that for a party of two who sat at the bar perplexed me. If you want a livable wage for your staff, pay them that and increase your prices - I will be more than happy to pay more. If you have been burned by people not tipping (which based on the mostly middle aged couples and families, is probably not the case), just make it the default 20%. Critical review? Sure. Honest review? I hope! Highlight of the dinner (besides my wife): the focaccia. Prices:...