Public & General Restaurant — Restaurant in Gainesville

I regret that I didn't post on previous visits. Both were really great for service and food (a dinner and a Sunday brunch). So maybe it was an off day. My dining partner got a buffalo chicken sub, which she said was very good. I ordered a few appetizers, which is how I usually eat at restaurants and how I've eaten at Public and General in the past. The artichoke Caeser salad had two 1/4 artichokes and one pathetic leaf of artichoke. The dressing had the faintest taste of anchovy but NO garlic. It was basically mayo on lettuce with not super fresh parm. The pickle fries were just skinny fries with a bunch of (maybe) steamed (?) dill and so oversalted that they hurt to swallow. The fried green tomatoes had maybe one layer of flavor, and the rest (breading and tomato) were flavorless. The polenta nuggets looked like fried tofu, served in little chunks with no garnish and a tasty sauce on the side. I've eaten and loved polenta my whole life and I've had more flavorful polenta in the cafeteria at Shands. I asked for the drink specials and I was provided with a list. The one that I ordered could not be prepared because the ingredients "had not come in". The bartender was very sweet, came to the table to tell me and gave me another recommendation when I requested, which was tasty. I ordered a glass of wine prior to dinner. It may be that I don't recall correctly, but the wine available by the glass seemed much more limited than previously and the pour was pathetic. This was not one of those giant wine glasses where it just seems like a little bit because the glass is so big. $70 plus tip and I am sad to say that I regret choosing...

This restaurant is horrible with their service! It is really an upscale bar and grill that serves food. My phone never goes above 20% volume. When everyone else was being noisy I decided while I was waiting for my food to Play a game on my phone. Again my volume was at 20%. Immediately the bartender server came over and told me that I need to turn my phone off or else she was going to relegate me outside so it wouldn't disturb other people. I replied that the place was noisy and everyone around me was noisy and I pointed to the table next to me in which they were talking very loudly. Instead of being understanding the bartender server sneered at me and said well if they are disturbing you then I will ask them to be more quiet because we are not that kind of establishment. It is a noisy bar and grill restaurant. Whoever heard of asking anyone to turn off their phone or asking a table of people to be quiet in a noisy restaurant. I wish I could give less than one star but that is the lowest review that I can give. I will never go back here again and I freely tell all of my friends and family not to support the Public and General restaurant. When I informed the manager on my way out the door that I would be giving a bad review she said that she wished I wouldn't because it would affect her business. I guarantee that my word of mouth will affect it a lot worse than this social media will. I happily leave this bad review because everyone should know that this place is disgraceful and how they treat the people who come...

Public & General is a great new spot in NE GNV. It's a large space with a bar area, restaurant with seating, outdoor space, and general store, where you can pick up a variety of wine, beer, and other goodies. The staff here is always friendly and courteous; I've only encountered friendly people.

The menu is diverse and always changing, though there are a handful of staples that you can always get (including the dill fries, which I highly recommend). You can check their social media pages for their daily specials.

I've eaten here several times, and as a vegetarian, I enjoy coming here because there is always something for me as well as my carnivorous friends. Generally, I tend to lean toward the friend egg sandwich (the fried egg + eggplant they sometimes feature is my favorite!), though I've also sampled some of their soups and salads. The food here always impresses me because it is simple food prepared creatively, and everything I've had is always delicious and fresh. In fact, I didn't even like eggs before I had P&G's fried egg dishes. Turns out I had just never had a good one!

This is a great spot to host a group happy hour or dinner as well. There is plenty of space to mix and mingle, and the space is comfy yet quirky. Plenty of parking is available as...