I never would have gone in if I judged from the neglected parking lot and unwelcoming entrance. Reviews and my husband's recommendation saved this place for me so we gave it a try... Atmosphere and view of water was amazing! Variety on the menu was beyond belief, vast selection of items from several Asian cuisines. Food preparation was nice, everything tasted as expected and pretty good. Service was a little slow and disorganized, though. Got a star back for the breathtaking view and affordable prices. read more

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Ordered the Gator tail and Gator Sushi Roll for appetizers and the House Special Seafood and Mushu Pork for dinner. Excellent meal in all. Plus the view from the outdoor seating area onto Bivens Arm lake was enjoyable - nice view of a wildlife sanctuary inside the city itself. here is the Chopstix menu, in case can't find it: https://www.allmenus.com/fl/gainesville/248363-chopstix/menu/ read more

Expansive menu, and not everything was done well. The sushi we got was pretty good though. Docking stars because the owner was incredibly rude both times I have been there. On our second visit, he charged us more for an item that was listed on the menu and when asked about it said "We recently increased the price, but havent changed the menus yet". Im all for supporting small business in this time of inflation, but not only were we forced to pay more than was listed, he was very rude to boot. read more

I absolutely love this place! The atmosphere is amazing and the service is outstanding. The owners are always very nice to their customers and I honestly can't stop going there. I eat there about 2-3 a month and it's absolutely worth the money. 100% Recommend read more

This place gets five stars for the beautiful location and view. Sunset on the outdoor patio is delightful. The service is hit or miss. I stay at the hotel next door a lot and get food to go regularly. The interactions with the guys at the cash register are indifferent to bizarre. The table service tends to be better. Often the food is good but they make changes in how food is prepared so it is very in consistent. One visit a dish is good the next cost it is disappointing. read more

This is a gem within Gainesville. Family owned and diverse menu. Great service and great environment . Recently ordered the fried rice with lobster and shrimp on special. I was highly impressed. It was a mouthful of excellent flavor. Can't wait to go back! read more

Chop Stix Cafe - Lobster and shrimp fried rice - Sushi Bars Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

My partner and I were driving from out of town and tried ordering online. We didn't realize the restaurant closed at 6pm eastern time, and we were still on the road, so we called to place order at 5:50pm. The guy who answered the phone told us we can order food if we were able to get in by 6. The guy who handed us the food was very kind; wished us a happy thanksgiving and thanked us for our business. The food was great! I loved my dish (sesame tofu). read more

This is the place I chose to go to dinner the night after I married my wife. We loved the food so much that it was the number one choice. They have one of the most varied menus I've ever seen and I've traveled the world over and over again. The food is usually very high-quality and the service has improved dramatically over what we experienced two years ago many consecutive visits. In fact, it used to be so bad that I boycotted this place until my family banged on me a number of times and finally convinced me to try again. We were pretty insistent that James take care of us because he was consistently good but now they must have learned their lesson because the rest of the staff seems to have improved. And we go there fairly often. I was a little disappointed that the last time I was there I ordered a dish without checking the price and it turned out to be pretty expensive. The server overheard me comment that I like broccoli so he took it upon himself to add it and charge me two dollars for it. When I asked about it, they said oh yeah it's because you like broccoli. I had not requested it and felt they definitely should've handled that a different way. It is an incredibly noisy place when it is crowded and the seating is a little bit tight as well. The views of the lake are absolutely beautiful and it's really cool to see an alligator and some of the wildlife and birds especially at sunset. One of my buddies says it's the best sushi in town and I've introduced a number of people to this place all who have loved it so far. read more

It MAY not look like much if you're seeking a fancy date or a business meal- depends on what your dining partner prefers- great food w/ excellent service or decor. I can't eat decor- bad for the digestive tract. Chop Stix is humble, neither tawdry nor fancy. Staff is prompt & friendly, the restaurant is clean, & the food & service are outstanding! Also doesn't cost an arm, a leg, & a kidney. Now THERE's a concept! MaggieG read more

1 star just for the view. Another for the few things that were either good or cool about the place. Most of the staff has no training in sanitation. I could smell the rag as it passed me, that they were using to wipe down tables. Another server kept squeezing by my chair holding cleared dishes over my head as he passed, instead of using the walkway. Some of the sashimi we ordered looked like it was ripped instead of cut. Comical. read more

Food is decent. Setting is very pretty on the water. However, service is lacking. From the moment we entered we never really got much of a welcome from any of the employees. I found it odd that we didn't really have a server. One person brought us to our table, another took our drink order, another took our food order, then the same one who took our drink order brought us our check. Had to ask a few times for togo boxes and a bag so i decided to just get up and grab a bag myself. Found it a little odd that no one really talked to us or stopped by to see how anything was. I usually am a great tipper but didn't feel compelled to tip because i wasn't even sure who my tip would be going to. The restaurant is nice but they could make much better use of the space and spread it out more, rather than seating everyone very close together. There are large unused spaces in the restaurant. If they were to utilize these it would make the space feel much larger. People want space. Not to feel like every one is right on top of one another. Sushi did take a bit to come out. Ordered the tempura cheesecake with ice cream for dessert and they brought it out to us and said "We're out of ice cream, so we took $3 off your check." If I were a server I would've asked my manager to take it off the check if we were not able to serve as described on the menu. read more

The food here is so good! The service is superb - we were seated in two minutes and quickly given drinks and our miso soup within 5-10 minutes of entering the restaurant. It is packed to the gills in here and they still managed to provide exceptional food and in no time at all. I highly recommend coming here! My chirashi bowl was delicious and so was my boyfriends teriyaki beef bowl! read more

This place was so good. I loved the overall feel. I had vegetable Tempura. They were so yummy and crispy. I got Wakame salad and a byo roll. You can't go wrong with Wakame salad. For my roll spicy tuna with tuna, avacado, mayo, and Sriracha on top. It was so yummy. It's always my go-to roll. The service was amazing. And i mean amazing. It was my first time here. I live out of town and went with family. I can't wait to visit again. read more

Maybe it was an off night. Never been here before but there seems to be a following because the parking lot is busy. Early dinner, not overly busy. Took a long time to get our order placed and one meal never made it to the table. Didn't care for what was served at all. And the big green fly that showed up is never a good sign. Rotting meat is their "go to", so it makes me wonder about cleanliness. That was a big turn off. Anyway, it was expensive and it sucked. Glad so many people love it, we did not! read more

Although the food here is very good across the board I want to focus my review on one item where Chop Stix has no competition at all. I served in Vietnam and have returned twice to visit. I love Cha Gio and I have eaten those "winter rolls" all over Vietnam. They are consistent from restaurant to restaurant in Vietnam. Here in Gainesville they are consistent but not in a good way. They appear more like a mix with Chinese egg rolls. Cha Gio at Chop Stix are authentic Vietnamese winter rolls. The filling is authentic and the rice paper skins look and taste like they should. Even the size of the rolls is correct. Today I decided to have two orders of Cha Gio as my entree and they were delicious! Accompanied by Saigon beer it was absolutely perfect. read more

This is god-level food. I've been coming here since I was 13 (16 years!) and there is nothing like the food here. The staff is so sweet and always takes the time to catch up with me and asks about my family. I highly recommend trying the General Tso's or Sesame Fried Tofu (or similar alternative) read more

Chop Stix Cafe - Sesame fried tofu - Sushi Bars Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

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I went with my husband to a nice deserved date night. I went in the with the expectancy of trying out for the 2nd time a Boba Tea/Slush. Well to my surprise when I ordered one Peach boba I was told that Peach Flavor wasn't available,so I went for coconut. When I finally did receive it? It was nasty,no flavor and the taste was runned down. My husband and I had to often wave our hands to not have flies or gnats get close to our food. The Pho I had ordered was good but not the best. But I will say that customer service was Will I be coming back? Eh,dont think so. And it sucks because I literally live across the street and was hoping this would be the place to go to on the regular. I guess not anymore..... read more

Chop Stix Cafe - I got the Chai Iced milk Tea & 2 orders of Spring rolls($4 e/order) w/meat. Overall a Thumbs Up! Will comimg back next time w/ hubby! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

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Chop Stix is one of my favorite Gainesville establishments. I used to go there regularly between the years 2006-2008 until I moved away. However, I finally convinced my husband to go with me a few weeks ago while we were in Gainesville for a game. He begrudgingly trudged along thinking it was a trip for the sake of nostalgia instead of taste buds. Boy, was he wrong! We had a lovely evening sitting by the window where the view was of a sunset over a lake. The menu was as big as I remember with great prices and savory food. I know he has a hard time changing his mind once it is set but he definitely enjoyed himself and I did too. We will add it to the list of "musts" when we go back to Gainesville during football season. The service was good, parking was easy, prices were low, and the food was great. What more could you want? read more

I've been coming here for 20 years. They have tons of delicious vegetarian/vegan options. This family run place is a local favorite. read more

Great selection of pan Asian dishes with fantastic depth of flavor. Great sushi & appetizers, soups, noodle bowls. Healthy portions

Quality took a dump over the years in this place. Pho taste average and the sushi is mostly rice! All you can taste is rice. Not a big fan anymore! What happened to the quality they used to be known for??? I'm disappointed. Servers do their best. High not recommended anymore! read more

Chop Stix Cafe - Rice filled sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

I have been to Chop Stix a few times by now and I am generally very impressed. If you go there, try to sit outside, because you can sit by the lake. I have attached a picture when we sat outside and had Sushi. Location: Conveniently on 13th street, about 5 minutes drive from UF campus. There is plenty of parking right outside the building. The restaurant is by the a lake, which is very nice during the day. At night, since there are no lights, you can't see the lake. Also, do not sit outside during sunset, because the mosquitoes will eat you up alive. The food: The food can sometimes be a hit or miss, so don't try to go to crazy with what you order (their menu is quite extensive). I've tried their Sushi and it's very good, but it can take a while to come out. The Pad-Thai is good, but the soups are pretty bad (I had some spicy Thai house soup and it was pretty horrible actually). My friends got the KungPao chicken which was very good too. The service: Again, hit or miss. I've been lucky most of the time, but I've heard different stories. The service can definitely be a bit inattentive and not very knowledgeable. Other staff members are very nice and funny. Depends on who you get I guess Overall tips: Go there for lunch and sit outside and order the Sushi. read more

Chop Stix Cafe - Sushi outside - Sushi Bars Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

UPDATE: I went again after my last review... still nothing changed about the horrible service, but it got worse. I ended up walking out to my car after I paid and realized I had left my box at the paying counter... please keep in mind I just spent $20 on soup and pad thai for myself. I always have left overs and munch on then the next day for lunch. Well the guy said he didn't do anything with them and the two girls I was with didn't take it. So we concluded that box got up and walked away by itself. Again, I come here alll the time...I live very close to here, So my money is well spent on this place. They did nothing to compensate or even say sorry. He threw my food away!! A box of food cant go anywhere unless a person brings it somewhere. And not even 2 minutes later was I looking for it. That kind of service I will save my $20 that I work hard for and make the food myself or go down the street. Really disappointing because there food is so awesome and tasty.... something needs to change. Your losing your regular customers over something that is very fixable. Hopefully, If I ever waste my time or money here I will get the true worth. Sadly, I will no longer be back. :( you lost a faithful customer who CONSTANTLY REFERS AND BRINGS NEW PEOPLE AND BUSINESS. Very disappointing. Save you money there are 10 Asain restaurants on 13th and they have all been good. read more

We love this place! I try something every time we go. Everything has been amazing. It real and fresh... doesn't taste like the fast food Chinese cusi read more

Best Asian Food in all of Gainesville! The food is excellent and the service is wonderful! Also, the view of the lake makes it very relaxing. I highly recommend it if you are in the Gainesville area. read more

Chop Stix Cafe - Sushi Bars Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

Bad Service, Bad Service and at the moment you think it might chang... no, Bad Service and mediocre food. It was a fail Chop Stixs. We waited for service most of the time and when food came, it was unappealing and unappetizing to gulp down. Fresh Publix sounded better when I touched and bit into our summer roll, it was nasty sticky and brown iceberg lettuce is not garnish! Boba teas have dairy? silk? soy? what is it!? write the ingredients so we find no surprises. Did I mention your service was so bad! I expect better from Chop Stixs, but then again, your other location didn't make it for a reason. $40 on 2 person lunch for bad service and overall mediocre past its prime food. Clearly a note to your unkept restuarant and service value. read more

Omg, the food is amazing and the people who work there will customize anything for you and make it perfect. Best. Food. In. Gainesville. Period. And they're so good at remembering who you are and giving you good service and a great and unique experience. read more

This is honestly one of my favorite restaurants in Gainesville. It's Pan-Asian, so they specialize in food from Vietnamese to typical Chinese dishes. The prices are decent, and the portions are HUGE. They've recently redone the restaurant so the bathrooms are new and there's a frozen yogurt place (Whiteberry). I've personally never had a problem with the service. Everything I've had on the menu has been pretty good, but my favorite is the seafood chop chay. The thai ice tea is also delicious, and it's pretty cheap. If you're craving Asian food and don't want to pay a fortune, I'd definitely recommend Chopstix. read more

So... the pad thai is outstanding, but some other things are merely OK. Popped in to check out the food yesterday with an out of town guest, and there were wins and losses. Appetizers: The fried tofu spring roll with peanut sauce was good, but not outstanding - I love the freshness of the cold rice wrap and fresh veggies, but it needed some herbs in it to make it sing. The fried frogs legs were an epic disappointment. The outside was greasy and really not all that appetizing. Probably should have sent them back. Bleah. The miso soup was way too salty, but had lots of chunks of stuff in it and what I think was kale. Nice bitter green flavor. My friend agreed the salt content was too high, and he's not a no salt type like I am. We both chose a bento box, and here again, wins and losses. I went with the eel, which ws done well and came out steaming hot, while my buddy with with the beef, which he said was cold. The salads and steamed veggies were nice, but again, nothing special. The view, as always, was lovely, and the new room that just renovated is really an improvement over the old nasty 1970s bar area. Seems they also added outdoor seating on that end. Nice, but infested with smokers, making that space unusable as far as I am concerned. Overall, less exciting than it has been in the past - the pad thai remains their best dish. read more

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FANTASTIC FOOD!!!! The best combination fried rice I have ever had! We ordered fried rice, pad Thai, dumplings, summer rolls and the duck. Everything was phenomenally good and even better the next day heated back up. Great food and so amazing they are dog friendly. We brought our 2 little fur babies, sat out on the back patio overlooking the water and thoroughly enjoyed our time, the staff and most of all, the food!! Would highly recommend!! read more

Been here a couple of times and must say the Pho is the best in the area. Fried rice is also really good. Nice view, good servers and very broad and extensive menu. read more

As vegetarians, it's very hard to find a good pan Asian restaurant in Florida. This is our very favorite restaurant. It has a ton of vegetarian options. The fried tofu is dipped in a batter, which I haven't seen any other restaurant to do. It is so good. read more

My partner and I called in for takeout this past Saturday. We arrived a little early and the entryway area was full of people, so we decided to go down by the lake to sit for a bit. As we walk by the back door, we see a small dog carrier with 2 large live chickens inside. We were horrified. They couldn't even turn around comfortably in the carrier. The temperature was around 89 degrees. We were there for over 1 hour (when they said it would 30 minutes) and no one came outside. Supposedly, they were holding the chickens for someone to come pick them up. Whether that is true or not and whether they were going to be butchered or not, it's inhumane to keep animals in the conditions we witnessed. For an establishment that gets lots of business from vegetarians and vegans, it's irresponsible to allow animals to be treated this way on their property. It was and is reprehensible. I will never be dining there again. Do not recommend. read more

Chop Stix Cafe - Sushi Bars Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

I usually don't leave a review unless a place is really good or really bad. This place was bad. It's kinda like a place you would see on kitchen nightmares. The food took 45 minutes to come out. It took them 13 minutes to take our order. And 7 minutes for them to give us drinks. A lady was pushing a cart of dirty dishes right through the dining area. Literally hitting the guests (who thought this was a good idea). We ordered 3 dishes. 2/3 were good. We got one order of teriyaki chicken, which was literally sweet as candy. You could get a cavity from eating it. Not sure if they were having a bad day but this place needs to change whatever they are doing read more

Terrible service and management. Staff was rude and unprofessional. Food was terrible and service was slow. Will never go back!

I love chop stix cafe. They have so many vegan/ vegetarian options it's ridiculous!! the staff here is so nice and the view from the outdoor seating section is superb. You really get a beautiful landscape while eating some really good food. I love the way they fry their tofu and I always leave with my stomach full to the max! read more

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We totally love this place ..my husband is using a wheel chair abs was able to sit outside in a beautiful serene patio facing the water and we were able to bring our fur baby with us ...he loves the oxtail soup PHO and I had general shrimp...we will definitely be back for the SOUP !!! We are from New Orleans and love PHO!! To find this place one mile from our hotel was wonderful!! read more

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Go somewhere else... Lots of health violations, including roaches near plates. The lake view can be nice, but it's not worth getting food poisoning or lowering one's standards about food safety and sanitation. read more

Chop Stix Cafe - Sushi Bars Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

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I chose to eat here because it appeared to have a nice view, had decent Yelp reviews, and was super close to my hotel. All and all, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. I liked the egg roll I ordered as an appetizer, and the server was nice. However, I ordered one of the bowls that was supposed to be "spicy"... Perhaps my taste buds are damaged from how much I enjoy the heat but, besides the red sauce floating around in the broth, I wouldn't have known it was supposed to be a hot dish if I hadn't asked the server for the best option and been encouraged to choose that one. Also, while there was tons of seafood in the dish, the scallops were over cooked - kind of chewy. Finally, (maybe I'm being picky but) the view that made me want to come in the first place was kind of tainted by the unclean windows. With all of that said, there were a couple of extra pluses. There was this overactive cat who kept running back and forth past the window I was sitting by. Maybe he was chasing his own dinner, but it was pretty entertaining. Also, the restaurant is very cute; a good date or small group spot. I didn't get to try the attached froyo shop, but it's a good idea to have dessert nearby. If I lived in town, I might not mind visiting there on occasion. But for just a night's visit, I kinda wish I had found something a tad better. read more

Chop Stix Cafe - Sushi Bars Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

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The waiting staff had excellent manners, and made charming conversation with us. It was a cute date spot with my girlfriend, we got to watch such a variety of birds, turtles, and even an alligator from the deck. If you are a fan of the eel roll, the JD roll is the mother load! Would recommend the sushi, we are going back for the noodle bowls next! read more

Chop Stix Cafe - JD roll + Veggie Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Gainesville, Florida