what a little hidden gem. we were pleasantly surprised. Very unusual dishes with wonderful flavor. You gotta just check it out for yourself.

Once again! This place didn't disappoint. This time I took my neighbor we had lunch and beers. I loved how the owner came out to talk to us and is so proud of her cooking. read more

Pirates Grill - Mediterranean Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

This little hole in the wall restaurant has great food, lovingly prepared by hand, homemade hummus, great gyros. The waitress was very nice also. I will definitely be going again in the future. There are for tables and four stools at the counter at the window. When I was there last all of the tables were filled at lunch time. They also do takeout. Support some hardworking, local and have a great meal. read more

Pirates Grill - The outside of the restaurant - Mediterranean Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

Outstanding restaurant, outstanding staff, outstanding food a must visit!! Soup, kabobs, desserts all delicious!! We now wish we lived IN Gainesville area!! read more

Food was amazing! Lady from Moscow( owner?) believe in helping community by cooking with fresh ingredients. Chicken Shwarma and gyros were good, I hear the borst is also good. Ambiance is pirate themed. read more

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Great place with really fresh food!! Borsch, Beef Shawarma, Cabbage Pirate Pockets and Kafka Kebab were amazing!! Tabouli salad is the best I ever had!!! read more

First time here and due to an electrical issue the A/C temporarily off. But, the eat in area & front counter are easily cooled to near comfort by fans. On to service, food and decor. In reverse order the decor is "catchy", fits the theme and gives the tiny spot a funky, fun feel. Food: the menu is almost too larfe but some of it like soups in summertime are easily skipped. Decided to try pilaf with pork medalions. Pilaf was light, fresh, flavorful and filling. Not overdone in quanity or preparation. Nice vegetables carefully minced. Pork was lean and just enough. My spouse/partner of 56 years went outside her comfort zone with German hotdogs (ate partly by fork and knife to reduce the volume in the bun so photo shows 1 of 2). Took home a tiramisu and it disappeared before the the camera could catch it. Service was excellent. Attentive, engaging and just enough. We will be back to dive deeper in to the menu. read more

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Beet/bean salad was tasty and unique. The gyro was very good. Services is great and the place has fun decorations. I love the food of different countries. Definitely will come back read more

The menu was unique and authentic. Everything tastes Amazing! We had teas, sandwiches, pilav and honey cake. We I'll be back!

Delicious fresh food! Be prepared to wait a little bc everything is made fresh to order but worth the wait. Will definitely be back read more

Pirates Grill - Mediterranean Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

The food is good-got the gyro and fries. The pirate theme atmosphere is a little over done and cheesy. The service was not bad but it wasn't especially good...expect to pay about $25 per person for sandwiches which seems high to me. read more

The food was amazing! Homemade soup- Borsch! Pierogies! and Homemade desserts. if you are looking for a local restaurant with all homemade food - this is it! all the family served us and made us feel like we had been going there for years. Worth a visit! Super read more

Great Mediterranean food, friendly service, this is well worth visiting in my opinion. Small intimate setting. Highly recommended.

Very delicious food. Would return. Good customer service. Fast food. Fast ordering. Easy to understand.

Their eggplant burger was really good and their fries are amazing! The staff is super friendly too.

Everything was incredible! It's such a cute place and would be perfect for a lunch or nice dinner. The food is so good! We had a chicken shawarma, pierogis, and hummus. Definitely recommend all 3. The staff were also lovely and gave excellent service. Can't wait to go back! read more

The most flavorful food I've had. They love onions and garlic but it's worth it. You can taste the love they put into cooking super fresh food! read more

Pirates Grill - Chicken kabobs - Mediterranean Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

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I wanted to write this review because our meals were beautifully prepared, served with fresh home-made breads and meats to deliver exceptional flavor and a truly fun restaurant experience. The menu is diverse, offering a wide variety of choices and you can rest assured, the food you order will be prepared only for you at that time. Prices are fair and consistent with the large serving size and the restaurant was absolutely spotless. My Wife and I ordered a hummus appetizer with fresh vegetables with olives we both ordered a Shawarma (one beef and one chicken). The Shawarmas was crammed full of meat, spices, and assorted trimmings that made every bite a wonderful sensation. The Shawarma's were huge and we could not come close to eating more than half. So we took the uneaten half home and popped it in our air fryer and voila, a special dinner at home. We learned the Husband-and-Wife team are from Lebanon and Georgia (former Soviet republic), respectfully. They were absolutely wonderful hosts and helped us to appreciate the food and how it was served. Our waitress, Lisa, was fabulous as well and made us feel welcome. The size of the seating area is smaller than most restaurants but felt cozy and the decorations made it interesting. Seating was comfortable and the smell of the food in preparation made our mouths water. They make their food fresh to order and as mentioned, the serving size is quite large. Do not miss, the opportunity to enjoy one of their incredible desserts. No matter how full you may feel, try at least one because you won't forget the experience. We would encourage you to get a slice of the Russian Honey Cake. The recipe for this cake reads like it must take hours to prepare, maybe it does, but the end result is just outstanding. This restaurant is an awesome "experience to enjoy" and offers a variety of dishes for any palette. The people are wonderful, the food is fresh, and the flavors are extraordinary. Thank you, brent russell read more

This is a restaurant that you come to for the food. And in that regard, the food is superb, truly delicious, and has a homecooked feel. The prices are fair- you walk out full without gasping at the check. The waitstaff and chef are incredibly warm and welcoming. Its a new restaurant, and an instant favorite in GNV Ignore Nencie's review. She has one review under her belt and decided to put this place on blast (yet still complements the food and says she will come back?!). I feel I need to speak out against it because it is incredibly disrespectful towards the hard work of the staff of this restaurant! read more

Such a welcoming and homely environment it felt like being invited to a neighbor's home and being made a fresh home cooked meal. You could taste the freshness of the ingredients and the expertise combining them everything was delicious with the only caveat being food this good deserves a much larger restaurant for more people to enjoy it. read more

Hidden gem in Gainesville! The lentil soup is life-giving, and the salad and wine were also delicious. read more

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If you want to feel like going to dinner at a friend's home, go to Pirates Grill!! The service is truly personal and everything on the menu is prepared fresh and flavorful. Everything on the menu is absolutely delicious, make sure you save room for the Tiramisu!! read more

Pirates Grill - Kafta Kebab - Mediterranean Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

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The food was delicious and the service was excellent and very patient! We were packed and we were given snacks to eat while we were waiting and asked if we wanted water, very thoughtful! The store is also decorated with extra style!!! As soon as we walked in the door, we were attracted by the decorations on the wall! Will come back next time! read more

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Great find in Gainesville on Memorial Day with so many places closed. Mom and I enjoyed a great lunch.

Kind of misleading in that it's really a Greek place. Good news was that the food served was very good. Bad news is that it took about an hour, no kidding, to finally get the meal. Kind of surprised as we ordered kabobs which shouldn't have taken that long? That said they were very good. Ambiance, very small place decorated with numerous items of water themes. But only 4 tables as I recall. read more

One of the best new restaurants in town. Best hummus we have ever experienced. The place is small, so it can get full pretty quickly. But if you make it to a table, it is worth the wait. read more

We were passing through on our drive home from vacation. My husband and I had two toddlers with us. The owners were so nice and patient with our kids running around the restaurant, even gave them a toy gun and hat to play with along with a few other toys. Our food was absolutely delicious and if I'd lived in Gainesville I would definitely be a regular customer!! Love love love the food. 10/10 recommend! Great little hole in the wall that deserves to stay in business. Go check them out! read more

Can't go wrong with either of the schwarma options (pork, beef, chicken)! Others have complained about how long it takes to get the food, but you can tell that it's made fresh! This is not a fast food restaurant, after all. Everything is thoughtfully made and delicious. Strongly recommend! read more

I haven't even left the restaurant yet and I have to write this review. This was so delicious, we had hummus (best I've ever had) rice pilaf, and a gyro and everything was to die for. 1000% recommend! read more

Everything was great! The people were very friendly, the food was delicious, and the beer was very cheap. What's not to love?

Read all the Reviews and know why we gave them One Star. This cafe is not going to remain open....will not make it...SO HURRY! They do not know how to operate a restaurant. They do not order in enough raw food so that they can make all the entrees on the their menu. They run out food! It is never enlightening when you hear the server say to another customer at their table...here is your He He and then in 10 minutes later after you already ordered your food...you get the server back with her rude awakening...we are out of He He. They do not keep enough money in the register for change. They reserve tables.....Here??!! And they do not have many tables anyway?? This place is so small...kind of uncomfortable seating. We got up and walked out to NEVER RETURN HERE! We Prefer food such as a Gyro where they are ready and done in 20 minutes from the time we enter the cafe and pay and tasty!! We found that restaurant after we left Pirate's Grill!! Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe. We Will Return to Taziki's....AGAIN! read more

A family owned small restaurants. Food is delicious! Authentic Georgian food. Will go back there again when heading Gainesville.

We arrived at 1 PM and found a tiny eating area with only four tables. There were only 8 other patrons there. We placed our order of pork kabobs and were brought two cokes without ice "because the ice machine was broken". We waited for 50 minutes before leaving the very noisy restaurant without being served to go to an appointment. We were told the delay was caused by having only one cook. We also noted a minimal main menu. read more

Terrific food, good service and fair prices. Excellent. The restaurant needs to take over next door for more space so be prepared to wait for a table. read more

My family visited the Pirates Grill this weekend. We were the second group seated on the morning we dined there. This is a very small venue - four 4 tops and a hightop section at the window that seats four more. We ordered an appetizer - hummus with extra veggies, two cups of lentil soup, a bowl of the Kazak Borscht and three types of Shawarma. One of the diners ordered the Boat Burger and was told they were out of that item a sign of things to come. Then the long, long wait began. The restaurant quickly filled to capacity. Food began coming out , but at a glacier pace and not to our table. More diners came in and left as they were full. One group tried to order take out and were sent away. I counted fourteen potential diners who left. The waitress came out and told us they did not have the Kazak Borscht. Shortly after that the chef - who is a lovely woman - came out and said they were out of soup. Except for one bowl of lentil which was going to another table. We continued our wait. Diners who came in after us were being served albeit one dish at a time. Eventually our hummus arrived - it was fresh and very good. The portion was generous. Once it was done I was hopeful that the rest was coming - but alas our wait dragged on. Finally our food began to arrive. Each portion of Shawarma was delicious and the potion was generous, but it came out so slowly that each diner was almost finished before the next plate came out. All in all we wound up spending two hours there and did not actually eat together as the food came out so slow. The chef came out to tell us about deserts, but by this time we had been there so long we just wanted to leave. Although I did see a slice of the honey cake and it looked really good. It feels like the chef is a talented home cook who wants a restaurant, but needs someone to help her with the logistics of running a restaurant kitchen. I think she had a kitchen helper, but cannot fantom what they were actually doing. We will go back my daughter wants to try the soup, but will wait to give them time to work out the issues - if they make it. The three is because the food was a five, but the overall experience a one - I would give it a zero, but they were really nice. I am hopeful that they will get the service issues sorted as I believe in supporting local businesses. read more

Delicious homemade food and the server/owner was so nice and helpful and accommodating my husband's special order. Had the shawarma, 2 different salads and the gyro. Best taziki sauce too! read more

We stopped here on July 4th. What a hidden gem!! I had a German hot dog and was asked if I wanted it on a croissant which I thought was interesting so I went with it. It was amazing. I also had the gyro and the portions we very generous and delicious! My wife had the kafta kabob and loved it. So glad we gave this place a shot. 10/10 experience! read more

Ordered humus platter, lentil soup, cheese & olive sampler, pita bread and tabbouleh. Sadly they were out of tabbouleh but everything else was very tasty. The lentil soup was delicious. Spices were very subtle. I recommend trying this small gem of a restaurant. You won't be disappointed. read more

Delicious food, delightful staff, and great prices! Great vegetarian options, too. We loved everything we ordered, including the shawarma, hummus, and chicken pilaf. Another guest told us we had to order the malva pudding and they were right. Make sure you ask for a side of tzatziki sauce with the Pirate's Pocket (like a huge pierogi). Looking forward to coming back! read more

I wish I had an extra stomach! The food at this place was super fresh and very well made. I had shawarma and tabbouleh. Shawarma was excellent but the tabbouleh was exceptional! The hummus we had to start was wonderful; pro tip: order with vegetables. The chicken kebab my wife had was super and my son loved the chicken fingers. The chef came out as we ate and introduced herself. She obviously has a passion for making and sharing food and is a wonderful host. The only worry I have is that their prices are so low. How will they stay in business?!? With only four tables too. We had no problem getting a table this Saturday evening at 7. I will be back for sure and doing my best to ensure they stay open! So good! read more