Gregg P.

Well after seeing my friends at food with the fellas review here and numerous people telling me to check em out, decided to drop in and pick up a sandwich for dinner. Ordered the Italian cold cut for myself and the highly recommended Tampa Cuban for my wife. Both John and Kaylee(sp) were very friendly and knew there local hot spots in Gainesville, Was a pleasure talking with them. Both our sandwiches lived up to the hype!! Wife throughly enjoy the cuban and my italian was amazing!! Look forward to trying the roast beef next month hopefully..hint hint....... Definitely worth the stop for the food and service. Love supporting local businesses.

Jordan C.

I came here late one night with one of my friends for a bite after a night out. Pop-A-Top is located downtown near most of the main bars. They offer a variety of sandwiches, salads, and hotdogs, as well as snacks, candy, and drinks. Their sandwich selection is great, with your more standard/typical sandwiches and more unique creations. The inside has a fun retro feel to it. There isn't a ton of seating, so keep that in mind. Ordering was simple and the service was pretty good. I thought it was clean for the most part. I ended up ordering the "Cubano Muffuletta". It included spicy capitol, Genoa salami, Black Forest ham, dijonnaisse, olive spread, and provolone, pressed on Cuban bread. This was a decent sandwich with a unique flavor profile. The sandwich itself wasn't too big, probably around 8 inches. I would have liked to see more meat on the sandwich. While I appreciated the concept, I do not think Cuban and Muffuletta mix as the dijonnaisse and the olive spread didn't work the best to me. If there was more meat, it might have offset the really strong flavors from the dijonnaisse and the olive spread. I liked the bread it was on and the panini like quality of the sandwich. I wouldn't order this again and would probably go with something else on the menu. Overall, Pop-A-Top is a cute corner eatery serving a variety of decent sandwiches downtown. For the price point, I would have liked to see more meat on the sandwiches. My order, including a sandwich, chips, and an ice cream, came to $20! The quality is there, but the flavors my sandwich didn't mix the best. The service was decent and they were efficient. I will probably return to try more menu items at some point!

Nina L.

Had a great visit here recently during Fest! Great selection of items, including vegan/vegetarian sandwiches. My husband got the regular Cuban and I got a Tofurkey deli style sandwich. Staff were super friendly and the service was quick. Really like the concept of the place... can't wait to visit again!

Of the dirty, downtown, late night foods Gainesville has to offer, Pop-a-top is one of my favorites. Food isn't 5 stars, but it's fresh and filling and makes me feel less like trash than Flaco's (also a favorite). Service is also always good. The workers are super nice and willing to offer recommendations. My boyfriend got the Italian cold cut (~$9) and I got the Turkey Rustler (~$11). Both were great, but I'd recommend subbing the regular bread for cuban bread if you can. My total was $15.05 with a canned soda. I'd like for it to be cheaper, but I wouldn't say it's unreasonable. A solid choice as always!

Matt P.

No one would ever expect that in the middle of downtown Gainesville there would exist a corner store that was a mixture of convenience store, bookstore, hot dog and burrito stand, artisanal soda shop, and craft beer/wine outlet. Quirky doesn't even begin to do this place justice. I went to check it out when my sister was visiting and I ordered the Chicago dog (with the classic toppings of yellow mustard, pickle, poppy seeds, tomato, sport peppers) and the Buffalo (with buffalo aioli, crumbles of blue cheese, cider coleslaw, and potato sticks). These flavors were so unique! Who would ever put blue cheese on a hot dog?! When it comes to the craft sodas there are at least 20 different types, ranging from root beer to cream soda to sour candy apple. There's seating inside or your can take your hot dog to go. Pop A Top is so totally unexpected but you can expect that I will be back soon.

As an AVID pop a top goer- if you have yet to step foot in pop a top you are missing out. The chicken salad sandwich is from my dreams. I could eat it everyday for lunch and dinner the rest of my lifetime. I am quite sad to be leaving Gainesville in the near future and have to say a big part of that is because of pop a top chicken salad sandwich. Nothing will ever be the same what will I ever do. My only complaint is that they are closed from 5-nighttime on Monday-Wednesday which limits my time option to get a chicken salad sandwich. I sware I see the staff at pop a top more than my roommates they are the best. Long live pop.

Heather B.

Five stars for the coolest convenience store I have ever entered! Seriously, this place is to traditional convenience stores what Picasso is to your kids fridge scribbles. It has everything! And "everything" is amazing! Alcohol, wine, upscale snacks and fancy crackers, lunch options, dinner options, breakfast options! A hot breakfast sandwich or tofu pad thai? You choose! A bottled Spanish red or a fresh made cocktail? Why not both? Also, the pre-made sandwiches and food items all looked awesome. There were plenty of healthy and delicious choices. This place also has coffee and soda and some junk food typically found in convenience stores, but just a small selection surrounded by excellence. Overall, I wish I lived closer to this store. It's amazing and you should shop here.

Diane T.

Pop-A-Top, I love you. I get iced coffee here almost 5 days a week, because my office is a just a few blocks away. The cashiers don't, like, celebrate you when you walk in or anything, but they are friendly enough and will remember you if you're a regular. They have really been upping their lunch game lately. The BBQ kale salad is bomb, as is the soba noodle salad, and tofu pad thai. They're all made right down the street at The Wooly. Thanks, Pop-A-Top, for always satisfying my breakfast/lunch/snack-time cravings!

Damien S.

Sometimes a man just wants to dive lips-first into a frosty craft beer. And at times, those "sometimes" call for the complexity of wintergreen, vanilla, allspice, amber resin and whatever the hell else exists in the sweet, sweet elixir that is root beer. Pop-A-Top has root beer. They have all the root beer. Aside from personal favorites like Virgil's, Maine Root and (now) Abita, there chills two full cooler racks dedicated to rare and small batch sodas. Hipster membership confirmed -- this really had me slack-jawed with boyish delight. Good thing I had the adult wallet, though, as single serving bottles ran $2-$2.50. Baked goods were scant in the waxing hours of the evening, but the locally-focused taps were still being pulled and the selections of candies, veg-friendly prepped meals and artisan chips stayed nicely stocked throughout their open later hours. Like your chips down and dirty? Andy Capp's Hot Fries are well represented. Dope store of convenience geared to the bearded and plaid adorned. Or me, because I wear my tight jeans on the inside.

James J.

You could not have, in a MILLION years, told me that a "convenience store" was something to be loved and adored. Dirty, cold, and clammy places with miserable people who are only there so they can get somewhere else. Enter the vibrant and eclectic Pop-A-Top to remind us all that a store can have a STORY! The Space Finger on the pulse of downtown at University Ave. and Main St., PaT's soft, baby blue exterior beckons pedestrians, cyclists, and those by way of car to come in and grab....pretty much anything under the sun. As soon as you walk through the door a display case of freshly-baked goodies catches your eyes, and the inside extends with several coolers, shelves, and two bar areas for grabbing one of their many savory bites (or, if preferred, copping a cocktail). The Service "What service?" you ask as you read on. It is a store, right, so you just meander through the place, grab your goods, and flee? I happen to work very close to PaT and it took no time before several of the staff began to greet me warmly, though my morning mood usually improves only AFTER a dose of caffeine from these kind souls. My frequency does not really make me special, though, as I have seen dozens of patrons come and go with friendly farewells as they head back to their own workdays. And since this convenience store happens to have a few things that do actually require service, you will be happy to know these items take mere minutes, letting you take 90% of your lunch break to actually ENJOY a break! The Selection You will be hard-pressed to NOT find SOMETHING in this store that catches your fancy, makes you giddy, or downright gets you excited. For a store, that screams "as good as it gets". Vegan options, sweets, sustenance, snacks, drinks...practically a trap for someone as indecisive as myself. Here's a fun laundry list of things you can find: (fresh-basked) bagels, bagel melts, in-house paninis, vegan-friendly tofu pesto hoagies, the most incredible, delectable types of hot pockets ever, all-craft everything (sodas, beers, liquors), high-quality desserts (courtesy of a local restaurant's talented baker). You want a from-scratch donut that side-steps tasting like cardboard? They have your back (and they might even cut into one just to let you sample it)! Final Thoughts They are open late, taste absolutely great, and have anything you could need any day of the week. Did I mention they support a local coffee company (Sweetwater) and actively help advertise the area's music and entertainment events? Talk about what a business can do to make a difference and really be a part of its community. Here's to you, Pop-A-Top, for being so much more than convenient (but also very much that too)!