We were pleasantly surprised this Gainesville restaurant. Our table sampled several different appetizers and a small plate. All amazing. Fried pickles that were perfectly seasoned, pimento cheese Rangoon that had a very unique flavor and delicious dipping sauce, our friends enjoyed bacon wrapped dates. We also tried the duck confit chorizo egg rolls. I didn't taste the chorizo, but the egg rolls had a fantastic flavor. I had hush puppy coated fried red fish over smoked Gouda grits. It was so good. My wife and one of our friends had the chicken special. So many flavors. The final dish at the table was the short ribs that were, again, seasoned perfectly. The only challenge was how loud it was in the restaurant. When we arrived, there weren't many people in the restaurant but, as the place filled up, it became impossible to carry on a conversation. However, the service was great and the food was interesting and flavorful. Definitely recommend! read more

Dropped in for dinner and was not disappointed!! The staff, food and vibe are all top shelf!! I'm glad we stopped by. I will be back for sure read more

We've been a few times now and it doesn't disappoint! The staff has always been super friendly, good with service, and helpful. The inside has a very cool old school building feel while being trendy at the same time. It's quite a large place with two sides and outdoor seating plus restrooms on each side. The appetizers and main dishes that we have had so far are all fantastic. The fish and chips are some of the best I've had. The fish isn't overly breaded and greasy like some other places. Our son loves the fried green bean appetizer but eats most of it himself so we hardly ever get to enjoy it. Once again the breading is light resembling a panko type crust so you aren't just eating deep fried objects. We've tried numerous other appetizers and so far nothing has been a let down. If you're looking for a good menu with quality food and drink options (they have a full bar) then this is it. Cool setting. Easy to get to. Great food. Friendly staff. read more

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Recess saved my 80th birthday party! When another restaurant where we had made arrangements closed (with zero notice), Recess was eager to bail me out. With 24 hours notice, I was able to book the party room and our 30 guests enjoyed a great meal and beverages. Kudos to Emily & Daphne for their outstanding service and attention to detail. read more

I stopped by twice in one day -- that's how intriguing this spot was. The first visit, I was drawn in by an appetizer I just had to try: peanut butter and jelly pork belly. Unusual? Absolutely. But it was fabulous -- bold, unexpected, and delicious. After walking through the rest of town, I found myself right back for a second round. This time, it was their creative take on shrimp and grits. Another hit -- inventive and full of flavor. My only complaint? Neither dish was served quite hot enough for my taste. Next time, I'll be sure to ask for everything piping hot. Because yes -- I'd definitely go back. read more

So nice to be back here. Our waitress Katrina took great care of us throughtout the visit. There were 3 of us, tonight on a Thursday. Plenty of parking in the garage on the corner, free parking. We ordered the bacon wrapped dates as an appetizer, so tasty and great flavorss. Next we had the meatloaf,the flat iron stak and the pork belly. All our entress were cooked perfectly and full of flavor. Then we shared a peanut butter pie, that was the perfect way to finish up our meal. Always a pleasure visiting here. Great service, food and atmosphere, not to mention the gainesville square area, very nice. read more

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This restaurant did not disappoint! I've never had fried pickles or tomatoes but the tomatoes were amazing. I'm not a pickles fan so I'm sure they were top notch as well. The Ahi was perfection and the brussel sprouts are a must. That sauce is everything. We had a great server and were lucky enough to sit outside. read more

Recess Southern Gastro-pub - Brussel sprouts and Fried Green Tomatoes - New American Near Me - Gainesville, Georgia

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My daughter and I came here to try it out since we haven't been here and got a table by the window and looked at the menu and got a beer. They were a little bit hectic. The system went down, so people were impatient... I kind of wish consumers would understand when a POS system goes down it messes up everything and they're doing all they can to fix it but we were OK. We got an appetizer out quick and waited for them to fix the POS so the meal came out a little later than expected, but perfectly fine. My daughter got the blue cheeseburger which was great with fries and I got the fish tacos with the fried Alaskan pollock and fried green tomatoes and it was all delicious. I also got the special cup of tomato soup which was really good. Really like the atmosphere, our service from the one guy waiting tables and host was spot on very efficient. We sat for a while and talked enjoyed our meal And walked around the Square. So many new places. This is as good as all the rest. If you're heading downtown, you need to hit them all and keep this one on your list. Highly recommend.!!!! read more

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Fresh ingredients prepared expertly in a pub atmosphere. Menu offers a wide selection of nibbles or big plates. Warm cozy surroundings plus a very attentive and welcoming staff. Wife had the Mahi - Mahi entree while I enjoyed the fish and chips both were spot on ... Wife and I traveled from Athens,Ga a hour drive each way for our weekly date night dinner. Looking forward to returning very soon. Highly recommend you won't be disappointed. read more

This place has a cool vibe and the service was good. The selection of beer on tap was interesting. I ordered the meatloaf with roasted carrots and collard greens. The meatloaf had great flavor but it was baked as individual pieces which made the outside super dry. I was only able to eat the inside part. The roasted carrots were so under cooked I was unable to cut them with the butter knife. Someone else had the carrots and when they tried to cut it - it shot across the room! Funny but not good to eat. The flavor was nice but I gave up trying to eat them. The one shining star on the plate was the collard greens. They were well cooked and tasty. read more

I'm a burger fanatic! So this place was right up THE ALLEY HAHA (no? Ok) but yes it's in a lovely town shoppe area with other stores and restaurants. The service was alright, I ordered take out. They gave me the order in a timely fashion. I ordered it on the phone on the way there and it finished in the next 15 minutes and I got to work on time. The burger was good. I especially loved the beer mustard. read more

We came here for an early dinner after a play at Brenau. Everything was great from tip to toe. Cozy little spot just off the square in downtown Gainesville. We ordered the wasabi crusted ahi tuna as a starter and it was delicious. Perfect sear, delectable sauce. Even the cabbage served with it was yummy. My husband ordered the fro-peppercorn crusted flat iron. Cooked to a perfect medium and the fries were on point- crispy and nicely seasoned. The green beans left much to be desired, basically just blanched and added to the plate. Would have been better with the sauce drizzled over them. I ordered the beer braised short ribs and they were tender and flavorful! Served with roasted carrots and smoked Gouda grits which were both tasty. I think a more traditional pairing of buttery garlic mashed potatoes instead of the grits would have put the dish over the top. We finished our meal with the peanut butter pie which was creamy and the right balance of sweetness. We were seated immediately and our food was brought out in a timely manner. Our server was knowledgeable and polite. We'll definitely be back! read more

Local watering hole with a better-than-expected menu, especially for lunch. Service was full of southern hospitality. Enjoyable. My friend ordered the Cuban sandwich and I ordered the lunch special, meatballs in a pita wrap. The wrap was somewhat stale--so I ate around it. The meatballs were spicy and tasty. My side of brussel sprouts were both undercooked and under seasoned. I could've done without them. The big winner, surprisingly, was the Fried Green Tomato appetizer. That alone is worth ringing the dinner bell. Get it. Overall, a pleasant experience and one worth giving another whirl. I'm curious what else they offer. read more

Recess Southern Gastro-pub - Fried Green Tomato appetizer. Excellent. - New American Near Me - Gainesville, Georgia

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Received a gift card from Recess for my birthday. Invited a friend to lunch today only to discover gift card can only be used online. Said nothing about that when being purchased. Very disappointed. Lost a customer. read more

Cute little place with a friendly atmosphere. This place fills up quickly though so be prepared. Food: normal good tasting food. Simple and well made. Tasted great. My favorite was the fried pickles. The dessert was a little too frozen though so it was a challenge to eat. Drinks: Excellent We will be back the next time we are in town read more

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Y'all stay amazing! Great food. Brussels sprouts appetizer is fantastic as well as the ahi tuna. Another time I had the shrimp and grits which was a little unique and tasty. I wanted more grits though! Shrimp were large. Ambiance is great and people at the bar are friendly. Service is top notch even when they're busy. read more

Food was great service was great would recommend to other people was just traveling threw

Good spot with a fun menu. Service can sometimes be a little on the slower side but that's because they can get pretty busy. Staff is friendly and the food is good, but a bit pricey. I don't drink but the bar area seems pretty neat. Parking is no longer an issue now that downtown Gainesville has parking decks and road work is done with. Can get a little loud inside depending where you get seated. read more

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Recess has been declining in service and quality of food for some time now, but I've given you the benefit of the doubt and hoped for improvement. It's not there. Even though there were only a few customers in the restaurant, our order of 2 chicken sandwiches took 25 minutes to arrive. (Most people don't have that long to wait for lunch.) One was severely over cooked and oily, the fries were over cooked yet limp and the grits were dry. With all the new places opening on the square and around town, I would recommend re-evaluating your server's and chef's execution. I suspect there is an issue with management. You certainly have the potential to do better. read more

Best shrimp and grits I ever had. The secret is the pork belly they add. The whisky 'iced tea" cocktail was excellent, too.

Back for my birthday! We had great service from entry to exit. All questions (and there were many) answered very promptly and polite. I had a drink ok had 2! We love their honey fried Brussel sprouts and as usual perfect. Also had fried deviled eggs, interesting concept. I enjoyed but a little different. Meat loaf, pork belly dinner, hamburger all good. I had a choice of birthday desserts and you can never go wrong with Crème Brûlée! This restaurant remains one of our favorites. read more

This was one of favorite eateries in Gainesville and dined there numerous times over the years. This past we we took a party of 10 to dinner to celebrate our granddaughter's 19th birthday. When I received the billed and gave the server my credit card I was never told that a gratuity had been added, unfortunately I then added a healthy tip based upon the amount I was being charged. I realize that I have a response to do a better job review the receipt , but the server and establishment had a responsibility to inform me as well. I did notice until 3 days later when I looked at the receipt. So if you go with a large Party take notice of your bill. Will no longer support as much as we have done in the past. read more

Service was amazing! Our server recommended the pimento cheese Rangoons.....the best thing ever! We sat outside because the night was perfect for people watching and stuffing our faces! read more

Recess Southern Gastro-pub - Brussels - New American Near Me - Gainesville, Georgia

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I love the food, ambiance, and service! Not only was the food fantastic ( try the bacon wrapped dates) but, the staff was friendly and seemed to really care about our experience. The restaurant was warm and inviting. I would definitely become a regular here. read more

Recess is a nice little place in the heart of downtown Gainesville, it fits the vibe and guests come from all over. Offering both indoor and outdoor seating options they also have bar seating and have tables that fit 2-8 people. As an appetizer we ordered the bacon wrapped dates, unfortunately these didn't come out until after our mains. The portions were great sizes, I had an appetizer (bang bang shrimp wontons) as my main meal and it was perfect. The meatloaf is always a great hit as well! My mom did order hers with Brussels though and they forgot them. They didn't bring them out until after she had finished her meal. Overall the service was okay but the food def makes up for it! read more

Recess Southern Gastro-pub - Bang bang shrimp wontons - New American Near Me - Gainesville, Georgia

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How have I missed this one??? Finally came by for a lunch and it was worth it. Unique drink menu - I had the Peach Bellini Martini. Fried green tomatoes for an appetizer were yummy. They honestly don't need as much sauce as they give them because they are cooked so well. I tried the pork sandwich and it was really good. Good mix of flavors. Husband had the smoked salmon BLT. Only reason they aren't getting 5 stars is because they forgot to put the bacon on the sandwich. Our server brought over bacon though, once we pointed it out. Brussel sprouts are sauteed really well - still have a crunch, like I prefer. The mascarpone grits are thick, but I like them that way. The orange spice creme brulee was delicious and kinda tasted like eggnog. Definitely going to go back to try their dinner menu. read more

Food was delicious. Servers were professional and friendly. Laid back and casual atmosphere.

This place is AMAZING. My husband and I had a date night and we visited this gastropub. My husband got a burger and fries and I had meat loaf, mashed potatoes and brussels sprouts. Emerald, the bartender, was our server, as we sat outside, and she was terrific!! Drinks are on point, food is on point, service was on point, we will definitely be back! read more

Recess Southern Gastro-pub - Amazing food in our stomach - New American Near Me - Gainesville, Georgia

One of the best places in town! Highly, highly recommend! Great service, great atmosphere, excellent food!

My family and I have been here quite a few times. The food is always delicious and the service is usually pretty good unless they are exceptionally crowded. If you go there on a Saturday night, expect a bit of a wait. Just grab another one of their delicious drinks and be patient. It's worth it. read more

This place was AMAZING!! We stumbled upon it on our way home from the mountains. We had the Rum-a-Rita...we actually had 3. We got the fried pickles which were very good. I got the tri bistro steak with broccolini and roasted red potatoes, everything had great flavor. My husband got the halibut special and he really likes that. We finished with the butterscotch creme brûlée. Definitely a must have! read more

Recess Southern Gastro-pub - Tri bistro steak...too busy eating to take a picture at the beginning. - New American Near Me - Gainesville, Georgia

Perfect for a relaxed family dinner out. I wasn't sure about how kid-appropriate it would be, but they had menu items that our 8 year old was excited about and the atmosphere worked well for us. We had the pimento cheese fritters, Cajun pasta with chicken, shrimp and grits, and a bacon cheeseburger. I was also impressed with the wine list. Everything was great! Don't skip the sauce / jam with the pimento cheese fritters. It's a magical smoky/sweet flavor that's the perfect compliment to the pimento cheese. read more

I was recommended this place by a locals and I'm really happy they did because this place has some really good food. I had the smoked pork chop and fried green tomatoes which was fabulous. My friends had the salmon and the burger stack single. They both enjoyed the food. The place is very big. We sat in the bar area, which is pretty lively and fun. Our waiter was very knowledgeable and patient with one of my friends whose English is not fantastic. For sure I recommend this place if you're in the area! read more

Every once in a while, I have a Yelp WTF moment. You know, where you go to a place that's 4 or 5 stars on Yelp and you're wondering.... what is everyone else seeing that I'm not? And probably 15 minutes into our meal at Recess I was thinking....really Yelp? WTF. We were on our way to Hiawassee for a weekend and I thought, surely Gainesville has some cool local places to check out. After exiting the highway, we found the downtown square area. At 7pm on a Friday night, it was a complete ghostown. In fact, when we walked up to Recess, we wondered....is it even still open? That's how dead the area was. But we opened the door and sure enough, the place was crammed full of people. Harried waiters shuffled past us as we tried to get the attention of the clearly stressed-out hostess, who was setting up a bunch of tables for a large group. Although we didn't have to wait for a table, we waited (and waited) for anyone to speak to us. My boyfriend and I gave each other the "...should we leave while we still can?" look. Finally a waiter speed-walking past noticed we didn't have any drinks, and started laughing like a maniac. He yanked the girl who was supposed to be our server over to our table and said "She'll take care of you right away!", although the girl looked in no way amused by this statement. She finally rolled her eyes and agreed to take us on because we were all ready to order. (Side note - we were provided different menus. My boyfriend's menu and my menu had different items and prices. Very weird.) For an appetizer, we ordered the house made chips with blue cheese crumbles. What we got a few short minutes later, was house made chips with blue cheese crumbles and probably 1 cup's worth of blue cheese dressing, straight from Hidden Valley (see photo!). Seriously, it was disgusting. Had we not been starving I absolutely would have sent it back. While we waited for dinner we noticed a band setting up for live music, and our table happened to be right next to the 6 or so speakers they were setting up (and they kept bringing in MORE speakers! Why?!?!) We asked for the check when our food was delivered, and I'm glad we did. We were also curious and intrigued by the seemingly regular customers of Recess. A large table of about 20 near us broke out into screams and cheers when one member of their party took a normal-sized shot. That was a little bizarre. Then, we started hearing banging noises and upon further inspecition we discovered that many tables had children under the age of 8 or so at their table. Mind you, these tables are right next to a full bar and many people were drinking heavily. Just a weird scene. For dinner I had shrimp & grits while my boyfriend ordered a flatbread. My shrimp and sausage were delivered on skewers atop my grits. Great presentation, but how the heck am I supposed to eat this? There was no extra room on the skewers for me to hold while pulling the meat off. Overall my entree was the highlight and it wasn't even all that spectacular. My boyfriend's flatbread earned an enthusiastic "meh". I'm glad we stopped in to a local spot, but I wouldn't recommend this place to any of my friends. I think they're going for the city vibe, but the customers, service, and food are small-town. We weren't impressed. read more

Recess Southern Gastro-pub - Chips with blue cheese crumbles....is actually chips with blue cheese dressing. - New American Near Me - Gainesville, Georgia

Great place for date night or out with friends! Good service, nice atmosphere, and excellent food! Portions are perfect and value is spot on! read more

Recess is one our favorite places to eat. The food is always delicious, the service is good, and we like the atmosphere. And for what you get, it's a good value. Even though we moved further away from Gainesville, we still make it a point to go back to Recess as often as possible. read more

This location was quite cozy. It is conveniently located near the Square (somewhat off to the side street--not directly on the Square itself) in downtown Gainesville. The price range was decent--not too cheap nor expensive. Some of the appetizer proportions could have been a bite more generous. The salmon tostadas were good with 4 pieces for each member of my party. The tomato appetizer was okay. I personally did not like it because I do not like raw, green tomatoes. Some other members of my party did like it though. It's a preference thing. If you like tomatoes, you will likely enjoy this dish. I had the fish tacos. I must say they do have a reputation at this location. They were two decently loaded tacos, and they were delish. This comes with a side order, of which I choose the sweet potato fries. This is a great choice as it is healthier than its regular potato cousin. Plus, there was a dash of cinnamon (?) on the fries that gave it a unique flavor. The fries came out on a regular sized plate which I shared with my party. Everyone seemed to love it. As for the desserts, they were delicious. We first had the tiramisu. It was good, but a bit soggy at the bottom. I would say this was okay, but I would recommend getting the cheesecake. You can mostly definitely just buy one item and share. Trust me, you get full really fast without evening knowing it, especially with drink orders. Our waitress was very engaging, helpful, and possessed an abundance of patience since our party was somewhat needy. :) Well, one person from our party was needy. The overall atmosphere was relaxing. There were people gathered around the bar having side conversations. The scene is not fancy or anything like fine dining but "could" have the potential to become one. read more

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Ridiculously priced. Steak and potatoes was $68 and wasn't edible .... Had guests from Tennessee down and none were impressed at all

What a great spot. Came here for dinner and loved the place as soon as we walked in. Staff is super friendly and helpful. Their pimento fritters were out of this world and I could have eaten a dozen of them. Can't wait to come back for more! read more

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Really good food and a pretty decent bar selection. Bartenders are very nice and provide solid service.