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The Ivy House Restaurant

4.0 (197 reviews)
Closed 11:00 am - 2:00 pm

The Ivy House Restaurant Photos

THE IVY HOUSE RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Romantic
Moderate noise
Outdoor seating

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Recommended Reviews - The Ivy House Restaurant

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the front entrance
Hayli Z.

This place was so cute! Definitely that old, southern style. They didn't have a big menu/a lot of options and not many vegetarian options but I made a meal out of the fried green tomatoes. What really surprised me were the cheese fritters. These aren't your typical Mozzarella sticks you see on appetizers, no. These were pimento cheese balls with a crispy, textured coating that were so good I could've just eaten those. The dining area was adorable and very cozy and the service was attentive even though they were busy. The only thing I wouldn't recommend is the raspberry lemonade, it had a weird aftertaste I'm not sure if it was the lemonade or the raspberry syrup so wouldn't get that again. I feel like this would be a really cute spot for weekend brunch but they only offer lunch and dinner. But definitely seems like a great location to have brunch in.

Prime Rib, corn bread, carrots, green beans, baked potato and roll.
Ray H.

Very neat venue with tasty food and good service. We had three kids and four adults. Everyone was happy and full. Stop in and try it. If planning ahead, they take reservations. Worth writing home about.

Fried shrimps with salad and loaded baked potato
Josh K.

We found ourselves in the quaint Florida town of Williston one Saturday and wanted to stop in for a quick lunch. We had been here multiple times before, but this is the first time writing a review. The separate dining rooms are charming and are decorated from a past time and surround the four or five tables per room. In my opinion, the star of the menu is the fried chicken, but there are so many wonderful items to choose from. We had the fried shrimp plate as well as the chicken salad croissant. Don't forget to start with the fried green tomatoes and end your meal with a slice of chocolate cake! Definitely a must stop if you are in Williston!

Fried Green Tomates - best I've ever had!
Tony M.

Wonderful place & incredible food! We felt right at home! Best fried green tomatoes I've ever had! Pecan crusted chicken was delicious. Fresh, flavorful coffee like from my grandma's kitchen decades ago.

Half order of Fried Green Tomatoes(5)
Alayna J.

Going to the Ivy House is a rare treat that we indulge in a couple times a year. If we lived closer I'm sure we would go more frequently, and when they had the location in Alachua it seems we went at least once a month. The food is very yummy and a great price. It is worth it to get either the fried green tomato or the Mac and cheese ball appetizer. My favorite entree is the Krispy Chicken but I've also had their pork chops and fish basket which were both great. They don't hold back on the butter for the veggies and both the cornbread and yeast rolls are out of this world. Now I must admit, I have been off and on with their mac and cheese. This last visit (lunch if maybe that plays a factor) it was perfect. Every now and again it is just no good, completely different consistency and quality of cheese. One of the things they are known for is their raspberry syrup. I find their raspberry tea to be a little too much for me, but it is perfect when mixed half and half with their plain sweet tea. The raspberry salad dressing is wonderful if you like sweet salad dressings. Finally, dessert. Over the years I think I have had every dessert they offer. They include- milk cake (tres leches), coconut cake, chocolate cake, peanut butter pie, and buttermilk walnut pie. For me, the two that really stand out are their milk cake and the buttermilk walnut pie. They are out of the way if you're in Gainesville. However, a nice weekend lunch spent in their cute themed rooms or if you're lucky, the back porch, is a great way to spend some quality time eating.

Fish & shrimp plate
Sam E.

My husband and I took a drive to Williston today, 2/9, from Ocala and we both were ready for a bite. I looked on Yelp to see what all was around the area and The Ivy House Restaurant was listed. The time was after 2 so if any rush they had was gone. My husband ordered the fish and butterflied shrimp plate with fries, salad, cornbread and a roll. I tried the fried pork chop sandwich with salad. We were both very pleased with what we had and we definitely will be back and have plans on bringing family here the end of next month while they're here visiting. So glad we stopped by and tried this place out. Very decorative and staff so friendly. We even got to go drinks which our waitress suggested.

Daily menu in front porch.
Janette R.

What a terrific place to stop in at! Home cooking, great service along with an eclectic victorian style place. Try their shrimp, corn casserole, sweet tea and without a doubt their crispy fried chicken on ANYTHING will be the way to go!

Barbecue shrimp
Joanna H.

It's like eating at grandmas house!! Literally. Looks like you just went in her house full of stuff and old things. Lots of little rooms with tables for dining. Southern menu. You will not leave hungry. Soooo much food. Good value for the money. We both enjoyed our meal. Quick, friendly service.

Buttermilk walnut pie. Delicious
Kimberly R.

Have been wanting to have lunch here for quite some time. Today was the day. Beautiful old style home turned restaurant. It was like taking a step back in time. We were seated right away and our waitress took our order. Our waitress was very attentive and helpful. After the lunch feast we walked upstairs to tour the boutique and to get an appreciation of how it must've been to live in such a home. We are looking forward to many return visits.

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2 months ago

Good food and friendly service. My husband liked their baked fish. I like their vegetables. Looking forward to their reopening.

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7 months ago

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7 years ago

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1 year ago

Can't wait for this restaurant to reopen. Food and service are awesome. They have wonderful choices and good drinks.

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3 years ago

We came to the devils den and stopped in here for lunch. Awesome food service was great.

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3 years ago

It was fantastic. The service, the food, and the ambiance are great. It seems they have a new menu, but the same pleasant faces helping....

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8 years ago

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Ask the Community - The Ivy House Restaurant

Miz Kathi's Cotillion Cafe & Sweetery

Miz Kathi's Cotillion Cafe & Sweetery

4.4
(416 reviews)
43.9 mi
$$

This slightly out of the way spot in downtown Wildwood is 101% worth the trip from whereEVER you…read moreare in the southeast! We took a sunny drive over to celebrate a major birthday for my darling spouse.....and were FLOORED by the experience and the food...."THE FOOD"! Oh my Goodness!!! More on this shortly..... This Virginia girl (A Florida girl since the 1980's) fell in love with the eclectic decor and table settings that looked like my Momma and Grandma's heirlooms. Vintage prints and paintings. Red vintage bloomers with lace on the hook on the back of the door of the "Ladies' Retiring Room and Necessary" [my terms, to be fair...] Photographs of young belles and their children who arrived later. A decent interval later!!! NOW, the food. Hot, homemade cornbread to the table, and a peach ice tea that is like no other I have enjoyed ANYWHERE in the south. Hubby chose the Texan Chicken Fried steak, with smashed potatoes and greens, and I picked my favorite southern dish (one that I cannot make at home without ruining ~SHRIMP & GRITS!) and it was beyond description. Shrimp almost the size of quail, with perfect spices and texture. Creamy grits with cheese and a few bell peppers for a variety. I never DREAMED of using salt or pepper.....it would have been an affront the the dish itself, My husband's smile told me he loved HIS chosen dish down....that, and all but licking his plate! We have the decadent looking slices of cake her to share later with coffee, but there was no chance we would skip trying them.....but also no chance we could eat them immediately after lunch without exploding! Service was prompt without hovering, and we will be returning either for MY birthday or if we have friends come to visit. HIGHLY AND TOTALLY RECOMMEND FOR A SPECIAL MEAL. The quality makes the prices perfectly acceptable!!

Located in old area of Wildwood and in a bldg that was a bank. Decorated old school and takes you…read moreback a little in time. Limited parking right outside bldg due to area and old part of town. But has a lot of grass parking behind along rail road and also more across street at wildwood city hall. Plenty of choices in menu and I decided to try the Voodoo Mac and cheese and so glad I did. It was really good has brisket in it and fried onions great flavor combo. 3 in our group today. We ordered 2 voodoo Mac and cheese $25 ea and a turkey and bacon sandwich on a croissant roll $18. sweet tea in huge mason jars $4 ea and a homemade lemonade $5.50. Just know going in that the prices are a little high but well worth it as the portions are huge. I ate half of my Mac and cheese and took the rest to go... Highly recommend this place staff was welcoming and friendly and service was really good.

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Miz Kathi's Cotillion Cafe & Sweetery
Cornbread the way it's meant to be
Cornbread the way it's meant to be
Inside hallway

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Inside hallway
Stumpknockers On The River

Stumpknockers On The River

3.8
(322 reviews)
28.2 mi
$$

Stuffed flounder was excellent. Prices reasonable for a legit seafood restaurant in fish country…read more Indoor or outdoor seating available. Access is a bit dicey -- Highway 200 narrows for the old bridge over the Withlacoochee, cars are going fast and there's no margin for error while you are poking along trying to turn in our back out onto the highway.

I went with my daughter on a Friday night. Very friendly people and family environment. There is…read moreindoor and outdoor seating. We sat outdoors this restaurant is by the river. You feel the peace that the waters and surrounded by oaks and nature. And there is a full bar outdoors as well The food was ok. We had clam chowder soup wasn't my favorite but had worse. And we ordered two appetizers escargot which I don't recommend it included 5 snails on top of a lot of small mushrooms and it wasn't seasoned well!! Hard to match my previous escargot plates in other restaurants. The other appetizer was gator bites. I liked that! For our main entree we shared a seafood combo but you had to choose from fried, boiled or blackened and we chose fried they couldn't accommodate having half the plate cooked a different way so was just too much fried seafood. The platter brings shrimp, white fish, scallops, à crab cake, and oysters. The shrimp were big and tasty, and the white fish was delicious scallops were also good but the rest not so much. It's hard to eat all fried and all seasoned the same except the crab cake ( a lot of veggies in it and not enough crab so you don't really eating à crab cake) I hope this helps

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Bud lattes
Bud lattes
Surf and turf
Surf and turf
Looking out at the river!

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Looking out at the river!
Front Porch Restaurant & Pie Shop

Front Porch Restaurant & Pie Shop

4.0
(284 reviews)
24.2 mi
$

Great place for some southern staples. We were a party of 6 and we couldn't resist ordering fried…read morechicken and catfish. Fried chicken was really tasty with a perfect crunch and juicy chicken. The fried catfish was breaded with cornmeal, perfectly crispy, also well seasoned and very moist and tender inside. The tartar sauce was homemade and very good but they also have a good peppered vinegar. Between us all we had an opportunity to try a lot of sides. Hush puppies which one of our hush puppy lovers said was the best she ever had (I'm not a fan of these overall so I can't really say). The potato salad was very good, creamy, with just a hint of onion and relish. Baked potatoes and sweet potatoes were enjoyed by all. Loved the crispy okra and green beans. Collard greens were also good. Of course, we couldn't leave without trying the pies. Caramel apple walnut was a little too nutty for me but it was still good. They key lime was my personal fave -- the crust was a good crumbly graham cracker that was definitely home made. We also had a lemon meringue and the chocolate coconut cream pie, which was essentially a half and half with chocolate cream and the bottom and coconut cream on the top. Both had beautiful, moist meringues with nicely toasted tops. On top of good food, we had a great waitress who was super attentive and very patient and friendly. Definitely worth a stop if you're in the area and looking for some nostalgic, good southern comfort food.

Our party didn't fully arrive until close to closing time. As a result, they were out of the main…read moreentrees I wanted. Settled for meatloaf which was just OK. However, they were very friendly considering our late arrival and I don't blame them for being out of the good stuff at closing time. Ordered a cherry pie the next day. It wasn't cheap but it was really good.

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Cute outhouse painted bathroom
Cute outhouse painted bathroom
Boom boom shrimp & hush puppies
Boom boom shrimp & hush puppies
Front Porch Restaurant & Pie Shop

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Ivy on the Square

Ivy on the Square

4.0
(396 reviews)
23.4 mi
$$

Just passing through and decided to check out a local restaurant in downtown Ocala. Waking in it's…read moreall rather shabby chic with over stuff chairs, crystal chandeliers and white washed tables. Very southern I actually thought I might be in Georgia. Menu isn't too complicated and we were trying to keep this simple so here's what we ordered: Grilled chicken caprese. Just what it says. Layers of mozzarella and sliced tomatoes with grilled chicken on top drizzled with a balsamic reduction. If you want greens there's two pieces for decoration. I enjoyed this dish. Chicken was moist and had great flavor. I do wish there were a few more pieces on it for the price point. I felt I got about a third of the breast. Ivy Caesar Salad: my husband loves Caesar Salads and he said this was just ok. He didn't like that some of the pieces looked old. This salad was fine and not anything special. Raspberry Tea: very sweet with a weird tang. Didn't really seem like tea at all. Wouldn't get it again. Overall this place has great ambience even if it is rather pretentious and over the top. Staff is friendly and food came out at a reasonable amount of time. Not sure if I'd go there again. Lunch is pricey. Without tip this was a $40 meal and that included only one NA drink.

I went here the other night with some friends from Sarasota. They had suggested it and I was…read morecurious since I had never been. It was early evening and when I walked in I thought the decor was so adorable. Quaint and just really lovely. I was getting a good feeling and wondering why I never had stopped in here before since I love coming downtown and going to different places down here. The whole vibe to me is just very comfortable even though it can get busy there is something that makes you feel calm in this area. We were seated and I looked at the menu wanting steak and even though it was early they didn't have any ( rib eye ) Yes it was on the menu but that was ok, instead I chose a Wam burger and fries. To be honest I wasn't impressed. I asked for medium rare and my burger came out well done. It was a bit flavorless to me and the fries weren't even hot nor crispy. The service was just ok and when we had gone the restaurant hadn't even been very busy. I may give Ivy on the Square another try if I have a good reason. We will see. I wonder what you think. Phone: (352)622-5550 Address: 53 S Magnolia Avenue Ocala, Florida 34471 Hours: Sunday Closed Monday Closed Tuesday 11AM-9PM Wednesday 11AM-9PM Thursday 11AM-9PM Friday 11AM-9PM Saturday 11AM-9PM Wheelchair accessible

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Dining room
Dining room
Crème Brûlée
Crème Brûlée
Bar

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Bar
The Yearling Restaurant

The Yearling Restaurant

3.7
(205 reviews)
18.4 mi
$$

We were looking for a good place to eat after spending the day with the kids at Hogwaller not far…read moreaway. I saw a faded sign for the restaurant, checked the reviews and photos and said well let's try it! On arrival my dining mates (husband and another couple) looked at me like I'd lost my mind - it's eclectic for sure! But they had good drinks and the food was absolutely amazing. Our waitress was a trip and it's everything I want from small town, old school Florida. Great option to check out after you go to Island Grove Winery! I also wanted to address some of the other reviews insinuating poor service based on race. As a table of ghost white people sat in the back dining room when the whole place seemed pretty empty....the service was not at the pace of a chain that's trying to flip tables as fast as possible. Even with three exhausted kiddos with us close to bed time we just ordered another round, let the kids explore the taxidermy and the books.

We went to this restaurant on recommendation from our airboat driver, and they did not disappoint…read more We were seated right away and the hostess and the waitress were fabulous. They really took care of us. My husband got a Caesar salad with blackened chicken and I got the combo plate with gator, frog legs and catfish and it was so amazing. I have to say probably one of my first favorite things were the collard greens with bits of ham in it superduper delicious. They make a great drink. My husband liked their sweet tea, and I had a gin and tonic, which was really full of gin! We had no room for dessert, but the ones that walked past the table looked amazing. I really recommend this restaurant.

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Where the band plays. No one was playing when we went.
Where the band plays. No one was playing when we went.
Blackened catfish
Blackened catfish
The Yearling Restaurant

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Colt Country Cafe & Buffet

Colt Country Cafe & Buffet

4.1
(14 reviews)
15.1 mi

Whenever I wanted grilled, fried or broiled COLT, I go to the COLT CAFE!…read moreThey will serve 'em up with succotash, greens, raw (sushi style) or any way you want 'em!! The colts are all local, grain fed and free range. Do yourself a HUGE FAVOR, HOSS and go into the Colt Country Cafe. Tell 'em "SLAPPY" sent ya'. They also have all you can drink Natty Light on Friday night for only $4.99. Food, service, hospitality and AMBIANCE!!! :) :) :)

Colt Country Cafe & Buffett in Reddick is a small-town look and feel place with some big down-home…read moreflavor! Only open until 2pm everyday, they have quite the salad bar and buffet table: homemade meatloaf, fried chicken, sausage (links and patties), eggs, home fries, biscuits, gravy, rice & sausage, ham, roast beef, chicken and dumplings and on and on. My wife and I stopped in this morning and what a great, little-known treasure. It's worth the drive if you are looking for some solid, down home southern cooking. Such flavors! I've had to edit this review three times because I keep going up and trying other stuff from the buffet! The mac & cheese! The green beans, complete with pieces of bacon! So good! Peach cobbler, banana pudding with chucks of banana in it and chocolate pudding with pieces of chocolate chip cookies in it! The prospects of what this place could do with a dinner menu make my mouth water. However, don't everyone rush up there at once, I almost want to keep this little piece of heaven to myself.

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Colt Country Cafe & Buffet
Colt Country Cafe & Buffet
Colt Country Cafe & Buffet

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The Ivy House Restaurant - southern - Updated July 2026

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