The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the views of Spoon University.
It can get overwhelming when you’re planning to go eat with your friends and all of you are in the mood for something different, but there’s no need to worry about that anymore! Gainesville recently opened a new food court called the Gainesville City Food Hall, and if you’re anything like me, trying almost ten new restaurants all in one place is a must-do.
The Layout
There are chairs and tables throughout the area where you can sit with your friends and a large bar in the middle of the building. I wasn’t able to try any drinks from the bar, but I urge anyone who can legally drink to go and test out their cocktails! I had the pleasure of going and trying a food item from each restaurant to report back my thoughts.
When you walk in, the area is huge with a bunch of different stands similar to a mall food court where they offer a variety of different cuisines such as juices from The Teacher’s Ade, ramens and noodles from GoNoodle, tacos and burritos from Gringo Tacos, smash burgers from SmashCity, sushi and Asian inspired dishes from Nori, and pizza and pasta from Peace of Pie.
Teacher’s Ade
My first stop was the Teacher’s Ade, which sells a variety of healthy lifestyle foods and specialty lemonades. I tried their original lemonade called “The OG,” as well as their “Peach Berry Guava” lemonade and their “Teacher’s Pet” dessert. The OG was tangy in a way that made my mouth salivate and is perfect for those who enjoy drinks that are not overly sweet. The drink also has an aftertaste of foam from the way they blend their lemonade, which reminded me of cheese foam from a boba drink. The drink itself was very lemony with a hint of mint, and I truly enjoyed that you could order this drink either hot or cold.
The worker at this establishment was very sweet, and you could tell he was passionate about his business because he offered us the Peach Berry Guava and the Teacher’s Pet free of charge. The Peach Berry Guava lemonade had hints of peach, strawberry, cherry, and blueberry with a flavor profile very similar to that of an açaí smoothie. The Teacher’s Pet is their take on sliced apples drizzled with their homemade peanut butter, honey, and granola. The homemade peanut butter was sweet and very light, with a consistency that won’t get stuck in your teeth. The granola was crunchy and very nutty, which added a nice balance of savoriness to the sweet dessert.
GoNoodle
From GoNoodle we got the creamy ramen. An interesting aspect of this restaurant is that you can mix and match the noodles and sauce/broth that they offer to customize your own bowl. Our creamy ramen was garnished with cabbage and cilantro. The taste of the ramen noodles was very similar to Maruchan chicken ramen, but the added sauce was mellow and very smooth. Unfortunately, the soup was mainly at the bottom, and the noodles weren’t fully submerged, but it was an easy fix with a quick mix. I look forward to trying their other noodle dishes in order to find something closer to my liking, but I encourage everyone to try this place as the worker from this stand also kept us entertained.
Gringo Taco
From Gringo Taco, we got two tacos – one with their mojo chicken and the other with their beef barbacoa. The worker at the stand walked us through the steps on how they made the shell, which started out by adding some shredded cheese to the grill to form a cheese crust. They then dip the taco shells into a beef marinade before laying them on top of the cheese crust to add flavor to the shells. It was a cool experience watching them make the tacos right in front of us. The tacos are also customizable. We found that the feta was a little overpowering for the tacos, so I recommend opting for a different cheese, however, if you can’t get enough feta, it may be the perfect taco for you. We also thought the tacos were a bit pricey for the size, but I would still return for their bowls or burritos since the ingredients themselves were very tasty and these larger options might provide more value.
SmashCity
From SmashCity, we got their SmashCity Classic smash burger, which consisted of American cheese, grilled onions, pickles, and their signature SmashCity sauce. The meat from the patty was very juicy, and their ketchupy-mayo SmashCity sauce was a flavorful addition. This burger did have that classic American smash patty flavor, and if you’re a fan of the smashed style over typical patties, this place is definitely for you. I’m excited to try more of their specialty burgers.
Nori
From Nori, we got the Lava Roll. Nori also offers a variety of teriyaki, curry, fried rice, and sushi options. The lava roll was filled with salmon, avocado, and crab and was topped with spicy mayo and spicy tuna. The most prominent flavor I noticed was the rice because it was so well seasoned with sesame. All of the ingredients were of great quality, especially the smooth and creamy avocado. As a huge sushi fan, I look forward to trying their other rolls as well as their rice and poke bowls.
Peace of Pie
Finally, from Peace of Pie, we got their cheese pizza. The pizza was very similar in depth to a deep dish pizza, however, instead of the depth mainly consisting of sauce (which was actually quite thin), the cheesy crust made up a lot of height. Despite it mostly being bread, I thoroughly enjoyed the pizza. The bread was very soft and pillowy with a slight crisp at the bottom, which added some needed texture, and there was a good amount of cheese. It was the perfect amount to perform an aesthetically pleasing cheese pull that got my mouth watering. While the sauce layer was quite thin, you couldn’t miss the sharp basil and roasted tomato flavors that balanced out the richness. The pizza was cut into six slices, and it was a bit expensive but also big enough to be shared between two people if you have another pizza-loving friend. And if you’re a fan of pasta, they also offer a couple of pasta dishes as well!
While the food from the other stands like True Island (a Caribbean food spot), Luke’s NY Bagels, Miranda Gelato, and Wings & co. weren’t open when I went, I look forward to going back and trying these new mini restaurants that the City Food Hall brought together. This new hotspot also hosts a variety of special events such as happy hour every Monday through Friday from 4-7 pm, comedy shows on Mondays, live music on Tuesdays, ladies’ night on Wednesdays, trivia and karaoke on Thursdays, night lights on Fridays, gameday/speakeasy on Saturdays, and brunch on Sundays.
There is no explanation for why this place was as empty as it was other than a lack of marketing and publicity. I highly encourage everyone to bring their friends here and try as many different restaurants as possible.