It's a very inexpensive dive bar for students. I've been going for years, but the last two times I went the draft beer tasted terrible. I have good reason to believe that this place never cleans their draft lines. Stick with bottled beer, unless you enjoy that algae flavor in your beer. Also, this is one of those places that still allows you to smoke inside. You can pretty much count on smelling like sh*t if you walk in this place.
(2)
Gary T.
We stopped by here and had some beers the night before the recent UF-UK game and we enjoyed it although we stood out like sore thumbs since we were a bunch of old men compared to all the college age people there,LOL. Anyways, it was fun just to hang out and this is pretty much your typical college-town sports bar and I mean that as a compliment. It had great atmosphere and I bet this place is a madhouse on game days. Our server took good care of us and our cups never stayed empty for long.
(3)
Johnny L.
For the restaurant during the day. I've been here on several occasions for lunch and for NFL Sunday football. (Never been here at night, but I hear it gets pretty crazy). The food wasnt bad, but the place is never packed. Never. There are TVs everywhere and they have a huge bar. On my most recent visit, I came on a Monday and they had a $2.99 Cheeseburger and Fries lunch special (which is cheap as f***). The burger looked and tasted like a Steak and Shake burger. It was alright. The fries were also skinny fries. (Come to think of it, it was pretty much like going to Steak and Shake). My buddy got chicken tenders which tasted much better than they looked. They're breaded with bread crumbs as opposed to batter. The wings were good though. I got the Bourbon Barbecue Wings which were great. Po' Boys are nothing special (not worth getting). The server was great. The TVs everywhere are great for NFL Sunday. I've always seen this place empty, even on Sunday afternoons. Be sure to come if you have a big group and need space, cheap food, and cheap beer.
(3)
Monika K.
Gator shitty for the win! cheap drinks day and night, always packed during football season. front and back bars with XS next door. fun music, pool tables, basketball hoop game thingy, drunken sorority sluts and frat boys, doesn't get any more sloppy than this!
(4)
Tim K.
This place is amazing after a Gators game!
(5)
Jason R.
Great TV selection. The food is mediocre; the spinach artichoke app tasted like sandpaper, but our chicken sandwich and chicken philly were ok. The music is EXTREMELY annoying- I heard "Too Legit 2 Quit", "I'm Too Sexy", and some Ace of Base abomination all within 30 minutes of being there. I'm all for some Eddie Money, Talking Heads, and Cindi Lauper on occasion, but you have to draw a line in the sand somewhere.
(2)
Ashley B.
I LOVE Gator City. It's so great because there's something for everyone here. You don't have to choose between watching the game, cheap drinks, and dancing... this place has it all. The front bar has a bunch of TVs and 2 projection screens. The back bar has some arcade games, a pool table, and an air hockey table. They serve food- it's really cheap, but the menu actually looks pretty good. I had a burger and fries, and it was tasty. Gator City is connected to XS, a club, so if dancing is your thing, you can go back and forth at will. It's definitely one of the cheapest places to drink in Gainesville. If you get there before 9, there's no cover, so I went on ladies' night (Wednesday) and drank for completely free (plus tips of course). I will say, though, that they were sorry excuses for drinks... I think I had 8 and was barely feeling it. Can't really complain about free drinks though lol. The service was decent. We were a large party at a table right next to the bar and were served pretty frequently, only having to go up to the bar a few times. Also- fun fact- if you go on your 21st birthday, and arrive before 11 PM, you get a great birthday present- 20 wings, 4 kamikaze shots, and a pitcher of beer. Totally free! Awesome deal. I've only ever been here three times, but I'm starting to realize this might be one of my new favorite watering holes!
(4)
L. M.
Gator City is a huge bar by Gainesville standards. They don't have a lot on tap, but what they do have is in abundance and cheap (think the basics - Bud Light, Yuengling, etc.). The back bar is my favorite spot, as there is the most to do (basketball, arcade games, pool), but it is generally a little smoky there, also. If dancing is your thing, Xs is attached and offers a contrast to the juke box soundtrack of Gator City. Generally, any night in midtown Gainesville involves Gator City in some capacity. Wednesday nights are huge here, but my favorite night might be 80s night on Fridays ($5 cover, $2 Natty pitchers, $3 Bud Light and Yuengling pitchers).
(4)
Matthew H.
Cheap prices but terrible service. The bartenders and servers are much more concerned with their phone than serving you. This seems to be especially true when less people are here. That is of course unless you know one of the them personally, then they will talk to you for a while and ignore the numerous people holding cash in the air trying to buy drinks.
(2)
Mel B.
If you're hung over and want to pretend you don't exist, this place was created for your hazy Saturday or Sunday morning. Lighting is dim, it's quiet during the day, and they serve the most repulsively delicious cheap bar food ever. I have shamefully eaten so many nachos and corndogs and burgers there. Great, cheap midtown drink specials. 2.99 Burger baskets on Friday are what's up. Billiards and arcade games in the back; it's very chill as far as midtown bars go and the people that work there are actually really awesome.
(4)
James J.
I would bother to specify whether I am rating this midtown "gem" as the restaurant, the unsavory bar or the club, but the rating would be the same either way. The Restaurant: I came to Gator City for the $2.99 burger special they run on whichever day it is (it has been a while since I attended and, rest assured, one visit was more than enough). The burgers were your standard, frozen-from-factory patties placed haphazardly alongside sub-par condiments and toppings. Happy hour specials also were not anything spectacular in comparison to the other local spots, all of which offer similarly priced pitchers and pints of domestic and what have you. The Bar: I have been to this place for its night scene a total of 3 times now. As anyone knows, when the specials are crazy so will the environment be. This was the exact case for my first visit to "10¢ wells." In a matter of minutes, the place became totally unruly, packed with tons of people to the point where making your way to the bar was a process in itself, let alone ordering amongst the ravenous students of Summer B. They do have 4 pool tables, a beer pong table and some sack toss boards to occupy yourself in the back room, but getting one of these on a night that is halfway busy is next to impossible unless you arrive early enough. Service tends to be decent despite the chaos, which I find extremely admirable. Having patience for that kind of crowd every week sounds like a nightmare to me, personally. One very strong positive I will grant Gator City is its intolerance for sloppiness within the crowd: if you are not able to walk, start passing out at the bar or start causing a scene, you will be spotted fairly promptly by one of the staff and escorted out of the building. We have all had those nights where we pushed a little too hard and I think it is completely fair that they politely insist you recover in a manner that does not interfere with the more contained evenings of other patrons. Despite the small glimmers of positivity I described, the place is filthy, often covered in a haze of cigarette smoke, and the last time I was there the bathrooms (which are definitely kept up at bare minimum to begin with) were overflowing into the hallway connecting the pool table room to the dining room/entrance. They charge cover for basically any of the good deals they offer, making the overall appeal a little less appealing to me ("free with cover" and "free" do not mean the same thing). The Club (Envy): Small-time dance area with a more limited bar, which does not carry the same drink specials as the others found directly within Gator City itself. It is nice to have cover to both, in the event your group decides they want to create the dance party within Envy (cover buys you entry to come and go between Envy and Gator City as you please), but if I aimed to throw down on a dance floor I would much rather travel the extra 3 minutes downtown to a more accommodating environment.
(2)
Mark M.
Went here with my brother while he was on leave. Showed up around 10pm. Everything seemed cool. Nice relaxed bar. Good bartender. Until 11pm hit and it was like a swarm of 21 year old locusts in mating season. There were dudes everywhere. EVERYWHERE! Every breathe I took was as if I was fighting for air over the cheap cologne I was inhaling. But that's what I get for showing up at the time I did. I'd come back in the earlier hours. I'm not about to inhale male pheromones all night though. Gross!
(3)
Matthew M.
I loved this place when I was going to school at UF. It used to be called the purple porpoise but another than a better sports theme inside nothing much has changed. The back of the bar they also still have pool and other games which was great to see. Overall I am giving them 4 stars because it brought back a lot of awesome memories, and the bartender was cool (even gave us a free shot) somehow they still allow smoking inside which is disgusting, hopefully that changes soon. Thanks for all the amazing times and go gators!!!
(4)
Jessica B.
Bouncers are meat heads with egos. They are more worried about access to walking areas when NO ONE is in the bar vs when the bar is packed and OVER capacity. General manager talks both sides of the coin. He's concerned about his bouncer being disrespected but when he is questioned about his own disrespect while in a conversation with a patron and he decides to stop talking to watch a play in a game, the general manger decides he is finished talking. They are crazy!
(1)
Airah B.
The 'liquor' is cheap, with that being said, its very clear they water down their watered down liquor, to a point I'm pretty sure it's just water, with the amount I had to drink to even get a buzz, i should have just went somewhere else I could have spent 1/2 and had a good night,The pool area is fun, but don't expect to hear your friends, or even get a pool table/corn hole station at any point when it starts getting busy. But they do have a KCCO flag on the ceiling, so they get their cool points there.
(2)
Amanda G.
Did I just dance to 'N Sync, have beer sloshed on my leg and wake up spooning on my couch with an indian man who claims to play small time golf in St. Pete? Just another night at Gator City. Mediocre food, cheap drinks and dim lighting. Welcome to Gainesville.
(3)
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Address :1728 W University Ave
Gainesville, FL, 32603
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Parking : Street Bike Parking : No Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Ambience : Divey Noise Level : Very Loud Good For Dancing : Yes Alcohol : Full Bar Happy Hour : Yes Best Nights : Mon, Wed, Fri Coat Check : No Smoking : Yes Outdoor Seating : No Has TV : Yes
Sam A.
It's a very inexpensive dive bar for students. I've been going for years, but the last two times I went the draft beer tasted terrible. I have good reason to believe that this place never cleans their draft lines. Stick with bottled beer, unless you enjoy that algae flavor in your beer. Also, this is one of those places that still allows you to smoke inside. You can pretty much count on smelling like sh*t if you walk in this place.
(2)Gary T.
We stopped by here and had some beers the night before the recent UF-UK game and we enjoyed it although we stood out like sore thumbs since we were a bunch of old men compared to all the college age people there,LOL. Anyways, it was fun just to hang out and this is pretty much your typical college-town sports bar and I mean that as a compliment. It had great atmosphere and I bet this place is a madhouse on game days. Our server took good care of us and our cups never stayed empty for long.
(3)Johnny L.
For the restaurant during the day. I've been here on several occasions for lunch and for NFL Sunday football. (Never been here at night, but I hear it gets pretty crazy). The food wasnt bad, but the place is never packed. Never. There are TVs everywhere and they have a huge bar. On my most recent visit, I came on a Monday and they had a $2.99 Cheeseburger and Fries lunch special (which is cheap as f***). The burger looked and tasted like a Steak and Shake burger. It was alright. The fries were also skinny fries. (Come to think of it, it was pretty much like going to Steak and Shake). My buddy got chicken tenders which tasted much better than they looked. They're breaded with bread crumbs as opposed to batter. The wings were good though. I got the Bourbon Barbecue Wings which were great. Po' Boys are nothing special (not worth getting). The server was great. The TVs everywhere are great for NFL Sunday. I've always seen this place empty, even on Sunday afternoons. Be sure to come if you have a big group and need space, cheap food, and cheap beer.
(3)Monika K.
Gator shitty for the win! cheap drinks day and night, always packed during football season. front and back bars with XS next door. fun music, pool tables, basketball hoop game thingy, drunken sorority sluts and frat boys, doesn't get any more sloppy than this!
(4)Tim K.
This place is amazing after a Gators game!
(5)Jason R.
Great TV selection. The food is mediocre; the spinach artichoke app tasted like sandpaper, but our chicken sandwich and chicken philly were ok. The music is EXTREMELY annoying- I heard "Too Legit 2 Quit", "I'm Too Sexy", and some Ace of Base abomination all within 30 minutes of being there. I'm all for some Eddie Money, Talking Heads, and Cindi Lauper on occasion, but you have to draw a line in the sand somewhere.
(2)Ashley B.
I LOVE Gator City. It's so great because there's something for everyone here. You don't have to choose between watching the game, cheap drinks, and dancing... this place has it all. The front bar has a bunch of TVs and 2 projection screens. The back bar has some arcade games, a pool table, and an air hockey table. They serve food- it's really cheap, but the menu actually looks pretty good. I had a burger and fries, and it was tasty. Gator City is connected to XS, a club, so if dancing is your thing, you can go back and forth at will. It's definitely one of the cheapest places to drink in Gainesville. If you get there before 9, there's no cover, so I went on ladies' night (Wednesday) and drank for completely free (plus tips of course). I will say, though, that they were sorry excuses for drinks... I think I had 8 and was barely feeling it. Can't really complain about free drinks though lol. The service was decent. We were a large party at a table right next to the bar and were served pretty frequently, only having to go up to the bar a few times. Also- fun fact- if you go on your 21st birthday, and arrive before 11 PM, you get a great birthday present- 20 wings, 4 kamikaze shots, and a pitcher of beer. Totally free! Awesome deal. I've only ever been here three times, but I'm starting to realize this might be one of my new favorite watering holes!
(4)L. M.
Gator City is a huge bar by Gainesville standards. They don't have a lot on tap, but what they do have is in abundance and cheap (think the basics - Bud Light, Yuengling, etc.). The back bar is my favorite spot, as there is the most to do (basketball, arcade games, pool), but it is generally a little smoky there, also. If dancing is your thing, Xs is attached and offers a contrast to the juke box soundtrack of Gator City. Generally, any night in midtown Gainesville involves Gator City in some capacity. Wednesday nights are huge here, but my favorite night might be 80s night on Fridays ($5 cover, $2 Natty pitchers, $3 Bud Light and Yuengling pitchers).
(4)Matthew H.
Cheap prices but terrible service. The bartenders and servers are much more concerned with their phone than serving you. This seems to be especially true when less people are here. That is of course unless you know one of the them personally, then they will talk to you for a while and ignore the numerous people holding cash in the air trying to buy drinks.
(2)Mel B.
If you're hung over and want to pretend you don't exist, this place was created for your hazy Saturday or Sunday morning. Lighting is dim, it's quiet during the day, and they serve the most repulsively delicious cheap bar food ever. I have shamefully eaten so many nachos and corndogs and burgers there. Great, cheap midtown drink specials. 2.99 Burger baskets on Friday are what's up. Billiards and arcade games in the back; it's very chill as far as midtown bars go and the people that work there are actually really awesome.
(4)James J.
I would bother to specify whether I am rating this midtown "gem" as the restaurant, the unsavory bar or the club, but the rating would be the same either way. The Restaurant: I came to Gator City for the $2.99 burger special they run on whichever day it is (it has been a while since I attended and, rest assured, one visit was more than enough). The burgers were your standard, frozen-from-factory patties placed haphazardly alongside sub-par condiments and toppings. Happy hour specials also were not anything spectacular in comparison to the other local spots, all of which offer similarly priced pitchers and pints of domestic and what have you. The Bar: I have been to this place for its night scene a total of 3 times now. As anyone knows, when the specials are crazy so will the environment be. This was the exact case for my first visit to "10¢ wells." In a matter of minutes, the place became totally unruly, packed with tons of people to the point where making your way to the bar was a process in itself, let alone ordering amongst the ravenous students of Summer B. They do have 4 pool tables, a beer pong table and some sack toss boards to occupy yourself in the back room, but getting one of these on a night that is halfway busy is next to impossible unless you arrive early enough. Service tends to be decent despite the chaos, which I find extremely admirable. Having patience for that kind of crowd every week sounds like a nightmare to me, personally. One very strong positive I will grant Gator City is its intolerance for sloppiness within the crowd: if you are not able to walk, start passing out at the bar or start causing a scene, you will be spotted fairly promptly by one of the staff and escorted out of the building. We have all had those nights where we pushed a little too hard and I think it is completely fair that they politely insist you recover in a manner that does not interfere with the more contained evenings of other patrons. Despite the small glimmers of positivity I described, the place is filthy, often covered in a haze of cigarette smoke, and the last time I was there the bathrooms (which are definitely kept up at bare minimum to begin with) were overflowing into the hallway connecting the pool table room to the dining room/entrance. They charge cover for basically any of the good deals they offer, making the overall appeal a little less appealing to me ("free with cover" and "free" do not mean the same thing). The Club (Envy): Small-time dance area with a more limited bar, which does not carry the same drink specials as the others found directly within Gator City itself. It is nice to have cover to both, in the event your group decides they want to create the dance party within Envy (cover buys you entry to come and go between Envy and Gator City as you please), but if I aimed to throw down on a dance floor I would much rather travel the extra 3 minutes downtown to a more accommodating environment.
(2)Mark M.
Went here with my brother while he was on leave. Showed up around 10pm. Everything seemed cool. Nice relaxed bar. Good bartender. Until 11pm hit and it was like a swarm of 21 year old locusts in mating season. There were dudes everywhere. EVERYWHERE! Every breathe I took was as if I was fighting for air over the cheap cologne I was inhaling. But that's what I get for showing up at the time I did. I'd come back in the earlier hours. I'm not about to inhale male pheromones all night though. Gross!
(3)Matthew M.
I loved this place when I was going to school at UF. It used to be called the purple porpoise but another than a better sports theme inside nothing much has changed. The back of the bar they also still have pool and other games which was great to see. Overall I am giving them 4 stars because it brought back a lot of awesome memories, and the bartender was cool (even gave us a free shot) somehow they still allow smoking inside which is disgusting, hopefully that changes soon. Thanks for all the amazing times and go gators!!!
(4)Jessica B.
Bouncers are meat heads with egos. They are more worried about access to walking areas when NO ONE is in the bar vs when the bar is packed and OVER capacity. General manager talks both sides of the coin. He's concerned about his bouncer being disrespected but when he is questioned about his own disrespect while in a conversation with a patron and he decides to stop talking to watch a play in a game, the general manger decides he is finished talking. They are crazy!
(1)Airah B.
The 'liquor' is cheap, with that being said, its very clear they water down their watered down liquor, to a point I'm pretty sure it's just water, with the amount I had to drink to even get a buzz, i should have just went somewhere else I could have spent 1/2 and had a good night,The pool area is fun, but don't expect to hear your friends, or even get a pool table/corn hole station at any point when it starts getting busy. But they do have a KCCO flag on the ceiling, so they get their cool points there.
(2)Amanda G.
Did I just dance to 'N Sync, have beer sloshed on my leg and wake up spooning on my couch with an indian man who claims to play small time golf in St. Pete? Just another night at Gator City. Mediocre food, cheap drinks and dim lighting. Welcome to Gainesville.
(3)