New Deal Cafe

The food was excellent! We had Calamari as a starter, which was perfectly fried and tasted fresh. Waiters were very attentive and boxed up our leftovers for us. One member of our party had the quiche, this person eats quiche at any restaurant that has it and she said it's the best in Gainesville. Very light and fluffy and cheesy. The lunch menu is very reasonably priced and most things come with the option of a salad or french fries at no extra cost.

Apparently Bert Gill won't let anyone in his kitchens who doesn't know how to cook. I have ordered two things on 2 visits, one at Blue Gill and one at New Deal, both containing ingredients that are over cooked violently at almost all restaurants, regardless of price. The first was fried shrimp, which was cooked to perfection. Served tender and juicy. The second was buttermilk fried chicken salad. The chicken was so light and airy it could have floated off the plate. And, the focaccia served at New Deal is alone worth the visit. Maybe they'll start selling it by the loaf ? Did I mention the house-made ice cream at Blue Gill? Gill's places, including Mildred's, serve unquestionably the best food in Gainesville. The fact that the servers are invariably perfectly trained just makes the food taste even better.

Absolutely phenomenal, our server Kalyn was amazing and provided such great service. My girlfriend and I stopped for lunch and found our new favorite lunch spot! The UF burger was the best I’ve had in a long time. We are both servers and are not normally impressed when served by other people but Kalyn went above our expectations! Thank you Kalyn and the kitchen for an amazing lunch! Best local spot in town.

I'm gonna rave about this restaurant, so get ready to read an essay. I love this cafe. I love it so much, I'm eating here right now. I try to get here at least once a week for lunch because it's my favorite spot in Gainesville. When I have guests come into town, I bring them here. I have never left this restaurant without thoroughly enjoying my experience. I'm actually ashamed that I've waited this long to leave a glowing review, because they deserve it. So what's the big deal with New Deal? You want to know something? The best part is that it's not a new deal at all. There's nothing gimmicky about this joint. It's a classic cafe to grab casual American fare; it's just executed extremely well. Every time I come here, the service is wonderful from the extremely amicable staff, the food comes out within 5 minutes, and it is always fresh and cooked to order. Here's how my typical visit works. When I stop in by myself, I visit the walk-up counter in the main dining room, order my usual (the seared tuna club with fries and lemon-garlic aioli), and assume my spot at the end of the bar in the back. I do the daily NYT crossword for a few minutes, until the food comes out. That's when the magic happens. The first things I go for are the fries. Oh, the fries. Straight-from-the-fryer hot, crunchy as hell, salted to perfection, and piled high. Best fries in town if you're into that type of thing (this is very important to me lol). The seared tuna club is actually a creative take on a sandwich that I would otherwise never order. They give you a nice slab of sushi-grade tuna, seared on one side with the usual lettuce, tomato, and thick-sliced bacon on some beautiful toast (with more lemon-garlic aioli). I think this is my favorite sandwich out there right now. If you're not into the whole Tuna thing, they also make a delicious burger using locally-sourced beef, and they have really good vegetarian options. The salads are delicious, they always have a creative soup of the day, and you can get a flatbread if you're in the mood. Anyways, here's the moral of the story. New Deal Cafe is a great local lunch spot with walk-up and full-service options (same kitchen/menu) serving creative takes on simple fare executed perfectly and consistently. Please come support this place if you haven't been here yet: you won't be disappointed.