Collegiate Grill

Better than fast food but not super amazing. The milkshakes are good. Not a huge fan of their fries, but that’s just my preference. Some people may like them. Its a good place to go for just a simple burger or hot dog.

Stopped in for lunch with the guys. I got the double cheeseburger and chilli cheese fries. Fred got a slae dog and a BLT. And Al got a bacon cheeseburger. All sandwiches came out hot and fresh. Everyone was happy. Great taste, I only add salt and pepper. Touch of Mustard. (French’s). Wonderful.

Great for a quick lunch on the square! The people are wonderful, and the food is good too.

We were looking for not fast food, not a café, not a nice (read expensive) restaurant and found it here! The décor menu and theme are kind of a knock off of The Varsity, but the hamburgers were absolutely delicious. Fries were great too.
We came for lunch with a toddler and a 3 month old. No kids meal, but everything is kid-​friendly. Very cute diner feel with friendly service and good prices.

This is a genuine ’50’s burger joint — and I’m old enough to know. The place was packed and noisy the Friday we were there for lunch. Hardest working, most efficient waitstaff you’ll ever see. Excellent service and food. Everything is served on «wrap paper». Plan to share an order of fries — too much for one. We were traveling north on the interstate. My wife had eaten there before and promised I’d like it. All local customers, plenty of young children with them.
This is a real throw-​back; restaurants like this are fading quickly. Menu is quite limited: burgers, fries, slaw, real hand-​made milk shakes, BLTs… and that’s about it. Memorable, different, and excellent. Free muni parking lot across the street.

Came across this place and it did not disappoint for the price, great cheeseburger, awesome homemade fries, and best of all they wipe the tables with paper towels and not wet disgusting towels! Service was great, food took a little long and they don’t open on Sunday’s!

Horrible. The burgers are the quality of what you expect at a fair ground. The hotdogs were the same. The food was served on paper, I had to ask for a paper plate. The staff was rude and uncaring. Definitely not worth the over priced, lack of option menu.

Found the Collegiate while driving back from a road trip into NC from Atlanta. Staff was friendly with fast service. Burgers and fries were good and reasonable priced. Much better than pulling off the highway for those other fast food joints.

I first came across the Collegiate Grill a few weeks ago and have been here three or four times since. That should tell you that I’m a fan!
It isn’t anything fancy but damn, is it good! If you want a classic, good burger with amazing fries, a stellar milkshake for dessert and quick, cheerful service then this is the place for you! Be warned though — it is greasy and definitely not suggested for daily visits or those with an upcoming cardiologist appointment. It’s also messy (a sign of a good burger) so have some napkins ready and watch your clothes!
It’s been here since 1947 and it’s easy to taste why!

Food was less than adequate burgers are a little to greasy, fries had nothing special about them the atmosphere was pretty cool and retro.

Very cool little spot with great, classic American burgers. Don’t expect pretty food though, just a great, meaty, classic burger.

I’ve been to the Collegiate Grill several times. The first 2 times I was unimpressed and thought it was too expensive for what it was. However, I like the food and the diner feel so I keep coming back. The strawberry shake wasn’t sweet enough for me, but the orange shake is delicious. I always get a burger and share fries with my wife. We come here instead of Five Guys now for burgers. Priced the same but we’ve had much better experiences here.

Friendly local business! Way better than a well known Atlanta burger place that’s also historic! Skip Atlanta and get your burger fix here. Better service, better& fresher food.
For a longer review ck my upcoming blog post.

So after reading rave reviews of a similar place in Atlanta I was very scared to try this but I’m on a burger quest!
I’m from CA AND would just about kill for In & Out right now!
So far the burger situation is bleak.
This place tho does ok a bright spot was the service!
They were happy friendly attentive and this is a burger joint!
I commend them! In GA THats a biggie especially coming from Middle GA.
Everything about this place was better than the arches place and the historical place with carhops in Atlanta but it does not compare to In & Out however without one available I would go back here to eat.
I will continue the quest for a really good burger that doesn’t cost 10.0o$ though

Gotta love a local business like this. The burgers are tasty, the fries are fresh cut and the service is fantastic. I really like this place and would have given them a 5 except that the hot dog was just not good. My advice, stick to the burgers and fries and you will be please!

It goes without saying that the food is delicious, but unfortunately, I agree with Dwayne and Dennis.
It’s overpriced. It is definitely of better quality than a fast food chain, but even then, it’s not exactly worth the money needed to spend.

Collegiate Grill is similar to Five Guys, where the toppings actually override the patty. Collegiate is supposedly known for their slaw burger, which my husband ordered, and enjoyed.
We all got strawberry shakes, which tasted like any fastfood shake — good, sweet, thick.
It was our waiter’s first day on the job, and he was great: enthusiastic, on-​the-​ball. The place is clean, cheerful, and perfectly acceptable if you’re driving through Gainesville and hungry for burgers.

We got a cheeseburger and a chili cheese dog from here. This is the closest that we found from a place that we go to up north called Bill Grays and Tom Wahls for cheeseburgers. It is expensive here for fast food. It has a 50s diner atmosphere. The fries left a lot to be desired. Not much taste and a little soggy. We would go back for everything else though.

The Collegiate Grill takes to back to years past, and is a local part of the Gainesville Square. It is a little pricey for burgers and fries, but everything is fresh and tasty. Great hand-​scooped milkshakes. Fresh cut fries, and fresh meat, the hamburgers are made and when flipped they put the bun on top to get all the steam from the burger as it cooks sooooo good.

I have given the Collegiate Grill many visits in order to determine that I have had nothing worth reordering and despite its local nostalgic bearings, I can only wisp back to the old days when this place was in its prime and served a valued and hearty meal.
Yes, it’s a local landmark right down to the greasy spoon foodstuffs but I have to agree with Dennis L this isn’t a $ 21 fast food meal worth repeating.