Ivey’s Grill

I cooked at this restaurant 1989-1990 when I was a student at UF. Glad too see it's still there after all these years. Does Fred Ivey still own the place?

I love the food here. HOWEVER, first don’t ever come here during homecoming weekend or apparently any other they where there will be a slightly larger influx of people for that matter. They do not know how to prepare adequately despite the fact the establishment has been here for quite a while for any more people than they may get on maybe a Monday morning while everyone is in class. Ask one of the waiters to please give you a list of all the items they do not have since they will run out of essentially their entire menu. Now if you somehow manage to get the food you actually want, which again is unlikely, then the food is great.

(HOUSE COFFEE, EGGS BENEDICT ON POTATO PANCAKES, CHEESY GRITS — if you’re looking to order a great breakfast.)
This is my favorite place for brunch in Gainesville; I have been here countless times and the food never fails. I would give it five stars if it weren’t for the service. Get there early to avoid the line at the door, and the food is worth waking up for!
I have been hesitating to write a review because I did not want to believe how terrible the service is (see below).
The food: Everything I’ve ordered has been excellent. The house blend coffee is known to be great, as other reviewers said (I drink it black every time). The potato pancakes and the cheesy grits are phenomenal, even if you don’t like grits (which I usually don’t). The eggs Benedict is my go-​to order and served over the potato pancakes is my favorite breakfast; they get the hollandaise sauce-​egg-​potato ratio perfectly done. The orange chocolate scone is equally impressive, and so soft the chocolate will melt into your mouth.
The service:
There is one and only one professional in this whole damn place and it is the lady with blonde hair. I mention this in justice to the food and this one great lady. The other two guys with the man-​buns will make you think you’re getting pranked with how bad they serve you.
Each time I have been here these two guys get worse. One time I was seated for about 40min before I got my order, and I had to literally walk up to ask if they forgot me: they did, and then gave me a totally different plate and pretended it was meant for me (It was so different from what I did order-​crabs Benedict?-that they clearly just forgot me). The comp’ed me for it at least. The last time I went the guy challenged me on whether I even asked for coffee and then rolled his eyes because, God forbid, I actually wanted my coffee refilled.
I could go on but I still don’t even believe how rude someone can be and still not have been fired by now. I can’t stop going because the food is so great.

Small and quaint little restaurant, you can tell it’s a local’s favorite. I took my kids for breakfast this morning everything is excellent the reason for four stars is that service took a little too long.

Found them on Unilocal!And am so glad we came… Originally wanted to find a spot to eat closer to the university but after reading food and dog friendly restaurant reviews we figured we’d give it a shot… This place was great!!! VERY DOG FRIENDLY! Ordered the crab cakes Benedict with holland aide sauce and cheese grits… Which was all nothing but fantastic and mouth watering… Enjoyed the service from the staff… Recommend it to everyone!!!

Very cute/​hipster café in the heart of an otherwise chain-​place dominated area. Great breakfast.

The homemade banana nut bread French toast is absolutely phenomenal & so is their house blend coffee. Both must-​orders.
Not at all impressed with the nachos. Bland and plain with sort of gross, waxy cheese. Edible, but would never order again.
Chicken salad sandwich was really good, but pretty standard for chicken salad.
One thing I liked: how frequently my water glass and coffee was refilled. Literally every time someone passed the table.
Two things I didn’t like: felt as if there was no AC in the small restaurant. Made the meal somewhat uncomfortable. Also felt very rushed to order, eat and pay the bill, even though no one was waiting for our table.
Overall: great food, decent service, cute but stuffy venue. Would recommend… but mostly for the French toast :)

I LOVE this place and so glad it’s survived all these years. The food is fantastic, but the place is small so you’ll have to be willing to wait, esp during football season, but it’s so worth is and Stephanie is so sweet. I wish I could come here more often. It’s 4 out of 5 only because I reserve 5 for my hands down favorite spots.

Awesome place! I have been here a few times before and have always had a great experience! I take care of an elderly woman with Alzheimer’s, I brought her here and there was a wait. I asked if we could sit inside because she was cold and then the woman that owns Ivey’s sat us right away when she over heard me, she then brought us a nice warm coffee and was very accommodating! She is so sweet! Our food was great, this place has a great family atmosphere! I am so great full for her hospitality, it is sometimes difficult to take the woman I take care of to different places because of her condition but this made our day and was a great experience!

Great food!
I had the tempeh barbeque sandwich with basil orzo… it was amazing! My guest had the same thing and we think it might be our favorite sandwich ever! The service is a little slower than other restaurant, but I think that’s because they are making YOUR food WHEN you order it, not at 8 a.m. and then reheating. This place is wonderful and worth a try! Also, unsweetened ice tea is very, very good!

The food is very good and the place has the potential of being a good restaurant but they have fix to their personnel issues. The waiter sucked. Never once refilled my glass. His fake sincerity was obvious (re: flight attendant). Place was only half full and it still took over 45 minutes for breakfast food to come to the table. The waiter could not have cared less. It’s a hipster place with zero hustle. Smug factor is about a 7 out of 10. They even have their rules to be a patron posted on the chalkboard. Ironically, rule #2 is: be nice or leave. Another one was they don’t take American Express. Another one is that there a 20% mandatory gratuity for parties over five. Which is understandable given their crappy level of service they have to mandate the tip.
Bottom line: if you want to be made to feel like it’s a privilege to be served really good food in exchange for money, this is your place.

Food is incredible, service is terrible!
I would give this place 5 stars if I hadn’t receive terrible service. The waiter had long curly hair and was extremely rude. He forgot a lot of things we asked for. I asked if I could have a straw and he said «I suppose.» I was placing my order and he said «Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention to anything you said.» It was our first time there and we didn’t know that you can’t split checks and he didn’t want to do it so we had to ask for a manager. They should be more flexible to first-​timers.
Otherwise, the food was fantastic.

Terrible. absolutely terrible. Service was horrible, waiter was rude. Will not return ever again. This place seems very dirty.

Beyond the worst costumer service I have ever received, I think I have had better customer service at Walmart.

Either my palate has improved since I was in college or this place has gone downhill. Perhaps both.
Ordered potato pancake Benedict. Poached eggs were overdone and not running all over the potato pancakes. As for the potato pancakes, they were soggy, not crispy. If they were supposed to be soggy (I doubt it), then poorly thought out, as crispiness would’ve provided a nice contrast in textures with warm, runny eggs. If supposed to be crispy, then poorly executed.
Service wasn’t that great either. Took 10 mins for anyone to come back and find out the eggs were over poached. And, while they made new eggs, it took another 10 mins to get them. By then, it was too late and I simply turned off. New eggs would’ve only improved situation a little, as the soggy pancakes weren’t going anywhere (should’ve replaced them too). Also took 10 mins more for anyone to come by for my payment.
This place has rules posted at the door for their customers. Funny thing, it obviously don’t have any rules for itself.
For the future, not going back. Take heed.

My usual go-​to brunch spots were packed this morning as I was driving around (which I was very sad about at first), while driving I stumbled upon Ivey’s. Not a long wait. Cute place, nice atmosphere. Great music selection playing inside! The coffee was DELICIOUS (and I drink coffee like my life depends on it so the fact that it was that good says something)! They put cinnamon and chocolate chips in the grinds… YUM!!! Our waiter was awesome, super attentive even though they had a packed house and very funny (he had an old Cracker Barrel apron with the name Dick embroidered with 2 stars, hahaha). The food… omg the food… SOOOOOO GOOD!!! I got the Burro (which comes with their homemade salsa) it was AMAZING and a huge portion! Our table also got eggs, pancakes, bacon (mmmm…bacon), etc. Everything we had was cooked to perfection and all the plates were large portions. Mimosas… perfection! I saw a few reviews that were complaining about price… with the amount of food you get I don’t know how you could complain. Not to mention, still cheaper if not the same as any other brunch place in town. It’s also FRESH not frozen crap, the chef goes to the market every morning for fresh ingredients, I’ll take that any day over frozen food or crap from a can. Super impressed is all I can say… I think this will be my new go-​to spot! It’s a hidden gem in gainesville… oh…and it’s LOCAL! SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL BUSINESSES!!! Seriously, check them out, it’s a great place for breakfast, brunch, or lunch!

I went to school in Gainesville 2004 – 2008 and used to love coming to this breakfast spot all the time. After today, my opinion of this place changed completely. We had thee most incredibly rude and discourteous server that made our experience absolutely unpleasant. Our food took over and hour to get (for over medium fried eggs) and the cooks literally took a sunny side up egg and just flipped it over on the plate. When we mentioned it to our server who never willingly came by to check how our food was, she replied «oh, that’s how it’s supposed to come… what do you want me to do about it?» She did nothing to make any part of our experience pleasant and then proceeded to take another 20min before taking our check. I can honestly say that I would never return to this place, nor would I recommend the food, service, or environment to anyone looking for a decent breakfast spot.

Ivey’s has always been my top bestbreakfast location in Gainesville. Having come here for many years during my college days and even post college, I think their attention to detail and quality ingredients make it the best in the area. The owner Stephanie and her husband have always been focused on using the finest of items to prepare the dishes.
Starting with their coffee they make a unique version that has a subtle combo of cinnamon and chocolate. The iced coffee is served with fresh coffee ice cubes and is totally the goto in my book! To eat the cinnamon French toast is great, but my personal favorite is the crab or traditional egg Benedict. They use a special recipe for their hollandaise sauce that has a unique flavor to it that allows you to really appreciate the combination of poached eggs, meat and muffin. Overall this is my goto and be warned that the crab option runs out quick. While the grits are a good option here the potatoes with fresh sage are the goto for me. While these are my favorites you really cannot go wrong with anything!
My biggest complaints are that there almost always seems to be a wait (which should mean it is a great place right!?) oh, and that many of the items run out or they don’t have first thing in the morning (happens a little often) or that you get 2 out of 3 good servers and 1 out of 10 orders might have a problem. (Remember in a college town your staff is like the first day of class and my week two they might decide to change degree or go back home, so turn over is just a given in any college town) and lastly because of the size of the place it sometimes is not as comfortable as I would like. The loud child (which has sometimes been my own :) or table on top of another…
All this to the side, this is by far the top breakfast spot and if you want something home grown and with menu items that are filled with flavor then this is where you will find it!

This place is the best breakfast in Gainesville. I have been here about 50 times– no exaggeration. I have a family full of gators so we have been stoping by this place all my life.
Their iced coffee is pretty amazing!
Banana Nut French toast is also a must try.
It’s a small mom and pops restaurant so sometimes the service is a little slow. BUT they more than make up for it with their care, attention, friendliness, and quality of food

I’ve been here quite a few times and every time it under performs. Dirty tables every where, last time there was lipstick on the water glasses, slow service, never get the coffee that you ordered, but the food is usually good.
They don’t have enough servers, but the owner/​manager is inside talking to tables and not doing any work.
I would recommend not going here until they learn how to run the front half of the restaurant. There are better breakfast restaurants.

Hidden within the West Gate Shopping Center, Ivey’s Grill seemed like a positive choice for a quality breakfast/​brunch and, importantly, quite a close one for where I live currently. When I see «local» or «organic» anywhere, I instantly perk up because that usually indicates the ingredient quality will be enough in itself to save a place. I found this did not redeem my dining experience at Ivey’s Grill.
The Space:
West Gate has no signage to indicate to those driving on 34^th that Ivey’s Grill even exists, or at least not one that is very noticeable. Still, they manage to get a fair amount of business within their tiny quarters. There are a few outdoor tables, several booths and tables as well as a bar area for those who might only order a baked good and coffee/​espresso. To access the bathroom, you have to enter the kitchen area briefly, which I dislike in every restaurant (admittedly there is nothing the owners can really do about this). Along with me were two friends, one of whom nonchalantly pointed out that there were cobwebs in the corners of the ceiling. Great.
The Food:
We arrived around noon. Looking at the menu, the prices ($ 10+ for most anything) were in-​line with what I expect from local, organic restaurants. I decided to straddle the brunch flavor with a BLT sandwich, topped with an egg over well and accompanied by a orzo pesto salad. Of my two friends, one ordered the potato pancake with their creamy garlic sauce, as well as two eggs over well (more on this in the service section) and my other companion got a medium burger with the noodle salad.
To be completely honest, I was really apathetic to the food I received. The bread was only the slightest bit toasted, so between the mayonnaise and the tomato there was zero chance this item was not going to end up falling apart while in hand. The bacon had almost no crunch or crisp at all, and in fact, was chewy to the point that it resembled jerky. Nothing is more annoying in a sandwich than having to either gnaw the meat or pull it out of the sandwich entirely to eat it. The pesto salad was fair; almost more enjoyable than the sandwich itself
I also sampled the pancake my friend got. Tasted pretty good, though maybe a touch too much onion flavor for some (not me, as I take kindly to powerful seasoning). The creamy garlic sauce had a very unappealing aftertaste that stuck with your mouth for too long. Not pleasant. My other company received his burger to discover it was halfway cooked to correct level and halfway cooked well done, though he did state the flavor was actually quite good. Tried the peanut noodle salad he received on the side and found it did not quite work, as the flavors did not mesh (all 3 of us agreed on this). Oh, and they give you watermelon with your food (the infamous afterthought sides)
The Service:
If you think a friendly smile might redeem this place, think again. First of all, they appear understaffed. We came when they appeared not quite as busy (reviews suggest they are primarily a breakfast place) and found frequent delays in refills on beverages.
Sometimes I ask for my food to be made as take out, simply to save myself time when I anticipate not finishing my meal (and I rarely do finish so this is justified). My sandwich was made to-​go, but for some reason arrived to the table 5 minutes later than the two dishes that required legitimate cooking. I wish I had known watermelon came with meals, because having the juice leak around the container into my pesto and seep into the bread made things even less appealing.
My more vocal friend, who ordered the potato cake, tasted the garlic and promptly suspected it might be spoiled (I tried it as well and, though not thinking ‘spoiled’ per say, found it unappealing). He flagged the waiter and asked to have apple sauce instead because of this. I the watched as the server went back to tell another staff member about this, they discussed it with mannerisms that indicated they did not appreciate the comment, and the waiter returned with apple sauce. He decided to state that the sauce has a yogurt base and that «not everybody likes it.» These types of comments are useless, save for making things worse. In addition to this, he only received one egg instead of two (the waiter had only written one, though, so no hassle with changing the bill).
The one nice aspect of the service was for the burger: when my friend asked for it, the waiter was aware enough of their food to mention that this order would be for the last burger they had in-​house. This was definitely more ideal than the waiter coming 10 minutes into our wait and telling us to reorder, though why a place runs out of ground beef in the first place is beyond me.
Final Thoughts:
Ivey’s Grill was overpriced, understaffed, and lacked any real appeal to encourage my return ever, both in quality and service. The statement «Meh. I’ve experienced better» is resoundingly appropriate.