Red Onion Neighborhood Grill

The best restaurant in Florida. Have eaten there twice and both times the food and service was amazing! The food that we ordered was fresh and every bite was full of flavor. Can’t wait to eat there again, so many choices, warm atmosphere and was served quickly. The restaurant was full of customers, looked like we were not the only one ‘s that agreed it’s the best place to eat in Florida!

Red Onion is a nice, tucked away neighborhood bar with more than adequate seating, food choices and drink offerings. When I went, it was nearly empty but that was ok. We had the restaurant almost entirely to ourselves on an early evening which means we had good service and the atmosphere was quiet and cozy.
I’d return, but we moved across town and it really is only a B rated place, no need to travel 30mins to get there.

Classic burger was dry, couldn’t taste the cheese, and was served lukewarm at best. Service was so slow. Never again.

The water tastes absolutely awful… very sulfur after taste. The Brazilian chop salad is fantastic and one of the only items is order at this restaurant. The black bean burger is also pretty decent.

Food was good. We split a classic burger which comes with 2 sides. We opted for Mac & cheese, which cost extra. It was good, but could have been hotter. We also wanted onion rings instead of fries. The price for each replacement side was too pricey in my opinion. Ugh! Server was friendly. Bathroom definitely needs to be updated! Paper towels were out. No toilet paper dispenser. It was just sitting on handicap bar. The overall appearance of the restaurant needs an overhaul. Just an okay experience!

Their onion rings are the best I’ve ever had, made with red onions, of course! Their burger and brew Monday deal is fantastic. Great selection of brews on tap which include beer from local breweries. Their black and blue salad is delicious. The service has always been great and servers are friendly.

I’m so sad this spot has been taken over by new management. For years I have patronized The Red Onion and they have delivered excellent service, delicious drinks, and reasonably priced awesome food. I went in a few months ago when they were first taken over and had a 2 hour wait for a kids Mac and cheese and some grilled chicken and veggies. I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt because I know takeovers take time to adjust and transition. I’ve been back a few times and without fail have to wait anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half for my food, and on top of that the new menu prices are outrageous. $ 4 to substitute a salad instead of fries? $ 17 burgers? New management came in and screwed everything up. You know what they say… if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!!!

Went to try this place regardless of the not so great reviews. We walked in a few minutes after some other customers. They were still waiting for a table when we entered. There were tables available everywhere and 3 employees talking, not acknowledging the 2 families that were waiting. At that point we said «F it» and left. Won’t give the benefit of the doubt to that place again. Terrible customer service.

First time trying Red Onion, opted for mostly appetizers and a couple of entrees.
Their signature appetizer platter consisted of buffalo egg rolls, Irish egg rolls, crab Rangoon and beer-​battered red onion rings. The onion rings plus dipping sauces were quite tasty, both with the dip that comes with them and their ranch and blue cheese dressings which are made on site. The buffalo egg rolls were tasty, the Irish ones though were unremarkable and a bit dry and flavorless. The crab Rangoon was tasty but the filling was quite meager, if that doesn’t change I won’t consider having them all by themselves.
Their steak, blue cheese and red onion flatbread entrée was amazingly tasty; a flavor explosion in your mouth. I tried one of their quesadillas plus fillet tips and it was very good; only issue was with the guacamole, it was extremely limey (possibly to extend its shelf life?) and its taste and texture seemed to indicate that they used Florida avocados (Haas are always best) and a food processor, which turned it into too fine of a whip rather than a nice, chunky guac. Also had a side salad with their blue cheese dressing; unlike the blue cheese flat, the dressing seemed to be made of milder cheese (Roquefort, perhaps?) and really wasn’t as flavorful as I’d expect a blue to be.
They do have a full bar as well as craft beer offerings which make for a nice finish. Definitely will go again.

I’m rating up here because I enjoy the décor and the servers are friendly. We’ve eaten here several times, because it is very convenient to our house, but we probably won’t come again. Every time we’ve come the food has been consistently. .. mediocre. .. at best. For me the rock bottom was the caprese flatbread where instead of a balsamic reduction «drizzle» it was a «drench» — everything totally soaked in what should be the teeniest fillip of flavor. Spouse’s hamburger, ordered medium, was cooked to a sad, blackened death. The previous visit they did the same thing to an allegedly grilled fish filet. I couldn’t resist the happy hour drink price, so had two margaritas — and adding up the alcohol in both, I may have imbibed the equivalent of a single usual drink. Add that to the Red Onion’s signature S L O W service, and it leaves us hesitant to return.

Red Onion, I want you to be so much better than you are. Location, concept, happy hour potential, green quiet sidewalk seating; you have it all. Poor customer service, mismanagement, and crazy food farts… you just keep letting me down.
So we tied Red Onion again. This was the tenth time? Twentieth time? We have been here for happy hour, and we have come here to get lucky, and we have arraigned to meet friends here to decompress, and all these experiences were positive because of the location and the outdoor seating works for us, but none of these experiences were augmented by the poorly trained staff and the careless, haphazard effort to put out palatable food.
Gainesville is double blessed by virtue of UF and SantaFe, to have young, fun, well educated service people everywhere in this town. A big part of why we moved back to Gainesville when we retired is because there are college kids waiting tables, college kids cashiering at the grocery, college kids working in the mall; we came back here because there is a never ending supply of fresh faced, bright, articulate, wholesome young men and women all over this town. The waiting staff at Red Onion is not an acceptation, great people working there. They just do not know what they are doing. It is not their fault. That is the Management’s fault. Their intent is to give you good service, but they do not know how. So frustrating!
So on this occasion the waiter brought the bill before the food, forgot my second wine until I reminded him, never brought my husbands second drink, had to amend the bill twice for add-​ons, and made us come inside to find him when it was time for us to pay our bill. And he was a really good guy doing the best he could. I felt bad for him.
The food farts and flowers: The bottom piece of bread on my turkey club was soaked in butter. The top piece had no butter at all. Last time both pieces were burnt to a crisp. Soaked in butter is better than burnt to a crisp, but much less desirable than no butter at all. The fries were limp, oily, undercooked, and seasoned to death. I could not eat them. My husband’s fish taco was good: cilantro, avocado, the fish was identifiable, mahi, the flower tortilla was well cooked and had a good flavor. They were either out of chips or got his order wrong because the tacos were delivered with the same over-​seasoned undercooked fries that adorned my plate.
I hope that I never go back to Red Onion again, but I know that I will, and I will have a good time, and the service and the food will be disappointing. Sometimes it sucks knowing the future.

One of my favorite places to eat. The onion rings are to die for. No matter what I get to eat I am always pleased and the service is always great!

Out of the couple times I’ve been here, I’ve enjoyed their food and have wanted to come back. My in-​laws brought us here when we were in town because it’s one of their favorite places. But I’ve recently been told their last visit wasn’t too pleasant. When ordering, my brother had asked the waiter if the tacos would be a good choice for a big guy that my brother is. After being assured, he was very disappointed when he received his three bite size tacos. Such a small serving wouldn’t have been enough for anyone. OTHER THAN THAT, our experiences have been great.

My girlfriend and I in Uptown Village and have been going here fairly regularly for a drink after work. The bar staff is awesome. They are very friendly and always accommodating. The drinks are stiff and they carry a pretty wide selection of draft beers including severa local brews (from First Magnitude and Swamphead).
We’ve tried some of the entrees and they are good for the most part. They are a bit pricey for the quality, but if you’re looking for a nice casual dinner spot, this fits the bill. Like I said, the service is great.
We decided to try brunch and there are only three or four dishes on the brunch menu which was sort of a bummer. We ended up not getting anything from that menu, but I will update it once we do. We had a buffalo chicken sandwich that was spectacular and some fish tacos that were average with some sort of chipotle slaw on them. 3 dollar mimosas were a plus.
Also they are very dog friendly and accommodated our sheltie with a bowl and cold water.

Great place just up the street for me. They do live music several nights a week and I can walk up there grab a beer and enjoy some good music. Their food is unforgettable that is not really on par but they do have happy hours late in the evening and it’s about a half an mile from where I liveso it’s worth the walk.

My daughter and I meet here at least once a week after work, for happy hour. (I highly recommend the margaritas!) We both like the ambiance of Red Onion, and usually end-​up staying for dinner. If you’re looking for «comfort» food, the macaroni & cheese is some of the best I’ve had, and with a side of fresh broccoli is one of my favorite meals. My daughter enjoys the salads.
The staff are always pleasant and professional, but prices may be a little higher than some franchise restaurants. If you want that type of assembly line food, than you might be better off skipping this little neighborhood grill.

All my 2 yo wanted was a pb&j not the $ 5 kids meal
Manager would not sell us just a pb&j with having to buy a kids meal with side and drink my child didn’t want
Poor customer service IMO
We’ve dined here many times over the years. As you can see from my tip above this time was not as enjoyable. Something so simple is enough to put us off from going back anytime soon.
Our waitress was very nice and provided great service.
The food was very good. Prices are definitely on the high side.

This review is based on my experience with Togo order
Service: Service was overall very good. The server promptly took my order by phone and the food was ready when I arrived. A bartender noticed me waiting after a few moments, and quickly took my payment and provided the food. My only service related complaint was that my order did not contain the salad dressing I had chosen (or any dressing).
Food: I normally get the sirloin but it was removed from the menu and replaced with the prime rib so I got that. This was my biggest disappointment. The steak was undercooked and had an enormous amount of fat, even after cutting off the portion of fat that is common on prime rib. The flavor/​seasoning was good but it couldn’t overcome the experience of chewing through tough fat.