The Midnight

I lived in Gville for 7 years and never did I ever see/​hear of/​attend this place. Shame shame! It is such a casual, no frills dive bar. Some friends and I were in town this past weekend for the FL/​FSU game (still recovering from that game…#GoGators) and we were staying downtown, so on Saturday night, after the disaster at The Swamp we decided to stop in for a little pick me up. The vibe is cool and low key, we got ourselves a booth and ordered some beers and chili. The chili was very tasty and the beer cold. What more could you want? Great little spot downtown. Love unique spots in Gville!

Local vibes and nice people. This bar is exceptional! So many creative events and phenomenal conversations happen here. Good food, cold beer and outdoor area. Plus plus!

Wide selection of beer, nice atmosphere, good comfort food :) just a little cramped near the bar for my taste. Nothing compared to midtown. I love the music selection and vibe in general. Parking is easy too!

visited only on thursday nights for language exchange. seemed like nice little place, good bartender, moderately priced drinks.

Gainesville’s version of Cheers! The staff are all crazy cute and helpful. Ken is always really great for nerding out with and Bev is a sweetheart. The beer is also a huge plus along with amazing veggie chili. I’m sure the sandwiches are good but really its all about that chili!

my friend and i always say we’re going to try some place different, but we ALWAYS end up at the midnight since it is truly a great place! they always have a wide selection of beers and drinks. As for the food, it’s bar food, so it isn’t special, but it is exactly what you would want to eat when you’ve been drinking. There are plenty of places to sit down and chill out, people watch, and/​or play games. The décor is pretty cool too, and there is a jukebox! The staff has always been friendly and fun to chat with when it isn’t too crazy. There is parking available, it’s a pretty small lot so you have to get there early if you have any hope of getting a spot.

Great place to meet new people or go have fun after work with people you already know.

Love the vibe and love the people that chill here! My go to spot to catch a drink and chat with friends whenever I’m in Gainesville. If you want something to eat with your drink, I highly recommend the chili!

The first time I came here, I swore I’d never go back. The bartender was rude and condescending, and the crowd seemed judgmental as a whole. But low and behold, the Midnight has redeemed itself in my eyes! I haven’t had a similar experience since; in fact, I really enjoy coming here now. It’s a great place to sit with friends and chat over beers. The atmosphere is warm and intimate.

I love this place. It’s always an awesome place to go, not too crowded or too trendy (yet), and they just have a really great staff.

This place is amazing. Definitely go on Thirsty Thursdays and Wino Wednesdays. Cheap craft beer. Fun boardgames. Awesome music. The best people in Gainesville. What more could you want? I instantly felt at home here and loved the chill ambiance of the place. Also talk to the bartender! She/he’d be more than happy to give you beer samples and share some interesting stories with you. I miss this place more than Gainesville itself!

I really like the atmosphere here, its neither too old nor too trendy. I came with a group of 20 people and it was nice that there was both indoor and outdoor space to accommodate everyone. Their beer prices are great, and since it was wino-​wednesday, all the wine drinks were 2 for 1. I would definitely go back there again, I just would stay away from the overly sweet sangria (which is why I didn’t rate a 5).
Update 6 months later:
I love this place. It is now my go-​to place to get a beer downtown. As before, I think the venue is chill and the beer prices are great. I have since even tried some of their food choices (you know, you drink and have to eat sometimes) and it hit the spot. I’ve gone here with different types of friends and everyone always feels welcome. All of these things combined make this place worth 5 stars

The Midnight captures a type of outing that, though not for every type of person in Gainesville, is the right type of place for my personal tastes. Offering a delightful blend of casual and atypical, I find myself never really having a bad time here even on the busier nights.
The Place
The Midnight is a chill bar with both indoor and outdoor seating that relies on the people and the environment to basically speak on behalf itself. From the wooden, time-​tested tables to the free, hacked Xbox arcade system, and even the rentable board games stashed away behind the bar, this place never leaves one to feel like they are not fitting in. Come as you like, have a beer and simply enjoy yourself however you see fit.
The Specials
I am a huge fan of their tankards, which are often holding Shock Top or Yuengling for $ 3 – 4 depending on which night you arrive. Aside from these more known beers, they also carry a modest selection of craft bottles, as well as a frequently rotated selection of craft drafts. Nothing spells out a fantastic evening like a 24oz tankard of Weihenstephaner Hefeweiss and Scategories, or at least not in my mind.
The Events
Towards the end of the week (Thurs-​Fri), you will often find live music in the form of a DJ spinning late into the night in their outdoor space. The style of music that is usually spun gives some variance to the typical throbbing Mega Dance Mixes or Top 40 Radio Hits you are almost guaranteed to hear anywhere else in Gainesville, so that change of pace is definitely appreciated.
Monday nights they host Trivia Night, which I had the pleasure of first attending this past Monday, ⁷⁄₂₂. It starts at 8:30 and went until 11:30, with the prizes equating to various amounts of bar tab depending on what place you ranked.
Can I say the service is always quick and the food they serve (I failed to review the food because I have never had the urge to order it, though many of my friends have and are fond of the offerings) comes out promptly from the staff every time? No, I cannot. The single biggest downfall of this place is that the laid back, chill atmosphere does infect the staff and servers as well, meaning friendly but sluggish service and bar upkeep at times. This is the reason for my withholding the 5^th star.
I definitely recommend this place and will continue to go while in Gainesville.

The Mediterranean pizza is awesome! I would go again

I’m a big fan of this place.
They have a huge craft beer selection — many on tap, some not for a very cheap price. I love Stubbie’s, but this place is simply way more affordable.
Mondays are trivia night.
Tuesdays are Tankard Tuesdays so you get a huge mug (think pirate size) of craft/​premium beers for $ 5 and domestic drafts like shocktop for $ 2.50
Wednesdays they have 2 – 1 wine and wine cocktail drinks.
The people that run this place are really chill and unpretentious, which is also reflected on the crowd that populates here.
Also, they have really good food. Like their macaroni & cheese is top shelf. It’s spicy and delicious. I’m an expert on macaroni & cheese so I take that designation very seriously.

Great selection of beers and even ciders. The food is nothing special and the crowd is really young but if you are looking for a few drinks, it’s definitely worth checking out.

This place is awesome! This is the bar my friends and I always hang out at no matter what day of the week it is. They have awesome deals on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays but whatever day you go on there’s always going to be a special. If you’re into trivia they have a trivia night on Monday which is pretty cool. They normally have different types of beer on tap and switch it up every week. $ 2.50 tankards (25oz) on Tuesdays/​Thursdays is a pretty sweet deal. They have food, board games, cards, arcade machine, swing dancing (on some nights), juke box, and an open area in the back with tables/​benches where people can hangout (sometimes with a live music).
awesome place, awesome servers!

I’m a big fan of the midnight. They *usually* have some exciting beers on tap and the prices are great. They have very tasty and affordable food as well — consisting of Chili, grilled cheeses, hot dogs. Nothing too exciting, but it fits the bill. The jukebox is a lot of fun as well.
If it’s not too hot out, they have a nice little patio to enjoy. They also have their own parking which is almost unheard of downtown.

Great atmosphere. Very laid back with a fun jukebox. Have gone multiple times with my friends and enjoyed a variety of beers (all of which are about 2.75 or more cheaper than the same beers at Stubbies). The food menu is pricey considering you do not get any sides but other than that I wouldn’t have a complaint. There is outside seating for the smokers, inside is a SNES for all of us gamers out there along with board games for the others.
One of the top 5 best bars in Gainesville to relax and have a good time with your friends at. Especially if you want to go out during the week when they have such daily specials as: Tankard Tuesday (Yes they serve some beers in TANKARDS! RAWR!), Wino Wednesday, Trivia Monday, etc.
The credit card minimum as stated is a pain in the butt I will admit, but really, who DOESN’T want to have at least two Skullsplitter Orkney Ale’s while you are there?

I passed by here a few times and finally walked in to try it out last night with my bf. They have a decent selection on draft and they have plenty of bottles on their menu as well as a small wine selection. Their prices are good and the people are nice. The server introduced himself to us and made sure we were having a good time. While we were there the air was full of mouth-​watering grilled cheese and bacon scents. I haven’t had their food, but by the looks of it, I’d say it’s pretty good. I’ll have to give it a try sometime.
The only reason I’m not giving it 5 stars is because they let people drink out of the bottle… which is weird, considering they have plenty of glasses on their shelves. And they serve bud and miller items. Not my style! (I really can’t understand the person/​crowd who drinks that at home, let alone at a bar!) Also, if you’re going to pay by credit card, they have an $ 8 minimum. So you’d have to at least order 2 drinks (even if you only feel like one). Boo! I hate credit card minimums.
Small complaints. No biggie. I’m definitely coming back here again!