Oh, I forgot the best of them all

A food truck by the name of Pelican Brothers that was stationed all last year outside of the Double Down Live right by the front entrance. Order the chicken & waffle slider. Has an amazing honey dijon gravy that's so unbelievably good. Thank me later everybody

saigon legend next to body tech on university...super affordable and super delicious!

and she'll give you free oranges

dude. yes. had that last year and it was so damn good. I second Reggae Shack and Karma Cream, also. I'm not vegetarian or vegan or anything, but the tofu at Reggae Shack is killer.

Only last year did I start taking Gainesville eateries seriously, and managed to get round quite a few.

This year I'll aim to tick off a few more, starting with Reggae Shack.

I haven't had Karma Cream. What type of food? Might have to put that on my list of places to try this year

I recommend the vegan chocolate chip cookie dough icecream. I haven't tried their sandwiches.

guhhhhhh think I'll be in Gainesville in June gonna put Reggae Shack at the top of my list for a place to eat since for some reason I still haven't been there

I've only had the dessert there, ice cream, cookies, etc. damn good stuff.



I always stop at Reggae Shack for lunch/dinner when I drive through GNV. Fair warning though, the service is slow and the serves can be really rude.

I had that too!!! I will be on a hunt for that truck this year for sure! It looked like this ...

Reggae Shack is great, but the service can be really slow if you're there when they're busy.

If you like Indian food, Kabab House is pretty solid, and right by the Holiday Inn.

Sadly, there are a lot of great places to eat, and yet I still see so many people at Taco Bell year after year.

RIP GATOR DOGS.

Boca Fiesta always ended up being our first stop of the day, usually resulting in us coming back later. Got to the point where the staff would smirk a bit when they saw us and joke that we were trying to become regulars over three days time. It was a good location for where we were staying, plus since they have a specific Fest menu it's easy to make a quick choice for what you want.

Got to have a little bit of time to spare to eat there though, it is a sit down place and they usually have their hands full with festers.

Completely agree with other posts on eating local! Food is usually better and it makes Fest a positive event for their businesses, instead of just an weekend of chaos.

Also a TIP for people that don't want to wait forever for drinks at bars during Fest, TIP your bartenders well and say thank you, they will remember your face and come for you first! I work in a bar, favorites usually come into play.

Also a lot of bars at Fest will charge you a fee if you accidentally leave your tab over night! So don't!

I can't believe no one has said Caribbean Spice. Chronically over looked hole in the wall, and the hours are very strange/not Fest conducive but if you get a chance, its a must try. Their patties are incredible (you can get beef, chicken, or veggie) and it comes with great coco bread and homemade carrot cake for under 5 dollars.

Mothers also has pretty good/cheap bar food and dollar high lifes if you can slam them down fast enough where they don't taste like pee. Maude's is the place for coffee, and even though it moved from the old location, Bagels unlimited is worth the 5 minute drive/cab ride for their apple cinnamon spread, cheap breakfast, and micanopy gold hot sauce (and wall of hot sauces).

I had a burger from Gator Dawgs that was medocre at best. That place didn't live up to the hype for me