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Friday, March 29, 2024

The Social at Midtown to open with 38 beers on tap, rooftop dining area in October

<p><span id="docs-internal-guid-ff971320-484f-9834-c1cd-563ce8136277"><span>New bar and restaurant The Social at Midtown receives latest renovations before its opening.</span></span></p>

New bar and restaurant The Social at Midtown receives latest renovations before its opening.

Just a couple of weeks after Balls Bar reopened, a new restaurant and bar will compete for the attention of Midtown patrons.

The Social at Midtown, located where Gator City Sports Grille once stood, will open Oct. 3 after $6 million worth of renovations, said general manager Danny Zeenberg.

Located at 1728 W. University Ave., the 26,000-square-foot property will include four 360-degree bars and a rooftop dining area.

With a more refined menu and design blueprint, The Social at Midtown will be a step up from traditional sports bars, Zeenberg said.

“We are going for a different concept start to finish,” he said. “The product that we are delivering is going to be a little more expensive than what you see in the rest of Midtown, but the quality is going to be much better.”

The menu will include many tapas-inspired plates, including wings, tacos, flatbread sandwiches and burgers. On weekends, brunch will be served underneath five rooftop pergolas, he said.

There will be 38 beers on tap, and the majority of them will come from local suppliers like Swamp Head Brewery and First Magnitude Brewing Company, he said.

Zeenberg said he could not give specific prices because he is still developing the menu with management.

The concept for the restaurant, Zeenberg said, encourages socialization among patrons and employees.

With an open floor plan, guests won’t have to squeeze through narrow hallways to move around, he said. The back bar will open onto a patio on the back deck, where patrons can play pool and video games.

“If you aren’t interested in coming into the restaurant,” Zeenberg said, “the back bar and the back patio are really nice features to come and grab a drink and a bite to eat.”

Brittany Lovvorn, 28, a Gainesville resident, said she is looking forward to bartending for the new restaurant.

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“I’m so excited for Midtown to have a nicer bar option for students and alumni,” Lovvorn said.

Kaitlyn Sanders, a 29-year-old UF English junior, said The Social at Midtown would be a step up from other bars along West University Avenue.

“I think this place is going to be different than the seedy bars that Midtown is use to,” Sanders said. “It will be a place that can bring a little class to Midtown and an appealing atmosphere for more than just the 21-year-old population of University Avenue.”

New bar and restaurant The Social at Midtown receives latest renovations before its opening.

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