As the sun sets and welcomes the night, crowds of students and locals gather in search of a good time. Bar regulars visit their local haunts, and students try to skip long lines outside of downtown clubs.
Venturing across Gainesville only takes up half an evening. The second half is greeted with growling stomachs and a craving night owls can only kick after the clock strikes midnight. Go-tos include Flacos downtown, Wawa on University Avenue and fast food options like Wingstop and Domino's.
Instead of waiting in a line that feels like a three-hour-long lecture at a fast food joint you can find anywhere in the state, why not switch it up? Expand your horizons and explore different late-night spots with an enjoyable atmosphere and an even better menu.
Here are four choices, from quick stops to sit-downs, where you can satisfy your cravings after midnight.
Vecinos Cafe & Lounge
Neighboring Flaco’s, the Cuban sandwich shop on the corner of University Avenue and Second Street, Vecinos is the first and only exception on this list. Not strictly a restaurant, it’s a lounge that offers a variety of cocktails. With its low lighting, lounge chairs and thumping music, Vecinos is a fun hangout to bring a Media Noche or an arepa from next door, take a seat and enjoy the bar.
The bar also acts as a stage for comedy nights and local bands. The spot offers themed nights, including Noche de Perreo, Latin Nights and karaoke events. Despite the food options only being available at Flaco’s, Vecinos offers an escape from the long lines and a haven for Gainesville’s Latino community, who can often be excluded from Gainesville’s late-night scene.
Alfredo Morales, a 29-year-old bartender, has worked at Vecinos since September 2024. He began working there after one of the owners requested Spanish-speaking bartenders to ensure everyone could enjoy what Vecinos has to offer.
“We have a lot of people who don’t speak English,” Morales said. “It’s a very stressful time to be an immigrant. Being a Latin bar opens that opportunity to people who don’t really have that space in a lot of other bars downtown.”
A number of college students frequent Flaco’s and the bar, but it’s also a hot spot for locals, who spend nights at the lounge, partaking in its different events or connecting with bartenders as they mix drinks behind the counter, he said.
While Corona beers are popular among customers, Morales believes the margaritas are Vecinos’ signature cocktail. He also enjoys making piña coladas, his personal favorite.
“For the price point and the speed, our margaritas might be up there in the city,” he said.
The relationship between Vecinos and Flaco’s is symbiotic. People order food at Flaco’s then come into Vecinos to either take a seat or order a drink. Others hang out at the counter and go next door to end their night with some comforting Cuban food.
Vecinos is open from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. but typically starts serving drinks around 9 p.m.
V Pizza & SideCar
A six-minute walk from Vecinos is V Pizza & SideCar, an Italian restaurant underneath the Hampton Inn & Suites Gainesville-Downtown. Offering a menu of Neapolitan pizza, sandwiches, pasta and cocktails, it’s a great option for late-night customers wanting to dine in and enjoy Italian cuisine.
With locations in Jacksonville, Orlando, St. Augustine and more, its Gainesville storefront has a peaceful vibe, with the kitchen open for curious eyes who want to see chefs hard at work. Between the chatter of families and friends basking in the orange glow of the restaurant to bartenders laughing along with customers, it offers a more intimate experience than the quick turnaround of other late-night stops.
Dakota Greenwood, V Pizza’s 25-year-old general manager, started as a prep cook and worked his way up to his current position. Late-night dining experiences like V Pizza allow Gainesville residents to relax and get a taste of Naples, Italy, in their neighborhood, he said.
“It allows them to not be stuck to something that’s open until 11,” Greenwood said.
He recommends the V Signature Wings, an order of five wood-oven fried chicken wings with the restaurant’s signature sauce made up of lemon pepper, garlic and rosemary. Other wing flavors include Calabrian chili marinade, buffalo and Hawaiian.
The Flyin’ Hawaiian Pizza, made with gouda, roasted pineapple and pancetta, is also a standout, Greenwood said. All the pizzas are made in a wood-oven imported from Italy using locally sourced wood to ensure a smoky, crispy crust and perfectly melted cheese.
Beside the open kitchen rests V Pizza’s bar, SideCar. Justin Rorick, a 26-year-old bartender, said SideCar’s signature drink is named after the bar. It’s made with brandy, fresh lemon juice, dry curacao and simple syrup. He also enjoys making a painkiller, a cocktail consisting of rum, orange juice, pineapple juice and coconut cream.
“It’s very citrusy, sweet, with a little bit of punishment in there,” Rorick said.
Regulars like Reagan Moore, a 24-year-old UF alumna and employee at a National Pancreatic Organ Donor lab, appreciate the bartenders’ creative spin on classic cocktails. She orders her favorite item off the menu alongside her drink, V Pizza’s Layla’s Cavatappi and Meatballs with a side of flat bread.
Moore frequents V Pizza, typically on Fridays and Saturdays. While she loves the food, she said it’s the service that leads her to walk through its doors once a week.
“The people who work here are so funny and so attentive,” Moore said. “They get so excited to see you if you’re a regular. It’s adorable.”
She often brings her friends along, who sometimes share their meatballs with her. She’s even brought her brother, who also attends UF. He prefers the wings, but she also recommends the pancetta sandwich.
Between the ambiance and the friendly staff, she forgets she’s there to eat until her plate is brought out steaming hot, she said.
Because it’s a dine-in restaurant, the prices are usually between $12 and $20 for appetizers, personal pizzas and pastas.
“You’re not getting a cutesy, little dainty portion,” she said. “It’s definitely worth it.”
V Pizza is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. On Fridays and Saturdays, the restaurant offers its full menu until midnight
SideCar is open until midnight Monday through Thursday and until 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
The Top
Despite being an iconic dinner spot in Gainesville, many people don’t realize the bar at The Top doesn’t close until 2 a.m.
If you visit The Top, there’s a chance you’ll have to join a waitlist or book a reservation in advance.
The restaurant offers classic American dishes in an artsy, vintage downtown pocket. While the restaurant closes at 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, the bar is open until 2 a.m. for cocktails and desserts during the weekend.
With prices also suited to a dine-in experience, The Top is the kind of restaurant to take families and friends to catch up or celebrate. With creative twists like its Garlic & Goat starter, Buffalo Tempeh and Southwestern pasta, The Top combines favorite flavors from Italian, Korean and Argentine cuisine with American staples like burgers.
Prices range between $9 and $19 for starters, $12 and $16 for salads, $18 and $28 for entrees, $29 and $39 for steaks, $15 and $21 for pastas and $14 and $18 for burgers.
As the lights grow dimmer, the bar takes over for service. Cocktails include espresso martinis, montenegros and a variety of whiskeys. Drinks range from $7 to $16.
Customers with a sweet tooth can purchase desserts made in-house. They can choose from a vegan chocolate cake, peanut butter pie, a cowboy cookie and a carrot and cranberry cake.
Bodega
Down University Avenue is the University of Florida’s clubbing hotspot, Midtown. The plaza has a revolving door of quick eats. One of its newer additions is Gator Bodega.
Inspired by New York City’s in-the-wall bodegas, Gator Bodega is a convenience store, smoke shop and grill wrapped up in a paper bag. Across from candies and sodas, the hiss of the grill and bubbling oil welcome customers as they search for a pre-game snack or post-game feast.
Justin Harris, a 27-year-old manager at Bodega, has worked at the shop since it opened in August 2024. As a good friend of the owner, he wanted to help build something successful, especially in a location as popular as Midtown.
“Having late night spots with people around college age, sleep schedules are all over the place,” Harris said.
Gator Bodega is most known for its chopped cheese, he said. It consists of cheese, nearly half a pound of beef and unlimited toppings on a 6-inch hoagie roll. With a combo, it’s accompanied by a large drink and fries for under $20.
Jalen Wiggins, an 18-year-old UF mechanical engineering freshman, lives in an apartment close to Gator Bodega. Between its proximity and recommendations from friends, he visits the shop once a week.
His go-to is the chopped cheese with fries.
“It has a bold flavor,” Wiggins said. “It gives you a variety of things where you can come in at night, where most places aren’t usually open.”
He said people should give the bodega a try, especially if they get a craving for a melty, cheesy sandwich.
In the summer, Gator Bodega relies on reduced staff and closes at midnight. During the school year, Gator Bodega closes at 3 a.m. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
Contact Delia Rose Sauer at drosesauer@alligator.org. Follow her on X @_delia_rose_.
Delia Rose Sauer is a journalism senior and the Summer 2025 Editor-in-Chief. She reported on the university desk for two semesters. When she's not glued to her laptop, she's drawing on Procreate, crocheting or creating a new Spotify playlist.
