I was lucky to have some locals take me to One Love Café when I first visited Gainesville back in 2016, and I immediately fell in love because of their friendly vibes! They had live music playing, which set the perfect atmosphere for outdoor dining in the beautiful sunny weather. I have been coming back every since then to enjoy outdoor dining and live music!
As for food, they have an extensive menu of tacos, burgers, pasta, and more. What sets this café apart is the love they put into their food! Their ingredients are sourced from local farms and bakeries, and you can tell the difference in quality. They also slice and roast all their whole meats and their sauces, pickles, and dressings are homemade. Just be sure to go there early on the weekends, because they frequently run out of ingredients due to high demand!
They also have an extensive selection of drinks, with wine, beer, and cocktails, and Happy Hour deals from 3pm-5pm!
After you order food and drinks inside, they give you a number to place on your table so they bring your food to you. The servers were very friendly and efficient, but since you don’t have designated waiter, it can be hard if you need to flag someone down. Also after you eat, you need to bring your dishes and trash to a station near the entrance.
I tried the Taco Trio ($13) with steak, BBQ pork, and shrimp tacos. The ingredients were all very fresh, and I was afraid the tacos would be bland without hot sauce or salsa, but they actually were bland not at all.
All the tacos came drizzled with their own sauces. The steak was cooked well, the shrimp was tender, and the BBQ pork was super flavorful with the pickled onions on top. The only thing I would have preferred was for the tortilla to be toasted a bit.
As for the side, you can choose between chips, baked beans, cole slaw, or a signature side for an additional $2.50. I ended up choosing a signature side of mac and cheese, because that’s one of my favorites. Their mac and cheese is super creamy with seasoning and cheese on top. I highly recommend it, if you are a mac and cheese fan.
My friend had the BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich ($11), which is filled with the roasted pulled pork, homemade sauce, pineapple-cilantro coleslaw, and pickled onions. She chose the baked beans and the sandwich also came with a pickle! Their pulled pork is amazing, and they frequently run out of it, so it is a solid choice.
They have live music every Thurs-Sunday nights, and it is definitely worth checking out. I was lucky to hear the Gainesville Jazz Collective play their set and they were phenomenal! You can find their weekly live music schedule on their facebook page!
One Love has lots of outdoor seating, a firepit, tiki bar, and 3 acres of land for you, your family, human friends, and animal friends to enjoy! It is definitely one of my go-to cafes in Gainesville on a sunny day. They do not have indoor seating, but they have a roof in their outdoor seating area. If you are looking to get work done on a computer, just know that they do not have open wifi access.
They are open from Wednesdays-Sundays!
Location: 4989 NW 40th Pl, Gainesville, FL 32606
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