Scott’s Downtown

I stayed in Gainesville for visit to Rd. ATL. The visit to Scotts was wonderful and amazing. Our waiter Ahmeed was so kind & attentive. I can’t talk enough about the food! Bacon Brussel Sprouts & oyster appetizer. Just wow. Your wine pours are generous. Overall just a great place we will be back!

We had our Wedding & Reception at the Loft above the restaurant and it was a dream come true experience! We received so many compliments on the venue and how beautiful it was! The food and service staff were Amazing and I would recommend this to anyone for a wedding, reception, catering, etc. We are going to go back there for our one year anniversary to eat in the restaurant! We hope to do this on every anniversary for many years to come! I can’t say enough good things about this restaurant and our experience working with them! They were so accommodating and helped me with everything on my «wish list» to make my wedding day & reception everything I had dreamed of!

We had our company Christmas party there today and it was fantastic!
This is the first time I have ever been there and was pleasantly surprised that this little gem is hiding right there in the heart of Gainesville.
The food was fantastic — including cocktails and desert (we tried them all!) and the service was spot on.
The décor is beautiful and I really like that they have a couple of tables tucked into small alcoves — private and romantic!
A fantastic date place, can’t wait to go back!

Scott gets 5 stars for food and service unlike the other restaurants nearby… The steaks are perfect and the atmosphere is classic.

My wife and I were passing through on our way to the mountains from south Alabama. We found the online listing for Scott’s Downtown and decided to try it. The food, and the atmosphere exceeded our expectations. They had a jazz duo playing that night, along with small, private seating area’s for 2 provided such an incredible, intimate dinning experience. Our server was Elijah; what a gentleman, checking on us just enough not as to pester us, but attending to our every need. I would highly recommend Scott’s. We plan on making it a regular trip, and you should too.

Great food, killer drinks, but the prices are getting higher, and the portion sizes are going down. This is disturbing, since Scott’s is the goto place in Gainesville for fine dining. They even have a slightly more cost effective lounge eatery. But just as a rising tide will float all boats … rising prices happen across the board.
Quality is exceptional, but my daughters bourbon chicken was one quarter inch thick slice of breast. Cmon. Really? How expensive is a whole chicken breast? How about even one tenderloin? Similar complaints with the lobster and shrimp pasta and the creamy spinach risotto with salmon.
They are still one of the leaders in resurrecting the prohibition Era drink known as the Side Car. Delicious.
But before things get bad, bring back the portions. I’d rather pay more than get less.

Used Scott’s as the caterer for our wedding reception at the Civic Center. We had Mandarin orange salad, herb grilled chicken breast with garlic cream sauce, grilled sirloin with demi glacé, parmesan risotto and haricot verts. The food was delicious, and served at a good temperature. On a buffet, the chicken may dry and the beef be well done, but not so with Scott’s! It was as though each serving had just been prepared. The wait staff were courteous and helpful, and kept the tables looking tidy. Before the big event, Kay and her staff provided an elegant tasting, were responsive to our special wants and needs, and easy to work with. Scott’s also provided bar service, procuring a craft beer from Charlottesville, VA, at our request. Finally, we had a beautiful and tasty vegetable and fruit table and fun and elegant cocktail shrimp shooters at the cocktail hour.

one of the most pathetic displays of customer service i have ever seen. not impressed

My experience was less then stellar… service didn’t exist and owner needs to learn some manners… when we asked who ran the place… it was a nightmare… no excuse place is gorgeous and empty now we know why …

Sea bass was amazing! Good wine list. Loved the intimate table for two. Mahi was dry.

I walked in on a slow Tuesday night (who knows in Gainesville!) and was warmly received by the host and server, as well as the owner Scott. Seated at a cozy table with relaxing music, I drank in the warm atmosphere and several selections from a well-​appointed wine list. Scott’s Ceasar salad was first up, and perfectly balanced with parmesan and green olives. Great start. I ordered the special, a shrimp and lobster Thermidor. Wow! Served with great presentation and served hot, I enjoyed an excellent meal of lobster and shrimp paired with grilled yellow zucchini and perfectly done wild rice (I am from MN, I know wild rice). Topped this all off with the bacon turtle cheesecake, 10 year old port, and good coffee. I told the ambulance driver to bring me back here for lunch tomorrow.
See you soon, Scott’s!

over priced garbage. would not eat there again. nothing special about the food. service is terrible and horrid but the décor is nice.

Really enjoyed it! Service was great Gina! Dinner was great. Very romantic and great date night place. Foodies will be happy! I had the crab cakes with gouda grits– AMAZING!!! My hubby had lamb chops Brussels sprouts and he loved them. Dessert was delectable! We will be back!

Unfortunately, the last 2 times we went to Scott’s were very disappointing. We had poor service on one of the visits and on our last visit, there was a game playing loudly on the tv (this is not a sports bar). Service was horrible and I swear one of the waiters passed gas near us. Seriously. This was right before they moved to their new location and we haven’t been back. The food was always good, but the atmosphere and service has ruined it for us.

My colleagues recommended this restaurant when I came to Gainesville to meet with them. What a great experience!
The service was great the food was good and the ambiance… well, the ambiance made everything even better. They have little alcoves (I was told they served as dressing rooms in another life) where you can have a more intimate meal with your someone special. Very unique, I wish I could find this in Atlanta.
This will be my go-​to when I’m in Gainesville!

This place had it’s ups and downs. Over all I left disappointed and felt we had spent wayyyy to much money for what we ate.
The place IS pretty, and I loved the private seating rooms. The white wine by the glass is not very good, for some reason, it’s all sweet.
The oyster app is VERY good
The lamb lollipops which we asked for med rare were welllll over medium. I’d say medium well to well done. We almost sent them back, they were chewy with NO pink. and the mashed potatoes needed seasoning.
Entrees…my mom’s Chilean sea bass was good
the risotto that came with both of ours was AMAZING, my favorite part of the meal.
Now my steak… Seriously? Don’t get that here. I asked for it med well plus. It came out RAW (seriously, raw) in the middle, and medium well on the sides. So I show the waitress, she takes ONLY my steak back to the kitchen, leaving my sides to get cold (as a former waitress you should take that back as well to keep warm under the heat lamp) and they throw the same steak on the grill, so that murders it. It came back almost inedible. Whatever, I was done with this place by then and just let it go. I just ate my semi cold risotto.
The dessert was alright, it was a lemon cake. Nothing special but not bad.
The bill was around 200 $. I don’t want to pay that much when the chefs cannot cook. Especially a steak. I wish I would have ordered the shrimp and grits, I think that would have been a better choice. If you come here, don’t get a steak. But I’d suggest going to Luna’s instead.

I have visited this restaurant several times at the old location (it has now moved just around the block), so I was excited to see the new space.
Visually, it did not disappoint. The new building gives them a lot more room, but it still felt like the old Scott’s, which I thought was wonderfully intimate. I was happy to see that they had somehow kept the same atmosphere even in a larger room. There are even still the mini private ‘rooms’ for couples off to the side (my husband and I had an anniversary celebration in one of those last year) but there are also several other large private rooms now as well. Beautiful chandelier, tasteful decorations, similar vibe to the old place. Very nice!
Food-​wise, I pretty much always stick to the Prime filet, but others in my group tried several of the other dishes. I heard excellent things about the sea bass and the salmon. I love the filet, which has always been cooked as I requested (rare, but never raw). I also highly recommend the tomato and red pepper soup, which is amazing. It does have a lot of kick, though, so be forewarned if you don’t like spicy! One thing I do wish they would change is the type of rolls. They have served us a lot of flavored butters that are excellent, but the rolls are often harder than I personally like. I don’t mind something that is substantial enough to stand up to the knife while slicing it, but these rolls take their defenses to the excess.
On the whole, the service here has been excellent. We had a man the last time we went. He was very attentive and I thought he did a good job at reading our table to figure out how engaged we wanted him to be. Dishes were cleared promptly and he promptly refilled our glasses as needed. Scott also came out to our table to see how everything was.
Lovely evening and delicious food, so we will of course continue to return!

$ 360 for 3 raw steaks (health hazard) and forced 18% tip… stay away! $ 40 steaks completely RAW!!! Beatiful and elegant, but the kitchen is not running on all cylinders.

A very high end, intimate place to have dinner. The owner, Scott, is one hell of a nice guy who makes it a point to stop by your table and ensure that you’re happy with your experience. The barman, Tony, makes one hell of a martini. Private booths are available on request. Some menu highlights include: The smoked trout dip, chicken piccata, the spinach salad and the caesar burger at lunch.
If you’re taking a lady out for dinner here, do some manscaping and take a shower, sport. You’re on a sex date.

This was such a pleasant surprise to find in Gainesville. Intimate, classy décor and very friendly service. The warm rolls were a great starter, served with unique melon butter. I tried the bourbon salmon which melted in my mouth and had rich flavor. The scalloped potatoes and sauteed spinach were my sides, and they were equally good. My friend tried the french vinegar chicken and it was perfectly creamy, tender, and had a nice assortment of mushrooms, artichoke hearts and tomatoes. The owner came out to check on us and we had a great experience. Apparently they are moving locations soon, about a block away, so be aware of this if you’re going to give them a try (do it!)