Alcove

This place is great. I like it better when it's a little slower since its a very small bar. The service is always good and the ambiance is nice and mellow. Perfect place to wind down and drink a unique beer (or a bottle of wine) with good company after work.

Love the concept, location, ambiance, and the tiny space. No TV screens, which is good and not trivial in this town ;-)  Reasonable beer selection, though not as impressive as Stubbies & Steins (only a block away from the Alcove). POOR wine selection (e.g., one Malbec, one Cabernet, etc. Simply Ridiculous). Amateur bartenders, as noted by other reviewers.
Also, wine glasses are too small - the result is that they fill them up 3/4 to the top, not allowing you to swirl the wine etc.

In sum: great potential, somewhat disappointing execution.

I hit this spot over the weekend; it had been on my list of places to try in Gainesville for a while. In short, I have no idea what all the fuss is about.

It is a small and intimate atmosphere, which is nice for certain occasions -- indeed, it's precisely what I was looking for on Friday night in order to have a drink on my own before meeting up with friends later on. I enjoyed the decor as I entered and I took a seat at the bar.

There are about 10 beers on draft at any given time. I'm a pale ale drinker, and I noticed the ubiquitous Dale's was on draft. I asked if there were any other pale ales on draft, and the bartender simply said "no," and looked at me blankly. When I come to a bar like this where I know I'm going to be paying exorbitant prices for beer, I don't at all mind the cost so long as the bartenders are gregarious and willing to share their knowledge with me, perhaps steering me to something I would not have discovered on my own. That's where the real value is added -- otherwise, there are plenty of places around town to pick up an interesting six-pack to enjoy at home.

It would have been nice if the bartender took the opportunity to suggest something else I might enjoy, or maybe refer me to the bottle menu for other selections. (Incidentally, I didn't even know bottles were available until I saw another patron get one. I was never given a menu.) Instead, I was left to select a porter of my own. It was delicious, to be fair. But the bartender never said another word to me until I finished my beer.

I understand that sometimes bartenders have to rush if the bar is slammed. However, it was only 8:30 and the bar was half empty.

My porter was $7.50, and the overall experience was not worth anything remotely close to that.