Gainesville never seems to fail to provide us with new hang-out hubs. And now, one more spot has been pinned to the grid.
Frresh Café, located on 204 SW Second Ave., had its soft opening during Gator Stompin' and officially opened its front gates the weekend of May 1.
Frresh Café has a wide variety of freshly prepared dishes that don't use processed meat, additives or frozen foods. If you order french fries, the potato will be washed, chopped and cooked right before it comes out.
Melvin Shackelford, owner and chef, saw the need for a restaurant that would appeal to people who want to eat healthy and avoid fast-food joints on the way home. He and a couple of friends set out to open a restaurant that would provide quality food and a quality atmosphere for all its guests.
"We wanted a place where you could eat good food and sit in a good environment," Shackelford said. "With most places, you only get one."
Frresh Café's menu is vegetarian and vegan-friendly. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner all day, there are no restrictions when it comes to finding the perfect meal for your mood. The menu includes an array of burritos, omelets, sandwiches, wraps, salads and entrees.
One popular dish is the Picadillo, where you go through three stages to prepare your meal. First, you choose the style - either house specialty or spicy Thai peanut. Then you grab some beef or tempeh for protein. Lastly, you choose yellow or brown rice.
Lance Clark, owner and chef, wanted to create a menu fit for an outdoor restaurant. With only outdoor seating for about 90 customers, the café needed food that people could grab and go.
In addition to its variety of foods, the café is open from 8 a.m. to midnight Monday through Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 3 a.m. Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday.
The late hours make it a fabulous place for club-goers to grab a meal after a night downtown.
Adding to the quaint environment is Open Mic Night on Thursdays and a solo, acoustic guitar performance by local musician Bobby Kennedy on Saturday nights. Clark also performs his own songs on Thursday nights and encourages anyone interested in performing to stop by.
"If anyone has a guitar and just wants to jam, we welcome them out here on Thursday nights," Clark said. "We're trying to build up that environment where people can just come and hang out."
Customer Bailey Piper saw Frresh Café about a month and a half ago, and she has been stopping by every Saturday night since. She and Kennedy drop in for a few hours so he can perform while she enjoys a vanilla milkshake or Cuban sandwich.
"The food is more diverse here than other health restaurants," Piper said. "I haven't stopped coming here since I found it."
Frresh Café is undergoing some renovations to add even more spice. The owners plan to cover the entire outside with bamboo to create an indoor atmosphere. The backside of the restaurant may even become a lounge. But for now, the café carries an outdoor-getaway atmosphere with African-print futons and plenty of tables to sit at to enjoy a nice cold beer and good music.
"We've got good food and cheap beer," Clark said. "What more could a college student want?"
Downtown's Frresh Café, located at 204 SW Second Ave., offers customers a relaxing, outdoor atmosphere and a menu of dishes sure to please healthy palettes.
