As people get into the spirit of love during the month of February, flowers are selling out and chocolates are leaving the shelves. For those who have an appetite for a sweet deal, assorted candy boxes may not be enough. Here’s five food options for the valentine who’s looking for something special.
Wild Pie
A new addition to the Gainesville food scene, Wild Pie is a pizza restaurant advertised under the slogan, “Welcome to the Good Slice.” Since its Jan. 17-19 grand opening, Wild Pie has run a variety of specials to get the attention of students and Gainesville residents. This month, the restaurant is getting people’s attention by adding some heart-shaped alterations to its menu. Until Feb. 16, the store is offering a 14 inch heart-shaped pizza for $14.
If pizza isn’t filling enough, the store also features desserts including salted chocolate chip cookies and non-dairy cheesecake bites, both $3 a piece. The calzone, pizza and salad menu extends past heart-shaped pizzas into flavor combinations such as “Kale Me Maybe,” a pizza that sports baby kale, marinated artichokes, caramelized onions and dairy-free mozzarella.
All these options and more are located at 309 NW 13th St, which is open from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. Thursday - Saturday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday - Wednesday.
Uppercrust
For this Valentine’s holiday, Uppercrust’s extensive pastry menu extended by one item — a treat for lovers of the shop to enjoy. The Chocolate Strawberry Chausson, available for $4.95, is a dough pastry with strawberry and chocolate flavors, made with a simple process shown on the shop’s Instagram.
As well as the bakery’s Valentine’s Special, the shop also offers cookies and brownies, as well as many variations of croissants and scones. The Nutella croissant and Nutella Cream Rose can be secured for $4.95. If chocolate isn’t ideal, the Guava Chasson, Apricot Croissant and Raspberry Croissant are all available for $4.95.
Uppercrust is located at 4118 NW 16th Blvd and is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
Opus Coffee
This local coffee shop is popular among students for its convenient locations, partnerships with student organizations and unique drink offerings. Among these are its specials, including a few for the Valentine’s season.
Until Feb. 17, the shop is having three specials: Lavender Haze, All Shook Up and Stupid Cupid. The first, Lavender Haze, is a pink and blue matcha featuring lavender and vanilla flavors and is topped with cold foam and sprinkles. The next drink, All Shook Up, is a strawberry mocha shaken espresso with cold foam and dried strawberries, which the shop’s Facebook said tastes like chocolate covered strawberries. Stupid Cupid is the last of the specialty Valentine’s drinks, which is a mix of “Berry Bliss,” lemonade, strawberry purée and rose water, and it’s topped with dried strawberries.
Opus Coffee has eleven Gainesville locations, including 403 SW 4th Ave, 800 SW 2nd Ave Suite 1 and 1505 SW Archer Rd.
The first two of these branches, 403 SW 4th Ave, 800 SW 2nd Ave Suite 1 are open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. 1505 SW Archer Rd is open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 6:20 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Friday, and it’s closed Sunday.
Brother Cookie
While this shop is known for its gourmet cookies, it also features “giant cookies,” which are six ounce cookies spanning from four inches to five inches wide. For the Valentine’s Day season, the shop is offering three specialty cookies, including Spicy Chocolate, Red Velvet and Cherry Amaretto.
Although the cookies are advertised as giant, the shop offers a “mini-giant” version priced at $2.25 per cookie as opposed to the $4 giant version. Brother Cookie’s menu extends to box deals, including six “giant cookies” for $21.50, 12 small cookies for $25 and six small cookies for $13.
Brother Cookie is located at 401 NE 23rd Ave and is open from 12 p.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday and is closed Monday.
Coffee Culture
The caffeine-lover will be smitten with the “high school sweetheart latte,” a specialty drink allowing customers to celebrate love for all of February. The shop offers specials beginning on the first of every month as well as its normal menu, which includes offerings like German chocolate cake and chocolate chip cookies.
Lovers can purchase the chocolate-and-cherry flavored latte in a size small for $5, a size medium for $5.54 or a large for $6.02.
The store is located at 2020 NW 13th St and is open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
Contact Rachel Mish at rmisch@alligator.org. Follow her on X @mish_rache62827.
