The Garage

I use to love the Garage but the last three times I waited 20 minutes for someone to even pay attention to me.
Tonight was a different story. If you come here, ask for Julie. She is the sweetest, most attentive, amazing person/​server ever. We came for drinks and she was knew what we wanted before we wanted it. I will come back, but only if Julie is working.

My favorite place to eat in the Riverside Area.
What Keeps Me Coming Back to this Place is the Garage Sauce. We call it «Crack Sauce» because it’s so good and you can eat it on anything. My favorite thing is the Chicken Philly with mushrooms and onions. The only reason I give it 4 stars is sometimes the service can be interesting. We have always had nice staff remembers it just gets crowded at busy times and you might have to wait a while to get refills that being said its a bar so you can always go up to the bar and get a quick drink/​refill or another drink.
I think all the food on the menu is really good and its all between $ 6-​$ 9 dollars. It is definitely a good deal for the price. I will keep coming back for the good cheap food.
Get the Red Velvet Cupcakes in a bowl you will not regret it!
They also have a full bar, outdoor seating and lots of beers on tap.

Great bar. I especially appreciated the way the bartender made a special request drink for me. Tequila lime juice in a little bit of sweetener for a margarita that isn’t all sugar. Great fun casual place.

My first trip to the Garage was fairly enjoyable. After making the mile or so trek over there with my pup I was ready for a cold beer and a snack.
I didn’t go inside, but the outside patio is expansive and offers plenty of space for afternoon relaxation. Although I didn’t stay long, it is easy to imagine spending a long time there on a pleasant weekend. Service was friendly enough and quick.
I gotta say though, I was expecting a much bigger beer selection considering the area. Maybe I was wrong in assuming it was a beer bar, but there wasn’t a drink menu of any kind which was weird considering it appears to be just as much of a restaurant as it is a bar. In my experience, a restaurant normally has a drink menu while a bar may not. The only reason I knew what they had on tap is from reading the hand written draft list on the server’s pad.
I ordered a chicken quesadilla, which was rather average. Full disclosure though, it was AWESOME when heated up in the oven the next day. If I get food there again, I might get it to go and heat it up at home to get everything extra melty. My gripe with the quesadilla wasn’t the quesadilla itself, but the side. Lukewarm store bought Tostitos do not constitute a side one should pay for in a restaurant. It is a huge pet peeve for me — I would much rather pay a dollar or two less and get no sides than pay extra for something I can get whenever I want at any grocery store in the US. Make them fresh or just eliminate sides in my opinion.
Anyway, an enjoyable experience over all and would definitely go back in the right situation.

I don’t always go out to dinner, but when I do it’s probably because it’s trivia night! The Garage has a great trivia night on Tuesdays with absurdly high prize money and often absurdly low team numbers (it’s a pretty small space, after all), so it’s not hard to walk away with at least $ 10.
And when you have trivia money, it’s so much easier to try all the food! Things I have had that are quite good: the Cuban sandwich, something with pulled pork in it, pita and hummus, spinach artichoke dip, the house side salad (weird, right?), and the house potato chips.
Things I have had that I want to have all the time: the chicken feathers, aka boneless skinless chicken on a stick. I’ve had both the lemon pepper and blackened varieties and they are amazing, more so than anything so simple should really be. And if you order the larger number of them, you get those tasty salty ruffly potato chips, too. Win!
The food is great and the service is great — the wait staff are great with recommendations and refills — but the big downside for me is that the indoor space is very cramped and dark, especially at certain poorly lit tables. I haven’t actually sat at the outside tables, but if I were to come here without trivia on the brain I would definitely want the fresh air and sunlight. And the chicken feathers. Always the chicken feathers.

Not bad, but not great. IMHO, just ok. Basically it’s a bar with food options — if you’re coming for just drinks, it’s just fine. Local brews on tap, extensive liquor selection, and lots of indoor and outdoor seating. They even have giant Jenga and cornhole outside! Those were all good.
But the food, sorta mediocre. There are so many other GOOD food options in the area, that I recommend going elsewhere for food. The menu seems to have a large variety at first glance, but as you look closer, it’s mostly sandwiches and sliders and nachos. Although, no hamburgers. It’s really a compilation of the same ingredients thrown together in different ways. Food arrives in a plastic basket, no silverware. Prices are VERY cheap for food, so that may be a plus for some people. Personally, I prefer to pay more for better food.
Service was so-​so. Checked on us a few times, but wasn’t crisp. For instance, gave us 2 napkins for 3 people (we were all eating sandwiches and nachos). Again, not bad, but not great.
I may be back, but only for drinks. I won’t eat here again.

Super cool interior with exposed brick and beams. Outstanding. Place is tired and dirty. Nice menu executed in a ho hom manner served in a plastic basket surrounded by ruffles chips. Marginal wait staff. Could be great with talented management. At one time on King St this worked, now the competition has passed them bye.

Right off I want to acknowledge that our server, Jacob, made our visit tolerable. Without him it would have been a disaster.
My husband wanted to show me the place so we walked in. The servers told us to sit anywhere. As we walked through to the back bar I turned around to see this server briskly walking up with two menus and drink coasters. I asked whether was she chasing after us and when she nodded i apologized and told her that we were looking around and intended to eat on the patio out front. She rolled her eyes and walked away. Well, it’s nice to see you, too.
Once situated on the patio Jacob proved much friendlier service. We asked for recommendations to which he said everything. We ordered a couple of cokes and I the BBQ sandwich and my husband the pork cheesesteak. An inordinately amount of time passed. The table next to us was served two courses and our measly sandwiches were no where to be seen.
When they did arrive the cheesesteak looked awesome while the BBQ looked, well, flat. I could not understand why one sandwich had meat over flowing and the other so little it could not be seen even when turned on its side. I bit in and the pork was chewy. There was a smattering of sauce but not enough for me to actually taste it.
I looked at the other sandwich and stole a chuck of pork. Obviously it was the same but someone decided mine did not deserve the same amount of meat nor thought about warming it up on the grill and chose the microwave instead. Moral of the story is don’t order the BBQ sandwich and it’s probably a safe bet to just go to a higher-​rated restaurant for food and leave this place for beer and sports.

Never have anything but great service, outdoor seating is awesome, but both inside bars are also pretty cool! Also, weird to say, but Best. Quesadilla. Ever!

I feel like we always end up at the Garage when I’m out with friends at Riverside. To start with drinks: Pretty standard fare and I’ve had good experiences with service at the bar. They have big jenga outside which is pretty fun, and the atmosphere is usually nice after about 10pm.
With regards to food, I got the BBQ pork sliders which were HUGE. I split an order of 3 with my friend and we were both stuffed. Get the Garage sauce — and get extra. I don’t know what they put in that, but all the food I eat would benefit with a little Garage sauce on it!
Definitely a fun spot to come with friends.

First time here and had one of the best Cuban sandwiches EVER! Can’t wait to get back here.

Love love loved this place. My boyfriend and I went here and sat outside. It was perfect and just what we were looking for. The atmosphere was chill and the outdoor tables were made out of barrels which is super cool. The food was amazing. I am gluten free, so I got the salad with chicken on top and the rekorderlig cider. The salad was huge and amazing and the GF cider was the best one I’ve ever had. I would totally go back. I strongly recommend this place if you’re looking for a chill, cool place with yummy food.

With the beautiful weather this passed weekend, the Garage’s outdoor seating was a perfect place to hang out! Love the local draft selection; some of my favorite Intuition beers here. They have a few lagers on draft, but there are plenty of bottles to choose from as well.
The food is fresh and simple; not too much variety. Pretty much, it’s all the same ingredients in different combinations. No matter what you get though, you’re going to be satisfied. I liked the roast beef sandwich with their Garage sauce for dipping. I was happily surprised, as someone who doesn’t like mayo, this mayo-​based sauce is spicy and doesn’t taste like full-​blown mayonnaise so I enjoyed it! There are so many other places for food in this area that I’d probably eat somewhere else beforehand if I wanted something more flavorful.
Giant Jenga, corn hole, great music playing constantly, awesome indoor/​outdoor seating and super friendly staff make for a great place to chill with friends with a nice cold, one on a hot day or night!

The Garage, in my opinion is just ok. It’s a neat place to go with friends and hang out on their patio. But their food was just mediocre. King Street and Riverside has so many awesome places to go and enjoy good food with friends. With that in mind, I had very high expectations for The Garage.
The menu at The Garage seems like a really good variety and when reading the options, you’re lead to believe it’s the food of the gods. But the food tasted like it was previously frozen, dropped in the fryer or on the grill and tossed onto the plate. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t good.
The wait staff was courteous and came around often to check on the table. Their prices weren’t terrible, but if the food isn’t great you still feel like you’ve overpaid. I don’t know, I probably won’t go back to The Garage. There are better places to go.
There’s definitely a bar feel to the Garage. And why not? That’s basically what it is. So expect a loud atmosphere.

The Garage is in a great location to bar hop. It’s a great launching point. There are two different bars and the spacious patio offers table service. The sweet water Georgia Brown is on draft and quite awesome!
The food is okay, although I will get the courage to try the cup cake burger one day.

Ambiance was really laid back & cool, food was an eclectic mix that matched the scenery (yes, the Garage Sauce is pretty tasty), parking was a little limited; however, we were lucky to get a spot right up front. The late hours and patio area are a big bonus with great service and no attitude. Will definitely revisit. Oh and the stray begging kitties are cool to feed if you happen to be here on a really boring date.

I need to stop going out in Riverside. Every time I do I fall in love with another place and wish I lived closer. My latest boyfriend: The Garage.
Tons of seating outside which is always fun. And instead of one big bar area it’s broken up into a couple different rooms. You definitely get the feel of what it used to be (a garage as in the fix your car kind) based on the décor. Haven’t really tried anything on the menu other than the bowl of cupcakes, but looking forward to going back and giving things a try.
Great staff. Great local brews. Great location. Great outdoor seating. Good Golly Great Garage. You can fix me any time.

I went to the garage for a Unilocal event, and was impressed (enough ;])! Their garage sauce is soooo good, and I loved the Funky Chicken sandwich we got to try. We also got to try two other sandwiches– the Caprese and the Hot Mess. The Caprese was vegetarian, and a little boring without adding the garage sauce. Vegetarian doesn’t mean it HAS to be boring, but it seemed like this sandwich was just tomato and bread when it came down to it. The Hot Mess I was told had pork sausage in it by our bartender, which I can’t eat– but my husband said it was pretty decent. The menu said that it had beef though, so I’m wondering if we were given a variation.
The highlight of my meal was definitely a Marilyn Monroe Lemonade, which I had at our bartender’s suggestion. Not too sour, just the right amount of sweet, and decently alcoholic. :)
We ordered a 3 Kick Starter grilled cheese sandwich to go, which came with chips, pickles, and garage sauce. I was very stoked about the garage sauce– it seems to be a mayo/​pesto creation of some sort. The chips and the pickles failed to impress, no spears here– just some pickle slices and what appeared to be Ruffles or similar brand chips.
All in all, would I return? For drinks and that Funky Chicken sandwich, if I’m in the neighborhood, heck yeah.

I love a lot of things about The Garage but my favorite thing has got to be the ample outdoor seating. It’s really the only place on King that has more than a handful of tables… and you can normally find me sitting outside wherever I go. It’s the perfect spot to grab a cold beer (they have a good selection of local brews on tap), chill and just people watch in general. We saw a pup accompanying some patrons last night which always brings a smile to my face. :) They recently added umbrellas to give ya a little bit of shade for the unforgiving Florida sun.
The inside has two parts: a bar with open windows on one side, and an air conditioned haven in the back if it gets too hot. Both are decorated in rustic, but well chosen artistic pieces ranging from old whiskey barrels, street signs and an old stoplight. The exposed brick was kept from the original tire shop that is was way back in the day. Great casual and laid back feel. The owner is an unpretentious, real and stand up guy… and I adore the fact he has invested so much into King street (with The Garage, Loft and The Rouge.)
Is your are looking for fancy-​schmancy cuisine, keep looking, I would describe the menu here as «perfect drunk food.» I’ve tasted a few items on the menu and for me it’s hit and miss (depending on my level of intoxication) but it is true about the Garage sauce. You will rack your brain trying to decipher the ingredients… our guesses had a wide range. Served with regular Ruffles, it’s pretty simple and delicious. I also heard a rumor there were going to be some menu additions soon… so hang tight! (And note to self: try a grilled cheese next visit.)
It can get packed, but our service has been pretty good for the most part… quick and friendly.
All in all, a great spot to hang out with friends, enjoy some libations and watch the Riverside scene.

Sometimes I feel as though reviewing a place after only one experience there is a little unfair and in this case I’m not really sure if my sole experience at The Garage, but since I don’t think I’ll be going back there anytime soon I’m just going to go ahead and do it.
It was a Tuesday night and they were packed (not over crowded packed but busy packed) so we found a table outside and sat down. No one in our group of 4 had ever been to The Garage before so we enjoyed the allure of trying something new that we assumed would be good given the flow of people.
Once our server arrived to take our drink order we also had enough time to already make our decision on food as well but wanted some reassurance about a few of our choices, one of those being the chips served with «garage sauce». Our girl told us that it was a pretty popular item and that the sauce was pretty tasty also so we decided to give it a try, along with some pork sliders and chicken nachos. When we got our chips with garage sauce we were shocked that it was as popular as our server let on because it was simply ruffles potato chips and a side of what can best be described as a mixture of mayo, ketchup, relish and possibly mustard (thousand island dressing anyone?)…nothing special and definitely not worth ordering. The sliders were tasty but that’s it (nothing special) and the chicken nachos were just okay.
Sometimes even if they food isn’t great, you get a feeling about a place that still makes you want to come back and try it again, but unfortunately that just wasn’t the case for my first and now probably only experience at The Garage.