The new Mi Apá Latin Café storefront in Alachua.
Courtesy of Mi Apa Latin CafeTacos, ice cream, chicken shawarma, bento, chaat and churros. Alachua County is a melting pot of flavors from across the globe and only continues to grow.
Whether they’re local staples looking to expand or new ventures tapping into area tastebuds, here’s a roundup of four new restaurants and a preview of two more to come.
- Jalisco Town Modern Mexican Grill
Location: 4401 NW 25th Pl. Ste. A, Gainesville
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday
The Lake Mary-based, award-winning Mexican restaurant has opened its second location in the former home of Blue Agave. Jalisco Town offers traditional Mexican fare from nachos and enchiladas to burritos and fajitas with Taco Tuesday specials. Customers can also enjoy vegetarian options, kid plates, desserts and an alcoholic drink menu.
- Zeezenia Farm & Sofra
Location: 28143 SW 46th Ave., Newberry
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Former owners of Gainesville’s Zeezenia International Market, Fawzy and Zee Ebrahim have opened a weekend farm-to-table cafe at their home in Newberry. The couple, originally from Egypt, wanted to provide a place where people could escape their screens and connect with one another through authentic Mediterranean meals and u-pick fruits from Ebrahim’s gardens.
The cafe’s rotating menu offers chicken shawarma, lamb, beef and falafel plates, a royal salad and molokhia, with drink offerings such as freshly-brewed hibiscus tea all using recipes crafted by the Ebrahim’s with meat and vegetables sourced from their farms or Egypt. Customers can pick fresh fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, plums and peaches, all of which are never treated with pesticides.
“It’s something you feel attached to,” Fawzy said of the reward people gain when they grow or pick their own food.
- The Ice Cream Vault
Location: 14841 Main St., Alachua
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday
With over 144 flavors to choose from, The Ice Cream Vault in downtown Alachua boasts Florida’s largest selection of premium hand-dipped ice cream. Customers can enjoy exotic flavors like guava cheesecake and order Moon Pie and RC Cola sundaes, and also choose from a variety of non-dairy, vegan and plant-based flavors. The Ice Cream Vault’s bakery also serves desserts like fresh cupcakes, muffins and cheesecakes, and an upstairs event space can be rented for up to 40 people.
- Nirvana Indian Grocery Store and Café
Location: 4000 Newberry Rd. Ste. K, Gainesville
Hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays
According to Yelp, Nirvana’s Cafe aims to bring together the bold, flavorful cuisines of Colombia and India. While shopping for authentic spices and fresh produce, customers can order Colombian empanadas, bhel, Cuban sandwiches, pani, sev and dahi poori, papdi, samosa, peanut and corn chaat, flavors of South Asia and American-style breakfasts. The cafe also offers eggless guava pastry, guava and cheese pastry and quesito.
- Mi Apá Latin Café
Location: 14829 NW 157th Ln., Alachua
Hours: TBD
“Big news, Alachua — Our dream is getting closer — and it smells like cafecito & empanadas,” Mi Apá posted on Facebook last week with pictures of their newest storefront. The Cuban-fare restaurant with six locations has yet to announce the official opening date for its location in Alachua, which will provide the north side of Alachua County with its breakfasts, bowls, sandwiches and desserts loved by locals. Staff said the restaurant should be open in a couple of weeks.
- Sohao Cafe
Location: 4928 NW 39th Ave., Gainesville
Hours: TBD
With a main location at 3045 SW 34 St., Ste. 16, in Gainesville, the Asian street food restaurant is opening another location at the former home of Ichiban Sushi. According to a Facebook post by Eric Ligman Commercial and Land Division of North Central Florida, Sohao acquired the property in April and will announce updates as they get closer to opening. Sohao serves a variety of traditional Asian soups, baos, fried rice, noodles, mao cai, bento and seafood.
Tags: Alachua Gainesville Area Rowing Jalisco Town Modern Mexican Grill Mi Apá Latin Café Newberry Nirvana Indian Grocery Store and Café Sohao Cafe The Ice Cream Vault Zeezenia Farm & Sofra
I recently found the kookaburra coffee shop in Alachua and I just can’t get enough of their meat pies and flat white coffees! Although I am excited for the new Mi Apa location too!
Be sure to write follow-up articles in 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year and 5 years. Tell us how many of these “new” restaurants are still around.
seems weird to talk about MI Apa providing north Alachua county with their meals, when they are just moving across the street and have already been serving Alachua for a while now.