Afternoon, a quaint, casual brunch restaurant in Gainesville, was recognized among 200 restaurants in the Michelin Guide’s 2026 Florida-wide recommended restaurants selection.
Owned by the same team behind Baby J’s and Crybaby’s, Afternoon offers a more refined menu, one that screams Florida and focuses on from-scratch dishes made with whole, seasonal ingredients.
Curious to see what all the hype was about, I placed a to-go order to try it myself.
Iced Vanilla Latte
I would call myself a bit of a Gainesville coffee connoisseur — from Coffee Culture, CYM, Opus, Curia, Wyatt’s and more, I’ve been there, I’ve tried them and I’ve got my personal favorites.
Gainesville is home to some wonderful locally owned coffee shops, so to stand out, you really have to bring something special.
Afternoon knocked it out of the park with this one and changed my perception of what a “good” latte could be. I’m typically drawn to more “dessert-like” coffees, appreciating the syrup sweetness and thickness over the actual coffee notes.
But with this drink, the true flavor of the coffee beans shone through, and it was unbeatable. That’s probably because the beans come from Afternoon Roasting, their small-batch micro-roaster here in Gainesville. Hints of real vanilla left black specks at the bottom of the cup — you could tell it wasn’t just some artificial syrup.
There was a gentle sweetness that wasn’t overpowering, letting the actual coffee notes come through, creating a refreshing, light coffee flavor with what tasted like subtle hints of lavender.
I never knew a latte could have such an interesting flavor profile. Afternoon genuinely left me curious with each sip and welcomed me to a whole new world of coffee.
Crispy Potatoes
Every single person I know who’s been to Afternoon has told me the same thing: “You have to get the potatoes.”
Cut into bite-sized pieces and topped with garlic confit, onion crème, lime and herbs — the ingredients themselves live up to the acclaim. So, of course, I had high expectations, being quite the fan of anything crispy or potato-related that isn’t also dripping in grease.
Well, they went above and beyond. Plated stunningly, with pieces of full garlic and sprouts poking out, and a wonderful shareable portion size, this dish did not disappoint. The potatoes were crunchy on the outside but melted in your mouth as you bit through.
The onion crème and garlic confit added moisture to combat the lack of greasiness, along with a burst of savoriness. Flaking, crisped skin gave a satisfying crunch, finished off with flaky salt and seasoning that tied it all together.
I would choose this over french fries or breakfast potatoes any day.
Whipped Feta Toast
I’m not one to typically order toast at a restaurant, but this sounded like a combination of my favorite ingredients: cherry tomatoes, handmade sourdough bread (sourced from Uppercrust), feta and herbs.
But given my unfamiliarity and lack of extensive experience with brunch foods and handhelds, I first thought, this can’t be that filling or worth the price. I took the first bite while chatting with my mom on the phone and stopped mid-sentence. “Wait,” I said, this is incredible.”
Plated beautifully, I almost felt bad for eating it. The bright red tomatoes offered a sweetness that paired incredibly with the creamy, tangy feta, offering a bold, intense flavor. The tomatoes also had a great texture: firm and fresh, never mushy. The bread was fluffy on the inside, almost melting in my mouth, with the outside perfectly crispy (but not too hard where you have to fight with each bite).
Afternoon has established itself as THE breakfast and brunch spot in Gainesville. It’s a casual yet beautifully aesthetic space, paired with genuinely interesting flavors and ingredients that I didn’t expect to find here.
This isn’t about greasy, oversized portions. It’s about real effort in every detail, from taste to plating to ingredient sourcing and preparation.
I’ve never been much of a breakfast or brunch person, but I’ll be finding the time to return, whether for a coffee or weekend bite with friends. Next on my need-to-try list there? The salmon rillette on focaccia, the dutch baby and the turkey club.
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