Palomino Pool Hall - Gainesville, Florida

jason molidor

A couple of things to this review.

As a feat venue this place was awesome. It was small and perfect for small bands. The air conditioning was on, they had a lot of great beverages. the bathrooms were normal and clean. And they had a few comfortable chairs and stools to sit on and rest.

As a regular bar it was great. The staff was friendly and fun and seemed to enjoying the customers. I love that they played a lot of great stuff on the tv. Also I was stoked to see they played Thursday night football. Was looking hard in Gainesville to find TNF on Amazon to watch ravens and this was the only spot with it. But it was a good spot to watch ravens.

As a pool hall, it’s pretty cool too. Lots of full size table and not too expensive to play.

I’m bummed I forgot to buy a shirt before I left Florida

flossin15

Love the pool hall nice tables, good sticks and no smoking. Great venue! Female bartender was one of the most unprofessional and unfriendly people in the service industry I’ve come across. I brought in 10 people for a post Christmas dinner drink and hangout. There was zero people at the bar and 2 bartenders. We were greeted quickly by the female, short brunette. I asked if she could make an old fashion for my wife and I. Her reply was this after a pause and an eye roll, “yeah, but if we get busy I won’t be able to make you another one later.” Wow. So you mean to tell me that in that particular moment, your possible future inability to make me a drink was more important than just smiling and getting to work on making your customers happy? I waited tables for 7 years and had I ever treated anyone with that little respect, I would have been let go. My recommendation to ownership, let the face of your business represent you well or move them to a role more suited for less customer interaction. I ordered a bourbon and ginger later to lessen her load. She was equally uninterested in that order. Perhaps just a bad night for the young lady. Praying for better days for her. The male bartender took some orders from my group and was spot on. Appreciate you man!

Kaysen Colon

So I was trying to handle this privately but I still have yet to get a response from the owners of Palomino Pool Hall in Gainesville, FL. My sister and I went there to play pool on Sunday March 24th around 7:30 pm. We were at the back table by the bathrooms. My sister had set her handbag down on the table behind us and her IPhone. In between 7:50 & 8:20 a couple approached our table pretending to dance and look lovey dovey like they were having fun. I didn’t see the woman take the phone but she picked up the phone first and continued to dance closer to the table. I started to watch them as they were extremely close to my sisters drink. I seen the girlfriend pick up my sisters bag and try to put it in her backpack. I confronted the couple and they stated they thought the bag was a friends but they had no friends present with them. I alerted the bartender and the security officer that they were thieves. The couple tried to walk away but I got the attention of the whole bar. They turn back around and without looking at the phone the girlfriend took my sisters phone out of her pocket and stated the same excuse she did with her purse. “She thought it was a friends phone”. The bouncer Steven approached and let me know those were his friends and that I needed to calm down because she didn’t steal anything she gave it back. He refused to kick them out of the bar because he was friends with the thieves so we paid our tab, cleaned off our table, and left. As we were leaving the couple stated they were leaving. Approximately 30 mins later we returned to the bar to get names of everyone during the incident and the bouncer had let the thieves back into the bar. Several other customers at the bar approached us and told us that they were on our side that the couple was getting close to other people trying to access their belongings and they were glad we came back and they left again. The bartender even insisted we get in contact with the owners because this was not the first incident with this couple and the bouncer that was on the job that night. We are regulars at this bar and we never have this issue with your other bouncer present. I am very observant because I am a security officer myself. You should really evaluate the staff you have that are supposed to protect your establishment. Your bouncers should not let friendship cloud their judgment.

Jonathan Stephens

This was my first experience at Palomino's, and it was fantastic. There was this really nice woman with short hair who was over by the bar during 11/27 around 8-ish and they was so accessible and served me a great drink. Dealt with difficult customers with such grace, and I hope that she is continuously appreciated for her work and dedication on the job, no matter the difficulties.

X T

We got there on Memorial Day right after it opened around 4:30ish. The first thing you need to know is that the parking is terrible due to the construction around the downtown area and specifically around this establishment. You can still find spots, but you might have to walk a little.

There were three other tables occupied and one bartender. While we did not play on all the tables, I can say that the tables look to be in good playing shape (cleanliness, rails, felt).

Most of the house sticks that you can find left on the wall were 20oz sticks with some variance. You are not likely to find multiple 18oz & 19oz sticks if the place has some traffic. Despite that, all the sticks with exception of a small few had decent tips and the stick themselves were as straight as you could expect. So even if you can’t find your weight, you have a good shot a at clean ball strike.

The tables were nice to play on. There was enough pool chalk around to have your choice and pick what you wanted. If you are an experienced player then I would say the speed was medium to medium-fast. There is plenty of room around the 9 tables they have to play with multiple people.

They have a good deals everyday. We played for $5 an hour which in today’s climate is a pretty good deal.

The men’s bathroom looked clean and it smelled clean. I would not classify it as the traditional “pool hall bathroom”. They were full of supplies which isn’t always the case these days and it didn’t feel gross.

The bar was small but it served its purpose. Most people go in there to play pool so I didn’t really expect a big one. Service was good and everything was priced with some reason. Didn’t grab the pricing menu, but there is one semi-good shot in the bar images.

We didn’t go to “The Backyard” but it was easily accessible, had a bigger place for non pool players and was outdoors.

There was a stage and an area for people who didn’t play pool towards the entrance of The Backyard.

The only thing I noticed that might be an issue for some Is the rubber flooring around/underneath the tables. Some of the matting has chunks missing out of it as well as rips. If you are wearing closed shoes that have laces, you are good to go. If you are not sure-footed, you are going to want to stay away from loose sandals and anything resembling a heel.

Overall it was a good time, comfortable environment and decent tables to play on. Definitely will go back again.

Devin Stotter

I was visiting Gainesville from S. Florida for FEST 20 and decided to check out the band City Mouse on Sunday October 30th in the afternoon @ Palomino. The venue had a couple of pool tables and a decent size bar inside as well as in the back part. I believe that is called The Backyard. Someone will let me know if that is correct or not. In any case, I had a great time. The people were very friendly and drinks weren't super pricey either. I'd go back there if and when I ever revisit Gator Country. ? ? ? ? ?

Mike Burris

I play here before table roll true am pick up stick again I play on fla pro tour before nice bartender cash game wed night 10bucks a game 9ball

Nic Bustamante

Pleasant pool hall with a nice selection of craft beers. The outside area is also a nice place to sit down and have a drink with friends. I went during covid restrictions so I’m not sure how it usually is but when I went it seemed like a nice spot to hangout and catch a drink. Nothing too crazy.