There is a certain something about Loosey’s, a recent bar and restaurant addition to downtown Gainesville. Perhaps it is sophistication.

No, the patrons, bartenders and owners are not stuffy enough to call it that. “Sophistication,” “maturity” and “class” are all part of the ambiance of Loosey’s, and yet they are not the right words to describe the feeling. It is much too cool of a place for those words. Cool—that’s it. Loosey’s is freakin’ cool.

By Molly Bruce; Photos by Jesse Lashe

The Food:

Owner, manager, bartender and self-proclaimed janitor Danny Hughes is somewhat of a good-time connoisseur. He worked on fishing boats in the panhandle, cooked at the Gator City location before it was called Gator City and, for two years, managed Gator City before opening Loosey’s with fiancé Joy Johnson. “I’m a lifer,” Danny says.

When it came time for him to select the food, Danny wrote it on the menu: “Deliciousness.” There is no separation for appetizers, salads, sandwiches or seafood; it’s all called deliciousness. And delicious it is, with choices like “Ass Kickin Shrimp” ($8.50) and “Handmade Egg Rolls” ($6). Danny described it as “restaurant-quality food in a chill bar setting.” Everything on the menu is prepared from fresh ingredients; the only items that come frozen are the fish. The beef is hormone free and regional, as well as the chicken. For summer, Loosey’s is re-vamping its menu to reflect the season and replacing heavier meals with lighter items like “Blue Crab Claws” and the “Crab Cake BLT.”

Danny says most people either eat at the bar or outside. This laidback joint doesn’t rush its quality meals out of the kitchen, so don’t come in a hurry. It’s worth it though, as Hughes says, since opening in October, he is “yet to get a complaint.”

The Drinks:

To pair with your cooked-to-order meal, there are plenty of beverage choices. Loosey’s carries more than 60 beers, some carefully selected red and white wines, and a full menu page worth of vodka, rum, cordials, whiskey, bourbon, Scotch, tequila and gin. And at Loosey’s, their wells are others’ premiums: Smirnoff and Jose Cuervo are among the list.

While some drinks, like Guinness and tequila, are irreplaceable, Hughes says he is trying to move his bar toward American microbreweries and domestic wines and liquors. He stocks seasonal brews and educates his staff himself on all the new products that are constantly coming in. He held a meeting for the crew to taste all the new beers that came in at the turn of the season, and he will hold another tasting in the fall so the staff can make educated, personal suggestions.

For those who want to try something new, Loosey’s offers Flights, three shots of a single type of liquor, to try. Options include the “Kentucky Flight” ($15) to try three bourbons and the “Single Malt Flight” ($17) to try three single-malt Scotches.

The Background:

Danny, a Gainesville native, felt that there wasn’t a bar exactly right for people like him, and that has been the inspiration for his drink menu. Nothing is “obscure for the sake of being obscure,” and folks can come in to try something new, possibly a local brewery they hadn’t known existed before.

The Amusements After enjoying some of those unknown spirits, there’s plenty of entertainment. Hughes and fiancé Joy named Loosey’s after their dog, “a purebred Florida brown dog,” as he says, and that sense of humor translates into the establishment. A separate room contains three pinball machines with the themes Star Wars, Shaquille O’Neal and James Bond. There is also karaoke every Saturday night.

For the more serious gamers, there are two pool tables and four dartboards with steel-tipped darts. Professional dart throwers only throw steel-tipped darts, and Loosey’s is one of two bars in Gainesville to offer them.

The layout of the bar lends itself well to letting bar-goers watch both a game of pool and dart throwers at their leisure. Since there’s never a cover charge, Loosey’s is great for a casual date night downtown or an evening out with friends. With plenty of new drinks, delicious food and fun games, this cool new place has something for everyone.