This is your typical sports bar chain restaurant with average food. Our service was friendly and our waiter took care of us. We started with The Big Pretzel and Southwestern Spring Rolls. Both of them were pretty tasty and the pretzel was massive. I had the Buffalo Chicken Wrap with Sweet Thai Chili sauce on the crispy chicken. It was a large portion but extremely messy. Sauce was just pouring out of the wrap when I would pick it up. I enjoyed the wrap but the chicken was pretty tough and hard to bite out of the wrap itself. Overall, the name implies water, which is nowhere to be found in this parking lot. Not a bad option to watch the games and have some average food. read more

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I normally don't try to write a bad review but this was truly disappointing. Pro: waitress was trying her best to make the situation better since they advertised having the gator tail dinner. However, .... Con -...they changed up their menu a few days earlier and the change wasn't reflected on the restaurant website that they no longer were serving the Gator Tail Dinner. Basically, I came here for the gator tail dinner but ordered the gator appetizer for the more than the original dinner price(appetizer $13.99 vs dinner $12.99), smaller portion than dinner, without fries and coleslaw(came with the original dinner), and I am pretty sure one of my gator bites was chicken. - The waitress tried to help by getting her manager to see if they could still honor the recent change but her superiors wouldn't allow it. - The manager got involved which then became a circus since I told the manager that I will just leave. Apparently, she had to the General Manager involved now and he sat at my table. I was embarrassed so I ordered the gator appetizer and they told me the portion was going to be large for one person. I am a small person but that appetizer wasn't worth $13.99. Gator Tail Appetizer description on menu...Marinated gator tail hand-breaded and fried until golden brown. Served with our own Gator sauce. $13.99 Gator Tail Dinner description on menu I originally found was... Our popular marinated gator tail, hand-breaded, and deep fried. Served with homemade coleslaw, seasoned fries, and gator sauce. $12.99 The quality of food was not worth it plus their beer selection was disappointing for a sports bar. read more

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It's a typical sports bar and grill. Beer was cold, plenty of TV's. Atmosphere was there, service was good. Hat gator bites which I like. Has a southern feel to it. I'd go again. Not bad place. C+ read more

Been here many times and it's been good . But today was bad . Order all messed up food was cold . Plus they must of mixed up in the back asked for blue cheese and got ranch 2 time read more

This place was kind of hidden in a plaza but the service was excellent and so was the food!

We had Brittney as our waitress. She was fantastic! I have gluten and dairy intolerance, so she helped me finagle the dish that I wanted. All items that are GF are marked, which helped a lot. She was very attentive and even recommended a bakery where I could have breakfast tomorrow. read more

Gator's Dockside Ocala - Gluten and dairy free mahi mahi tacos minus the shell - American Near Me - Ocala, Florida

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Bartender a craftsman. Appetizers delicious. Must stop if in the area. Prompt & fast service

Good service and food. Typical sports bar fare, but done well with a few unique offerings thrown in too.

I must say that I am a fan of Gator's Dockside. They have locations throughout Florida and while the food is not incredible, it is always a solid experience. My go-to item at Gator's Dockside is their wings. They are very good. They have multiple flavors oh, so you can find something that should tantalize you enough to try. They also offer a pretty varied menu. My son was just complimentary about their veggie burger. They have a decent selection of beer, as well. In addition to rhe usual suspects, they have a few craft choices, as well. All in all, I would have to give this place a recommendation. Gator's Dockside is a great sports bar with some pretty good food. If you go, try their wings. I particularly like their hotter wings, but honestly you can't go wrong with whatever you choose to order. read more

Delicious food and so much to choose from on the menu! Highly recommend and great for families.

Pretty nice sports bar. Ok pricing. Bar food that I've had tasted great. Portions could be a bit bigger for the price. But all in all I'd definitely recommend this place for the sports bar experience. Tons of TV's so definitely can see your game from anywhere in the bar. If food portions were larger I'd give it 5 stars. read more

amazing I so enjoyed the food there it was GREAT best Philly Cheessteak EVER . the staff was kind professional and the price was even more of a surprise. my food was so good I'd pay double if I had to . thank you to the chef and his crew yall are great at what you do read more

A fun place to sit and chill on a late afternoon weekend. Live music was fantastic. Drinks are 2 for 1 so no complaints there. Service was good as well. Food was ok but nothing too great. Bang bang shrimp had a good flavor but they were small as was the portion. Plus it said 10 and I only got nine. LOL. It wasn't worth saying anything but it was kind of annoying. Caesar salad with chicken was a good choice. Come to Gator's for the drinks and music. Then maybe grab an appetizer or a little something. read more

Wings were slimy not cooked. Drinks were good. Ahi tuna was chewy not a good quality fish. Meh..

On a scale of 1 to 10...I'll give them a 10+ today. We had lunch at Gator's Dockside today. Everything was perfect...Jessica P's excellent service, our cool refreshing drinks, our tasty meals and the aesthetically pleasing decor. Tom's Yuengling was 2-4-1 which he appreciated. My old fashion cocktail was made correctly, (with bitters) tasty and reasonably priced. My starter of onion petals with that sauce that has a little 'zip' to dip in were yum-eee and enough to share with Tom. My 8 bone in wings, smothered in teriyaki sauce were the BEST...and better yet when dipped in the blue cheese that came with them. Tom's winger wrap with sweet Thai Chili Sauce and side of tator-tots was "Delish" read more

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Great place, yummy food, and bang for your buck prices & quantity! Highly recommend the Half rack of ribs & Chicken Tebders! read more

We had eaten here previously and enjoyed the food and service. We stopped here in Ocala on our way through to go to another destination. My wife ordered the spring summer salad with mixed greens the variety of other items which sounded really good to her. Unfortunately, there were no mixed greens in this salad. There was only iceberg lettuce. And no matter how twist and turn to make iceberg lettuce mixed greens it does not. She ate the meal picking through the iceberg lettuce and enjoyed the other items I enjoyed the gator nacho chips. Service was great, my wife spoke to the manager about the difference between iceberg lettuce being served and advertised as mixed greens. He apologized. She was not after a discount or free meal just please if something is on the menu serve with it the menu says. I guess the new thing now is when the salad is requested check and see what they're actually serving. Yeah, that was a major hit for this review and restaurant. Just be honest. read more

Had a very nice takeout meal. Order was ready in a flash, and was CORRECT. everything was packed up nicely, and tasted very good. Dining from takeout containers at home is NOT like a restaurant experience, and "sports bar food" just doesn't give you the same experience without the noise, and TV screens, but during the time of COVID, you take what you can get. Thanks Gator's Dockside for making my day a little better! P.S. the gator bites are great. read more

We were dodging Hurricane Nicole, hunkered down in Ocala and Gator's was less than a mile away so we gave it a try. Not bad for a chain. The burgers were generous and the fries cooked to perfection. It might be a small thing but they had their own branded ketchup. Our waitress was pleasant and conversational. She recommended the Philly cheese steak for my wife who said it was very good. We generally look for a local place to eat when traveling but for a nearby chain restaurant while dodging a tropical storm Gator's was just fine. read more

If you go here make sure to go on wind night! Boneless wings were 79cents and bone in were 99 cents! Such a steal! Plus they were also doing bogo on beers and mixed drinks! So many good deals! So I did 10 wings (5 teriyaki and 5 garlic Parmesan), bogo vodka crans, and finished everything off with their fried Oreos. The teriyaki was alright but since I'm not a fan of sauce it was a bit much after a few. I will say the Parmesan garlic were classic and super delish! The fried Oreos were also delicious! It comes with six good sized Oreos and a slab of ice cream. I definitely polished off that bowl! Overall I had a great experience especially since I came in with 50 other people from work. So shoutout to Amanda! Really great service! The only con about tonight was that my friends had ordered mozzarella sticks to share and they came out freezing cold inside. They felt bad but they asked for it to be heated up or something. Second round was definitely better and the waitress definitely took care of it like a champ! read more

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Great atmosphere as you walk in you're greeted. The waitress was attentive to all our needs made sure that our table was clean and kept our refreshments full at all times. It was a very delightful experience there was always somebody checking to make sure that everything was running smoothly. Over facility with well-maintenanced. You can tell that they pay attention to cleanliness and sanitation. They have a nice assortment of foods to pick from. I would have to rank the Reuben sandwich as one of the best I've had. And the wings were spot on. We will return and already have told our friends of this location. read more

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We hadn't eaten at Gator's Dockside in several months, and found their food is just as good as it was years ago - especially the wings! Madelyn was very good, attentive but not overbearing, and made some excellent suggestions. We will return soon!! read more

This was a recommendation from the hotel across the street as it was one of the few places opened late to dine in. The place was big and had more than seating than you'd think. The place is definitely set up for sporting events and pay per view events. The specials on Thursday for drinks were shocking- 2 liquor drinks or 2 national draft beers for the price of 1. The food was priced well and had standard grille options. The wingers were the BEST with the mango habenero sauce. Cooked well and toss with wetness. The turkey burger was moist. I was a bit disappointed with the burger as it was dry with a stiff bun.. The service was nice- great balance. read more

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Great food best customer service ever great ambiance grilled scooter wings at the best wings ever

I recommend this restaurant because it has amazing service and even better food. Amazing for family's and kid friendly. I highly recommend gators dockside in Ocala Florida. read more

Gator's Dockside Ocala - Sweet and spicy jalapeño burger - American Near Me - Ocala, Florida

This is just an average sports bar, close to my hotel and tucked away in a little plaza. Initial the bartender was a little standoffish but warmed up over time. The shrimp tacos had a good flavor and the Buffalo Shrimp with the asian sauce were tasty! They only serve one size draft beer 12oz pour so don't expect pints or larger. Beer selection was adequate with a good mix of local micro beers. Not sure if I would go back yet??? read more

Service nothing more then average plenty of staff just unorganized. Environment at this location a bit disappointing. Food as expected.

Gators Dockside never disappoints. With 2 for 1 drinks, tasty American fare, and friendly staff you really can't go wrong. I love their fried mushrooms and can drink the ranch it's so good. For dinner I got the classic cheeseburger and up charged to bacon cheese fries with guess what... more ranch! I had my meal with bogo margaritas! read more

Gator's Dockside Ocala - American Near Me - Ocala, Florida

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Ate here while visiting family in Ocala. Service was bad and food took forever to come out. Our waitress checked on us rarely. Usually when this happens you can get their attention while they are helping other tables but she wasn't in the dining room helping other tables the vast majority of the time she was in the back/kitchen. Once we did order food took forever to come out. Some of the order was screwed up - a sandwich with extra sauce came w/ no sauce. We grabbed a nearby server who said they'd take care of it but 15 minutes later it still wasn't out.. Again we couldn't get out waitresses attention because she wasn't in the dining room and it was a good 15 minutes before she came out to see if we needed anything after our order arrived. This was par for the course for the service here. The food was acceptable, but then it's pretty hard to screw up bar food. The atmosphere is typical sports bar - TV's in every direction and the commentary playing on the overhead speakers. I was going to leave two stars cause the food was OK and it seemed like a passable atmosphere if you are trying to catch a game and don't mind ordering at kickoff and getting your food at half-time. However after running my credit card somehow they got a hold of my email address (I didn't supply it voluntarily) and started sending me spams about their restaurant. So here you go, have a 1 star review. read more

It was a pretty good experience over all. The sports bar aspect is spot on. My brother and I stopped in to see NFL football and some hockey and they have huge screens all over. Right off I-75 in Ocala it is surrounded by hotels and other restaurants. This place had a ton of locals. Which I always look for. If they do not like it ..why would you?? The food had super high points and low points. The pricing is right the staff of attentive. It's a sports bar and it was fun. I would defiantly come back. read more

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This is your typical American restaurant with all your typical American food and its not the best. The best thing they had that was worth going for was the Bennigan's style Monte Cristo and they took it off the menu. No reason for me to ever go back. read more

Our whole softball team showed up for dinner after a tournament. Without any notice they were able to sit all 20+ of us at one giant table! The service and food were all great! Thanks so much for being so accommodating! read more

Gator's Dockside Ocala - Team meal! - American Near Me - Ocala, Florida

Went for the Gator Bits . . .$14.95 for a couple oz's of heavenly greased and breaded specs of gator. Had to order wings for some kind of protein! Ordered a full bar drink ! Should of ordered a coke and gone to Burger King! Kiddy Place ! read more

Amazing food fast service! I would definitely recommend this place for anyone! From kids to adults there is something for ever.

I've been here numerous times but my last visit made me question if I wanted to come back. The food was decent, I had a chicken philly it was pretty good! My husband got the black and bleu burger and the bacon + burger patty looked burnt to crap. He said it tasted fine but it wasn't worth the $13. The fried pickles appetizer was a good portion and tasted really good! But the overall ambience was bleh. It took forever to be seated but the hostess was running around doing a million things. And our waitress was just not the best. She didn't take our dinner order until after our appetizer and never stopped by to offer refills. Seemed like we were just inconveniencing her... and the place was filled was filthy ... but it's the only thing open in Ocala past 10pm.... read more

Gator's Dockside Ocala - Dirty floor next to our table. - American Near Me - Ocala, Florida

Gator's dockside was something I came across because it was late and I was hungry. My sister and I decided to try something new and we were both pleasantly surprised by how good the food is. Mostly because the previous photos did this place no justice. My sister got the Cajun chicken pasta and I tried the mojo pork tacos. We also got the onion petals, which are basically onion rings lightly battered and cut in half. The onion petals were definitely 10/10. The Cajun pasta was so good that we went back and got it again the next night. The mojo pork tacos however, they could've been better. I think that next time I will order them without the lettuce and shredded cheese because it takes away from the flavor of the pork. The pork when I tasted it by itself was so flavorful but eating it with the cheese and lettuce made it taste so bland. The cheese was overpowering. Overall, I had a good experience and I would definitely come back here again whenever I'm in Florida. read more

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Last time here food was dead cold and had to be remade. This visit the place was almost empty and waited quite long for food. Just barely warm at best and the portions are really cut back. Manager compted the meals which was nice, but would rather have had a good experience than that. May give it one more chance because we really like the restaurant but will definitely not be in a hurry to return. read more

Nice bar, with good food to pair. Plenty of tvs to watch the games and are able to request specific games. Gator tail is unique and delicious. Keep popping them in my mouth and next thing I knew they were gone read more

Gator's Dockside Ocala - Gator tail, onion bloom, mac and cheese - American Near Me - Ocala, Florida

Absolutely the best place for delicious southern fair I've ever had! The gator and bbq ribs are amazing!

This is a low end sports bar that has it's good and bad. Our service was good, we were nicely looked after. It's a fairly large place, so lots of room to watch your favorite sports. A decent (not great) selection of beer on tap, although our server was unable to tell me anything about the choices I was unfamiliar with. The food was inexpensive, but not really good. There are TV's around, but most on the small side. The larger screens were all projection TV's which I haven't seen a long while. But the most irritating thing, is someone changed the tip amount (very generous to begin with based on our experience) to a higher amount. It was not a lot higher, but still a deliberate act. My bank took care of things quickly for me, but c'mon. Save your receipts and check them. Best to pay cash here! read more

Gator's Dockside Ocala - That's cold! - American Near Me - Ocala, Florida

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