Cancel

Open app

Search

Gators Dockside

3.0 (229 reviews)
ModerateSeafood, American

Gators Dockside Photos

GATORS DOCKSIDE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Outdoor seating
Good for groups

You might also consider

Recommended Reviews - Gators Dockside

Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
Yelp app icon
Browse more easily on the app
Review Feed Illustration

Reviews With Photos

Fried pickles
Madison L.

We came in for dinner after watching a Magic game and had a good experience. We sat outside in the lovely SoDo area. Our waitress was amazing and very nice. For food, I got the southwest egg rolls and fried pickles. Both were good. The pickles were hot with a good breading to pickle ratio. The southwest egg rolls had a good amount of filling and a bit of spice. It took a while for the food to trickle out of the kitchen, but otherwise it was a great time.

Weekly Specials Board
Caleb C.

It's been a while since I found a sports bar with week night events EVERY night of the week. They have All You Can Eat Wings in 2024! The environment is typical grungy sports bar. Bathrooms always feel a little dirty but I appreciate they hang signs over the urinals so you know about upcoming events. I ordered 10 grilled wings, 5 Smokey BBQ and 5 Chipotle Honey BBQ. I liked the old menu that showed you the spice level. I've included new images of their menus and weekly specials. Overall a nice spot, good indoor and outdoor options, and a full parking garage to utilize. Service was very nice. I ordered ToGo from the bar and the nice bar tender let me know they have a formal take out station if I would like it to go faster or if I wasn't ordering a drink. I decided to order a drink and it barely took any time still. Will be back with friends for bingo and Trivia!

Southwest Egg Rolls
Isabella D.

Ambiance is great and the servers are attentive and kind. Have never been during a Saturday/Sunday for football but I could image the environment is very lively and fun. The food is pretty average, but definitely on par for this type of restaurant, sports bar vibe. Their appetizers in my option are the best options offered. I was a little underwhelmed with the buffalo chicken wrap, it was literally just chicken and lettuce but it was decent. BIGGEST PLUS: the food comes out so quick. You could be in&out in 30 minutes & if you're starving & want something quick Gator's would be a great option.

Salud!
Mark P.

They're okay. Easy solid three with hospitality easily in the four sometimes five range. Honestly, I've eaten here way too often for lunch over the last few months with colleagues who seem to prefer liquid lunch. The food's okay, alright; not bad, just unremarkable is all. Burgers were okay. Cauliflower bites were nice. Cocktails tend to be weak, especially the specials. Even a double Captain neat seemed watered down somehow. Anyway, I guess it's all about the beer. My crew just loved doin' the tower, and a pitcher, and then another one. lol. Work flo yo. Should say, we did a lot of takeaway for the office, no complaints from them so there's that.

Empty restaurant
Rebekah C.

Do you like to wait over 40 minutes in an empty restaurant for your food to show up with zero communication about why it is taking so long? Then Gator's Dockside in SODO is the spot for you!!! We stopped by for a later lunch yesterday afternoon. We were seated right away but sat there waiting for a server for nearly 15 minutes. There were plenty of servers walking around complaining to each other but none of them were ours it seemed. Normally I would have left but we weren't in a rush so we waited. Our server arrived and apologized for the wait. We'd had PLENTY of time to review the menu so we were ready to order. We ordered 2 boneless wing platters with fries and the potato salad and two sodas. Our drinks were returned quickly and we were informed of an upcharge for the potato salad we said that's fine and that is the last time we saw our server Jasmin....after 30 minutes with no sign of our food or our server my partner went to try and find her, and found the manager. He explained we'd been waiting over half an hour and haven't seen our server once. About 5 minutes lasted our food came out and our server said, "I was told you're in a hurry so here's your check." That didn't go over so well. I said we weren't in a hurry but nearly 45 minutes waiting for food is ridiculous. She of course snapped an attitude back and said she'd bring me another soda (mine was basically full, and I didn't ask for one so believe I did not drink it because her vibe was that she'd spit in it or something). When she came back with the unwelcomed soda I apologized for being rude and she ignored me. At that point I just wanted to leave because clearly nobody there cared (the manager didn't apologize or ever check back after our food was delivered he just brought it out and left). Look, I've been a server. I get sometimes you are in the weeds or the kitchen is backed up. Given the restaurant was fairly empty other than the bar (which wasn't full) I doubt that was the case, but the simple act of communicating with your customers goes so far. Had our server come by even once to check on us, update us, ANYTHING... this situation although still frustrating would have not ended up with us feeling this way. I've never felt so disrespected in a restaurant before. Long story short, just don't. And if for some reason you do still end up there, skip the potato salad, it's not worth the upcharge.

Sliders? Like double the size!

See all

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 1

2 years ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 5
Thanks 0
Love this 4
Oh no 0
Photo of Amy P.
175
246
1016

3 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 1

3 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Eric S.
501
87
42

1 year ago

It is just okay. Always just okay service. Not a big fan overall. The wings have gotten smaller over the years.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 4
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 1

2 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Cat F.
164
544
1438

7 years ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 3
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Abby W.
2
38
44

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Jeff P.
38
12
2

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

6 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0
Photo of Mike H.
0
132
22

4 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0
Photo of V Z.
19
32
125

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

6 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

7 years ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

5 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

10 years ago

Helpful 13
Thanks 0
Love this 15
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 1
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Luke C.
307
5
1

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 1
Love this 0
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

7 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

7 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

Page 1 of 6

Ask the Community - Gators Dockside

You might also consider

American Social - Bar & Kitchen - Orlando

American Social - Bar & Kitchen - Orlando

(743 reviews)

$$

Dr. Phillips, Horizons West / West Orlando

I have been coming here for about 5 years or so, since they first opened…read more They have always given me great service and the food has always been great. They have a great Taco Tuesday and the Half off Wine Wednesday is definitely my favorite. There's a large beer and wine list to go through, not to mention all of their specialty drinks. Whenever I have a friend visit, this is origami one of the first places I take them. Not to mention the bartenders are great at what they do. Madison makes a mean old fashioned and Jess makes an awesome espresso Martini. Highly recommend 10/10

Good Vibes, But a Few Misses…read more We recently visited American Social for brunch and had a mixed experience. The atmosphere was lively and fun...definitely a great spot if you're looking for upbeat brunch energy. We started with the deviled eggs, and those did not disappoint. They were flavorful, well-balanced, and probably the highlight of our meal. For entrées, my husband ordered the brunch burger. The menu didn't list bacon, and even after our server double-checked to confirm it wouldn't come with bacon, the burger still came out topped with it. While mistakes happen, it was frustrating having to wait for the order to be remade while the rest of the table was already eating. I ordered the Fruity Pebbles chicken and waffles for my daughter. It was okay, but definitely on the sweeter side. The chicken itself was coated in cereal and then topped with syrup, which made the whole dish very sweet overall -- just a bit underwhelming for us. On a positive note, the kids' portions were great. The mac and cheese and chicken tenders were both solid and generously portioned. Overall, the food was a bit underwhelming for the price point, but I'd probably give it another try...if only for the Maui Mimosa. That drink alone might bring us back.

The Monroe

The Monroe

(692 reviews)

$$

Parramore, Horizons West / West Orlando

Delicious food!! My husband made reservations and surprised me for dinner. First time here and we…read moregot LOVED IT!! The vibe was immaculate. The drinks were great and the food was soo good that we still talk about it days later. He loved the bone marrow. Steak was perfectly cooked, tender and juicy. The cake was not my favorite at all. It took way too long to come out and it came out very cold. Not much chocolate flavor, too much salt. It was missing something. We will skip dessert next time.

Two Words . . VERY…read moreRICH I keep forgetting that this restaurant is essentially serving Southern style comfort food in an upscale setting. Southern comfort food as a general rule just doesn't sit well with me anymore and I'm going to be very transparent and bare my soul a little bit here but here goes . . . Ever since being on GLP1's, I've developed a really complicated relationship with comfort food. Foods that are rich, buttery, creamy or fatty now hit me completely differently than they used to. It's almost like my body immediately goes into shutdown mode afterwards. I feel heavy, exhausted and like I've instantly ballooned even if the portions themselves aren't massive. For the longest time I honestly thought it was simply the richness of the food itself but now I realize it's because my digestion just can't process heavier comfort foods the same way anymore. Suddenly... it all makes sense. The food itself here is VERY good. Properly seasoned, well prepared, beautifully presented... absolutely no complaints there whatsoever. I simply have to become more mindful and strategic now with my menu selections no matter WHERE I dine. I chose the Creekstone Farm's NY Strip with the fabulous bone marrow which I KNOW is supposed to be incredibly nutrient rich and good for you... but honestly... it just about put me under afterwards. This dinner happened thanks to Ronnald M. and his sister Teris and it was our pre-opera dinner outing before seeing the fabulous Merry Widow at the Dr. Phillips Center. The Monroe is honestly a very good pre-concert restaurant choice because of both the atmosphere and location... I'm just personally learning that this new GLP1 reality means I can't approach menus the way I used to anymore.

The Pinery - Alligator Tacos

The Pinery

(347 reviews)

$$$

Ivanhoe, North Orange

We wanted to celebrate my autistic brother getting his first job in Orlando and found this spot…read morethrough my Chase credit card rewards. The location had complimentary valet as the street parking can be a little challenging in this area so that was a huge plus. We enjoyed their half price wine glasses during golden hour, such a great offering. From the start of our meal to the end, the food was exceptional. What made it even more of an experience was the awesome waiter (Merlin) we had. He went above and beyond to take care of us. Started with the crab dip and little toasts and it was great, high quality crab (not fishy) and cheesy! Would highly recommend. He recommended the special for the day which I ordered and holy crap, it was amazing. Huge grouper cooked to perfection with a light curry and creamy corn sauce that had just the right heat. All of this over some jasmine rice... we were in heaven. Parents got a fried grouper sandwich that was huge, and had their amazing wedge salads. My brother got the pork chop that had a perfectly sweet exterior, mashed potato's and carrots. We ordered the hummingbird cake and it had so much flavor with the cream cheese frosting and toasted pecans. Our waiter surprised my brother with their butter cake that was cooked to melt in your mouth. If you want to explore Ivanhoe Village area and want an incredible meal or snack, head to this place. We can't wait to go back and try some other items.

Due to a schedule conflict, we canceled our reservation at a steakhouse in Winter Park and…read morecelebrated Mothers Day on Saturday, a day early. We found The Pinery and wanted to give it a trial. The only spot open was at 4:30 pm, so we made the reservation and showed up, valet parking and came in. We were sat immediately. The hostess seemed stressful, without any smiles, she took away 2 out 4 silverware and plate sets on our table for a party of 3. 12 minutes went by. The crowded dining room had 2 servers. A booth of 6 next to us were waiting for their drinks patiently. I finally got up and let the hostess know that nobody stopped by. She said someone would be with us soon. About 4.minutes later, a lady stopped, said sorry, and took our drink orders, a Pineapple Sugar, a Macha Mojito, and a glass of Napa Valley Chardonnay. She also brought us 3 glasses of water. More servers started coming. Finally, Mark introduced himself, took our food orders. The food was delicious. We shared the Steamed Clams and Brie and Petal Honey. They were so good that we had to ask Mark fir extra crispy bread slides. For entrees, my wife had the Brussel Salad with Anchovy, and she loved it. My son had the Pork Chop while I tried the Crab Stuffed Salson. Excellent food and temperature. We were quite full for desserts, but Mark insisted, so we decided to order a Humingbird Cake and was informed that ithere was no more. Then we took the today's special, which was a strawberry pudding. It took 15 minutes to get the dessert with 3 spoons because, according yo Mark, they made a new patch. In my own opinion, this operation was not well prepared for a such busy Saturday on one of the busiest events. We saw the manager being the server assistant delivering food for his servers, while he was super friendly, and we and the servers appreciated him, he should have led his crew. For lack of leadership, I took away one star though Nark saved our dining experience. We plan to be back another time not during the chaotic holidays to see the real beauty of The Pinery.

Gators Dockside - seafood - Updated May 2026

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...