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Gators Dockside

3.0 (230 reviews)
ModerateSeafood, American

Gators Dockside Photos

GATORS DOCKSIDE ATMOSPHERE

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

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Recommended Reviews - Gators Dockside

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You can't go wrong with their Philly Cheesesteak, I love their onion petals!
Heather B.

My sister and I stopped by Gator's Dockside for drinks and a quick bite, and it was a mixed experience overall. The Philly Cheesesteak was delicious--I'd definitely order it again! The onion petals were also a standout, with a perfect crispy texture and flavor. My sister ordered the seafood pasta, which she enjoyed, but I personally found the seasoning a bit too salty for my taste. The service is friendly, but it's been a bit slow on my last few visits. We usually have to flag someone down, and if you're not sitting at the bar, expect a longer wait for drinks. That said, they do offer decent drink specials, which is always a plus! If you're in the area, it's not a bad spot to pop into for a bite--especially on days when they have wing specials. It's also great for catching a game and hanging out for a while. This can certainly elevate the noise in the restaurant but I would still bring the family out as it is a very casual environment with booths away from the bar area. While I wouldn't go out of my way to visit this location, it's still worth a try if you're nearby!

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.

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7 years ago

Great food. Chad the awesome server was on point tonight. He was very friendly and attentive.

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11 years ago

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9 years ago

Ordered buffalo chicken sandwich. Got two very dry chicken fingers on a roll with nary a hint of buffalo sauce.

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Ask the Community - Gators Dockside

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This place is EPIC! Seafood boil? CHECK. Friendly Staff and Clean Restaurant? CHECK. Reasonable…read morePrices? CHECK. Oh and they have TouchTunes here which means we literally listen to our own music for the entirety of our meal! This place is awesome. We've been approximately 5+ times (with the most recent being yesterday) and it has consistently been excellent. Highly recommend the "Seafood Trio" with the 192 Seasoning (pictured).

Hold on while I construct this compliment sandwich! The restaurant wasn't packed when we arrived…read morearound 7pm on a Wednesday night, but there was a group of people there celebrating a birthday. Our server, Yamel, was super sweet and took great care of us. We ordered 1.5 lbs of snow crab legs which came with some corn and potatoes, several boiled eggs, white rice and two crab cakes. We loved the ratio of sauce to seafood and were happy that the sauce wasn't watered down. Unfortunately, I was not a fan of the crab cakes or the sauce that served with it (boom boom sauce). The crab cakes were a very mushy consistency with little to no flavor and sauce was runny. Everything else was delicious though. In regard to the ambiance, the restaurant had a really cute, nautical theme. There were people enjoying meals alone, couples enjoying date night and, of course, the birthday party. In my opinion, they were very loud and obnoxious, but I don't blame the restaurant for that. They were actually the reason that we packed up and left so quickly. We might've stayed for a drink (as the couple beside us were tearing them down!), but after a long day of traveling, we were happy to leave and avoid the impending headache. This place is very big, great for big groups and has a jukebox onsite for you to choose your own music. Very nice place.

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High Tide Harry's - Fresh oysters!

High Tide Harry's

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Ocean Prime

Ocean Prime

4.4(851 reviews)
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Ocean Prime Orlando did not disappoint…read more After wrapping up a full day of training, one of my colleagues selected Ocean Prime for dinner, and it was the perfect choice. The atmosphere felt upscale and polished without being uncomfortable, and since we were already dressed in business casual attire, the setting fit the evening perfectly. A few of my colleagues started with seasonal cocktails, and we ordered a bread basket for the table. The bread arrived warm with a nice variety of wheat, white, and thin crispy breadsticks, which was the perfect tide-over while we waited for our entrées. Our table ordered a mix of steak, lobster rolls, and several sides including mac and cheese, scalloped potatoes, broccolini, and Brussels sprouts. I chose the miso cod with shrimp dumplings, and it was absolutely delightful. The broth was poured tableside, which gave the dish a little extra presentation and anticipation -- and thankfully, the flavor lived up to the hype. Everyone at the table commented on how good their meals were, and the entire experience felt well-paced, elevated, and enjoyable from start to finish. Even splitting the bill among our group was seamless, which is always appreciated when dining with colleagues. Great food, great atmosphere, and a wonderful way to close out a long day. Ocean Prime was definitely a win.

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Happy Snapper Seafood Restaurant - Deep Fried Whole Snapper

Happy Snapper Seafood Restaurant

4.7(587 reviews)
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This place is really good, but with an asterisk…read more We pull up, windows have heavy tint so you can't see inside. Inside, it's bright & somewhat plain. We're seated right away. Feels somewhat like a small-town diner. The menu has awesome choices, but there's a ton of stuff that is $30+ (several $50+) and I really didn't want to spend that much on lunch. I picked a snapper sandwich with a side caesar & my friend got a shrimp quesadilla. They came out about 10-15 mins later. price seemed a bit high, but i know costs have skyrocketed lately, so them's the breaks. The fish on my sandwich was flavorful - but very dry. Would have been better cooked with some kind of fat. The bread was fluffy & nice, but fell apart right away. The veggies in the sandwich were fresh & bright. The caesar side was amazing. they gave me tartar & ketchup, so i asked for cocktail sauce because ketchup is weird for this. No problem. I didn't even finish half because it was so big! My friend's quesadilla was very tasty, but for some reason, it's an absolute oil slick. So the opposite end of the spectrum lol. She enjoyed it but couldn't finish because it was too greasy. There was a thick layer of oil on the plate and on the quesadilla. The ladies working there are really nice & helpful. They checked on us several times. I paid really fast & they got us out the door in less than 45 minutes! I would love to get some of the fancier stuff sometime, but would probably want to eat it elsewhere, because the diner feel doesn't match how fancy the food is. But overall, great experience with the asterisk being the cooking styles & plain appearance. I thought i got pics but can't find them now, but the presentation was great.

Happy Snapper Seafood Restaurant is a great place tucked away in a quiet little shopping plaza in…read moreBelle Isle with a little sign that I would never had noticed had I not been looking for it. Walking in, I was greeted by a friendly young gentleman. I had placed a to-go order and within minutes, my food was handed to me. I had ordered the grouper with fried rice and vegetable medley and the calamari appetizer. I have to say that both the grouper and calamari were excellent. The fried rice and vegetable medley were also pretty amazing. The prices here are very good. The grouper plate was about twenty-two dollars and the calamari was about eighteen dollars. The quality of the food could definitely rival more expensive restaurants. I will definitely have to return here and I will give it five stars for an incredible meal.

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Eddie V's Prime Seafood - Nothing sets the tone for an enticing night, quite like The Big Eddie chilled shellfish tower.

Eddie V's Prime Seafood

4.5(1.3k reviews)
7.8 mi•Dr. Phillips, International Drive / I-Drive, Horizons West / West Orlando
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If you are looking for the absolute best place in Orlando to celebrate a birthday or special…read moremilestone, Eddie V's Prime Seafood is it. From the ambiance to the execution of every course, the entire evening was an unforgettable experience. We started with appetizers, and they set the bar high right out of the gate. The lobster bisque was rich, velvety, and packed with deep flavor, while the fresh oysters were completely on point--briny, clean, and impeccably served. For the main course, the seared sea scallops were pure perfection. They had a gorgeous golden crust on the outside while remaining tender, sweet, and juicy on the inside. Alongside the scallops, the lobster mashed potatoes were excellent--luxuriously creamy, buttery, and loaded with tender chunks of lobster. Pairing everything with an exceptional bottle from their curated wine list elevated the meal to another level. The finale was out of this world: the bananas foster butter cake flambéed tableside, served with decadent ice cream and chocolate cookies. It was an incredible balance of warmth, richness, and sweetness. Eddie V's delivers on every front--outstanding culinary execution, thoughtful pacing, and an upscale vibe that makes any celebration feel genuinely special. Unreservedly recommended for any date night or birthday in Orlando!

We had a 7:30 PM reservation for a party of six to celebrate a birthday, but we were not seated…read moreuntil 8:35 PM -- more than an hour after our reservation time. We were told we had to wait for the previous party to leave before we could be seated. Even after they had paid, they remained at the table for approximately another hour. When we questioned the hostess Bianka about the situation, we were told that the restaurant would not interrupt another party's dining experience. While I understand the importance of providing guests with a pleasant experience, what about respecting the reservations and time of the guests waiting to be seated? After this frustrating wait, the manager, Justin, approached us, an hour into our dinner, and asked if there was anything he could do. By that point, the damage had already been done. We had lost over an hour of our evening, and this was a birthday celebration that should have been enjoyable from the start. Rather than simply asking what he could do, a manager at a high-end restaurant should take the initiative to acknowledge the inconvenience and offer a meaningful gesture, whether that be a complimentary dessert, a drink, or something to make up for the poor experience. We were offered nothing. The service was also disappointing from the moment we arrived. We brought a birthday cake, yet not one of the 4 hostesses offered to store it in the refrigerator while we waited. For a restaurant that positions itself as a high-end establishment, this lack of attention to basic hospitality was surprising. Additionally, while we were waiting, we observed a gentleman handing cash to the hostess. We have no way of knowing what that exchange was for, and I do not want to make assumptions. However, given the circumstances and the excessive wait, it certainly raised questions about how tables were being managed. The entire experience felt unprofessional and disrespectful of our time. Celebrating a birthday should be a special occasion, not an evening spent waiting for a table despite having a reservation and then feeling that our concerns were brushed aside. A reservation should mean something. For a restaurant charging high-end prices, I expected far better organization, courtesy, and customer service. Unfortunately, this experience fell well below those expectations. Reservations mean nothing to EDDIE V's.

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Eddie V's Prime Seafood - Our signature Hope Diamond Cocktail, featuring Grey Goose vodka, butterfly tea and a purple diamond ice cube

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Gators Dockside - seafood - Updated October 2026

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