We have been trying to get here for a few years but our travel never matched up with their hours. Today it finally did! The family that runs it were great. Be patient when you come because they make the food fresh and it is so worth it. I got the combo with the chicken tenders and hot filet mullet. I got the tenders because I'm not a fan of seafood, it wow the hot filet mullet was great. The ambiance has a very home feel and honestly reminded me of my grandparents house they had in the mountains. I hope to return again soon. read more

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I really do not like to leave negative reviews, especially for locally ran businesses, but this experience was so disappointing that I feel compelled to share it. My husband, our newborn, my parents, and I chose this restaurant for what was meant to be a very special evening--our first dinner out as a family of three after welcoming our baby. As any new parent can imagine, getting out of the house with a newborn takes planning and effort, so we were genuinely looking forward to enjoying a nice meal together. After waiting over an hour for a table, we were seated in a very tight corner. We had our stroller with us so our baby would have a safe, comfortable place to rest while we ate. We intentionally positioned it to take up as little space as possible, and our server, Zachery, was incredibly kind and accommodating. He never expressed any concern about its placement and provided excellent service throughout the time we were there. Unfortunately, our experience quickly changed when the manager approached our table. She informed us that she wanted to move our stroller so she could seat another guest beside us. We politely explained that we needed the stroller where it was for our newborn. Rather than accepting our answer or attempting to find another solution, she took it upon herself to move the stroller anyway, physically pushing it despite our objection. In doing so, she struck my father's leg with it. It wasn't simply the request that was upsetting--it was the complete disregard for our response and the lack of basic courtesy. We never raised our voices or acted unreasonably. We were simply trying to enjoy a meal with our newborn, and instead we were made to feel like an inconvenience. We decided to leave without eating because the atmosphere had become so uncomfortable. It's heartbreaking that what should have been a cherished family milestone is now remembered for all the wrong reasons. I do want to recognize our server, Zachery, who was warm, professional, and did everything he could to make us feel welcome. My disappointment lies solely with the management. A single interaction can shape an entire dining experience, and unfortunately, that's exactly what happened here. read more

The food is mediocre, the price is outrageous. My fiance and I went and the bill was over 100 dollars. And the wait was over 50 minutes.

We've been wanting to try Gators for a few "seasons", and now that we've eaten there, I'm not sure what the fuss is all about. I ordered fried mullet that was very overcooked and tough to eat. My partner ordered flounder and it was also overcooked. Not much to brag about here, except the novelty and scenery. read more

We waited for 45 minutes before the place opened, long line- then finally seated and was great until everyone around us got to eat even people who were sat after.. we never got our food!! It's not a big place! Table of 6! Now it's been almost 48 minutes! Still no food! Don't come here again! The excuses are just plain lying! We had our excitement and dinner ruined! Don't not come here- no feeding alligators either! They don't care either- they don't see anyone but themselves and excuses. Btw it was the waitress fault. The woman in charge- kept saying we only make it when it's entered- it's the waitress. Ok if the waitress just would've said- after I entered your appetizer of crab claws- I forgot to put your order in! But to keep lying? So the fried shrimp was OLD and fishy taste! They were gross. The amount of money you pay is NOT worth the tiny scrapes of food you get! The children's meal was tiny balls of chicken! McDonald's had bigger pieces! Our bill came out to 165.00 We left a 9 dollar tip and got the heck out of there! Worst resturant ever experience in Florida! Mind you we waited all YEAR for them to open! My mother in law said it used to be better! People are in line for this? When we did get our food, we were told it's cause flounder takes longer to cook. Uh huh- cause you have to go out there catch it and then cook it right? Our waitress Trisha! Was the worst in communication of where our food was- after 5 times asking! read more

Gator's Seafood Restaurant - before our nightmare of over an hour waiting on food as people who sat down after us were already eating! - Seafood Near Me - Milton, Florida

My family and I had an absolutely wonderful experience at Gator's Seafood Restaurant. The atmosphere is rare and beautiful. It is a true old-Florida restaurant of the kind that used to be fairly common 20 years ago, but has all but vanished in 2025. A warm hardwood building directly on a placid little bayou that indeed is the home of visible alligators. The restaurant is medium-sized, busy with happy diners, and warmly-lit throughout. Large windows overlooking the bayou provide diners with a peaceful and charming view, and give the impression the restaurant exists with nature rather than intrudes on it. I would say this special atmosphere is the highlight of Gator's, but that would be unfair to the staff. The Farringtons, especially our server Abigail, truly made us feel like family and everyone who worked there wore easy smiles and went out of their way to make sure we had everything we could imagine throughout our stay. And the food delivered what we hoped for - simple fried seafood fare in generous portions. We had fried mullet, crab claws, and the hot fried shrimp that was exactly as advertised. I had the seafood platter and everything was very good. We finished off with a piece of homemade Key Lime Pie (which my daughters loved) and their special homemade Bushwacker Pie. The Bushwacker Pie really did taste just like a frozen Bushwacker drink, and it turns out that it makes an excellent finish to a meal. This restaurant is a gem of the area, and I suspect there are very few places in all of Florida anymore that can deliver a similar experience. Gator's Seafood Restaurant is a time-capsule to a previous age that will bring warm nostalgia to an older diner, and surprising charm to younger ones. read more

Good food, fast and attentive service. Nice view. Worth the wait. Bring a chair or golf seat.

The seafood went very well with the scenery and environment love this seafood! Enjoy coming here to meet old friends every year bring your cash no plastic to pay for your meal. read more

Gator's Seafood Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Milton, Florida

I don't like to give anyone a bad review but this restaurant could use a lot of improvement. we had heard how good it was and was advised to be there a bit before they opened because of the crowd. We did, my wife and I were there 30 minutes before opening and sure enough there was already a line. That was not really the problem. Once we were seated we immediately ordered our drinks and food. The problem was we sat there an hour and ten minutes before our food was served. That's bad enough but the food was at best just average and not an appealing plate. The price of the dinner was above average and I feel overpriced for the quality and quantity. unfortunately it was a terrible dinner experience for us and we will not return. read more

Great selection of great seafood at an authentic down home restaurant. You won't be disappointed.

Well we waited for ever but once we got into the restaurant the food was amazing aaaaaaaabbbbbbbbbcccccccc

The venue is different. You can tell it's VERY local friendly. Our waitress was great. Portions are too small for the price. We opted for the fried crab claws. They tasted fine. But not for $25 for them to come out on a bread and butter plate. Less than 10 claws. I have got harder portions for less. That was a turn off. Food was ok. My shrimp was peeled and deveined but very chewy and overcooked. The lady you pay wasn't very friendly and she seemed too busy talking to everyone else to take our money. 2 people, appetizer, 2 meals, 2 drinks (not water) was over $70. That didn't include our tip. I wouldn't go back but glad I tried it. read more

Great food great service. Got us in quickly and view was great. Loved the crab claws. Will go again!

Worst food & service ever. Went on the weekend before they closed for the season. Waited in line outside fo an hour and waited inside for one and a half hours before getting our food. Everything was terrible. I wouldn't recommend this place to my worst enemy. read more

Extremely limited hours are the only problem with this place. The fried whole flounder is outstanding. Be sure to see the real Gators in back! read more

Great atmosphere, good food and good service. Reasonable price.. great place to see the Gators swim across the lake.

The best hot mullet in town!! I always look forward to summertime when I am able to get my mullet and cheese grit fix at my favorite spot in town! read more

An unexpected gem discovered on the way to the Gulf. Took a minor detour after seeing the great reviews the restaurant had, though I was unsure if they were current. Let me affirm: as of 2017, and surely into 2018, Gator's Seafood Restaurant is deserving of five stars. The road leading up to the building is a bit dark, but the parking lot is illuminated and charming with string lights hanging above willow trees. And the food is fantastic, with generous portions. read more

The atmosphere is lovely, the service was great. The food was disgusting. And for a place called Gators, they do not serve gator. The only thing that tasted good was the baked beans, and French fries. Our party got a couple combination plates so we could try everything and nothing tasted good. I felt so bad because we had been wanting to come here all year long since it's only open during the summer and only for 2 nights a week. But was sorely disappointed by the food. Definitely a come in the off season and bring a picnic sort of place. read more

This is a wonderful local restaurant for some seafood. Great staff and food. Downside is they are not open other than Friday and Saturday night during the summer. Long waits if your not in first seating. Come way early or late. Food is worth it. read more

A hidden gem!!! This is the best seafood restaurant in the area and it is only open on Friday and Saturday nights through part of the summer. The seafood is second to none and the service could not be any better. Review the history of Gator's on the back of the menu. This is a very, very special place and family. read more

After nearly ten years of living here, we finally decided to visit Gator's. Many locals rave about this place. Considering they have limited hours and are only open in the summer, it made it a task to plan. No worries. I wouldn't normally give such a bad review, I just wouldn't ever go back, but the owner is nasty, very, very nasty and the food was not worth it. Read on for details.... We joined two other families for a celebration. We all arrived within a couple of minutes of each other. We arrived first, go in to get seats, greeted by friendly staff, wait a few minutes for tables to be set, then sat. Great! That is until the owner comes over to get on to me about being seated without our entire party. Telling me the woes of another party who checked in 20 minutes before us and still waiting for the arrival of their entire party. After the second family of our three families arrives at the table the owner comes over again. Getting on to me, the customer, about sitting down without our entire party present. I didn't seat myself and NO ONE asked me if our entire party was present before they sat us!!! The owner comes back again and tells me that she's been outside and doesn't see any families getting any kids out of any cars and that we would have to leave the table, sit in the lobby and wait until everyone arrives. By this time we all have drinks and coleslaw on the table. I explain to her that in all fairness no one, not one person on her staff asked me if our entire party was present. She didn't care, she kept at me, then told me she'd give it 15 minutes and that we'd have to order our other guests food for them. All of this within 5 minutes of being sat. As she walks away our final party walks in. I call her back to the table to bring it to her attention, especially considering she claimed she walked her entire parking lot to see if any family was in the parking lot getting children out of the car. She didn't care. She went on to talk about how it wasn't fair and how they are only open for 4 hours, blah, blah. This woman clearly could care less about her lack of customer service skills. At several points during our stay, we encountered other unkind interactions with her. Our waitress was very nice, though. The food, well, it wasn't what it was hyped up to be. The cheese grits were ok. The hush puppies were good. The fish, not so much. Service was slow to boot. If you want great seafood skip this place and head to Dave's Oyster Bar, besides everything is fried except the coleslaw, baked beans and grits. read more

Such a quaint place and fantastic food. Not an extensive menu but absolutely delicious. The grits are the best I've ever had.

This is by far and hands down my favorite seafood restaurant. It's on a lake off Hwy 87 midway between Milton and Navarre. Go here for the best fried mullet you will ever taste. Go here for sweet tea and amazing hushpuppies. Say hi to the gators (there are several in the lake, and you are just about guaranteed to see them). Just about everything they serve is good, but the whole point of going to Gator's is the mullet. You can get good seafood at closer restaurants, but Gator's mullet can't be beat. The wall facing the lake is all glass, and the view is serene. It's a little bit of a drive from just about anywhere (though I suppose it's closest to Milton). It's a good 40-minute drive from Niceville. Did I mention the mullet is AWESOME? This place is charming, true Northwest Florida dining at its best. Can't recommend it often or enthusiastically enough. read more

Family-owned and run restaurant with excellent, friendly service. Our server, grandson of the founder, was kind, always there to fill our drinks and great with helping with selection. Our meals were generous portions and very good seafood. Don't be hesitant to try the mullet options on the menu. The backbone mullet appetizer was a fun, good-tasting way to start the evening. Would highly recommend traveling the extra minutes to have dinner here. read more

The food is fantastic, service was so friendly, and it overlooks a lake, which is beautiful!!! The fries and beans are obviously just frozen store bought items, but everything else seems home made. The mullet and fried oysters are some of the best ive ever had. This place is a Jewel, its in the woods and you can easily pass jt a hundred times without even realizing its there. Id suggest it to anyone who likes seafood. read more

A must try! We saw the prior yelp reviews and gave it a try and it did not disappoint! You will feel like you have really stumbled across an authentic family owned, ran and loved gem! It is quietly nestled off a dirt road with a great water view complete with alligators. The trees are draped in Spanish moss and strung lights giving it a true at home feel. The restaurant is only open on Fridays and Saturdays and it was busy! Everything was made fresh and the servers were kind and cheerful. The food was excellent and well priced. I had the combination platter with fried shrimp and oysters with the cheese grits and my husband had the seafood combo. Everything was so fresh and seasoned so well! The kids portions are also huge! Be prepared it is cash only. We would definitely stop again! read more

Went last night for dinner for the last night of the season. Had the seafood platter and the combo plate of the hot mullet filets and fried oysters. My oysters were on the saltier side. The sweet tea is some of the best in the area and you start the meal with crackers and some amazing Cole slaw. Homemade baked beans were sweet by phenomenal! Proud to support a true family business! Will definitely being going back next summer! read more

Great fresh seafood & friendly service that makes you feel like family. This is the epitome of a family restaurant, a rarity in today's society! You will not be disappointed, guaranteed. read more

I wanted to loved this restaurant. Family owned, fun trip down with the oaks and Spanish moss, a swing. It was a miserable experience. Our group of 10 didn't arrive at the same time and I swear this lady- the owner I think- said that if our last 2 didn't show up she was going to make us "start over"- I guess that meant get up, but we had already ordered tea and 2 appetizers. The hostess never ask if our whole party was there. She sat them when they walked in! We walked in about 7-8 minutes after the first 3 arrived. We were there for about 5-10 minutes before the last 2 people arrived and we had our order ready. In fact, the apps weren't delivered until after our whole party arrived. So we did not hold her table up. And if she was so worried- why did they seat us! Why is that my fault. She said when you're only open 4 hours you have to move the tables quickly. Oh. Ok. Great. Thanks for making us feel welcome. When we finish eating, are you going to flip us out of our chairs? When you have two toddlers, you also move quickly- I understand the concept and had no plans of Camping. We waited and waited for the table to be cleared after dinner by bus boys or waitress. We had a celebratory box of cupcakes to eat and then we wanted to get outta there. Look- nobody knows a ticking time clock like a mom in a restaurant. So I got up and asked her very nicely if we could have the table cleared. She told me the waitress was busy with her other tables- which was basically a no. Apparently it didn't dawn on her to send a busboy or how about do it yourself. As a business owner, I do it ALL- even when I've Paid an employee to do something. Pretty irritating- but sometimes ‍. I love a business that's cash only, open select hours, neat atmosphere, handed down recipes- we were so prepared with our cash!! But this lady does not carry on her family's tradition of hospitality- let's backed up- she doesn't give a shit. And the look on her face when I told her the hospitality was really miserable, said it all- don't care. Sure- carry on lady! Do you. My real complaint is no veggies on the menu- no fresh peas, Lima's - nothing. No milk for kids, Tea was *super weak*- how in the world do they get away with being successful with that batch of tea they make! A disgrace. Beer with fried catfish would have been so good. Dinner felt like lead bricks on the car ride home. It was so sad but this place- as good as it apparently once was, sucked. Come on into 2019 and add some broccoli or fresh summer peas from our Navarre Farmers Market, get rid of Cruella, and put a millennial up there who is not as mean and crotchety as you. You can go serve at church or something. read more

Not good experience. It took 50 min to get our food only to find it lacking in flavor. The shrimp was very small and over cooked. Value for money is poor. We try it every year when it opens only to find each year gets a little worse. Gator's use to be great. We ate there every Friday night. Not now. read more

First went to Gators in the summer of 85' - real southern fry! Great memories going to Gators over the years. My mother's folk is from Pensacola and spent my summers on the beach and enjoying fried snapper, mullet and those gulf shrimp!!! Gators is as close to a Sunday church fish fry as it gets. The Pacific NW has awesome seafood but Gators is completely different. Wish we had someone here that knew how to use cornmeal and can make a REAL hush puppy. Had an alligator come out of the lake, almost 10 footer, and walked by our table hissing - yeah - miss the South :) read more

Gator's is the most reliable great food around. Every year I look forward to coming with my family. The food is great and the people who work there are as well. I've yet to be disappointed by Gator's and sat there multiple times in the span it is open every year. read more