This place is just plain fun. The food is great and the servers are both and friendly. On weekends they have live music. I love to eat outside. read more

I don't write reviews very much but I felt compelled to write one. My family and I ate there yesterday which was Father's Day 2022. My mother ordered the grouper... Way too deep fried and it actually had a consistency of cod not grouper. Paying a lot of money for a very cheap piece of fish. They have a wonderful yellow rice... However, the rice felt like it was three days old. Flies everywhere. The server was awesome and she handled herself well but I paid $75 for four entrées and two of them were a bomb. Unfortunately it seems as though the shrimp that is grilled is way too salty. I've had that for the second time and the second time too salty. Best fish tacos I will say... So if you are going to eat there have their fish tacos, The only thing that's good on the menu! read more

Decided to give this diner/dive bar a try while visited the beach and all I can say is I'm disappointed. I wasn't very hungry so I opted in for the gator bites priced at 1612 which the bar girl decided to tell me about three times. The gator was hardly gator it was super breaded with what I can only assume is a amalgamation of spices that the owner decided would best fit this dish which it did not along with the tiny gator pieces that I received. Now I would expect this on a busy Friday night where orders cannot be checked as well as other days but mind you this was a Sunday at 4 PM and literally they were only one other couple at a table OH but the bar was filled. I would suggest this team take the time to reevaluate their food because this was not a good showing. read more

Lazy Gator - Breading. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Ruskin, Florida

Phone didn't work. Kind of hard to eat at a place when their phone doesn't work. One star

Based off of the pictures and reviews justice has not been done for Lazy Gator! C'mon Yelpers! We can do better. I dug my heels in every time someone suggested eating here. I'm not a fan of fried foods and it just seemed to me all they had was fried fish and burgers. I finally gave in and discovered there is so much more to their menu. They have options of fried, grilled, and blackened on many of their fish options. They also have tacos, steak, chicken, and lobster. We enjoyed fried green tomatoes, Bourbon Salmon with smashed potatoes. Delish! The Duo Lobster came with two small tails, zucchini and a side salad for only $28. The Molten Lava Cake was a sweet happy ending to our meals. We arrived at 4:30p just before it started getting really busy and noisy. Our server Rachelle was so hospitable. She had a great personality and a whole hell of a lot of energy. She handled the bar AND 4 tables of patrons all by herself while we were there. We were very impressed. I'll be seeing you again soon Lazy Gator! read more

See all

We stopped after a day on the boat and so glad we did. The stuffed oysters, conch fritters, gator bites and fried pickles were all hot, fresh and yummy. (We couldn't decide which appetizer to share amongst the four of us so we tried them all.). My brother-in-law ordered the fish sandwich and the fish was twice the size of the bun! It was crunchy, hot and delicious. My husband ordered the steak and shrimp and he said it was perfect. My fish &chips and my sisters shrimp wrap were also very very tasty. Needless to say, we took a bunch of leftovers home. I'm looking forward to going back for more stuffed oysters! read more

I took my daughter and girl friend April 3at for dinner. We went early because we new they were in training. The food was excellent and well plated. The server was new but very attentive to our orders. I will be back. read more

See all

Been sitting here for 10 minutes and there is no one here to take a drink or food order. Leaving without being acknowledged. Crap. Would not come here ever again. read more

This was our second visit in 2 weeks and while the fish tacos are excellent and servers are accommodating, the overall vibe is very disorganized. The special tonight was meatloaf with gravy, mashed potatoes and green beans. When it arrived there was no gravy and the young man told me that there was no gravy because it 'went bad'. Not a great endorsement for the kitchen. Should have been easy enough to whip up another batch. The New England Clam Chowder was anything but that. Certainly not cream based but maybe the cream went bad too. We heard talk that there are issues in the kitchen. We like this place and will give it another try. I hope that more staff can be hired and the management can work on presenting a more organized and consistent environment. read more

Great fun, wonderful french fries and just a great local pub to grab a beer or a sandwich

We had a wonderful time at The Lazy Gator. The grouper bites and conch fritters were to die for. The beer the ice cold. The best part was the staff, they were so friendly and our waitress Jeanine was probably one of the best we have ever had. She was so nice, knowledgeable and personable. We will be going back because of her. read more

Not the place for fresh oysters. I was excited to try this place as the girlfriend and I like to go out a few times a month for oysters. Since this place is only a few minutes from my house we figured we'd give it a try. The place is kind of unique it looks like an old house turned into a restaurant with dining in the backyard kind of reminds me of something you'd see in Key West. we ordered two dozen oysters and was told that they only had a dozen available. While waiting for the food I asked is this normal do they normally sell out of the oysters But I was told that was all they had because the others were still frozen. They were the worst oysters I have ever eaten. You don't freeze fresh oysters. It totally ruins the taste and the texture. Also the horseradish that they gave with it was like a liquid and did not taste like horseradish at all even when I asked if that's what it was I was told he asked that is the horseradish. I also ordered grouper while I love the seasoning on it it was very dry. Unfortunately we will not go back as the food was very subpar which is a shame because it's very close to our house. read more

Decided to venture to a local restaurant and give it a try. Atmosphere is cute, very vintage and not cookie cutter. Very attractive and fun. Server was decent and nice, we sat in bar area. Not packed. There was a little back and forth on ordering, as a few things were told to recently unavailable. No biggy. My hubby ordered the Caesar wrap, and enjoyed it. I ordered clam chowder and opted for the appetizer gator bites. Eh. Chowder tasted ok, but was cold/lukewarm. Didn't want to complain, and just ate it. The bites.... I guess not what I expected. Way too salty, and overly breaded/battered - had a chunk of chicken in the portion as well. Tried a gator piece and the rando chicken piece. Actually the chicken was good, alligator was not to my taste . (I've had it many times, so not a first time) but I was all set. Just wasn't today I guess. I would have to say it's not a place the food would bring me back for, but a drink or so perhaps. Hubby enjoyed it, and that's all good. read more

Dropped in to pick up a to go order on a Monday afternoon (specifically Columbus Day). The hostess that took my order was nice and very patient. She even help me decide what to order. I enjoyed the homely feel of the restaurant. It looks like an older home that was converted into a restaurant. I ordered the Florida fish sandwich which came with french fries. Additionally, I purchased a dozen of oysters loaded with crab meat, cheese, and shrimp. The burger was pretty good although there was only a small piece of lettuce on the sandwich. The oysters were yummy and I enjoyed the creativity of the recipe. I will definitely be trying this place again in the future. read more

See all

Super disappointed as we heard great things so we wanted to try it. Walked in and wasn't greeted by anyone. Sat down in the bar seating area for 15 minutes with still no one acknowledging we were there. Walked up to the bar and stood again for 5 more minutes and couldn't get anyone's attention. Walked out and won't be back. read more

Good addition to the area. Chicken fingers were perfectly cooked. They fries were also awesome sorta like steak fries but crispier. Looks like that also have good happy hour specials with good draft beer selection. read more

Can't get enough of those Fried Maders for an appetizer! We love the consistency of this restaurant. The atmosphere is quirky and shabby Beach house. The tables and chairs are all eclectic. They have a small dining area. We have tried the shrimp and grits and it is 'lish just a tad salty. We really like the basket of fries as a side and the fries are uniquely cut. The shrimp/fish taco entree is very ample for the hungry appetite! Yummy. My son didn't especially love the fish-n-chips because the fish was one large plank piece rather than several easy hand held pieces. The chowder soup was a good comfort food. We love having this cutie gem in Ruskin! read more

Ok this is going to be long... It's a story! Let me tell you... I really wanted to give 1 star but I feel bad... I live down the street from this place and it's always busy! I'm like that place must be good! Today my aunt, niece, and I decided to go for an early dinner. My Aunt's bday was a few days ago so let's go out! I love the little "shack" look it's the norm for beach venues for some reason. The bar was definitely getting the attention. 1 other table was eating in the dining room. Which is super small. I'm sure most people eat outside. It's too hot for my elderly aunt. My aunt and I both ordered the ribeye with "loaded" smashed potatoes and I got a cup of clam chowder and she the house salad. I also got an order of gator bites for the table for the appetizer. My niece ordered Burger with a Ceaser salad. The salads came out first. The waitress brought 1 item at a time.... I'm sure her feet were hurting. My niece's salad was flat(FLAT like there were stacks of plates sitting on top of it. ) and soggy on the edges you can totally tell the salads are pre-made and wrapped in cellophane. No croutons on the Ceasar, just a flat plate of lettuce and parmesan cheese. I'm guessing that's not a popular salad. Then the waitress brought out the burger, the steaks, and told us she would check on us. I said wait, before you run off... I'm missing my cup of soup and we never got our appetizer. My Aunt asked about the side vegetables. By the other reviews seems to be a confusion about getting a side of veggies OR a salad. Honestly, I didn't pay attention. My steak was raw, almost blue. I ordered Med-rare. But whatever I'll eat it. My aunt's steak, perfect! The "loaded" smash potatoes are just instant potatoes with some green onion on top. No cheese, no bacon.... not sure where they get the loaded part. My soup which she had just brought to me was cold, gross, the flavor is awful! I took maybe 3 bites and left it. She brought out the gator bites (almost for dessert) and a side of fries as an apology for the late app. That was nice. THEN she brought out a plate of veggies to my aunt and said I over heard it was your birthday so I had the cook make these for you no charge! LOL I'm sorry but we lost it. Then my aunt told her how to be a waitress as kindly as she could... trying not to be a "karen" Come to find out after talking with the girl, she's not the waitress just the host. She got a lot more personal and I don't want to put that on here but I felt bad for her. I did tip her 50% because she needed it. I hope she doesn't have to split her tips! My aunt kept mumbling how is this place still in business? I said the bar. If it wasn't for the bar this place is a joke. The cook... the LAZY Gator, fits the bill. Awful. It's unfortunate. I won't go back. Unless I want to get a beer I guess. I wish I took pics. It was just so bad I didn't want to. Oh yeah, I forgot we wanted to add more to our misery trying to find some good in this place. We ordered 1 of each dessert to go. Sunny's delight was the most tolerable of the 4 options they give. I'm not sure if it's because we took it to go but it didn't have anything that topped the desserts. I' not sure if the waitress was supposed to finish the desserts and she had no clue what she was doing but the bread pudding was dry chunks of french toast and raisins. no sauce. the keylime tart they drizzled green apple on top which was hella gross. the lava cake had no "lava" no topping nothing just a dry little bundt cake. I think I was being punked or something. read more

Our first visit to the Lazy Gator started a little slow but finished on a high note thanks to a delightful server Charlie and some delicious food! Came for lunch on Tuesday and we wanted to sit outside. We did but nobody came out to serve us until Charlie saved the day with his great service, and warm smile. We tried fish tacos(with shrimp), a shrimp wrap, and a fish sandwich. All came with seasoned fries. All empty plates. Patio was cute and quirky. Bar looked nice as well. Sorry I didn't see they had my favorite Hawaiian Lion Coconut Coffee Porter on tap until we were leaving or it might have been a destination instead of just passing thru, we will be back!! read more

36 min to get served an drinks were empty! Asked to taste a sauce and was told no we make that as we go, entree came out with limited sauce. Asked for more, it was brought right out , literally 1 min. Spoke to owner who made excuses. Won't go back. 40 min to get food. I had little expectations but was hoping to be proven wrong, sadly no. Owner outside drinking with friends and if help was needed, get off your butt! read more

This place is amazing the service was excellent and the food was amazing. Highly recommend the gator bites and the fish and chips were amazing. read more

In town for the day. Stopped in for lunch. Great place. Cute. Good service. Stuffed oysters. Lobsters. Fried green tomatoes. Food was delicious. Would come again. Worth the price and the stop read more

So We are visiting from out of town and I did a Google search and this restaurant looked like it'd be fabulous I called them to find out what their hours were I called the number on their website it was disconnected. I continued to do some research and found a new number for them of which I called this one also twice and was disconnected both times. I'm assuming that this restaurant probably is not open. Why would you have a phone number on your website that is not working? Very sad read more

We went at lunch time. Very busy. Service was ok but not great. Enjoyed the atmosphere but wasn't thrilled with all the tattoos visible on the servers. Maybe I'm old. The blackened gulf shrimp looked like Sam's club product. 8 medium sized shrimp and fries $18.00. Pricy for what it was. Not sure if we would return. Hoped for more. read more

Came for dinner after a great day on the boat - super cute Key West vibe - very friendly staff gave us a tour and sat us outside. Very nice server and kitchen service was really quick - a little slow at the end but we were not in a rush so it was ok. Loved the food - it was excellent. Blackened Grouper was awesome and so were the conch fritters. Wanted to try dessert but we were just too full! read more

Our first time to Lazy Gator. We shared the conch fritters as an appetizer. I had the Shrimp and Grits and my husband had the Cajun pasta with grilled shrimp. The food was very good and the prices were reasonable. Our server, Renee, was excellent. He made us feel right at home and not waiting on anything. We will be back! read more

Went by for a snack and drinks. The Ahi Tuna and Salmon cakes were delicious. Our bartender/waitress was slammed with spring break traffic, but still gave excellent service! read more

My first time coming here, I had a rum runner which was great but I ordered the calamari and thought this must be a joke... I literally got 6 rings and paid for a$12 basket . I have neverrrrr seen such a laughable portion of calamari in my life... I asked the waiter in a whisper "is this really it? She looked at me like I was an alien and said yes and walked away smh. I was hoping this would be a place me and my hubby can eat and hang out at but tbh I probably won't be back. The menu should read a Tapa of calamari definitely not a basket read more

Lazy Gator - Calamari - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Ruskin, Florida

Love lazy gator. Great food, varied beer choices and a relaxed environment. Must try the gator bites and shrimp and grits dinner! Just what the area needed! read more

Four of us went to the Lazy Gator for dinner on Sunday and our waiter was Chad.  Chad was an exceptional waiter and we had a great time with him.   Each of us had a different plate and each proclaimed that this was our new favorite spot for dinner and a good time!  For the people who was disappointed with their experience please go back.  Perhaps the bad time you experienced was because it had just opened up and they were experiencing glitches.  We will definitely go back for a great time read more

Delicious food, great outdoor patio seating. We really enjoyed this place and will definitely be back! read more

Lazy Gator - Blackened mahi-mahi sandwich and fries. Yum. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Ruskin, Florida

I've been to this place twice for limited opening. The chicken sandwich was so good I got it both times! The fries are amazing. The service was great. The only thing I didn't care for was the bread pudding. It had dried fruit & nuts in it. The nuts were too big and didn't add anything to the dish. Overall I will definitely be back. read more

Really cute atmosphere inside & out. Give it a try when I'm the area. Had blackened grouper and it was really good. Staff friendly & place seemed clean. Cute casual laid back place. read more

Lazy Gator - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Ruskin, Florida

Excellent food and Service. Had the Bourbon Salmon and the Cajun Pasta with chicken. It was in a homemade Rue that was excellent. Fried green tomatoes some of the best I ever had. Atmosphere is great! Will go back weekly!! read more

This place was amazing for the food and friendliness! Amber our server, was also amazing. The haddock filets were at least 10-12 inches long and very tasty. The fries and the chicken tenders were the best I have ever had in a restaurant. We will definitely go back, and I have already told friends to patronize this restaurant! read more

Poor food quality i got a dozen oysters and the first one I tried to eat was spoiled and i still had to pay for them after they took them from me read more

This is a fun place - we enjoyed sitting outside, taking our sweet time, trying new craft beers and tasty food.

Fantastic grilled chicken and smashed twice baked potatoes! Bartenders are a hoot! Got there it's authentic.

We love atmosphere & food! Very good, friendly service & good entertainment. Best of all, this gem is close to home!!

Love the rustic seaside decor. Service was top notch. Had the clam chowder and was very tasty with big chunks of potato and clams. We also ordered an appetizer of Conch fritters. Unfortunately they were not really eatable because the conch had not been tenderized and there was no way anyone could chew it. There were large pieces of rubber like conch in the fritters. I ordered the grouper platter which consist of a nice size filet but it tasted like it had been soaked in salt water, again un eatable. The fries were very tasty and the coleslaw was very good. One of our party ordered the Cajun pasta and said it was on the salty side. I tasted it and to me it was not too salty. I think it was the Cajun sausage that gave it the salty taste. Last but not least one of us ordered the fried seafood platter. It came with a huge piece of haddock which was very good some fried shrimp that tasted very fresh, some oysters that were overdone so were tough, and some hush puppies that were very good. At the end we had key lime pie which was good. All in all the decor is a lot more inviting than the food. I don't think the food measures up the cost. I will try it again but will try something different to see if we may have miss ordered. read more