So I just wanted to write a quick review of this wonderful restaurant located in the Ruskin area of Florida. It was Friday night, and we had spent the evening with family for a funeral. They had taken our reservation for 10, and from the outside, you might see it as a "dive". And you would have to wonder, why are there O many cars here? Facing the building, there are entrances on the left side and right. The left side is the restaurant side, and if you go into the right door, you step into the bar. They were probably experiencing a shortage of help. We arrived and waited to be greeted for a couple of minutes. We were told there would be a slight delay in seating as they were waiting for their large table top to clear. Once seated, we were greeted by our waiter. His name is TJ, and he had a lot of energy and a big smile. Since I was driving, I only had water, but everyone in our group complemented the drinks they were having. We started with some appetizers,( gator bites, chips and artichoke dip etc). It was delicious. Another waiter (Remy) was helping TJ in getting our food out. My sister, and two others had the "Fish and Chips". When asked about the food, I was told it was delicious, and not too greasy/oily. My brother, two others and myself had the "Blackened Grouper". It was served with two sides. I chose the fries and zucchini squash medley. The meal was $20 and I received a very good portions that didn't overfill. Later, my brother and I shared a rum cake desert that was very good. Chef Manny came out to our table and introduced himself. He received a round of applause for how well the meal tasted and presented. On the bar side, it was a little loud as it was Karaoke Friday. Overall, this was a delight that I hope to visit again on our next visit. read more

Sunny's Delight dessert is a must have. If you are not real hungry go for only dessert. Oysters Rockefeller are excellent and are good sized. Had the days special Shrimp Creole it was very fresh and tasted like I made it. Service was friendly and helpful. Decor and Ambiance were great, just what I expect from a place called Lazy Gator. The emphasis is on high quality traditional food and personal interaction not on expensive surroundings. read more

My wife and I have came here several times. We both love the place the mahi tacos are amazing. A friend of mine came down from North Carolina I brought him here. He had to mahi tacos as well and absolutely loved them. You're in that area you want some great food stop in. read more

So the service was great and it's such a cute hole in the wall although I wasn't too impressed with some of the food. The chicken wings were great though! read more

Food is great! Fish and chips were awesome, clam chowder was also a hit! Small but very good and our server was great.

An excellent, no frills place to eat and drink. The grouper bites and sandwich (blackened) are awesome. I have been here many times and there is nothing negative I can say about it. Always had great staff wait on us. I'll see ya in a few weeks!! read more

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Old school and family backyard party nostalgia! Do you remember growing up in old Florida, in a uncle's back yard in the summer eating home made amazing masterpieces of flavor, and enjoying the nice breeze on a hot day in the shade with a magical never ending cup of cold ice water? Yeah. The Lazy Gator is the place to be. Boasting amazing service and fresh caught/local catch fish only... that also offering a catch n cook option! read more

Lazy Gator - Cajun chicken pasta and grouper tacos - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Ruskin, Florida

We had a great meal! Surf and turf was recommended by our waiter Kevin. He was right in point. The steak was tender and delicious. We also ordered gator bites, fish spread, fried oysters and grouper nuggets. Everything was amazing. read more

A hidden gem for sure! We ordered the fried green tomatoes, Cajun pasta, and the shrimp & grits. The portions were more than filling and very delicious. Even the presentation of the food was very thought out and amazing. Our server, Katy, took good care of us and ensured our drinks stayed full and that we enjoyed our first visit here. The facility reminds me of an old farm town house with commercial space attached. The house area is used as the restaurant and the area that appears like it was an old hardware store is the bar area. Loved the charm of the old architectural design. read more

Love this place. The service is great. The food is absolutely delicious. My wife and I really enjoy ourselves there. It's very comfortable, we always have great conversation. The building is very cool, lots of history. I highly recommend this restaurant any day of the week. I hear they have Mariana the bar side of the house looks fun. read more

I love the Lazy Gator so much!! The entire menu is so amazing! I can't say enough good things. On the restaurant side, Rene is the best server ever. He's knowledgeable, kind, fast, genuine and cares about your experience. I come back just to dine with him. On the bar side- Jenn is a fabulous bartender. She's quick, she's funny, she knows her stuff. Always a great time. The outside area is awesome. The weekly events are so fun. Wonderful atmosphere overall. The ONLY negative thing I can say is that they took the veggie stack off the menu and that was my favorite item. Haha but there are plenty of other delicious items to choose from so I guess I forgive them. read more

Finally, a good old-school Florida seafood shack As you can tell, at least 3 fried in fresh oil. Maybe not the darker conch fritters, but they were so good. Gator bites as they should be, not chewy disgustingness as to many cr@ppy places serve. Grouper bites were possibly the best I've ever had. Hush puppies, definitely more like donut holes, served with some sugary sweet dipping. I was really hoping for the old-school Florida fish shack ones. Taking them home for someone else to get fat on. And pet friendly!!! . There's a huge fenced-in yard this happy boy got to roam around freely in. Our server Rachelle was a very smiling, attention yet chill server that help make these places great. read more

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Stopped by here on a Wednesday evening and although the parking lot appeared full, when we walked in, it seemed deserted. We had to wait for a bit until someone came up to the front room to seat us. There were three of us in the party and we ordered wings and conch fritters for appetizers. The wing ($12) were supposedly a pound of wings but I find that hard to believe because only six small wings were served. We asked our server about this and she said they were weighed. $2 a wing seems ridiculous and big reason for a 4 star review. The fritters were served with the wrong sauce and bee had to ask for the correct sauce to be brought out. For our entrees, two of us got the fish and fries and one ordered the fish sandwich. All three of us did enjoy our entrees. The fish servings were large and the fried fish was crispy on the outside and flaky on the inside. The fries were also cooked to perfection. read more

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Hmmmm.... This place definitely has some pros and some cons. I would probably give it 2.5 stars if that were and option, so I decided to round up. Walked into the waiting are and the sign reads "please wait to be seated". Waited 7 minutes before tracking down staff to help with seating. Once seated it took another 10 minutes for our waitress to come to the table for our drink order. To give her the benefit of the doubt, she was super nice. I ordered the Grouper Bites and the grouper taco. OMG! Both took me by surprise. Perfectly seasoned and perfectly cooked. They were bursting with flavor! We should have stopped there, but decided to partake in molten chocolate cake. Big mistake. It kind of tastes like a "just add water" cake batter that was "cooked" in a microwave. Just, no. read more

Lazy Gator - Grouper Tacos - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Ruskin, Florida

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Fun, casual spot with good food and good service! Stopped in for lunch and had the grilled mahi sandwich. I loved it, but did pull the bacon out because that just seemed random to me in a fish sandwich. The service was prompt and friendly. We sat in the restaurant section, but there was also a lively bar area where people were watching the game. Next time, we'll sit outside if the weather is still good. read more

Lazy Gator - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Ruskin, Florida

This was an adequate experience. I need to first say that in times of Covid I know staffing and supply issues are at the forefront. Our food took longer than it should have but I'm not going to ding them for that. One thing worth mentioning is, there is no actual gator on the menu. Maybe that's common knowledge and I'm naive but I sincerely thought some fried gator was in my future. No go! Customer service was again, adequate. Nothing on the menu was really grabbing me so I asked the waitress about the ahi & seaweed appetizer. I specifically asked about its size and would it work as an entree. She confirmed that it was a good size so when I got a few thin slices of ahi I was mildly shocked. Whatever, I drank my wine and moved on. The place has a fun kitschy vibe and there were games so overall it was all okay but again, not mind blowing read more

The food was very good. My husband and I both had the shrimp platter, I had cheese grits and salad with mine while he had fries and veggies. I love cheese grits and these had good flavor and thick consistency (don't like runny grits). Tea was nice and sweet without over doing it. Our server Josh was super nice and helpful. Enjoyed our lunch and would recommend them. Decor note , loved the different chair styles from table to table. read more

Great dive bar! Ok food! Cold beer! Good friendly staff. Fair prices.good greasy food! Cold beer!

UPDATE. Wanted to leave this update here as this is the worst of the worst and it deserves to be known. The owner FIRED the two waitresses who spoke up. I was in contact with one of these lady's who then proceeded to let me know just how horrendous the cleaning conditions were and that she sources her meat from Walmart (that's one of the better places that it's 'purchased' from!) read more

Lazy Gator - My son got food poisoning from this disgrace of a restaurant. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Ruskin, Florida

I really enjoyed the food here. We went to the one in Ocala, FL. The service was pretty good too.

We tried this place for lunch today and were pleasantly surprised, overall. The food is good--and comes to the table fairly quickly, the waitstaff and other employees are pleasant and the prices are reasonable. My wife had a salad, which she said was pretty good. I had the 1/2 chicken plate and it was juicy and tasty. I washed that down with a $5 draft beer. A couple minor issues to mention: There were some persistent flies that bothered us and other diners. It's just off-putting when you have to keep swatting at flies while you eat. Also, the dish I ordered came with a side and the daily veggie. I ordered the fries and a side salad (extra $2). My meal didn't arrive with the side of veggies so I asked about it. The conversation was just bizarre and I felt I was missing something. Me: Did this meal come with a side of veggies? Waitress: Yes. Why, did you want them? Me: Uh, yes, please. Waitress: Because you ordered a salad. Me: Oh, was that my second side? Then that's fine. Waitress: No, the salad was an upcharge. Me: Ah, OK. Then my other side is coming? Waitress: If you want it. It'll be a few minutes... I am still unsure what that was all about, but I did get the side of veggies (squash medley) and it was really good. Lastly, we walked through the bar area before we left and it's really set up well, both inside and outside. I can see the large outside area being very popular this summer. Cornhole, lots of places to sit, etc. Happy hour is 3-6pm. Among other deals, certain beers are $2.50. Recommended and we plan to return to try out their dinner choices. read more

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

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The food was pretty decent! I really enjoy the bar side of this restaurant (I feel as though it's more upbeat and enjoyable than the other side) I love the outside area where you can enjoy being in the sun and play outdoor games with the family! Service was great. Bartenders are very attentive read more

Wonderful ambiance, it brought me back to my youth. The waitress could not have been more accommodating. We were a party of three, and made us feel like we were the most important people in the place. The food was great, the prices were reasonable, and I loved everything about it. We will be back. read more

Solid hole-in-the-wall bar in Ruskin. Food is always good and service is on point. Always end up having nice conversations with other guests as well read more

I've given this place way to many chances. It just doesn't get better. Could be a great place, but it is horrible managed. Waited 2 hours for dinner last week when I brought my girlfriend. Then waited a hour and a half after I said I wanted to order only to be told they were out of what I wanted. Smfh read more

First time here with friends who love this very casual place. Service was good. Very attentive. Food was mediocre. Mahi sandwich was good. Cajun pasta was so soupy. Caesar salad lettuce was NOT romaine but rather iceberg. Very disappointing. Grilled shrimp on top of salad was fresh and crunchy but minimal. Key lime pie was good but the plate had swirls of sour green icing which was terrible tasting. read more

always good, fish and chips so good, service great, Bartender very busy by t always friendly

Best fried green tomatoes in Apollo beach. Great atmosphere. Friendly staff and outdoor seating. Overall fun environment. I'll be back again. read more

The menu was good the food was ok. Ultra casual, out doorsy, fun, upbeat, friendly staff. Not our cup of tea, but a great place to eat and have a drink in a relaxed and casual atmosphere with friendly staff read more

The layout is bananas, but everything here is always great. The food and drinks are great as well. Their outdoor area is great as well! I also really love the book box in the parking lot - thank you for that! read more

Waterfront restaurant with great food and service! Wonderful views of the marina and bay read more

Great neighborhood bar / grill type spot. Good drinks, good food, decent atmosphere and very friendly and helpful servers. Interesting clientele make for entertaining people watching. read more

Fun atmosphere. Delicious burgers and fish sandwiches. Delightful waitress offing great service!

We love the Lazy Gator restaurant. Their food is always fresh and very tasty. Some of the best fish around. The staff is always friendly. read more

A little bit of a wait but the Mai tacos were fabulous That VOODOO sauce on them was like wow Good. we will ask for Amber the waitress we had she was very attentive. Hubby loved his his fish sandwich and it's easy on the wallet too! read more

Lazy Gator - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Ruskin, Florida

Good local gem. Lots of good choices and the outdoor area in the back is very cool and unique.

We went on a lark, just a place to grab a meal. The food was okay, nothing to write home about. I had fried shrimp which was pretty standard. Hubby had chicken fingers (?) also pretty standard. Ordered fried pickles which were dripping in grease but otherwise tasty. The inside is a dilapidated house dressed up like a bad play set to be a restaurant. Not to certain of the cleanliness. Just nothing here to boast about if you know what I mean. Won't be back. Service was good however. read more

The gator bite was delicious. They prepare their food with love here. The waitress was very nice.

Excellent fresh seafood! Come and get it! It's reasonably priced and they are very pet friendly! Even brought my service dog a bowl of water! Life long fan read more

We had dinner at the Lazy Gator last evening for the first time and I will have to say we are lo forward to our next time. We each ordered the Fish and chips which were cooked to perfection. The fish is beer battered with just the right amount of breading and seasoned perfectly. And the key lime soufflé....wow! Don't leave without ordering this amazing dessert. It is handmade daily. Our server, Mel, was so sweet and made sure we had a great experience. The manager on duty checked on us also to ensure we were satisfied with our meal and service. And I can't end this without mentioning the decor. So fun! The outside is just delightful. If you're in the area this place is a must to visit. You won't regret it. read more