Food is really good and the service inside and outside is well worth the trip. Entertainment every day

Family friendly and such an accommodating staff! Lake views with an amazing atmosphere! Live music more often times than not! Highly recommended! read more

They have the best wings in the Villages!!! Taylor is a wonderful and attentive bartender!!! Kennedy is a great manager and always takes care of any issues. great place to go! read more

Wow! Fresh, hot and FLAVORFUL food. Had the okochobe chicken dish. The chicken had mushrooms, bacon and topped with honey mustard sauce. Tender and flavorful. I had the New England clam chowder... OMG! Real soft clams in a not overly starchy sauce but the flavor is star of the show. The main course was the seafood platter. The fish was hot and flaky, the scallops and shrimp were cooked to perfection. All three were flavorful and so tasty I almost inhaled them. Sooo content and full. If you LOVE good food, you owe it to yourself to try this place! read more

The water view in The Villages Square, Sumter landing is what's best about this place. Typical bar burger joint, friendly staff, decent priced specials and loaded cocktails. We had calamari which were actually delicious not a rubber band in your mouth, and burgers. read more

I just moved to The Villages last month and my dad and I decided to eat at RJ Gators as it seemed like a fun place for dinner. We got 2 seats at the bar right away. My dad and I both had sliders and fries from the bar menu. They came out quickly and tasted great. My dad had a few beers which were also good. My waitress was Lindsey and also behind the bar was Kennedy. They were both so hard-working and friendly. Little did I know that Kennedy is the owner of the restaurant. You can tell by the way she works, treats all customers , and employees how much she cares about the restaurant. I'm definitely going there again soon as it was a place that feels like home. read more

This is my third visit to RJ gators, as usual the food is very good. We started with the fried pickles as an appetizer, they were yummy and there were plenty of them. Both my Friend and I ordered pot pie, Great crust, filled with vegetables and big chunks of chicken, there was enough l leftover that we each had some the next day for lunch. On both of my prior visits, I had found the staff to be very friendly, had great service, and we expected the same on this night however, that was not the case. It was shortly before 6 o'clock when we arrived and found two seats at the outside bar. The young man who was bartending, proceeded to tell us that they were closing the bar and would not be serving any food there so we would have to to go inside to eat. We were surprised as it was early. It was not raining nor was rain expected. Nevertheless, we went inside and were seated. When Nina our waitress arrived, she cheerfully asked us how our night was going. We said it was going great, but it would be going even better if we could've sat at the bar as we enjoy visiting with people sitting next to us. She then asked us why we weren't sitting at the bar, we explained that the bartender had told us that we could not order food there. She said that that's not true. Let me go talk to the manager. She then came back and said no they are not closing the bar and we promptly found our seats again. we were both excited to be able to sit out at the bar again. Unfortunately the bartender was not thrilled to see us return. He avoided eye contact talking to everyone else serving drinks, etc. This went on long enough that I thought perhaps we had made a mistake by returning to the bar and needed to go back in to eat. Finally asked us what we wanted to drink, and we ordered our food. The food arrived promptly, was piping hot, and as I stated before,, was excellent. I'm glad that I had been there twice before and knew that this was an exception. We will return to RJ gators and hopefully experience the exceptional service that we have experienced in the past. kudos to Nina for taking care of us,, we so appreciated her. I'm sure on our next visit, they will earn a four or five star, as their food is very good. read more

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Amazing staff and food!! Shrimp and grits are soo good paired with a nice refreshing mojito!

2.5 A Denny's of bars. Basic bar with average food. Not a diverse liquor bar. Rums were a big disappointment, but that is happening everywhere, I guess. Average (small) shrimp and crab mix for an appetizer. The A/C worked. Service was meh with a waitress changing her hair style in the corner. That was interesting. read more

We were at the villages with our friends. They were showing surround different squares, came here during the festival. Decided to try RJs out for dinner. It was very busy at the outside seating, but it was nice sitting by the water. Service was good for as busy as it was. Food was decent not spectacular seafood but not bad. Overall, a good place to eat in the villages at the Square. read more

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The ambience is great, right on the lake. Live music is outside which is nice. The burger was only ok, and the fries were not done. The lobster Mac and cheese, and shepherd's Pie was a hit. The wait staff were friendly, but service was slow! read more

R J Gator'S - View from deck dining - Seafood Near Me - The Villages, Florida

Menu was small. Burger was slightly undercooked but tasted good. Shrimp was tasty. Taco bowl had no bowl had no meat which we thought was odd. Service was good. Place was very clean. read more

Food was good. Service was awful. Over 2 hours for a bar meal. Ridiculous! Never again!! I'd rather starve read more

My wife and me we went there today September 4th, and the attendant leaves us waiting more then 20 minutes, the table behind me had a few people arrived after me and she goes that first and one more time she ignored us, and we leave the place to cross the street and we enjoy the day spent a lot money, big tip for attendant at the Red sauce restaurant. The gators attendant need to be more professional and learn not to discriminate immigrants, money is not problem for us, thank you all! read more

R J Gator'S - Seafood Near Me - The Villages, Florida

OMG, Amazing Day & Great service from AK, Kayla & Z!!!!! Entertainment every day!!! Great prices on food & bev.

Great service from AK, Kayla and Z thanks for all you guys do every week we are here love the vibe on Saturday!!!

Kayla, AK and Z are the best bartenders in the villages! Love it here so much fun and relaxing

Bar staff is very friendly, service is quick. The menu is varied, something for everyone, and the food is very good! Fun atmosphere both inside and outside! read more

Come for the food stay for the service. Faith was our server today and made our entire experience amazing. Service worthy of sharing with friends and neighbors Delicious burger today and enough televisions to satisfy the sports addiction. Ambiance is perfect Thank you RJ Gators read more

I visit friends twice a year and at least once a visit i go here and because of the view on the water. Every time the service is completely brutal . read more

Lobster Mac and chicken sandwich get a 5 view 5. Service only gets a 1 Felt like they forgot us. Very inattentive Chili came with sandwich rather than in advance after very very long wait Server never asked if we needed anything. Waited forever for check when clearly finished If view of water not nice we would have been upset read more

Food is good and reasonably priced. Service sometimes slow. Outside porch is fun and the view good plus music if you're lucky. Ice cream next door doesn't hurt also read more

Good food, good server, and a reasonable bill. We sat outside and except for some little black flies, it was quite pleasant. There were nine of us and we had a good visit together! Only 4 stars because of the flies, not really their fault! read more

A nice location. Waterfront restaurant very pleasant location, however our server was not very friendly. It border more to rude. We just had some drinks and the mixed drinks were not good at all. read more

We were in for a lifestyle visit and decided to check out all the town squares, saw this place over looking the lake. We lucked up and found a table outside which was very busy. We didn't have to wait hardly at all for a server and our drinks came out a lot quicker than we expected. They had live entertainment, and it was great! We were staying close to Eastport but made our way back to Lake Sumter just for RJ's three times. Made friends, got a gator card, and bought a house! Love this place! read more

Great place for lunch! This restaurant was recommended by a good friend. Good food, good music and not overly loud read more

I recently visited Gator Restaurant and unfortunately had a disappointing experience. The service was very poor from the moment we arrived. It took a long time before anyone even acknowledged us, and when we were finally helped, the staff seemed uninterested and inattentive. Our server rarely checked on our table, and we had to wait much longer than expected for both our drinks and food. When the food did arrive, there was little communication or friendliness from the staff. It felt like customer service was not a priority during our visit. A restaurant experience is not just about the food--it's also about how customers are treated. Sadly, the lack of attentiveness and poor service made the visit frustrating. I hope the management takes steps to improve the service so future guests have a better experience read more

We decided to eat outside since it was a nice evening. I believe our server's name was Dana. She was friendly and the sole outside server besides the bartenders. Despite this, Dana moved quickly & did a great job taking beverage & food orders. Our fried mushroom appetizer was brought out promptly and was tasty. However, it took over an hour to get our meals consisting of a black & blue burger with fries & Shepard's pie. The food was ok. The music outside was too loud competing against the square's band & the football playoffs. It became annoying when the music at the restaurant changed to Rap at around 5pm. (?!) Just not my cup of tea. read more

My 1st impression of RJ's is that it strikes me as a typical family oriented tourist type restaurant. They aren't pretending to be anything fancy but offer a fairly comprehensive menu with various burgers, sandwiches, tacos, salads, soups & apps. My wife and I went in with some friends from The Villages for drinks & and app. The drinks were fine and our fried green beans were ok..nothing special, actually what I expected. The atmosphere is comfortable and entertaining. The bartender was friendly and prompt. Although we didn't get anything beyond our app for food, the burgers looked really good coming out of the kitchen. Prices also seem reasonable at RJ's. They had some live music at the outside bar area and he was awesome. The place was busy but not packed. Really not surprised at the range of other Yelp reviews for RJ's: 0 if I could give zero to 5! I'm not saying that the reviews on the low end of the scale were not legit but you also have to look at the good reviews also..trying to maintain a consistent high quality work staff now a days is quite difficult. We had a good experience! read more

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From walking in the door until exiting, service food and atmosphere (except for those NE fans) was GREAT. Second time in the area, and find it real hard to "try somewhere else", when you've found "THE BEST" there is no other. Thank you for a great day. Thanks Greg R read more

R J Gator'S - Time/Date - Seafood Near Me - The Villages, Florida

Great atmosphere music, on the water in Lake Sumter the bartenders are very attentive and do a great job even when there's a full house and overwhelmed. Love this place. read more

My husband & I enjoy the food, drinks, wait staff & entertainment at the outside bar. There are several umbrella covered tables to enjoy the music on a breezy day & the beautiful lake view. Shout out to all the fun, hard working staff who keep us coming back with a welcome greeting & terrific service. Thank you AK, Lily, Kayla, Sienna, Ron & Z, you're the best! And of course the delicious food prepared by the chefs & kitchen staff, thanks! read more

We went to Cody's restaurant in the villages that was a half an hour. we decided to try RJ Gators. when we came in, I said oh my gosh look at all the empty seats. After our dinner, I said well now I know why there were so many NPC I'm from New Jersey and there when they order wings we get a man but here I got these cute little baby wings. They were pretty cute. my wife and two other friends did not enjoy their meal either. So that in mind, I will wait a half hour for Covid and not be returning to this restaurant. read more

We were overcharged for a chicken sandwich. We asked for the perfect burger but with chicken. Instead of explaining we would be charged $3 to substitute chicken PLUS being charged for cheese and bacon, the manager was rude, nasty and condescending. The place is adequate at best but WOW. WE WILL NEVER BE BACK. STAY AWAY. read more

Took my granddaughters there during their visit with me. They enjoyed their meals and the ambience.

Don't expect too much and you won't be disappointed - standard deep fried bar food - nothing out of the ordinary or special.

The service was outstanding and our host Brianna was amazing. Food was outstanding. Would definitely recommend any one to enjoy a meal here?

okay for what it is, iow, it's not pretentious, it's not a Michelin-starred 20-course tasting menu. it's a lot of fried food, burgers, wings and such but the setting is nice by the lake and we had great service. I see a lot of complaints here on Yelp and we heard one guy loudly complaining they had been waiting a long time at the table and no servers showed up, but that wasn't our experience. actually, considering how annoying we probably were to the waiter, he was awesome: friendly, helpful and courteous, even through 2 couples split an entree and not of of the 5 of us ordered a drink. poor guy. I made sure to pay the tab so I could leave a good tip. I knew my guests would have been cheap haha I'd definitely return, and since my mom lives here, I'm back in the Villages a few times a year read more

First off, when my dad and I entered into the building, we were very warmly greeted by a young lady wearing braces, and she was so friendly and all smiles. I asked her if we can sit outside, and she went to go check to see if there were any clean tables, and there weren't at the time. So, she said it would be about a 5-10 minute wait. I told her it would be fine. After about 5-7 minutes we were alerted our table was ready. This poor girl was swamped with people wanting a seat by the time we approached her, but we waited patiently for her to acknowledge us standing there. She eventually saw us, and quickly went to wipe down our table for us. Such a nice girl. Second, we were seated and were promptly approached by the server (Julio), and he was super friendly as well. We ordered our drinks, and the food came later. We ordered a pick 2, and I got the clam chowder, and 1/2 a quesadilla. My dad ordered the shepherds pie. We both equally loved both of our meals. I couldn't eat the whole thing, but it was absolutely delicious. Lastly, when were leaving, the server spoke to us for awhile about fishing. Every single thing about this place was delightful. The weather was perfect, the girl in the front was friendly and such a hard working girl, and the server was great. I will also mention the cook was great, too! Perfection! read more

I am very surprised by the low rating because the service and food was great. Very responsive with drinks. We offered a lot of naked wings and they were great. Our table was along the wall with beautiful view of the lake with live music playing. Couldn't be any better. read more