We went hiking at rainbow springs and came to get a late lunch. Ashley was so fun and made our experience amazing even though her shift was about to end. We got rum Runners and my son got a banana smoothie with real bananas in it; he loved it. He really enjoyed the chicken fingers with honey mustard and fries. Hubby and I loved the gator bites as an app, and LOVED the blackened fish tacos. Omgg they were so good and fresh!!!! Ashley brought us water and lettuce for our bearded dragon and a shot for my husband for his bday. We would 10000% return! read more

See all

Drove by this place many times when traveling to Gainesville, finally made a stop to try and it did not disappoint! Food price was reasonable and the volume was generous. Started with the gator bite that was meaty and not gamey, one of the best tasting gators I've had in Florida. We then tried the frog legs and fish tacos, both were portioned generously with lots of meat. The live music added a nice touch to the vibe of a dockside experience on a Saturday night. Don't expect anything fancy, you may be sharing your meal with a few harmless spiders on the ceiling but they are there to catch the bugs. Wait staff were super friendly and quick to serve. If you are traveling through or in town for rainbow river excursions, I recommend the spot! read more

See all

"Better than Swampy's...I guess" Quick service, fun atmosphere, wide variety of options on the menu...though the chicken tenders were extremely bland and failed to meet the requirements for good chicken tenders (good chicken tenders don't NEED sauce to taste good), everything else, from gator bites to calamari, was quite nice read more

My wife and I live two miles from the Gator and consider it our go to for some of the best steamed shrimp in the area!

Cute tiki bar restaurant on the water. We just happened to see it on our way to Lakeland. So glad we stopped. They have good food, friendly staff and nice views. I loved the fish tacos. read more

See all

Service was great. Brook took good care of us. Food: 1. They have Diet Coke! 2. Chowder was creamy with a hint of spice. Tasty, recommended. 3 The 1 lb shrimp totally worth it. Stole a hush puppie from my wife and drenched it in the liquid butter. (Highly recommended). Fish tacos had a good taste and was a huge order. Tortillas were thick and didn't break in the middle. Tots were crispy and worth ordering. Park across the street and use the crosswalk if lot is full. read more

See all

Cheap beer and great food! Outside seating that's dog friendly and looks over the water ! Service was a little slow but that's just because it was busy, the staff was all super friendly and even brought a dog bowl out for the pup. Live music on a Sunday afternoon was a nice touch. Great spot overall. read more

See all

Came back here today as we called ahead and they said there was no wait. Couldn't get parking there but a nice gentleman came out to tell us we could park across the street at the city hall. After parking we waited to get seated and I asked politely if we could sit at one of the tables and was told after it's cleaned. We waiting for quite a while and never got seated, never got approached and I always come here when visiting my parents. Extremely disappointed. read more

Great place on the water, the outside had live music and a great atmosphere, the wait staff was quick and kind. We had the grouper basket and it was so much food! 7 strips of grouper that felt like it was at least 2 filets for $18. The fish was perfectly fried and fresh, the tots were crispy and seasoned great! read more

The service was fantastic. We sat inside and it was quiet and comfortable. We ordered the Bang Bang shrimp as an appetizer and it was delicious. My husband ordered the grouper dinner and I had wings. Everything was very good. read more

The Blue Gator - The Blue gator - Seafood Near Me - Dunnellon, Florida

See all

Our server, Angela was the best part of the visit. She was very personable, and made the entire visit an experience. Whoever hired her struck gold! Regarding other aspects of the business, the ambience was laid-back. I can't speak for the food, but the drinks were pretty good and we ordered a few rounds. read more

This place is a hidden gem. We had the best server. She kept the refills coming and checked on us frequently. We sat outside overlooking the river, it was shady and so relaxing despite the 90+ degrees outside. There's a bar outside and also inside A/C seating but I didn't check it out. A full bar selection as well as many food options. I got a 10-piece shrimp basket with tots and everything was so good! The slaw and hush puppies were fantastic and there was more food than I could eat. Prices were reasonable. Parking lot is not very big so that's a potential issue. read more

See all

Open on a Holiday! Amazing service!! Many great choices. Best hush puppies (yum!) Very decent prices Large portion (I had the 4 fish tacos (amazing) only down side was the soft shells began a collapse during the consumption process). I also really liked the slaw. read more

See all

Eh. There isn't much to do in this area and I was psyched to check out a tiki bar. Parking sucked. I had to park on the other side of a busy state road and walk. It appears a group of old folks all showed up at once and hogged the parking lot. The crowd here is definitely older. The drinks are meh and the vibe is ok. I thought it was going to be more water themed, but it is what it is. read more

Great food and drinks awesome location on the water. Great menu , great variety ,always great service. Never disappoints read more

The Blue Gator - Lunch Outside deck on the water - Seafood Near Me - Dunnellon, Florida

3.5 stars seems about right for the blue gator. The location is next to a boat launch but also a freeway, so it's not a scenic as you might expect. They have a huge outdoor seating area with a covered porch and fans which keep the temperature comfortable even on hot days. Our server was friendly and attentive. It took a while for our food to come out and none of us were very impressed with the flavors. My favorite part was all the art, there's an incredible carved statue of an alligator made out of an old tree sticking up through the deck area, plus lots of old drink advertisements. I get the sense that this is a local favorite for big groups of people to come get drinks and apps to watch a game or just spend time together. read more

The food you got a lot of it and it was delicious! ! The service not so great but we didn't realize that we had the bartender as our server so the poor lady was taking care of everything, but she was very attentive and came back and very friendly and we really enjoyed it and I would definitely go again read more

Food was great and we just walked right in to get sat. Took about 20-30 mins but didn't feel too long. Waiter was nice and checked back when needed, but had to ask her for a refill on drinks once or twice. The shrimp po'boy was good but I had to take the shrimp tails off(not a big deal just a personal preference). I also had to add mayo since the sandwich seemed a little dry. There were fans outside to combat the heat, and wasn't too busy. We sat facing the water which was nice. Would go back to eat or sit for a drink. read more

The Blue Gator - Shrimp Po'boy - Seafood Near Me - Dunnellon, Florida

We stopped here for a bite and drinks after kayaking on the Rainbow River. It's a very cool little outside area with a bar. There's inside too but we like the outdoor tiki area because we had our dog and she could be with us out there. Everyone loved on her as they walked by and she got lots of attention. We ordered clam chowder, the Reuben sandwich and fish plate. Both were decent. Cute little place! read more

The Blue Gator - Clam chowder - Seafood Near Me - Dunnellon, Florida

See all

Food was awesome and hot and fresh. The flavors of the shrimp and grouper combined with the sauces were delicious to the taste. Service was attentive and friendly. Quick order with drinks and food. Over looking the water outside with the fresh Florida air makes this a perfect vibe. read more

Service was absolutely kind. We didn't love one the items we ordered, and they were kind and understanding (no fault to them at all just simply wasn't our best choice). The rest of the food was amazing. Drinks were great. Atmosphere is awesome. We came out on a nice day, and had a really nice time here!!! We'll be back. read more

If you want to go to a place after going to tubing down rainbow river that is over priced and you would find better food up the street at sonic, then this is the place for you. The gator was very chewy, the fish was so small. I left hungry because the portion sizes are so small. I feel like I wasted my money, the food wasn't good besides from the hush puppies and the fried shrimp. Wouldn't recommend to anyone. Also waited 20 minutes for my check. read more

The Blue Gator - Menu - Seafood Near Me - Dunnellon, Florida

See all

Went on a Saturday mid-afternoon and it was still pretty busy; took 45mins to an hour to finally get our food: gumbo, kids grilled cheese sandwhich, 1/2 lb peel & eat shrimp, & fried calamari. Nice view of river & dock: it's better if you actually go down & walk along the boat rental dock. I fed the fish my bread crumbs & crackers, and saw 3 large bass!!! Food was good. My Mom wasn't impressed with the gumbo, but the peel & eat shrimp are excellent & well-spiced! read more

See all

I went on Wednesday night and I ate the blackened fish taco meal. They were very tasty and a healthy portion size. I also had a few Heineken, which were cold and tasty too. The server was very attentive. Evidently, it was Karaoke night, which I found very entertaining. Some of the locals came out to 'howl at the moon'. Good times. read more

Terrible. Terrible. Terrible! Place is 20% full. Took 18 minutes to get a waitress and 10 more minutes to take order. Waited 35 minutes for mediocre food. Stay away! read more

The food tasted okay. We had the shrimp tacos and seafood platter. The major disappointment was the bread tie in my shrimp tacos, but don't worry we didn't choke!! Don't go! Listen to the reviews. The management was not present (major disappointment). Call the health department! read more

The steamed shrimp were really good! I just got a half pound but could have eaten a pound. They were that delicious with the drawn butter.

We had an extremely disappointing experience at The Blue Alligator on Sunday, August 3rd -- one that I wouldn't wish on anyone hoping for a relaxing night out. Shockingly, we've had better. Better in the way that we suggested the Blue Alligator before but not anymore more. From the moment we sat down, things went downhill. The waitress immediately informed us that hamburgers and sweet potato fries were unavailable, limiting our menu options. We ordered drinks and appetizers, but then waited over 2.5 hours for food that never fully arrived. One person at our table received their meal -- the rest of us received nothing. Our server repeatedly came by to offer excuses, claiming a large party inside was causing delays. While we tried to be understanding, the experience became more frustrating by the minute. The margaritas we ordered were so weak they tasted like juice. Several people in our group (Heather, Sloan, and Reagan) felt there was no alcohol in them at all and asked for a shot to add just to salvage the drinks. We politely asked to speak with the manager multiple times, but he avoided our table and instead chatted and laughed with another table nearby that had a dog with them. He never approached us. Eventually, my son went inside to speak with him directly and let him know we were leaving -- we just wanted a bill for what we had actually received. That's when things got even worse. Around this time, the manager, who had just arrived, was overheard shouting to the kitchen staff and servers to "throw the f***ing food out." It's unclear if our meals were actually ready -- we never saw them. But it was deeply inappropriate for any manager to speak to their team that way, let alone in earshot of guests. Later, when I tried calling the restaurant, the same manager answered the phone and hung up on me. I called back during the day hoping to reach someone else, but it was him again -- and he stated bluntly that he's rude "if someone is rude to him." He refused to provide contact information for the owners and said he wouldn't bother them with complaints like ours. This level of unprofessionalism -- combined with the lack of food, the long wait, and the disrespectful attitude -- was unacceptable. We left hungry, frustrated, and shocked. read more

The outside music was great. The guy playing in 6-14-25 was wonderful- he made our night and we made sure to tip him well for it in the way out! Took over a for us to get our food. The food was OK. Not exactly worth the wait, but the atmosphere was great. Come early and be prepared to wait. We're from out of town with nothing else to do tonight- so no big deal for us, but if we had small kids that were hungry we would have left. read more

We ate at Blue Gator yesterday and I have to say that even though I've eaten there several times - yesterday was quite disappointing. Parking is never easy there and that's a given. I arrived with two friends who both have physical disabilities and when we drove into the parking lot my hope was the handicap spot would be available. There was not a car in the spot but there was a yellow cone. I went in and asked if I could move the cone and was told, "No, that's for the band when they arrive. They need to be close enough to unload their equipment." I have to say I was rather shocked. Apparently, the Blue Gator does not know it is illegal to block a handicap spot for the band to unload equipment. In fact, it's illegal for anyone to park in the spot if they don't have an official handicap sticker. I pulled as close as I could get to the building and unloaded my passengers and then found a spot available in the parking area. We went in and got seated and we ordered the fish tacos which are normally great! The tacos we received were good but unfortunately the wrap fell apart in my hands and I had to use a plastic fork and plastic knife to eat them. Quite disappointing again. Come on Blue Gator - you can do better! read more

Bad experience! After been waiting for one hour, no food and no explanation. We left and went to another restaurant. Very dissappointing. read more

This was our friends Bruce and Lori's first time at The Blue Gator. The four of us had lunch here today. The ambiance was perfect, of course. Outside dining on The Withlacoochee River under Florida's sunshining blue sky and a gentle breeze.....awesome. Our server Barb was the best. She gave great service with a smile. She was attentive but gave us time to relax, chat and enjoy our surroundings. Tom & I both had the 10 piece friend shrimp with sides of that creamy/tasty cole slaw and choice of potato. read more

See all

Service took longer than I would like mostly after a long day of scuba diving. The ambience was nice on the water ate outside.Unfortunately it started to rain but was quickly taking care of to move to a different table underneath the awning. After waiting almost 45 minutes for our meals, we kind of lost our appetite. We also had wings that were pretty tasty but overall it was OK definitely for a small town there's not many options and everything is usually packed. read more

The Blue Gator - Pretty tasty gumbo - Seafood Near Me - Dunnellon, Florida

We came here because Swampy's was overwhelmed. Turns out this was a much better place. Excellent customer service, good food and a laid back vibe. We will come here again. read more

Great service here especially from Angela. We are both from jersey and she made us feel right at home. The food was delicious and fair prices. Go Birds. read more

Really nice outside environment. Friendly was a little busy in the lunch and took a little longer to help us. Chowder was amazing, we prefer two. Philly cheesesteak very good. Gator bites were very greasy. read more

See all

Food - Fish & chips were absolutely fantastic! Mac & cheese was to die for. Service - Angela- personable, professional, perky & a hard worker. read more

One of two spots to eat along the Rainbow River. Outdoor seating overlooking the water with a bar. We visited after spending the morning stand up paddle boarding at KP hole, not too far away. We sat at the bar and had a great bartender who made sure we had full drinks and gave us recommendations on what to eat. I ordered a pepper Jack cheeseburger with spicy ranch, and it was a great burger! My parented got a steak sandwich and his friend a Ruben sandwich we were all very happy with our meals. The gator bites appetizer was also really good. Good laid back atmosphere, with bar eats and a few salads, would recommend if you're in the area! read more

See all

The absolute worst experience we've had at a restaurant in Florida. Arrived to a full parking lot and were told to park in the municipal parking lot across the highway, which was full of boat trailers. Once in the restaurant, we were seated abruptly, no greeting of welcome, no water or utensils on the table, the waitress (and there were many of them standing around) didn't acknowledge our presence or take our beverage order for a good 15-20 minutes despite the place not being near capacity. When she finally brought the drinks and took our meal orders, she disappeared for another 15-20 minutes before returning for refills, then disappeared again. We asked to move ourselves to another table to get out of the sun, then didn't see her for another 20 minutes. Never asked if we needed anything or kept us posted about why the long delay getting our food. Finally we had to go and find the MIA waitress and ask for something to snack on, and she brought a tiny bowl containing cellophane-wrapped soda crackers and a tiny container of ranch dressing to dip them in. Insulting! We eventually had to call over the manager, who had been standing around doing nothing the entire time, and when asked why it had so far taken an hour and 20 minutes and still no sign of our food, proceeded to deny that documented fact and said "your order was only entered 48 minutes ago!" Ten minutes later, the food began to dribble out of the kitchen. No apologies, no offers of making it better. Now for the food. I ordered a blackened bleu cheese burger, cooked medium, and received an incinerated hockey puck, dry as a stone right to the center of the patty, dressed with two rings of dry, tough red onion, a greenish tomato slice and two pickle chips, atop a puddle of glutinous white goo with a few blue cheese crumbles. Godawfulest burger I've ever had. The accompanying onion rings ($2.00 upcharge) must've been sourced from the same old dry onion, as they were tough and impossible to chew inside the beer batter coating. The other diners in our party had similarly dismal dishes serve to them after the 90-minute wait. This restaurant is abysmally mismanaged, staffed with lazy, incompetent, indifferent servers and manager, and plagued with slow, disorganized, untalented kitchen staff who obviously take no pride in their work or the quality of the ingredients in their food. Perhaps one issue is the ridiculous number of dishes on the motley menu. Or maybe it's the low morale, as evidenced by the sour pusses and detached attitudes of the waitstaff. Or possibly there's new ownership/management who have bitten off more than they can chew. At any rate, none of our party of six will ever return. read more

Always Friendly service. Dined indoors due to the weather. It is a cozy spot. Fried mushrooms with dipping sauce is our favorite app. read more

The Blue Gator - 2024 menu! Fun spot - Seafood Near Me - Dunnellon, Florida