After stumbling on this cute little restaurant on a drive, I've fallen in love with its retro southern charm and warm, home cooked meals. The staff are always personable, friendly, and attentive with their table service. The food is always tasty, warm, and reminds me of home. If you're looking for a cozy little spot to bring the family together then this is the place to be! read more

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We were seated and our server Annette came right over to ask what we wanted to drink. Immediately he ordered a hand dipped strawberry milk shake that was the best I have had in a very long time and I got a tea. We ordered our dinners, he had the broiled seafood platter and the flounder dinner I had the broiled shrimp dinner. The food was amazing, cooked to perfection and seasoned so you needed no dipping sauces. To finish off dinner we shared the homemade banana pudding and it is so very good. Everything was delicious and definitely very happy we found this place to eat. Loved all the old pictures and toys inside. read more

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Had a large group in Baker for a wedding at South Laurel Farm. Got hungry and found this little spot. They were very accommodating and kind to rearrange several tables for 18! We just ordered basics like chicken tenders, burgers and grilled cheese. Food came out hot and fresh pretty close together. Bill was under $200. Cute, local restaurant worth a stop. read more

The Gator Cafe - Gator restaurant main dining room. - Diners Near Me - Baker, Florida

I don't have anything bad to say - they're very welcoming -- didn't eat anything but walked in and checked out menu read more

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The blue plate special chicken fried steak with three sides, a roll and sweet tea was delicious. The price was an amazing $10.50. We came during lunch and it was busy. read more

The Gator Cafe - Menu page 2 as of April 2024. - Diners Near Me - Baker, Florida

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Warning - their web site is not correct for hours Sunday states open until 3pm Actual - Sunday CLOSED was looking very forward on our drive down to experience this stop only to be disappointed by an incorrect web site hours https://www.thegatorcafe.com/contact read more

Pizza sticks are 100% amazing but burger's are just ok. Service was good and nice employees. The restaurant overall was clean and the restaurant was well themed. read more

Good service. Cheap food. Its not gourmet, but the reasonable price reflects thats. If people show up with correct expectations, the experience is amazing. The burger with a chocolate malt shake is my favorite! read more

Been goin there since I can remember food is always good yes service ain't gonna always be the best but what can you expect it's a restaurant will always eat there read more

Great place to eat. Food was good and the service was great. Loved the atmosphere, and has plenty of parking area. Just an all around great place. read more

Service and food was great! I had the chicken fried steak and hubby had a burger. It was terrific!

Basic but pretty consistent. Four stars because it can be a little slow. I do recommend the milkshakes they are known for. I like mine as a malt. read more

Absolutely cute place with excellent food!!! Fish lightly breaded but crispy.. will be back for sure!

Friendly inviting, this is a good place to grab a meal on your way to or from the beach. Loved the decor and the prices. Had a burger and malt and loved them both. My friend just stared ahead, not much of a talker but the staff and crowd was friendly and fun. They have a nice meat and three selection and even vegetarian options if that is your desire. I guess they do a good breakfast, but only Monday through Saturday. Perhaps next time? Back to my lunch. The fries were good, the malted milkshake was generous but the burger was over cooked and dry. While our server was friendly and responsive, didn't plan on lunch to take nearly an hour. G liked her chicken sandwich, so maybe I just chose poorly. Bottom Line: Sort of a mixed bag - wanted to like this place more - and maybe that second chance would elevate my opinion. read more

The Gator Cafe - In contemplation - Diners Near Me - Baker, Florida

We had high hopes seeing this cute local diner , but all of our food was frozen and extremely bland. Service was good, but the food was horrible! We will not be going back! I really wanted to like this place, but it needs a food makeover first. read more

These prices cannot be beat. The servers are also wonderful and it has such a homey feel

My wife is ready to go. Our food has not arrived yet. It has been 30 minutes so far since we ordered. Waitress just came by and said, It's almost ready, Y'all. I hope it is goooood. I always start my reviews at 5 stars, so far it has gone down to 4. Hopefully, we walk out of here barefoot because the food knocked our socks off. Let's see. Food arrived in about 35 mins. My wife and I shared a broiled shrimp (very small, over cooked and lacked seasoning) and flounder (okay seasoning) dinner with Cole slaw (mediocre), french fries (very crispy like I asked for, highlight of the meal) and fried okra with no seasoning. Our server, Beth was very good and prevented this score from falling further. Unfortunately, the picture of our meal didn't make it on this review. We don't plan on visiting again on our way back home next week. read more

Loved this place! It was like stepping into a 1950's cafe, and the prices are hands down best I've seen in two decades at a restaurant. And of course, the food was amazing, the patty melt was just what I needed after hiking at Conecuh. Will have to come back, if you're coming from Alabama side the turn is easy to miss so slow down near the restaurant so you don't have to u-turn! read more

Such a secret, hidden, amazing little gem!! We recently moved to the area and decided to try this "mom & pop" restaurant down the street from us. So glad we did! Friendly service-we were greeted instantly and seated with no wait, it has more seating than you expect. They have a great selection of "meat & three-blue plate style" items such as, chicken fried steak, and chopped sirloin steak either with white or brown gravy! They have the best fried okra-never had any with spines! Always fresh! Their salad are simple but yet crunchy and crisp, not to mention the homemade buttermilk ranch dressing!! The decor is nostalgic 50's dinner with paintings of James Dean and Sandy type characters as if they're sitting in the booth with you! The ceiling's are high and tin roof that give a feeling of spaciousness! Highly Recommend!! read more

Great food, steak was amazing and the milk shake was my dessert. Will definitely go back!

Solid little roadside diner. BLT was loaded with bacon. Gator cafe provided us a needed rest and food break on our way to the coast. Friendly Server too! Thanks read more

We ate here for the first time recently and found the food to be very tasty! And the prices were very reasonable. We will definitely be back!! read more

Had an awesome meal here. Service was slow, however they were packed and I think there was only one waitress. The food was fresh the bathrooms were clean. The small town atmosphere was a nice change. Local knowledge will require you to ask for today's special. Call for hours as they are not traditional. read more

The Gator Cafe - Club 3 meats - Diners Near Me - Baker, Florida

Down-to-earth throwback (to favored times for people lost in the '50s) with excellent, friendly service and darn good food! Yep, that about sums up the Gator Cafe. Eclectically decorated with odd and ends of antiques and oddities (the life-size people 'stand-ups' (or sit downs in at least one case at our table - a James Dean look-a-little-alike). Service was as friendly and accommodating as you could imagine. I just wanted a sandwich, preferably a piece of flounder...but that was just on the dinner menu as a platter. No Problem," just let me check with the cook, since it's on the dinner menu." Sure enough out came a beautiful flounder filet (large one at that) on a bun, crispy and tender. The side of fries was a really nice size...not a giant pile like you get in so many places. The homemade vegetable soup was just like grandma used to make; not just a figure of speech, it really was rich and hearty, filled with tender beef, chunks of potato, green beans, carrots, tomatoes, and corn. Jus' step aside Campbell's there's real cook in the house. Fried shrimp were 'butterflied', crispy and tender. Baked potato (actually steamed in foil) was good. Hush puppies ok...but slightly off in flavor with a hint of catfish...probably fried in the fish fryer. (No biggie.) Will plan to stop back for breakfast and one of their shakes (that was one of the things that had been recommended by several friends....but we simply didn't have room to fit that and dessert in.) As the saying goes....stay tuned. read more

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our meal was delicious, the service was great. today is our third visit and we have never had a bad meal. personally i would recommend Gator Cafe. read more

Occasion: lunch stop on the way to Destin. Overall: good quality food with low price; clean restaurant with okay service (can't tell what was exactly not right but just felt servers are a bit cold - didn't talk much but still delivered everything). We ordered: - malt chocolate drink: delicious and also very sweet. Server brought a full glass of milk shake together with the shaker container which had additional milk shake in it (guess they made too much). Nice! - grilled fish (tilapia) lunch: fish was delicious and fresh! It came with three sides! Corn bread looked like a corn pancake (very different from other corn bread I had). Rice with gravy wasn't good. Rice was a bit too hard for me. Coleslaw was delicious with just the right balance of sugar and vinaigrette. - fried fish lunch: it also came with thee sides. I personally prefer the grilled fish. - tuna salad: it's actually grilled tuna on salad. Tuna was a bit tough but you can't expect sushi quality for less than $7. - fried chicken salad: good portion and fresh salad. Good lunch overall with great value. Three star because of the hard rice and so so service. read more

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This place is amazing. Service is fast, friendly, southern... the atmosphere is so much fun. Grits were perfect, coffee was hot and real good. Eggs were perfect. Awesome experience. read more

The Gator Cafe - the interior of the restaurant - Diners Near Me - Baker, Florida

They have a great sandwich's & milkshakes. I have had many some to my house to work on it & I have told them to go get them a burger & milkshake. Wish there was more restaurants in baker but they always hit the spot read more

...really, really, really good chocolate malts ;) Modestly priced nice meals; among Fried Catfish, Pork Chops & Burgers... read more

What a terrible experience. The staff was not knowledgeable of the menu, nor did they make an effort to find answers to my questions about the menu items. I asked for a burger that was medium in temperature and they brought me a burnt hockey puck. My girlfriend got a chicken breast sandwich and the pickle was literally thicker than the chicken breast. I will never return and suggest others to not waste their time or money. Find another place to get better food and service. read more

We stopped on our way home fro Destin. We ordered the special hamburger steak. It comes with three sides. Lunch for two with tax 17.95 you could probably share one meal the portions are large. Home cooking style and delicious. Favorite was the sweet potatoes casserole. The corn bread was good too. The waitress was a little scattered but you can forgive mediocre service when your food is great. read more

I'll start with the good. The food was decent. Certainly not the best or anything like that but for a burger and fries they were good and I would eat it again. The ranch was very good. Service was friendly, helpful and quick. The bad. The booths were disgusting. Sticky. One side was wet! With what I do not know. I honestly questioned if they had truly been cleaned in the last 10 years. Same with the table top. The covering was coming off and so gross in places. I mean cmon. People come here to eat. Cleanliness needs to be improved. There were multiple flies bothering us. I think some investment in the tables and booths would greatly improve the place. We won't be back to dine in but may consider take out. read more

We can't comment on the quality of the food but I would say this restaurant is not recommended for a group larger than what the host can count. We went here with three adults and four children and were asked about five times how many were in our group. Then we were essentially ignored until we left. read more

Food is okay and service is slow. I expect this from a small town diner. Their Milkshakes are good and make up for the food.

The food is amazing and the staff are very friendly. This has been one of my favorite locals spots for years.

We were headed home fromDestin with a screaming toddler so we stopped here because I couldn't function anymore. I was skeptical, but the service was good and the food came out quickly. My youngest had the chicken fingers and inhaled them. She said she wished all chicken fingers were that good. My husband and I had the fried fish. It was really good. I just wish there was more. My husband loved the hoe cake that came with the meal. It wasn't anything too special, but it was good. Oh and the fried okra and fried squash was on point. read more

Between the extremely slow service and the lack of overall cleanliness of the place, I'd say it's a three and half star rating, with potential of being a five if they address those two issues. We were in need of lunch on our way out of Florida... (insert sad face) when we noticed this place. The parking lot was packed, so we figured that the place was a hit among the locals. There were a few tables of large groups, but we were able to score a booth right away, with no wait. The holey picnic table cloth was the first thing that I noticed that were less than clean... I mean, a five dollar table cloth isn't that hard to keep presentable or replaced. There was also mildew or mold between the table and the window... the place could use some attention. If that kind of thing bothers you, you may want to skip this place. The items on the menu were dirt cheap. The Blue Plate special, which is what my husband got included a tea, meat option, three vegetables and corn bread for $7.95. Most of the vegetable options were fried, so I opted for the club sandwich, since the picture listed of it on Yelp looked good. Score. Both of our meals were a hit. Check out the photo of my husband's meal, a heart attack waiting to happen. He better never make fun of me ordering or eating fried food again. I think there were only two waitress in the place. Our food took awhile and I had to ask for a refill and our bill. I don't think the waitress was careless though, I just think that she had too many tables to attend to. I'd stop again... hopefully they will address the two issues that I had with the place. read more

The Gator Cafe - Blue Plate special... The meat choice was chicken strips and it comes with corn bread and 3 sides! Not featured are the mashed potatoes. - Diners Near Me - Baker, Florida

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There weren't many options when we pulled into town for a wedding so we quickly settled on the Gator Cafe. That was a solid decision. Not only were the portions plentiful, but they were tasty and quite reasonably priced. We would definitely eat here again if we visited the blazing metropolis of Baker. read more

Long story short: stop in if you're a fan of Southern-fried comfort food served with small-town charm. We always pass this place on our commute between Florida and Alabama, and today I finally stopped in to check it out. The Gator Cafe didn't disappoint! My drink order was taken literally seconds after I sat down, and my entire meal was out, piping hot, less than 10 minutes later. The service was excellent, and even though the fried okra and creamed potatoes were clearly frozen and instant, (respectively,) the field peas were fresh and delicious... and merciful heavens...the FRIED CHICKEN!!! I've never had better in all my life, and I've eaten a LOT of fried chicken. I was so glad I took the advice my waitress offered. If you "ain't from around these parts," be prepared for a few curious stares. (Indeed, my elderly neighbor at the next table eyeballed me during the entire duration of my meal.) The staff know the customers by name in this cozy, 20-table cafe. read more

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Used to be great, service used to exhibit Southern hospitality. It's a place I used to enjoy as a kid. Now, I have a daughter with food allergies and was told by the server she was too busy to check if a menu item had dairy or eggs. As a result, my daughter wasn't able to have lunch here and share a fond memory. And, memory is all this place will be now. read more