Gator’s Dockside

Don’t get the Mahi Mahi tacos.
While the idea seems delicious and healthy, these tacos are covered in a very heavy mayo slaw, that definitely made the tacos less delicious and less healthy. Perhaps if I return, I will order something else and update this review.
But it’s a great place to catch a game. So many TVs everywhere (and cheap beer).

6 out of 7 times, I order the Winger Wrap. The menu says upon request tomatoes, pickles and onions. They have left them out when I ask for them.
Not kidding 6 out of 7.

This was the first time I’d ever been there me n my husband got fried gator tails for an appetizer they were not good. No flavor very tough and chewy breading kept falling off and they looked boiled. For an entrée My husband got the Mac and cheese burger it was very dry and had no flavor as well. I got the Alfredo with shrimp it had tomatoes and green onions in it, it was ok but it was missing a good amount of salt, & there were so many shrimps in it. Take into account that I LOVE seafood but this was just to much! In conclusion the reason I gave this place 2 stars instead of 1 is because I kinda liked my food.

Enjoyed all the TVs and watching the NBA playoffs. Can’t say enough about our great waitress and the food as you could see was excellent. 0Great shrimp and grits and mahi dinner with super waitress
Taylor

I been here thousands of time. I usually walk over. I am surprised I haven’t done a review for this place.
The service is usually great.
The wings are amazing, I would recommend mixing lemon pepper with hot.
The beer selection isn’t bad, they have quite a few variety on tab.
Monday — all you can eat wings 12bucks
Tuesday — 2 for 1
Wednesday — all you can eat boneless wings with fries 11 bucks
P. S. Participate in the points system at gators. I usually get free wingers, drink specials, and money towards whatever.

Once again had a great meal… You can’t beat the $ 12.95 Sirloin Steak… Delicious! The Ahi Tuna appetizer was awesome! Our server Courtney did an exceptional job taking care of us, and thanks to Megan the manager for coming over to say hi. Great Food… Great Service… Highly Recommend!

The bar here is amazing. My wife and I come here all the time and each time Lacy the bartender remembers us and our drink order (I swear we don’t come here often enough for the to be taken for granted). She seems to know everyone and makes everyone feel like a friend. Our food always comes out quickly and is delicious. Get the gator tail and sweet Thai chili wings!

We have come to gators dockside plenty of times. We particularly love the baldwin park location because of scenery and on a date night it’s great to be able to walk around the lake. Tonight we came in to prepare to go see a movie. We have two bartenders one male one female. The female didnt start taking care of us. We asked for a beer from another employee because she never greated us, then when we were ready for an appetizer we had to flag her down and ask her if we could order and app. She says sure. We ask for sauce on the side and that is the only contact had with her. We had not been talked to her again
. If it wasn’t for the male bartender John we would have left. My spouse being the manager of a restaurant and myself working a server and bartender position. My dive bar gives better service then the bartender I encountered tonight. Bartenders should be more then just talking to people because your a girl and think your getting tipped because your cute. Give good service and I would’ve tipped the whole tab or more. It wouldn’t be our first time doing so. It’s not the company’s fault, but maybe keep a closer eye on who you employ. It could make or brake your business (or location). Love Gators we will continue to come back. Tonight was a disappointment

I frequently go to this location since I live close by, and it is the only bar/​restaurant that our kids enjoy themselves too. The food is ok, and so is the service. The main reasons why we go to Gators Dockside is the arcade, and often they will do the elementary school fundraisers, so we go to support the school. The kids always enjoy themselves here, the play in the arcade games and keep themselves very entertained. We always order a pitcher to share amongst friends and the lake view is good too. You never know what kind of service you will get, I guess it all depends on the waitresses mood… The outdoors area is nice, it’s is airy and you can choose to sit on the bar inside or out, since thy have the bar top on either side.
The desserts are ok too. I don’t go here for the food or service, I do because we can relax and the kids have fun at the same time!

Great sports atmosphere in an amazing lakeside location in the heart of Baldwin Park. I ate the gator tail, and it was pretty darn good! I’d deem this «upscale bar food» which isn’t my fave cuisine, but it was good and I’d certainly recommend to any sports buff that’s into burgers and such.
I did see a Mac and cheese burger on the menu, which I will definitely tackle on my next visit!

Nothing really memorable about this place. I guess a good place to take kids, as there were many present.
The servers will not offer the specials, so make sure you ask… I noticed the table next to us ordering a wing special right after I placed my order for wings… only to find out I would have preferred that wings special, which I obviously knew nothing about.
When I could finally flag down my server to ask about it, she said «sorry I didn’t know you wanted the wing special»…unfortunately it was too late for her to change my order… really? Also waited way too long with an empty glass in front of me… I got out of there as quickly as possible.

Waitress wasn’t the best. BBQ chicken salad was really good… a little smaller than most places.

I love going to Gators with my friends and family but this location is by far the worst I’ve ever been to.
The service is horrible, tables remain filthy for 45minutes after parties have left, the managers stand around doing nothing, the food comes out cold and even the beer mugs came out dirty.
I will Not be returning and I do not recommend this Gators location to anyone. Sorry, not sorry.

This Gators dockside has the benefit of being in the nice area of Baldwin Park, with that, you have the benefit of viewing Lake Baldwin. This location also has an outside patio that is screened in and also out in the open. This location is also bigger than other locations so despite the parking being difficult, there is plenty of seating room. (Even on all you can eat wings night on Monday)
This location also has curbside takeout where someone will bring your order out to you, and this location also delivers, but I think to only Baldwin Park residents. This location also has exclusive desserts of fried Oreos and S’mores in a jar.

Came here a couple weeks for drinks and to watch a fight… the place was packed which I had expected, went to the outdoor bar and me and my friends were able to watch the fight and enjoy some drinks in a very comfortable environment.
They have lots of TVs, loved the bar it was big and had outdoor and indoor seating. Will definitely go back to this place… maybe next time I can try their food

I have been to this establishment more than enough times and my review is based on multiple observations. I hoping that management will seriously consider executing my suggestions into their staff training!
The first thing is the bar almost always had dirty areas where it was not cleared off and cleaned property. The last time I was there the bar was half empty and the majority of the bar was not cleared off! I had to push away the dishes and food debris off to the side and wipe it with napkins just to rest my hands on the bar! It took at least 5 – 10 min before they cleaned the bar. Please train your staff to clear/​clean/​wiped down after someone leaves so that the bar top doesn’t look like the bottom of a dumpster.
One time I brought a group of friends with me to the bar and we were completely ignored! We waited at least 5 min and the bar was more than half empty! We decided to leave after that experience.
Another big pet peeve of mine is a poor attitude. Some of bartenders seem very unfriendly, annoyed, inattentive and overall lack social graces. I know they have to deal with idiotic customers from time to time, but would it hurt to crack a smile? Even some of the customers seemed very negative and slightly confrontational lol! A bad vibe all around! Personality and finesse goes a long way!!! The place attracts a young, college audience which is fine if that’s what you’re looking for.
Don’t know if I’ll be returning anytime soon, but when I do I would like too see improvements!
Come on management, please promise me that you will step up your game and crack down!

I always feel like I’ve gone back to college and a frat party when I come to Gators Dockside. We brought a friend from Houston to the Stepford-​Wives-​ish Baldwin Park because he was craving boneless chicken wings. I think a boneless chicken would be a sacrilege, but it’s what he wanted…
We sat on the patio which is a little quieter than inside the main restaurant. We had fried gator tail as an appetizer. It tastes like chicken with the consistency of calimari. The breading was light and flavorful.
I had a side salad with ranch dressing, French fries, and 10 wings (buffalo, grilled, all flats). Houston Boy got 6 boneless wings with the hottest sauce available. A third person had the California chicken sandwich. We all complained that the fries were a little heavy with the salt. But everything else was good. My wings were a touch greasy to have been grilled, and the buffalo sauce was a little too light. That doesn’t mean I didn’t eat every one of them with my blue cheese dressing though.
The highlight of dinner was Houston Boy’s expressions as he ate the boneless wings with the hottest of the hot sauces. It took him 40 minutes to get through 6 wings. The struggle is real. He cried. He sweated. He said they were great, but the rest of us were too scared to try them.
A good neighborhood bar with hot wings and lots of televisions showing sports. What’s not to like? The only reason they lose a star is because the server seemed more into socializing with co-​workers than bringing more water for our burning Houston Boy.

My wife was not feeling her best this morning but since she was feeling better in the afternoon, I asked her to join me at Gators Dockside. I figured she could work on her studies while I met with a client. Unfortunately, my client was unable to make it so we chose to get something to eat there.
As my wife was working on her studies I chose to get some food. I had not realized that they had changed bartenders while I was working on my computer. I noticed that the WIFI was unusually slow but since I was just checking email and working offline, it was not a big deal. When I spoke to my wife, I found out it made it hard for her to access her online material.
I asked about the soup of the day and clam chowder is not one of my favorites so I asked about what he thought about the fried pickles and gator tail. To my surprise I was told that the portion of gator was not worth the money and to get the fried pickles. I have had the gator and the portion was appropriate in my opinion but I opted to go with his recommendation. That was the first time I had a server at ANY Gator’s DOWN SELL their menu. I had already made up my mind that I wanted the Sauteed Shrimp Mac n Cheese.
My fried pickles came up in about 15 minutes and I have to say… They were amazing. Usually you get wimpy pickles with a thick breading but the pickles I was served were nice and thick. The breading was a bit thicker than expected but given the thickness of the pickle slices, it was perfect. The breading was lightly seasoned allowing the flavor of the pickle to be the star. The ranch dressing to dip it in could have been a bit thicker but with or without the ranch dressing, they were good.
Next up was the Sauteed Shrimp Mac n cheese and I was not expecting anything special but I like a pleasant surprise. The shrimp were a bit past the «Pop» but had a nice flavor. The pasta was just a wee bit past al dente and for a dish like this, that is expected. The cheese sauce had a nice flavor and was not overly salty. I was pleased with it but not blown away.
While I was almost done with my meal, one of the managers, Mike P. came over to check on me. He was very interested in my feedback and not at all defensive. Mike and his other manager were candid about the reason for the slowness and it was understandable. Sometimes things happen that are beyond control and to be fair, this was the first time it has ever been slow. After my wife returned, I asked him to come over and let her inform him about the lack of service on one section of the patio. It affected 3 tables tables and he seemed genuinely concerned about that. He had a fire going on and needed to go handle business but it is easy to see that he is a very good manager.
My wife ordered some wings but since she did not let me taste them or take a pic of them, they are not getting Unilocaled… lol
But I will say… She picked every piece of meat off the bones…*wink*
Overall, Gator’s runs a tight ship. I have tried most of the food at 2 of their locations and have never had to send anything back. In all of my trips to this location, the service is CONSISTENT from where I sit and that is important.
Their grilled wings, burgers and gator tail are MY personal favorites…

We mostly came for the primo view. There are so many lakes in the Orlando area but not enough lakeside bars!
Struggling to think of somewhere to go, Gator’s finally popped into my mind. It has a large covered patio facing the lake and the busy goings on of the passersby.
Now I can’t speak for the food today because we strictly stayed on the drink menu and draft list. There were a few things that caught my eye food-​wise but the majority here is fried and typical bar food type offerings of wings, burgers, etc.
Our main complaint was that service was slow. We were here on a weekend afternoon between lunch and dinner so there was no rush that should have been keeping anyone away. Maybe just because we were outside we were not a high priority based on our order value.
Drink specials were decent but nothing exceptional. Monday night is a big night here for All You Can Eat Wings.

I’ve been to numerous Gator’s locations around town and love that I have this option sorta close to home if we are craving wings. It was my first time here and, for the most part, a good one.
I ended up here sorta late with a few girlfriends. I was the odd man out as I don’t watch football but my gal pals did. So they were stoked that it was Thursday night football. The place was packed. And apparently this is where all the UCF folks watch their team play. Super fun environment. We were seated in the main dining room area and I really loved how open it was — no crammed together tables and booths. There are televisions hung everywhere and a variety of sporting events were being shown so there’s something for every sports fanatic out there.
Food was pretty decent for a sports bar. I had the buffalo chicken sandwich with seasoned fries. Really hearty as I had half to take home. A friend ordered the peanut butter & jelly wings. Soooo good. I’m gonna have to order those for when I take my husband here next time. Another friend had the philly cheesesteak and seemed pretty pleased with her meal.
Our server did the usual checking in on us but there were a few gaps of wait time that were longer than expected. Granted, it was a busy football night so I should take that into consideration.
Single ladies– head here too. Lots of big groups of guys… and I’m sure some single ones ready to mingle… just saying!
I’ve read all about the amazing views and outdoor deck but since it was late we didn’t get to enjoy any of it. There’s always next time!