Gator’s Dockside

Ok so its like 3pm on a Thursday and this place is emppptyy. Considering that, i was immediately turned off by how dirty the tables and floors were. The stench of an old wet mop lingered and I already knew that this was a bad choice… problem #1. We walked in through the patio to the dining area and saw no host… problem #2. Once she came out, she told us to sit anywhere, and we did, having to wipe off the seat. The menu had some good looking options but I went with a steak burger to be safe. The burger was good but im pretty sure they forgot my bacon… and it seemed like they took a small onion chopped it and then just threw it on my burger. The waitress was dry and told us she couldn’t tell us how the chili tasted because she was a vegetarian. No offense to vegans, but that was another thing that made me want to run. The food ended up being very average and we paid about $ 30 for it all including the tip. The soda and water were not good either. If the place was clean and the service was better i might consider coming back here… but I definitely won’t.

I like that it’s open relatively late. Went in unannounced with a pretty big group and service was pretty great and accommodating. As usual, wings were on point.

It had been a while since I had gone to Gator’s, and the boy and I were interested in some bar-​type food. It is located on Fowler Ave., close to the intersection of 56^th street. It looks like a sports bar both inside and out. There is an outdoor deck seating area and indoor booths, tables, and high tops.
The inside décor is a bit unique. There is a giant plastic alligator hanging from the ceiling at the entrance. We were seated under a a little black light area, with additional plastic creatures hanging from the ceiling. There is a bar area and many TV’s for watching sports and news.
On my last visit I noticed some new seafood additions to the menu. They added a lobster roll and seafood pasta, both of which we ordered. Both dishes were pretty good for this type of place. I have also had one of their burgers, zucchini fries, wings, and a sandwich. They have such a variety of cuisines, ranging from seafood to wings. I like that there are many options so that it can accommodate a variety of people. Gator’s also offers a good variety of beer and mixed drinks.
It is reasonably priced for the quality of the food. Service has always been good, and the food does not take long to receive.

This place was horrible! I went with a party of 7 and NO ONE liked there food. Chicken wasn’t fully cooked, food was stale, and service was horrible. And what makes it even worse was the place wasn’t even packed… I could only imagine it then. Save your money & go elsewhere

Absolutely love the food and drinks deals! Awesome place to hangout and watch some sports

This place is great! I have been here a few times but my most recent visit it was pretty packed after my cousins graduation. We sat down and someone greeted us immediately. We had two waitresses the worked our table and they were both really friendly and provided great customer service. I ordered a drink fried pickles and wings. The drink came out first and was a peach martini instead of the watermelon martini i ordered. I let the server know and she explained that the bartender was new and that I could keep that drink and she would get me a new one. The new one was a lot better.
The fried pickles were very good. They were fresh pickles and recently fried served with a ranch dipping sauce. Mmmm mmmm tasty. The wings were also good, but could have had more sauce on them.
Overall, the service was excellent and the food was really good. The servers also did not mess up anyones order and we occupied many tables. Which is impressive!

Service was terrible. I guess it was self seating, but went to a booth and saw a server, bartender, and supervisor standing in a corner. Waited in a booth for about 5 minutes before moving to the bar. Waited a little longer to get helped. Food was good, but expected better service for a Sunday.

Very average sports bar. Cute décor. I ordered the nachos which were entirely too soggy due to the lack of chips and tons of chili they piled on them. Over all tasted good and was reasonably affordable, three adults ate our fill for about 35 dollars all together. Wasn’t very crowded and we had attentive wait staff. Nothing special but no need to stay away either.

This is probably my favorite place to enjoy some wings and watch whatever sport is going on. Monday’s are all you can eat wings, for about 14 dollars you can get tons of wings with a wide variety of flavors. The wings can be cooked grilled, breaded, or plain.
My favorite style is grilled, it still is crisp with that charcoal flavor. I believe the fry the chicken ahead of time for these nights then cook it again to whatever the style the customer wants. Some people may have a problem with that. My top flavors here is probably the scooter and chipotle bbq. For other food, I cannot comment too much as I am usually here for the wings.
Service is great, never had a problem. Only thing to expect, since it can be busy on these Monday nights, it will take a while for your food to come. Other than that nothing too bad. Nice place to grab a drink and hang out with friends. Will definitely be back.

The new remodel Gator Dockside looks a lot better than the old one. They have change the carpet floor to wood floor look more elegant. From the old projected TV to digital large screen TV. The renovation is welcoming the patron to the new football season.
I like to come to this restaurant mainly is their chicken wings. First, select the way you want it — Grill, breaded, wet sauce, or boneless. Second, select number of wings. Third, select the flavor. Tonight we have tried 12 different flavors. My top three I like most are grill chipotle BBQ, grill Thai chili, and the grill Yucatan. If you dare, try their 4 alam wings. This wing is super hot that one of our friends tries it and burn the mouth. I also like the peanut butter flavor with unique taste.
This sport bar is family oriented bar. Many families bring their kids. They have the children menu. The restaurant service is good and the food came out fast with 100 wings.

This is a pretty fun indie American food place. We tried a bunch of their wings. Some were very good and others were interesting. My lips are still chapped from the four alarm wings, the PBJ wings were interesting to try, and I liked the signature Scooter wings named for the place’s gator mascot. Boon hangs out here all the time you will probably run into him if you stop by. Otherwise it’s pretty fun.

Our group of 8 adults and 1 kid ordered 12 different flavors of wings. These are my top 3 favorites: sweet Thai Chili, honey chipotle, Yucatan. Peanut butter jelly wings was uniquely good. The interior was comfortable and fun with big screen TV all around for watching sports. There is a patio section if people like to sit outside. The service was good. We had so much fun for this «wings only dinner’!

Wings, wings, and more wings, this place has them. Did someone say sauces? Gator’s Dockside has plenty! Do you like it hot? Try the 4 alarm suicide, then try not to sweat. It’s hot! Probably my favorite.
So far, I’ve tried the Chipotle BBQ, Scooter, Thai chili, cajun creole, Yucatan, hot teriyaki, sriracha BBQ, wings jerk?, garlic honey, smoky BBQ and 4 alarm (all grilled). My top three favorites where the 4 alarm, Yucatan, and the Cajun Creole respectively. The wings here are average sized. They are not jumbo, but there is a good amount of meat.
The menu does offer plenty more than just wings, although wings are all I’ve had so far. This place is kid friendly, so they have a good kids menu as well.
The dining area is nice and clean, and they seem to be doing everything they can to improve this restaurant. It has an interesting layout, with a Half half-​moon bar. There are plenty of TVs to watch different kinds of sports, news, or whatever you’re into. I noticed some specialty drinks on the menu, and there are several different drafts on tap. The dining area is comfortable, and has a fun/​upbeat atmosphere with music playing. There is interesting decoration, with a gator theme, obviously.
What pushes this place past the average rating, is the involvement of the management team. They are exceptionally courteous, and very professional. The service was also good, and handled our large order well.
Overall, it was a good time, with good food, and good friends. I hope we can repeat this excursion, and I recommend Gator’s Dockside to anyone who likes wings.

Another in a very consistent chain of restaurant/​bars that have TVs throughout the place, full bar, and extensive menu. This location has fewer booths than others, but more tables and a side room that might make for private «parties.» The portions are generous.
As for the wings, I ordered the Caribbean Jerk-​grilled. That has become my favorite at a Gator’s Dockside… fried wings that are then brushed with the «sauce» and grilled on an open flame caramelizing the brown sugar and other Caribbean spices. I can’t recommend them highly enough. These could have stood another few seconds on the grill, but were still tasty.
This location is one that is open until midnight during the week and until (approximately) 2am on Fridays and Saturdays… .a rare experience in the area.
Overall, it is bright, comfortable enough, servers accommodating special requests, good food, and a fun place. It is very family friendly IF the parents supervise and monitor their kids. It is fine for them to move around on their own if they can behave…

Good for a quick and tasty meal or drink. Large selection of food that tastes good. Lots of tv’s to watch any and all sporting events.

Food was great minus the fact that there was a «ring» in our chips. Could have been an ear ring, eyebrow ring, not sure. Showed it to the manager and he credited the meal that the chips were included in. This was my 2^nd time there seeing I’m from out of state. Pretty sure it’s my last time.

I come here often when I am traveling for business. The food is always good. The service can be slow depending on the crowd and the server. It’s definitely worth a try. Good food and cold beer.

Dined in here today and our waiter was DJ. I brought in my Gift Certificates & More (Gainesville area coupons and deals on different places including restaurants) to see if this store would honor the Gator’s Dockside $ 5 off dinner special. DJ did not hesitate to get the manager on the floor and the manager without hesitation honored the gift certificate for me. The food was great, served timely and DJ came by often and refilled drinks and did his job efficiently.
One suggestion: the summer salad should have option of spinach or kale instead of lettuce.

I’ve come here a few times for happy hour and late night snacks. I really appreciate their relatively large beer selection. I recommend looking at the bottle list, as they have quite a few nice craft beers including stuff from Lagunitas. I also really enjoyed their food and was quite impressed with the grilled wings. I’ve never had grilled wings that were so crispy and tasty. They also have a plethora of sauces to satisfy any flavor craving you might have.

I have an important piece of news for locals considering coming here. There is no dock. Move on.
Tourists, feel free to come on in. They will move the ocean here soon just for you.