Terrible service, dirty. I visited Gators Dockside Deland Friday, January 4th around 9:30 pm following a date night at the movies with my girlfriend. We walk in, stand at the front waiting for the hostess to finish her conversation with someone. She doesn't even greet us at all, so my girlfriend and I start walking in. That's when the hostess asks, "Two"? I say, " yes. A booth please". Hostess walks off. That's when my girlfriend comments to me, " I guess we're supposed to follow her?" Hostess leads us to a booth, tosses the menu's down and walks off never saying a word or looking at us. RUDE. The first thing we notice is the table is not clean. We looked through the menu together and decided what we wanted. Ten minutes had gone by at this point. No sever ever came to the table. I walk outside to get my girlfriend her sweater from the car because she was cold. I came back and my girlfriend said she stopped a server from another section to get our drink order. She said that server said to her, " I guess I'll be your server". Another ten minutes go by. Nobody ever came back with the drinks OR to take our order. MIND YOU, THIS PLACE WAS HALF EMPTY FOR A FRIDAY NIGHT. It's not like they were busy or anything. 5 more minutes went by when we made the decision to leave and go somewhere more appreciative of the business. I even had a coupon I could have used at Gators but decided it wasn't worth the trouble anymore. We went to Applebees and had great service, great food and a great atmosphere. This place used to be good, but has since slid way downhill since our last visit. I even sent an e-mail to the corporate office about my issue a week ago today. NEVER GOT A RESPONSE BACK. I guess they don't care about their customers either. Oh well. There's plenty of other restaurants to dine at. NEVER going back. read more

We were last here over a year ago and were happy to see that they had replaced the booths with new tables and bench seats. The seats are hard but at least you don't sink into them like the old cushioned seats and look like a kid sitting at the adult table on Thanksgiving! The place seems to be a little cleaner and we actually saw a person wiping down the walls of the booths across from us, and another person clearing a table and wiping it down. We have never had a complaint about the food or service, keeping in mind that this is a sports bar with happy hour lasting almost all day and tv screens everywhere, things are going to get hectic. As long as my arms don't stick to the table like they used to we will go there occasionally and keep our expectations in line for what the place is. read more

The food has gone downhill over the years. Newer owners have only help to make the food worse. Frozen wings with drizzled sauce do not equal great wings. They used to have amazing salads, the last few times they were much smaller and not nearly as fresh. Atmosphere has never changed, looks the same as it did in the 80's. read more

Have eaten there a few times and it has slipped a little each time. I find it overpriced and too loud for my tastes. Today was the last for me. My wife hurt a tooth on an overdone buffalo chicken sandwich. Never again. read more

Gator's Dockside DeLand - Where I eat my wings now! - New American Near Me - Deland, Florida

Great group of girls so service is always on point! Their scooter sauce is fab and their homemade bleu cheese dressing is literally life

Service here is going to trash. Our waitress tonight acted as if we did not exist. It took her half an hour to even bring us to-go boxes. The service was slow, we asked two other waitresses to get us things and were completely ignored. The bathroom was also unsanitary and unpleasant has not been cleaned in a while. I am very disappointed in how we were treated tonight and will never come to spend my money here again I will be sure not to refer anyone to come here. read more

Cold food, mediocre service, and refusal to honor "Mom eats free for Mothers Day" because of different store ownership left little to be said for Gators Deland. The "real" Gators stores need to run disclaimers to exclude the Deland location from their company owned store offerings. read more

Went here for lunch with my dad, and will definitely not be returning. The food tasted old, as if it had been sitting out for awhile, and was overpriced for the value you get. Service was okay, but we had to wait for our drink refills more than once, even though not many people were there. There was also a roach on the table at the end of our meal. Try another location. read more

Pretty decent service and friendly staff, has a full bar and right next to the movie theatre. They also have karaoke nights that make you almost die laughing once the drunks get some liquid courage and give it all they've got. I know they used to have a few arcade games and they have a pool table also. If you wanted to be a real asshole, you could buy the same song ten times on the jukebox. read more

HELLO IN CASE ANYONE IS WONDERING HOWNI FEEL ABOUT THIS PLACE!!! Don't go there. The staff and everyone stink. They aren't friendly and rude and very disrespectful. I've never experienced such horrible customer service like this before. Also how would y'all really feel if you were handed cold food. Also they Weber tell you they added in jalopenos to the quesadillas that were made too doughy reallly. It felt like it wasn't cooked at all. My sisters chicken fingers platter was a disaster the chicken was hard as a rock and her fries weren't even fresh. Just save yourself some time and money and go elsewhere to dine in. The food is bitter and atrocious. Very disturbing and disgusting. I consumed something I know I SHOULDNT have. I will NEVER EVER IN MY ENITRE LIFE BE BACK HERE AGAIN. They always poison me. Just go somewhere else to spend your $$ worth. I think I got bad food poisoning and I was up all night and my stomach started acting up on me. The world had to know they deserve this too. Horrible toads. Goodbye!! I'm done. read more

I use to love this place growing up but it has since become the toilet of Deland. The food always tastes nasty from the unchanged oil in the deep fryer and the place is filthy. You would think that a place that has been open for decades now would have the forethought to update the place every now and then. If you want to enjoy a decent sports bar experience, just go down the road to Beef O Bradys instead. read more

Arrived with 45 minutes to eat prior to a movie. Got sat quickly and greeted quickly; however, after 30 minutes of no food we had to leave. This stunk since I'm pregnant and needed to eat. We were told by the manager after telling them we needed to leave, "sorry but on football Sundays when we are full food takes 20 to 25 minutes." I said well that's fine but it had been over 25 minutes, which he verified it had been 30, and our food was just getting prepped to come out. I also want it noted no one on that staff told us it would be so long for food because of football, that's just common curtesy. The restaurant was not full either, most of the tables were people whom had been there, eaten and were just drinking and watching the game. I didn't see any food come out while we were sitting there in the area we were in. The restaurant is also very outdated. read more

3 stars, it would have been 2, however Cassidy our server was genuinely struggling with things outside of her control and her genuine interest in ensuring we enjoyed ourselves was appreciated by both me and my husband. We've gone twice now to watch UFC events on two Saturday nights. They stay open later than usual to accommodate the late fight cards and it's a good place to watch the fights- lots of televisions throughout bar. It's a huge place but has a small bar 20 seats top. Lots of table seating though. Cheap drinks if you drink domestic draft- I like a more flavor filled beer ( anything that doesn't have the word Bud or Miller in it) so my drinks cost average. The food is average, good but not wow, but food isn't the reason for the lower rating. The communication of the team members between each other is off and the overall planning and execution of an event like fight night was AWFUL. We arrived early 7:30 to ensure we had a seat, I prefer to sit up at the bar to prevent drink delays. This has happened on both visits where it looks like there are seats at the bar but the people working aren't sure. No big deal, we ask three people sitting at the bar if "these seats are taken" they all say no go for it. We sit down and get comfortable when a guy comes out and asks us where the people who were sitting there went. I don't know and the guy who told me to sit there tells him they've been gone for awhile. The bartender then proceeds to tell me they must be smoking and I have to move. But doesn't tell me where or make a suggestion. But I get it, bar seats taken time to move. So we got to the host, who is like a deer in headlights despite his 6 ft 200 lb frame. We wait again as he seats others, and then tells me he only has one table left to watch the fight. The restaurant was 70% empty!!!! So I guess you can call and have them hold a table all night for you- no one explained the process or what we should do in the future or anything. And there were 2-3 employees scrambling to move tables and get set in front of the big screens. It was chaotic as customers were getting ignored and it looked and felt as if they were panicking about something. We were seated at the front most table. Prime seating but I was concerned that FOX Sports was only on one of the 5 major screens. So was the guy behind us who had to stop a guy who was running around shifting tables who actually asked him when they were turning on the prelims. The guy said at 8. The customer told him it was already 810. I had started streaming on my Samsung at that point and keeping up on Twitter. I believe the customer behind me actually used the term "sh*t show", lol. Fights were up shortly. Place was PACKED by 10. It took over an hour to get our appetizers we placed around 8:15, Cassidy asked if they come out and when we said no, she ran to the back and then informed us another server had taken them to someone else. When we did get them I could tell they were fresh out of the kitchen. The corn fritter bites were tasty. We had them do a custom cheesy fries, my hubs was pleased. We ordered 3 types of wings for the fight. I thought they were good, hot and filling. There was a free beer glass special going on with our Stella Artois. Only one glass to go per person so at first our server would have us finish our drink before we ordered another to avoid getting plastic cups??? And then at some point she did bring us new drinks in new glasses but reminded us that we could only take one home. I thought it was sweet she kept reminding us we got to take one home and how cool that was, however it's mostly cool for college kids and folks who need to grow their assorted free beer glass collection. My preferred drink special: the beer I order, in a glass, never empty, no strings attached. We left our free glasses. I have plenty at home. Overall it was an uncomfortable atmosphere of missing or delayed food and drink orders, tons of folks complaining about seats and reservations. Okay food, our server was sweet- but major lack of communication and organization in planning fight nights like this. Not sure they can handle a full house. I felt bad for them. They could make a ton of money and make nights like this really impactful with a little organization. I haven't given up (mainly thank my husband) but one more visit like this and I'll make the drive to BDubs. read more

If you intend to wait for an incredible amount of time for basic, tasteless food--then this is the place for you! The service is terrible. The food is basic bar food. I feel like we will never leave, and all we wanted was a family meal. (I don't know if it's the kitchen, the manager, or the service--but, save yourself and don't come here!) read more

Bad experience, beside of the live music they had nothing was good to me, time to take order, the size and quality for the price NO! the dip sauce was slimy like it was old, just wrong. Sorry but No, never again. I can't recommend this place. read more

Typical sports bar atmosphere. Great wings, plenty of sauce choices. This place gets my vote for a night out with friends.

Not super impressed with the cleanliness or the quality of the food. I have reviewed other Gator's Docksides as much higher but this one seamed like it had gone off the beaten path. The wings were not the same and when I asked for a side of extra hot sauce they left my wings dry and brought a small cup. This place has potential to be improved, and I suggest they go to another Gators in Orlando to learn how its done. read more

This place sucks should have gone to Nice and Easy Oyster Bar. We still don't have our food been waiting over an hour. Place is half empty was told they only have two fryers and or to cheap to buy another. Stay away! read more

Decent wings, we had the teriyaki and medium, regular bone in style. The wings are sauced after cooking so the flavor isn't really steeped in, but they were good. It wasn't very busy when we went, service was okay. read more

This Saturday, I visited Gator's Dockside for lunch. I live in Orlando these days but visit to see family in Deland. I remembered in the 1990's I was there the first day Gator's opened--they had great food then and has remained consistent to this day. I had the lunch special which was a Grilled chicken Caesar salad wrap. It was hot and delicious and well worth the $6.99 charged, it came with a side item of your choice. We also had the Gator tail appetizer, lightly battered and delicious--My nephew had an order of wings and he loved them. My recommendation is try the specials, you can't go wrong! One con --be careful of the booth seats, they are rather old and you sink in! read more

Waited 10 minutes to be waited on. Ordered a pitcher they then realized the keg was popped. New kid behind bar didnt know how to change. 6 minutes later we get our first beer. Ordered wings they dont toss them only put sauce on top. When i asked why they said it looks better wow what about taste. Other than that atmosphere is good and tv good. read more

Although it looks like a great place to hang and have a few beers, the boneless wings and the poppers were cooked to death, the soda tasted funny and the frenchfries were cold. We also tried main meals and were not impressed with them either!! read more

I would like to extend a huge thank you to Gators Dockside in Deland! On Friday night we had a large party for a retirement celebration. Everyone I had been in contact with since the very first phone call, to inquire about availability, to the night of the event has been fabulous! The space we were in was perfect for our group and everyone had a terrific time. I would especially like to thank the servers that helped our group; Sterling, Stephanie, Bri, Mary, Becky, Alex and Jackie were all amazing! We had about 60 people with 60 different orders and everything was perfect and they all had smiles on their faces. Well Done Gators!!! read more

Average. Lots of pool tables and a small arcade section for kids. Typical run of the mill bar food. Fish and chips, however, were better than I expected. Better than that $16 crap they gave me at CheeseCake Factory. Lots of tvs and a good place to be to catch a game... read more

This is a local sports bar hang-out that is also family-friendly depending on the time of day you go. Many large screen TV's but no closed caprioning. Pool tables. Booths and tables. Relatively clean. Great burgers and some unusual choices like gator bites (seriously, this is Florida and most say it tastes like chicken). Prices are good. Service is quick. read more

Did a call ahead pick up order. Got tgere n no-one had a clue who had the order. Took like 10 minutes b4 anyone had a xlye n then the bartender brought my food n tossed it on the bar like i bothered her. I xan make sure i don't do it again.... read more

I always liked the Gator's Dockside in Apopka but wasn't too thrilled about my experience here. The food seemed to be the same with maybe some slight variations, but the service and just taste surprised me. It was still good food, and of course Gator's Dockside has the best wings in town (you can choose from a myriad of flavors and spice levels), but our particular waiter and the taste of the wings that day made this location subpar in comparison to the Apopka one. read more

I am always a fan of Gators grilled wings. This location is has a much different menu than the Lake Mary location. They didn't have the Thai Peanut sauce that make me come back to Gators. The wings were good overall. read more

Great place! Great Food! And they have UFC events on for free with no cover. We were in town to visit family and were looking for a place to watch the fights. We were immediately seated with no wait and great service. Definitely with be going back! read more

Was always a good option for watching the football game. Good wings too. You can also get your billiards on if the mood strikes. Definitely a bar and restaurant with a very "Southern atmosphere", so to speak. NOT that there's anything wrong with that (said in Seinfeld voice). read more

The gator is chewy, the place looks dirty, and the pool tables need some serious TLC. We were very underwhelmed and don't plan on returning.

The pizza is horrible, it's just a bunch of sour cheese sauce and pile of grease on a tortilla. Service was awful, wouldn't recommend to anyone. read more

I've been waiting for a refill on my drink for 14 minutes. We ordered our wings 46 minutes ago. We waited for straws for our drinks for 7 minutes. Every time we come here, it's horrible service. This is our last evening here. read more

Food was pretty good but overpriced imo. Would rather spend that much at an upscale restaurant.

Horrible service, had to wait 45 minutes before I got my food and the order was wrong. Very loud, kids screaming and running around. But overall the food was okay. I will not be going back. read more

I went to this "restaurant" last night. It took far too long to bring our appetizers and the waitress said she would bring plates and silverware. She never did so we used napkins to divide the appetizers between us. Although the place was only about 1/3 full, it took 45 minutes to get our food. The waitress didn't bring enough silverware and even though she said she would bring it right away, we eventually had to go to the hostess to get some. The shrimp and fries were cold, we couldn't get drink refills and our order of 10 wings only had nine in the basket. We told the waitress our complaints, she called the manager. She offered us 10% off as compensation, but when the bill came, she had only taken off 6%. The only thing nice I can say is that we had a good table in front of the big screen TV. We won't go there again....ever. read more

Brought my friend for a burger today and was not surprised that we where the only one in the place at noon on Monday...should have walk out!! The burgers where dry and well done..ordered med rare and the rolls where stale!! this place could be amazing with the rite management and cook. read more

There is no way this place has an overall rating of 3. Not even sure how this place is still in business. The wings taste like they are a day old and just refried every morning. The staff are friendly, usually, but not even the staff can save this place. Seriously, there are much better bars in the area to get wings and beer and to watch tv. read more

Food was ok, but service left something to be desired. Food took forever to get to us and when we needed or waitress it took FOREVER to find her! Though my husband loved their new seasoned fries (Cajun). read more

I have been here 3 times. Each time ordered food and drinks..all 3 times meals were mediocre. It's sad because I do like this place. We've tried gyros sandwich. Should have known better. A Wing place not good at gyros. Ok..next time went for drinks and 70 cent wing nite. Drinks are 2 for 1 so that was nice. Ordered 3 different types of wings. I have to say they tasted good but small. Last time there i had potstickers . Tasted ok but overcooked. My friends had chicken fingers that were overcooked and tough and a burger that was mediocre . I will go back for kereoke with AL and drinks. read more