When visiting my boyfriend's mother in Eustis, Florida, we took a ride in her boat through the canal from Lake Eustis to dine here on a Saturday afternoon. She knew that there would be live music and she thought it would be a nice afternoon on the patio enjoying that famous Florida sun. They ordered a bucket of beer to share, while I settled in on a vodka cocktail they listed that sounded very refreshing. It was busier, so it was a little wait to receive but worth the wait! Loved it and ended up ordering another one. As for the food, there was a bit of a wait but we understood with the weather being nice on a Saturday afternoon. We started with Buffalo Chicken Dip & Chips. Sadly, it tasted like cream cheese over anything and had minimal chicken, which is why I settled on a 4-star versus 5-star. The Sand Bar burger and fries quickly made up for it, and we all enjoyed our entrees. Absolutely loved the tartar sauce that came with my boyfriend's shrimp basket! After dining here, I can see why this is one of their favorite local spots. The next time I'm visiting Eustis, I'll see if they are up for a boat ride to come check this place out again. read more

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Awesome ambiance outside overlooking the lake . Service was almost non existent and we had to hunt her down and still seemed to be bothering her. Food was just ok and nothing special. Next time I would have a drink and be done. read more

The place was not crowded at all on a Saturday Waitress came up and basically threw menus at us and asked us if we knew we wanted. We said we needed a minute and then she never came back. So I went to the bar to order a drink and they sent the Bar back over to take our order I ordered a Mojito, which was absolutely the worst drink I've ever had in my life. It basically was ginger ale with lime in it. You order the fried pickles which looked delicious and the first one tasted good, but I basically couldn't eat anymore after that because it was so salty even my boyfriend couldn't eat them Definitely would not return although it's a shame because it's a really nice location read more

The place is open air. Every service is dirty the bar has rotten wood. Seemed like a clicky place for regulars.

Typical beach bar vibe w beach band. Strong drinks, crowded so expect to wait unless you can belly up to the bar.

We just stopped in for a quick beer during our walk. We had our dogs and sat at the outside patio area. Live music for entertainment was nice too. Everyone's food looked good but we didn't order food. We would like to come back and hang out again. It was nice. We had our dogs too. They also had the game on the TVs outside. read more

Kalua Beach Bar - The guy singing - Bars Near Me - Tavares, Florida

Don't go for service, extremely slow with a 1/4 full bar 330 on a Wednesday. Great scenery, beautiful spot

If you're a smoker/vaper, you'll appreciate that it's allowed. The live music is usually decent, sometimes good. I've been there 25-30 times and it's usually busy, and while I've never had a terrible experience at Kalua, I've never had a great one. And while I've never had a bad bartender, I've never had a great one. The servers' energy matches the vibe you want from a beach bar, but the I'm not sure in all my trips there I've ever seen a bartender seem like they're having fun except occasionally when they're talking to each other. read more

Meeting some friends for a boat ride, we ordered to-go lunches. I'm not kidding...my fish tacos and my Wife's burger took 50 minutes to arrive. All our server could do was apologize. She did give me an additional beer. Luckily my our friends who provided the boat ride were polite and patient. I really couldn't understand why there was such a long delay. Since my credit card had been run, I couldn't just walk away. As for our meals, my fish tacos were great. Wife reported, her burger was very good. But the wait for these lunches will cause me to avoid Kalua next time. read more

Kalua Beach Bar - Bar. - Bars Near Me - Tavares, Florida

Outside lakeside dining with a vacation vibe. Live music was great with great song selection and talented artist. Server was attentive. We got fried pickles for an appetizer that were good. My fried fish sandwich and fries were great and the sandwich was huge! Prices are reasonable. We will be back! read more

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Let me tell you this place has a great location. BUT it's a trashy establishment, don't take this wrong but it's for smokers (who is able to smoke at a place except the private clubs), the beers are all local domestic beer, but they do have a. single craft beer on top. I ordered 4 craft beers for $24 and some change. Location near the water is nice. i heard it's either rundown crackheads come here and or other clientel comes around. I hear it's a place for the retirees to go and come on shore with the boat. Beers were good from what I can tell. Loved the kolsch which was fabolous. read more

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This place is right on the lake. Service was great! We got the blackened fish tacos. Delicious flavor and definitely recommend. The only drawback was the flies. I guess you can't have it all. Definitely a great place to have a drink and have a snack on the water. read more

Kalua Beach Bar - Bars Near Me - Tavares, Florida

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SERVICE: 4 STARS She missed on one thing that distressed Mrs Robert but otherwise did fine. AMBIENCE: 4.25 STARS Right next to the lake, near the seaplane, on a bike path, what's not to like. This section of Tavares is nice, several restaurant / watering holes, good people watching, no wandering muttering backpackers. VALUE: 4.5 STARS One sees very few $ 10.95 burgers these days, and the coleslaw side was good sized too. So it obviously is not a Michelin Star type place, but then again, I don't seek those places out. I would consider it a destination place as Tavares itself is worth visiting. read more

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This was my second time coming here. I really like the ambiance here. I like that they do live music. And with us having Jetskis and boats, I really enjoy that they are right by the water. The food is good and the service was good for the amount of people we had. We will definitely be coming back. read more

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1st time and had great time. The food was really tasty. Band they had was really good as well. It got busy later on. Some people were dancing and all looked liked they were having just as much fun. I am keeping this one on my I am going back list! read more

Kalua Beach Bar - View was pretty cool! - Bars Near Me - Tavares, Florida

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They only had one wait person for about 30 tables, as far as we could tell, so I won't say anything negative about service. A different person was bringing out the food. We each got the pulled pork Reuben sandwich. Each of us did the $1 upgrade, her the fries, deliciously crispy, I, the pasta salad, awful, they removed off bill. The pulled pork sandwiches were delish, sweet bbq sauce, swiss cheese, fantastic coleslaw, all on Hawaiian rolls. The pasta salad would have been good, it had all the right ingredients, but other than maybe the equivalent one olive sliced up, it did not even have a half teaspoon total of tomato, green bell pepper and red onion! The view of Lake Dora is beautiful and there is a walking path that goes quite a way around it. Also a children's small water park and a quaint gift shop off the path. Free parking garage only on weekdays, it was closed Saturday. read more

Kalua Beach Bar - Bill. - Bars Near Me - Tavares, Florida

Beautiful views! The girls were so nice, but service took way too long for what we ordered. We waited 50 mins for a sandwich, I went to the bar to check on the food and then they gave me the basket of cold, hard fries. Honestly, terrible food. I would only return for a cold beer and beautiful view of the water! read more

Another great weekend in Tavares Kalua Beach Bar is the stop!! Live music, great service, yummy food WINGS ARE ALWAYS DELISH ON POINT AND JUICY burgers are delicious too, just make sure to ask how you like them, well or med, because they make homemade so sometimes there more rare then well done.. HIGHLY RECOMMEND KALUA. GREAT TIME ALWAYS read more

Kalua Beach Bar - Bars Near Me - Tavares, Florida

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Our server, Andrew. - wrote nothing down, ZERO errors. Was time efficient, attentive, kind, overall an EXCELLENT server. You can choose where you'd like to sit, at the bar or at a table with umbrella. Of course, the bar has it's benefits, but the table does have a scenic view. And trust me, you'll go back home feeling HAPPY about your meal choice. The food "hits THE SPOT". read more

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Loved this place! We were out on the boat, looking for lunch and saw from the water that this place was hoppin'! We decided to dock the boat and go check it out. This bar sits right on the water with a great view. There's sand scattered around to give it that beach feel, as well as large lifeguard type chairs. There's table seating and a large bar to sit at. It is smoking friendly, since it is outside, as well as pet friendly. I had the buffalo chicken tender basket for lunch. The buffalo sauce was out of this world good. It provided the perfect amount of heat, all while still giving you that delicious buttery flavor of buffalo sauce. I wanted to lick the plate it was that good. The chicken also stayed very crispy and was tender and juicy on the inside. The fries were also really good with my side of ranch for dipping :) They had a decent selection of beer on tap, including the 3 Daughters Blonde that I had. My boyfriend got a margarita for his drink and the bartender was definitely heavy on the pours! One margarita and I had to drive the boat back to the ramp. I had a sip of it and it was very good! I will definitely be back here and is so far my favorite place to stop when out on the boat! read more

Kalua Beach Bar - 3 Daughters Blonde Ale - Bars Near Me - Tavares, Florida

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A friend recommended this place because you can watch the seaplanes. Unfortunately didn't get to see many while we were there, but that's no fault of the restaurant. When we walked over we weren't sure if we were to seat ourselves or wait, but we weren't acknowledged so we just sat ourselves. It took a good 10 minutes before anyone came to greet us even though it wasn't very busy. They have a pretty stocked bar but cannot make very many drinks which seemed odd. We even asked about a simple vodka martini which couldn't be done even though they had vodka and I'm assuming olive juice since they can make bloody Marys ‍ Our server was very friendly although she didn't come by too often. Our food was good. I had the fish and chips which was a good portion. My partner had the jalapeño burger which he enjoyed. We waited a long while to pay so eventually we just left cash and dipped because the people next to us were coughing up a lung and with COVID being crazy right now we weren't going to chance it. read more

Service is not great. Food came out cold. And drinks were gross. The live music was great though!

Third time here. Too long for food to wait (45 minutes) , forgot appetizer and only 1 of 4 orders delivered the second visit, third visit had to go to the bar and ask for service. So they are 0 and 3 in my book. The best location around and always great music. Such a shame! read more

Awful, You would think a waterfront bar/restaurant in an upscale suburb like Tavares/Mount Dora would be at least decent, with palatable food and moderately competent service. In the case of Kalua Beach Bar, you'd be wrong. Our party of four walked in about 1:30 on a midweek day outside of Snowbird tourist season. We should have walked back out when we saw the picnic bench seating, no separation of smoking/non-smoking seating, and a discernible lack of wait staff, all of it amid overly-loud rap music which no one seemed to be enjoying.. Our lunch went downhill from there. Apps delivered with our mains, not before. Buffalo Chicken Sandwich is just three strips of chicken tenders on a bun with bleu cheese and tossed in buffalo sauce -- not a chicken breast. Fish tacos were passable, but the fish sandwich was mostly bread, over-fried and tasteless fish. The potato chips served with all were stale and tasteless. Never again! read more

We found this by chance when we visited our title company before we moved to Leesburg. The prices are reasonable and the servers are always helpful. We would come here every time we needed to go to the landfill. We really like the lakeside seating. This is not a fancy place but it is fine for a quick and enjoyable lunch. read more

WHAT'S FOR LUNCH: We tied up outside of, and ate at, the Kalua Beach Bar in Tavares on a recent boating trip. The atmosphere at this lakeside restaurant is very nice with mostly outdoor dining. (They could use more regular seating though because no one likes a picnic table without proper chairs.) I ordered the fish tacos which in all honesty were completely tasteless with way too much sauce running all over everything. My husband had the burger which he said was good although the French fries were, again, tasteless. In other words, this restaurant specializes in pub food which in my opinion is on the lower end of the spectrum. If you want better eats, walk over to Puddle Jumpers where the food is much better. However, you aren't really at these lakeside restaurants for the food. You're there for the atmosphere, to drink, and for the outdoor dining. In that sense, Kalua Beach Bar is perfectly adequate. read more

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Great service great food. Had a blackened fish taco. Hubby had bacon black & blue burger fish taco was blackened to perfection. Had a wet pussy drink. They are definitely not light on the alcohol. Only suggestion more coleslaw. Sorry I didn't get a picture. All for $41. Great deal great food GREAT drink. read more

The food tasted like it was straight out of a box. There was such a stench in the air and the floor was completely filthy.

Always great view prices and food. It's our go to place in a warm day happy hour. Service is great read more

Kalua Beach Bar - Great location. Laid back atmosphere. Great Happy Hour prices. Good good. - Bars Near Me - Tavares, Florida

Such a fun little place on the water. It was a pretty hot day when we were there, and brought a dog, but the fans keep it fairly comfortable. The service was excellent and prompt. We ordered drinks and waters and she returned quickly with everything, including a dog bowl of water! We started with the fried dill pickle slices, which come with ranch, but we also asked for honey mustard. They were so hot when they came out we couldn't eat them, but they were delicious once we could. For our meals, we ordered the fried shrimp basket and the grilled chicken Caesar wrap. The wrap was very good, and even had croutons in it which is something I've not seen before. The shrimp basket was good, but could have had more shrimp. Both came with chips, but you could substitute something else, which we both got fries. The fries were tasty and had a kick too them, almost too much. The ambiance was great, but there were a ton of birds flying and sitting in the rafters which caused a lot of bird poop on all the tables and chairs. I'm sure it's not easy to keep clean, but the reason for four instead of five stars. read more

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Great little outdoor bar right on the lake! You can watch seaplanes land and take off and stop for a beverage while walking around the cute town of Tavares along the waterfront. Bartenders are attentive and adorable! read more

Kalua Beach Bar - Bar area - Bars Near Me - Tavares, Florida

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2stars for the two excellent bar staff. No stars for the food. Tried this place a while ago and the food was sub par. Gave it a second chance and it was terrible - now I feel sick. Not much of a beer selection unless you like domestic. View is nice. This place could be a gem if they addressed the terrible food offerings. read more

Good party stop. Food is ok and same for drinks. It is a beach bar kind of place on the lake.

Slow service, limited menu and food was so-so. Probably will scratch this one off the list

It took my hubby to walk up to the bar to catch the attention of the two gals behind the bar to get service at the picnic table out front. There were only a few people there at 11:30 on Saturday. Burger was good but wings were rubbery. I'll go back to see if better next time. read more

Kalua Beach Bar - Patio area - Bars Near Me - Tavares, Florida

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We love this place! It is one of our favorite stops on the water! Great place for food and drinks and the service is always excellent! Our favs are the bacon cheese fries and buffalo wings We park the boat on the shore and stop by to get recharged before heading back in the water. It's very pet-friendly as well read more

Enjoying another beautiful day lakeside at Kalua Beach Bar. Decided on the Blackened Fish Tacos simply because they were flying out of the kitchen at record speed! Looks incredibly delicious! read more

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After eating here yesterday, we got home and my boyfriend got extremely sick. He's been vomiting all night. This is the second time we have both been sick at this restaurant. Absolutely never again will we ever come here again. read more

Great View, Horrible Service ... Bartenders are Rookies don't even get me started on there shift change policies, attitude, not looking up at customers... I'm glad they have great view that's how their surviving... read more

We've eaten here twice and have had an ok experience. It is a nice location right on Lake Dora. The seating is all outdoors so it is pretty warm in the summer but with the tree cover and breeze it isn't too bad. There is also a small sandy beach area along the water, it would be nice if this area was bigger. Seating is a hodge podge of benches and tables with mismatched and some broken chairs. The second time we visited (a Sunday about 6pm) a live reggae band was just wrapping up and there were a lot of loud, drunk patrons. Well, this is a beach bar I guess but it was a little obnoxious. Oh, and we had to ask our server to change the music when after the band finished they started playing hard core gangster rap. Seriously?? It's an outdoor bar blasting music at 6pm on a Sunday and there were several families with children dining there. We sat ourselves at a picnic table and after a few minutes were greeted. It took a little convincing to get the server to bring us tap water (not bottles). We ordered a couple drinks and waited. It took a bit to get the drinks and took even longer to get our food. The food was ok- hot bar food but pretty basic. My son loved the chili cheese hotdog. My Cuban was pretty good but was a tad dry. Service was slow each time we visited but I just think they have a lot of tables to cover and not enough employees. You can't be in a hurry here. With the pretty view and palm trees it does entice you to slow down and relax even if the annoying boisterous crowds counter that.I thought prices were too high considering the location is a beach bar and mediocre food. Solid 3 stars read more

Kalua Beach Bar - Cuban - Bars Near Me - Tavares, Florida