Got into town and was starving! This place popped up as places near me so we decided to give it a try. Great idea, thanks Yelp! First impression was a little suspect because it's clearly a house turned restaurant/bar. Once we got inside though, I loved the charm of it. There are different rooms you walk through and they have it all set up with tables and chairs....all different kinds so it's a modge podge of tables. Then there are cool chandeliers over the tables and bar signs everywhere. Our waitress was a new implant to Florida and she was super sweet and helpful. She also made a mean vodka tonic! Ok so let's get to the food. First we ordered the Fried Alligator Bites and the Fried Green Tomatoes as appetizers and they were both delicious! The alligator wasn't super chewy and the voodoo sauce was banging! I went with the Shrimp and Grits and sheesh I was blown away! I loved the texture and the taste of the grits. They had just the right amount of cheese and the shrimp were cooked perfectly! The hubby got the Grouper Tacos and he said they were good but a little dry. He wished they had some more toppings...either sauce or pico de gallo. My daughter got the mussel pasta. She loved the mussels but was disappointed by the penne pasta. She wished it was a bit saucier as it only had a lemony/wine liquid that wasn't sticking to the pasta. All in all this place was good. We will go at least once more since it's by where we're staying and I want to try a couple more things on the menu. read more

Lazy Gator - They said what they said! - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Ruskin, Florida

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Grouper Tacos - best I have ever had - grilled tortilla, the slaw, the sauce - SO GOOD! I would share a picture we ate them all to quick! Also tried the spicy garlic parm wings on Wing Wednesday - very good! Older building and a restaurant that has character but really good food - just try it! read more

Cool place. First time there. Local place. Felt right at home. Food was very good and priced well. Drinks were good and priced well. Entertainment was on point. Service was excellent!! read more

Local watering hole with a typical bar food menu. Drink and dinner specials every week. Service is friendly and accommodating. Food is nothing to write home about and somewhat pricey. Hubby had shrimp scampi special, pasta was overcooked. I had the meatloaf special, one slice of meatloaf with mashed potatoes and half a corn. Separate bar area as well as outside seating and outdoor party room. read more

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We came across this amazing local restaurant while driving from Tampa to Port Charlotte. We prefer local businesses vs national chain and definitely made a great choice in choosing the Lazy Gator. Super friendly bar tender and a great menu. We chose the Mahi tacos and OMG best fish taco we have ever had. Great food, nice atmosphere, super service made for a relaxing and delicious lunch. We highly recommend the Lazy Gator! read more

Lazy Gator - Grilled Mahi Tacos, AMAZING!!! - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Ruskin, Florida

I haven't been here for quite awhile and this time we ate inside since it was so hot. The front room where we ate had a musty smell to it. Our server was new so we had to help him out quite a bit. I ordered the chicken Caesar wrap and macaroni salad. When it arrived, it had fries, but since the poor server seemed overwhelmed, I let it go. The wrap was very good, as were the fries. read more

Lazy Gator - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Ruskin, Florida

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I went here on a random Saturday for lunch. I was only in the bar area. I ordered the Dual Lobster which was surprisingly tasty. Servers were nice. A decent place to have a drink on a sunny afternoon. read more

Lazy Gator - Dual Lobster - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Ruskin, Florida

On the road late and starving for local seafood. Found ourselves at Lazy Gator. Local pub/restaurant with an atmosphere straight out of Old Florida. Cozy laid back setting, great food and friendly service that made us feel welcome. Will certainly be returning. PS: The Mango Cart Beer - excellent recommendation. Thanks! read more

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Everything was good. Service, atmosphere, the food was amazing. Everything was reasonably priced. Highly recommend.

We were visiting some family in the area and found this place on Yelp. Menu looked interesting so we decided to try it out Driving up, the parking lot is a grassy/dirt/mud parking lot. So if it rained, be careful ypu don't get stuck! Walking in, the restaurant had an old country restaurant vibe It did have an indoor/outdoor bar if you ealn out the back. The day wr went it was half full and there was only one server. We weren't in a rush though so no foul there. I ended up with the chicken and rice soup and the shrimp amd grits. The soup itself was pretty standard fare and tasted good. The shrimp and grits were really good. Had s0me sausage in it and was seasoned very well. I'm finding I like these kinds of restaurants...I dontknow if it's because I'm getting older or because I'm married tp a white girl, but either way I'm not complaining...lol. Definitely would.come back when I'm in the area, but can't be in a hurry as ypu might get slow service. But if you're expecting a little slower service, but good food...this place might pique your interest. read more

Lazy Gator - Shrimp and grits - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Ruskin, Florida

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An old building with outdoor dining area. Inside is homey, with a couple of small dining rooms, aside from the main hall. Good service, salty food - this is coming from the person who loves salt I've Cajun pasta. The pasta is al dente, the shrimps are tender. Didn't touch the sausage and the sauce is way too salty. My two table mates have the fried grouper - too much batter, but the fries are good. read more

Lazy Gator - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Ruskin, Florida

I have had dinner here twice in the past three months. The first time I had a shrimp topped pasta dish, the second time fish & chips. Both meals were accompanied by a glass of wine. The food was excellent both meals. The wine was good. The service was also good. I will be back in the future. read more

Little hidden gem in Ruskin. We decided to try Lazy Gator today. What a great lunch. Service with Amber was excellent. Huge glasses for drinks that never went empty. We started off with Conch Fritters. They had chunks of Conch with red peppers and seasonings. Definitely homemade. I also had some homemade clam chowder. It was thick and creamy with large clams. As a New Englander it was approved. Lisa got the Fish and Fries. It was haddock and was fried to perfection with a very light batter. The piece of fish was huge. I had the fried gulf shrimp. Again the breading was light and the shrimp was cooked perfectly. Both came with coleslaw. We really liled the cilantro addiction. The Voodoo sauce that came with fritters was fantastic. We dipped our fries in it. They are open everyday. Cool outside bar as well. read more

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Our group of 6 wanted to get dinner on the beach, but there was no parking. So we moved inland to Lazy Gator. We were seated in a room with 1 table and a view of the soda fountain. Our server mentioned they were out of rice, fries, potato salad, macaroni salad. What? That left our choices pretty thin. We all ordered tacos. They were good. My shrimp tacos were great. My Wife and Daughter wanted iced tea. But... you guessed it, they were out. It seems odd that this place was out of so many items. Poor planning? An early dinner rush? Whatever the reason, I have no reason to return. read more

Lazy Gator - Our view from this private room. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Ruskin, Florida

Surprise location! It's been open for 3 years but the first time I realized it. There is more seating outside than inside. Only negative was bathroom's we're limited. But the food was good. Wait staff was excellent. Lots of little game activities outside. Good location and seemed to be the locals favorite. Oyster po boy was very good! read more

Lazy Gator - Oyster po boy - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Ruskin, Florida

We had a great night here a few years ago, and thought we'd come back! We were abruptly turned away, not by the restaurant but because the staff was just unfriendly and uninterested in serving us. The inside bar had the only table "reserved", the bartender was unfriendly and terse. There was a sign that said to "see host for seating" on the outside patio, but when I couldn't find the "host" I asked a random employee where I could find them... apparently they were busy in the kitchen and we should just wait up front. There were 70% empty tables. We would have spent a good amount there and felt like we were basically shoved out the door. read more

Atmosphere - Old Florida Vibe. If you are looking for a modern, upscale place to eat, the Gator is not for you. If you want a casual dining experience reminiscent of old Florida you have hit the jackpot. There are two entrances to the restaurant. The one on the right leads you directly into the bar area. This room is dark and has a vibe that you would expect in the Everglades. There are 6 or so four tops and a bar that seats around 8 people. The music is loud and the place is a little funky. There is an outdoor dining area that has around ten four tops of various types. Some of these tables have umbrellas and some do not. For the most part the chairs are metal and less than comfortable. Service - Excellent! I wish that I could remember our server's name, as she did a great job of attending to us. Food - Great. I had the Clam Chowder and the Buffalo Fried Chicken Wrap. Both were excellent. The soup was served hot. It had a delicious, creamy base. The clams were plentiful and tender. The wrap was equally excellent. The Buffalo Sauce was awesome. I was so hungry that I began eating the wrap before taking a picture. My apologies. Overall Value - Very Good. The prices are reasonable, the quality and quantity great. This is a gem. read more

Lazy Gator - Outside dining area - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Ruskin, Florida

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We had an awesome dinner here at the Lazy Gator. Shared an appetizer of Grouper bites which was excellent then had the special of Shrimp over grits. My dinner was the Fish & fries which was also delicious. Waiter was very pleasant, we will definitely be back again. read more

We arrived with reservations, waited for someone to show up. We were seated and waited. We saw several other people get waited on still no service. After 15 minutes we left. Very unorganized wait staff they roamed freely in between tables no specific directions. I don't know how they get a 3.8 rating? read more

Great service , excellent prices and top notch food . The conch fritters and fries and blackened grouper sandwich were phenomenal

The food was so yummy!!!! Conch fritters, Alligator bites, and Sunny's Delight Rum cake was AMAZING! Lazy Gatorade is a friendly and chill hole in the wall type of restaurant. I would recommend this place to anyone wanting a taste of Florida local cooking. The server, Renee was attentive, kind and very knowledgeable of the menu. Found my new favorite restaurant! Thanks, Lazy Gator! You guys rock!!!! read more

Absolutely ridiculous place. We set a reservation for New Years eve and when we arrived the place was dirty smelled of weed and the Waiter came up and told us they had no food. 50% of the items were not available. I DO not recommend this place. You should let people know prior to accepting reservations that a majority of your food is not available. What a dump... I will never go back there nor ever recommend this place to anyone. read more

I stood for 10 minutes while a bartender dressed in too small underwear ignored me trying to order a drink. It was not busy. I will not go back. read more

Rene is fabulous server! Personable & very knowledgeable of the dishes on the menu. He interacts with patrons & made wonderful recommendations. He added a delightful text to my leftover container that made me smile. read more

Lazy Gator - My take home good had a sweet message that made me smile - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Ruskin, Florida

It's a nice "old Florida" themed neighborhood-y style restaurant bar. We had an easy Saturday lunch - fish and fries, and a halibut sandwich. The fried fish was excellent. The beer was cheap for Stella, service fine, and not terribly expensive. It's not a date night place, but has a good vibe and is almost as quirky as it tries to be. A good place! read more

Awful service, cold food and speaking to the manager only made it worse would never recommend. We live very close but would still never go back and word of mouth in a very large community passes very quickly read more

Food is good service is not that good. We got sat and took about 6 minutes to receive our. Service drinks took long also. The atmosphere is good though read more

Lazy Gator - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Ruskin, Florida

Run from this place..... The owner is rude and treats staff and customers poorly and the food is of low quality. Do not waste you money on this place .... Go somewhere else and have a better time and food! read more

We enjoyed all our meals! One of our guests wanted lobster but unfortunately they were out. Several of our party had the Cajun pasta which was delicious, one had the ribeye with shrimp, another had the oyster platter. The appetizers were raw oysters, calamari, and the fried green tomatoes!! All worth ordering and not a soldier (bite) left! My son front out of town said the raw oysters were delicious! Service was good, they only had 1 table to accommodate the size of our party (8) inside, it was a separate room but that was fine. read more

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We have been to Lazy Gator a few times. We always found the food very tasty, and the servers and bartenders are very friendly. I played music there once, the bar room was packed and they enjoyed my classic rock music. Would love to perform there again! read more

Why a great little place! Upon a recommendation from my aunt, we stopped here on a recent shopping trip. Very quaint and cool! We had great service, our food was spectacular! Very fresh ingredients and tasty. Way highly recommend this little gem! read more

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I'm glad this old restaurant reopened and expanded the yard for outdoor seating. The outdoor space has hammocks, umbrella tables, and a potential stage for live music. Definitely old Florida style and there's a touch of grandma's backyard. Bit hot outside even with the shade from the oak trees so grateful for a cooler days or you get lucky and sit near a outdoor fan. Went with the very late lunch today decided on the Caesar salad but only after a mishap with the original selection of a blackened salmon dish with a side of veggies. Orders came out wrong but I could be there training new people salmon was a blockage or cook throughout and included rice. So rather than trying to re-cook that I swapped out for simple Caesar salad. The Cesar salad does come with the shaved Romano cheese but does not have Parmesan cheese, 3 stars not sure I agree $10 for this. Staff is very friendly not too sure about the one bartender she seems to be a staple in the area so a lot of the locals enjoy her dry humor. I definitely come back to try different things next time. I can say the grilled shrimp was excellent as well as the fries so I will say the fried food has been a win. read more

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Great place! Shea is the best bar tender! Awesome location off 41. Good food good prices. read more

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The food and service were great. The outside seating area is also very welcoming and it has shade. read more

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This was a very educational experience. My friend and I took our kids there after the beach because the have grouper (my kids absolute favorite). Unfortunately we did not get the opportunity to eat. First, we asked to sit outside because it was such a nice day. According to the man seating us, we could not have a beer if we didn't sit on the patio so we sat on the patio. We wanted to sit on the ground level so the kids could have more space. After we got our table the same man proceeded to sit 5 other groups at the tables outside (off the patio) and serve them beer. When I asked him about it he said they were here first. They absolutely were not. There was one group at the restaurant when we arrived. We still ordered food and drinks. Again when we arrived there was only one other small group. We never got our drinks. Everyone around us was served. Including another group with kids. After a while we asked to cancel the order and left. We then had to explained to our children that we will not waste money on people that don't want to serve us because of who we are or the way we look. Shame on this place. read more

We enjoyed our dinner here. Had read some negative reviews on another review site about the service, but what I saw were four people working their butts off. At some point during our visit, every one of them took care of us in some way. They worked together like a well-oiled machine. This is a fun local bar with good food, no white tablecloths or Michelin stars. Just go and have fun! read more

Last night had a great meal. Party of 4. All got something different. The grilled shrimp was cooked perfectly. Sis had fish and chips. Big delish piece of haddock. Excellent. Shrimp scampi was seasoned well. Most enjoyable meal I have had in a long time. Will go back again very soon read more

indoors is a restaurant and a separate Bar area, Outside is an open area and a covered area to sit. great menu selections... The staff is helpful & friendly.. We were there one time and the place was packed due to karaoke night.! we return once or twice a month. read more

Keep going back when I'm In the Ruskin area. Can't say anything bad about this place. If you happen to visit try the Cajun pasta, it's to kill for Bon Appetite! read more

Tough finding a place to park, but it was all worth it! At 3:30 in the afternoon there was only one bartender/waitress. She did the best she could with the 20+ customers in the place. Thankfully the one cook also served our meal at our table. The bartender/waitress was WAY TOO Busy with other customers. It was a wonderful "dive type" bar that was unfortunately understaffed that afternoon. Hopefully the new owners can figure this out and properly staff the restaurant this time of year. The food was delicious, and hopefully the staffing situation (as a previous restaurant owner) is figured out in the very near future. I will be back! Loved this place!! read more