If you're looking for a taste of Old Florida, Shady Oak Restaurant is the place to be! Nestled…read moreright along the river, this no-frills spot has been serving up Southern comfort since 1954, and let me tell you--it's worth the visit. Now, don't let the rustic, timeworn ambiance fool you. It's all part of the charm! The warm hospitality, wallet-friendly prices, and downright delicious food make this a must-stop for locals and travelers alike. We indulged in a feast of true Florida flavors, starting with crispy Fried Green Tomatoes, perfectly seasoned Gator Bites, tender Frog Legs, and flavorful Conch Fritters. Each bite had us nodding in approval, but the real star of the meal? The Gator Burger--a juicy half-pound blend of gator and pork, topped with lettuce, tomato, and their signature spicy cream sauce. Served with golden Hush Puppies, it was absolute perfection. For seafood lovers, the Fried Ponga (whitefish) was light, flaky, and cooked just right. And just when we thought we couldn't eat another bite, we made room for dessert--the Apple Blossom, a warm, sweet treat that wrapped up the meal beautifully. Shady Oak Restaurant truly captures the heart of Florida dining--simple, delicious, and served with a smile. Their slogan says, "What happens at the river, stays at the river," but I'll be telling everyone about this place! Open seven days a week, so no excuses--go treat yourself! Shady Oak Restaurant 2984 Old New York Ave, DeLand, FL 32720 (386) 734-9715 #ShadyOakRestaurant #DeLandFL #FloridaEats #SouthernFood #OldFlorida #SeafoodLovers #GatorBites #FriedGreenTomatoes #GatorBurger #FoodieAdventures #HiddenGem #SouthernCharm #FoodieTravel #SupportLocal #FloridaDining #RusticEats #MustTryFood #FloridaFoodies

I've ate at Shady Oak Restaurant a few years back and enjoyed their food. Working in the area so I…read morehad to stop by and grab a burger and fries. I sat outside on the deck and enjoyed my food with the view of the St John's River. Service was great!

Love this spot, drinks are on point. I tried the speak easy and this is my new wind down happy hour…read morerelaxing hideaway. The bartender was great, he gave us some insight on speak easy. J in had a Diquaire (spelled wrong) and mushroom flat bread. All was great.

Came to this restaurant for my birthday and ended up leaving upset. We walked in and the female…read morebartender (with short black hair) told my sister and I to sit down wherever. Okay, cool. We see that there are lots of tables taken and there were only two available tables: one right at the corner next to the window, tight space, with customers at the nearby tables, siting around 4-6 people OR a more "breathable" table, but sitting a whole party of around 10 people. My sister and I decided to sit there due to not wanting to feel cramped and awkward. Also, for anyone that has been there, it's a pretty small place with bad division, but it is what it is. That's the rental space available, I get it. That same female bartender then comes to us and makes a passive aggressive comment about how we picked the table with the most space and chairs. To which then I asked her "would you like for us to sit somewhere else?" and she replied" no, it's okay." Already didn't appreciate the passive aggressive attitude because a) she told us to sit ourselves and b) I asked her if she wanted us to move and she said no. She asked us what we wanted to drink and she brought us our waters. After that, the young, tan guy (the food runner/waiter) grabbed our orders and helped us out the rest of the evening. Time goes by, we get our food, everything is alright. And then, when we are finishing up our food, I hear that same female bartender from afar talking to our male runner saying "they pick the biggest table and now we need it" in a very annoyed manner - as if we are being a nuisance or inconvenience to her. Immediately, I'm pissed. Did I NOT ask this lady before if she wanted us to move? I spoke plain English. The male runner then comes to us asking if we could move tables. I'm pissed and tell him that we are just going to leave and to bring us a to-go box. I tell him about how I asked the female bartender if she wanted us to leave the table before we even ordered drinks and that I heard the comment she made to him and how I found it super disrespectful. He sincerely apologized and gave us a 10% discount for our trouble. I wanted nothing to do with her after that and when I was waiting for the gentleman to pick up my card to charge me, she came with the loveliest, fakest kindness "I can take that for you." I said, "no, I'll hand it to him." Unfortunately, I was so pissed that I didn't ask for either of their names. However, it was Sep 12 2026. So whoever worked the shift from around 5pm-6pm, it's those two individuals. I want to reiterate that the male runner was super helpful and attentive. I told him that he was great; he wasn't the problem. I'm going to advise the female bartender that passive aggressiveness is a bad habit to have culturally and that she won't always run into people that can handle it civilly the way my sister and I did. If she wants to be gangster with the comments she made to him, she can be gangster to my face. Especially since I asked her before if she wanted us to move and SHE said no. Now, to all my non-white folks, Debary has always had a certain... reputation... about how... certain people receive certain treatment. And even when I came in, I felt a certain... vibe - even from the female bartender herself. But I decided to give it a try either way because maybe it was just in my head. I'll say this, you probably will find it best to find somewhere else to dine. Which sucks because I've been dying to come dine here. And the food was actually pretty darn good, but it's not worth dealing with the passive aggressiveness and fakery she displayed.

Great service and so nice to dine on the water. Wish they didn't have plastic, but it's…read moreunderstandable. Good food every time we've been there.

I've visited the Swamp House half a dozen times. The menu is mostly typical bar food, fortified…read morewith plenty of deep fried offerings. There is a generously sized and well stocked bar, perfect for an evening cocktail or beer. The service has always been pretty good and the food is well prepared and arrives quickly. The biggest draw to this place is the location, views, and ambiance. It's well themed in a bayou cabin style and offers a gorgeous view of the river while you dine or enjoy a drink. You can even camp or stay at the adjacent campground if you're planning on having a few. Definitely check it out.

Our waitress Sarah was absolutely amazing! She was so friendly, attentive, and made sure we had…read moreeverything we needed throughout our meal. Her service really made our experience even better. We've been a couple times recently and the service wasn't all that great but we'll definitely be back to see her!

First of all, if Melissa isn't serving next time I go, I'm walking my happy behind out of there…read more She's the most competent one. The rest leave serious room for improvement. Second of all, the new owners promoting all their events with AI slop is just pitiful. How embarrassing that you can't come up with something on your own! I would much rather see a basic poster made by humans than some lazy copy and paste that other mindless business owners use. 3 stars because the food is still decent enough, not consistent anymore though.

We made a last-minute decision to visit the Country Line Saloon during Bike Week because one of my…read morefavorite Metallica Tribute Bands, Medal Militia from Jacksonville was performing here. At first, we thought, oh this is out in Deland, no problem, but it's actually an hour away from Sanford in the boonies of De Leon Springs. The Drive wasn't actually bad it was just long. When you pull in, it's almost like entering a private road that leads to a farm. It's a dirt road with plenty of potholes so be on the lookout if you have a low-rider. The road is actually really beautiful, as there are rows of oak trees on either side of you. The building is quite large, with plenty of seating inside and out. There is a game room with darts, pool tables, light gambling, a large indoor bar, for the event they had three more bars outside. There are also plenty of TV monitors mounted throughout the restaurant so you can watch the big game. Staff were super friendly and there were a lot of them. I never had to wait for anything here. We ordered a pulled pork sandwich and it was ready in less than 10-mintues. The sandwich was $12 but we were not really impressed. The meat was really dry and the bun chewy; the fries were cooked perfectly and seasoned well. I had to dip my sandwich in my ketchup and mayo to get it down without choking. We sampled some of our friend's pizza which was good. The use tiny pepperoni on their pizzas which was kind of strange but it was passable. A lot of locals were dining in; the restaurant was packed when we arrived so they must be doing something right. I would be willing to order food here again because they do have decent pricing overall. Domestic beers were $4 and imported $7 not bad. I didn't order any mixed drinks but my wife said they were expensive. One thing I have to complain about is that my first bartender tried charging me $7 for a domestic and I had to correct her. Another bartender did the same thing to my wife and then the server who took our order asked if she could keep the change on our meal which was way more than 20%, not cool. The outdoor section on the back side of the restaurant overlooks an awesome horse track. I'm not sure if they have racing out here but they could easily do it if they wanted to. There are comfortable couches surrounding gas lite fireplaces throughout which is really nice. At the base of the seating area, they have a huge stage setup for live music. I'm not sure if they have this here all the time or just for Bike Week but I love it. The only downside is the band or promoter is responsible for providing sound and lighting. The venue does not offer this service. The sound and light team who provided services for Metal Militia tonight did a great job. I noticed Jim the lead singer was having some technical difficulties with getting the right sound in the beginning but he was able to work around it after the second song. All-in-all, we had a great time out here and look forward to coming back again. It's a haul so I'm not sure if we will be able to visit next, but we will be back.

Nice place. Very Big. Lots of seats inside and out…read more Friendly staff Free Parking. Out in sticks but this place is well worth the drive to see a band. ! Couches and Fire places. We ordered a pork sandwich. It was horrible. Dry and overcooked. Bun was soggy and chewing. Fried were great. Hot and fresh Pizza was ok. Sauce was good. Small pepperonis. Drink prices are a little high but not for beer. I would come here again but not eat.

We dined there last night with friends. It ended up being very expensive dog food. The ingredients…read morewere good, but everything was so salty. I scraped off the breading and cut it up for the dogs. I ended up, throwing away the potato pancakes. We told everyone the food was too salty for us. I think the chef should taste his own cooking before serving to other people!! Service was good. Everyone was really nice on the ambience was OK, just old. All in all it was a waste of $95. .

Service is always fantastic. The setting is quiet and feels like a small town restaurant where the…read morelocals dine. The food is always delicious. Prices are fair ... you get what you pay for and this place is amazing.

Great food, great prices and great service! Specials that…read morechange everyday for lunch and dinner, plus the full menu. They host events such as Jukebox Bingo, cornhole leagues on Wednesday, bingo on Thursday , music / entertainment on Fridays and a trivia on Saturdays! Happy hour from 3-6pm Tuesday - Saturday !

This is a restaurant for the residents primarily, but it also serves the golfers after their round…read more We played 9 holes and decided to stay for lunch. I ordered a burger and fries. My husband ordered the Italian hoagie with onion rings (the special of the day). My burger was adequate, as was my husband's hoagie. His onion rings though, tasted more like the fryer oil than an onion. Needless to say he didn't eat them. The bar area is nice with closed captioned TV's to watch a game or round of golf. Plenty of parking including a covered drop-off entrance for stormy days. There is an outdoor screened patio, but it looked like that is for the smokers. Service was good considering they had a large gathering of residents for an event.

Happen to stumbled into this charming little diner last weekend…read more From the moment you walk through the door, the warm, friendly greeting makes you feel genuinely welcome. The staff was super friendly, great has small-town hospitality vibe. Since we stopped for breakfast let's start with the coffee, absolutely fantastic. Rich, fresh, and hot - and they never let your cup get below half full. I swear the waitress had a sixth sense for it because my mug was topped off with a smile before I even realized it was getting low. You don't see that here in Miami. The portions are wonderfully generous without being ridiculous. My vegetable omelette was loaded with fluffy eggs & veges, crispy bacon, and perfectly golden hash browns - and the biscuit! Love me a good southern style biscuit! Everything tasted homemade like someone's grandma was back in the kitchen looking out for you. Best of all? The prices are incredibly reasonable, especially for the quality and quantity you get. I left feeling so FULL that my next meal was dinner. If you're looking for a cozy spot with great food, excellent coffee, and people who actually care about making your visit special, stop by this little diner.

They are 24 hour diner located on the outskirts of Deland area…read more We went with the special steak tipping eggs, and we wanted our steak well done and it was not cooked well done it was very pink inside. I also ordered the sirloin dinner with fries and the sirloin was so tough. You couldn't chew it. A lot of the food didn't have seasoning. It was very bland, not even salt and pepper. We sat near the window and the windowsill was extremely healthy They had a fly problem with flies flying all around, but it was a diner so what do you Our server was the most lovely southern woman I've met since living in Florida. She was extremely kind and tried her best to fix all of our complaints. She offered us a discount on the food that we didn't eat, and she kept our drink drinks, full, very attentive the service was a 10 out of 10.