Smelled funky like most lake ozark bars. Eventually the smell of good food drowned it out. Service was good, but bugs kept getting in our drinks. Food was really good, I had the ultimate po boy, wish it came out a bit hotter. read more

Shady Gators - Ultimate po boy - Bars Near Me - Lake Ozark, Missouri

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The building is very green and has a unique atmosphere, with multiple levels of seating to choose from. There are quite a few stairs, and there's a host stand on what I believe is the main level. They also had live music playing during our visit, which was a nice touch and added to the overall vibe. Our server was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. She checked on us throughout the meal and made sure we had everything we needed. I ordered the Caesar chicken salad and asked for extra dressing on the side. I ended up not using the extra because the salad already had a lot of dressing so much that it made the lettuce a little soggy. I'm definitely someone who loves extra sauce and dressing, but even I was surprised by how much was on it. I also tried a few fries from my fiancé's plate, and they were really good. read more

Shady Gators - Chicken Caesar salad - Bars Near Me - Lake Ozark, Missouri

The food was hot and good but the service stole the show are waitresses was amazing handling my family of 7 and two kids under 2. The place rocking and the local favorite was performing that included many of the patrons. Our bill with drinks was 309.00 , what I believe is a fair deal considering the massive complex they have on the water with good bout docks. During our visit I noticed a man about 6-3"working harder than an ugly stripper and spoke with him thinking he was the owner telling how much my family liked dinner and our server. read more

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Ordered the honey chicken wrap, potato salad,looked like mold on the sandwich looking back as I photo entries for review. Very water soaked sandwitch.45 minutes after leaving got very ill. Horrible stomach pain and nauseous. The only thing others didnt have was the Chicken. Almost caused a hospital visit.Two days of stomach pain,diarrhea. read more

Shady Gators - Extremely ill 45 minutes after eating. WAIT. IS THAT MOLD - Bars Near Me - Lake Ozark, Missouri

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Service was great. Food was great. Nina was our bartender - she makes excellent skinny margs! read more

Shady Gators - Skinny marg - Bars Near Me - Lake Ozark, Missouri

So fun, had a great time. The bartender Atticus was a doll. We hung around lazy gators then made our way to shady. By far my favorite LOZ location! The burrito bowl was delicious. read more

Shady Gators - Bar area - Bars Near Me - Lake Ozark, Missouri

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I love this bar and grill! Lots of space for everyone! Many boat slips and places to park a car. Big area with a swim up bar, ice cream truck, huge restaurant with great food! Even has a place you can rent out cabins if you'd like. Super fun place. read more

Absolute chaos. Staff was running around like they'd never worked in a restaurant before -- nobody had a clue what was happening, who was serving what, or if anyone was even in charge. We stood there like idiots and never even got seated, let alone served. Save yourself the time and the headache -- don't bother eating here. read more

I came in here with low expectations and I regret setting my standards that high. I ordered the OYSTER and shrimp po boy, one for me and one for my wife. Tell me why when it came out I started eating when I too a particularly not seafoody bite. Guess what, it was CHICKEN CHUNKS BATTERED AND FRIED instead of OYSTER. I started cutting everything in half and I concluded that there was no oyster anywhere near my plate, or the wife's. For $20 a piece I expected a lot more than a chicken sandwich under a fake name. The waitress was lovely, she is the only reason this place is getting two stars. read more

Fun atmosphere! Came for a group dinner and the food surpassed our expectations. I ordered the brisket nachos -they were HUGE and delicious. I shared them with our table of 8 and still only ate half. Others ordered pizza, gator wrap, pasta, jambalaya.... All good! Lake water and spicy margs were good too! read more

Shady Gators - Brisket Nachos and Lake Water - Bars Near Me - Lake Ozark, Missouri

Place been here for ages n a lot of stages n dj spots n bars inside. View of lake anyway u look. Service was chill but security on point! read more

Shady Gators - Group at bar - Bars Near Me - Lake Ozark, Missouri

As a former bartender with years of industry experience, I am disgusted by how Shady Gators operates. The pricing is an absolute scam--I was charged $20 for a round of drinks at one bar, and $12 for the exact same round at another. When I asked about it, the staff treated me with pure hostility and judgment. They don't care about hospitality; they just want to gouge you and condescend to you. The blatant disrespect and racial profiling we experienced next was the final straw. The girl working the pizza bar looked right at my friends husband, deliberately ignored him, and skipped him to serve a group of white dudes instead. Outside, the crowd wasn't any better, with grown adults loudly hating on our friends for THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN is disgusting. The management needs to clean house and train their staff on basic ethics and customer service, because the environment they are cultivating is downright shameful. **ive since read previous reviews and this is not the first or second time that similar racist behavior has occurred. to the owners and whoever else do fucking better. read more

We got pizza one night from shady gators. They had think crust and thick crust; it had good flavor. The staff were friendly; we got the food to go. read more

My fav lake spot! Beautiful views from Lazy Gators, friendly staff, and the best rum runners! My go to items are the Brazilian Sizzle and the pizza is the best! read more

Shady Gators is know for their party atmosphere and pizza. They have all of your favorite bar menu items. Every night during the summer lake days they will have some sort of live entertainment or even going on. There is also another venue called lazy gators that is a more adult venue. With a pool, swim up bar, and many cabanas for you to lounge. The food is decent and service is good. One of the many fun places at the Ozark to grab a drink and enjoy lake summers. read more

Shady Gators - Pizza - Bars Near Me - Lake Ozark, Missouri

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The gator bites were the best I ever had. I've eaten gator all throughout Florida and nothing compared to the ones Shadys served. Friendly staff, beer almost as cold as my ex, views were great, all was good!! I'll be back... again and again read more

We stopped at Shady Gators during my bachelorette party and enjoyed the pool and swim up bar. The drinks and atmosphere were great! I believe there was an option to rent a cabana, but we just hung out in the pool. The bartenders were friendly, welcoming, and served us drinks quickly. A must stop if you are out celebrating! read more

I really want to give this "old standby" at Lake of the Ozarks a 3 star review however, my last experience here a week or so ago was pretty bad. First of all, positives, the drinks are fairly cheap and pretty strong. Maybe the food is only edible if you're drunk? I've had fun at the pool and pool bar before. It has a beautiful view of the lake but, it gets crowded very quickly. However, this was a Thursday night for dinner, and the vilbes were pretty dead, not really lively at all. And the food just wasn't good at all, we decided to all three split the most expensive thing on the menu, a combination seafood boil pieces at $66. After it came out and was comprised of mostly inedible crayfish, we knew we should have just stuck with either crab or shrimp. The crayfish tasted like straight mud. Now I know they are nicknamed mud-bugs, but these were not fresh or clean. What made it even worse the butter that was on the side wasn't seasoned at all! No Cajun seasoning was on anything, it was the most lackluster seafood boil I had ever had. The shrimp was also pale and anemic, not seasoned at all and overcooked and rubbery. The crab legs were scrawny and barely had any meat in them. We promptly asked to talk to the owner whom, in his defense, did rectify the situation (to the best of his ability) he brought us extra crab legs as well as a whole bunch of Cajun seasoning to add to the butter and another order of shrimp, that were seasoned! So, my question is, how did the first boil even make it out of the kitchen? The potatoes were still rock hard, the corn on the cob was mushy and had no salt, the sausage was just okay bit wasn't andouille and didn't have much flavor. From an expo standpoint, it shouldn't have left the kitchen with all those glaring mistakes as well as the whole seasoning (or lack thereof). I appreciate the steps and customer service that was applied to a very lackluster meal but, I'll stick with sipping by the pool during the day and skip the food, or coming past dark! read more

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Busy bar and resort on the lake with a fun beach theme and a full bar serving tasty drinks and restaurant has plenty of food options to satisfy your hunger.Seafood Nachos were ok but not what I expected, chips were soggy and the bits of seafood were overcook and not to tasty. Burger was great, full of flavor and seasoning.Fries were crispy and the drinks were great. read more

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We went on a Monday evening, so it definitely wasn't busy but was still nice to sit by the water and had great views. I think this is a place you go for the vibes and atmosphere over the actual food but we still thought our food was good. Shady Gators is more of the restaurant part and has two floors and live music. Lazy Gators is where you go for the pool. You can order from Lazy Gators at Shady Gators but not sure if you can do it the other way around. I got the Legendary Sweet & Crunchy Fingers and thought they were really good but didn't like the tartar sauce (although I am not usually much of a tartar sauce person in general). They came on a bed of lettuce which I thought was pointless but the fish was good and the breading was almost like corn flakes and the drizzled with honey. So definitely on the sweet side. I got a side of cornbread which was a little dry and nothing special (think jiffy cornbread mix). My friend got 1/2 lb of peel and eat shrimp and thought it was good. Our drinks were also good and we got to watch the sunset! We walked over to the pool area and the pool was definitely a little small but if you go on a week night, it seems like it wouldn't be super backed and would be a nice place to relax! read more

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This was our second time at Shady Gators. I love to go early and beat the crowds. Their pool is clean so that is always lovely

Where was my fucking water 130$+ for food and i couldn't get some damn water. To match the fact that my ears were getting blown off from the beat boxing type of music that was playing while i sat in my chair tweaking out over no damn water. read more

WATCH YOUR BANK ACCOUNTS. I left a tip and they put an extra on the charge. Luckily I checked my bank and knew what I put on the tip line. I called the manager and they said they input so many charges it happens. Just be careful, sounds like it happens a lot. No clue how this is not audited and once the IRS finds out their scam, and it will show them not to steal from people read more

We dined in, Chloe was our server. She was incredible. Food and drinks were great. Overall a amazing experience

I think it was right before the tourists really hit because it seemed slow for a Friday night. The staff was very friendly and our waitress was pretty good. Prompt, friendly, and everything was right. It was a little later so we split a salad and got the Brazilian steak and shrimp app, I don't remember what it was called but it came out on a cast iron plate with sterno under it, almost raw in the middle (how I like it), with 6 large perfectly cooked shrimp. Like I said I ate the beef as is but my wife cooked it a little more. I like my beef still moving a little. Very very good beef. The shrimp were spicy but also very good. We ordered the Menage au Trois, or combo of jumbalaya, crawfish etouffé, and red beans and rice. It was pretty spicy but very flavorful. The only downside was the dry and chewy hockey puck of a cornbread muffin. Other than that the food was very good. Over all a pretty good experience and a pretty good meal. I imagine the place is off the hook during the height of the season. The ambience was kind of half restaurant, half dive bar a la Roadhouse. Despite the negative reviews, no one tried to drug us. I did have a little bit of a Cajun food coma later but that was self inflicted. read more

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Great atmosphere, friendly servers and just a fun dinner with family spot. Great music, beautiful views by the lake. A great place to hang out. Plus mini shops for shirts and small items. read more

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I do like this place. Traditional Hand-Tossed Pizza is decent; maybe a cross of Digiorno and Freschetta for reference, but not bad for a beach spot. Their StL Style pizza is very good, as is the Naan Flatbread and Cauliflower offerings. Mix and match with sauces and try out their Andouille Sausage on top with some hot peppers. The rewards really come with the complexity of the menu here, as their chicken dishes seem to especially stand out. The Deli-Style sandwiches my guests had on a visit looked really tasty as well (they certainly liked them). The ownership takes time to meet people on site and get to know them and make sure they're having a good time, so a plus there, and makes me think the following gripes can be remedied. It's a beautiful spot, with ample parking and seating, with a lot of tables subject to a gorgeous lake view (use of the shades is a good idea at dusk). The music and PA is about two clicks too loud and consistently so. Live band nights should be a front-and-center type of sound ambiance, but run of the mill atmospheric music should never be uncomfortable or keep a small group from conversing at point-blank range. Live MC events, while well run, seem even more obnoxious as far as volume goes. Not terrible, but all of these events should add to the atmosphere, not dominate it. Bar staff and servers need to be on the same page. Head Bartender seems to be experienced and have his stuff together. The rest have a mix of one or more attributes from the list: helpful, congenial, mostly professional, disengaged, distracted, inexperienced, incompetent or flat-out dishonest. Pick any two or three for each and you'll likely hit one of them on the head. Not a knock on any of them, but the disparity of mixing skill, correct menu charges, correct order placement, correct clearing of tabs, correct application of tips, etc really detract from what should be an excellent lake venue. I don't think it's the number of staff that's the problem, as I've only ever seen the place truly swamped once, but merely an efficiency, accuracy and attention to detail issue. YMMV. 6.9/10 stars, arrow going up I hope. read more

The younger girls don't get it. You would make more tips if you try to Fake it. Engage with your customers, don't be bitchy or short, act like you care you would make more tips. I would've stayed for more drinks but the waitress made me move on. The food was good, bar food but good! read more

very hot but that's the weather. not much shade. food is fine, service is impeccable. pool is for only 21 and over, my kids were miserable and at shady gators there is no pool, it's at lazy gators. good menu. need more fans/ shade. the food was mid. burger tasted like trash. very mid read more

Decent food and service. Place is a little ran down, could use a facelift. Prices are in-line with food quality.

Great Cajun food! I had some catfish with red beans and rice and corn bread and my friend had some jambalaya. Huge portions! Great atmosphere!! read more

Shady Gators - Looking out to the lake from the bar tables - Bars Near Me - Lake Ozark, Missouri

Drinks were not good. It was hot with no seating. On top of that the waitress was EXTREMELY rude and I believe this was raced based as she was treating other tables much nicer. read more

The food and rim is were great. Our server was awesome. The decor and location were perfect. Visiting from Indiana and this place was recommended by a local. Will definitely go back the next time we visit. read more

My party of 8, including my young adult kids, rated this place as mid. They did have a great menu and live entertainment. But our experience was just ok. No one was knocked over by their meal and the atmosphere was just ok. The service was fine. I had heard of Shady Gators before and was really looking forward to our first visit. We are regular patrons of Paradise, so our expectations were high. We may try again sometime, just in case it was an off night, but judging by this experience, our regular favorites still stands. read more

Great food and service. We loved it for multiple meals this past weekend. They are very dog friendly.

We went here on a Wednesday night for dinner and they sat us in an area with no other guests. The service was terrible. Our appetizer didn't come until after the check, I had to bring it to the waitresses attention several times. We had one child with us who ordered Mac and cheese- it didn't come until 20 minutes after the rest of the table got the food. The waitress brought two things of tableware for a table of six. Non-alcoholic bevs remained empty. Nothing from beginning to end was cleaned off the table. The waitress could care less. She was waiting on the table sat behind us and they ended up leaving without eating or paying after their crab bucket came and they were waiting endlessly for the server. We came again the next day only because it's so close to where we were staying and we just wanted to eat and get home. The service you get at the tables close to the bar is astronomically better. Kelly was attentive and friendly- it made such a difference. read more

Outstanding service from Clint. Our first time in. Food was great and the drinks kept coming. We will be back!

You can't always blame the bar for patrons being drugged but how they handle the situation says a lot about a place. Getting defensive and victim blaming shows they have no empathy or respect for their customers. I'm only leaving my review here because they know they are so wrong they turned off Facebook reviews. SHADY is right. read more

I won't get into what happened to my group personally because it was traumatic but I will just say that this place lives up to its name. It's SHADY. As a woman I do not feel safe going back and never will. They need better security and they need to take complaints seriously especially in regards to assault, people getting drugged, etc but THEY DONT. They get defensive and victim blame. read more

Great view but terrible food. The waitress was extremely friendly and it was entertaining to watch the birds and fishies try to nibble at cigarette butts (yucky pollution) that were in the water. Everything felt dirty: the table, menu, bathroom, etc. This place is good to get a quick bite or to use the bathroom after a long morning out on the lake. read more

Shady Gators - Double chicken nachos - Bars Near Me - Lake Ozark, Missouri