We enjoy Shady Gators as it has an awesome atmosphere - this latest trip we decided to try their eats. Our group of 6 was seated immediately in a prime location on a Friday night. It was a nice surprise. We were seated to see the band that would be playing as well as to see the single singer who was performing beforehand. The waitress was nice - attentive and took our orders immediately. There are only a few places in the Ozarks that make my favorite drink perfectly (Pain in the Ass) and Gators is one of them!! We all got a mixture of chicken somehow - tenders, wraps - and while my wrap was delicious, the tenders came out overcooked and really deep dark fried. The people who ordered them did not finish them because they just weren't up to par. We told her we were staying for the band/foam party and she was fine with that until an hour later she kept coming and pushing for us to pay. We did then we got no more attention and had planned on ordering a ton more drinks! There is a cover charge if you aren't there before 9 and its pretty high - $10 to be exact. Plenty of people will pay it though yet they can go a few more feet down the main street and get in for free at Toads. We headed upstairs to a foam party and I hadn't been to one since my college days and it was fun to be in the bubbles with everyone. Hint - if you wear flip flops, take them off so you can steady yourself better! There is a shuttle to take you to and from their various parking lots - be nice and tip the drivers, they are awesome entertainment and the ones who will help you get up and down that hill! read more

Placed a carry out order, food was not ready when we arrived yet it was cold when we got it back home (less than a 2 minute drive). Fries were freezer burnt and soggy, burgers were obviously frozen patties, the cat fish appetizer was a joke with 6 small pieces of fish on a bed of wilted lettuce for $14, and the gator wrap was inedible. Such a waste of time and money. Bar area seemed sketchy and not exactly clean. Not one employee was wearing a face mask. read more

Its a great spot to enjoy the water and food. I havent been here in 4 years, and they use to have the best Nachos I ever had. I literally was more pumped about being a fat kid after the weekend with their nachos. Food comes quick!! Thats a huge plus! The nachos were still good, but not like I remember 4 years ago. The chicken is like this cold huge chunks and very much like that processed frozen stuff. I remember it being shredded yummy make my belly fat because I cant stop eating it good. Was very disappointing after a 4 year wait. I mean not gonna lie, still scarfed it down. Parking does suck. But if you just know all this you come by boat or cab(no Uber there). Perfect place to party and have drinks! Its a fun place! And dog friendly! Its defiantly a great spot and worth going to. read more

Terrible customer service. Could not get a drink standing at the bar or sitting at a table. We were passed by a waitress at least a dozen times and never checked with our party to see if we needed anything. The security staff was extremely rude. This was my first trip down to the Ozarks - will never be back to this establishment. Do not waist your time. read more

The food was good with good prices! Definitely not a place to come for anything fancy. Typical bar food. Pool was not open yet so that was a bummer. But the bar was open and everyone was very nice! read more

Kind of loud. A little crazy. But a great view and the food was good. Bianca was our waitress and the service was excellent.. . read more

Great spot to sit lakeside for food or drinks. We had exceptional service, and the food was both fast and tasty. We especially enjoyed the Alligator Bites, and the Blackened Tuna Salad. read more

Shady Gators - Blackened Tuna Caesar Salad - Bars Near Me - Lake Ozark, Missouri

I felt my very uncomfortable at that bar. Jt was inappropriate to my girlfriends and I did not feel safe at that bar beware of JT

Try the seafood Alfredo ! Coconut shrimp is great. Good view. Great wait staff. Fun environment. Kid friendly! Till the kitchen closes. Come one come all. I endorse this establishment. 5stars!!! read more

Shady Gators - Try the seafood Alfredo !!! And the coconut shrimp. Simply delicious !!!!!!! - Bars Near Me - Lake Ozark, Missouri

Nothing but fine fun fun!! and a good good good time. Nothingi much to say but I have a good time every time

Mediocre bar food that requires a $10 cover to taste. Brought a group of 10 people here for dinner. They charged me $100 in cover fees and after speaking with the manager his only excuse was, "that's the way it's always been." He didn't care that we were dropping $400 on dinner and drinks. The shot girls visited our table three times more often than our waitress, which seem like only two times. Never again. read more

I was having a great time. I had been at the establishment all day. Another patron was having an issue with the bartender. This bartender appeared to be obviously intoxicated. I tried to intervene at that point, but the manager (JG) blew me off and would not even talk to me. I was having a fantastic time, until this episode, which was unacceptable read more

I watched a bar back sweep lemons and limes off the floor. Then put them back into the garnish trays. Honestly! I was there for hours. Service was great. Then a stoned idiot did this and could have made everyone sick. I told the manager and he just moved the to a different section. Drink at your own risk. read more

Really fun atmosphere. Lots of music and great drink specials, went last season and will definitely be back this one. Didn't get a chance to try the food last year but friends did and said they enjoyed it. If you are looking for a fun place to hang out on the lake check out Shady's you won't be disappointed. read more

Had great service and good food here. Had the seafood pasta and it was pretty good. They had a nice live band as well. Be prepared to wait a bit on a Friday or Saturday night as they get busy. read more

Amazing view of lake. Great food. Okay service may take a while to eat. Kid friendly. A little crowded. Good entertainment. Pull up to the dock and walk up and see the sunset. Steak Ceaser wrap is my favorite thing here. Seafood, Fish, Sandwiches and Cornbread! Amazin!! Queso dip is a bit small for the price but other than that I definitely recommend as a option to eat here on the lake. Pretty good atmosphere as well read more

See all

Great place to hang out. Gator bites were awesome and the grouper was absolutely amazing. Service was fast and prices were reasonable. Will definitely come back. read more

The chicken tenders here are the best we've ever had, and the slim shady tastes exactly like a sonic cherry limeade! Thanks Josie, you've been a great server!! read more

The fried crawfish was good, but the french dip was way too salty. I may eat there again, but won't order that.

Decent food, but expensive due to small portions. Nice views, which would be even better if the owner spent a little money to renovate. Stairs from one level to the next are dark and treacherous. If you are over 25, head home by 10:30. The kids take the place over. It's a shame, I know they hit them for a cover but that's not the crowd that spends the big money. read more

Reasonably priced. Arrived around 11:30 on a weekday. Slow service even though they weren't busy. Generous serving of fries that would have probably been good when they were hot. Burger was over cooked & dry but not bad. Lots of cheese & toppings. The wastebasket in the restroom was full even though they had only been open for half an hour. Great view & lots of good boat parking. read more

Go with the ménage trios...little bit of everything...expect cold drinks, great people and good lake food. Oh, and the merch is the coolest in the lake! read more

Fun bar most of the time (I would avoid eating here at dinner though) Several different areas to the bar which sometimes includes 2 dancing areas. Friday nights there is a DJ and then a cover band on a stage across the bar and down a floor. Saturday night it was just a 80s cover band (wtf? why?) in one dance area and it was too packed to do anything or even talk. Regardless, this is definitely one of the top places to go to for night life at the Lake. read more

I went to shady gators on a Saturday night with my girlfriends for a bachelorette party. The night was fun and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. However, when the bar closed at 1:30 am and we were waiting for a ride we experienced an extremely unfortunate interaction with shady gator employees and the owner of the establishment. As we were waiting for our ride, we were underneath the upstairs deck and an employee spilled/dumped an entire trash bag full of liquid on top of me. I was understanding at first, however the owner of the bar and several other employees tried to make it seem as though it was my fault. I was soaked in trash water and they offered nothing besides a dry bar towel to clean myself off and then insinuated that it was my own fault. A kind bartender reimbursed me for 1/2 of the $50 cover I paid for my friends and I to enter the bar (not nearly enough compensation in my opinion.) The owner of shady gators was extremely rude, unprofessional, and inconsiderate. If you're looking for an overpriced yet cheap establishment to waste your time at for a night, then shady gators may be the place for you. However, if you're interested in upstanding and considerate establishments, I highly recommend any place besides shady gators. read more

Jt made me feel very uncomfortable. The bar was great if he didn't run it. Watch out girls

Bartender wasn't all that friendly but drinks were good and nachos excellent. Great view and atmosphere. I'd go back again

Tough to write a review for Shady gators. I've been to the restaurant with my family and the bar with my friends. The restaurant for dinner was loud which was distracting. The food was better than I was expecting for a place that I think of as primarily a bar. I enjoyed the chicken ranch wrap. I'd also recommend one of their specials, honey-something. I think they called it grouper fingers. At night, I think Shady Gators is probably one of the best bars on the lake. Their rum runners are tasty and worth the cost. read more

Amazing time! Shady Gators is a non-stop party, would definitely recommend going there Friday and Saturday nights.

This place is run down and smells like a sewer! Fortunately it was an afternoon and they weren't that busy. So we sat in an area that the breeze blew the sewer smell away. If you're looking for a nice place to eat, save yourself and don't go here. Service is okay and the food was good, but this place is in desperate need of an overhaul. This just seems like a drinkers paradise for young adults that don't care about over running sewage and vomit, and where the liquor flows and so do the brain cells. read more

Great food, great service, great view of lake. Not to mention great street name, "Sweet William"

So me and my good friend Jon Hopkins decided to check this place out. Pool party, bikinis, and bottle service. Our house was right down the road and let me tell you this was the spot!! The true definition of can't turn a ho into a housewife, but boy that didn't stop my good friend Jon! Cougar patrol on the prowl Jon landed a sexy 50 something. Our waitress at the cabana kept the 4's away so the 8's could play! Will def go back! read more

We had a really great time here! It looked like everyone else was having fun too. Service was a little slow but they were pretty busy. The drinks were REALLY overpriced but I guess we were paying for the experience too! I think if your on vacation and looking for a trendy spot then this is the one! read more

Atmosphere was very relaxing and the food was very tasty. Loved the view and the warm weather. Staff was very friendly.

Atmosphere gets 5 stars but food and beer selection fails.

We go every time we visit the lake. The drinks are good. Ordered coconut shrimp and they were really tasty.

This place is loud, dirty sometimes, and there is usually a cover on weekend nights. But, it one of the BEST bars on the Lake of the Ozarks. Their rum runners are delicious. They have great bands. Lots of security. I always feels safe considering how packed this place can get. I have never had bad food here either. It is a total blast. If you're looking to party, have loud music, lots of boats, access also by land, hotels close by, a beautiful sunset. Shady or Lazy Gators is the place to be. Considering, I go every Saturday and any issues I've had J.G. has gladly taken care of. read more

We came to Shady Gators to see a specific DJ group - who apparently couldn't make it due to a flight cancellation. I understand this isn't the venues fault.. however, there were no announcements made by the venue on any social media or at the show where we patiently waited. After realized that it was way too late for another act to come on, I tried to ask multiple people (including a worker on the stage) if the DJ group was not going to show up and he proceeded to tell me they were never booked, with the other workers telling me that they had no idea who that is. On top of that, the workers were extremely rude, including the multiple bar tenders that we experienced at the Lazy Gators part on both Friday AND Saturday night. I realize that they probably have to deal with a lot of rude drunk morons, but not everyone who visits the establishment is like that - so to have such terrible customer service is unacceptable. On Saturday, we decided to eat there to try the food. We split cajun catfish (it was alright), grilled shrimp, and some jalapeno poppers (do not recommend, don't taste good). The miami vice and pain in the @$$ drinks were both pretty tastey, but for food I would go somewhere else. I also left my ID there that day. I asked that evening and they didn't have it. I then called around 11:30 the next morning and the person I spoke with proceeded to tell me that he had only 30 minutes of sleep the night before so I'd just have to call back around 2 PM when they were more organized. Literally, he said that. I told him that I had to leave town so I'd just come up there. I went up there to the first portion of Shady Gators and the waitress whom I asked if they could see if they had my ID was extremely rude and just said they don't have them, go to the other portion (Lazy's). So I go all the way to the other bar simply to have the bar tender say nothing to me when I ask and hand me a bucket of credit cards, money clips, and IDs. There literally had to be about 200 in there. To make that long story short, if I had ill intentions I could have EASILY stolen someone's credit card (and the cash out of the money clip) or even someone's IDs or anything! If that is how you behave, you clearly don't care about your customers or their well being. I'm sorry, but I wouldn't recommend this place for food, partying, or relaxing. What a disappointment. read more

Absolutely the worst meal! There was 9 of us in our group. All of our meals were absolutely AWEFUL! The chicken in the wrap I got was gray in color. The gator wraps were complete fat and couldn't even be chewed. They charged me $9.00 for a VIRGIN (no alcohol) strawberry daiquiri. When I told the waitress about our experience, she just said sorry and asked for payment. Worst food I have ever eaten on the Lake! read more

My best friend and I stayed nearby the better part of last week. Loved coming to Shady's and Lazy's each day. Great food, great entertainment and the very best staff!! It was great getting to know you all. They made us feel so welcome. Special shout out to Jake, the best waiter ever!! You guys are awesome keep that stuff up!! read more

This place needs a power washer and some disinfectant. Bathrooms smell and could use a deep cleaning. Outside needs power washed and some picking up. Walking up from dock, crap, straw and trash everywhere. Our server was friendly, and many no fault of hers the place is dirty and a mess. Can only imagine the kitchen. Will not being going back. Years ago we went here all the time. Young gals using rest room even said "remind me to never come here sober and when it's daylight! " Hubby even said later the men's bathroom was horrible and we know men really don't usually notice unless it's really really bad. read more