If you're looking for a taste of Old Florida, Shady Oak Restaurant is the place to be! Nestled right 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 read more

I've ate at Shady Oak Restaurant a few years back and enjoyed their food. Working in the area so I had 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! read more

Shady Oak Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - DeLand, Florida

Anyone wanting to revisit a slice of old Florida does not want to miss Shady Oak Restaurant. This restaurant, nestled on the St Johns River near DeLand has weathered everything Florida could throw at it since the early '50s. The food and ambiance have only improved over the years. Passing boats can tie up to their dock and come in and enjoy hush puppies, conch fritters, alligator bites, catfish and much more, cooked to perfection. My family has enjoyed this location since it first opened in the mid '50s and will continue into the future. You don't want to miss this little slice of Florida heaven! read more

Food is decent but unfortunately we no longer go bc everytime we have the service is extremely slow!!!! Even when we ordered for pick up we had to wait almost 45 min past the time it was supposed to be ready. It's a shame bc it has a lot of potential but they definitely need to fix issues in the kitchen and add more staff maybe read more

Food is always great. Fries are awesome. Only place I know of where I can get frogs legs. !!! Servings are large and we've never had a bad meal read more

This is definitely a local dive which is great. No fancy pants! Go there after work, throw a few back and watch the gators cruise down the river. There are two that live under their dock! Food is pretty good and reasonably priced for the most part. I wouldn't recommend the cod bites because the portions are very small. Wings are not breaded and FANTASTIC. They have the GOOD fries (IYKYK). Server was sweet as pie and on top of us porch-dwellers. read more

Adorable homestyle restaurant on the river. We went at the night before Thanksgiving so the were not busy at all. The jute box makes for personalized ambiance. The food was so so good, I had fried white fish and fries, my hunny had scallops and shrimp, bacon wrapped in a skewer. The only words that make sense are OMG delicious. Highly recommend and we will be going back next time we make it to the area. read more

I love this little shanty restauraunt nestled along the ST Johns River off of hwy 44 in DeLand, Fl. the food is excellent and so are the cooks and on the order of moms home cooking.. its fun to spot a gator or two and really enjoy watching the river boats cruise up and down the river while eating. Outside Patio is always a nice place to hang out except for when it is stifling to HOT!! My only complaint was that the interior windows for outside viewing could be cleaned, they are quite dirty to say the least, that would make the place a cute place to go more often..all I could think about was how unattractive it makes such a cute quaint ole Florida secret place to be while trying to enjoy a great meal. CLEAN THE WINDOWS..then the price of the food will be not so hard to pay for. read more

Catfish fingerlings and fries with sweet tea! The dock is great to sit on and watch the boars go by.

These folks do a good job, they offer quality food made in a tiny kitchen with limited staff. If you come here do so with a big thirst and a lot of patience. Your food will arrive eventually, in the meanwhile relax and watch the boats going by. Oh and try the catfish! read more

Great food and service waterside on the St John's River. $6 beers and $8 sandwiches that taste great? If that sounds good and you love relaxing while the water flows by, this is your place! read more

Food is priced right and is good. The view is nice. Chicken wings are very good. It is a nice place for a casual lunch or breakfast.

Always love their burgers. And the hush puppies are the best!! Great with a Miller Light on tap!

It could have been a whole lot cleaner. The doors, around the knobs, are filthy. We ordered burgers medium, and they were well done. The fries wet excellent, and the onion rings decent to good. The service was good and the staff were friendly and pleasant. Cleanliness is most important, and that was a fail. read more

Kelly, our server was so kind. Food was great and inexpensive. Beer draft was literally cheaper than the sweet tea (never seen that before) . Sat outside to see the sun go down but then the mosquito came after us so we moved inside. read more

Shady Oak Restaurant - Frog legs - Seafood Near Me - DeLand, Florida

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Seriously the worst service I have ever experienced. We got here when we were the first table, and we ordered quickly. It took over an hour to get the food and we were left with no refills either. The food is nice if you are willing to wait over 80 minutes. The dock was falling apart and it seems as if this place is a walking hazard. read more

My kiddo and I happened to be canoeing past this restaurant this morning and noticed folks on the patio having breakfast. We stopped in and had an incredibly delicious breakfast. I have lived in the area for over 15 years and never realized this place existed. Service was friendly and the view of the river was relaxing. We will be back for lunch or dinner sometime soon! read more

Shady Oak Restaurant - Shady Oak Potato plate. Breakfast of champions! - Seafood Near Me - DeLand, Florida

My boyfriend and my boys went and got food ordered from Shady Oak Restaurant. They had really good service and awesome workers there. There food is really good also and you get a good portion of the food. I would recommend it. read more

Shady oak staff was awesome. The Gator tail is the best on the menu. The hush puppies not so much. Great for a quick lunch.

Surprising little gem on the river! This itty bitty shack has great service, wonderful views of the river and good seafood! We ordered gator bites for an appetizer and they were cooked perfectly! I have had gator that was overcooked and chewy- this was was cooked right! Hubby and I enjoyed the nibbles before our meals came out. I ordered the coconut shrimp basket with pina colada dipping & onion rings on the side. The pineapple with the coconut shrimp was a delightful taste combo! Onion rings were very good too! Hubby enjoyed a combo platter- with white fish, scallops & shrimp! He had fries and applesauce as his sides. His dish was so huge he had a hard time finishing! He didn't even eat the fries! The fish was too good to not finish! Hubby even popped his head into the tiny kitchen to tell the cook that the food was amazing! They do allow smoking on their outside porch- and the smell seeps into the main restaurant. I have severe allergies and it was bothering me- but another guest was complaining about it too and she was further away from the porch area! That was the only ding about the place! Everything else was great~ read more

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Omg the best biscuit I have ever had in my life! Everything was delicious! So good. The breakfast Tators were so good and the western inlet was as well. read more

The people who work here are great, the view of the river is stunning and the sweet tea hit the spot! The food was as fresh as it could be but I just dont think I liked what I ordered. They were out of everything I wanted (conch fritters and catfish filets) but they suggested the catfish fingerlings. I dont know why I thought that meant something that resembled fish sticks, but I took their suggestion since I had a hankering for fish. Come to find out, they're fried beheaded catfish. Once I figured out how to get the meat without bones, it wasnt too bad. There wasnt any seasoning on them and the Cole slaw was more sour than I like it. I might try this place again but I definitely won't be ordering fingerlings and Cole slaw. read more

Shady Oak Restaurant - When they said "fingerlings" I thought they meant something that resembles fish sticks. - Seafood Near Me - DeLand, Florida

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The food was okay but not worth the nearly one hour wait, for a pretty simple breakfast order. They weren't especially busy and staff wasn't very attentive, except for the girl who brought us coffee refills. Too bad read more

Good venue along the black waterfront of the St Johns River. Had the Shady Oak sampler & it was good. Service was good as well. They have a sign posted at the door showing their patriotism. That keeps me happy. Report your local commie SELL OUT today! read more

Cute little 'old Florida fish camp' shanty and local 'everyone knows everyone' bar on the St John's river. Really good food. Glad a local suggested this place.... delish!!! Highly Recommend if you're in DeLand read more

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Great little place right next to the river. Excellent service, DELICIOUS FOOD!!! Portions are just big enough to be filling, but not stuffing. Salads are crisp and the fries are great. Pepsi Products for anybody wondering read more

Service AWFUL I wanted to like this place as I heard good things. The only good thing was the view. Ignored when we sat down. Wish I could say how good the food was but never got it. Was warned it may take long for food so decided to order a couple orders of wings instead of full meals. Watched 6 people come in after me order full meals and get their food while I was still waiting for my wings. After waiting over an hour couldn't wait any longer and decided to leave and instead of an apology the waitress said well i told you it would take long. Just an overall awful experience. read more

I wouldn't suggest eating here the foods not to good and lots of flies the service is decent I guess but I don't know

I sat down at 10:52. At 10:58 the waitress came over and said they had switched to breakfast. (Which is served until 11:00) I drove 20 minutes to have breakfast here, instead of the three places I drove past to get there, and I had to go eat somewhere else. That's bad customer service. read more

The friendly staff at Shady Oak restaurant is what makes this little gem on the Saint John's River at the western edge of Volusia county, such a great place. The food is very good, and the prices are very decent. Their competition, on the north side of state road 44 is hampered by their management. They suffer from the disease of being run by incompetence and corporate stupidity. read more

Three of us hit here on a Sunday afternoon around 2 PM. The place looked like it held some promise, sitting right on the river. However, the service was atrocious and the food was not worthy of the wait. They seem to be quick with the beer -- sometimes! After our initial waitress (there would be four before the meal ended) took our appetizer orders and brought us our beers, there was a long wait. When our glasses were empty, another waitress came by looking like she was maxed out, and asked if she could take our order and whether we wanted another round of beers. We ordered entrees, but were still waiting for the appetizers. When the beers didn't show up after 10 minutes, I walked up to the bar and asked the waitress who took our order, "Did you forget about us?" She said she didn't, and after another several minutes, she brought our beer. We had been there a good half hour when the initial waitress came by to tell us that they were out of conch fritters, which we had ordered for one of our appetizers. OK, so I told her to substitute jalapeno poppers, and for god's sake get them out there, as we were famished from a day of hiking in the woods. The appetizers finally arrived and were devoured in due course. There then came the interminable wait for the entrees, which entailed ordering two more rounds of beer out of boredom. To further assuage the boredom, I "went live" on Facebook to bide some time. While I was doing so, about 40 minutes after the arrival of the appetizers, our entrees arrived in the hands of waitress #3. (#1 had long disappeared). I can't say that the food was worth the wait. I'm not sure how often the deep fryer oil gets changed, but the fried stuff was off, and the batter used for the catfish was devoid of character. Fried onion rings were soggy. After all that, it even took a while to get the bill, and when it came, it suggested an 18% tip. Oh, yeah, sure. Not gonna happen with such crappy service! Anyhow, after presenting my credit card to waitress #4, there was another long delay before she blessedly saved any further insult added to injury by bringing back the check so I could leave a tip commensurate with the service. All in all, a site with great potential that falls far short of being even adequate. read more

Stopped in for lunch and was asked to leave because of a family member with disability.

Food is always decent for the price and sitting outside on the water is so enjoyable on an early weekend morning.

So this is a "cracker country" Florida establishment precariously hanging out over the St. John's River. It should have fallen in the drink years ago. But just like old Florida, free of over development, Shady Oak is till hanging in there Providing a little taste of how things used to be in a simpler time in central Florida. Anyone who went to Stetson University over the last 40 years knows this place! Bass fishermen and savvy central Florida travelers also visit this riverside joint. Sometimes the beer is cold, sometimes it ain't. Sometimes the food is good (mostly fried) and sometimes it ain't. But those of you "in the know" refer to this place as Otis'. My first time here was in 1982. It had a pool table back then. It had a loud old juke box then and you could smoke inside. Cold beers were $1.50 back then....in those good old days. Alman Brothers, Blackfoot, lynyrd skynyrd music blasted from the old "box". We would float up on house boats rented from Holly Bluff Marina and spend a couple of hours here on our way to Silver Glen Springs. Once a year, me and the boys come back here to pay tribute to this modest place. This is old Florida and the people are great. If you are looking for fancy, go back to Winter Park. Nothing fancy about this place, so you and your crew have to make it what it is! Either way, you will be welcome and treated well here. Stop in and say hello. This place is great! read more

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Yeah, eating at my favorite restaurant tonight. I was pretty hard with my last review but it was deserved. Service has sense improved and it's a pleasant experience. Again food speaks for itself! read more

Friendly restaurant staff, friendly RV staff, seriously the best cheeseburger I've ever had... Got mine medium well with Swiss & all the way. Definitely recommend! read more

quaint little place. prices are dirt cheap and the food is ok. not bad for a place on the st johns river. My only complaint is they restored this place a few years ago after a fire and it still has a lingering fresh paint smell. read more

Wonderful place to unwind and enjoy the view. Everything we ordered was terrific and fish really was fresh. Not the place to go if you are in a hurry. Just relax and enjoy the the view. Loved it‼ read more

Cute little bar and restaurant on the edge of the St. John's River. Its within walking distance of the park with a few tables outside and few more inside with the bar. The service was excellent, the price was right, and the beer was cold...but the food was pretty much all fried and basic. The burgers were the best thing our group ordered, so if you are starving, I would recommend ordering those. read more

Little place but great breakfast. We have not been for lunch or dinner yet. But we have been for breakfast a few times so far. The biscuits and gravy is great. The French toast is yummy. It is small so expect to wait a little longer. The staff is small and work as hard as possible. read more