We waited 45 minutes for our food to come out, when it did, it was way overcooked. The waitress was at least apologetic for the fact that the "kitchen sucked", in her own terms, but admission by an employee that your kitchen sucks means I'm not coming back. The table next to us waited just as long (we were seated after them and got our food before them) and I guess the dude was trying to get his money back or a discount but the waitress pretty much told him to pound sand and was adamant that there was nothing she could do for him. read more

Great place. Great service, Great Staff. Shout out to Chris & Sparky. Sending them some real New York Love read more

The Blue Gator - Food, booze & rainbow springs. - Seafood Near Me - Dunnellon, Florida

I would come back for the atmosphere. This place is located right on the river. Not the most scenic spot, but still nice. This place is where the locals seem to congregate. Friday night they had a live band and many danced to the tunes. The food is like bar food. Lots of fry options. We had grouper fingers and they tasted like they were not fresh, but frozen. Sweet potato fries were a bit limp. I liked the large oysters special. Wish the oysters where a bit more washed though. read more

The Blue Gator - Seafood Near Me - Dunnellon, Florida

This place is a must for lunch or dinner. After a day on the water or visiting the springs, you will want to stop by here to eat. The menu is packed with morsels of goodness. First start with the gator bites then go with the chowder. As for the entree, there are many options. The table order fried shrimp and grouper fingers to fried clams. The grouper was blackened and tasty. The shrimp were big and well seasoned. The fried clams reminded me of the good ole days of Howard Johnson friday night seafood night. As a side note, the philly cheese steak was awesome. The last comment was our server. She did an excellent job in taking care of our table of 8. read more

My sisters and I ate at the Blue Gator on April 6, 2018. We LOVED the steamed clams. We ordered some and then order some more. They were fresh and delicious. We also shared the Anglers Delight with Shrimp, Scallops and Crab Cake. Everything was very good. No complaints at all! We had some cocktails and listened to the live band for a long while. It was a very enjoyable evening. The staff was pleasant and accommodating. We will definitely come back to visit next time we are in Florida. read more

This place is a gem! I went with my family for Sunday dinner after my mom ate their and raved about the food. We went around 4 to beat the dinner rush. Seating is outside on a deck overlooking the beautiful Withlacoochee River. We started with the gator bites and charbroiled oysters. OMG both were so good. The gator bites were really small pieces but they were packed with a ton of flavor and not chewy at all. The oysters were so good and left us wanting more. For the main dish I ordered the admirals platter where you get to choose 3. My choice was grouper fingers, calamari and shrimp. All so delicious! Our waitress kept our drinks full, which isn't always super easy with me because I can gulp down some sweet tea! We have definitely found a new weekend favorite! read more

Not that great. The gator bites had no taste, service was mediocre at best. Prices are too high for the quality. The view of the river great. read more

Great setting by the water. Tight on parking but they usually have someone helping with that. Great place to watch a game. Good cold beer and good appetizers. Only had a few main menu items but all were made right just like the prices. read more

We love this place!!! The atmosphere is fun, the outside patio is great to enjoy dinner with our pets. The food was delicious and even on a busy Saturday night, the service was fast. Once we get moved here, this will definitely be on our our regular restaurants, especially with our furbabies! read more

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This place is great! I went last night and I have to say this is a great place to go with friends or family. Very nice vibe there, there was a live band, which knows how to actually play some good songs. First off the food is great, the corn nuggets are the best. The beer is ice cold. The fish and chips are great, if you get a full plate then you're gonna get a FULL PLATE of fish and fries. A must go! 5/5 Stars. read more

The Blue Gator - Seafood Near Me - Dunnellon, Florida

Tgis place is popular for drinks and band on the water but the food sucks.i ate there since I am a local a few times and its below average nothing special at all. read more

This was a great place to eat today. We had a fantastic waitress that made the visit that much more enjoyable. I had the crab cake platter and it was delicious! All my other family members also loved their food! read more

This place is tucked in where you would never think to look. Do not miss out on going here. Great food, friendly staff and amazing views on the river. read more

This is an interesting place ! Starting with the parking !! Need to be on your game if your driving anything bigger then a broom. We didn't eat here. Only came for football and beer. Games were on and the beer was cold. The clientele sitting near us were loudly talking politics so that was a bummer. We ended up leaving as we were trying to Get Away from it all and there it was smoking and drinking at the bar alongside us. This place is a must stop for experience ! read more

Absolutely fresh and tasty food!!!! One of my VERY FAVORITE SPOTS IN THE COUNTY! My favorite is the fried shrimp and the steamed shrimp... OMG read more

Fun place. Great food large portions. Our server Barb was great. Super friendly and patient while we took our time deciding our order. My daughter decided to try the clam strips for her first time. After barb gave them to her Barb noticed that they looked alittle dark. She asked if they were over cooked. I tried one and they were a little. She took the basket and got us new ones cooked properly on her own. You are hard pressed to find a server who cares like that. She should be commended. The fish tacos were tasty albeit a little short on fish. But good none the less. The gator bites were good. Again a large portion was give. Incredible value. Great food. Tremendous service. Thanks Barb you rock. And if management reads this, if she isnt a trainer she should be and give her a raise. You won our repeat business over swampys. read more

Consistently good food and service. We've been coming here for years and have never been disappointed, even under new ownership. Fried oysters are delish, wings and river salad are our regular order. Big nose beer and Stumpknocker beer as well. read more

The best grilled oysters we have ever had anywhere. It was a special so not available all the time unfortunately. The frog legs are excellent too! Nice setting. Loud when there is live music but fun to watch people of all ages dancing. Fun, unique spot! read more

The Blue Gator - Frog legs, hush puppies and grilled oysters with fresh Asiago/Parmesan cheese. They drove us back to our condo at The Landings! - Seafood Near Me - Dunnellon, Florida

Great food, Service and view. Safe with plenty of outside seating. Very relaxed and casual atmosphere

As the saying goes, "you never get a second chance to make a first impression," and we were not impressed. This was our first time at the Blue Gator and we went on the recommendation of friends. We waited 10 minutes to get a server, and another 10 to get iced tea. Our server was less than enthusiastic, and we left after waiting far too long to place a food order. We would have understood if they were busy, but they were not busy at all. In fact, they had a lot of staff, seemed like as many staff as they had customers. The icing on the cake was when the young server copped an attitude when I asked to speak with a manager. She shoved my money toward me and told me she doesn't need it that bad. We talked to the manager who was similarly less than enthusiastic and did nothing at all to rectify the situation. We left after ordering just the iced tea, and went to another place called Kelly's Half Shell in Crystal River. The food there was fantastic, and the service was awesome. Perhaps it was serendipity, because at least we discovered Kelly's Half Shell. We will not be going back to Blue Gator, it does not appear that they understand we are doing them a favor by patronizing their business, not the other way around. read more

Great Food. Service and Music in the evening I recommend the Surf and Turf. Or Grouper. Both Excellent. And cooked perfectly Christine is a great Waitress. So friendly. And Efficient. read more

The service here is absolutely abysmal, even though the food is pretty decent. My dad and I went here on our way back to Atlanta, hoping for a decently quick bite to eat, but DEFINITELY not expecting to spend over an hour waiting for our food. How long does it take to put something in a deep fryer, anyway??? The manager came out and apologized to us, which was nice, as well as knocking two beers off our check, but what really gets me was the waitress's attitude when my dad first went to talk to her. She acted as if waiting an hour for food was perfectly natural, and how DARE my dad complain about it. She assured us it would only be ten more minutes; it was not. She finally apologized after the manager got involved, but still. If you've got the time, great place to get some fried food, but otherwise, don't bother. read more

Hope the food is better than the service. Sat down got drink and food orders pronto quick. Then nothing. Finished our drinks, watched our waitress eat dinner while we waited. It has been over 30 minutes just got our drinks refilled but still no hope of food or our waitress. read more

Can't say anything about the food because we never got any. After waiting close to an hour for a table, the waitstaff informed us that if we ordered food it would take another hour. That would have been useful information to know before we waited all that time. read more

I really want to give a decent review but I just can't. We were here a few days ago and all I can say is the food is edible but to wait an hour and fifteen minutes for it is not acceptable to me. The flies are horrible. You would think they would at least invest in fly traps. Worse I have ever seen anywhere. The worst part was is our waitress had the personality of a rock. No apologies for our food taking so long either. Won't be returning for a really long time if ever. Just not worth the wait. It's a shame because I am a local and like to support local small businesses but something has to change here in my opinion. read more

Everything was clean and pretty. My grouper was delicious, kids liked their hotdogs. My husband liked his burger, but he didn't like the frog legs: First time eating that, I found it salty. Next door is a rental boat, so we rented a 14' boat. It was great. read more

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Best food that you would get if you were in rainbow river. They have some of the best chicken tenders, and salads. Every time I'm visiting my friend on the rainbow river we make sure to stop here, but this time it was my first time eating alligator. There were fans because it was 98, but they were a bit too loud. It was kind of hard to hear but the overall experience was great. It never gets old to eat hear. read more

The Blue Gator - The best chicken tenders I have ever had. - Seafood Near Me - Dunnellon, Florida

Have been a fan of the Blue Gator's fish and chips for a long time but after today it will be along time before I'm back. Asking the server, why no mask the explanation was because they are outside and not required. However as the servers gather around the computer terminal, within a couple of feet from each other...outside doesn't seem to hold up. The bartender leaning across the bar and talking to an older couple doesn't seem to qualify as either outside and social distancing. While their interpretation may be "not required when outside" it seems to be contrary to good common sense. The servers are not maintaining social distancing between themselves and customers. As owners/managers it is within their authority to mandate their serving staff wear masks. it's the responsible thing to do as protection for them and your customers. read more

Had food service, good food, cold beer and was reasonably priced. Nice outside seating on the river.

Just ordered and picked up two orders of the shrimp and grouper fingers. Could not have been more disappointed in our $38 meal. Wasn't sure anything could be more soggy than the shrimp till I bit into the fries. Hush puppies and onions rings were burnt and reeked of dirty oil. In all fairness, the apple sauce was just fine. Additionally, and knowing there are strong feelings with regard to masks, very disappointing to see not one person, staff or otherwise, wearing a mask nor anyone social distancing. Never again. read more

The atmosphere is great and loved the okra. They could be more environmentally friendly with the plates, flatwear and cups w/ straws. Especially next to a body of water. read more

If you're in search of something other than chicken wings and cold beer, the Blue Gator is a thumbs down. The food has declined year-to-year, and our June visit confirmed it. Fish tacos, served with a side of two hushpuppies, have about one ounce of fish spread across three tacos. Just a thin sliver on each. My iced tea was so weak and poor, I asked our server to remove it from the bill. Food is overpriced for the area. Having said all of that, I guess it's the location on the river and the very novelty of the place that keeps it going. It's definitely not the food. Servers by the way, have always been the best. Too bad that the food doesn't match. read more

Great food, efficient friendly staff, and a fun ambiance. Lovely outdoor dining overlooking the Withiachoochee River.

I forgot to take pictures. This was our first visit here as we wandered north of Homosassa where we live to try something different... I saw all the great reviews but got to experience it firsthand today with my best friend/husband. We had peeling eat cold shrimp which was amazing we ordered the jalapeño poppers and corn fritters as appetizers and then we split this crazy amazing seafood platter and we could not even eat it all of the portions are really huge my side salad looked more like a bowl for four. One of the best highlights to me was the hush puppies. They taste just like my great aunt Marie used to make with the chopped onion the sweet and delicacy on the inside my gosh I thought I would never taste hush puppies like hers ever again but today I did and it brought back memories of the seafood parties that she used to host when we lived in Pensacola in the 70s. The food came out very quickly our server Chris was super friendly and the general manager was seriously engaged with all of the guests making sure everything was perfect. We will be back soon even with the 35 mile distance between us read more

Great food! Fried grouper sandwich' Steven not only cute but a great sever! read more

The Blue Gator - Seafood Near Me - Dunnellon, Florida

I give the blue gator a 5 start because my wife and I keep coming back to this place time and time again. We love the outside atmosphere and live band. The food so far I have not been a disappointed and we love our margaritas. read more

The Blue Gator - Mr. And Mrs. Smith - Seafood Near Me - Dunnellon, Florida

I know we are in the south where they deep fry almost everything, but deep-fried crab cakes?!?! What a disappointment. The hush puppies were large, but so dry that there was just a tiny bit in the middle that was edible. The waitress was pleasant and it was nice to sit outside, so I gave them 2 stars, but based on my meal alone it would have been 1 star. read more

This is a fun place to hang out. The river view isn't that great. But it's still a nice setting. Service is good and so is the food. A lot to choose from. They have live music at least on the weekends. Maybe more days. read more

We had a big group of 11 people and usually big groups get bad service but, Sparky was probably one of the best servers I've had in a long time. Our drinks stayed full and our food was just as ordered. She came over to check on us just the right amount. Read my reviews, I complain about everything... but, I couldn't have asked for a better server. About the food... I only ordered cheese sticks, corn nuggets and buffalo chicken strips. All were very good. I really liked the buffalo chicken strips. read more

Some of the best seafood! I had grilled and blackened shrimp and scallops with potatoes and was completely surprised at how well seasoned and cooked this was! I had just been to a 5 star restaurant the night before and this place had better food! Laid back atmosphere, solid drinks, fun live music. Absolutely no complaints about this little treasure :) read more