Gators Dockside

[otherbruddaDarrell]

Gators Dockside opened up yesterday. Is is located across the street from the theater in Spanish Springs. We ate at the one in Gainsville a while back and it had a good menu. Anyone try it here yet? :shrug:

[Bonny]

We went yesterday before going to the show at Savannah Center. Some of the servers & bartenders we new from other restaurants. The bar is beautiful.
We chatted with one of the owners. Very nice guy. For opening day he was giving away golf balls that had the Gator's Dockside logo. Food was very good. I had the southwestern egg rolls & hubby had the double hamburger with bacon & cheese. It had 2 - 1/2 patties. The menu is nice, the prices are very reasonable. Happy Hour 4 -7. Great happy hour prices !
The paper was there so they interviewed a few of us.
Make sure & go & try this one out. You won't be disappointed.

[KathieI]

Met one of the managers last night at karaoke and she said that tonight, I think between 9 and midnight, ladies get their drinks FREE!!! I know that's a little late for most peeps, but thought I would pass it along. I might be there although without music and I don't drink (much) what will I do??? :o

[Hawkwind]

I might be there although without music and I don't drink (much) what will I do??? :o

You could get the drink and sell it to a friend.

Could not pass that one as it was just toooooo easy. Wish I was there.

[KathieI]

Me too Hawk, hurry back. Tomorrow lunch won't be the same without you.

[champion6]

What was in that spot before Gators Dockside?

[DickY]

ATex-Mex Restaurant, can't remember the name.

[golf2140]

It's located on the first floor of the old sales office.

[KathieI]

Amigo's
Tex/Mex Cantina
Prior to Gators Dockside.....

[Bonny]

If you saw the paper today, that was me, Bonnie Simpson, being interviewed and I meant every word I said. :eclipsee_gold_cup:
I must say we went back again today. :pepper2: I had the Monte Cristo sandwich. It was really good. They fried it with a tempura batter. Hubby got the Cajun Chicken Alfredo. One of the best he has ever had. If you haven't gone yet, you need to go. It was packed tonight. Happy Hour 4 - 7. Great prices. They really needed another good restaurant on the other side. This one will not disappoint. We will be back again on Monday. :crap2:

[Ooper]

Tried it for lunch today... food was good and service was great. But $30 for an apetizer, plain burger, a salad and 3 beers is a little bit much! Probably won't go back until coupons or specials are offered. Other restaurants such as Beef-O-Brady's offer identical fare and quality of service for considerably less!

[golf79]

Gators Dockside opened up yesterday. Is is located across the street from the theater in Spanish Springs. We ate at the one in Gainsville a while back and it had a good menu. Anyone try it here yet? :shrug:

Received the follow from an acquaintance. I have not been there myself and may not go after reading the following:


DO NOT GO THERE NOW. WAIT FOR JOAN TO GET BETTER THEN STILL THINK ABOUT NOT GOING THERE. IF YOU DO, TRY LUNCH. SUE AND I THOUGHT WE WOULD BEAT THE OPENING WEEK CROWD BY GOING THERE ABOUT 4:30 TODAY. WHILE WE BEAT MUCH OF THE RUSH; INSIDE AND "ALL" OF THE BIG BAR WERE ALREADY FULL. WE ATE OUTSIDE.

THE PROBLEM, WHICH FOOD AND GOOD SERVICE CAN'T FIX, IS THAT IT IS SO NOISY THAT CONVERSATION IS ALL BUT IMPOSSIBLE. THE PLACE IS WIDE OPEN AND EVERYONE IS SITTING IN TWO OPEN ROOMS WITH NO SOUND BARRIERS. ADD TO THIS THE MULTIPLE BIG SCREEN TVs AND YOU HAVE A GIANT TAILGATE PARTY WITH A MUNDANE MENU.

IF YOU WERE A LARGE CROWD, ALL GOING TO ROOT FOR THE SAME FOOTBALL TEAM AND DRINKING LOTS OF BEER--YOU WOULD HAVE A GOOD TIME. IF NOT, GO TO Chili's.

[English Ivy]

THE PROBLEM, WHICH FOOD AND GOOD SERVICE CAN'T FIX, IS THAT IT IS SO NOISY THAT CONVERSATION IS ALL BUT IMPOSSIBLE. THE PLACE IS WIDE OPEN AND EVERYONE IS SITTING IN TWO OPEN ROOMS WITH NO SOUND BARRIERS. ADD TO THIS THE MULTIPLE BIG SCREEN TVs AND YOU HAVE A GIANT TAILGATE PARTY WITH A MUNDANE MENU.

IF YOU WERE A LARGE CROWD, ALL GOING TO ROOT FOR THE SAME FOOTBALL TEAM AND DRINKING LOTS OF BEER--YOU WOULD HAVE A GOOD TIME. IF NOT, GO TO Chili's.

They do promote themselves as a sports bar so it's not surprising that extended conversations will be difficult, especially during times when major sporting events are playing on all the tv screens. We're looking forward to checking it out as a new place to watch football.

[otherbruddaDarrell]

We will have to try it soon.

[MSNPA]

Usually we wait for new restaurants to settle prior to trying, however we did go to Gator's Dockside last evening. The wait to get in was 30 minutes and the wait for a waiter was about 20 minutes. We thought the food, prices and service, once she came, was very good and we will go back. As another poster stated the place is extremely loud and that would be my only complaint. I think it is because the ceilings are very high. It would be a hard place to carry on a conversation.

[gemorc]

The few Gators Docksides that I have been to, all were set up as sports bars. They consistently supplied excellent food. Service depends on the management, as with all restaurants. I guess the noise volume is in the ear of the listener. The Gator Dockside in Ocala, on CR 200, is very noisy, but also it is usually full of people too.

[under55]

Great wings and the drink prices are about the lowest we have found here.

[Juliej]

What were the drink prices? We are coming down next week for our preview so I have been reading everything about restaurants..thank you

[Ooper]

Pints of beer were $2.00. Don't know about liquor or bar drinks!

[under55]

Bourbon and Water Tall were $2.25 each. I asked if it was happy hour she said no that the drinks were even cheaper at happy hour.

[Bonny]

Went again yesterday. Had the boneless wing dinner & jalapeno poppers. Again, very good. Happy Hour was 4 - 7. Now it starts at 3:00. Drinks are 2 for 1 for Happy Hour. :pepper2:

[Juliej]

Can't wait to try Gators, the week of October 4th....Bourbon $2.25 wow,
in New Jersey that same drink is $7.00..I think it is the state tax on liquor
that makess it so high in New Jersey...

[chuckinca]

Pints of beer were $2.00. Don't know about liquor or bar drinks!


What flavors?

Imports & micros here are $5.00 a pint.

[KathieI]

Can't wait to try Gators, the week of October 4th....Bourbon $2.25 wow,
in New Jersey that same drink is $7.00..I think it is the state tax on liquor
that makess it so high in New Jersey...

Julie, I'll meet you there that week!! Don't forget me.

[otherbruddaDarrell]

Hi Juliej,
When you are here for the preview you are allowed to use Katie Belles at Spanish Springs.
Happy hour drinks are $1.47 for a 20oz beer and $1.87 for well drinks! Starting at 1pm there is also free entertainment and lunch specials starting at $5
I think happy hour starts at 11am and goes to 5pm.
We know we had a good time when our bar tab costs more then the food bill!
At the drink shacks on the square it is happy hour from 5-7pm and at Sumter square from 5-6pm. (2for1)
Even Sonnys bbq has a happy hour!
We also like Urban flats ($1 beer) pauleys pizza (.75cents) and the list goes on.
p.s
On my way home last night from work (gate attendant) I went past Gators Dockside at about 11:30 pm and they had a crowd.....so did Margaritaville.:beer3:

[kittylecroix]

We went on Saturday about 2:00pm. Looked like a wait for inside, but we wanted outside, and were seated immediately. Food was very good-gyro and wedge salad, and drinks were CHEAP! This was not happy hour, and an 8 oz. beer was a dollar and wine, I think $2.50. During happy hour it's half the price, or 2 for one, not sure. Can't beat that. Outside, it was not loud, so no problem with conversation. We can't wait to go back.

[mikeandnancy1112]

My girlfriends took me there for my birthday lunch. I also had the monte cristo sandwich. The food is awesome and the service was great. Can't wait to go back...:MOJE_whot:

If you saw the paper today, that was me, Bonnie Simpson, being interviewed and I meant every word I said. :eclipsee_gold_cup:
I must say we went back again today. :pepper2: I had the Monte Cristo sandwich. It was really good. They fried it with a tempura batter. Hubby got the Cajun Chicken Alfredo. One of the best he has ever had. If you haven't gone yet, you need to go. It was packed tonight. Happy Hour 4 - 7. Great prices. They really needed another good restaurant on the other side. This one will not disappoint. We will be back again on Monday. :crap2:

[otherbruddaDarrell]

We went tonight and ordered the Gyros. I asked if it was sliced fresh or if it was the pre-packaged aka lunchmeat style. The waitress assured us it was sliced fresh.
It was not......it was like lunch meat. We let the waitress and manager know that it was not what we thought it was going to be, but it was allright and we ate it. (we also tipped 20%)
We explained that real Gyros is a verticle roast that is heated from the sides and sliced at the time of order and is very good.
Does anyone know of a place around TV that does it this way? All the gyros around here is pre-packaged from what I have seen.
Pauleys Pizza would be a perfect spot to sell some fresh carved Gyros like we got around the Chicago area.....just a thought
We will try something else next time at Gators.:shrug:

[JeanneBeannie]

Julie, I'll meet you there that week!! Don't forget me.

Hey!! Dont forget about me and Nonie!! :cryin2:

And Shirlevee and Sschuler and Kitty and Donna etc. :pepper2:

Wow...that would be so much fun!! :a040:

Jeanne :beer3:

P.S. Nothing like inviting myself lol lol lol :1rotfl:

[Muncle]

We went tonight and ordered the Gyros. I asked if it was sliced fresh or if it was the pre-packaged aka lunchmeat style. The waitress assured us it was sliced fresh.
It was not......it was like lunch meat. We let the waitress and manager know that it was not what we thought it was going to be, but it was allright and we ate it. (we also tipped 20%)
We explained that real Gyros is a verticle roast that is heated from the sides and sliced at the time of order and is very good.
Does anyone know of a place around TV that does it this way? All the gyros around here is pre-packaged from what I have seen.
Pauleys Pizza would be a perfect spot to sell some fresh carved Gyros like we got around the Chicago area.....just a thought
We will try something else next time at Gators.:shrug:

As you noted, a true gyro has the meat cooking constantly via a vertical heat source. Consequently, unless the meat is used at a decent clip, the roast would have a tendency to burn and/or dry out. Additionally, if one tried to turn the heat sources on and off, the lovely juice flow would be discombobulated. You ain't gonna get true gyros meat unless you hook the roast to the cooker, plug her in, and cut meat as it's done. Seemingly, a place which does only a few gyros and/or platters a day would have a tough time staying authentic. One of our brilliant members mentioned Tarpon Springs recently. Seems thats a superb place for all things Greek and an outstanding day-trip. :beer3: :icon_hungry::icon_hungry: :coolsmiley:


Per Wikipedia, there does seem to be an alternative: "To make gyros, slices of meat are placed on a tall vertical spit, which turns in front of a source of heat, usually an electric broiler. If the meat is not fatty enough, strips of fat are added so that the roasting meat remains always moist and crispy at the same time. The rate of roasting can be adjusted by varying the strength of the heat and the distance between the heat and the meat, allowing the cook to adjust to varying rates of consumption."

Oh, was the Monte Christo deep fried?




`

[mac9]

After reading all of the great reviews here, we decided to go for dinner tonight. We were both greatly disappointed. The onion rings were too greasy to eat. We mentioned it to the server when she noticed that we weren't eating them. They were removed from the bill. We both had the grilled wings with scooter sauce. Before they were grilled, the wings had been fried! They were edible, but not very good. We'll probably try one more time as there is so much on the menu. Hope that it is better the next time.:shrug:

[katezbox]

We'll probably try one more time as there is so much on the menu. Hope that it is better the next time.:shrug:

Mac,

I haven't been to Gator's Dockside, but your statement above is (IMHO) very telling. Any restaurant that has a huge menu, generally buys most of their offerings from Sysco or US Foods. A huge menu is a warning sign that food is not freshly prepared.

Kate

[otherbruddaDarrell]

We will try it again......maybe set outside and enjoy the music. I don't think it will end up as one of my favorites due to the amount of noise inside tho.:beer3:

[Muncle]

To me, it's a purpose place. This is a sports bar. Go there to watch TV and maybe scream a little. If one wants/needs a quiet dinner, go to one one the several smaller places in and around the Square. As to menu, any place that serves potato skins, wings, and deep fried pickles ain't exactly gourmet. They likely have some good burgers, random other sandwiches, decent fries, chips, and, yes, usually rings. Some customers will enjoy, some will dislike. So let it be with Gators.

[chuckster]

:agree::agree: My thoughts exactly........

[Bonny]

Went to Gator's Dockside again. :pepper2: If you haven't gone yet, you have to go try it. Yes it's a sports bar & can get a little loud, but you can always eat outside if you want. Again we tried different things. Hubby & I split the French Onion Soup. Very good. He got the wings breaded & fried no sauce. Delicious. I got a salad that is now my favorite salad. It's called The Sea Breeze. Crisp lettuce topped with dried cranberries, sugared pecans, mandarin oranges, chicken, gorgonzola crumbles with a zinfandel vinagarette. It was delicious !! This place is a keeper. :eclipsee_gold_cup:

[texasfal]

My husband and I went there last night and we each ordered the hamburger. They were delicious. 1/s punders with either chips or fries. The fries were very crispy, which I adore. Also had the $2.00 beers. A great meal altogether.

[golferling]

On Monday, they have an All You Can Eat wing special for 11.99, I think that was the price, BUT, it does not start until 6 PM. We did this as a one time shot to try their different kinds of wings and sauces...it only lasted one round. The grilled wings were small, but good...one gets 10 wings with sauce for the first two rounds, and 7 each after that..there are NO doggy bags...anyway, we stopped trying after my dining companion ordered the deep fried wings with Caribbean Jerk Sauce for her first round. They were probably the best wings I have ever tasted, and the Jerk sauce is fabulous.

[zcaveman]

Me and the missus went to Gator's Dockside yesterday and really enjoyed the meal. The missus had the Philly Cheese Steak and I had the original "Grilled Wings". They were delicious. I had them medium and I did not think that they were very spicy. I asked for a side of the Caribbean Jerk sauce and that did the trick.

Very courteous waitress and good service.

Will definitely return.

[otherbruddaDarrell]

We went back again last night and decided to try it outside since it is so loud inside.
They must love loud noise! They had the outdoor radio speakers on so loud that I had a hard time holding a conversation. This was around 5 pm......
We thought we might enjoy dinner and be able to listen to the music coming from the square....NOT
My wife had the prime rib sandwich ......if you call some no taste sliced beef with melted cheese a prime rib!
3rd time is a charm for us. We will eat elsewhere.:icon_hungry:

[dfn8tly]

I had lunch there yesterday sitting outside. I found the food pretty good. They have a long way to go in the area of personal service. There just wasn't any. Apparently your "server" is your "order taker" and whoever happens to be in the kitchen when your food is ready becomes your "deliverer". After that it you want something flag down a passing "server" with hands full of dirty dishes.

The only thing "personal" I found was when some twit called me dear. I won't tolerate some unknown individual using Elder-speak - - - dear, honey, sweety. It's not only rude, it's offensive. Previous threads have questioned why there is an apparently large turnover in restaurants here in TV. Well, wake up managers and owners. If your staff is going to treat us disrespectfully you'll quickly lose the scent of our $$$.

[otherbruddaDarrell]

:clap2::clap2:

[Bonny]

I had lunch there yesterday sitting outside. I found the food pretty good. They have a long way to go in the area of personal service. There just wasn't any. Apparently your "server" is your "order taker" and whoever happens to be in the kitchen when your food is ready becomes your "deliverer". After that it you want something flag down a passing "server" with hands full of dirty dishes.

The only thing "personal" I found was when some twit called me dear. I won't tolerate some unknown individual using Elder-speak - - - dear, honey, sweety. It's not only rude, it's offensive. Previous threads have questioned why there is an apparently large turnover in restaurants here in TV. Well, wake up managers and owners. If your staff is going to treat us disrespectfully you'll quickly lose the scent of our $$$.

Wow, that's a little harsh. If someone calls you Hon, you call them a twit ! :ohdear: I can't imagine anyone meaning to be rude or offensive by using such a term. Many of us don't have a problem with that. Been here 10 years & have heard it alot.

[ukgolfer]

Tried it last week whilst we were there for a week and it was by far the worst food we had all week.......dont think we will go there again!:yuck:

[Bonny]

I'm curious what you had that was so bad. We have a large group of friends that go there alot & we all really like it.

[zcaveman]

I have been there twice. Good food and good service both times. The back is a little louder that the front section but not that bad compared to some of the high class restaurants in the area.

I am into the charcoal flavored chicken wings and a side of the different sauces. The wife likes the Philly Cheese steak. Of course it is not a true Philly Chese steak because of (insert your reason here) but it is the way my wife likes it. There are no msushrooms. So I like it.

[Jullie]

We ate at Gators Dockside weekend of Craft Show.
BAD Service & Food. We will never go back...So sad.

Hubby had a burger platter and I had the chef salad with grilled chicken.Waitress was rude and it took us over 2 hours to get out of the place. It was busy due to the craft show.

[kittylecroix]

Just gotta jump in here. My husband and I went with my sister and her husband to Gators on the Sunday of the craft show. The food was GOOD-We had the Philly Cheesesteak and the Monte Cristo, which my sister described as "delicious". We remarked about how good the waiter was, friendly, efficient, and especially nice to one old couple next to us where he helped the man up from his seat. By the way, we split our meals, and they did it in the kitchen and and were told that they will always do that. It was great. Hate to see them get a bad name.

[Bonny]

I agree with the Monte Cristo. It's delicious. I've never had it fried before. Also the Santa Fe Rolls are really good. They come with a salsa ranch on a bed of lettuce. There's enough sauce to even have a little salad. :pepper2:

[Bogie Shooter]

We ate at Gators Dockside weekend of Craft Show.
BAD Service & Food. We will never go back...So sad.

Hubby had a burger platter and I had the chef salad with grilled chicken.Waitress was rude and it took us over 2 hours to get out of the place. It was busy due to the craft show.
What was the manager's response??

[Bogie Shooter]

Tried it last week whilst we were there for a week and it was by far the worst food we had all week.......dont think we will go there again!:yuck:
What was the manager's response???

[aln]

I like the place.

Have been there with visitors and they liked it
Have been there with wife & mom - we liked it
Have been there alone and liked it.

Have had the Monti Cristo, fish, shrimp, wings & wingetts, spinich dip, ribs, Philly and a couple others. Never was I disappointed.

I will probably go back many more times.

[hernando]

I had lunch there yesterday sitting outside. I found the food pretty good. They have a long way to go in the area of personal service. There just wasn't any. Apparently your "server" is your "order taker" and whoever happens to be in the kitchen when your food is ready becomes your "deliverer". After that it you want something flag down a passing "server" with hands full of dirty dishes.

The only thing "personal" I found was when some twit called me dear. I won't tolerate some unknown individual using Elder-speak - - - dear, honey, sweety. It's not only rude, it's offensive. Previous threads have questioned why there is an apparently large turnover in restaurants here in TV. Well, wake up managers and owners. If your staff is going to treat us disrespectfully you'll quickly lose the scent of our $$$.
In my opinion you are over reacting. I'm sure the "twit" meant nothing by it when calling you "dear". That is not disrespectful to most people, nor is it meant to be rude or offensive. I personally use the term "dear" and I'm surely not a "twit".

[golferling]

These are the wings that won the competition in Florida for the best wings.
At least that is what the waitress told us, and they were fantastic !!!!
A little pricey, but on Monday , it is all teh wings you want for 11.99 after 6 PM

[texasfal]

I have to say the wings may be wonderful but I do not believe in paying extra for blue cheese dressing to go with the wings. That's myu line ion the sand!

[golfnut]

Ate at Gators today and the food was very good, we'll be going back....GN

[NJblue]

Has anyone eaten here lately? We tried to eat at Gators last Saturday evening. When we arrived there were a large number of tables empty and figured that there would be no wait. However, when we went to the hostess she said that there would be about a 15 minute wait. When questioned about the open tables she said that they didn't have enough servers to handle all of the tables. It seemed like a poor management issue, but we decided that 15 minutes wasn't too bad and decided to wait.

After 15 or 20 minutes we went back to check how close we were to being seated (all during this time, many tables which had been used remained un-bussed). We were then told that the manager had instructed her to not seat any additional people until the kitchen had a chance to catch up with the orders. We waited for another 15 minutes or so and checked again. She said they were still on hold and were not seating anyone. At this point we gave up and went to another restaurant.

We like the atmosphere of sitting outside and listening to the music from the square, but before we invest another frustrating night of waiting for what appeared to us to be a very poorly managed restaurant (not enough servers, not enough kitchen help), it would be good to know from others whether what we experienced was an anomally or if it has become the norm.