GATORS DOCKSIDE

Is GATORS DOCKSIDE a safe place to eat? Yes — an A grade, 92/100, at its most recent inspection on May 15, 2026. That visit logged 1 intermediate and 5 basic violations.

On health score it's safer than 68% of Lake County restaurants we grade. Diners rate it 3.8 from 1,519 reviews. Cuisine: American. Menus here flag options for dairy-free, keto, and paleo diners.

Get directions Call (352) 242-1825

Restaurant details

Health grade
A (92/100)
Violations
6 total — 1 intermediate, 5 basic
Address
1200 OAKLEY SEAVER DR, Clermont, FL
Cuisine
American
Categories
American restaurant, Chicken wings restaurant, Family restaurant, Hamburger restaurant, Sports bar
Price
$$
Rating
3.8 stars (1519 reviews)
Seats
250
Phone
(352) 242-1825
Website
Official website
Photo of GATORS DOCKSIDE
Photo: Donald Rodgers

Community Rating

Reviews via Google
3.8 Community-sourced rating 1,519 reviews
Read all reviews on Google →

What diners say — our read

Recent diners are rating this place better than the back catalogue suggests. How guests are treated cuts both ways here, averaging 3.7 among the reviews that raise it.

10 of 20 rated reviews are four stars or higher; 9 are two or lower. 5 stars is the modal score, given by 10 of the 20 reviewers who rated. Behind those, price is raised in 15% of reviews (2.7 average).

The health record runs ahead of the reviews. The last DBPR inspection returned an A (92/100) with 1 intermediate and 5 basic violations. That inspection was on May 15, 2026. The trend across inspections is decline. That puts it ahead of 68% of graded kitchens in Lake County. Among the items recorded were dishwashing facilities and food-contact surfaces clean and sanitized.

If serving size is what you care about, the reviews are the better guide here; if it is the kitchen, the grade is. Everything above is computed from the 20 reviews reproduced below.

Our own analysis of 20 reviews for this restaurant, set against its Florida DBPR inspection record. How we calculate grades →

  • June 16, 2026

    Love the place the servers are the best need more especially on bingo nights

  • June 11, 2026

    As always, very good.

  • June 6, 2026

    Good place to eat food is fresh they had allot of customers but we still got are food quickly. Very impressed

  • May 29, 2026

    I Love Karaoke Nights on Friday’s!!! Their Scooters Flavored Wings are the Best!!!

  • May 7, 2026

    Getting outdated food is Mid at best. Prices are right up there with Miller's

  • May 4, 2026

    Terrible service. Supposedly two people had to leave so they were short, but they never mentioned it until I complained at the end of the meal. The amount of chicken on the chef salad was ridiculously small. Had asked three times to get iced tea the first time we ordered ,and then could not get refills of water or soda after that. No waitresses available. Gator bites were delicious and so are the sweet potato fries.

  • April 12, 2026

    Boneless wings were very tough. Packed salad in between hot food for to-go.

  • April 1, 2026

    Great food and the service was very good. Will definitely be back. Wings were better than the Wing house.

  • March 30, 2026

    We went for lunch and had the chicken tenders and fried grouper tenders. Food was good but slightly over fried.

  • March 24, 2026

    As a customer for about three years I've seen a lot of servers come and go. But Chrisy is my favorite she takes good care of me and if I have guests she's right on top of there needs and she always makes sure everything is okay. Thanks Candace

  • March 19, 2026

    Price points are now rediculous. 10.00 for a bowl of Chilli? 17.99 for 10 wings? Got Gator bites, and portions sizes have drastically decreased. Loved the restaurant, but quality, price, and portion sizes have gone way too far

  • March 19, 2026

    I am ALWAYS very happy when I visit ❤🌈🙏 if a guest is visits, I take them to Gator's Dockside for alligator tail🐊🌈💚 I visited yesterday, a bingo night, and it was UNBELIEVABLY busy. But, the hostess found me & my guest a table without any waiting. We had alligator tail for an appetizer. Even though it was SUPER busy & VERY lively, the service & food were great. I was EXTREMELY impressed. I will definitely visit more often.

  • March 19, 2026

    Ask for Michelle! She is just the sweetest, best server. Of course, this was our first time but will not be our last. Great bingo with good payouts.

  • February 12, 2026

    Walked in asking to serve a party of 13. Said they would not accommodate us. Lots of empty tables. No attempt to even try, didn't tell us to come back later. Lost a lot of money on their refusal to even try.

  • February 10, 2026

    Average bar food. Not much thought put in to the decor.

  • February 9, 2026

    don’t waste your time to go millers for some wings, wings were awful

  • January 31, 2026

    This use to be a go to restaurant in the Clemont Fl area. Not sure what happened to the quality of the food and wings they serve. The wings must have come from cornish hens. SUPER SMALL. not worth the $17.00 for 10 wings. I asked for all flats and received 10 drumets. I'm guessing the cooks don't know the difference. Will never be back.

  • January 26, 2026

    The only thing that keeps bringing us back is they truly have the best wings around. However the service is absolutely awful every time we go in there. We stood at the hostess station and the waitress walked by twice to the register and didn’t even acknowledge we were standing there, we have been in before and with only a couple of other tables occupied waited 20 minutes before for someone came over to take our drink order. And when someone does finally come over they act like you’re an inconvenience .

  • January 26, 2026

    We came to Gators in Clermont for the first time to celebrate my son's birthday. He really wanted wings, so we wanted to give the restaurant a try. I ordered a boneless wings platter with fries and cole slaw. I ordered them with medium buffalo style. My daughter ordered a cajun flavor of some kind on her bone-in wings. Mine had absolutely no flavor. They was no sauce on them at all and they were sitting in, what appeared to be oil. The oil was only slightly buffalo flavored. My daughters were covered in a white sauce, which tasted like ranch. They had no cajun seasoning on them whatsoever. We would have asked them to fix our orders, but did not do so for 2 reasons. First, a group of at least 20 people poured in, and there was no use bothering an already overwhelmed waitress. Secondly, it was my son's birthday, and I didn't want to ruin his moment, because he was enjoying himself. I will never ever return to this establishment. Across the street, is a reputable restaurant with wings packed with flavor. They will have my business from now on.

  • January 19, 2026

    Service and Atmosphere were good but the food was straight up awful. I had the cajun ranch wings which had zero cajun flavor and only tasted like ranch. My mom’s boneless wings with medium sauce tasted like barely flavored oil. Fries were unseasoned and tasted very bland. I was not at all impressed and would have rather gone to Miller’s.

Overall Score

67 / 100

  • Health inspection grade 40/40
    Grade A
  • Dietary transparency 10/20
    3 options listed
  • Community rating 15/20
    3.8★ average
  • Hidden-gem status 0/10
    Not flagged
  • Track record 2/10
    Declining, 0% clean

Composite score from health grade, dietary options, ratings, and inspection record — distinct from the state-derived health grade.

Opening hours

Monday
11 AM to 12 AM
Tuesday
11 AM to 12 AM
Wednesday
11 AM to 12 AM
Thursday
11 AM to 12 AM
Friday
11 AM to 12 AM
Saturday
11 AM to 12 AM
Sunday
11 AM to 12 AM

Inspection history

The following records are from Florida DBPR public inspection records, most recent first.

  1. May 15, 2026 · Routine - Food

    Call Back - Complied

    0 high-priority · 1 intermediate · 5 basic

    • 16 — Dishwashing facilities; sanitizer test kits; gauges
    • 22 — Food-contact surfaces clean and sanitized
    • 36 — Floors, walls, ceilings clean & maintained; proper ventilation (×4)
  2. May 7, 2026 · Routine - Food

    Call Back - Extension given, pending

    0 high-priority · 1 intermediate · 9 basic

    • 16 — Dishwashing facilities; sanitizer test kits; gauges
    • 22 — Food-contact surfaces clean and sanitized (×2)
    • 23 — Nonfood-contact surfaces clean
    • 36 — Floors, walls, ceilings clean & maintained; proper ventilation (×6)
  3. April 30, 2026 · Routine - Food

    Call Back - Extension given, pending

    2 high-priority · 5 intermediate · 19 basic

    • 02 — Consumer advisory, date-marking & labeling of ready-to-eat foods
    • 03 — Temperature control of foods (cold/hot holding, cooking, cooling, reheating)
    • 08 — Cross-contamination: raw foods separated; food protected during prep/storage (×4)
    • 13 — Clean clothes; hair restraints; jewelry; fingernails
    • 14 — Food-contact & nonfood-contact surfaces properly designed/maintained (×2)
    • 16 — Dishwashing facilities; sanitizer test kits; gauges
    • 21 — Wiping cloths; clean & soiled linens; laundry
    • 22 — Food-contact surfaces clean and sanitized (×2)
    • 23 — Nonfood-contact surfaces clean
    • 31 — Handwash sinks accessible; handwashing supplies & sign provided
    • 35 — Insects/rodents/pests; outer openings protected against pests
    • 36 — Floors, walls, ceilings clean & maintained; proper ventilation (×7)
    • 41 — Chemicals / toxic substances properly stored & used (×2)
    • 51 — Other conditions of sanitary & safe operation
  4. April 29, 2026 · Routine - Food

    Warning Issued

    3 high-priority · 5 intermediate · 20 basic

    • 01 — Food from approved source; safe, unadulterated, sound condition
    • 02 — Consumer advisory, date-marking & labeling of ready-to-eat foods
    • 03 — Temperature control of foods (cold/hot holding, cooking, cooling, reheating)
    • 08 — Cross-contamination: raw foods separated; food protected during prep/storage (×4)
    • 13 — Clean clothes; hair restraints; jewelry; fingernails
    • 14 — Food-contact & nonfood-contact surfaces properly designed/maintained (×2)
    • 16 — Dishwashing facilities; sanitizer test kits; gauges
    • 21 — Wiping cloths; clean & soiled linens; laundry
    • 22 — Food-contact surfaces clean and sanitized (×2)
    • 23 — Nonfood-contact surfaces clean
    • 29 — Plumbing installed & maintained; mop sink; backflow prevention
    • 31 — Handwash sinks accessible; handwashing supplies & sign provided
    • 35 — Insects/rodents/pests; outer openings protected against pests
    • 36 — Floors, walls, ceilings clean & maintained; proper ventilation (×7)
    • 41 — Chemicals / toxic substances properly stored & used (×2)
    • 51 — Other conditions of sanitary & safe operation
  5. August 11, 2025 · Routine - Food

    Inspection Completed - No Further Action

    0 high-priority · 2 intermediate · 12 basic

    • 10 — In-use food dispensing utensils properly stored
    • 16 — Dishwashing facilities; sanitizer test kits; gauges
    • 22 — Food-contact surfaces clean and sanitized (×3)
    • 23 — Nonfood-contact surfaces clean
    • 24 — Storage & handling of clean equipment and utensils; air drying
    • 29 — Plumbing installed & maintained; mop sink; backflow prevention (×3)
    • 31 — Handwash sinks accessible; handwashing supplies & sign provided
    • 35 — Insects/rodents/pests; outer openings protected against pests
    • 36 — Floors, walls, ceilings clean & maintained; proper ventilation (×2)

This grade is calculated by us from Florida DBPR public inspection records — Florida does not issue official grades. How we calculate it →

Data last updated: May 15, 2026