Gator Bait Sports Grill

On a backroad trip back from Tampa we found Gator Bait in Melrose. Their sign is not prevalent so it's a bit hard to find. The interior is rustic with a bar. Starving we bellied up to the bar grabbed a menu and studied the menu. I decided on a shrimp basket and my friend had fried catfish basket. The staff was friendly and thee food came out quickly.They have an aquarium with small Gators!I love to find the local restaurants in my travels.

Pretty typical bar food, I like that they have a liquor license now and bar food now. Wanda is very friendly. There is outdoor dining when the weather is okay. Dogs are welcome outside if they are well behaved.

Well we had driven past too many times to count. So while in Melrose on a venture decided to stop and grab lunch. We walked in and got seated right away. Seating is very limited, we got a nice table right by the tv and a cool giraffe greeted us when we sat down, they gave us paper plates and plastic utensils?? maybe since covid makes things easier, not sure. Our appetizers took a bit to come out and not shortly after that our lunch arrived. My lunch was good, salad was a lot of lettuce, was still tasty. Wife had frog legs she didn't like them too much , appetizers were ok. Least i can check this place off my list . Our waitress was very good , she came by several times during our meal.

Catfish was very good. So was the shrimp. Nachos could have been better. Cheese wasn't melted and there was alot of lettuce. Fairly large pieces of lettuce. Service was excellent. Prices were pretty reasonable. We will probably go back .

Gator Bait has been one of my favorites since its opening. My favorite entree obviously is the gator tail but I enjoy their chicken wings and their Poboys as well. Taylor was our server today and she did her job exceptionally well. I want to give a shout to Trisha as well. Trisha made sure that fellow tables around the restaurant were okay and the atmosphere was vibrant. Trisha welcomed us in the door with arms full of food and a great big welcoming smile as she told us we could sit where we would like. Gator bait has many amazing features with the gator exhibit inside, provided by a private reptile institute locally in Melrose, FL. The art from local artist for sale on their walls to add beautiful nature graphics to the ambiance. I appreciate the establishment for its continuous efforts to make itself a greater place for the community!

good food and service we did the Philly cheesesteak it was delicious but they have anice menu to choose from will definitely be coming back one day soon

Driving home from visiting family in NC and wanted to try someplace new. Browsed yelp and found this place. I would not say the place is un impressive more like unassuming. It is not fancy but a great place to hang out and watch some spots, have some great food and some cold drinks. We grab a seat in one of the booths and started to review the menu. Which was large! And there were single menus with specials and other options. Our server was working the bar so it was a little time between visits but we had plenty to keep us occupied. We started with fried pickles which had great flavor and were addictive. A large basket full got us going. Then we had to have the chowder. It was really good. Come to find out it was actually from another restaurant out on Cedar Key. Don't recall which one but it was really good. We also tried a cup of the Jambalaya. This was pretty good too. Just the right amount of heat. Finally we had the classic cheeseburger with LTOP. The burger was huge and was plenty for 2. Cooked just right. It has an interesting flavor that I couldn't place. Maybe like onion soup mix was added in? It was pretty darn good and a good deal. A solid stop if you are in the area and want some good food at a good price.

Person who took our otp order was super nice, food was amazing, super fast service, & the place was just adorable at night.

Really amazing wings and shrimp tacos. A great place to listen to some live music outdoors and just relax.

This restaurant was an enjoyable experience. They are great at fried foods. The fried shrimp, gator tail and okra were all very good. French fries were a bit salty. The plastic ware is a bit tacky. Real silverware goes a long way. The baby gator tank was a nice ambiance. For a quick fried food meal this was worth the stop.