Gator Eight Bar & Grill

I apparently didn't read reviews closely enough... because I didn't know you could smoke in this place! It wasn't busy, but I still smelled like smoke when I left aside from the unexpected smoke, we had a good experience. Service was kind and fast. Drinks were strong and cheap. I probably won't be back just because of the smoke, but if that doesn't bother you... definitely go for it!

Great bartenders and good food! The crowd is always awesome! It is a smoking bar, but it's tolerable.

Great lunch special - tasty food - plenty of TVs to watch the game with a cold brew - come when crowded .... Be patient

Unexpected gem.Dropping a friend off at the airport and had a few hours to kill. Neither of us like chain crap.Sadly, it was a Sunday so we had issues finding a place.Arthur's was closed, Dirks is permanently close...thankfully stumbled upon Gators. Crowd was small, it was 6 on a Sunday. I am very sensitive to smoke, and honestly barely smelled any. Guy a few seats from me was smoking and I couldn't tell. Maybe because I'm congested from a cold still, I dont know.but the smoke really, surprisingly didn't bother me.Waitress with dark hair was very kind and quick. I ordered the G plate and my friend ordered a chef salad. Now this is bar food, of course the bar will be set low.Everything exceeded my expectations. The salad was HUGE and piled high. It had onions, cheese, tomatoes, and my friend said "damn, there must be a half pound of ham on here!" Served with crackers and Tabasco, he was in heaven. Had a huuuge cup of ranch too. I just wanted greasy. It's been the holidays, I just wanted one more night of bad food. I figured I was going to get typical frozen food and was ok with that. The G plate was so good! The mozzarella sticks and tenders were delicious, basic-hard to mess up but delicious. But the shrooms and the onion rings were both superb!! I think they were both beer battered. The shrooms were slightly sweet and really unique. The portion was plentiful for the price. The honey mustard was fantastic, as was whatever ranch they use. Overall for 5 drinks and 2 meals it was $33. Can't beat that price! Wish I lived closer, looks like they have a great set up for karaoke

The food is great the people are friendly and the staff are excellant. Yes it's a smoking bar ( I smoke) but during lunch you don't get all the smoke. It's later in the evening that it can get smoky but their is a lot more people in at night. We've been going there for 12 or 13 years. The owners are friendly too. Best Tenderloin I've had. In fact we've pretty much had everything on the menu and nothing is bad

My internal Bar Radar (or BARDAR) sounded for years while driving near this location. I KNEW there had to be a bar here, but I could never see one.Finally, one Saturday evening, I left the road and drove around through the parking lot. Sure enough! You can't really see it from the road, but it's in there!Being invisible doesn't seem to hurt business, this place was jam-packed! My friend and I were wedged up against a Silver Strike machine for the majority of our visit.Gator VIII is an average-to-good suburban-style strip mall sports bar. It has the expected menu, the big screen TVs, and the food you'd expect. So why is it so popular?I suspect the answer lies in its location. It's technically not in Kansas City, but in the tiny, completely-surrounded suburb of Platte Woods. As a result, it is not subject to KCMO's smoking ban. Therefore this is the only sports bar for miles where smoking is allowed.

I am not a smoker or I'd give Gator's 5 stars, but I still go there occasionally because the food is great and you can play Buzztime trivia. The Gator's Club is my favorite sandwich, but I have them hold the mayo because it has BBQ sauce on it and that makes it perfect. The very best spinach dip I've ever had and it is great every time I go there.If you are bothered by cigarette smoke, this is not the place to go. The smell hits when you open the door. I have coworkers who won't go back there with me.

We really like the fried chicken sandwich and steak fries, the best in KCMO. A pitcher of Blvd is 10 bucks and photo hunt. The reason for the 4 stars (like others) not a fan of the smoke.

Gator's is soooo much fun for karaoke. The crowd really gets into it & it's the type of place where you really feel no judgement & can just have a great time singing. Trust me. I sang Shoop by Salt N Pepa. All parts, thank you very much. Their food is actually pretty good & they also have bar games. However, the smoke is damn near unbearable. Please ban it. It's so gross!

Excellent customer service and great food. Beer is always cold and the wings are always hot! I love this place!!