Lazy Gator

On the road late and starving for local seafood. Found ourselves at Lazy Gator. Local pub/restaurant with an atmosphere straight out of Old Florida. Cozy laid back setting, great food and friendly service that made us feel welcome. Will certainly be returning. PS: The Mango Cart Beer - excellent recommendation. Thanks!

So I just wanted to write a quick review of this wonderful restaurant located in the Ruskin area of Florida. It was Friday night, and we had spent the evening with family for a funeral. They had taken our reservation for 10, and from the outside, you might see it as a "dive". And you would have to wonder, why are there O many cars here?Facing the building, there are entrances on the left side and right. The left side is the restaurant side, and if you go into the right door, you step into the bar.They were probably experiencing a shortage of help. We arrived and waited to be greeted for a couple of minutes. We were told there would be a slight delay in seating as they were waiting for their large table top to clear. Once seated, we were greeted by our waiter. His name is TJ, and he had a lot of energy and a big smile. Since I was driving, I only had water, but everyone in our group complemented the drinks they were having. We started with some appetizers,( gator bites, chips and artichoke dip etc). It was delicious. Another waiter (Remy) was helping TJ in getting our food out. My sister, and two others had the "Fish and Chips". When asked about the food, I was told it was delicious, and not too greasy/oily. My brother, two others and myself had the "Blackened Grouper". It was served with two sides. I chose the fries and zucchini squash medley. The meal was $20 and I received a very good portions that didn't overfill. Later, my brother and I shared a rum cake desert that was very good.Chef Manny came out to our table and introduced himself. He received a round of applause for how well the meal tasted and presented.On the bar side, it was a little loud as it was Karaoke Friday. Overall, this was a delight that I hope to visit again on our next visit.

I went here on a random Saturday for lunch. I was only in the bar area. I ordered the Dual Lobster which was surprisingly tasty. Servers were nice. A decent place to have a drink on a sunny afternoon.

I haven't been here for quite awhile and this time we ate inside since it was so hot. The front room where we ate had a musty smell to it. Our server was new so we had to help him out quite a bit.I ordered the chicken Caesar wrap and macaroni salad. When it arrived, it had fries, but since the poor server seemed overwhelmed, I let it go. The wrap was very good, as were the fries.

We enjoyed our dinner here. Had read some negative reviews on another review site about the service, but what I saw were four people working their butts off. At some point during our visit, every one of them took care of us in some way. They worked together like a well-oiled machine. This is a fun local bar with good food, no white tablecloths or Michelin stars. Just go and have fun!

I and my neighbor who are local went to this restaurant tonight and she have never been treated with such total lack of respect anywhere I Ruskin or Apollo Beach! We have been there with large groups and never experienced what we did tonight. It took an hour and half to get our food and when my lobster tails came out they were cold! I asked to speak to the manager and he informed me he ate them and they were warm! I had no dinner and was still changed for my wine! We have a large group I SSF and I assure you we will not be back!

We were visiting some family in the area and found this place on Yelp. Menu looked interesting so we decided to try it outDriving up, the parking lot is a grassy/dirt/mud parking lot. So if it rained, be careful ypu don't get stuck!Walking in, the restaurant had an old country restaurant vibe It did have an indoor/outdoor bar if you ealn out the back.The day wr went it was half full and there was only one server. We weren't in a rush though so no foul there.I ended up with the chicken and rice soup and the shrimp amd grits.The soup itself was pretty standard fare and tasted good. The shrimp and grits were really good. Had s0me sausage in it and was seasoned very well. I'm finding I like these kinds of restaurants...I dontknow if it's because I'm getting older or because I'm married tp a white girl, but either way I'm not complaining...lol. Definitely would.come back when I'm in the area, but can't be in a hurry as ypu might get slow service. But if you're expecting a little slower service, but good food...this place might pique your interest.

Run from this place..... The owner is rude and treats staff and customers poorly and the food is of low quality.Do not waste you money on this place .... Go somewhere else and have a better time and food!

Came for lunch today. Enjoyed the quiet of the dining room. Had fried green tomatoes as an appetizer. The best!!! Waiter was attentive enough and offered his take on fried green tomatoes they used in a blt. These fried green tomatoes would taste delicious on old shoe leather! Imho. We also had the jumbo fried shrimp, calamari, buffalo chicken wrap, and Cole slaw. Some good brewed sweet tea, glass of moscato, and lemonade. Was a nice lunch for about $70 for 2.

Tough finding a place to park, but it was all worth it! At 3:30 in the afternoon there was only one bartender/waitress. She did the best she could with the 20+ customers in the place. Thankfully the one cook also served our meal at our table. The bartender/waitress was WAY TOO Busy with other customers.It was a wonderful "dive type" bar that was unfortunately understaffed that afternoon. Hopefully the new owners can figure this out and properly staff the restaurant this time of year.The food was delicious, and hopefully the staffing situation (as a previous restaurant owner) is figured out in the very near future.I will be back!Loved this place!!