Gator Joe's Beach Bar & Grill

Gator tail!

What a cool place! Live music on weekends, outdoor seating, good food and service. What's not to like?

I had the gator tail basket with fries, everything was cooked perfectly.
My wife and kids all had gator tail tacos and they said they were excellent!
Fun outdoor seating, just watch the Boat-trailer Grackles, they're pretty and pretty fast at snagging what's near your hand if You're not paying attention!

Our friends took us here for lunch and what amazing view! We sat outside which was pretty windy, but comfortable. We ordered the gator bites, tuna appetizer, fish and chips, and the chicken Cesar salad wrap. Would have preferred beer batter on the fish, but still good.

Arrive land or water! Decorates SO fun! Great food just FUN laid back environment. Gator tail bites yum like very chewy chicken not fishy.

I ride with a motorcycle group out of the Tampa Bay area. We had a fantastic ride up there to Gator Joe's and it was well worth the 3 hour ride. There was approx 15-17 of us our waitress was fantastic on point very attentive, food was very good. Would definitely make the trek again. Thanks Gator Joe's for a wonderful lunch experience.

It's a great spot for beaching, meals,bar drinks, and it's kid-friendly. The beach water was terrific, with minimal waves. Overall, the atmosphere is friendly and without any drama!!

By the way, try the fried pickles; they were excellent for the first time.

Enjoy!!!

Wow! Another hidden gem up in the Weirsdale area! Gator Joe’s is fantastic! We were craving a view moving up from South Florida and although the water isn’t blue… the view, the atmosphere, music and cold beers did not disappoint!

We tried the gator tail, shrimp and fried fish and everything was fried lightly and tasted really fresh. Our server James was very chill and friendly and band playing that day sounded great!

Amazing views on Lake Weir, amazing nature all around and just a great place in general, definitely lifted our mood. We’ll see you soon Gator Joe’s!! 👋🏽

Love this place !! Fun spot for all ages. Great lake view and u can spend time on rhe beach or on the back deck. Beach access. Built new outside pavilion. Cornhole. Boat parking . Music guest.

The food, service and atmosphere were fantastic, especially considering it was Easter weekend. Relaxing outside under the covered back deck with swimmers on the beach and boaters on the other side. Haley, our server was helpful and friendly.

Unique restaurant with a bar on the beach. Great place to relax and have some nice food while watching beach and boating activities. A wonderful, accommodating staff. Definately worth the drive. Enjoy.

Fish and Shrimp basket was fabulous! The hush puppies were absolutely perfect. The view was perfect. We ate on the boardwalk right over the water. Just be mindful of the birds and check your chair before you sit 😂

We stopped at Gator Joe’s on our weekend cruise and it didn’t disappoint, great atmosphere good food and even better service. Not hard to see why this place has been open for close to 100 years.

This is such a fun spot in Ocklawaha! Great fried gator tail! Awesome outdoor seating right on the lake. Bring a bathing suit and towel and enjoy some swimming and delicious food and drinks. It does get busy but they do have an overflow parking area.

Barefoot Joe's fun, beautiful view of the beach. Gator Joe's quieter more menu options. Plenty of helpful staff present. Delicious gator and shrimp tacos.

This place is just a lot of fun. We had originally stopped at a different restaurant and left after waiting longer than 20 minutes and no server came to serve us. We wound up finding gator joes and we were very thankful that we did. They immediately got us a table outside and it was right on the water. The waitress came right away and took our drink orders. She recognized that there were no napkins at our table and quickly got us some. I know this sounds petty and expected but when you just left a different restaurant because of poor service, you recognize the little things that make a place great. We ordered the shrimp tacos and the fish tacos. They were delicious and priced very affordably. I wish I had tried the gator tail tacos. Next time I will. The draft blue moon was even brought to me with an orange slice. The little things make this place a home run. Oh ya, there’s a beach where you can swim if you come equipped to do so. You can also dock your boat or jet skis and walk on up for dinner or a drink. Great place. We will be returning soon.

Had the fish basket and lemonade and both were tastey. Fish was well cooked, fries and hush puppies were spot on and the lemonade was refreshing.
The service was awesome. We had a very nice waitress and she was attentive and welcoming.
There was an older gentleman employee that was friendly and warned some guests entering the water that there was a water moccasin nearby by pier. The prices were good and dining room clean. Ill be back the next time I come back to Florida

Great food and drinks.
The people working there were polite and knowledgeable on everything they had to offer.

The view is to relaxing and a great location for sunset across the lake.

Great little local hideaway. The food was delish and hot. Unfortunately, the weather was super windy so we did not sit outside. Waitress was very friendly and service was good. Would definitely go back.

The Ahi Tuna was flavorful and who knew, gator does not taste like chicken, it has it's own taste. You have to try it at least once and if you do, Gator's Joe is the place.

One of my favorite Hangouts. Even though I don't drink it's nice to see so many people out and about. Great place for sunsets go

Came here for the first time today because I was in town and LOVED it! Super fun atmosphere, great food and drinks, excellent service, and a nice view right on the water. Got an IPA and the gator tacos (I ate 1 Beckie I took the picture) and both were so yummy. Definitely making the trip back to come here again!