Gator Joe's in Ocklawaha, Florida

by Mike Miller
(Mount Dora, Florida)

This waterfront restaurant is in the little town of Ocklawaha on the north shore of Lake Weir just south of the Ocala National Forest.

The rustic interior gives it the look of an old Florida fish camp, and the menu features a lot of good seafood offerings as well as some standard Florida cracker fare like gator tail.

I had lunch at Gator Joe's earlier this week (April 5, 2011) and had two bowls of an excellent jambalaya. Plenty of good meat and vegetables and rice.

They have a full service bar, and it looks like a local hangout for good old boys and their women. There are also a fair number of better dressed boomer couples that probably come down from The Villages to see how the locals live.

All in all, it feels like a very friendly and well behaved crowd. You'd be okay taking your family in here.

There is a white sand beach on the property, and Gator Joe's is a fun place to spend an afternoon eating and drinking and people watching. The swimming is good and it is reported the gators stay away.