Corky Bell's Seafood at Gator Landing

We had a really nice time at Corky Bell’s Seafood at Gator Landing. The place is beautiful, especially the outdoor area by the water. We went around lunch time with a big group of 16, so they were pretty busy. We wanted to sit outside, so we ended up waiting about 40 minutes, but we were having fun and didn’t really mind. They split us into 4 tables, which was understandable with such a large group. The food was good, and the margaritas were excellent. I actually had a couple and really enjoyed them. We were having such a good time that we forgot to take pictures of the food. I’m allergic to shellfish, and I appreciated that they still gave me options to choose from, which made it easy for me to enjoy the meal too. Overall, it was a really good experience, great atmosphere, good food, good drinks, and a nice place to spend time with friends.

I had an amazing experience at this seafood restaurant! I ordered the lobster dinner, and it was absolutely delicious. The lobster was perfectly cooked — tender, juicy, and full of flavor. You could really tell it was fresh. The seasoning complemented the natural sweetness of the lobster without overpowering it. The sides were also well-prepared and paired nicely with the meal. The atmosphere was welcoming and comfortable, and the service was friendly and attentive throughout the evening. If you’re a seafood lover, especially if you enjoy lobster, this place is definitely worth a visit. I’ll definitely be coming back!

Awesome spot on the water! We came here for the 1st time by boat, plenty of room to dock up. Food was great, may take a little bit longer than you would like but it is always going to be fresh & im ok with that. The carrot cake was fantastic, could be the best ive ever had. As with every where we go, we sat at the bar. The bartenders were fun to talk to & easy going. Great enviornment, great food, great drinks, you really cant go wrong as far as I can tell. I got the scallops & shrimp alfredo to go blackened, ate it on the boat and it was amazing.

Fabulous food with great portions and decent prices. One unique thing I noticed is that the bathroom towel dispenser was unusually generous giving a foot or more worth of towel in one swipe. The chicken tenders were good even though not their speciality and 5 large tenders. The fresh fish is amazing and many ways to cook it with lots of great side items. The stars of the show may be the delicious tender hush puppies and the huge bowl of captains wafers crackers individually wrapped. So buttery and delicious and crush typical crackers. 😎. Only challenge was they put us in a back room with a temporary wall. Parking lots looks crowded and scary but plenty of seating and wait staff led to an efficient lunch.

This restaurant is Awesome. Plenty of parking, no waiting (each time we've went). The staff is very professional, friendly, knowledgeable and courteous. Wait time upon ordering was very little and the food is absolutely Delicious. Prices are reasonable and the helping is quite filling. Recommend to all. Went to Corky Bell's December 22 2025 for my friends Birthday and now also went Today, January 14 2026 for my Birthday and the foods were FABULOUSLY DELICIOUS again. This time I took pics.

We stopped by for dinner fairly late in the evening and had the best experience! It was too cold to sit outside so we were sat inside and our server Morgan was FANTASTIC! The food was lovely and pretty big portions. The restaurant was full but we still got seated immediately and it wasn’t loud even with the amount of full tables. Loved our dinner there!!! 10/10

I stopped by Corky Bells for lunch. I’ve driven through town numerous times but never sat down to give this place a try. I ordered the Half Pound Flounder sandwich daily special and it was absolutely huge. It came with some exceptionally crispy fries, tasty hushpuppies, and on recommendation from the waitress I also tried their green beans. It was all very good. The vibe here was pretty relaxed, and the deck out back was absolutely beautiful.

Wonderful down home Florida seafood place on the river. Very reasonable prices and a great atmosphere both inside and out. Loved their blue cheese dressing (home made). Hush puppies are the best I've had, a little sweetness to them. You can get your seafood made anyway you want (fried, blackened, grilled...). Waitress was on it!

Dinner on the water front with my friends and family was amazing Food was delicious, good sized portions and reasonably priced for seafood We all ordered different meals and shared them with each other, and it was a great experience for all I recommend this style of dining for any gathering of people as it brings us together as a community and sharing our own experiences with each other is the bond that brings us closer

The food was reasonably priced and very tasty. I had fish and scallops. They were sea scallops, broiled, and I had the fish fried. There were 6 big scallops, and 2 pieces of cod. For sides I had the green beans and okra/tomatoes over rice. Southern heaven. Hot fresh and delicious. The ambiance is laid back and casual. It was a quiet Wednesday evening. The staff was friendly and awkwardly youthful. I noted the menu was 3 yrs outdated, so I took some new shots.

WOW. WOW. WOW. I can't rave enough. Corky Bell's gets high marks for everything. A large menu with endless choices. Everything we ordered was perfection. It was a holiday and the place was crazy nutty busy. Our server was grace under fire. She kept checking in and letting us know the status of our meals.Loved her. Corky Bell's is located on the river and has an old school FL vibe. I wish it was closer. We'd be regulars.

Corky Bells is a destination on the St John's River to eat. They have plenty of sitting inside and lot of outside tables on the river; very nice. We had a 15-20 min wait to be outside but I believe it's bec a shortage of wait staff (hint-pay them more!). While waiting I went to the outside bar to see about getting a drink, it was extensive with beer, wine, mixed drinks but no prices?!? I hate to ask price on everything so I can decide what to get?!? I did ask the bartender said she said "no prices bec they would have to reprint menu all the time when prices change"? That makes no sense bec most establishment list prices for their drinks so customers can decide what to get...why would your prices be changing anyway? Management....consider changing this; I did ordered a draft beer, it was $6.75. On to the food-I got fried shrimp, side salad (+$2.75) and black beans/rice. Shrimp was medium but I knew fresh, nice size salad, hush puppies and beans were plenty! I was stuffed. Hubby got stuffed flounder with crab...very good with salad and coke slaw. Sister loved her cheesy grits; she says not all places know how to make them! We enjoyed our lunch on the St John's!

I arrived on a Saturday at noon. For two people we were quoted 30 minutes. We went to the bar on the deck of a drink and less than 30 minutes later there was a table ready! The food took quite a long time and I imagine it was because the restaurant was full but the food was tasty and the service was good.

Great views, but very slow service. The food was ok. The server touched the food as she was placing on the tables and that was just a tad bit gross. The place was not packed but we took a very long time before we could be seated. We started with the fried stuffed mushrooms and then our mains. I had the flounder stuffed with crab. It comes with two hush puppies and 2 sides. I had the baked potato and coleslaw (the slaw was served first). The crab stuffing was mostly breadcrumbs as you got further in.

What a great Florida Restaurant. Good Food, Beautiful Views of the St. John's River. Had Clarissa as our wait staff-fantastic! We will be back.

Really cool seafood place that's on the water. The bar tender has mastered there Bloody Mary's. I ordered the Cobia, shrimp special which was blacked and savory. There was a bit of wait which we hung out at the bar enjoying drinks.

Heard so much about this place that we finally took the drive down to Palatka. Great waterfront spot with outside inside and bar seating. Service was great and the staff very friendly. Main coarses we had were good but not amazing . Kind of old school plain but worth a try. Sides made up for it. Lots of choices with carbs and veggies choices. All in all a good experience !!

Good food and service shrimp and flounder was great for $18 sides are always good. Wait time was not bad.

Corky Bell's has been a local landmark and favorite since 1979 and when you walk in through the doors you can see that. I'm not calling it dated nor charming nor throw back, it just is what it is. My folks have lived in Satsuma for nearly 30 years now and in all that time we've by passed this restaurant time after time, mainly because how full the parking lot was and the wait. Finally tonight I was able to wrangle my parents out of the house in time to grab an early dinner. Service was spot on, friendly and patient. Absolutely no complaints with the wait staff or kitchen staff. The food was just above average and a bit pricey for what you get. Honestly, for all the fanfare and money spent I expected more, a lot more. All in all not a write off & you will need to judge for yourself, but not my first choice.

We made a stop by here on our way to St. Augustine. The location was right on the water with a dock, which was awesome. Unfortunately, there was an incoming storm so it was quite windy. Inside the restaurant, there were cool alligator status that you can take pictures with if preferred. The food was yummy. My daughter had mini fried shrimps and devoured the whole dish. I ordered clam chowder, which was delicious, and the Corky's platter for two. All the fried foods were good except the fried oysters. I thought it still had a fishy smell. I would come back here again, just won't be ordering dried oysters.

Morgan was a very pleasant server. Took our orders and brought our beverages right away .Very pleasant sitting on the deck by the water. Raw oysters were great. Unfortunately no one ever took away the shells or dirty plates. Hush puppies were rock hard Fish over cooked. Blackened shrimp was good. French fries and grits were good. Green beans were so over cooked. I will not be returning.

We are local to this restaurant, and I've always had pretty good experiences going here, except for the last couple of times, the service was not great. After what happened yesterday, we will never be back. We had a party of 6, we decided to wait for a table. 30 minutes went by. An hour went by. We could see that there were a lot of tables where they could have seated us at that were empty. There were also tables that needed to be bussed and were not bussed for 30 minutes. Maybe they have staffing issues? I have no clue, but they do not turnover their tables properly, and the place has gone way downhill and it not properly managed. After an hour and a half we left- our kids were starving by that point. We ended up going to the place right down the street- Musselwhites. We were seated immediately, service was so great, 2 for one drafts, food came out fast and it was delicious.

After a two year absence, we were able to ride our bikes here again. The food, the beer and the beautiful view from the outdoor patio just makes us want to keep coming back.

Better today, seating was slow as normal. Waitress was great. Waiting for food after ordering was close to 45 minutes. Simple order, nothing complicated or involved. What is going on back there? We come here a lot , and it seems to be a competition in how long can you wait to eat.

The crawfish was the most delicious. Tina was awesome as can be & made sure I knew how good these deserts were so of course we added it to our Togo food of favorites & can't wait to eat it. She's the best waitress I've had before, here. plus the cheesecake pumpkin martini couldn't have mad it a better evening.

Very good food very good service. Menu is limited which is probably why food is so good. Ambiance, it's a little noisy when they're busy which is most of the time. If you've never eaten here, it's worth the trip. Right in the St John's river pretty nice view

Today my complaint is with the hostess, Brittany. More than once she has had a smart mouth & dumb attitude when we've been there. We've been to Corkey Bells probably once per week to eat since opening. The food is very good, reasonably priced, hot, fresh. The service is usually amazing and out tip reflects that but there's a little smart mouth hostess there named Brittany that needs to grow up & be retrained. Not only did she get mouthy when we asked to sit at another table at 3:00 today (so it wasn't crowded at all) but she kept on & on about it. The table beside us volunteered she had been that way with them also & needed a new job! I spoke with the manager but Brittany wasn't sent home nor did she apologize. Come on, management, this is on you!

Place was crowded but got seated in 15 minutes. Lunch menu was great big portions and good prices. Service was excellent and on point. We sat outside very nice view of the water

This is good for the old retired snowbirds, the occasional tourist, and the local that just wants a familiar place. The restaurant reminds me of a good 1980s/1990s seafood joint but very much outdated along with the food. I had blackened shrimp that was absolutely delicious with some heat but it seemed to go down from there. The NE Clam Chowder didn't taste better than can souped versions. I was hoping for a great chowder. It didn't help the oyster crackers that accompanied was stale and so were the saltine crackers. The okra rice dish had a lot to be desired and the hush puppies were mediocre. I was just thankful they served me 15' before they closed. The service was really nice, but their dishes were hit and miss.

Stopped here on our way to Palatka. The Hush puppies were delicious. Our server Freddy was so sweet and kept coming by and apologizing when we had to wait almost an hour for our food. I got the fillet on the grill which was seasoned perfectly. Clam chowder also good. We sat outside and the water view was beautiful. Even with the impending tornado.

My 79-year-old disabled veteran husband and his disabled friend were treated with shocking disrespect. They were seated in a loud back room despite open tables, never given silverware, and when he limped up to ask, the hostess rudely said, "We're washing it for you." They left hungry, and when I called the manager (Gabe), he was dismissive and more concerned with my words than the way his staff mistreated two elderly, disabled men. This restaurant clearly does not respect veterans, the elderly, or the disabled. Shameful service -- we will never be back

Service is good. Most of the food is good. I tried to soft shell crab twice. I was hoping the second time it would be better than the first. It's just breaded way too much. That's basically the only thing I've tried there.

We have eaten @ CB at least 50 times (BIL brokered the land)!! Things have gone downhill VERY rapidly! Over 30 minutes for food is unreasonable (Thats when we left) Server never even checked, bread or a heads up would have been professional! L has to be the worst we have ever encountered!! A snide "not my fault", ok, then tell us, whose fault is it!?! Guess that's part of the answer as to why it was fairly empty! Walk (quickly) with your wallet!!

We had lunch here, our server was very friendly and professional. The food was very good and plentiful. It has a great atmosphere and is right on the water. Highly recommend. Prices are very reasonable.

Extremely disappointed On Sunday we called for a reservation we were told 20 mins for 2 people. An hour later 9 groups of tables below us on the list were seated. Another party of two were waiting over two Hours!!! Yet new groups coming in were being told 20 mins. When we went up to the hostess staff we were told they seat the larger groups first and push back the smaller tables!!! We waited well over an hour to be told we were 6 in head of us!!! We wasted our time driving thirty plus minutes and the. Waiting well over an hour This is very disrespectful to waste people's time !!!!! We are never going back Horrible treatment to loyal customers

First off my wife and I love coming to Corky Bell's. Always had great food and service. However today was different. I've never had such a long wait from ordering our food and receiving it, almost 45 minutes. Once the waitress brought out our drinks and took our order we never seen her again until it was time for our check. We had arrived at 12:45 and waited just a few minutes to be seated outside. I'm not sure if there was only one person working outside but it wasn't packed. The gentleman who brought our food out was nice enough to give us drink refills, thankfully. The food was delicious as always 5 stars !!!!! Maybe they were short handed or something else but coming by and keeping us updated on why it was taking so long would have been nice. Also stopping by for drink refills would have been too. We will be back because we do enjoy coming here.

Best Southern fried Shrimp cooked to perfection & home made sides, Like cheese grits , coleslaw, black eye peas, minorcan clam chowder . Hush puppies w/ flavor , not saltless dried out flour balls like some seafood places. Resturant hrs needs to be open later on the weekend till at least till 10:pm & bar till 11: or 12 pm.

Stopped here on the way back to Ocala from st Augustine. The food, service and ambiance are all a 10/10. Sara our server was so attentive and kind. The flavor on everything was perfect. Prices are super reasonable and portions are huge! We had the flounder, shrimp, loaded baked potatoes. And so much more!

Service was Southern-sweet, competent, nice young ladies. The food. This is probably my fourth visit to the restaurant over the four years. Food has definitely gone down in quality . discovering their Alfredo sauce was canned, I ordered a simple fish sandwich. The fish had obviously been fried much earlier, it was lacking crunch, and was limp. From the french fries, obviously frozen, to the coleslaw, I doubted anything on my plate was made here; even the $16 fish on the sandwich had been frozen. Maybe the hush puppies Were made here, IDK. The best aspect of the meal was the deck over looking the lake and the beautiful mid afternoon sun; however, the view doesn't make up for apathy in the kitchen. Corky's needs either a new owner, an aggressive manager, or a visit from Gordon Ramsay.

Always a place to go when in the area. Salmon cakes and fried shrimp were our choices. Service was excellent and the food was fresh and delicious.

Best Waterfront seafood restaurant ever. We come to Florida to visit family once in a while and Corky bells is always a must!!!! We specifically make it a point to stop in at least 1 time a trip. Best service, great views, so relaxing and you might even see some alligators hanging around by the dock. The day we chose to go it was pouring and borderline storming but they have a nice awning on their deck so you can still eat outside. Always great food and good fast service. Good drinks too and beer bucket deals

Food was good but waited over an hour. They clearly forgot we were sitting there waiting. The rude lady at the bar took our order for our food and clearly knew it was taking forever. She never once came over to us to as if we needed another beverage or even apologize for the extremely long wait ... she actually did say to us are you waiting on food?? Well dah yes ! I didn't say that out loud of course. She knew we were waiting on food she is the one who took our order! We were never asked how the food tasted... very disappointed.. terrible inconsiderate service...we will not be back!!!

I visited corky bells for an early dinner. The parking lot was almost full at 5pm. I decided to eat at the bar. The restaurant was very clean and decorated nicely. The waitresses at the bar were courteous and attentive. She took my drink order and gave me a memo. I ordered blackened shrimp and scallops with greens and stewed tomatoes and okra. The waitress kept my drink filled. The food was excellent . The shrimp and scallops were cooked well. The portion size was good. Overall it was a good meal. I would recommend it. I will return next time I'm in palatka.

Corky Bell's is a nice lunch spot with outdoor seating on the St. John's River. There's an outdoor and indoor bar, and the decor gives top-notch Florida vibes. Our most recent visit was for dinner (after dark), so we didn't get the nice river-view. But we still had a nice time chilling and eating at the indoor bar. Unfortunately Corkys doesn't have great options for vegans or vegetarians. That's pretty standard in this area... but I was still able to get a decent side salad and some savory fried food. The fried Appetizer Trio hit the spot. We chose fried banana peppers, pickles, and squash. Hard to go wrong there! My husband enjoyed his steak and appreciated a good price point. Service was nice. We noticed that we were sitting among the recently cut staff for their shifter beers, and it was fun to listen in on all their after-work stories.

I want to start by saying this was my first time visiting this location, I decided to stop here after have a pretty good experience at their Fleming Island, Florida location (four stars) However... This experience here was somewhat disappointing, we opted to dine in the bar being their was a long long wait for a table inside the restaurant or to dine outdoors. We found plenty of open seating at the bar, after taking our seats we immediately noticed the counter was sticky and in disarray even with four employees tending the bar, honestly this bar area is pretty sad, it's no wonder we were able to get seated without a wait. The service was somewhat attentive in between the staff having a blast laughing and joking around behind the bar without much customer interaction. Although much of the fore mentioned things can be overlooked it was impossible to ignore the poor quality of the food and this was the biggest disappointment especially with the rave reviews most give. We both ordered the fried shrimp and catfish special. The shrimp were on the small side and one of our orders arrived without the shrimp this was quickly corrected - the catfish filets were really small what I'd call fingerlings nothing special about these either. My opinion of the sides was less impressive - the cheese grits were tasteless and watery, the collards were bland, the fries were boring and the coleslaw was predictable. I've tried to eat here a number of time when in the area so when the opportunity presented itself I guess my expectations were too high - I think now that I did finally eat here I now feel that I've been there done that and my curiosity has been satisfied and I came away feeling thankful I didn't have to wait for an hour for this experience...

So disappointed!! Came here 2 years ago while visiting Palatka & had a great time. This time we waited an hour to be seated. Ok, understandable. Once seated at 4:30 the food didn't arrive until 6pm! How is this ok? We had a party of 7. Another party of 6 seated after us were served first. Beyond Done. After awhile we're silly for having waited so long

Got a steak that was cooked to perfection! What made it even better was seeing a baby alligator!!!

Delicious! We both had the flounder stuffed with crabmeat stuffing. It was so filling. The Cole slaw was amazing for one of the sides. We arrived around 12:30 and it was busy but we were able to grab any available seats in the bar area with high top chairs, which allowed us to skip the hour wait. Lunch specials are served until 4pm, which saves approx $6 per meal. Definitely stop there if you are in the area. I heard about if from a trip advisor posting. Glad I listened!

Situated right on the river, with multiple levels outside, it's a great place to enjoy a meal in an old Florida environment, and a good place to bring visitors. Quick service with friendly waitrons. The fried shrimp was excellent as were the oysters my husband had! We didn't get photos of our food, we were too hungry, lol

Far different at this Corky Bells in Palatka than in Fleming Island. Our server was Fantastic and our meal was Hot and Delicious!! Really super busy but well worth the wait.

My wife and I visit Corky Bell's at least once a month. We've always gone to the East Palatka location. This is a large restaurant with a huge parking lot located on the St. Johns river. You can choose to dine inside or out or by the bar. Corky Bell's is known for their many decorated Gators throughout the restaurant. Normally, we have seafood. On this trip, my wife had the blackened cobia and shrimp dinner. It was very good along with a side of a loaded baked potato and coleslaw. I tried the 14oz Prime Rib Special with a baked potato and green beans. Their coleslaw and green beans are always first class. The meat was OK not the best Prime Rib I've ever had. I will stick with the seafood in the future. We always enjoy the cheerful atmosphere of Corky's. Most of the servers are top notch. On this visit, we had Taylor as our waitress. She was great. She worked hard and had a great attitude and personality. We will be back.

After taking our order, our server disappeared for a really long time. When he returned, he said our food was ready & he'd be right out with it. A good 20 minutes later, he finally brought our food. It was not warm like it should have been & my chicken strips were flavorless. All of the food was almost dripping in grease. That on top of being cold made our meal one of the worst we've ever had. This meal & service were not up to Corky's Bell's standards.

Food is good and ambiance is pleasant Wait time isn't to bad if u get there early enough

Service was non existent. We waited about an hour for our food to arrive at the table. I don't think it was the waitresses fault though. I believe the bottle neck was in the kitchen.

The food is fresh and there is a large amount of it. The waitress was very kind and on time with all the service we received. I will go again soon.

I love Corky Bell's but if tonight was my first time I would never go back. The potatoes were undercooked and the other food was dried out/overcooked. I think the fault was with the slow server. She made us wait while she took care of a party of 6 ahead of the 2 of us instead of handing us off to someone else, so everything took forever. The food sat under a heat lamp for a considerable time which caused the food to dry out. I asked for a glass of water, and when it never came, we had to get up and find someone to give us some water. So don't get Mary Ann as a waitress unless the place is nearly empty.

Fish tasted like a grocery store frozen filet. Was served a lunch portion but paid for dinner. Very dissapointing.