Sunny in London

A behind the scenes guide to London's food, life and culture

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • FOOD and DRINKS
    • RESTAURANT REVIEWS
    • RECIPES
    • PUB CRAWLS
    • DRINKS
  • AFTERNOON TEA
  • THINGS TO DO
    • Christmas in London
  • TRAVEL
  • UK vs USA
  • CONTACT/PR

February 14, 2016 by: Sunny London

Eating Gator at the Ocean Deck in Daytona Beach

Have you ever eaten alligator? At the Ocean Deck in Daytona Beach, Florida you can have Gator Bites. Yep, you British readers are probably staring at your screen in awe right now. But, it’s true.

Oddly enough, even though I lived in Florida most of my life, I had never eaten gator until this past Christmas holiday. Why is that?

Well, to be honest, it just didn’t sound appealing to me.

I knew when planning Mr. Sunny’s first trip to Florida that I wanted to take him to all the iconic beach bars in Daytona and have him eat like a local. As I explained the restaurants and bars to him prior to our trip, he fantasized about what it would be like drinking beer on the beach at Christmas. He was born in London, and despite travelling all over the world while working for NBC News and even living in Los Angeles for a year, he had never made a trip to visit Florida.

While visiting the Ocean Deck’s website during out travel pre-planning, Mr. Sunny spotted Gator Bites on the menu. It’s all I heard about for the next few days. And then, on a December afternoon around Christmas, we hit the deck. The Ocean Deck.

Eating Gator Bites at Ocean Deck, a beach bar in Daytona Beach, Florida

Starting as a hot dog stand in 1957, the Ocean Deck is an iconic place to eat and enjoy live entertainment in Daytona Beach, Florida. This restaurant, also known as ‘The Legend on the Beach’, is a popular hangout for locals as well as tourists. It has music festivals, volleyball tournaments, 5k Fun Runs and many more events to keep you ‘dancing in the sand with a drink in your hand.’

Eating Gator Bites at Ocean Deck, a beach bar in Daytona Beach, Florida

We arrived just after 11:00am as I didn’t want to bring Mr. Sunny there when it was too crowded. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a particularly beautiful sunny day.

Eating Gator Bites at Ocean Deck, a beach bar in Daytona Beach, Florida

Eating Gator Bites at Ocean Deck, a beach bar in Daytona Beach, Florida

Eating Gator Bites at Ocean Deck, a beach bar in Daytona Beach, Florida

Because Mr. Sunny had already fully reviewed the menu, it didn’t take him long to order what he wanted. Once it all hit the table, he realized that all of his food choices were fried. This destroyed any hope of him having a healthy lunch. In fact, gator meat is generally known as a healthy meat source because it’s high in protein and low in fat.

Eating Gator Bites at Ocean Deck, a beach bar in Daytona Beach, Florida

Can you see my salad sitting there in the back? It’s just behind Mr. Sunny’s Caribbean Coconut Shrimp and the Crispy Clam Strips. Individually, the Grilled Shrimp Salad is pretty colourful. Let’s take a closer look to see what I mean…

Eating Gator Bites at Ocean Deck, a beach bar in Daytona Beach, Florida

I did try one mouthful of the Gator Bites. The meat was a little tougher than what I anticipated. Truthfully, in all that batter you can’t really taste anything bizarre. My husband really liked them.

Eating Gator Bites at Ocean Deck, a beach bar in Daytona Beach, Florida

In less than an hour, the tables were full at the Ocean Deck. Because we were doing a beach bar pub crawl, we started to make our way out of the restaurant. Mr. Sunny loved the personality of the place and thinks the toilet and other signs are pretty clever.

Eating Gator Bites at Ocean Deck, a beach bar in Daytona Beach, Florida

Eating Gator Bites at Ocean Deck, a beach bar in Daytona Beach, Florida

He also had a real treat in the gift shop, as the person working was from England and moved to Daytona Beach twenty years ago. We all had fun picking out a bar shirt for him, as that’s one of the souvenirs he always likes to get. However, because people in London don’t generally wear clothes with bright colours, we didn’t get any of the traditional style shirts they sell. He bought a white one with the logo.

Eating Gator Bites at Ocean Deck, a beach bar in Daytona Beach, Florida

As we headed to our car in the parking lot, Mr. Sunny enjoyed hearing the tiki doll exclaim, ‘Ha!Ha!Ha! Haaaaaaa! Welcome to the Ocean Deck’ in the same way it’s been said for decades in commercials. Just in case you aren’t from Daytona Beach and don’t know what I mean, you can hear it for yourself as soon as you visit the beach restaurant and club’s website.

Eating Gator Bites at Ocean Deck, a beach bar in Daytona Beach, Florida

Our only regret with our visit to the Ocean Deck was that the weather that day wasn’t too picturesque Florida. But that just means we’ll need to make a trip back the next time we travel to Daytona Beach together.

Eating Gator Bites at Ocean Deck, a beach bar in Daytona Beach, Florida

Are gator bites on your food bucket list, Sunny friends? Have you tried them already, and are you a fan?

How to Have the Best International Shipping Company Experience
UK vs USA – 5 Things the British Do Better

Comments

  1. Nancy Zeigler says

    August 17, 2020 at 5:58 am

    We enjoy sitting below with the door open, and the surf noise. I would love to sit there sipping Margs and eating coconut shrimp. Friendly place on the beach !

SUBSCRIBE TO KNOW

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT CHRISTMAS

LONDON PUB CRAWL

CANDLELIGHT CONCERTS IN LONDON

FOOD THINGS TO DO IN LONDON

food-things-to-do-in-london-guide

PLANNING FOR A TRIP TO LONDON

local-travel-guide-to-london-trip-planning

THINGS TO DO IN LONDON

best-things-to-do-in-london-guide

AMERICAN AND BRITISH DIFFERENCES

major-differences-in-american-and-british-cultures-guide

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL TIPS & TRICKS

trips-international-travel-tips-and-tricks

LONDON DAYTRIPS

Archives

THE ESSENTIAL 1st TIME GUIDE TO LONDON

Sunny in London Guide

HARRY POTTER

Harry Potter Sunny in London

PUBS IN LONDON

best-pubs-in-london-camden-pub-crawl-lock-tavern-2
  • Home
  • GUIDE TO LONDON
  • FOOD DRINKS
  • THINGS TO DO
  • TRAVEL
  • Privacy Policy

© 2023 ยท Fun Genesis WordPress Theme by Pretty Darn Cute Design

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
SAVE & ACCEPT