Gator Suyaki - Gainesville

Located at the end of 13th street near Willison Road, Lovter is a truly authentic Chinese restaurant that exceeds expectations. Despite its run-down exterior, the interior is a pleasant surprise. The daily specials are displayed on a small chalkboard in Mandarin, adding to the dining experience. The Asian-themed decor, including artwork, sculpture, stained glass, and chopsticks on the tables, immerses you in the culture. The enticing aroma of the food serves as an appetizer in itself. The prompt greeting and seating by the server was appreciated, with only soy sauce, a napkin, and chopsticks on the table. The service was excellent, with my drink and appetizer arriving quickly. The sesame chicken, rice, and spring rolls were all delicious and left me looking forward to my next visit.

Oh Gainesville, how I've missed you! This restaurant is a family favorite! We try to venture out and find new places to eat but we always end up here. We have been coming here since 2014. As a lover of authentic Chinese food, Gator Suyaki never disappoints. For starters, I always enjoy restaurants that have a turntable so I can eat everything with ease. Today, I went with a group of 10 people so I had to be careful and pace myself because I would end up in a food coma. If you think I like food, oh boy, you haven't met my family. We ordered the following items: Appetizers: Veggie dumpling must dip in soy sauce otherwise you won't taste much because veggies were bland. I like the crisp on the outer edges of the dumpling itself, which I always look for. Shrimp dumpling did not try; heard it was ok Sesame balls did not try; tastes like it should apparently Entrees: Chongqing Chili chicken Crispy boneless chicken with spicy sauce. It is loaded with a ton of red chili. A little dry today but good overall! Very spicy so it is not for the faint. My husband loves spicy food and he really enjoyed this dish. Mongolian beef I love how savory this was. The meat was tender and juicy, I noticed a charbroiled flavor so that was a nice little surprise. Topped with a generous amount of caramelized onions. Mei fun noodles My 2 yr old devoured this dish. For me, it was pretty neutral. It wasn't bad or good. It was your basic thin noodles with shrimp and veggies. Shrimp Fried Rice Tastes like take out Chinese fried rice... except it's fresh lol. Fish fillet Fried fish. Nothing too special, I enjoy fried fish any day. Hotpot tofu and fish MY FAVORITE! Fried fish and fried tofu drenched in sauce with veggies. That fish still has me drooling. Imagine fried fish sautéed in your typical asian sauces: soy sauce, oyster sauce, etc but once you bite into it you wonder... how in the world did they make this taste so good!? It's still a mystery to me. Garlic sechzuan eggplant lovely dish! If I went vegan again, I could eat this all day! Sweet, spicy, savory..yum! Duck cooked to perfection, no sauce needed! Very tender and juicy. Not too salty which is a common problem I have with duck! This one is just right! Food is great, service is good. Gator Suyaki, until next time!!!

I absolutely love discovering authentic Chinese restaurants in Gainesville, and Gator Suyaki is definitely a hidden gem. I would highly recommend it to anyone craving delicious Chinese cuisine. We ordered a variety of dishes including Beef Ho Fun, pineapple fried rice, dumplings in chili oil, vegetable delight, and Mapo Tofu. The food arrived quickly and was incredibly tasty. Even though the interior of the restaurant looked a bit worn down, the exceptional service and flavorful dishes more than made up for it. I was initially worried about the spiciness of the food, as many of Gator Suyaki's dishes are cooked in the Szechuan style known for its fiery flavors. Despite my low tolerance for spicy food, I found that all the dishes we ordered were perfectly balanced in terms of heat...even the intimidatingly red sauce in the Mapo Tofu dish!

I know a lot of people say this is the place to go for the most authentic chinese food, but maybe I just don't like authentic then. I got the hotpot combo and it was around $22 with tip. I didn't really like the soup base i got as it was pretty oily. They also had a certain spice in there that was super strong and when you bit into it, it would overpower any other flavor. The restaurant seemed to stick to the authentic theme which was a plus, but for some reason it felt kind of dingy. I went in the afternoon time and it felt like i was walking in to a dimly lit room. After the meal my stomach started hurting right away. I personally had a subpar experience with the hotpot, but I also believe in second chances so if i go next time i'll opt for one of their rice dishes.

Best Chinese food in Gainesville by far. They have legit Chinese food also American-Chinese food. All taste great and worth the wait.