Puddle Jumpers Lakeside Grill & Bar — Restaurant in Tavares

My wife and I stopped her for lunch about 12:15 pm on August 11, 2025 while en route to nearby Kelly Park Campground. We were towing our small travel trailer, so I wound up having to park in an old railroad easement area on the south side of the restaurant because there wasn't a place for buses or RVs in their main parking lot.

When we arrived, the restaurant was fairly busy with diners, and several groups appeared to be on a lunch break from jury duty since the county courthouse was only a block away. We had to wait about five minutes to be seated because there wasn't enough staff on duty to handle the sudden customer load.

Even though it was a hot and humid afternoon, we asked for a table outside on the shaded patio in hopes of seeing a seaplane or two takeoff or land. The restaurant overlooks the Lake Dora seaplane base and ramp, and we got to watch a few of them.

It took about five minutes after we were seated before we were greeted by our server. She was pleasant, apologetic and quickly brought us our drinks. I ordered a local craft beer (Jai Alai IPA), but was disappointed because it was delivered in a frosty glass beer mug with a very large divot/punt in its bottom that only held about 10 ounces of beer, even though it should have held a full pint. This rubbed me the wrong way because I was essentially paying a pint draft beer price ($6.50), but only got a 10 oz pour (see Beer Mug photo). I also thought it was very blasphemous to rip off customers with DECEPTIVE "shrink-flation" beer mugs, particularly at bar and grill that caters to and probably has a regular clientele that's comprised of off-duty seaplane (puddle jumper) pilots. I made a polite complaint to our server about the it, and she said she gets the same exact complaint several times each day she works, but management won't upgrade to HONEST, pint-sized beer glasses.

I ordered the Bacon Bomber Hamburger and my wife had the Blackened Chicken Wrap sandwich. They were both made with good fresh ingredients and tasted delicious, and it only took about 10 minutes to get them delivered to our table after we place our order.

Overall, this place has GREAT POTENTIAL, but the lack of staff and the deliberately deceptive 10 oz beer glasses (made to look like they are 16 oz pints) means that I'll likely never go back here the next time I'm in the Leesburg /...

Took the family to Puddle Jumpers for an afternoon lunch. The place was kind of cool. Right off the water, with just Sea Plane parking area and railroad track in between. There was a sidewalk to crossover to get closer to the SeaPlane. Kids thought that was cool. Without question, the restaurant was themed out with the Sea Plane nostalgia. Crazy set up as you walk into the bar, but we later learned of the multiple dining rooms as well as an upstairs dining space. They also had outdoor seating, but that day was way too hot. Good was pretty good. We started with the Kettle chips and dip. Carmelized onion dip and chorizo beer queso cheese type of dipping sauces. We ordered both sauces to try. Very unique flavors but they kept you going back for more. I must say, the Mahi Bites were pretty good - they looked like chicken tenders but there were good and came with a lot. The fries had a seasoning which was a nice change up from traditional fries. We also ordered the Ye Olde Black & Blue burger. Very juicy, good flavor. Wife didn't care for the blackened but I thought it was a solid choice. Kids got a cheeseburger and salad, and a Pitadilla (chicken and cheese quesadilla but with pita bread). Cheeseburger was eaten but the PitaDilla was a little on the bland side. Too much Pita bread for the kiddo. The area had a few other restaurants and a cooler slower beach vibe. Nice area to check out and explore. We will be back again and try out some more options. It would also be a great spot to watch the Sea Planes take off and land. Fairly close by is a really...

Puddle Jumpers Lakeside Grill & Bar did a wonderful job making a private family event memorable and special for us! I wish I could give more than 5 stars. Jon and his team were with us each step of the way from answering initial questions promptly, showing us the venue space (although we live locally and dine there frequently), accommodating our load-in schedule, confirming the menu and drink arrangements which were priced well for the great value received and even listening to sound check with the most supportive event team members to ensure all went smoothly. We have visited with Brandi, Alexis and Sandy over the years, and were truly impressed with their level of care and service for our event. Brandi went out of her way to ensure all went as planned and has always been so kind and professional. Sandy did a fantastic job and is so pleasant, supportive and efficient. Alexis is excellent and so personable and professional. We cannot say enough positive things about our experience. This was a very important event for our family and guests and it was handled perfectly from our perspective. The food was excellent and there were lots of selections for different nutritional preferences. Our guests had a fabulous time, and we could not have done it without Jon, Brandi, Alexis and Sandy! What a great team. They even coordinated with team members not assisting with our event to help us achieve the best results with regard to our videographer and performance. We are most grateful and highly recommend this event...