12 Best Southern Restaurants in Lakeland

“I was wowed from the moment I sat down!!! The food was superb. Salmon cooked to perfection at the chef's temperature. At the end of the meal, I was presented with a Congratulations card because I am graduating with an MBA today. Customer Service & a keen eye for details to the max. The customer service, superb cuisine, and lovely atmosphere wowed me.“

“The atmosphere is a great place to start. Hip and stylish yet cozy and friendly. The menu is aesthetically pleasing and contains uniquely named items. The item of choice for me was My Boy Bleu with a side of their Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese. Everything was delicious and well prepared. The chicken was tender, as good chicken should be. I'd highly recommend Love Bird to anyone looking for something out of the norm.“

“Noisy filled restaurant filled with people enjoying great country food. More than you could ever possibly eat! Great buffet of good home style food. They even had boiled okra & rutabaga! Food varies as the day moves on. Best southern experience if you want real southern cooking.Wheelchair accessibility: Plenty of close parking. Even under trees. Chairs out front for waiting. Handicap available“

“I have been to Frescos a few times and it has always been great, but today was the best. My friends and I went to brunch this morning and Savannah was the best server we have ever had. She was so attentive, and she made sure I was safe with a gluten allergy as well as stocked up on bottomless mimosas. I could not have asked for better service. Great work!“

“Had a 327.00$ take out order for a family luncheon. Monster Lobster Rolls and a deluxe BBQ pack. The food was amazing. Fresh delicious Lobster and plenty of it. The BBQ was moist and perfect. The sides especially the mac n cheese and potato salad were like homemade. The wings were meaty and smoky Definitely recommend.“

“Went here for date night tonight. Being a good ol southern boy and living in Kansas City for a while I was happy to see great southern cuisine and KC burnt ends offered. So I ordered. Y’all ….a plate of food came out, but when I took a bite, that food conjured up my dead father who loved burnt ends like me. We ordered a banana pudding to go and sure as I am sitting here licking the container, my dead momma came up and asked me if I liked it better than hers! I said no but man oh man it’s good. This place just knocked my nostalgia out of the park. Amazing food!“

“My community hosts food truck vendors twice a month. I'm happy i decided to try this place. They appear to be minority owned and the woman I interacted with was very pleasant. Although the menu seemed to have several tasty options, I chose to go with the seafood skillet since it is their number 1 seller. Man, it was soooo good. I wish they had a location nearby (Wesley chapel). My only complaint is that I wish you got a little more. The portion isn't enough to fill you, but maybe just enough to satisfy you. Overall I'd recommend giving them a try if you see them. I certainly will if they return.“

“First time coming to Cheddar's after 2 and a half years of my husband recommending it to me and I think it was amazing! The Cheddar's cheese fries appetizer is something I cannot wait to order again next time. The ranch sauce dip for them was so light and perfect. I do not like ranch sauce but this was an exception! I enjoy getting strawberry lemonade in restaurants and here they put a strawberry inside of your drink. My dad ordered a piña colada drink with no alcohol, and he thought it was delightful. Wonderful service, good presentation, and great food for an affordable price ?️?“

“My wife and I enjoyed a late breakfast (10:30 a.m.) at the Wooden Spoon Diner located in the Imperial Christina Plaza at 6960 Florida Avenue S, Lakeland, Florida. The restaurant wasn’t very busy at this hour and so we were seated right away. Our server Jeannie was attentive and cheerful. I ordered their three-egg omelet with feta cheese and spinach. (This combination isn’t on the menu, but they are willing to make a special order.) The omelets come with your choice of home fries, hash browns, grits or seasonal fruit cup and toast or a biscuit. I chose hash browns and a biscuit. The omelet was delicious, and the hash browns were crispy, just as I like them. The biscuit was small but very tasty. My wife ordered the garden omelet that’s made with tomatoes, onions, peppers, mushrooms, and American cheese. She chose the seasonal fruit cup and wheat toast as her sides. She was also very pleased with her meal. We like supporting local businesses and the Wooden Spoon is one of our favorites! It is definitely worth the trip, and we will be back, soon!The Imperial Christina Plaza is located at the southernmost end of Lakeland at the intersection of South Florida Avenue and Shepard Road. Right before South Florida changes to North Church Avenue in Mulberry. There’s plenty of easy parking, too!“

“We visited this location for a quick lunch after a meeting. The restaurant wasn't very busy and it was really quiet. Our host Joy was really nice as she introduced us for specials and took us to our table. We had Derek as our server and he was very good made our experience really great!Food was hot and delicious! We will definitely come back and ask for Derek again!“

“We came on Friday, today, at 4:05 pm. Online states open til 7 on Fridays for fish. Hours of service on door states same thing. Doors were locked. If you aren't going to be open, you should state so online and at minimum, sign on the door. We traveled from Plant City and then needed to back track to other restaurant. With that being said, the breakfast was ok when we ate there a couple weeks ago.I updated the review when we went back for breakfast. The food was very good. Our waitress has always been friendly .We talked to the waitress about the issue on Friday. She said she would talk to someone in the afternoon to put a sign up and update the website.“

“I originally I stopped at another restaurant to purchase to go ribs for my dinner. I was told there was a 35 minute wait for to go orders. I remembered 4 Rivers was on my way home. Ordered my meal on their website stopped in on my way home. Approximately 15 minutes after I placed the order. My food was hot ready and waiting for me. The ribs were seasoned to perfection. The baked beans and the macaroni and cheese were the perfect sides. I ordered the coconut bomb cake as a dessert. Everything was amazing, except the coconut bomb tasted like it may have had a little too much salt. Perhaps it was meant that way? This is not the first time we have ordered from this restaurant. Each time has been the same experience hot delicious food ready to go.“