15 Best Southern Restaurants in Lakeland

“We took our son to Nineteen 61 for his birthday.Madison was our server, and we want to give special thanks to her for her assistance throughout the meal. Our son is gluten-, egg-, and dairy-intolerant, and she knew which menu items were safe and which were problematic.She was also very helpful with menu choices for the rest of us - cheerful, friendly, informative, while remaining professional.We started with some appetizers:I enjoyed the Pulpo 61 - octopus served in a great complementary sauce with fingerling potato slices. The others had the Brussels sprouts (tossed in maple balsamic vinaigrette, and topped with raisin caramel and manchego cheese), and the Chips with avocado mousse & tomatillo salsa (excellent).We all enjoyed the appetizers and then moved on to the main courses.I had one of the day's specials - a New York Strip steak, "gaucho style". Wonderfully flavorful and nicely seasoned, it was a large steak (no bone), so my son wound up taking half home for his dinner the next night. I also had a small "1961 salad" which was a very nice salad with cheeses (manchego and baby swiss), manzanilla olives, and the signature house dressing (like a slightly thicker vinaigrette).Two of our party had the Seabass Chimi - wood grilled with house chimichurri plus caribbean sweet potatoes). They loved the texture and flavor of the fish (and the potatoes).One had the Churrasco steak - a marinated flat iron steak with sides.All our meals came with one or two sides, and there was more than enough food for everyone.The restaurant had no desserts that were gluten-, egg-, and dairy-free (no surprise there!). We had checked the previous day, so we earlier went to Mimi's and got some great ice creams (yes - gluten-, egg-, and dairy-free ice creams - delicious). So - unfortunately, we skipped dessert at Nineteen 61 and went back to our hotel for a birthday dessert party.Overall - a great experience at the restaurant, and another shout-out to our server, Madison, who really made this an exceptional experience.Dietary restrictions: Reasonable choices for gluten-free and egg-free items.“

“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.“

“I’ve been eating at Fred’s for years and it’s always delicious and the service is always top notch. I went to Fred’s for my birthday with my husband, bestie, and her hubby. Food was amazing and Brendon was our server and was just above and beyond. We finished our delicious meals and waddled out the door after we paid. We were catching up in the parking lot because we hadn’t seen each other in over 6 months when Brendon comes running out. I had forgotten my purse under the table. Thankfully he found the purse and took a chance that we might still be in the parking lot just to return it to me and that was on a bad ankle that was bothering him. He was still so cheerful and happy the whole time. I asked if I could give him a hug and he said “Of course”. He has my eternal gratitude and this just reminded me that I want to call the manager to give him a huge compliment.Kid-friendliness: Very kid friendly“

“What a great place to visit on a Sunday morning for brunch. Everything about this place, from the decor to the ambiance to the top notch service and last but not least the food, is just top notch!Matthew was our server and he's really great! Didn't even have to write down our orders (three of us) and got everything perfect.Started off with the cranberry mimosa and ordered the fried chicken and waffle with scrambled egg. In hind sight though I'm not sure an egg is even needed with this dish. It definitely has a back seat to the awesome chorizo gravy, and the perfectly fried and moist chicken, and the waffle. I think I'd skip the egg altogether next time but this is definitely a dish I would order again!Highly recommend this place. You won't be disappointed!“

“10/10!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Customer service, cleanliness and especially the food were all wonderful! We orderd the Ghetto and Connecticut Lobster Rolls. Can't say enough, really good food! We will definitely be back!“

“First time today and the food/service was amazing! Definitely going back and brining everyone I know!!“

“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.“

“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!“

“Wow ? amazing all around! Superb services with Haley! She made the experience another level and the food delicious ? the best gravy and biscuits ever had and we had a very nice time in this special place, I totally recommended it and it is a must try! ☺️“

“Went to Cheddars for dinner last night, wonderful service, quick to be seated and delicious as always. We got the Cheddar fries, side salad and burger. great portions, cooked to perfection. Desert was the chocolate cake, GIANT. Had plenty left over“

“Excellent food and service“

“What a great find in south Lakeland! I had the tenderloin and my friend had a burger. We could tell both were made in-house, not frozen and thrown in the fryer or on the grill. Delicious!“

“I was Amazed to see customers with dogs in an open restaurant where dishes are buffet style. It turned me off because dogs should not be in restaurants where people are dining. Dogs carry germs and other bacteria. This should not be allowed in Any restaurant even if they are service dogs. There should be limits placed on animals in food places. Don't 4get people dogs are not human. They are ANIMALS and they walk on dirty grounds with 4 feet. Also there are people that are allergic to dogs, afraid of dogs and can't be around them for medical purposes. Let's stop being selfish with animals. Just because you may love them others may not. Consideration Must be extended.“

“food is good service and cooking time not toke an hour and 15 minutes to get food“

“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.“