16 Best Southern Restaurants near Lake Mary

“Admittedly, the list of chicken salad options was a bit intimidating. The longest part of my experience was ordering; the time from getting a drink to grabbing a table, I already had my sandwich and sides prepped and presented. There’s something comforting about getting chips on a plate rather than being just handed a bag. The sandwich was assembled with care, but I believe the true shining star was the pasta salad. Fast service, helpful staff, clean venue - no notes.“

“Tired of cooking? Can't cook? Then give Kookin' with Kim a try. You will be glad that you did! Reasonably priced. Hefty sized portions.“

“Great food and service, nice clean restaurant“

“I am a chef from out of town, I always look for restaurants that are off the beaten path. This was one of the best restaurants with homemade food that I have ever had. I strongly suggest everybody go here and try it. We got our food to go everything was homemade Good price simply delicious. I could not find one thing wrong with anything that we got. We purchased the meatloaf that came with rice, collard, greens, outstanding, sweet potatoes, Black Eyed Peas, outstanding, cornbread and they have a special sauce that is meat, ham, sausage, bacon, onions, peppers, and they put it in shrimp and grits, but I cannot eat shrimp so I wanted to try it and we put it on top of rice with extra meat and this should be a new menu item for them. The food was made to order. We only waited 25 minutes and we were on our way I didn’t get a chance to thank them or tell them how delicious this food was if you go to the zoo or ever go through Sanford I suggest you look at this restaurant and stop there. One of the owners was running the window and obviously the other one was this truly truly was an outstanding Food experience. . One of the owners was running the window and obviously the other one was this truly truly was a outstanding Food experience. 🥰🥰❤️❤️🎉“

“If you love 5-star food in a wonderful atmosphere, this is THE place to go in Sanford! We visited for the first time on 3/13/26 and were surprised to find this level of cuisine at such an affordable price. Don’t think twice… drop in to see if a table is available or call to reserve a table in advance because you don’t want to miss out. We’ll definitely be back frequently and will let everyone know that this is the quality and style we want in Sanford. P.S. The staff was fabulous in every way too!“

“10 out of 10 highly recommend! Food so yummy & tastes like it’s straight out of New Orleans , seasoned so exceptionally well , I taste every flavor I had the lobster Mac & cheese with a side of collard greens so yummy 😋 & Jordan my waiter made my strawberry cocktail so good too & nice laid back establishment“

“Awesome first time experience! Definitely will be going back! Coffee is delicious, food is spectacular, and how they call out your order - originality a 10!“

“I like the nostalgia of the restaurant and store. I actually like the store better than the food!“

“once again food was great and Taylor took care of us like family. Thank you again and keep up the outstanding customer service and reason why I will continue to cone back whenever I'm in Florida“

“My group of friends meet every Wednesday at noon. The food portions can't be topped For a small business the menu is tremendous. Pam and Kathy are the Best.“

“Best boiled peanuts ever!“

“Highly recommend for family gatherings! We just had our Baby Shower in their event space & we had an amazing time. All the staff was super friendly, very accommodating and easy to work with & book. The food and drinks were delicious and fast. Our host/waitress was so sweet and fun and great about interacting with everyone at the shower. The kids present were very happy to feed the gators, visit the parrots, and pretty much wander around in between the games. I cannot recommend their services enough and I am beyond happy we chose here for our baby shower.“

“Service was great and the prices were even better!! My wife got the chicken pot pie and she said it was amazing. Great little bar area with a huge fish tank that was nice to look at while waiting for the food. Both bartenders were very pleasant and great conversation! My steak was cooked to perfection. Amazing value and way better quality compared to Alehouse and the like. We will definitely be back !!“

“1/3/25…in town for one night, never been here, never heard of this place, just decided to try it. Stopped in around 5:00. The host asked if we had a reservation, we did not. She said “I’ll work you in” and seated us immediately at the bar. The bruschetta was the bomb! The fried chicken was totally out of this world! The service was outstanding! A must go to place!“

“we had great service, the food was so good, and love all the seasonal items in the store.“

“Food is great! But please tell me how do you expect patrons to throw their trash away? This is such a huge flaw in your dinning room.“