14 Best Southern Restaurants in Lakeland

“Amazing service, amazing food, definitely found a new favourite! 🤩“

“Buffets were set up nice, and everything was labeled. Good ol' home cookin'. Lol
Clean, good service.and everyone had a smile!

Dietary restrictions: I have certain dietary restrictions and I was able to find plenty of food to eat at this restaurant! The food was amazing.“

“Wife surprised me for my Birthday as she knows i enjoy a good hanger steak so she threw me a small surprise party here the Service was excelent And Accommodating.
Accept my dad and I My only Complaint is we ordered the hanger steak although I ordered it exactly how it was recommended medium rare In order for it not to be tough it was stil chewy“

“My husband rates the fried chicken 12/10. I had grilled tenders and was very pleased. Since this was our first time there, we asked folks outside what they thought about the food. There was a lot of enthusiastic nodding! Some gave suggestions on what to order. We were not disappointed.“

“Amazing food! I'm stuck on the Lobster Rolls and fried clam strips!“

“From the moment I stepped inside, I was impressed by the exceptional customer service. The staff took the time to thoroughly explain the menu, which I appreciated. The prices were reasonable, and the portions were generous. The owner's passion for his business was evident; his presence truly made a difference. The restaurant was spotless, and the food was absolutely delicious. The music wasn’t too loud either. I will definitely return and highly recommend others to dine here. I'm a very satisfied customer!“

“Awesome food and excellent service.....“

“Let me just start by saying THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME THAT I'VE BEEN WOWED BY FOOD AT A RESTAURANT! I ordered from them at the Juneteenth festival at the Tampa Museum of Art. I knew this was going to be good from the smell of the food alone! I ordered "The Skillet" which was a seafood rice packed with shrimp, grouper nuggets, crab meat, and sausage, with some kind of delicious sauce on top! It kinda gave me a New Orleans vibe with the flavor profile and the sauce that was on top. OMG it was AMAZING! It was a large portion too. I ate some for lunch, nibbled it a bit at dinner, and took the remainder to work for lunch the next day. My coworkers were jealous of the smell of my lunch! I would definitely order from them again!“

“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!“

“My husband and I are very particular about how our food is prepared. We both like our meat to be cooked extra well done. I had the T-bone and my husband had a burger. They were both cooked to perfection. We also ordered an appetizer that included chicken tenders. Unlike most restaurants Cheddars tenders we give, juicy, and weren't covered with tons of breading.“

“Hamburger steak dinner was very disappointing. It was just a regular hamburger patty and like I say it was very disappointed. I’ll never order it again.“

“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.“

“I ordered our Thanksgiving meal from 4 Rivers this year. Everything was ready to go when I arrived to pick it up, and they even loaded it in the car for me. The service was great, and the staff were friendly. The food was amazing! The reason I rated it a 4 instead of 5 is because of the way the food was packaged. I knew it would need to be re-heated, and they provided good instructions, but everything came in sealed plastic bags. I was expecting it to be in containers that could be placed directly in the oven, so at the last minute, I had to scrounge around & find 8 of my own Corning ware dishes, pots & pans for heating it all. Then I had to cut all the bags open & pour & squeeze the food out. It took a little more time & effort than I thought it would, but everyone enjoyed the food.“

“This has been our been our go to for over a year. Food quality was good, service quick & Josie is an Angel. However, we’ve been there 2 of the last few weekends. First time, a cook & a waitress were arguing in the kitchen & she walked out after 10 mins screaming. Today the same thing only it was 2 males dropping the f-bomb over & over. I told Josie I don’t think we’ll be back for a while. I go to relax on a weekend & enjoy. Sorry but that’s my experience.“