50 Best American Restaurants near Lakeland

“Bungalow Inn is a well-kept secret of an AMAZING spot for dinner, drinks, brunch and everything in-between!! We had dinner there and were BLOWN AWAY that every single thing we tried was EXCELLENT! Father’s Day brunch was BRILLIANT! $27 for literally ANYTHING you could want for brunch — I’m really picky about breakfast, if I’m going to shell out and not make it at home, it better be good! This FANTASTIC LAYOUT far exceeded our hopes/expectations. Do yourself a favor and TRY THIS PLACE! You will be glad you did!!“

“Kristin was friendly, attentive, and efficient. Food was delicious and arrived faster than I would have expected.“

“Excellent service friendly people good food. Came for my birthday and I’ll definitely be back again. Thank you!“

“Love the atmosphere and food, and we love sitting in Lauren S’s section. Always happy and helpful!!“

“My husband & I ate here for our Anniversary. His steak was perfectly done, & my mediterranean pasta was so good! Our waiter was great too!“

“10/10 excellent food and excellent people. Nice little spot to do a little shopping too :) great for a coffee on the go as well“

“Lisa G., Janae was our waitress, too. We were the “3-J’s”: Joe, Junna, and Janae. Janae was swift, attentive, beautiful, and cheerful. She was always right there to refill my water glass. I wonder if she ran track in high school; she was fast!“

“Excellent experience all around. Service was excellent. Best smashed burgers!!! The dessert was also amazing! I am not normally a burger girl but this was probably the best burger I've ever had in my entire life. can't wait to go back again sometime soon. 5 stars.“

“Cool newer diner in downtown Stillwater! I love diners and this place met all of my expectations. Food was amazing and the music was on point. I got the cheeseburger and fries which I believe are made in house. I highly recommend it! My husband has the buffalo chicken cheesesteak with tots and had no complaints! We also shared the cheese curds for an app and they were outstanding! Love that they also have a full bar and local bear on tap!“

“My girlfriend and I recently checked out Post American Eatery for the first time and had an awesome experience! The atmosphere was really cool and relaxed, and the staff was incredibly friendly. My girlfriend ordered the Beef Ragu and loved it! The meat was super tender, and the sauce was just right. I went for the Prime Rib special, and it was delicious – cooked perfectly and packed with flavor. Our server was great, too – really helpful and laid-back. We're definitely looking forward to coming back and trying more dishes. If you're looking for a place with great food, a cool vibe, and excellent service, I'd highly recommend giving Post American Eatery a try. We had a fantastic time and can't wait to go back!“

“Best meal! We by chance stopped in for supper and a drink this past Friday night and were impressed by what great food we all had. 5 of us ordering different items and all were meals were so fresh and delicious! And service was outstanding! We would definitely recommend the Mad Capper to anyone who is visiting Stillwater!“

“The flatbreads are so nummy!“

“Of all the places to eat in Hudson, Culver's has the most courteous,polite and friendly staff. No matter what time of day, they rock !!!“

“I ordered the Kyle’s Kickin Sammy. Holy smokes is that good! The server we had was sandy and she was amazing! So polite and so sweet. Not only that but Kyle even came out to ask how the food was! Such a great experience!. Totally recommend!“

“FABULOUS! My husband and I rarely try new places but this time we decided to go out of the norm. Cannot say enough great things. We sat at the bar and Timmy took care of us. Chef’s kiss 😘 We will be back!“

“We recently got married (October 2024) and Lake Elmo Inn catererd our wedding. It was absolutely AMAZING! We had the prime rib carving station and the walleye as well as the duck soup and salad. Our guests are still talking about the food. We decided to upgrade to the "LEI Experience" which means each of your guests get a warm hand towel, an intermezzo sorbet, and a chocolate covered strawberry!!! We were over the moon with the service on the night of the wedding and all our communication with LEI throughout the process. Special shoutout to Kayla G. who was the most patient, professional, and kind event manager! She answered every single one of my (many) questions and she did so with a smile! On the night of the wedding, we were SO impressed with how fast the servers were able to get to each of our guest tables and keep the flow going. It was seamless, seriously. We cannot recommend Lake Elmo Inn Catering enough. They've total pro's and just know that you'll be in good hands. Thank you again to everyone on the team for your hard work to make the dream come true!! <3“

“Really good experience at the Culver’s in Woodbury Minnesota. Doing curbside and a shake tipped over in my car and the guy who brought it out was nice enough to go get towels and a new shake. Definitely did not have to do that. It was completely my fault, but he went above and beyond For customer that is a rare thing to find“

“Had their food that was catered at my brothers wedding on Friday.. The food was amazing! My favorite was the street corn“

“As always, excellent service. Love sitting at the bar and watching the kitchen staff. Garlic wings are great as is the fried fish. Love the burgers too. And the Nashville Hot Cauliflower is so good. Never seen anything like it anywhere else.
One request, if you haven’t already done it. The Impossible Burger used to come on a vegan bun and then didn’t. Any chance you can make that happen again?“

“Every single dish we had was phenomenal! We gave compliments to the chef on truly inspired creations. Our favorite may have been the Brussels sprouts, but we truly loved everything we tried. The service was great - friendly, quick, knowledgeable. Thank you to the whole team for making our 20th Anniversary celebration so wonderful.“

“Trout Benedict was amazing. Farm fresh eggs with golden yolks. Trout patty crisp on the outside. Homemade Hollandaise. Perfection.“

“Been a customer for at least 7-9 years. Never a bad meal. Always outstanding service“

“Nice lunch with my Mom today“

“Love this place! A special daily. Good food. Good people. Good vibes! Great breakfast served on Saturdays and Sunday mornings (open at 8am) my favorite place to get French toast! 10/10“

“Fun night at Muddy Cow Oak Parl Heights. Great food, great service!“

“I’m enthusiastic to report that this Culvers was amazing! The food was absolutely divine! There were a decent amount of food options available! The staff was amicable and so delightful! The wait time was not terribly long. (Although past times I’ve been here, the wait has been long. The drive through typically takes a while😅) There was plenty of seating options available and the place was kept fairly clean! My dining experience at Culver’s was top notch! I will definitely be coming back to this Culver’s on a regular basis!I totally recommend coming here! There was also a lot of parking!“

“I love culvers! The food was amazing. However, the service was just ok, I was not a very big fan on how they forgot my ranch and gave me mustard instead. That is not a proper replacement. Those vibes were good, though! I really liked the lighting. It was a bit messy, though.

Vegetarian options: Theee are things with no meat on the menu

Dietary restrictions: Can work with people with dairy allergies, and I think gluten free people

Parking: It's busy at lunch and dinner and sometimes breakfast but in between empty

Kid-friendliness: Kids meals and kids portion, high chairs

Wheelchair accessibility: No stairs, large door“

“When my mom brought me to the Freight House I was pleasantly surprised! With the great view and delicious food, this is an amazing place to eat.

The Freight House has a wonderful variety of food to eat! They offer street tacos,mushroom swiss burgers, walleye sandwiches, chicken chop salads, and more. You can get a giant pretzel for an appetizer, you can also get cheese curds, pulled chicken nachos, and artichoke dip! The Freight House also has a wide selection of drinks, they have lemonades, slushies, and drinks inside of pineapples!
My absolute favorite thing to get at the Freight House is the walleye sandwich! The walleye is cooked perfectly, and it tastes so fresh. Their homemade tartar sauce brings the perfect amount of tanginess to my dish. The long warm bun is soft, and doesn’t fall apart with every bite. They added a lemon on the side, and I chose to squeeze it over my sandwich, and my lemonade. The lemon brings the sandwich to a whole new level of tastyness! The walleye is always cooked to perfection,you can taste freshness in all of the ingredients, The freight really does have the best walleye sandwich!
The Freight House’s history dates back to the 1800s. It all started when Stillwater became a trade center for miners, trappers, and people who build railroads. Eventually, people decided that Stillwater needed a freight depot. So the people started to build the depot. It had two foot thick limestone walls, 30 foot tall exterior walls, and flooring was put in place. Finally, the strong trusses were installed, along with a solid slate roof. The construction was finally finished in 1883. The depot had a telephone office, and received about 75 railcars each day. After a few years of that Curtis feed, and coal farm service operated at the “freight House.” In 1970 the agency shut down, and the building was sold. Then, in 1979 the historical significance of the building was recognized, and it became the first building to be put on the national registry of historic places. It still stands today as the original building, as the freight House restaurant!
What I love about The Freight House is the diversity of the menu, the amazing tasting food,the rich history of the building, and the outdoor seating. The atmosphere of the building Is awesome. I really enjoy the outdoor seating, because I get to stare out at the St. Croix River. All of the workers are really kind, and the chefs bring out the food fast. I think that the taste, the freshness, atmosphere,the staff, and the rich history make the Freight House one of the best restaurants.“

“Great service and good food! we'll be back!“

“Awesome food and drinks. The agave Twinkie is a must! Been here multiple times and me and my wife have never had a bad meal.“

“One of the best restaurants on the east side of the twin cities, if you love wine with awesome food,this owner along with the staff, which is key, know how to serve the two together to have an unforgettable dinner. The wine shop has some phenomenal choices of wines you will not find anywhere else. Stillwater’s Domacin is a destination ❤️🍷🥂❤️“

“The live Music was great last night! 👍“

“Why have we waited so long to come back here?! Food and service were impeccable. If you are craving some awesome Greek food and a cozy environment, Phil’s Tara Hideaway is the spot. We will be back very soon!“

“The food was excellent , hats off to the chef , this son and Mom were sitting next to us their chicken dinner looked fab, will be going back for that , my friend and I had burgers , onion rings and chips the rings were cooked perfectly. Prices for the food were fantastic , not expensive at all. Loved all the Hamm's Bear stuff, my dad retired from there . Great place keep up the good job!!“

“First time at the next stop bar and grill this last week and couldn’t have had a better or more fun experience! My mom brother and I stopped for drinks and pull tabs and we had a great bartender named Jamie! Mom and I went back again 2 days later and already felt so welcome and comfortable from Jamie:) will definitely be back and looking forward to it! :) also the burger my mom had gotten was a 10/10!!“

“My husband and I have been to Mallory's several times. Food is always good. It's just that I always feel a little out of place. Seems to cater to a younger crowd (we are in our late 60's) and we never feel quite welcome. Bar patrons seem to get the most attention. We go out to eat every single Friday night and this last time really made me put Mallory's at the bottom of the list for awhile. If you like to eat early...say 5pm, make sure they have wait staff that early in the evening or your service may be a little awkward.“

“great service, food was ready quickly, and the food was delicious. price point was definitely good as well.“

“Had an absolutely amazing dinner at Manger. Everything was perfect. Roasted oysters are a must. Great service. Great wine list.“

“Once again…The Village Inn knocked it out of the park for our family Christmas! Fantastic service and wonderful food!!! That is why we do it there every year! Thanks to all the wonderful people there that made our time together so special!“

“Dominick was our server in the Badger Lair Party Room and was amazing! We hosted a pre/post River Dunk Party with 30ish people. The food and drinks were fabulous!! The party room was perfect for our group!“

“Woodbury restaurant: Awesome food. Spinach omlet is large, very fresh ! good ingredients! Ordered this 2X over the year at Hudson. Both times, 1/2 the size and greasy. I'm not sure why there is such a difference between the two locations?“

“Hailey our server made quite an impression tonight at our table of 6!! She is by far the best server we've had in years!! Attentive, kind, smiling, welcoming, remembered what everyone was drinking and had the refills coming in hot! We didn't need to ask for anything! She knew what we needed and wanted even before we did!!! HAILEY...thank you for the awesome experience!“

“Huge shout out to Dicks Bar where we had our early Christmas get together for our family. Tina and the wait staff were wonderful and as always, the food was delicious! We all had such a great time and they were able to easily accommodate all 19 of us. Thanks again to all at Dicks. We will be back again soon, and would highly recommend to others, no matter the occasion!!“

“the best. food and service“

“Great food, best burgers and awsome chicken bowl!“

“Great food, super staff and fun place!“

“Ate at Not Justa Cafe for the first time ever this weekend for breakfast. I thought everything was good about my experience. I had the daily special, which was biscuits and gravy. For $7 you can't beat that. The food was good. My friend had one of their omelets and he enjoyed his food as well. The service was good and quick. I'd definitely go again.“

“Second visit. Been amazing both times. First was during COVID, second was last night. I noticed the exact same both times. The staff works together so fluently. All of them take care of all the tables. You can get anything you need at any time. I have never seen a crew that promotes each other as this crew does. I hope everyone enjoys good service and great food. If so, please visit Bass Lake Cheese Factory.“

“What an awesome spot. Chill vibe, great service and fanfuckingtabulous selection of beer, whiskey and cocktails. Can’t wait to go back, love this place. Thanks again Brett!“

“Wanted to get something to eat and something off the main area from the interstate. Everything was fantastic, from the waitress, cheesecurds and food. Highly recommend their cheese curds for sure! Also loved the decor.“