17 Best Southern Restaurants near Lakeland

“😃Our Server was GREAT!“

“Omg! I haven’t had turnip greens this good since was a teenager (40 years ago). I grew up in the Deep South eating the best homegrown & homemade vegetables around. Sling Shot Charlie’s brings back sweet memories! I can’t wait to go back!“

“Best all you can eat place I ever been to! Food was excellent, staff was kind and I have been to many buffets. 10 stars!“

“My husband and I eat here a couple of times a month. Food and service always good.“

“I’m not a chicken salad fan but my wife is. I told her I’d give them a shot and I was not disappointed. I ordered the Bacon Cheddar Melt Meal and I absolutely loved it! I’ll definitely order it again! Great place, great service and great food!“

“Wolf River Brisket’s holiday decorations are always a fun addition to the season, and this year is no different. The festive lighting and ceiling of wrapped packages creates a beautiful and inviting atmosphere. The holiday cocktails specials are well done and reasonably priced. I had the shrimp and grits and it was a nice portion that was perfect for a cold night. The shrimp reminded me of New Orleans barbecue shrimp in a spicy roux, and the grits were thick, creamy and delicious. My wife had the smoked turkey sandwich, which is also a holiday special, and it was nicely seasoned, tender, and moist. We plan to bring our family back to WRB when they’re in town for the holidays. Highly recommended.“

“Been years since I've been there, and it was like going back in time. In a good way. I honestly believe the portions of the main dish got bigger (chopped steak). Sides were exactly as I remember from when I was a kid. Took two young men that I work with who had never been. They went in confused by the concept of eating lunch cafeteria style, but left as big fans. A bit expensive for lunch, but we all left very full since it was really dinner portions. Fantastic meal.“

“I enjoyed the chicken salad. I had the basic chicken salad on a salad with ranch. It was good except for the cucumbers. They were really bitter. The pickle was excellent. Parking was insane. I had to park at Trader Joe's. I'll be back next time I want chicken salad and don't want to make it myself.“

“One of my coworkers suggested this place he wanted to try out, Southern Hands, for lunch. It's southern-style cooking, and that's an option I don't see a ton of even here in the south. So we swung by to try it out, and the food was fantastic!

The restaurant was in a strip, so I didn't expect much ambience, but there were pictures hung on the wall that gave the place a more homey and friendly atmosphere.

Ordering was quick at the counter, checkout was a tappity tap with the old debit chip card. Dominique took our order with a friendly smile. The crew behind the counter were fast and efficient yet obviously enjoyed working there, as there was muted banter back and forth while they worked.

Food was delivered to the table promptly. It comes in a take-out box, with silverware and a napkin. When you open the top, the first thing you spy is the cornbread. I love cornbread, and the cornbread we got was not too sweet, not too salty, moist and delicious. Under the cornbread was a foil sheet to keep your cornbread separate from the meal underneath, and to keep the food warm in case you were taking the food back to the office or home.

I had the meatloaf, with a side of mashed potatoes and black-eyed peas. I started with the meatloaf, as it was the main reason I was there. Meatloaf can be awesome or awful based on how it's cooked. As you can see from the picture, the meatloaf was landed in juice, with bell peppers and fresh tomato chunks added. It was definitely wet, and did not have a ketchup tophat to disguise flavor issues belowdecks. I don't prefer my meatloaf dry, crisp or with a ketchup cap. So for me, this meatloaf was just right. The tomatoes tasted fresh. the meatloaf had just the right seasoning.

The sides I chose worked to balance the wet of the meatloaf. The mashed potatoes were a bit dry, but I'd opted not to have gravy, because I wanted to taste the potatoes themselves, and gravy can hide a lot of taste issues. When I return I'll likely go for gravy, to see how they flavor it. The mashed potatoes held their own without it, but needed more wet and gravy would supply that. I couldn't tell if the black-eyed peas were fresh or canned. They were good, and if they were canned, I didn't notice; small chunks of bacon were added.

My coworkers chose the Fried Chicken and the Porkchop lunch specials. Their feedback was attested to by the bones they left. There wasn't any meat left on the fowl or the porker. One coworker commented that GOOD chicken doesn't require batter to add flavor, but the flavor is found in the meat, and this was true of the fried chicken. So, guess what I'm going to order on my next visit?

On our way out, I noticed that they also have a van and do catering.“

“Was in town from SC for a job and this place caught our attention.. I ordered the fried catfish plate with Mac n cheese, fried okra, and cucumber salad for pick up… Food was ready in 10 minutes and it was absolutely DELICIOUS!!!! Catfish was super crispy and seasoned well as was the Mac n cheese!! Definitely left us satisfied and next time we’re in town, we will be dining in! SOO GOOD!!!!“

“Great food , great service“

“Food and atmosphere is very good The Manager Larry is very professional with a great attitude Mr. Larry is a people person and not to mention the staff he has Mr. Larry and his staff deserve every star you can rate keep up the outstanding work. Thank you. Officer Jordan“

“Exceptional customer service- professional and friendly! Amazing chicken and family atmosphere 💕“

“Amazing and consistent food always no matter the day strongly recommend“

“I’ve had the Buffalo Ranch chicken sandwich and the tenders rolled in Garlic Parmesan and both were absolutely amazing! Would love love for a Slim Chickens to come to Munford/Atoka TN area!“

“Everything was delicious! We both had a special and all the tables we saw had delicious looking food. The service was great too“

“Despite the long line, the service was relatively fast, which was a relief to see. As said multiple times by famous foodies and by other reviewers of this specific location, the chicken by itself is completely devoid of flavor. The fries were lightly salted which was a relief to me as I also expected them to be as flavorless as the time I got Cane’s in a different state. The toast? Delicious.

And the true star, the sauce, was just as good as people say it is. If you’re the type of person that wants their chicken to have seasoning while also having a flavorful sauce to dip it in, I’d direct you to the Zaxby’s (specifically, the one on Stage Rd) for similarly juicy chicken that is always well seasoned when I go there. If you don’t mind how the chicken is not seasoned here and can enjoy the rest of the offerings, then you’ll definitely be able to enjoy Cane’s.

Seriously though, if they added any type of seasoning at all to their tenders, it’d be a home run! I still gave it a 5 rating in food due to the high quality of chicken that was used in the tenders. It is the highest quality of any that I’ve had from any major fast food place that specializes in this, and so far I’ve been to all of them except for Guthrie’s.“