This place has the best basa Fried fish and fried shrimp!…read moreRecommend best in Polk County

We order and pickup from this place weekly. Service is friendly-be patient at the drive through,…read moreand you'll be rewarded with food that is always hot and delicious! You can't beat the Riverside Bowl- we like ours with crispy or grilled shrimp, or grilled chicken. It's seasoned yellow rice and black beans, onions and green peppers and your choice of proteins on top. SO MUCH FOOD- I've never been able to finish a bowl! Great portions, delicious food- can't go wrong!

We love this place so much. The breadsticks are delicious. I really like the flatbread! It usually…read moretakes a little while to receive our food, but it's worth it! Our servers our usually helpful and kind. On the topic of the surroundings, it's honestly very cozy in here. Most of the time, it's a moderate noise level, but it depends on the majority of the people there, of course. Overall, fantastic!! I would definitely suggest this place if you're close to Lakeland.

The food was amazing! We got served by Alexander and his service was perfection! The ambiance and…read moreatmosphere was incredible. We had such a great experience and will definitely be back! Thank you for making my husband's birthday special!

This is a great location in an old federal building. Nice decor for this Smiths American Tavern…read more The bartender met us at the door, due to it being the middle of the day, and business being a bit slower, and we opted to sit at the bar. He was very social and answered all our questions and socialized about personal life as well. We ordered the Cuban eggrolls, and they were quite good but had smaller cubes of ham as opposed to pictures showing slices in some older pictures posted to this establishment. The drinks were spot-on. Although I may sound disappointed, I'm looking forward to trying more on the menu that they have to offer. I plan to return to try more. Recommended!

Smith's American Tavern is in historic downtown Lakeland and located in a converted post office…read more It is spacious inside, has a nice size bar area and plenty of TVs to watch sporting events. The atmosphere is dive bar friendly and there are so many cool niche areas for photos. Really loved the raised unfinished ceiling and the naked white brick wall which covered the side wall of the tavern. When you enter there is a hostess to great you. And our server almost appeared immediately. She explained the menu to us and the specials. What a great first impression. Unfortunately, there was a key piece of info we missed. There is a full bar, draft beer options and a decent wine selection. I ordered a draft beer and a flight of Mimosas. The beer was good, the mimosa flight not so much. Oh, and they have brunch specials on Saturday and Sunday, including unlimited mimosas at a 2 hour limit. For food, ordered the classic breakfast plate and a breakfast burger. Food was pretty good, but the burger was from a frozen patty, so not the best. Unfortunately they have some policy where they charge an extra $1 for the eggs. It is posted in the front, but nowhere on the menu. Suffice to say that experience left a bad taste in my mouth. Pun intended. They did remove the $1 but it took more effort that I would have liked and unfortunately the review and the server's tip suffered as a result.

The overall vibe and everything was amazing for a cute little night out tonight! The Cuban Eggrolls…read morecaught our eye on the menu and when the waitress mentioned them as well I knew we had to try them and they didn't disappoint! My partner said they were the best eggrolls he's ever had and he is a picky one. The Buffalo Mac & Cheese was delicious and how crispy the chicken was made it even better! My partner ate their Okee Smash burger in probably under a minute too, he was so ecstatic about this place! We found a new hidden gem in Lakeland! We can't wait to go back!

Small portions for the amount of money and messy meals…read more That's what everyone on the table stated.. One person counted 14 fries for his meals. I did the simple burger and it was way too simple. A 4 for 4 from Wendy's. Lol This place should be rename "just beer".

My wife and I stopped by Love Bird at 2101 Florida Ave S in Lakeland, for a late lunch, and it was…read moreperfect timing. It was 2:00 p.m. and there was no wait to order and our food arrived fast! My wife ordered her favorite, the Southern Classic Salad, which is 2 citrus grilled chicken tenders on a bed of lettuce with a scoop of house-made guac, sliced egg, bacon, tomatoes, red onion, smoked gouda, cilantro corn, croutons and a citrus vinaigrette dressing. It was delicious as usual and a huge portion! She ended up taking half of it home for later. I went with the 2-piece Perfectly Fried Tenders, medium heat with sides of So Gouda Mac and Bourbon Baked Beans. The chicken pieces were quite large and were perfectly seasoned with just the right amount of heat. The pieces were served on a piece of white bread with a pickle on top! The fried chicken is so good that I could eat here every day! We were both stuffed, so we skipped the Peach Cobbler and Banana pudding this time. It was a beautiful day, so we ate our lunch outside on the patio, entertained by the great 80's music and occasional police siren (since Florida Ave is a busy street). All in all, we had a fantastic time and will be coming back again soon! We both highly recommend Love Bird!

Not loving lovebird this time... I got the two piece tender…read moremeal. I asked for one fried and one grilled. It's funny when you compare size, the grilled one is so small compared to the double fried super breaded other one. I asked for medium heat, but it really tasted mild. The Gouda Mac is good like always, but the dirty fries... Oh my God... So salty!!! You can literally see it's covered in salt crystals!! I only ate like three and had to throw out the rest, what a waste of a side. For dessert, I got their seasonal apple cobbler... Does not hit like the peach cobbler. Way too much cinnamon, not enough caramel just very blah. Overall, really disappointed with my lunch. I was not satisfied at all, and I will probably not be coming back for quite some time.

By far one of the best kept fine dining secrets in Lakeland! Top notch Chef and staff! We will def…read morebe back.

When I mentioned to my boyfriend that there was a restaurant that I wanted to try, he couldn't…read morerecall a restaurant in that area because it's fairly residential. Chef T's is truly the definition of a hidden gem. It's such a charming and cozy place that feels like dining at someone's home. The food and service were excellent and the decor is beautiful. It's the perfect place for a special occasion or a romantic date. Definitely one of Lakeland's best!

HEALTH WARNING: Read before you visit…read more We stopped in for breakfast, drawn in by what the reviews describe as a "quaint Japanese-style eatery." What we found was something else entirely. FOOD & VALUE We had two glasses of tap water (which tasted sour), a sandwich with fries, and an American breakfast. The sandwich was just okay. The fries were actually good. Everything else failed: the scrambled eggs were flavorless and visibly undercooked, the bacon came as two thin, unevenly cooked strips, and the toast was served without butter. When we asked, the cook had to search for some -- only to return with butter that was frozen solid and jelly so dried out it resembled fruit leather. They were also out of hash browns, which seems remarkable given how few customers were there at the time. SERVICE When the bell rang signaling our food was ready, the bartender was on his phone and didn't move. I walked up to collect it myself (signs do say "Pick up here"), only to find half our order wasn't ready. The bartender then told the cook he couldn't help look for butter because he had to "go put down the steaks" -- at 10:30 in the morning. The cook himself was pleasant and genuinely tried to help. The front-of-house staff, not so much. SANITATION A live cockroach was on the floor next to our table when we sat down. We're from Florida, so a stray bug doesn't automatically send us out the door -- but in hindsight, it should have. More alarming: the return tray held plates of pot stickers that had clearly been sitting there overnight, since the restaurant only serves a breakfast menu in the morning. That is a food safety issue, not a quirk. HEALTH INSPECTION RECORD After leaving, we looked up the inspection history. A report from May 2026 -- just three weeks ago -- documented four violations at this location, three of which were classified as High Priority. You can verify this yourself at floridafoodsafety.org. THE REVIEWS The overwhelming majority of reviews rate this place 4.7-5 stars. Based on what we experienced firsthand -- and what the health inspection record confirms -- we do not understand how that is possible. Draw your own conclusions. We left after a few bites. Save your money and your stomach.

What a cute and unique dining experience…read more Working nearby, my coworkers and I decided to try something new, and one of the girls had recommended this place. The airport itself is small so we knew it wouldn't be too chaotic. From the moment we walked in to leaving the restaurant, it was pleasant, quick, and the food was delicious. There is a kiosk where you order, you're given a number, and then you pick up your food when they call out your number. It's a great seamless operation! The people are also wonderful and kind!!! I will definitely come back. So for those of you looking for something new to try, head to SORA!

This place has grown on me because of its fresh-tasting items and unique recipes. Some are bland…read morebut most are masterful. Staff is friendly, parking is ample, coffee is available at nearby Concord. This is a to-go or picnic table eating spot so no "ambiance". Most waits are relatively short for made-to-order. Some daily specials. They are still very weak promoters of their food, changing menu, etc, making me a rare user.

Stopped at Good Thyme this morning, I got an order of donut holes and a crispy chicken biscuit. The…read moredonut hole were so good, nice and fluffy on the inside. They came with some sauce drizzled on them , not sure what it was but all I can say is yum!!!! The chicken biscuit was great. The biscuit was crispy yet fluffy and the chicken was crispy and juicy. It came with honey on the chicken. The only thing I could have had more honey but other than that everything was very tasty.