Just what I needed! The curry chicken was very tender. The…read morecurry was mild and had a really good flavorful taste. I was very happy about the cabbage and peas n rice. As for the oxtails, they were small and perfect. I would definitely recommend this restaurant. I also heard they have great lunch specials.

I lived in Belize for a year, and really missed beans and rice and stewed chicken and Marlene's is…read morevery reminiscent of the flavor I miss;) Thanks for the awesome tasting meal! Keep up the flavor.

I just love their fried gizzards! I get them every time I'm on that side of town. The staff is so…read morefriendly!

I wanted to try something in Lakeland before heading back to Tampa, so I decided to stop by this…read morespot. It's definitely a small, family run business, and they make everything to order, which is always a plus. I went with the fish combo, which came with two pieces of fish and two sides. I chose the fries and mac and cheese, and also added a side of hush puppies. Overall, the food was good. The fish was fresh and flavorful, the fries were seasoned well, and the hush puppies were a nice addition. The only thing I wasn't the biggest fan of was the mac and cheese. It reminded me a bit of KFC's mac and cheese, which just isn't my preference. All in all, it's a solid spot. If I'm ever back in the Lakeland area, I'd definitely stop by again to give the chicken a try.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this place…read more It's a Lakeland institution and a place I have frequented consistently since 1978. Mister Burger = Divine Sweet Tea = Diviner Fries = Divinest

Fish sandwich was good! I did wish the hours were different since sometimes I craved this later at…read morenight but, this was always a great lunchtime spot. Quick and easy for that seafood craving

My only complaint is that they don't have more side offerings for items they already have on the…read moremenu. Like I would've loved to order fried okra as a side and get a smaller portion that having to order the whole app just to have okra as a side. My only hang up was indeed not having more variety for sides, especially when they already have the item on their menu. Other than that, the food was fantastic, service was great, and it was a great experience. I did see some non-fried options, but YOLO. Definitely recommend the grits. Okra was perfectly cooked. I had the clam strips and they were delicious. Gator bites were tasty as well. Highly recommend everything I had and can't wait to explore more. Service was fast and very friendly. Checked in often and refilled consistently. Plenty of parking out front and easy to spot off 98. I've driven by it many times, so it was great to finally come in and try it.

We had a very good lunch here. We were traveling cross state to visit family for the holidays. Our…read moreusual lunch stop is now sadly closed, so we had to do a new search on Yelp. Found this restaurant as a convenient stop enroute. We entered right when they opened and there were already a few tables occupied. We were greeted by friendly Madison, our server, who could not have been cuter or nicer. The meal started out with warm biscuits and cinnamon butter. So good you could just eat these. We each chose a different fish dish from their lunch menu. Since they are named "catfish" country, I decided to get that. My husband ordered the cod. We chose the fish to be fried -- and they were lightly battered pieces and perfectly cooked. Each basket came with two sides. I got green beans and a baked potato. He had collards and cheesy grits. We both loved our fish choices. The only thing that I didn't care for were the green beans -- more like pole beans and peppery southern style (as in mushy). He thought his collards and grits were wonderful. I think we've found a new favorite place to stop mid-state.

Ordered a delivery of their shrimp Alfredo, only because it was after 10pm and my main go-to was…read morealready closed. It was, in a word, horrible. The shrimp and the pasta were cooked to death! The pasta was mush. There was so much sauce that you had to eat bite after bite of just sauce before finally getting to the pasta. Yuck! Since this was a delivery order, I cannot speak to the service or ambience. I won't make this mistake again!

Service is great. Food is amazing. Servings are a good size. A lot of choices on their menu. We did…read moretake out and it was awesome, no mistakes.

Tonight we tried Fred's market in Lakeland. This was our first time there and let me tell you it…read morewill not be our last time there. It is a very big restaurant, could easily fit a couple of football teams. We were greeted and seated as soon as we walked in the restaurant. Our server Brendan was amazing. Super high energy, super friendly and super on point with refills and making sure that everything was good with us. Honestly, he really did make our dining experience a pleasure. Now onto the food. So many options. A long buffet of salad. A long buffet of hot foods and plenty of side dishes. Desserts Yum. I started off with the fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn casserole, macaroni and cheese, chicken and dumpling soup and a soft sweet roll. And that was just plate number one. I'm not gonna go over every single thing I ate, but let's just say I truly think that this place is a must go to for dinner, lunch or breakfast. We enjoyed our dinner so much tonight that we are actually going back again tomorrow to do this again. The menu rotates and changes daily so there's plenty of food options and it is all you can eat. So my advice is simple. Go to this restaurant and go hungry and be ready to meet some really nice people and have a really good time.

I loved it! How can anyone pass up a Southern buffet?! The place was clean and well run. They…read morewere constantly replenishing the food, so everything was fresh and tasty. It was my first time eating fried green tomatoes! They are a new favorite. Also loved the fried chicken, sautéed cabbage, the slimy okra, and rutabaga turnip. I will literally name it all. The ice cream was so cold and creamy but the strawberry shortcake was the nice sweet to end my meal. Thank you for a great meal

The place doesn't look like much when you drive up, but a lot of great old places don't. It's nice…read moreinside. The atmosphere is casual and family oriented. Nice people, service was fantastic. Unfortunately, food was not. Shrimp was overcooked by a lot, both fried and grilled. The veggies were floppy and over steamed. Scallops were good, but that's one out of 4. Maybe it was an off night, but it's not feeling like a keeper.

Duuuuude... holy king crab and oysters…read more This was hands-down one of the BEST dining experiences I've had in a long time. Everything was incredible--but the undisputed star of the show is their proprietary "dirty butter" for the crab. I'm not exaggerating when I say this stuff is borderline spiritual. Like somehow--some way--they got their hands on water from downstream of Jesus Himself being baptized in the River Jordan and turned it into butter. That's the only explanation. It's rich, complex, perfectly seasoned--absolute insanity. The kind of flavor that makes you stop mid-bite and just sit there in disbelief. Honestly, it's the kind of dish that's worth planning a trip around. I would 100% fly back here just to have it again. If you're anywhere remotely close--GO. And do not, under any circumstances, skip the crab with the dirty butter. You'll be thinking about it for weeks.

This location is a fully cold kitchen - offering only raw and incredible fresh seafood. The vibe…read moregives classy New Orleans, with live footage of bourbon street playing on the TV - fun touch! Jacob & Nani provided outstanding VIP service and recommendations during our date night. We started the evening with a caviar bump and glass of champagne, before ordering a bottle of Bordeaux Blanc. The oyster selection was diverse - east coast and west coast, and very well priced! We order half a dozen of 3 different varieties. The Bluefin Tuna Tartar and Crawfish Salad will have you wanting more! Both are served with fresh pressed baguettes, drool-worthy sauces, and light greens. We couldn't leave without trying the Milk & Cookie pairing, which included 4 cookies from a local bakery and 4 flavored milks. Huge fans of the blueberry and snickerdoodle. Well done, Oyster bar! So flavorful and so needed for this area! Make reservations ASAP!

Oyster sample was good, extremely limited space and pricey but worth it, they also have sushi rolls…read morewhere were good