This is a great location in an old federal building. Nice decor for this Smiths American Tavern. 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! read more

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Smith's American Tavern is in historic downtown Lakeland and located in a converted post office. 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. read more

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Service was good. Sarah was an attentive and patient waitress--liked her a lot. The food was okay, but we had to ask several times for ketchup. I ordered chicken and waffles. They were just okay. The chicken was overcooked and the waffles were a little sweet but pretty much tasteless. My husband enjoyed his breakfast burger and our friends enjoyed their bourbon smash burgers. I am rating this a 3 bc we had to ask multiple times for ketchup and bc of the chicken and waffles. Otherwise would have rated a 4. read more

We had a 7pm reservation for 10 and ended up being 8 of us. Table was ready when we got there but it took about 20-30 minutes to get our bar drinks. The wine tasted days old and the martini took so much longer that everyone was on their second drink by time we got the first martini. It was trivia night so we were trying to give them the benefit of the doubt. Our server was friendly but very slow and inattentive. The food which was side salads and appetizers took over an hour to come out and came out at all different times. One person at our table got their side salad after everyone had gotten all their other food even though she asked about it. The food didn't taste fresh and was barely warm not hot. The brussels were the only thing I could say that was good. To me it did not seem busy enough for this poor of service. The music and trivia was so loud for the size of the space but I feel on a normal night it hopefully may not be that loud. I personally wouldn't recommend especially on trivia night and won't be back myself. read more

We were at a dance competition in Lakeland and decided to give this place a try. We were very impressed with the food and service at the restaurant. We had the Bourbon burger, Chicken Alfredo, Cuban Egg Rolls and Brussel Sprouts. They were all very good, but the egg rolls and Brussel sprouts stood out. It's in a great location in downtown Lakeland and I wish we could visit more. Highly recommended and the service was great too. read more

Stopped in for a preconcert meal with friends. First time visit. The building is quaint and unique, quite lovely for a group outing. We beat the rush hour so service was excellent. Every one was very happy with both the service and the food. Drinks were excellent! Appetizers came out quickly and were very good and perfectly sized for sharing, Main course followed shortly. Again, all was great. On a side note, not a fan of Lakeland's electronic mobile parking system. Pretty pricey. I guess this is a sign of the times of cities going after revenue every way possible. Just a downer for the merchants and their patrons. read more

Looking for a new place to have some lunch in our home from Orlando. This popped up as the #1 for brunch. Cool building. Like an old public building. Nice inside. Rustic and old timey. Lots of really good sounding things on the menu. Brunch and lunch menu available. I decided on the tavern burger. Great flavor of the meat. Loved the bacon jam. Upgraded to the truffle parm fries which were disappointing. They were cold and just dusted with parm. Did not get any truffle flavor at all. Deb had the hot honey chicken sliders. Chicken was a little dry but we asked for more hot honey and they kicked it up. I had a mimosa flight which was a great value. Four full pours!! Really nice. Had the butter cake for dessert. Yummy! Overall a good experience with a few little things. Service was good but a little slow. It's Sunday so no hurry an read more

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We came in around 3 pm on a Tuesday so it was pretty empty, but server was great and the food was tasty. Onstreet parking and a public lot across the street. Decent amount of indoor seating with TVs for watching sports. We were just her for lunch so we didn't have any of the alcoholic drinks, but my friend enjoyed the not-overly-sweet tea and Shrimp tacos with zucchini and squash. I had a "I'm not hungry" kids meal (chicken strips and fries) and we shared the Cuban egg rolls. Definitely recommend as a great local eatery! read more

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This place has gone way down hill. Food used to be way better. Namely, the Cuban egg roll is made totally different than last visit (not nearly as good), and the short rib was tiny and served barely luke warm. Service was not good, the waitress who described herself as the manager was very rude, not friendly. The simulator is a total rip off, we couldn't play certain games because "other people have broken stuff in the past". Waste of $40 for the hour. It's a shame because this place used to be good. Stay away. read more

Came here to enjoy some good food and it didn't disappoint. Had a grown up Mac and cheese in which was delicious. I will for sure say it feeds 2 ppl and I can eat. The skirt steak and frites were good. The stir fry had a delicious taste to it. The alcoholic beverages were for sure a highlight haha... I will say the service was good and we were attended seemed like they only had once person taking care of all the tables . Love love the location and the feel of the place is placed in an old town building in which I loved... will be coming back for sure. read more

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Smiths American Tavern has a nice spot in Lakeland, in an old building, with great ambiance, and a small, but quaint little patio to the left of the building. The patio seems like it came later, because it's sort of inconvenient for the servers to go out there as they have to walk out a side door, to a long ramp, then visit their customers, then head back up the ramp- it's just a weird setup, but it's fine. I felt bad for our server because she had to walk so far to help us, but she was awesome and said it was fine with her. Anyway, I sat outside, waiting to meet an old friend I had not seen in many years and we were greeted by Dawn, our server, who was super friendly, very hard working, and terrific at her job. We waited for my friend and his wife and they forgot about our plans, so we ate lunch without them. The food was good, I had the Tavern burger, which was honestly just ok, it was a little bland, on the small side and I felt like it had an aftertaste that didn't go away for a while. The fries were good, and my wife had chicken tenders, which were good. We came back to try again with our friends a couple of days later, and this time they showed up- and we were very happy that Dawn was our server again. She took great care of us, and worked her tail off as she did the other day. This time, I had the shrimp tacos, which were really good. My wife really enjoyed the hot honey chicken sliders, and my friend had a gator po' boy, his first time eating gator, and he liked it a lot. Overall, we had a great time at Smith's and, if we find ourselves in Lakeland again, we'll go back there and we hope Dawn will be our server again. read more

Went with a friend for brunch at 10am on a Sunday. We were seated immediately and our server was super attentive and friendly. The mimosa flight was amazing and the brunch burger was so flavorful! We also had the gator bites (not pictured) that are seasoned beautifully. Best gator bites I've had around central Florida. read more

Smiths American Tavern - Brunch burger - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Lakeland, Florida

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Wow! Every bite was exquisitely crafted. Temps were perfect. Flavors were amazing! The burger really made my husband happy since the bun was fresh, meat cooked perfectly and fries were not even greasy. The hot honey chicken sliders were beyond expectations! read more

Smiths American Tavern - Apple pie dumplings - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Lakeland, Florida

Last stop of the day for Taco Week was with friends to a local business for Bingo Night that was part of the Polk County Taco Week promotion. It was a total bust. Wait staff had no clue to the event and stayed the manager would not honor the promotion. As well they had a mandatory tip and CC fee. Had it not been that I was with friends I would have left. Second time at this establishment for a previous promotional event with similar issues and it will be my last. Still a great time with friends. read more

Amazing food! Great service! Great location and atmosphere. Would definitely visit again when back in the area.

Don't go on bingo night. It is packed with reserved tables. Had to sit at the bar. Food was great.

I thought 716 had Lakelands best Philly cheesesteak, but apparently that as only because I hadn't tried Smiths American Grill yet;) Also had their cheeseburger wrap, exceptional taste as well, even cold. Will definitely be back. Exceptional greet and wait staff service as well! read more

We came in during Mother's Day and it was pretty empty for an afternoon (only 7 tables sat with us).To start off when we got fries they were a mixture of crinkle , straight and curly fries. The fries were soggy, bland and missing salt .The portion was so small compared to other restaurants. It wasn't enough for one person to fill up. We also ordered chicken wings but they were so tough. They overcooked the chicken wings and the flavor was just not there so we returned them. For the entree I got the Philly and it was pretty good but nothing to rave about. Again the meat portion was so small for it being a $16. It is not worth that , I would say $10-13 the least. It was sad. I had to get another meal because I was still hungry . I got the sliders to split with my bf. I got the macncheese as a side and the macaroni was so dry there was no cheese in sight. We asked the server to return it and she asked if we wanted cheese for our macaroni. I was speechless because honestly how do you make macaroni and it's cheeseless. We tried to be courteous with our concerns since we are paying well over $50 for a dining experience since most places were booked. The server was absent minded the whole time serving what seemed to be her family or friends she knows. We had to flag her down a couple of times. read more

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We had Par3 Fries with cheese sauce, the cheese sauce was delicious that we had to order extra. The breakfastburger was amazing and filling! The fried mozzarella was perfect! The breading was light, gooey, dipped in tomato sauce and chopped basil. We will definitely be back for the drinks and food! The bartender Britney was on point, when our drinks had a quarter left she was already asking us if we wanted another one! Super hospitable, social and sweet! They were out of the Cuban rolls so we have to come back for them! I hear they are a hit here! read more

Smiths American Tavern - Breakfast burger - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Lakeland, Florida

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This restaurant is a lot smaller on the inside than I expected but we had a great time! There is a bar and it seemed like an outdoor seating area (?) for when weather permits. All of the staff was super friendly and it had a great sports-bar type vibe without being rowdy. Great cocktail menu that covered all the basics with additional unique choices and a seasonal menu! The food menu also had a ton of great options and it was so hard to pick. I ended up doing the grown up mac and cheese and it was SO good!! There are so many other things I would like to try too (I'm a sucker for American bar food). Our food did take a little while to come out and our server had a lot of tables so would not be around a ton but not to a point that it ruined anything. I definitely recommend! read more

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Love this place! Food, drinks and service are always amazing! It's in the perfect downtown location. We love going for any meal there- brunch, lunch, dinner? All awesome!! read more

Service was good outside of that everything else sucked. "In house Mac and cheese" if it had butter that would have been a lot. My son ordered the garlic Parmesan wings. It looked like it was slapped with mayonnaise. We ordered Mojitos. There was no mint in the Mojitos. Southwest burger no bacon. The fries looked like all leftover pieces. When the waitress came to our table, she read us a list of all the things they were out of which was half of the menu. read more

We went to a private party which was held in the back where the virtual golf area is. This is a great concept and really fun. They served a lot of different items and everything was delicious. They kept the food stocked and had two kinds of sangria that were very good. read more

Smiths American Tavern - Dining room - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Lakeland, Florida

situated in Lakeland, FL, and is a husband & wife owned restaurant with a delicious house-made menu, creative cocktails, and two golf simulators in the back. It's important to note that you pay per hour not per player, with starting rate at $34 per hour. There's plenty of space in the back including a back bar, which is perfect for private event or party. We made a little drive over from Orlando, and looking forward to supporting this family-owned restaurant again! Ordered: Sangria / Mimosa Flight Brunch Burger Cinnamon French Toast Cuban Egg rolls The Philly Shrimp tacos read more

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The drinks were good and our server was great. The food was disgusting. The cheese on the nachos tasted like cheese whiz and the Cuban eggrolls were inedible. read more

We had such a great time here! The kids enjoyed the simulator while us adults enjoyed our food and drinks. I had the red sangria which was really good! The fried mozzarella app was delicious and unconventional which I loved! The stir fry bowl was fantastic! I wish it had a tad bit less soy sauce but that's just my personal preference. My son enjoyed the flatbread and hubby got the burger and loved that as well! The service was friendly and fast! When you first walk into the restaurant it's a fine diningroom and then hidden in the back are the simulators! It was nice being a little private and keeping the kids out of the main diningroom! read more

Smiths American Tavern - Simulator - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Lakeland, Florida

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Made reservations a few weeks in advance and showed up on time but were told by a hostess that management had decided to stop serving for the night. No notice pryor to making the trip and management couldn't even come up out to deliver the message to people showing up for their reservation. Very frustrating at 8:30 to be left with no other options. read more

Stopped in for a bit to eat after a sporting event in the area. We were greeted upon entry and seated right away. They had TVs around the room with different sporting events showing. The service was attentive, but not overwhelming. We started with the sampler and it was a hit with the whole table. Everything was delicious, but the Cuban egg rolls were my favorite. The kids both ordered the Steak Frites. They liked the steak and fries. We should have asked for the chimichurri on the side since there was a little more red pepper in the sauce that made it a little spicy for our youngest. She still enjoyed the dish in general and the truffle fries were amazing. I went with the Philly with no peppers. The sandwich was good, but I did feel there was more bread that filling. We saved the cheese from the appetizer sampler (for the pretzels) and we used it to dip the french fries in. They have a good variety for drinks as well and we all enjoyed the different drinks that we ordered for the adults in the group. read more

Great tasting small churrasco steak, just a very small portion than what is expected from a restaurant. It was cooked right, showing it's pink as in medium well. The chimichurri's garlic, parsley and dried oregano gave the steak it's almost perfect taste. The par 3 fries did not do that well due to the curly fries being crispy and cooked well, the crinkle cut fries were not cooked well, and the regular cut fries were soggy and should not even be presented to a customer. The waitress was responsive and took care of us really well. Rustic, nice and casual, very simple decor incorporating old style lighting, brick walls, some golf pictures on the wall, green color scheme to match. In my opinion a 6 out of 10. read more

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We enjoyed the sunrise loaded fries and the meat lover's omelette- but added extra veggies. The waitress was lovely, happy to help and brought drinks quickly. The ice tea and coffee were strong and delicious. The loaded fries were good- I would add a fried egg on top next time. The gravy was tasty and we loved the variety of French fries. The chicken strips were on the dryer side- makes sense bc they chopped them up on top. Tested the ranch out- clearly not made in house which was a bummer- just the typical restaurant hidden valley brand. The omelette was good- a standard omelette, enjoyed the andouille sausage. The breakfast potatoes have a curly fry seasoning which made them tasty. The toast is thick, but was barely toasted and did not arrive with butter, jams or jellies. By the time we asked for those the toast was cold making it difficult to spread butter. We're excited to come back and try the AYCE wings on a Wednesday and have some tasty drinks. Overall a good experience, definitely some room for improvement. read more

My husband had a burger which he said was pretty good, don't order the Philly sandwich it's pretty awful.

We tried the Back nine Sampler, Wings, Grown-Up Mac&Cheese and the mahi. All the food was very good. The wings were tasty but big which is good but the flavor doesn't go deep into them. The Mac&Cheese was amazing. Would highly recommend you try it. Service was excellent Thank You Kevin. Since weather was nice we sat on the back patio. Definitely recommend. read more

Adorable. Great Deals. Wonderful service. This is a 1/2 way point between my family in Orlando and myself in Tampa. We celebrated Father's Day here this past weekend and it did not disappoint! We had a Saturday brunch that was so yummy, a mimosa flight, and great food options. They did offer golf simulators, but we did not do that. We would love to come back and try again next time. Also if you download the InKind app you can save $$$$ on your first visit! read more

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Great food, outstanding service, and a good place to watch all the games on tv - welcoming, clean, and cool decor!

This restaurant is so cute and very family friendly. Relaxed vibe, good food, and a great place for families to enjoy a meal together. Plus their drinks are the best in Lakeland! read more

Food was good, American style bar offering a variety of foods. Honey hot sliders had some spice to them, whereas the buffalo wings had no spice. However their blue cheese was amazing. The fried mozzarella was also good. Service was excellent, we had servers from Other tables checking on ours, bringing us refills and just stopping by to chat. Ambiance was relaxed, it wasn't that busy on Friday night and they had a steady flow of people coming in and out. Did not try the golf simulator tho my friend who brought me had high marks for it. read more

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Another winner! Definitely recommend the BACK NINE! Service awesome.. food well seasoned Our party had Cuban egg rolls .. said Shrimp tacos My favorite was the fried MUSHROOMS!! Chicken sliders were said to be amazing! Definitely stop by for a great meal and drink!!! They have tvs and games! Awesome! The ambiance was cool (sports bar vibe)! read more

Smiths American Tavern - Cuban egg rolls... shrimp tacos.. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Lakeland, Florida

Service and ambiance were just what was needed - get a good meal, catch our breath, and see what's next for the rest of the day. Waitstaff was patient with our indecision, but quickly swung into action when I forgot how to not spill things. Food was what you should expect at such reasonable prices. Nevertheless, I licked the plate clean so I'll be back. read more

Great spot to relax. The music is rockin and the food is superb. The place has restrooms for men and women and a bar as well. read more

Smiths American Tavern - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Lakeland, Florida

We had just gotten to town and were starving, so popped into The Back Nine for some appetizers and beer. The venue looks like it would be fun to rent out the back with some friends! We opted for the cuban egg rolls and they were literally AMAZING!!! We also did the nachos and they were just ok. A lot of chips and not much toppings/cheese. We would skip nachos in future and snag a flatbread. The bartender was extremely friendly and the mixed drinks were delicious! read more

Smiths American Tavern - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Lakeland, Florida

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