Highly Recommended 14 Dinner Restaurants Near Lakeland, Florida

R Lin Scarpa’s may be small, but boy is it mighty! One of Lakeland’s best restaurants for many years, hands down. If you are at all a fan of Italian food, you have to come here. Since it is a small restaurant, you usually want to get a reservation ahead of time because it fills up quick. But it makes for a more intimate dining experience that’s really enjoyable. Dress a little nicer and expect the prices to be a little higher- but it’s really quality food so it doesn’t feel as bad to pay more. Everything I have tried here in multiple visits has been outstanding. I am especially a fan of their creme brûlée dessert, they have other options too but I can’t turn that down. You’ll want to also listen closely to the specials they have, they change every so often and are always delicious and unique appetizers & entrees. Seriously, love this place. It’s fantastic for special occasions or just an extra delicious dinner here and there. Couldn’t recommend more.

Tyler Rothenberger My family and I decided to pop into Harry’s by chance while wandering the street market in Lakeland, we drove all the way from Valrico and we are no strangers to fine dining. We were seated quickly and were waited on by a wonderful waitress named Nichole. She had a great attitude and was extremely attentive. The food was prepared timely and presented gorgeously. The taste was amazing as well as the portions and we are very happy we decided to give Harry’s a chance. Also the low price was a big surprise. We will be coming back as well as telling friends and family about this place. Thank you for the wonderful experience.

Sarah Really enjoyed our experience here! It was a really busy time when we went but we honestly didnt have to wait long for a table. The service was great and the food was delicious. I HIGHLY recommend the Firestone Shrimp and the Burnt Ends Melt! Sooooooo good! It was definitely a neat concept for a restaurant and the next time Im in the area I will be stopping in again.

Tanya Wolcott Texas Roadhouse never disappoints. The food and service is always spot on. Things we had: Those fresh rolls with butter.. So good! Cheese Fries with Ranch - always a staple Sirloin Tips - seasoned perfectly and served with rice and side salad. Bacon Cheeseburger with fries - tasty Porterhouse T-Bone - served with baked potato and side salad - this is the only thing we had an issue with. It was ordered Medium , but cooked more Medium Rare and Rare closer to bone. My husband had already cut into it too much to ask them to take it back and cook it more. What he didn’t eat, he heated up in the microwave the next day. They are always busy. Probably because the food & service is good every time. I also just realized they have a VIP Club. I just signed up and they emailed me a coupon for a FREE appetizer with purchase of an adult entree.

Alma Ess Our party of three arrived expecting a long wait. We were seated within 10 minutes, which was quick for a Sunday afternoon. The ordered was the alligator and boudin balls. Some of the alligator bites were chewy, not surprising, but the seasoning was very flavorful so it was *almost* worth risking a sore jaw. You can never go wrong with the boudin balls. They were perfectly spiced and soft on the inside. Both items came out hot and fresh. We scarfed them down so fast that I forgot to take pics. The meals ordered were the seafood po-boy, the zydeco salad and the ahi tuna salad. I cannot speak much to how the tuna salad and po-boy tasted but I will tell you that both meals disappeared quickly. The only comment on the tuna salad was "very good" as the food was being devoured. Nothing was said about the PoBoy. The Zydeco salad was tasty but the dressing was very sweet to my tastebuds. The shrimp was perfectly cooked and seasoned well and the greens looked fresh. I would order again but ask for the dressing on the side.

Bill Almond Delicious! Celebrated my wife’s birthday with wonderful drinks and a meal. The food was delicious. Our server checked on us often and took good care of us. No waiting, we were immediately seated. I used the reservation feature on google maps. Plenty of free parking. Highly recommend!

Elliot Schumacher I went here for a graduation celebration with family and we all had a wonderful time. Our server, Cannon was very knowledgeable and attentive without being intrusive. Our food was amazing and my petite filet mignon was cooked to perfection exactly how I wanted it. Prices were reasonable, especially considering the top notch service and food we received. I wish I had room for desert, since the cake selection was superb. I dont have the money to come here every week, but Texas Cattle Company is absolutely on my short list for future celebratory meals.

Istvan Kovacs Went to Cheddars for dinner last night with my wife to celebrate our anniversary to meet eachother, wonderful service, quick to be seated and delicious as always. We got the chips & homemade queso, honey-butter croissants, beer-battered fish & shrimp platter, buffalo chicken wrapper. Great food, atmosphere and service...due to a positive experience we will be back.

RichieNY Our first time at Ovation did not let us down. We decided to go with 4 appetizers: Loaded baked potato skins w/brisket was a solid 5 as were the crab cakes. The Shrimp were a pleasant surprise as they are still serving Jumbo Shrimp when other establishments are cutting back to small or medium Shrimp, Im going with a 4 on the Shrimp, the breading was pretty heavy for my personal taste. The smoked wings were unfortunately over smoked which led to them having a bitter taste, i do smoke lots of wings at home and its a delicate dance as to how much time to leave wings in a smoker and which wood to use (I always use cherry wood) but wings take on smoke very quickly and you gotta find the balance as I have definitely over smoked some at home myself, Im going with a 3 on the wings. I will be trying the fried option on the next visit for sure. Pricing is all relative, there were no small portions so I thought it was worth the money!!! I will be visiting Ovation again!!

Jeff Brown Really enjoyed it here! The wings were better than advertised! All the staff was genuinely happy, helpful and kind. Had the sampler appetizer, a bowl of clam chowder, wings, and homemade chips and salsa. Friends had the salmon and salad. Everyone loved everything. I will be back for sure. They have really great daily specials and a great bar.

Jenna North Was pleasantly surprised by our brunch here. We went after walking the Saturday Farmers Market about 9 am. Seating was quick and loved the outside seating. Corey was our waiter - so friendly and pleasant. Very conversational and easygoing. Felt like we were among friends. Food was cooked well. Hubby said the Shrimp and Grits had a fantastic gravy that was one of the beat he has had.

Clover Harrison Our waitress Moe was very sweet and extremely attentive. Our drinks were refilled immediately, food came out very hot and fresh, very friendly and made us feel at home Thank you for making this a very special first day of our visit!!!

Andrew Polaskey Solid experience, food was perfectly cooked and absolutely delicious. Cocktails were spectacular as well, nicely mixed and well balanced. Outdoor seating is available however be mindful that trains run just across the park and can be quite loud with the horns. Little bit on the slower end for food to come out of the kitchen, wait staff were highly communicative though on the delays and kept our table up to date. Likely simply due to the holiday season in regards to this though.

M King Oh so many options! How do you decide? Do I want a poke bowl, burritos and queso and chips, pizza? In the end pizza won and Mayday creamery! Cant go wrong. Full bar too! Plenty of parking, inside was pretty warm but not so uncomfortable that you couldnt deal! Super nice views outside of the sprawling lake and lake walk around. Outdoor eating area also but in the heat index 109 yesterday we passed! Definitely check out the place!