Lakelanders’ Choice 2025 | Taste
Lakelanders are foodies at heart and many of them are sharing their favorite eats and drinks on social posts all day and night. Find out which spots locals put on the podium of restaurant lore, who the top chefs are and where to grab a drink for a fun night out.
BEST BREAKFAST/BRUNCH SPOT
1st Place Winner
Black & Brew Coffee House and Bistro
Your go to spot if: avocado toast is on your greatest hits playlist, you know what the B.E.C. is without a Google search or you’re looking for tasty pastries or yogurt with all the fixings.
2nd Place Born & Bread Bakehouse | 3rd Place Frescos Southern Kitchen and Bar
BEST FINE DINING
1st Place Winner
Nineteen61
Your go to spot if: you want to see the who’s who of Lakeland, check out the latest Latin American fare with flair put on the menu by award-winning Chef Marcos Fernandez or hope to impress your friends and family with a great time in an elevated setting.
2nd Place Scarpa’s Italian | 3rd Place Texas Cattle Company
BEST COCKTAILS
1st Place Winner
Revival
Your go to spot if: you want innovative cocktails and mocktails in a retro setting that is perfect for a memorable night of board games or to catch up with long lost friends.
2nd Place Vasco Sixty One | 3rd Place The Joinery
BEST COFFEE
1st Place Winner
Black & Brew Coffee House and Bistro
Your go to spot if: you can taste the locally roasted Patriot Coffee when you close your eyes, you are a sucker for specialty seasonal drinks with fun names and flavors, or a smooth cold brew is your thing.
2nd Place Concord Coffee | 3rd Place Mitchell’s Coffee House
BEST ICE CREAM
1st Place Winner
Andy’s Frozen Custard
Your go to spot if: creamy is your happy place, you can’t ever have too many toppings in your frozen dessert or you intrinsically understand what concrete and jackhammers have to do with building better custard.
2nd Place Mayday Ice Cream | 3rd Place Lakeland Ice Cream Company
BEST PIZZA
1st Place Winner
Palace Pizza Downtown
Your go to spot if: you love a Downtown OG that has been serving up handmade pies, homemade pasta and other Italian delicacies that are perfect for lunch or dinner for nearly 30 years.
2nd Place J Burns | 3rd Place Pizza Odyssey
BEST BAR & GRILL
1st Place Winner
Cob & Pen
Your go to spot if: fanciful twists on traditional classics make your mouth water, you’re looking for a memorable craft cocktail or beer to go with your trivia or you simply prefer eating in the confines of an almost 100-year-old home.
2nd Place Food + Beer | 3rd Place Harry’s
BEST BEER SELECTION
1st Place Winner
Swan Brewing
Your go to spot if: you’re looking for a taproom and brewery in the heart of downtown that serves up more than 30 beers on tap and is consistently helping you mix and match local tunes and food trucks to pair with each pint.
2nd Place Brass Tap | 3rd Place The Joinery
BEST NEW RESTAURANT
1st Place Winner
Hakucho
Your go to spot if: you want to experience what it looks and tastes like when Ryan Neal—owner of Sabu Ramen—elevates dishes and drinks to the next level.
2nd Place Chicken Salad Chick | 3rd Place Parlor Doughnuts
BEST TACO SPOT
1st Place Winner
Mega Mercado
Your go to spot if: you’re looking for massive burritos, fresh chips you can’t put down, well-seasoned cuts of delicious meat and a fully-stocked grocery store.
2nd Place Tapatios | 3rd Place Dona Julia’s
BEST ASIAN RESTAURANT
1st Place Winner
Hakucho
Your go to spot if: the local night life is your scene and you’re looking for flavorful dishes to share with friends that artfully meld a traditional Japanese experience with modern Western flair.
2nd Place Sushi Masa | 3rd Place Hibachi Express
BEST BURGER
1st Place Winner
S&L Restaurant
Your go to spot if: you love local dives that have as much grease as they do history, crave American classics like burgers, biscuits and BLTs, and are all in on fun, offbeat vibes.
2nd Place Food + Beer | 3rd Place Chop Shop
BEST BARTENDER
1st Place Winner
Mercedes Weakley, Food + Beer
Your go to gal if: you’re looking for a fun time with a true professional who emphasizes the “customer” in customer service in a spot that has earned its stripes as one of the most enjoyable in town.
2nd Place Brittany Gallagher, Food + Beer | 3rd Place *tied* Alexander Donnelly, Lugos AND Taylor Heinz, Linksters
BEST HEAD CHEF
1st Place Winner
Marcos Fernandez, Nineteen61
Your go to guy if: you’re looking for a dining experience that exudes passion and creativity in a unique way that pays homage to his Cuban roots and his propensity for pushing the envelope with new flavor combinations using the freshest ingredients.
2nd Place Ryan Neal, Hakucho | 3rd Place Chris Espino, Hakucho