Lakeland, Florida
Polk County · 733 restaurants
Lakeland sits at the crossroads of I-4 between Tampa and Orlando, and its downtown has quietly become one of Central Florida's most charming dining districts. Nearly 600 restaurants serve a community that takes pride in its local identity — from the historic Munn Park area's independent eateries to the growing restaurant scene around Florida Southern College's Frank Lloyd Wright campus. Lakeland offers a taste of Old Florida that the coastal cities have largely lost.
Data on this page
InspectFL turns public DBPR inspection records into city-level score trends, grade breakdowns, and restaurant history so this page is useful for comparison, not just a list of names.
How to use this city page
Start with the citywide grade mix, then use filters to narrow by category, grade, or inspection dates before opening the full restaurant record.
What the citywide data means
Lakeland's grade mix looks fairly mixed, so this page is best used to narrow the list before checking each restaurant's full record.
Best supporting links
How to read a restaurant page, editorial standards, and corrections.
About Dining in Lakeland
Of Lakeland's 732 graded restaurants, 63.4% earned an A grade — roughly in line with statewide averages. Currently, 4.4% of restaurants hold a failing F grade, representing 32 establishments with significant health violations. The average InspectFL Health Score across Lakeland is 92.8 out of 100, based on 2,414 inspections on record.
What Inspectors Look For
Florida DBPR inspectors evaluate restaurants on food temperature control, employee hygiene, pest activity, and equipment cleanliness. Violations are categorized as critical (immediate health risk), major (significant concern), or minor (procedural issue). Learn more about how grades work.
Explore More
- Polk County restaurants — see all cities in this county
- City rankings — compare this city with others across Florida
- Editorial standards — understand what is official vs. InspectFL analysis
- InspectFL Blog — analysis, trends, and deep dives on Florida restaurant inspections
Highest Rated in Lakeland
Lowest Rated in Lakeland
Restaurants
Page 2 of 30RED LOBSTER #6208
3706 US 98 N
TAQUERIA EL DORADO
1155 W PIPKIN RD
TAQUERIA Y MAS
6229 MICHAEL LANE
CULVER'S LAKELAND
5246 US 98 N
HIBACHI BUFFET
901 MEMORIAL BLVD
HOOTERS
3400 US HWY 98 N
KC'S ARTISAN PIZZA
6645 S FLORIDA AVE STE 5
SUBWAY AT TOWN&COUNTRY SQUARE
2276 W GRIFFIN RD
SUSHI MASA SEAFOOD & JAPANESE FUSION
5700 S FLORIDA AVE
WENDY'S 594
2240 GRIFFIN ROAD
ARBYS 8197
3770 US HWY 98 N
FRESCO'S
132 S KENTUCKY AVE
MCDONALD'S #5027
4721 S FLORIDA AVE
PUBLIX SUPER MARKETS CORPORATE CAFETERIA
3300 AIRPORT RD
ROMEO'S PIZZA & PASTA
2346 GRIFFIN RD
SHANGHAI CHINESE RESTAURANT
2344 GRIFFIN RD
BLACK & BREW
4209 S FLORIDA AVE
ASERE QUE SAZON
2080 E EDGEWOOD DR
CHENG'S PANDA WORLD LLC
6214 US HWY 98 N
FIRE HOT POT & BBQ
4250 US 98 N
SONNYS BBQ
3611 US 98 N
T&E LEGACY LLC
3800 US HIGHWAY 98 N STE 692
APPLEBEE'S NEIGHBORHOOD GRILL & BAR
4835 FLORIDA AVE S
CHECKERS #3107
6785 US 98 N
GOLDEN CORRAL
4705 US HWY 98 N
Important context for city pages
City pages are comparison tools built from public Florida DBPR inspection data. They help surface local patterns quickly, but they are not official government rankings and they should not replace reading the individual restaurant page before making a decision.
