I was really in the mood for some great Southern comfort food. I drove over an hour (Minneola to Lakeland) because this was/is the best place I could think of. Thankfully, Fred's did not fail!! The food was just as good yesterday as it was over 2 years ago.😋 I really wish Fred's in Lake Mary didn't close. Also, the pricing structure isn't too bad considering everything cost more these days.
Monday, September 18
3:30 PM
Well mercy!! Just had “linner” (lunch/dinner) at Fred’s Market Restaurant in Lakeland. Larry and I talked about it all the way home which was a 45 minute commute.
Best buffet ever! Puts all others to shame.
Their logo says, ‘Slow food - fast’ … home cooking at its best.
I made 2 trips to the buffet to get MORE collard greens 😂
What we ate:
Salad bar salads including pasta salad, potato salad, and coleslaw.
Fried catfish, fall off the bone ribs, fried chicken.
Mashed potatoes, gravy, corn casserole, collards, white beans, baked sweet potato and Mac n cheese.
Hot rolls, cheesy biscuits and cornbread.
Strawberry shortcake.
Not one thing did we rate as ordinary or just OK. Every item was fresh, hot and seasoned perfectly.
Our bill for 2 “All you can eat” choices was $34.16
Highly recommend
They also offer a loyalty program ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I heard about this restaurant a few weeks ago and decided to try them today when we were nearby. Wow! If you like traditional southern cooking, stop reading this and go to Fred's. Their menu changes but today we had green beans, macaroni and cheese, corn casserole, collard greens, black eye peas, sweet plantains, mojo pork, fried green tomatoes, fried catfish, fried chicken, corn bread, biscuits and more. They have a dessert bar but we managed to skip it (diuh-beetus). However, the best part of the meal was the salad bar which brings me to my only complaint. Why does the salad bar have smaller plates? Service was also great. Our server was very sweet and attentive but I overheard other servers around us and they all seemed very friendly. Can't wait to go back.
Amazed by the look and food of this restaurant. Wasn't expecting that it would be a buffet, so yes, it was much better. The food was really good, and a very extended variety. They are clean and organized. They had gloves to use when serving your food.
The servers were friendly, and they explained to us what we needed to do, sense it was our first time there.
Overall, if you are a local or passing by, you should go and have some good food. 👍
I love this Southern home food spot. When you walk in you get this Southern hospitality feeling. They see you get your drinks and then you go to the buffet they had a lot of choices of sides. And maybe about four selections of different meat( ribs chicken fish beef tips). A couple of the desserts were good I would recommend the pecan pie or the red velvet the banana pudding really didn't have any flavor. For two people the bill was $41.
'Ello chaps,
Fred's Market is a stable in the Polk County community -- offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffet service.
With multiple locations, and roots going back to 1954, Fred's Market offers a variety of hot food, cold food, and dessert items in their buffet.
Fried fish, fried chicken, pot roast, you'll find it all, along with sides of greens, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes.
They say they focus on Southern Cookin' and Generous Hospitality.
Folks around here rave about the peach cobbler, but there's also banana pudding and ice cream.
There are a variety of hot and cold veggie options too, including a great salad bar.
The restaurant is clean and servers are friendly.
Overall I give Fred's Market four stars out of five.
My daughter & we visited this lovely, clean, affordable family style restaurant. The food & service were great. I tried to finish my plate, but I couldn't 😂 I even took home a gallon of sweet tea😋If you're ever in the Lakeland area, do stop in and pay Fred's Market Restaurant a visit.
We visited Fred's market today thanks to TikTok 😂 let me tell you it did not disappoint!! We came from fort Pierce almost 2 1/2 hrs away and we would do it again just for the peach cobbler alone it was amazing 🤩 if you love soul food like we do this is a must! The service was great everyone was very nice! Felt like being with family! I love that they have a sink to wash your hands and gloves right by the buffet. The food was Soo Good there's something for everyone and the prices are great!
Our Server was Kate she was amazing made us feel welcome an was overall was an added bonus to the already great experience! We will be back again!!
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Legit so good I don't even know where to start. Kids eat free Monday-Thursday, 2 per each adult meal. Our family of 5 (with 3 growing boys) ate for under $40 before tip. The menu was explained briefly and we chose the multiple trip option. Our server was so attentive and noticed we'd only taken one trip to each station and made sure our bill reflected that. Water on water on water, never let them get near empty. I am bad with names but I really hope I'm getting it right, Brendan I believe was his name.
Okay so then the food. It's so rare that I don't have to season things at a buffet and I didn't use a single shake of salt or pepper. The salad bar was fresh, the food was warm and homey and perfect. Loved all of the breads. Rutabagas, greens, cabbage, black eyed peas, great northern beans, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green beans, macaroni and cheese, tomato gravy. And that's only part of it. They have daily meat specials.
The desserts were great and I like that they're served. I had bread pudding and butter pecan ice cream.
I wanted to still be hungry so bad, it was all so good. I've not found country vegetables and soul food done this well at home in Memphis or in the many places I've been. We are only in town for one night and I haven't ruled out going back for breakfast. (Edit: We for sure went back for breakfast).
Great experience and vibes, highly recommend!
WOW, what an experience!! The food was delicious and the service was top-of-the-line. The food and meat selections had something for everyone. The ribs were tender and tasty. The environment was family oriented. They provided gloves and hand sanitizer for guests to use to handle the serving utensils. The restaurant was clean and spacious. The restroom was clean and well stocked.
We would definitely return again.
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