S & L Restaurant

Really good burgers, cheap prices, and good service sure what make this place great. It was pretty busy when we got there, but were able to get a table quickly. Got a bacon cheeseburger and fries. The bacon was crispy and the burger was thick, juicy, and well cooked. Fries were crisp and yummy. This place felt like cheers, everybody knows everybody. That being said, we had great service for being our first time. Loved that this place was run by all women, girl power! Cash only, but for 2 burgers with drinks it was $ 15. Don’t live close but will be back next time we’re in the area.

This little slice of heaven is second to none, no where else in lakeland can you get a full breakfast with drink for under five bucks, on Monday any omelette on the menu is four bucks, with a different special every day the four dollar omelette is the most expensive. And the burgers? forget about it, real deal here people oh and also under five bucks, the ladies are awesome. the food is great, prices are stuck in 1985 which is why they operate as cash only, I love the fact the visa or MasterCard doesn’t get a cent, if you don’t call ahead expect a wait. But it’s well worth it.

I’ve lived down the road from this place for years and never went in because of how it looked from the street. It looks tiny and it’s always packed.
After rolling the dice last week I decided to give it a shot. It is small inside, but the food is well worth it!
They have the best burger and fries that I’ve had an more than a decade. Their staff is friendly and quick to help.
On my first visit, I didn’t realize they only took cash. They were kind enough to let me run to an ATM without turning it into an embarrassing situation.
Needless to say, I’ve already been back again and plan to frequent it in the future!

Love there burgers. They are so good. Small patties, but they are thick. The fries are really good too. The price is super cheap. So if your «ballin on a budget», this is the place to be. Seating is tight, and they don’t take credit cards. So for that I give them 4 stars.

The best burgers in Florida, great service by all the ladies.
Always cooked perfect, great fries and love that I can order my food a head!
Don’t change!!! Thanks

Be prepared to scarifice time, common courtesy and the ease of opening a bathroom door for a decent burger. 1 hour and 23 minutes on a Saturday… blamed on me for ordering my burger to early in some time zone between breakfast and lunch. Not one offered smile. A bathroom door that I assume is for fire safety or a terrorist attack. The food is above average but it takes a lot of sacrifice to get it. Whomever owns this knows the food is good and easily doesnt care if you dont like all the crap to get it. Ive been alot, hoped it would change… Ive seen at least 8 people over the years gets free meals or just leave waiting for a burger. Im done. The food is NOT that good. Maybe humble pie needs to be on the menu. Ridiculous.

This is a great place for breakfast or lunch. It is inexpensive but high quality. The staff is very friendly and great service. If you want to eat lunch you need to call and make reservations and order at the same time. That is unless you have plenty to time. They get very busy at lunch.

Great burgers, staff, and prices. The only downsides would be that they only accept cash and they are always packed. Calling ahead would be best.

Great burgers and fries. Great place to eat lunch and eat cheap. Staff was very friendly.

Are you kidding me with one or two stars? The BURGERS and ALL of the Sides kick A$$. Cash only, who cares it’s Burger Heaven! If you are to high class to eat here go to Burger 21 or something. This is my go to Burger Joint! Keep up the good work.

One of the best burgers in Lakeland, just make sure you call ahead or you could be in for a long wait. Also remember they’re cash only which is a little inconvenient in 2013, but it’s not a huge deal

You know that situation where you plan for quite some time to visit a restaurant close to where you live for months, and when you finally have the opportunity something about that place prevents you from going there and in it’s stead you find some place a million times better that will you become a regular to and bring your friends, family and visiting friends and family?
I’ll tell you what prevented us from going to a restaurant that we had every intention of being regulars to because it’s literally down the street from where we live.
I called today (Saturday) at lunch time (already quite aware S&L had ridiculous hours, very little seating for customers, and you needed to call ahead to get anywhere with them) to make sure we could make it in time because we were on the other side of town most of the morning to check in to see if we still had time to eat, about their hours and forms of payment.
I called at 1. 1 pm. One pm. Lunch. Time.
I was informed that they closed at 12:45. 12:45. On a SATURDAY AFTERNOON.
They must be joking.
Giving the benefit of the doubt, because there’s still plenty of other opportunity for a visit to S&L in the future if we wake at the crack of dawn and have all our errands ran and feel like eating a hamburger during BREAKFAST TIME, instead of a SATURDAY AFTERNOON LUNCH AT LUNCH TIME, because there’s no feasibly possible way to visit this establishment during the week, I asked if they accepted cash or card, because reviews say «cash only». Things like that change over time, you know, when you want new clientele. This was the extent of that:
«Do you take Cash or card?»
«Yeah.»
“So, do you take cash or card?”
«Cash.»
I had to ask twice. I gave two options the first time and was only given «Yeah.»
So guess what we did?
We went to Fat Maggies and had an absolutely fantastic experience. Yeah. That’s what we did. I cant wait to give them absolutely rave reviews because a place like this just blows my mind how they can stay in business as long as they have, because Rocky’s (down the street) a restaurant that I really enjoyed BECAME cash only and they arent around anymore. Cash only businesses and ones that keep hours not easy for new clientele are like dinosaurs; extinct.
I’m not willing to jump through hoops to eat anywhere especially a place like this.
That’s what an absolute looks like S&L. Yeah.

Amazing burgers and fries. Good Southern sweet tea, too! You never know how long the wait will be, so call in and reserve a table. Even better, place your order over the phone, and the food should be about ready when you get there. If you don’t know what to order, just order the cheese burger special and look at the menu when you get there — for next time. Oh, great prices, too!

The burger was good! Real simple nothing fancy… fries were good too. A bit of a wait for the food, but you can’t beat the price for what you get. Better than Mickey D’s and 5Guys.

Their claim to fame are their burgers, it’s cooked on a flattop and tastes like something you make at home. It’s juicy and greasy. Get a burger special which comes with fries and add sweet tea for a big meal. My main complaint is the venting or lack thereof. You are guaranteed to have the smell of grease on your clothes and hair. It’s also very narrow in the front. If you are waiting on a table or take out, you are going to bump into the waitress or a customer. Go to the back if possible for more elbow room. Not many tables available and you can call ahead to reserve one. It appears some people abuse this which is a shame for those who are waiting. S&L has been around for what seems like forever and they have a loyal customer base. Cash only.

Nom nom… awesome burgers and crinkle cut fries. What more can you ask for? Call your order in and pick it up bc this place is always PACKED! Bring CASH bc they don’t take card.

Awesome whole in the wall middle of no where diner. Call ahead and make a reservation or you won’t eat. Simple as that. You can also order ahead so you don’t have to wait. Only open for lunch and only cash. Outside of that GREAT diner food. Burgers a huge, especially if you make is a double. Do yourself a favor get away from work and make your stomach happy.

The burgers are still good here, possibly the best thing on the menu. Onion rings and fries — not so much. Fries are poured from a bag, apparently, dry and tasteless despite heavy sprinklings of paprika based spice mix. Onion rings were greasy and somewhat rancid, suggesting the oil in the fryer needs changing.
The one star downgrade in this update is due to the same problems encountered in our first visit here several months ago. «Reserved» tables still remain glaringly empty for long periods of time despite numerous customers at the door wanting to sit down. In a small diner like this it’s rude to keep people waiting and the policy should instead be FIRST COME FIRST SERVED. The way it is and apparently has been for quite some time, those who make the trip to find the place fully reserved are forced into very long waits for a table, making take out orders or doing completely without. Not fair, not fair, not fair. And definitely not «the American Way.» It seems that those phoning to reserve tables should be the ones calling in take out orders. If you can’t show up with cash in hand you don’t deserve to edge out someone who has.
Customers awaiting take out orders or forced into ordering them are often ignored by the busy staff, making the congestion of customers standing by the door even worse. And wait time estimates given for those take out orders should be doubled or even tripled. There really is no such thing as «15 to 20» minutes here. Our advice is to order an hour ahead if you want to pick up burgers anytime during the lunch hour. Otherwise you’ll be scarfing down your lunch well after one o’clock, which is definitely no fun.
Given all these frustrations, I doubt we’ll bother with this place again, despite the quality of their burgers.

We have driven by this place for years and it is always busy when it is open. It is open for breakfast and lunch. A word to the wise call ahead for seating and you may save yourself a long wait! (863−665−0731). I had the best patty melt and fries ($ 4.70) that I have had in years. The patty was perfectly cooked and the onions were done to perfection! Prices were extremely good; sandwiches from $ 2.55 for a grilled cheese to $ 4.15 for their Ultimate Club. They do have a selection of salads; Side salad $ 2.70 to $ 6.30 for chicken or burger salads. There are also a wide selection of sides; Onion Rings to fried Okra. Portions were generous and the burger patty is thick and juicy!
I have not been there for breakfast, but the menu selection is good. Daily specials run from $ 2.05 for a breakfast sandwich on Thursdays to $ 4.19 on Tuesdays for French Toast, one egg and two bacon.

Highly rated breakfast & lunch, in business 26+ years. Red & white cinderblock on the outside hides its «license plates & Coke» cute diner décor inside. Definitely a working class neighborhood eatery with excellent prices. Big burger under $ 4!
POSITIVES: Nice fried bologna option (tho salty). Eggs, toast, taters – standard good fare. Friendly service most visits. Good tea, lemonade, home-​baked cakes. Super thick & moist burger, properly cooked. Thick tomato slice, great pickle. I like the NO REFILL on soda policy.
CONS: First visit, they were out of beef, so no «famous» burgers. Toast was cold.
Stomach discomfort after some trips – seemingly due to greasy. Few vegetarian options. Food takes a long time to come out (usually 30+ minutes). No breakfast after 11, no lunch before 11. The reservation policy is horrible and wastes space, time, creates chaos, resentment. (No one ever likes people who save seats and exclude others!) Waitresses’ kids roam, creating more chaos. Cash only. Servers often socialize with the regulars and neglect strangers.
Food’s not bad here, but you put up with a lot of «stuff». Your personal tolerance meter will determine the value of this place.