Back Porch

The atmosphere is great and the people are friendly. Yes your food comes in a cute basket, but they take it away as soon as you take your food out. I didn’t even have a chance to take a photo of it in the basket. The waiter literally waited for me to take it out so he could grab it. That’s not why I gave it low rating though. The food was good don’t get me wrong. But it’s something I can make at home. Like a turkey with lettuce and tomato on a croissant. So it’s good place to get cheap, portioned food when you don’t have time to make something. But it’s not one of the places you would crave.

So adorable. Loved the atmosphere. Friendly staff, darling young girl named Katie helped us. Chicken salad and potato salad were delish! Spiced iced tea a must. Save room for the cookie ice cream sandwich!

We stumbled upon this beautiful little eatery during a road trip and loved it! The food tastes fresh and is served in a basket. It was a real unexpected picnic experience! Highly recommended for the cuteness! Also has some souvenir and antique shop next to it with a large number of equally cute little things to take back home!

Other reviewers cover the details well so I shant repeat. It was nice to go on a weekday and have the place to ourselves. We ate early and were served quickly. The help was friendly. While a few commented on skimpy portions, I think they were «just right» for normal eaters. We got a full-​sized Black forest ham and Swiss cheese sandwich on pumpernickel that was flavorful (tho I prefer less mustard). I enjoyed my ½ cup of corn-​black bean salad in citrus vinaigrette, my country creamy vegetable soup and my just-​right size of raspberry mousse and vanilla cake. A full «homey» picnic meal for $ 8. My friend enjoyed her cole slaw with bleu cheese dressing, her pumpkin cobbler and her beer cheese soup. She also enjoyed the spiced cabernet frozen slushee. The view was hypnotizing on a cool day on the porch over the «swamp».

Super cute stop for lunch! Stopped to grab a bite on the way home from Orlando. Was a pleasant unexpected surprise! Would definitely stop again. Traveling with a 4 and 2 year old. Kids meals 4 dollars and they gobbled them up!

What a fun and yummy place!!! We were thrilled to hear about this great little place from a family member and it exceeded our expectations — matter of fact, I will be hard-​pressed to ever again head towards Ooland again without wanting to stop in for lunch!
Just about 5 minutes off of I-​4 it is easy to find (Although when you come to the ‘fork’ in the road do veer right and it is immediately in front of you/​on your left. Plenty of parking and several little cottages to choose from when you arrive — the restaurant is towards the left center.
There are delightful indoor and outdoor shopping cottages filled with precious garden and home décor items. This is the place to find unique and whimsical flags, fairy garden decorations, plants, fountains, and much more.
In the restaurant you find yourself a table and review the menu and daily specials and then write down your order by selecting right on the menu itself and enter your table number. You hand in your order at the front register counter and they bring it out to you — I recommend leaving a gratuity at your table vs putting it up front but up to you…
The pastrami on corned beef came with a delicious cup of soup and the salad had homemade dressing. The best part is they bring out your order in these adorable picnic baskets that adds some extra charm. They also have a back patio with a lot of rich shade and water views (albeit a little stagnant) and a bar as well serving beer & wine. The décor inside the café was like a pretty tea room or your grandma’s dining room with quaint flowers and art, the florida room was a little more casual and the back patio was even more family friendly (possibly pet friendly?). Check out the photos and definitely don’t miss this place.

Cute place, wonderful food but small portions. Nice for a ladies luncheon or mother/​daughter day.

Picnic basket lunch is cute, but not for the big of appetite. It was a nice meal of a small soup, small salad, small sandwich and small dessert for about $ 8. I must have made all bad selections, because I was the only one at my table who did not enjoy the meal. I had the soup of the day, which was a lemon chicken and rice soup. The soup was yummy and comforting. I should have quit while I was ahead. The salad I selected was BLT Pasta Salad (salad of the day). All I could taste was mayonnaise. Not my favorite flavor. I couldn’t get passed the 2^nd bite. The sandwich I selected was the moufellata (sandwich of the day). It was nothing special. Even though it was very small, I only ate half. My dessert was a lovely fruit cup. Perhaps I made all poor selections, so I would be willing to try it again. The staff was very friendly and helpful. A big turn off was that everything is served in styrofoam. Definitely not the «greenest» of restaurants.

What a super cute place! A couple friends and I headed out to Barn & Stable for what was, for some of us, our first visit. The friend who took us said that «the plan» was to do one side, have lunch, then do the other side. I have no idea what was up but there were a TON of people waiting when it came time for the lunch portion of our plan.
Checking in was a little chaotic with all the people, but we got on the list and only had to wait around 25 minutes for a table. It was raining so they lost a portion of their outside seating due to that. But once we were seated and had placed our orders our food came out quite quickly! Their main lunch option comes with soup, salad, sandwich and dessert. It is the perfect amount of food for a great price!
Lunch at Back Porch was a great midway stop in our day of fun. We had just enough food to re-​energize for the rest of our day, without making us want a nap instead.

Wonderful cute place to enjoy a great lunch and do some shopping. Each meal is around $ 8 and includes soup, sandwich & dessert. The portions are petite but its the perfect amount of food. Their gift shop is amazing! You will find so many unique items there. This place really is a gem in Lake Alfred and its totally worth checking out.

Really cute spot to have lunch. They bring your lunch out in a cute picnic box. Loved it!

The Back Porch has been open for over 20 years under the same watchful eye of the Wales family. It’s part of the Barn/​Stable compound that features unique gifts and antiques. The restaurant is only open for lunch.
The menu and delivery is unique. All meals are served in a picnic basket. You select a soup, a salad, sandwich and a dessert from a number of different options. In addition to the set menu items there are specials each day… however the standard Back Porch Vegetable soup is the best.
You can dine inside, on a large covered porch, or an open-​air deck.
It’s only open for lunch from 11 – 3 Tuesday-​Saturday.
Just recently it now remains open all year. Previously it closed for a few months during the summer.