The Poor Porker

Beignets for days! Not sure where the name comes from but they could call this place whatever they wanted with fried delights this good. Do your soul the favor of indulging just this ONE time and getting down on doughnuts that come correct.
The Space
Conveniently located right near public parking a stone’s throw from Lake Mirror, Poor Porker itself is located within a backyard-​chic oasis that also includes a couple of other trendy businesses. Akin to a food truck but to stay, you’ll know you’re in the right place by the lengthy line and heavenly aroma of sweet doughy goodness.
Seating is ample and while I came during the day, I imagine this place would be stunning at night with warm light strands draped across the entire area. Some spots are covered but most will allow you to enjoy the weather.
The Service
Not much to speak of with it being a walk-​up window, though the woman taking orders was very pleasant. You basically peep the menu, place the order, and wait for the sweet angelic calling of your name to receive the fried pillowy clouds. If you place a drink order, that comes pretty much instantly which helps tide you over ever so slightly.
The Food
Ermehgerd… If it were financially or physically possible to eat these everyday I’d consider it. Fresh, authentic beignets with generous amounts of powdered sugar or, in my case, raspberry and white chocolate drizzles. Yeah. Be jealous.
And what could pair better than a nitro cold brew coffee from a local roaster, not to mention one used with savory, smoky chicory. There’s a reason this place moved up from the days of Farmer’s Market fare.
Final Thoughts
It’s delicious. They offer enough variety in flavor to piqué anyone’s interest and the coffee quality is exactly on the right level. For the nitro Joe you will have to pay a premium because nitrogen-​infused coffee is «in» right now but even then I left with a giant smile from a fantastic morning treat. Go here soon.

This is exactly what Lakeland needed! I am so glad to see this Indie Renaissance occurring in this quaint Central Florida town. With new additions such as Born & Bread, Crumb & Get It, and Concord Coffee, the Poor Porker and all of its neighboring small businesses (The Corner Store, Bearcat & Big Trading Post, and Eddie’s Southern BBQ) fit right in to the new Lakeland scene.
The Poor Porker and his friends are all situated right in front of Lake Mirror across from a steakhouse and a few other «normal looking businesses.» It is truly hard to miss with its upcycled wood fencing and large archway. I was amazed to see how detail oriented every single fragment of the Poor Porker was. The courtyard, bar, and basically every part of it was expertly curated. You can look at each room a few times and notice new and interesting details that you did not notice before. It’s definitely an «insta-​worthy» spot so come looking cute or you’ll miss out on plenty of photo ops. Wall of succulents, giant tepees – oh my!
The Poor Porker closes for a few hours in the afternoon. With my luck, I got there around 4:50PM, 10 minutes before opening time. This gave me plenty of time to peruse and wander. I decided to go into the Corner Store. It was so cozy and had a wide variety of bottled drinks, jams, and other novelties. I got a Mandarin and Seville Orange Jigger which was a fermented orange drink with ginger and herbs. It was very refreshing and had a strong orange flavor. Bearcat & Big offered a plethora of high end accessories and novelties such as handmade moccasins, prepackaged sage, and overpriced pencil pouches.
When the Poor Porker opened, I had to get my hands on some beignets since it was what they were known for. The Poor Porker sounded too decadent for me. It featured brown butter caramel, bacon, and powdered sugar. I opted for the brown butter caramel beignet instead. The beignets are made to order, so I grabbed a Viet style cold brew and took a seat in one my the many seating options they had.
Looking around, I could easily see this space being a super hip place to drink at night. There’s a bar inside that serves wine and beer for about $ 7 a pop. The long strings of lights and campfire really set a nice mood. I definitely want to come back to experience the night atmosphere.
Finally, my beignets were done! The service was exquisite. The beignet man called your name right as these pillow puffs of heaven were being taken out of the fryer. When you came to retrieve them from the window, he dressed them so you can see the magic as it happens. The beignets were piping hot and rose to perfection. You can always tell a good beignet by how hollow they are. These were great! These were not too sweet and had a subtle ooey gooey saltiness from the brown butter which paired well with melt in your mouth sweetness of the powdered sugar.
Overall, the Poor Porker is an excellent addition to Lakeland’s lacking food and drink scene. It is a little pricey, but worth it for the artisanal experience. The location itself is a piece of art. It has all of the Lakelanders near and far flocking, so make sure to get there early! Please do not leave unless you order some beignets. Totes worth!

Not the best selection of beer (expect PBR) but that’s not necessarily the point of the place. It has a really laid back and comfortable feel and the food is pretty great. If you’re looking for a place to sit back and enjoy the company of others, this is as good as it gets in Lakeland.

Purely reviewing this on the strength of one visit to the stand and one takeout order from the new location. Both times I got the same order of Poor Porker Beignets and Iced Campfire Coffee. The Beignets are sticky, gooey, sweet goodness! The combo of bacon, powdered sugar and syrup is just delightful. I cannot say enough about them. Make sure you have a lot of napkins! The Campfire Coffee is also pretty tasty. It has a nice smokey aroma and taste to it. Now that I think about it, by buddy gets this coffee and makes it at home. We had it a few times camping. So I can also say that it is very good hot. Especially with a bit of honey in it.
My trip to the stand was good. Since it was my first time they took the time to tell me their story and point out menu items. They were very friendly. It did take a little longer than I thought it would to make the Beignets but everything was done from scratch and I could watch as they were made. I’d say it was worth the wait. The second time I had them they were brought back home for us by my buddy’s wife. So they made a half hour road trip before we are them. Now, they were still good but I’d be lying if I said they traveled well. The powdered sugar pretty much disappeared by the time they made it to us. I’d much prefer to have them fresh and hot on location. This just so happened to be the Grand Opening of the new location and I was surprised to find a golden ticket in my box redeemable for a $ 50 gift card. Since I don’t live close I left that with my buddy and his wife for their hospitality. Hopefully they are enjoying it!

Ambience, This is simply one of the coolest places in Lakelend.
If the weather is good, what a great place to go check out for drinks and/​or a dessert after dinner.
The beignets were quiet good but I simply loved the layout of the place. it is intriguing and exciting. will go back for drinks.
If you are a hipster — you are in hog heaven for everyone else — the coolest coffee house I have ever been to

Great coffee, and great environment. What’s not to love? Definitely a new spot to hang out and enjoy Lakeland. I recommend trying this place to anyone who still thinks Starbucks has the best coffee around. The Poor Porker and it’s neighboring shops at the 801 are quite amazing.

The Poor Porker? More like The Poor Customer Service and Time Management.
I was very much looking forward to visiting as numerous friends had recommended it. I went on Saturday, ½/​16, and the wait was ridiculously long. I got in line at approximately 12:15pm, the line was moderately long, and I waited about 15 mins until I ordered. I got a large coffee and an order of traditional beignets. My coffee was given to me immediately and I took a seat to wait for my pastries.
And, boy, did I wait. And wait. And wait. I understand the whole hipster artisanal hand-​crafted approach to preparing food, but I still felt the gentleman preparing the beignets could have moved a little faster. OK, a lot faster. The wait was so long that people were CHEERING when their name was finally called. The dude preparing the food said the wait was about 40 mins. Forty minutes! Why wasn’t I notified of that upfront?
After 35 mins and still no food, I had had enough. I asked to cancel my order and get a refund. The woman who helped me was nice and happy to give me my money back, but she didn’t bother to apologize once. As I was getting my refund another woman ordered beignets. The woman working the register said, «The beignets will be a few minutes.»
«The beignets will be MANY minutes,» I said. When I left, it was about 50 minutes after I had arrived.
The beignets looked delicious and those with patience enough to wait FORTY MINUTES for their order seemed satisfied, but I think it was unreasonable that there was no warning how long the wait would/​could be. Once it became clear that they were busy, customers should’ve been warned.
To recap: if you’re going to go, be prepared to wait a while. A friend recommends going early on Sunday when most people are in church.

Coolest spot in Lakeland. Can’t wait to continue to watch it grow! Would love to see more food items in the future!

This is a trendy spot that began as a stand in the Saturday Downtown Market but now has a stand alone location on Main Street. Their beignets are good if you like «fried dough». My not being a coffee drinker, a dough person, one who enjoys standing in line or «being seen», makes it just an okay stop on my list. Their new place is a unique fun-​crazy-​outdoors-​ish eclectic place, especially for the 20s and 30s folks. I wish them luck and a great future.

What a great little place for a morning coffee and the beignets are delicious. The atmosphere is very relaxing and all the staff where friendly. Coffee and food came out quick very little wait. Can’t wait to come in the evening and enjoy the bars and food. Great Job!

Love his place! Jared, Robin and team have made Lakeland a better place to enjoy life!

While the setting is a perfect hipster dream and the beignets are great, expect to wait 45 minutes for your treat. Ice coffee is good but a little sweet and the hot brew is sub par. Maybe go early and enjoy. Don’t go after 11.

For over a year now I’ve heard the tales of the Poor Porker’s beignets. Friends and acquaintances that live in Lakeland were always raving about this booth at the local Farmer’s Market but warned it was nearly impossible to grab these pillowly pastries made from scratch unless you woke up at the crack of dawn.
For an out-​of-​towner, you surely would have no chance at getting there before they sold out.
Now, owners Robyn and Jarrid have expanded their community offering from their singular booth to the beautiful hippie chic artisanal commune that hosts the beignet cart, a bar, and the BearCat & Big 6 Trading Post, and the Corner Store.
Since our arrival from Orlando was around noon I was a little worried they would be sold out. We walked in to see a long line of customers and an even longer line of those waiting for their orders, but thankfully there were still fresh beignets being dropped into the fryer with flecks of powered sugar flowing through the air.
The space is so inviting, and the shabby chic décor speaks to my heart. Seating is plentiful in the beautiful outdoor garden or inside the covered lounge area.
In addition to the beignets they also serve their signature Campfire Coffee which is their blend of fair trade organic coffee with hickory-​smoked chicory.
We ordered the traditional and the sweet potato beignets. Patience is truly a virtue here as you will be waiting awhile for your order. The good thing is that you have distractions that help the time go by as you visit the other patrons, or grab a photo in front of the adorable tee pee or succulent wall.
Our beignets and coffee were delicious, and I could understand why I heard people moan as they took their first bite and exclaim it had been worth the wait.
It would appear that Poor Porker is on the cusp of becoming a lifestyle brand with a selection of apparel that can be purchased online along with their Campfire Coffee.
More and more reasons are popping up for a reason to visit Lakeland, and Poor Porker should definitely be on the top of the list.

Absolutely best beignets around! Very cute atmosphere with eclectic décor. Owners are super friendly and are always creating a masterpiece in their beignets.

This place is great. Cool atmosphere, lots of cool little nooks to hang out in. It’s a little oasis in lakeland. Would be a great date place, or a nice place for a group of friends. Everyone working is super nice and hospitable.

The Good– Beignets are delicious! It’s similar to a funnel cake/​donut dough taste but they add powder sugar, and other toppings like crunchy bacon bits, maple syrup, buttery caramel, just depending which flavor you get.

Badass beignets! We drove a little over an hour to check this place out and it was worth it! Friendly staff! Amazing beignets and nitro cold brew coffee! We be coming back again and again! We had Lemon crime pie beignets and the Poor Porker beignets with applewood bacon and maple! I only wish they were closer to home!