With its parent company declaring bankruptcy, Village Inn has closed about a quarter of its under-performing restaurants, including its location on Harden Road near the Polk Parkway. Most Village Inns in the Tampa Bay area remain open.
On his way to establishing a chain, Dwayne Johnson — known for Dwayne’s Place Diner in Christina Plaza — has brought his Ole’ Tampa Cuban sandwich shop brand into Lakeland, opening its third location at Alamo Plaza | Facebook
Shells is on the verge of opening a seafood restaurant in south Lakeland, where steak is still the boss. The small Tampa-based chain will hold its Lakeland grand opening Jan. 15 at 5125 S. Florida Ave. The big building was most recently occupied by Manny’s Chophouse, which opened in Lakeland in 2013 and closed last May. More
Curry Mango, an Indian restaurant with two tandoor ovens and seating for 130 indoors/40 on a patio, opened today at 6625 Florida Ave. Today’s lunch buffet is getting favorable reviews in the Lakeland Food Group on Facebook. The lunch buffet is $10 Tuesdays through Fridays and $12 on weekends. A full menu is available for dinner.
GreenWise Market, Publix Super Markets’ updated entry in the natural/specialty foods niche, opens in Lakeland on Thursday, and LkldNow got an early look today. Get a preview via our video by visual journalist Reems Landreth. Brian West, media and community relations manager for Publix, led the guided tour: More
What is it about South Florida Avenue that’s attracting bakery cafes? We’re not sure. And we surely don’t mind.
Fleur Bistro opened this month at 4525 S. Florida Ave. It offers scratch pastries, exotic teas, specialty coffee and wines. Just a block a way, Cafe Zuppina opened The Market earlier this year and then enhanced it with an upscale coffee shop. More
Chef T’s Garden Grill has recently closed for business after a long run. It’s not entirely out of the question that the popular fine-dining restaurant in a 1920s-era yellow house has a future as Chef T’s again. “But for now I’m hanging up my chef’s jacket,” Terry Doner said. More
Maybe the biggest question looming over a fledgling downtown venue called The Joinery has been answered: Craft beer will continue to flow onsite. And the list of vendors who will fill the artisan food hall is nearly complete. More
A Shells restaurant, part of a Tampa Bay chain of casual seafood eateries with entrees in the $10-$20 range, is coming to the South Florida Avenue location recently vacated by Manny’s Chophouse.
Visitors to Lakeland Downtown Farmers Curb Market have nothing to worry about come the end of August — or beginning of September — when Honeycomb Bread Bakers opens its brick-and-mortar shop at 213 E. Bay Street.
Customers will still find the bakery at the markets on Saturdays, along with their favorite wild Maine blueberry muffins, cinnamon rolls and sourdough bread. Owner Benjamin Vickers said it was important to him that fervent market-goers continue to find him — he hopes to return to his spot in front of the State Office Building. And the location comes with advantages: More
