Downtown Diner Is charmingly small eatery for breakfast and lunch. Earl is the guy out front and he loves being charmingly grumpy! Its a show and the customers are invited to banter at will. Paul is in the kitchen and is a fabulous cook. Only place I know where I can get consistently delicious crisp bacon. My friend loves his homemade sausage gravy. Want grits! This is the place!!

Absolutely charming experience! It is run by two older gentleman. Earl works up front at 78. Paul runs the kitchen at 80. Great from scratch breakfast. Opens around 7 or 7:30 if they sleep in. Dont come in a hurry. Take your time and enjoy the great food and hysterical banter from the owners.

$5.50 for 1 biscuit with gravy is outrageous especially when you dont like it. Hardees biscuit and gravy is $2.29 and yummy 😋

Good food interesting employees/owner

Shame on me for not coming here sooner. The charming character of the owner, the intimacy of the diner itself is wonderful. We all had country fried steak with sausage gravy, with potatoes fried in bacon, with eggs and toast. Amazing! This is truly the Gem of Lakeland. I am forever devoted now. Best food i ever had. Bestcompany i ever had. A loyal customer and fan now.

Best breakfast in town. Earl is very friendly. Best chicken fried steak around! Cannot give 6 stars or I would. My daughter will not eat anywhere else now.

Americana at its best! I am so glad I had a chance to visit the Downtown Diner in Lakeland. The owners were very nice and the food was good. I had grits and french toast - carb-o-licious and delicious! :) Thank you!

Food made to perfection

A fun and friendly place

Wouldnt let my 3yrd old use the restroom. Shes barely potty trained. No heart. Lost my business and my familys business for life. I will never give business to an establishment who can be so inconsiderate of a child. I can understand not wanting your restroom to be messed up and I might have come back for lunch if they would have just let my daughter use the restroom when she desperately had to go but that was extremely wrong to do to a child. She would have been heartbroken if she had an accident because of their heartlessness.

Great food and friendly service!! French toast is awesome. Everything was great. We will be back for sure.

Small mom and pop slow slow service

Earl is a hoot!!! Paul is a fantastic cook! This is our breakfast spot for sure!! Food is always awesome😋. It’s a “home away from home” kitchen to say the least. The duo-owners are cousins who have been in the restaurant business for 40 plus years. If you like funny banter, then drop by sometime. You’ll feel right at home.

I found this place by chance on Main Street while looking online for breakfast spots near me. I know the usual, because I usually go to those places, but I wanted to have a home cooked breakfast, or at least as close as one could get to one. This place did not disappoint. The owners have been here since FOREVER, both 76, and still making great food. The restaurant itself is small, cozy, theres a tv there, and it has a good amount of fish and swan decorations, Im guessing because of it being in Swan City, near a lake. All of this adds to the nostalgia of being in a diner, being able to talk with the other patrons, as opposed to never even looking at them in other places. This is a place where people could get along, no matter where they come from. The owner is blunt, but refreshingly, sometimes hilariously so, but he is also very cool and you could easily see yourself getting lost in conversation with him over your favorite breakfast. The menus are written on a whiteboard, and he takes the orders on an order pad and hands them to the cook in the back. Even for the size, there are actually a fair amount of tables.The food is delicious, I got a ham and cheese omelette, and the ham is real. Like real chunks of ham. I also got home fries, which were well seasoned and perfectly complemented the omelette and wheat toast. Definitely coming back.

The Best Food In America, Puts Everyone Out Of Business.

Love this place. Wish I could give it more stars. The owners were so genuine and nice.My wife and I stopped in for lunch. We both had the bacon cheeseburgers with a side of fries. The fries were crispy and golden brown. The burger was amazing...the bun was grilled with just the right amount of butter. The cheese was great. The beef was the main event on the burger. I chose to have the burger done medium....BOOM! The meat was fresh and just the right amount of juicy. My mouth was sad when I finished eating the burger. Easily one of the best burgers I have ever had. My wife was equally happy with her burger.We finished our meal with a slice of the homemade Jewish apple cake...so good.We will definetely go back again.🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟x50

If you are visiting or live in the area this diner is a must. The atmosphere, the decor and the food make this a wonderful place for an amazing omelet.The owner is a wonderful older gentleman whose witty comments and retort make the breakfast experience so much more entertaining.We ate, we laughed and then we laughed some more.It reminded me of home, my grandfather and growing up in 37 year ago New York.We cannot wait until next year and have made this place part of our yearly Lakeland trip.

The food & service was fantastic!!

Well I would’ve given 0 stars if I could’ve but we never even got to eat here because of the grumpy old man behind counter who was mean and sarcastic when I asked if we were to order first or sit down. So my husband and I walked out and we would not give this diner our business! Thanks but we had a very nice breakfast at a local coffee shop! Which was very good and very friendly! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

They were extremely kind

Simple but great.

The place to go for a consistently good breakfast or lunch. Traditional American fare like soup, meatloaf, etc. is offered at reasonable prices. The ambiance is definitely not fancy, but that does not matter to the many visiting patrons. The owners have been in restaurant business for over 40 years so they know what they are doing. The new server is nice as well.

If you want a real diner experience, this is it. First time we have seen a buttered and grilled buiscuit and it was as good as it sounded. Everything cooked perfectly and delivered by the guy who cooked it. An obviously local place where most customers are on a first name basis with the owner.

Service was worst I have ever seen! I had to wait on myself get my own drinks and wait ten minutes to pay. The owner was grumpy and complained the entire time about new customers walking in. He was sitting in the dining room most of the time. Bathrooms were extremely dirty save your money he obviously doesnt want or need it!

I had the Bacon, Tomato and cheddar cheese omelet. The biscuit was incredible! My husband had the hungry man special. Best pancakes he has ever had! Eggs cooked perfectly.

We just ate lunch at the Downtown Diner, and it was wonderful. Loved the mashed potatoes with gravy and fried okra. The owner promised Turkey and Dressing in 2 weeks and we will be 1st in line.

You can usually judge a place by how good the burger is. Well, the cheeseburger was really great. Im sad I only had one napkin because it was so juicy. Condiments were perfect. Not at all busy and it didnt take forever, either. Would absolutely eat here again!

It was a diner. Nothing outstanding. Just an old diner.

This was my first time here. The food was fast, hot and fresh! The owner was very nice to us as well. I will come back again!!

Love love love this diner! The food is homemade and delicious. Home fries are to absolute die for. The owners are awesome. So clean inside.

Food was great! Service was hilarious! Would definitely Italy go back just for the humor.

Food was good. To the server’s credit, it was her first day and she was very pleasant. The owner was there and he seemed a bit grumpy. Two other customers came in and after they seated themselves and were then asked by the owner to sit someone where else as the table they had picked was for a party of four. Now there was no one else in the place but me and my husband and there was not a line of people waiting to get in!! I just thought it was kind of rude. Then it was close to 11 a.m. and they were told that they stop serving breakfast after 11, however they had already ordered breakfast. They were going to get up and leave but then were told it was okay and that the cook would fix their breakfast. In my opinion, the whole conversation I heard was in a rude manner. All of this is was not the server’s fault. Needless to say we will not go back.

This place is a one of a kind find. Fresh and absolutely delicious food.BEST CUBAN SANDWICH I HAVE EVER EATEN !!THANK YOU EARL AND PAUL FOR A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE !BEST REGARDSDOUG PERRELL

This place was great. Fresh homemade food. Some reviewers say that the owner is grumpy, this is so not true. He was witty and funny and really made us feel at home. We dont get down to Florida very often,but when we do we will be going back for breakfast

Wonderful small dinner with great food and people

I am very disappointed with the service I received this morning. The 2 gentlemen working were very rude, acted as if it was an inconvenience to get me a bag to carry my order in, tried to discourage me from ordering what I did and didnt even say Good Morning when I arrived or give a friendly greeting when I left. Other than that the coffee was hot and fresh and the food was very good, moist and hot.

Downtown Diner is a small (8-9 table) diner operating on maybe 1500 sq.ft. total in the side of an old Lakeland building, sort of on its own as far as eatery locations go. Its cute, folksy, a bit antiquated, and run by two older gentlemen in their 70s. I asked for a recommendation and the food was good, the price was very reasonable, and got some interesting conversation with Earl to boot. Ill be going back if only to experience the classic way of enjoying breakfast or lunch!

Miserable old man who is part owner. Lazy. Hopes that customers will serve themselves to any drinks. Tells my boyfriend to go in the kitchen to get a to-go cup. Food was not good!! Stay away... save ur money!!!

This was the first time I was in there.The food was pretty good.Reminds me of the old-time diners, with the piss smelling mens bathroom, and the Not So Clean restaurant.

I came here while visiting family in Lakeland and its a fairly standard greasy spoon. The gentleman working the floor is a bit chatty, so prepare to make a new friend. Dont worry about grabbing a menu, as most of whats available for the day is written on a whiteboard on the wall, including specials that you wouldnt find on the menu anyway.The food was fine, standard diner fare, and the service was attentive and friendly. Prices are average to slightly below what you might expect, as I paid under $8 for an omelet with home fries and toast.Get here before lunch rush, though. The dine-in area isnt very busy, but they get a lot of call-in orders which can mean youll have to wait a bit for your food.

There lucky i cant say 0 stars i was there yesterday and me and my brother got 2 lunch specials he got the burger and i got the pot pie. The pot pie was like a tv dinner and the burger was burnt. Horrible service got 1drink and never asked if we was happy then when we checked out i got charged 18.75 how is that a special. My food was 7.50 and the burger was 8.00 😲 and they still ripped me off. Asked why the plan burger is more expensive than the bacon burger and got no response the guy just walked away

My favorite breakfast place in Lakeland!

Neat and nostalgic very cute slice of a real home town dinner.... would be 5 stars with the exception of potatoes...

Definitely a mom and pop shop! Its cozy and homie.

Typical old style diner they go ahead and have breakfast until 11 and then lunch older gentleman from Pennsylvania that runs it great guy

Service is fun, food is good, prices are fair, and the environment is enjoyable.

I pretty sure those with negative reviews have this place confused with Main Street Diner where the owner is not a people person at all. Downtown Diner has very good food and extremely friendly staff.

Great place! Good food! Nice family atmosphere!

Great food and very reasonable

Good food, but theyre only open Monday through Friday and do not go before 7:30 I am.

Great food and large portions served in a friendly, small-town atmosphere! Get there early- it fills up fast!!

Great food good service

Really great down-home cooking!!

This place was the best. Good food, pleasant atmosphere and the gentleman who was working was a joy.

.Local downtown diner. Good food, reasonable prices, interesting people

Best biscuits and gravy in Lakeland hands down.

Very friendly staff and delicious homemade food!

Friendly, delicious. What a diner should be. Will definitely be back

Very good food and friendly service.

The best breakfast in town!!! Great people

Great breakfast after running around Lake Hollingsworth! Very friendly, not sure who the guy in these other reviews is referring to!

Fun local Diner, hole-in-the-wall, very good food and family atmosphere. Nice folks

Stopped by to purchase a drink. The guy refused to serve me because he wanted me to spend more than $ 2.00. I only had a $20.

Nice. Love the gentleman out with public.

Good people. Good food

This is true homemade cooking.

Excellent food, low prices, and a very friendly atmosphere. I will be returning for more!

Great food and service, and fair prices

Breakfast time out of decaf rye bread and strawberry jelly but we really like this place because its always clean and the food is always good.

The food was okay but I have to wonder about the cleanliness of the place. The gentleman was as nice as can be, but he looked miserable to be there.

Grate place for a quick bite

Best Burgers in Lakeland

The guy wasnt friendly when we walked in the food was okay but needed flavor I was disappointed how we were treated

Tasty and reasonable

Good local place for Breakfast and lunch

The guy who owns the place is rude. Not the best service and mediocre food.

Good he in the wall diner

The old lady that answers the phone the is very rude and disrespectful I’ll never order anything from them if they have people like that working there

WORST PLACE TO EAT, ALWAYS OUT OF THE FOOD ON MENU no cups of water, everything is bottled .GRUMPY ANNOYING PEOPLE NEVER ORDER ENOUGH FOOD BEEN THERE 3 TIMES AND OUT OF GRITS, TOAST AND HASHBROWNS-- SLOW people but you have to get there before 2pm when they close!!!!!

Great customer service

Good breakfast

Good service

RUN RUN RUN.. DONT STOP..

Not for me

Best home cooked breakfast