Last
week we spent the afternoon at Bok Tower
Gardens in Lake Wales. It’s a 250
acre historic garden with a tall “singing tower” with a concert twice a day on
carillon bells. The grounds are vast and surrounded by orange groves.
On
the way there we stopped for breakfast at Fred’s
Market Restaurant in Plant City. It’s
a family-run business specializing in Southern comfort food – and over the last
several years, they’ve expanded to open more locations in Lakeland, Bartow,
Winter Haven, and Riverview.
The
atmosphere is laid back and inviting.
The patio is lined with rocking chairs, and the employees wore shirts
that said “Manners and Mashed Potatoes” on the back.
There
is an option to order an a la carte menu, but their main focus is on the
buffet. There was a huge assortment –
including various casserole dishes, fried green tomatoes, bacon, sausage, fried
chicken, biscuits with gravy, and pretty much everything you could imagine in a
Southern breakfast. They do warn that
they charge extra for excessive waste or over-consumption (3+ heaping plates). I
had two plates and didn’t end up eating again until dinnertime.
I’m
not normally a fan of buffet restaurants, but you can tell they take pride in
their food. The fried chicken was the
best part – it was super crispy outside, moist inside, and wasn’t greasy at
all.
Later
in the day, they have lunch and dinner buffets with other traditional comfort
foods like fried catfish, skillet cornbread, and smoked ribs. Lance liked his breakfast so much he would
have gone back for dinner that same night if I’d have let him.
Fred’s
Market Restaurant has several locations.
The one we visited was at 1401
West Dr. MLK Jr. Blvd, Plant City, FL 33563 and is open 6am – 9pm Monday
– Saturday and 8am – 9pm on Sunday.
