Third Place: The Egg Factory

The Third Best Breakfast Spot In Lakeland, Florida

Coming in third is The Egg Factory.

Here's a spot that is making it into The Polk Squeeze's Best Food In Polk lists for the first time. 

And with flying colors, if I might add...

Coming in the number three slot with a list of competitors like this is a big deal.

With locals saying:

• "Egg Factory all day."
• "Best Eggs Benedict."
• "Great food and cheap prices."

If you love classic breakfast done consistently well, locals say The Egg Factory is a great choice.

Fourth Place: Fred's Market

The Fourth Best Breakfast Spot In Lakeland, Florida

Landing in fourth is Fred's Market.

Unlike most places on this list, Fred's isn't known for ordering off a menu.

It's an unique breakfast buffet that keeps people coming back.

Fresh biscuits, grits, eggs, pancakes, sausage, bacon...

And, I HAVE to add this: with the amount of people I have sending in Fred's Market as either their FAVORITE and/or within their top five favorite restaurants in all of Polk — I'm blown away this is the first time we're seeing it make it to a list.

Locals shared:

• "Fred's all day."
• "The breakfast buffet is amazing."
• "You can't beat the variety."

If variety is what you're after, Fred's was one of the most recommended breakfast spots we found.

Fifth Place: Dena's Place

The Fifth Best Breakfast Spot In Lakeland, Florida

Rounding out our Top Five is Dena's Place.

Dena's was one of those restaurants that seemed to have a fiercely loyal following.

This is one I had actually never heard of prior to putting this list together (either that, or it slipped my mind); so it was nice to see it coming in within the top 5.

With locals saying:

• "Dena's every time."
• "Great food and even better service."
• "Very clean, locally owned, and affordable."

If you're looking for a true neighborhood diner, Dena's absolutely deserves a visit.

Special Shoutout From Mike & Katie: Uncle Nick's Italian Deli

Special Recommendation from Mike & Katie at Polk Squeeze

Now it's time for our special shoutout: Uncle Nick's Italian Deli.

We gave it a raving review for our Polk Food Quest, so if you've already read that one you know just how much we love this place.

This is also unlike the rest of the list in the sense that you can come for bagels, breakfast sandwiches, regular sandwiches, and so much more.

It's the closest I've felt to being on Long Island and going into a local deli for a bagel or breakfast sandwich.

Locals shared:

• "Best bagels around, hands down."
• "Uncle Nick's all day."
• "If you need a Taylor Ham fix, this is the place."

Uncle Nick's would have made it close to being in the top 5 on it's own, but I felt it deserves a special shoutout like this because it gave it some separate recognition from us, and also showed that it's a much different type of spot.

Other Great Breakfast Spots In Lakeland, Florida

If you’re anything like me, you want to try all the best breakfast in Lakeland, Florida so you can be the judge for yourself.

So here are the rest of the top ten breakfast spots in Lakeland, Florida (in order 6-10):

• #6 — S&L Restaurant
• #7 — A&B Restaurant
• #8 — Charlie's Family Restaurant
• #9 — Britt's Cafe
• #10 — First Watch

Which gives us the full top 10 breakfast spots in Polk.

And brings us to the moment you’ve all been waiting for…

My personal opinion (that no one asked for ).

Here are my top breakfast spots: 

1. Uncle Nick's
2. Fat Jack's
3. Saving This Spot

As always, I'm reserving that third spot until I have tried every spot on the list, and there are still quite a few I need to get to.

I'm REALLY excited to finally get to Fred's Market, and I almost feel like it's unfair to even give a top three without me having been there yet ... but I suppose this little shoutout here is the best I can do (for now).

THANKS!

Thanks for reading this edition of The Polk Squeeze today. 

Share this with a friend who's been looking for the best breakfast spots in Lakeland.

- Mike Romaine