Chef T’s Garden Grill

Chef T is a staple and experienced chef in the heart of Lakeland. The meals are crafted with precision and an art you’d expect from a great chef. A great local restaurant crafted by an experienced chef that truly has the techniques to put together a top quality meal for any occasion.

I came here with my fiancé. This was a treat for us as it was date night and we are in the process of trying out new and different resurantes. I would reccomend the calamari (best I have had in a while), and warn you not to fill up on bread. That will be difficult because it’s freshly made and wonderful.

We went here to celebrate my birthday. Food delicious, great atmosphere, and our waiter Sam extremely attentive. My only disappointment no duck on the menu. So I guess I’ll just have to go back, with pleasure.

Good service, good food. We enjoyed ourselves. We’d go back.(don’t know how to do half stars but we give this a 3 ½)

I love this restaurant, went here last week with a friend. We had the crab cakes and the duck. It was perfectly cooked and seasoned accompanied with ceasar salad, veggies, and mashed potatoes. Very, very, good and the restaurant itself had a romantic feel. Wonderful service as well. Perfect for good conversation. A beautiful gem in Lakeland. Look forward to going again.

Ate here last night with wife and friends. One word… FANTASTIC!!!
I am very picky and this is the best dining experience in Lakeland.
The Clam Chowder was the best I have ever eaten. My wife got the lobster ravioli, while I got the Chicken San Pretonio. We both ate from each others plate and could not come up with a clear winner. Both dishes are amazingly good. The service was great as well. I will be back!

Prices were good and food excellent. Nice ambience. Customers service was exceptional

I had a dear friend in orlando for work, so we decided to meet in the middle of st pete and orlando in lakeland. We took a shot based on Unilocal reviews and I’m so glad we did.
The restaurant is in a house in an odd part of lakeland, away from town center and downtown, tucked away in what appears to be a residential and industrial part of town.
The décor could use a little sprucing up, but the restaurant space is the first floor is this old house. Menu is compact, but varied.
I had the vegetarian ravioli and a dinner salad. Salad was great, good portion, well dressed and very flavorful. My ravioli was light and airy and very good. We finished with dessert and I had the lemon cake. It was divine. I’d go back just for that.
To top it off, our server, Brittany was fantastic. It was a slower night but she want over bearing. We didn’t feel rushed and the meal was spaced perfectly. Go give it a try!

Met a great friend for dinner and had an amazing waitress Britney! Food was savory with amazing taste. I highly recommend the lemoncello dessert regardless of you like for lemon! Great ambiance and perfect midpoint between Tampa and Orlando!

Enchanting restaurant in an old Florida home. We really enjoyed our visit and hope to come back soon.
We started with baked brie, orange honey and almonds. I’d never tried quite this combination, but it works really well.
We enjoyed a bottle of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc (I think it was Noble Ito) served with the appetizer, surprisingly reasonable and, sadly, unavailable hereabouts retail. I think it was one of the nicest SB’s we’ve enjoyed.
My wife enjoyed a roast duck-​breast special. Duck. Breast. Lakeland. Those words do not happen often in the same sentence with «Lakeland.» It was beautiful, with a hint of smoke floating over the rich duck breast. Oh my. Sad that the potatoes were just tepid. Our server passed it off as the last mix-​in of sour cream. IDK, it doesn’t happen at home. Sauteed green beans were nicely done.
I had the menu pumpkin ravioli with wild mushrooms and truffle oil & butter. I liked that the truffle oil was not over the top, that the mushrooms were nicely braised, contrasting the sweetness of the pumpkin ravioli. I might have liked the pumpkin a little less sweet, not sure if the chef went a little heavy on the sugar or if it was just a really sweet pumpkin. On balance, it was over-​sweet to my taste, loved the mushrooms, thanks for not too much truffle flavor.
Most entrees were at the upper end of «moderate,» but I consider the menu to be well-​priced for both appetizers and entrees.
We splurged for a beautiful pecan pie at the end; it was our anniversary.
Overall, this was great food, great service, and a terrific meal.

Had date night with my wife there on a Wednesday night. Absolutely outstanding! Although the initial greeting was a little aloof everything from that point on was wonderful. Our waiter Sam was knowledgeable and efficient. Ordered the baked Brie, which was excellent as an appetizer. I had veal with peas in a luscious cream sauce, my wife the crab stuffed orange ruffey. I would definitely recommend this place and have already raved to my friends about it. Can’t wait to return. Chef T is a true Lakeland gem.

This place is the most consistently amazing food in Lakeland. The quaint atmosphere is perfect for a quite date night where you can actually talk! I’ve never had a bad meal here. The wine list is wonderful as well. Our server Sam is amazing too!

First time at Chef T’s and it did not dissapoint. The atmosphere has an outdated style, but feels quaint and inviting. The service was good, although not excellent. The wine list was decent, but there were not many choices to purchase by the glass.
The food was excellent for the price. My wife had the basil ravioli which was above average and reasonably priced. I had the Chicken San Pretonio. The chicken was really good. The sauce was flavorful but not overly rich, and the dish arrived nice and hot. My only complaint would be the green beans left much to be desired. They lacked crunch and color.
Overall Chef T’s was a nice surprise. It is certainly off the beaten path, and for the price it made a really nice date night. With an ever changing menu, we will certainly be back.

Really great choice in Lakeland. Chef T handmakes each and every dish. Its hard to find places locally that stand out against the chains. Make a reservation because seating is limited. Food was very good! Atmosphere was quant and romantic. Live music was played softly in the background adding entertainment without being over powering. Its a great choice for a date or a nice evening out!

Got the Chicken San Pretonio. Incredible dish. Served hot and with just the right amount of seasoning!!! Portions are good for quality and price. Pecan pie for dessert was perfect. This is such a great restaurant where one would never expect to find one. The atmosphere is so relaxing and cozy. Service is above average. Will be back for sure!

This is a wonderful restaurant! I’ve never had a bad meal here! Service & food consistently excellent.

Had dinner there last night and it was great.

We have been to Chef’s SO many times and the food is always consistently GREAT! From start to finish 5Stars. In our opinion the olny 5, Star dining in Lakela or Polk County. servicevis always abovevpar as well.
We enjoyed this placevso much we held our wedding and reception here in 2010!!!

Not sure why a 5-​star restaurant (the only one in lakeland, apparently) would serve creamer in those diner mini cups and butter wrapped in foil. It’s all about the details.
We also had a 6:30 reset and were told they were already out of crab cakes. At 6:30. With no one in the restaurant but us.
The food was ok.

Absolutely FANTASTIC!!!
Made reservations for my wife and I on Friday morning. We got the last table. Had never been here before and we were very impressed.
Loved the cobalt blue water glasses. Bread was hot and crusty French and an absolutely fabulous Kalamata olive and Feta bread. Awesome.
We shared a very good French onion soup that was tremendous. Some places serve a broth with onions. This was a nice crock of hearty consistency, a still-​crispy croûton and a good amount of perfectly toasted cheese. Easily the best I have ever had.
House salad was good, tomatoes were fresh. Balsamic dressing was tangy and not over-​applied. Mixed greens. We both enjoyed it.
The main courses were FABULOUS. Chicken Marsala and Chicken San Pretonio. Starch of the day was mashed potatoes with green onions and cheese. Vegetable was a nice serving of petite green beans. Quite probably some of the best food I’ve had in Lakeland, and farther. Both entrees were flavorful and well seasoned. My wife added a bit of salt to hers, but she’s a salt addict… Large portion of mushrooms with the Marsala. EXCELLENT.
While we thought we were too full for dessert, reviews spoke of the Key Lime pie. We shared a piece and it was easily the best I have ever had. Server said it was entirely homemade. It was thick and rich with homemade whipped cream and a bit of raspberry sauce and a couple raspberries on the side. Fantastic.
We will be going back soon, every time I can come up with a reason to celebrate.