Old Man Frank’s

Great atmosphere and location right on the water! We stopped in for lunch while vacationing in the area and had a good meal. Service was a bit slow but it seemed like they only had one server who was trying her best. We ordered raw oysters, Frank’s oysters (with cheese and buffalo sauce), Mac and cheese bites, and wings. The oysters were huge and refreshing, although not the most flavorful. Everything we ordered was as it should be, Mac and cheese bites were tasty and the wings were fine. Definitely a great place to come for a drink and some oysters.

This was probably one of the worst restaurant experiences I have ever had. I was there with a group of four on a slow sunday afternoon. The service was so bad that we laugh about it now, but we all left pretty ticked off that we gave that place our money. The waitress was either a nasty person in general or having the worst day of her life and shouldn’t of been at work. She was rude, slow, and unhelpful to say the least. When we first got there we sat ourselves at a table by the bar area and we became the second table there. After about 15 mins of waiting my friend just kinda made eye contact with the waiter and waved his hand slightly to get her attention. She then yelled across the room at us that we just needed to wait cause she was the only server and very busy. (She was standing behind the bar talking to another server and bartender). When we did get her service we all ordered wings (which ended up tasting like microwaved wings from a bag) and when she brought them to our table we asked which basket was which flavor? Her reply, «I don’t know, you try em’» and then she proceeded to stomp off like we were dumb for asking her such a question. The fries and tater tots we ordered also had to be frozen before being thrown into a broiler for 10 mins because they were burnt to heck on the outside and frozen on the inside. Everything in the building looked gross and all the food was bad. Like everyone in that place had to put in a lot of effort to be that horrible across the board. I think it goes without saying that none of us will ever go back no matter how cheap the alcohol is and any time someone ask me about this place I warn them to stay far far way. Go to Gators Dockside or Idle Zone, same types of places and an immensely better experience!

Another Unilocal!find. If you want to go to a place where locals go, eat on the water, and you love oysters, THIS IS YOUR PLACE! They have oysters raw, steamed, broiled with parmesan and Buffalo chicken sauce and broiled with herb butter. Actually, for local charm, it’s a great place. We tried raw and Frank’s style (parmesan and Buffalo sauce). The raw oysters, while fresh and large, are just ok. I often find the large oysters lacking a bit in flavor. The Frank’s oysters were disappointing. But hey, I enjoyed them just the same … they’re oysters for goodness sake! For a good ol’ time, get a bucket of brews and a couple dozen oysters and life is good. Really.

We ordered a dozen oysters, they only brought us 8 because they said these ones they got in are bigger and they can’t fit 12 on the plate but they still charged us the full price. I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich and the chicken came out ice cold. I sent it back and they brought me a new sandwich with a piece of boiled chicken on it. I could only eat 2 bites.

WOW! Franks is Awesome. Not being from the area, I initially learned of OMF’S VIA
(awesome website). On Saturday, Nov.14, 2015, my German Shepherd and I decided we’d like to have lunch on the deck so I called ahead to confirm that Dogs were in fact welcome. They are.
We got there shortly after 1pm and it was quite packed inside and out. We navigated our way to the empty outer deck/​tables with the guidance of some kind patrons at the bar. All the way through, all eyes and SMILES were on my DOG.
We sat and waited and waited about 30 – 40 minutes while enjoying Judas Priest, Primus and other BADASS ROCK! LOVE IT!!!
Sadly, we never even got to have a glass/​bowl of water because they were under staffed (only one server). I was certainly disappointed BUT, I have a great amount of empathy for anyone in such a predicament, especially to no fault of her own.
We’re gonna go back on a week day when the weather gets warm again! MAHI-​MAHI for me, PLAIN CHEESE BURGER FOR HIM. I can’t wait!

Awesome place! Oysters are fantastic but get there early they will run out, so are the wings (I recommend hot), beers are cheap. Go for the bucket, they let you mix and match different beers. Band is awesome on Sunday nights.

Love this place! Wednesday 1.00 tacos, live music on Sundays, greatest sunsets on the water, very relaxed. Billiards inside, great deck outside and if you need to arrive by boat, no problem.

Perfect small town Florida dive bar! Love it, great jukebox, live music and fresh oysters! No frills, no fuss.

5^th time here for the oysters. They always taste as good as the last. Great atmosphere on the water. Beer is ice cold. Don’t forget your beer coozy if sitting outside though.

Fine

Great lakeside dive bar. Super casual. The best oysters! Sometimes there’s only a couple people working so give them time. The oysters are worth it. Also the boiled peanuts are spicy and delicious. And the fried pickles! Everyone in there was super friendly but we had also had a few which is how you should show up to old man franks. Grab your friends order a beer or 3 and get 6 raw and 6 steamed oysters. It is heaven.

I HAVE NEVER FELT SO UNWELCOME… EVER! I walked onto the back area of the restaurant and saw that there was plates of wings, oysters and beers on almost all of the tables with birds having their picking at the food. After waiting for 10 minutes the bartender/​waiter/​outside host/​inside waiter asked very abruptly what we wanted with no greeting and only 1 of the 3 people in the group ordered before he stopped, walked inside to place order then left for another 10 minutes. We received the beers and 1 dozen oysters, which were amazing. As he gave us the food and beers he proceeded to slam them down and slide us the crackers, we all felt the hate and from then on it was the worst service I have ever had, and felt hated! I am from the country and love outdoors and seafood but this experience ruined the atmosphere, the food and my night. We all 3 were able to finally order after 20 minutes of waiting and feeling like outsiders. I would have walked out of that place if I did not have a bite of oysters. I even left a tip for shucking the oysters but I have never felt so unwelcome and never have had all plates of our food thrown at us… this is our last time there… we can find the view from a different lake.

5^th year coming down for Matt Russ baseball tournament in March. This place is right near Chain of Lakes Stadium. If you’re looking for a great place on the water, this place is awesome. Relaxing, laid back, great view. A beat-​up roadhouse, nothing fancy, but full of character. Occasional live music. Full of local characters. Service a little slow, but hey, you’re on vacation — what’s the hurry?

Right on the water with a great view, rustic and very much a dive bar, but clean. Like most other bars in Polk County, you can smoke inside which sucks for me… but if it’s not too hot you can sit on the outside half of the bar on rickety stools in what feels like a plywood shanty… which is awesome. My husband loves the oysters which you can order by the bucket and get either raw or steamed. They have decent salads and wings too. All in all its a great place to hang out and soak up the local atmosphere. If you love dive bars with decent food this place is for you!

The view is beautiful of Lake Howard. The beers were ice cold. The food was delicious. We had the cheese burger, oysters, fish sandwich and the craw fish. Everyone was very satisfied! On Sundays they have live music. The prices were reasonable. Definitely a great place to go!

Tell me you’re not interested in sitting on a rickety bar stool in between a giant man with a titanium leg and a man with more fingers than he has teeth. Tell me you don’t want to listen to Usher while watching a woman who very well may be your grandma hot-​step to it while guzzling a Bud Light.
Can you deny the dumpy and half-​naked drunk girls falling over themselves while playing pool? How about the guy in the knockoff Affliction shirt staring at their butts? You don’t wanna be friends with him?
You sayin’ no to a bartender who doesn’t know fancy drinks but will pour you a heavy-​handed drink with little to no mixer for a VERY reasonable price?
Just sayin’. This bar is my idea of heaven. Sure, it’s a trek. But if you ever find yourself in Polk County, go here
Yes, I did shoot a gun shortly after drinking here. It’s the Polk County way. UHMERICA!

Fun little dive bar with super friendly staff. The beer choice is minimal but fairly priced and the full bar is a lot of fun — they’ll make you anything you’d like. I was not impressed by the shrimp but I was not expecting much. I really liked the laid back atmosphere and the cheap beer.