Looking for a great burger for National Hamburger Day? Here are some Polk County favorites

Paul Catala
·6 min read

LAKELAND – National Hamburger Day is Tuesday, and every locality across the United States has its favorite places to grab a burger.

Polk County is no different. We've got a lot.

No judgment from us if you prefer getting your burgers from a favorite fast-food or chain restaurant. But there are tons of great locally owned places to dig into a juicy burger across the county.

Here's a sample of several that deserve a trip to check out.

S&L Restaurant

2815 S. Combee Road, Lakeland

S&L Restaurant on Combee Road in Lakeland has been a favorite for burgers since 1983. The staff says it's a combination of the meat they use and their tried-and-true grill.
S&L Restaurant on Combee Road in Lakeland has been a favorite for burgers since 1983. The staff says it's a combination of the meat they use and their tried-and-true grill.

Since 1983, S&L has become a popular stop for breakfast and lunch, a sort of dining destination for those who venture just north of busy Bartow Road. For lunch, burgers rule, said Manager Hanna Radatz. She said it’s the combination of the meat they use and tried-and-true grill. She said S&L is very choosy in what kind of beef is used for burgers, which include the regular hamburger ($5.25) and cheeseburger ($5.75) to their specialty burgers, which vary. One consists of pepperjack cheese, boom sauce, jalapenos and bacon. Their signature “Juicy Lucy” is stuffed with cheese, and their “Smash Burger” is two smash patties with banana peppers and provolone cheese. Along with French fries, specialty burgers average $8.25. Radatz notes S&L’s polite, attentive servers as a draw to the hamburgers. “I know people talk about them a lot; I have a lot of customers who speak very highly of us,” she said.

Adler's

543 Ave. B SW, Winter Haven, and 113 Ambersweet Way, Davenport

Adler's, with locations in Davenport and Winter Haven, has a variety of original burgers to try. The staff says they never use frozen beef, and bread and buns are delivered fresh five days a week.
Adler's, with locations in Davenport and Winter Haven, has a variety of original burgers to try. The staff says they never use frozen beef, and bread and buns are delivered fresh five days a week.

What started as a food truck in Davenport run by Wade and Jacki Walston evolved into a proper, popular 1,600-square-foot burger restaurant by 2016. Adler's now has two locations: the original brick-and-mortar in Davenport and its newer downtown Winter Haven restaurant. Wade said Adler’s never uses frozen beef, and bread and buns are delivered fresh five days a week. Adler’s sells standard burgers for $9, combos for $14 with hand-cut French fries and craft soda. Their specialty burgers include the “Twitty” with caramelized pineapple, bacon and cheese; the “Bad Hombre” with grilled whiskey onions, jalapenos and cheese; and the Italian with lettuce, tomato, onions, salami, mozzarella and pesto aioli. “We don’t overcomplicate it. The hamburger is an American classic, you got to let it do its thing.”

The Port Steak & Seafood

16000 Lake Hatchineha Road, Haines City

The Port Steak & Seafood Restaurant way out on the waterfront on Lake Hatchineha says everything is hand-cut, nothing pre-packaged and nothing transported in from vendors. They baste the meat in their own brazing sauce before it's served.
The Port Steak & Seafood Restaurant way out on the waterfront on Lake Hatchineha says everything is hand-cut, nothing pre-packaged and nothing transported in from vendors. They baste the meat in their own brazing sauce before it's served.

Owner Lisa Tobey said it’s the grill-to-the-plate freshness that makes The Port’s burgers stand out. She said everything is hand-cut, nothing is pre-packaged, and nothing transported in from vendors. Burgers with fries and coleslaw are $12 for a half-pound angus burger, $13 for a cheeseburger or a mushroom Swiss burger, and $14 for a bacon cheeseburger. “And we make our own brazing sauce with garlic butter and chardonnay wine; we baste the meat in that before it’s served.”

Andy’s Igloo

703 3rd St. SW, Winter Haven

Andy's Igloo has been a local institution since 1951. It serves scrumpcious, back-to-the-basics burgers that don't hurt the wallet.
Andy's Igloo has been a local institution since 1951. It serves scrumpcious, back-to-the-basics burgers that don't hurt the wallet.

Since 1951, Andy’s Igloo has been the cool place to go for simply delicious hamburgers. The restaurant has been successful with its reasonable back-to-basics burgers that include a regular burger for $3.75, basket with fries and slaw, $5.95; quarter-pound Super Burger for $4.75, basket $6.95; a half-pound burger for $6.45, basket $8.95, with bacon for $2.50, grilled mushrooms for 95 cents and cheese for 45 cents.

Mike’s Drive-In

1055 U.S. 17 S., Bartow

The famous “Yellowjacket” with all the fixings at Mike's Drive-In in Bartow.
The famous “Yellowjacket” with all the fixings at Mike's Drive-In in Bartow.

Since 1970, Mike’s Drive-In has held onto the popular burger drive-in image of the 1960s – no frills, straight-up and consistent. Mike’s Vice President Bill Roussos has been there since 1991 and said it’s the freshness and creativity that has kept customers driving in. The 15-employee restaurant is known as the site for classic car shows, and Roussos has come up with burgers for the event, such as the “Ford Mustang” with all with Portobello mushrooms, rib ground beef and cheese, and the “Chevy Stingray,” Texas toast with mayonnaise, grilled onions, cheese and short-rib ground beef. There’s also the famous “Yellowjacket” with all the fixings for $13. A standard Mike’s hamburger or cheeseburger is $10 , which comes with French fries and coleslaw. “Everything’s fresh. All the toppings are fresh, there’s nothing frozen,” Roussos said. “There’s also a lot of love that me and my other cooks put into the orders. I actually pray while I’m cooking.”

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Lake Wales Family Restaurant

109 State Road 60, Lake Wales

Since 2001, Lake Wales Family Restaurant, a classic roadside eatery that was originally a Sambo’s diner, has featured an array of filling hamburgers.
Since 2001, Lake Wales Family Restaurant, a classic roadside eatery that was originally a Sambo’s diner, has featured an array of filling hamburgers.

Since 2001, this classic roadside restaurant, which was originally a Sambo’s diner, has featured an array of filling hamburgers, including the standard with mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle for $9; the Bacon Cheeseburger, $9.60; the Texas Cheeseburger with American cheese, bacon, barbecue sauce and onion rings for $9.80; a Frisco Burger on rye bread, bacon and Swiss cheese for $9.50; the Mushroom Swiss Burger for $9.80; the Patty Melt with sauteed onions, rye bread and Swiss cheese for $9.50; a Naked Burger, a beef patty with a tossed salad for $10; and the Avocado Burger for $10.50.

Burgers & Brew

2905 Duff Road, Lakeland

Opened in 2016, Burgers & Brew’s name says it all. The restaurant features 12 different burgers with their own twists. Those include: the 716 Classic Burger, $9.95; the Black and Bleu Burger with bleu marble jack cheese and cheese crumbles, $11.50; a Breakfast Burger with egg, bacon and grilled onions, $11.75; a “Pittsburger,” provolone cheese, French fries, coleslaw, tomato and mayonnaise, $12.95; a Stinger Burger with Buffalo chicken fingers, provolone cheese and bleu cheese crumbles, $14.75; and a Quesadilla Burger with shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream, tomato, onion and jalapenos, $13.95.

The Burger G.O.A.T

413 N. 12th St., Haines City

You’ll have to save a spot on your calendar for The Burger G.O.A.T., since it’s only open Thursday noon to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday noon to 11 p.m. and Sunday noon to 8 p.m. But when you do go, look for “The Generous” triple-meat burger topped with egg, cheese, bacon, caramelized onions and “secret sauce.” There are also the burger meals with fries and a drink — “Tasty Triple” for $17.99, the “Delicious Double” $16.99 and the “Signature Single” for $15.99. “Overall, the burger was too damn good, will order from here again for sure,” a recent customer wrote in an online review.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Polk County has no shortage of great burger joints. Here are some favs