The Back Porch Restaurant — Restaurant in Auburndale

The gluten free bread isn't fit to use as bird food. It's so dry and tasteless it's inedible even with loads of mayo. With all the wonderful gluten free breads on the market I don't understand why they can't choose one that tastes good, is moist, and enjoyable to eat. Most are kept in the freezer section so the excuse, that I've heard from other places, that it goes bad too fast isn't going to fly.

I cannot eat dairy so wrote on my menu order to please put two packs of mayo on the side instead of the horseradish sauce that comes with the roast beef sandwich and my request was completely ignored. I had to go find someone to get a couple of packs of mayo and it wasn't easy because they seemed to have all disappeared. The wait staff seem surly and don't seem to like working there so it makes it seem like you're really bothering them when you need something after they drop off your box of lunch.

My next hurdle was finding something decaf to drink. Last time I ate there they had herbal tea inside, and actually told me they always have a decaf herbal tea option available ... well not anymore I guess. I kept getting offered decaf coffee, but just wanted some herbal iced tea. I ended up with water.

By the time I got my mayo on my sandwich and an ice water the two other people eating with me had finished their meal and I had to eat alone.

The amount of roast beef on the sandwich was very meager.

I try to support local businesses, but this place charges quite a bit for not much. I'd much rather eat at home, or somewhere else, which I'm sure they would appreciate since they seem to be annoyed by having to deal...

My wife got wind of this place through a connection in the business of decorating condos. She recommended it so we thought it would be a fun place to try with friends.

It's definitely an older business, having been started in 1969 by the current owner/operator who is in the family. It's built quite a following of loyal customers, as we found out from some of the other patrons that day.

It's known as a place to get together and have a box lunch, with various offerings, different types of libations and an outdoor dining option. Here you can sit on an outside deck near a pond watching turtles (and other critters) swimming.

There are also multiple buildings here that offer opportunities to shop for clothing, home decor, knick knacks, garden decor and many other things. It is a pleasant little drive into the area as well, with some country flare.

The food and environment satisfy the urge to get out of the city and see the sights in a rural environment. It also provides a great place to step back in time and see a Florida that doesn't exist in many places anymore.

The food was satisfying overall. I would consider it good and for the price of less than $10 per person, it was definitely a good bargain. You eat here for the environment as a throwback into historical culture and to experience life the way it probably should be sometimes. When you're done, you can then go and find some new things for yourself, your home or your garden.

It's an entire package. Make a day of it and spend some time here. Especially with...

We had high hopes for this place, based on the reviews. Unfortunately our experience wasn’t great. They have an interesting concept of filling out the menu and then paying at the register. They bring your food in a picnic basket. Drinks are self-serve. The service was fine, though nobody came back to our table to inquire if we needed anything. The portions are very small. I had the croissant ham sandwich and there were only two pieces of paper-thin ham provided along with a slice of cheese and lettuce. It was mostly bread and not much flavor. Their pea soup was very tasty, but you only get a half-filled small paper cup of it. The pasta salad was very bland, having almost no sauce in it. Their flagship dessert is a strawberry cake that had no sign whatsoever of strawberries visible. I took a bite and no strawberry flavor. My last bite had a piece of strawberry that I spat out and saw was very brown. At this point I just hope we don’t get sick. My husband’s meal was a bit better. He had a chicken wrap that he gave me some bites of and it actually had meat in it. His pasta salad was different from mine but needed quite a bit of salt to release any flavor. His experience with the soup and dessert was identical to mine. I tried to get a Coke but there was no fizz. I’m hoping that perhaps our experience was just an unfortunate fluke, but not sure if I want to risk trying it again, especially since the chairs were quite uncomfortable. Lots of good reviews here, so perhaps your experience will be better...