The Chop Shop — Restaurant in Lakeland

Took my terminally ill husband out for a long overdue Saturday adventure. Always wanted to try this place but since we live 2 hours away it definitely had to be planned. We came to Lakeland for the Fancy Flea and was really looking forward to an awesome lunch. Walking in, the place was empty except 4 other tables of diners. Stood at the "please wait to be seated" sign when one of the waitresses walks by and with her back to us said something I couldn't hear. I asked what she said and her response "sit wherever you want..." while walking to the back. Ok...fine its whatever. Today the heat index was over 100. We had to park in the parking garage which isn't too far for most people but for me and my husband it was a bit of a struggle....we ended up waiting about 10 minutes to order drinks. Strange considering the woman who ended up serving us(the same one who told us to sit ourselves) was literally standing around. My husband got a coke I ordered a water...simply because I can't drink anything carbonated and a milkshake would have been too much for my stomach. The Pina Colada was tempting though. She came back what seemed to be a long time but maybe I was just really hot and thirsty...gives me a small cheap water cup. I asked if I could have the same size Styrofoam cup my husband had...simply because I really didn't want to bother her by refilling my cup several times. The question seemed to irritate her and she said "I'll have to find out how I'm supposed to ring that up..." My husband had a Patty Melt and I had the Fried Green Tomatoe BLT. Both sandwiches were absolutely delicious. The fries were fresh and well seasoned. The whole time there no other people came in except for an elderly man wanting to order take out which also seemed to annoy her. The rest of the meal went well and she did check on us a couple times and seemed to correct the attitude. Here's what really annoyed me...that measly cup of water? They had the nerve to charge $4 for it. She never told me that's what it would be or I would have said forget it. One would think when a restaurant is charging $38 for 2 sandwiches, and I do understand costs have gone up, that the least they can do is either give you water or maybe a nominal charge of like $1. It's sad really...I believe in honest reviews and the food is good but it's insulting to be charged for...

I've been a more than occasional, less than regular visitor to the Chop Shop for a long time now. So I feel like a regular anyway. So, while I do remember and greatly miss the chili dogs and potato skins, I still sit ravenously waiting for their burgers, wings and more.

I'm no longer a drinker myself, but I can recommend Chop Shop as a solid location for a variety of beer, not just domestic drafts. I've seen, on several occasions, the line form all the way to the door for their First Friday (each month) special on Chopper Cheeseburgers and, if you're reading this, I can vouche for their quality. I do, however, have a hard time pulling myself away from their wings. Or sauces in general. The wings are not shrinking around the Chop Shop, cooked perfectly every time and their Hot Buffalo sauce is their flagship. I really like to bolster it by having them blackened first. Blackened Buffalo, Blackened Barbecue and Buff-a-Cue are great combinations, but the Hot is where it's at for me. The onion rings are one of few that I enjoy as I'm not partial to them in the first place. So a little goes a long way for me and it's a nice break from the French fries, which are perfect shoe strings, but occasionally over-seasoned. Weird comment I know. I'm sorry. I'm just a potato guy is all. Still delicious. I'm going to keep ordering them.

The staff is very kind and hardworking, often splitting the room between two waitresses, backed by a bar tender. The gas station lights, sports memorabilia, license plates and all were not sourced in a modern day throwback attempt to be trendy or vintage, but accumulated here and there over time. It's the trendy vintage restaurant without the fuss. The atmosphere is come as you are and the food is delicious. I highly recommend...

I had the pleasure of calling the Chop Shop my “local” for a couple of weeks at the end of September, having dinner 6 or seven times. Loved the retro 50s/60s vibe with assorted tat on the walls and old movies on the screens dotted around the place. Sat at the bar and found the staff really friendly and attentive.

Home of the world famous Burgers That Rock…

That’s a pretty bold claim right there!!!

OK – I’ll bite…”In terms of the world, how far does it extend?” The answer - “Probably central Florida, maybe Florida”– so, a bit like winners of the Superbowl being World Champions then!

But hang on…I tried a different meal each time and in all cases it was as though Tina Turner was sat there pronouncing a verdict – Simply the Best!!!

There’s wizardry happening in the kitchen through the back.

The burger are juicy and big – when asked if I wanted anything else to go with the burger I replied “yes, a jaw which dislocates!”

Every meal was superb, you can’t go wrong with whatever you choose. And the fries…best seasoning I had anywhere! And in actual fact, I’d say these were the best burgers I had in my entire 5 weeks in the US.

Bought a couple of T Shirts which I wear with pride and let folks know of the mastery happening in Lakeland when it comes to burgers.

Burgers which rock – definitely - tick!

World famous? Should be!!! And world famous beyond Florida!!!

And if you get a chance and you like your burger, don’t forget to appreciate all the staff, and remember Nathan working through the back creating world famous too – out of sight isn’t...