I Finally Made it to S&L Restaurant Before Closing

Six years ago, I arrived a few minutes late at S&L Restaurant (2915 S Combee Road) when I stayed in Lakeland, Florida. At the time, I didn’t realize that S&L Restaurant is a breakfast and lunch only spot.

I strolled right in and took the table nearest to the door. It was about time I ate an S&L burger.

Before I even ordered, I asked about the history of the name. The letters S&L come from its original owners, Skip and Lorraine. Now I can order in peace since that mystery is no more.

I ordered a Cheeseburger Special, which means my burger comes with fries. While I’m making some small talk with the two tables close to me, my beautiful baby arrives; no, I’m not talking about my wife. I was solo on this adventure.

A good-sized portion of crispy crinkle-cut fries comes on the same platter. The slab of beef made my mouth water when it arrived, but for some reason, the cheese wasn’t melted.

Old School Burger Beast

Non-melted cheese doesn’t bother me since I’ve been known to enjoy a sandwich with cold cheese slices on untoasted white bread. That’s been my go-to snack sandwich since I would sneak them when my grandmother was taking a shower.

The bread was a simple white squishy burger bun that did not have any structural integrity issues due to the size of the patty.

I ate my food using Burger Beast’s on-the-road burger eating routine. You start with a bite of the burger, then a couple of chews followed by a fry covered in ketchup—finally a slurp of your ice-cold soft drink to safely wash everything down.

Before I knew it, the food was all gone. I sized up the menu for my next visit, where the victim will be the Patty Melt.

Can’t wait!

S&L Restaurant Menu

S&L Restaurant Food Pictures

The Patty Melt Visit

The pandemic may have delayed my return visit to S&L Restaurant, but 20 months later, I’m back! The patty melt was everything I was hoping for. While it wasn’t a classic patty melt as it pertains to the cheese and bread, the bread was griddled. The excessive amount of grilled onions was awesome.

It was probably the thickest patty melt I’ve ever eaten too. The onion rings paired perfectly with it (onion overkill?), and I loved that boom boom sauce that came with the o-rings.

This S&L Patty Melt was definitely worth the wait.