We stopped for lunch at this family owned restaurant. It's a cross between a diner and a luncheonette, but bigger inside. There are both booths and tables. Every time we have passed this place in the past, there's always been a full lot of cars. Last time, I bookmarked it for a future visit. Today was the day. It was seat yourself which we did. Our friendly server brought menus and later drinks while we decided what to order. They had a couple specials on the board -- fried shrimp and catfish. Along with two other veggies of the day and a couple pies available. My husband decided to order liver and onion with his choice of two sides of mashed potatoes and gravy and apple sauce. His mother used to make this. I don't cook liver, so when he sees it on a menu he gets it. He said it was excellent. One of the reviews I'd read mentioned liking a patty melt. As I had not had one of those in years, it sounded appealing. I got mine without onions. The cheeseburger was perfectly cooked with two different cheeses between fried rye bread. A tad greasy, but delicious. I chose mashed potatoes instead of fries. The brown gravy was hot and went well with the potatoes. For dessert, we shared a slice of coconut cream pie. A little bit artificial, but just enough sweetness to satisfy. Between home style food, decent prices, and very nice staff, we decided we'd definitely be coming here again in the future. read more

See all

A delightful lunch stop on the way to Tampa today. Friendly people and fast service. A variety of items and specials to choose. I ordered the Liver and onions, which came with mashed potatoes and gravy and my choice of apple sauce. This was delicious! Just like Mom used to make! My wife and I shared a slice of Coconut cream for dessert, also wonderful. Making this a repeated stop when traveling this way again! read more

See all

Passing through and made it in time to get the Prime rib. Delicious! Service was good as well.

After being on a cruise for 15 days, this touch of home cooking was exactly what we needed as we were crossing from Tampa back over north Hutchinson Island- nothing fancy just no-frills good service and great food for the money! The special was fresh grilled shrimp, blackened or fried or catfish fillets and we tried both! The chopsteak was also amazing. The original star was the onion rings, thin batter and delicious.! if you're coming across 60 and Pass, you may want to turn around if you're hungry cause it's gonna be a while until you find anything this good! read more

Ate here today ! Stephanie was our server! Very attentive! Asked if we saw the board with daily special we said no ! She explained specials for today! My girlfriend and I had the patty melt with fries ! Flavor was good. ! We both would come here again if in area! read more

See all

Great homemade food. Everything was fresh. Service was excellent. Plenty of seating. Restaurant was clean. Great place with reasonable prices and delicious meals. This is where the locals go! Give it a try. You won't be disappointed. read more

I love out of the way private places and this one has been around for decades so off I went. You'll find it on Route 60 if you are blowing through Lake Wales but to hell and gone east from the main part of town. Atmosphere- It's a big rectangular box divided into a restaurant and a bar & lounge. The restaurant side has quite a few booths and tons of four-top tables. The décor is sparse and has that Old Florida feel. Everything is spotless. Adult Libations- Full bar with all the basics. Nothing fancy. You're drinking here because you feel the need for some alcohol, not a trendy IPA or specialty drink. Food- The menu is a two-sided laminated sheet of American comfort food. You'll recognize everything there. I went with the hamburger steak dinner and I could choose two sides from a long list. I went with a garden salad and mashed potatoes and it cost me $9. Pro-tip #1- This place is legendary for their Friday night prime rib. Folks line up for it starting at 4 pm. Pro tip #2- The have decent Wi-Fi but you'll need to ask for the password. I'd tell you but then I'd need to kill you! My small salad came out quickly. It was very fresh but also very plain. All iceberg lettuce. My mother would have made this salad fifty years ago. My entrée came out in good time. The accompanying roll was warm and came with a tub of mystery spread which I detest. I'm a real butter kind of guy. The bowl of mashed potatoes was enormous and enough for two. The gravy was weird. The consistency was off, and it was fatty and flavorless. The next time I'd go for fries. The hamburger steak was moist and flavorful and covered in perfectly cooked fried onions. Except for the gravy this was a fine meal for the price. Customer Service- Beyond exceptional! I had the daughter from a mother-daughter team. She was on the ball and cute and incredibly sincere. I couldn't have asked for anything more. If you are looking for nothing fancy comfort food along with an adult libation, this place will definitely meet your needs. I'll be back to try the prime rib. I'd go 3.5 stars but I'm rounding up because of the awesome customer service! read more

Jay Bees - Fresh but otherwise very plain. - American Near Me - Lake Wales, Florida

See all

Now I see why this restaurant is always busy. Delicious food and waitresses are very helpful and friendly. Definitely recommend the great Cheeseburger and fries. Looking forward to going back to try their home made pies. read more

The food is always delicious especially the specials and the service is absolutely fantastic and professional in every aspect. I actually wish they were located in or closer to Winter Haven. But it's still worth the drive. 10 out of 10. read more

I drove by Jay Bees for nearly 3 years at work before one of my coworkers said "you've gotta try it, it's great." I arrived shortly after they opened and was able to be seated right away (which the host was more than willing to seat me where I could see my work truck, I have hazardous chemicals on board so I have to keep eyes on it.) Before I could even begin looking at the menu I was offered a drink and told about specials. I was interested in several things on the menu but ultimately played it safe with a burger and fries. My food came out in about 10 minutes hot and fresh. My server checked in with me frequently to be sure I was satisfied. The only problem I had was the server was not educated on common food allergens and cross contamination issues. That was part of the reason I decided on just a burger. Overall I enjoyed my meal and will likely visit again. read more

Great Patty Melt. Service very good too. I watched as other food went by and everything looked delicious. We stopped because the parking lot was full and very happy we did! read more

Very good food and great atmosphere. had spaghetti and the side salad was also very good and fresh definitely recommend this place

Service and food were very good .. limited on hours they are opened .. plenty of parking .. easy access..

First time trying. Not disappointed at all. The food was all good! We had the steak & loaded baked potato. Sooooo good! And also the Liver and Onions with mashed potatoes and gravy. This is the way you make liver. (My momma would be so proud) will definitely be back to! UPDATE: Had dinner last night, parking lot was packed! Full house HOWEVER we still got seated, served and out in such a timely manner! They clear the table constantly which is nice! Food was so good & comforting. We really like this place! read more

See all

Awesome little restaurant. Decent prices. All food made to order. None of that premade processed food. Clean restaurant. Friendly staff. Recommend read more

See all

First ask for Stacey she is 5 Star server. This is your typical Mom and Pop style restaurant with the menu items reflecting the surrounding area and people. Daily Specials are always 5 star. The only reason gave a 4 star seems to have different cooks that don't put the care in the food like they use to. You won't leave hungry. My favorite Southshore Patty Melt. Plenty of parking including bus, motorhome and semi. Worth the stop. read more

Based on other reviews we were expecting something noteworthy but this is just a diner with diner food. It was all good, don't get me wrong, but typical of any average diner. I had the liver and onions which is one of my favorites. The liver was great and piled high with grilled onions. The salad side was tiney and the dressing was unimpressive. The baked potato had slivers of tin foil in it so I tossed most of the inside to be safe. My husband had the patty melt and he was satisfied that it was cooked to his liking. Both of our drinks were extremely syrupy. I think something needs to be adjusted on their fountain. The whole place was clean, but very loud. All of the servers were long faced and unfriendly. There is definitely room for improvement. read more

Jay Bees - Patty melt - American Near Me - Lake Wales, Florida

See all

I don't know if I hit on an off day but the worst service ever sat there for 15 minutes no one came called no one answered the phone I was going to order to go nothing no one answered he phone :-) when there's three waitresses standing there talking to each other one of them help me after I say something to them. Only restaurant around. Never again. read more

If you get the chance to eat a Jay Bees, do it! Everything is great, but be sure to try the fried green beans! You won't regret it!

Food is delicious and service is spot on. Very clean and neat. We try to stop there on our way across the state.

Excellent spot off the SR-60. Stopped by here with a co-worker on our back back to Tampa from Okeechobee. Had a Rib Eye Steak burger and fries. Delicious dish and excellent customer service. Food came out fast too. Highly recommend. read more

Excellent lunch! This is the place you wish was in every town you're in. Service was quick and the staff was really nice. The food was hotter than heck and fries were crispy. Will definitely stop by again on our way through. read more

Great spot for lunch. Very clean and great service. We had the fried green beans, mozzarella sticks and wings for appetizers. We had burgers, a chicken sandwich and steak sandwiches for lunch course all one better than the other. This true lunchtime oasis on Hwy 60! read more

We stopped in for lunch and had a fantastic meal. The service was friendly and quick. Three of us had the bacon cheeseburgers, which was cooked to perfection; one had the patty melt, which was absolutely delicious. I highly recommend this little place. Order the sweet tea!! read more

Heart of the Trump Coalition. Excellent food. A great stop getting west to Tampa. Highly recommend the Hog Hunt next door.

Just mediocre . Sorry. Been there three or four times. People are nice enough but I can't rave about the food. It's decent . If Lake wales family restaurant wasn't just down the road I might stop here. Otherwise, no. read more

Ok I'm gonna give some road trip advice. Whenever you're driving and have 2+ hours until you reach your destination and you're in the middle of no where you see a restaurant that's crowded STOP. Think of it this way if you look around and wonder what options they have to shop or go out to eat and you come up empty it means going out to eat marks an occasion not just trying to be seen or try the best _______ like anyone from a metropolitan does. I had a delicious meal for a small price. We all got seafood. The kid had blackened "grouper" I had fried "grouper" and my mom had shrimp. The meals came with 2 sides and hush puppies. So good. The total price $45 with a 25% tip. The table next to us had gotten married earlier in the day and came here to celebrate. That means something. If you're ever passing through stop. read more

Jay Bees - My "grouper", which is substituted with another fish. - American Near Me - Lake Wales, Florida

See all

On Friday, the Cat fish is great. Other menu ideas have always been good.CatfishLiver and Onions

En route to Tampa on Highway 60 west, the dining choices are limited. One could brave The Desert Inn; it advertises good food & cold beer, but I can't help thinking how much it reminds me of a slasher-film movie location. I really can picture serial rapists holding an annual convention there. Next up is Jay Bees. I can't compare it to the original Jay Bees since that one burned down in '99, so were talking about Jay Bees 2.0. Would it have been safer to travel a bit further and just go to McDonalds? Probably, but where's the fun in that? Jay Bees looks a bit like a shit hole from the outside, (sorry) but inside its surprisingly clean and friendly. The bathroom was spotless; I actually enjoyed dropping a deuce in their freshly redecorated men's room. The food was inexpensive and tasted as it should - like decent diner fare. The turkey club was fresh and large, the bacon was crisp; the chili was far better than expected. It's not going to win any awards but it sure beats a can of Hormel or Wendy's finest. The best part was the waitstaff. Granted, the ladies all appeared to be recently paroled, but they were friendly and attentive; it was obvious they cared about their jobs. So, if you need to fill your belly and you want to give the corporate chains the bird, give Jay Bees 2.0 a nod - you won't go jumping for joy, but you will be pleasantly surprised. read more

Jay Bees - American Near Me - Lake Wales, Florida

Ok so everyone raves about this place; I really don't know why. We arrived at 3pm after a long ride and walked right in; usually this place is packed so come early or be prepared to wait. The sign said seat yourself so we took a booth that was near the back, first the table was sticky not a good sign but hey it happens. You have to remember your not going here for the atmosphere, it's kind of rugged with some cowboy pictures on the wall and very loud. Once in you'll find the typical paper napkin wrapped silverware that yes Dorothy could have looked cleaner; the waitress was slow to arrive and was all business (eg. no personality). The menu was mostly burgers and the entrees they did have we're not what we were looking forward to. When asked how many ounces the rib eye steak was the waitress said I don't know 10, 12 ounces well honestly I don't remember the price but it was in the 20's. Please put the ounces of you steak on the menu, this goes for all restaurants. So we ended up with a cheese sticks and wings appetizer, first someone ran by and dropped the cheese sticks, not a word about the wings, they were great far better than most restaurants, but wait where are the wings our waitress is busy snoozing with the cow folk. We ended up sharing the cheese stick figuring they forgot the wings and yes we were waiting for(you quested it the burger) and ten minutes later the wings we dropped on the way by with Someone else's meal in their hand now these are dry and crispy, kind of a biscuit crust on them, I was determined not to complain err I didn't have time to here comes the burgers right behind the wings. So here it is the (Lightsey's double burger) it's big enough but well done really well done, now part of that might be my fault because no one asked and I didn't state how I wanted it done. So here we are both sitting looking at a burger with two pieces of unmelted yellow cheese and a dry roll, not toasted dry just dry. The taste was actually better than I thought but Lightseys beef is always good. (Lightsey's has their own place in Okeechobee) . Wait where's the mayo well not on the burger and no one is anywhere to be found. (Mind you this place is only half full at this point). So I take some off my wife's and decide to just let it go. Getting thirsty by now and really tired of the obnoxiously loud cow folk yahooing behind us we try to get a refill of our drink, nope she won't look at us and we share what is left of mine. In conclusion if you want good cheese sticks a dry order of chicken wings and a burger with unmelted yellow cheese while being ignored by your server and listening to what could have been a rodeo in the surrounding area then this place is for you. read more

Always a must-visit when we are in the area. Great burgers and fries. The sweet potato fries are so delicious. The wait staff is friendly and attentive, and this place is always busy with cowboys, citrus families and other locals. read more

Jay Bees - American Near Me - Lake Wales, Florida

Good food nice staff. Thursday's are Philly sandwich. On the way out of Lake wales East.

Found this place on the way into Lake Wales. Nice family style place in S.R. 60 on the East end of Lake Wales. They have a ton of items on the menu, sure to satisfy any appetite. Friendly service and good wholesome food. read more

Just reopened when I arrived, expected they would have issues. Service and food was better than my anticipation. fresh and complete menu. Completely clean family dining, reasonable prices. Will definitely stop again. read more

Took a motorcycle ride there from Jupiter. Ordered the patty melt and it was pretty good. We had a group of 22 riders there but the staff did a great job. Fast and friendly. read more

Jay Bees - American Near Me - Lake Wales, Florida

What a great place to stop and grab lunch, great prices, and even better food, definitely a place to check out!!

Good food diner with fast service good food. Out in the middle of nowhere there aren't a lot of choices. This restaurant has home cooking. Food is ok. The food is comfort food. The staff is kind. There were cowboys there when we were there. I've been here 3 times. It was ok read more

Nice restaurant out on Hwy 60!! Soup was homemade and the blackened grouper was very tasty.

Simple and delicious. A quick stop for some good food with honest and real staff. Home-like atmosphere and zero complaints/issues. Not from the area, but a good place to stop on a road trip, that's for sure! read more

Jay Bees - American Near Me - Lake Wales, Florida

Was not impressed with the grouper salad. The fish was so salty, I couldn't eat it. Maybe should have tried a burger.