This weeks adventure took us to downtown Lakeland, home to Palace Pizza and the Black and Brew and Harry’s. It’s a neat environment, clean and walker-friendly, and that’s where we found, The Gym. I’ve probably been past it a hundred times and never noticed it. Actually, maybe I did notice it and thought it was a gym. I’m not that smart. Anyway, the Gym is a sports bar, with plenty of TV’s and excellent viewing angles for watching (in this case) the tip-off of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. On to the reviews:

“I have been to The Gym many times, but never for wings. First of all I love the atmosphere. Its a very clean, t.v. infested sports bar. The staff is always pleasant and fun to just chat around with. The Gym is owned by Molly McHugh’s, and is located directly across from it in downtown Lakeland. I ordered 10 hot wings, which the waitress told us weren’t hot enough. She was brutally honest, but very accurate. The wings themselves were alright. They had a good flavor, consisting of more sweetness than heat. I was definitely disappointed in the size of
the wing, but its hard to find a good sized wing once you’ve been to Decisions. I’d give them 2 stars out of 5 and I’d definitely go back…but probably not solely for wing consumption.”
–Mike

“The Gym in downtown Lakeland provided decent wings in an excellent environment. The service was relaxed and slow but very friendly and honest. The chicken wings were not hot at all here. I sampled the blackened wings as well as the hot wings. We watched the tip off of the NCAA basketball tournament on several of the TVs that surround the room, including two big screens in the front. They offer sidewalk dinning — great for people watching in Lakeland’s bustling downtown. The blackened wings were quite good. They reminded me of grandma’s home-style fried chicken. They may have even used some Old Bay seasoning on them. The standard hot wings were nothing to write about. I’d surely go back, but probably stick with the blackened wings, and avoid the sweet tea and curly fries. As with all downtown eats, good luck with parking on weekdays at lunchtime.”
–Steve

“I’ve been a semi-regular at The Gym since my college days. I started coming here when I “outgrew” the Kau’s life and wanted to just relax and have a drink, rather than get swarmed by 1,382 intoxicated college freshmen.

Many a night I’ve dined on their loaded fries while watching a game and enjoying a brew, but until today I had never sampled their wings.

Let me start with the things that were better than average: Cleanliness of the establishment. TV-to-table ratio. Openness and ample seating. Attentive, friendly, TRUTHFUL waitstaff.

The waitress was dead-honest… steering us clear of the opened 2-liter bottles of Nestea they pawned off as “sweet tea” in your glass and warning us about the mildness of the “hot” wings. Points for that. Those are really all the great things I can say about today’s experience.

I ordered 10 “Blackened” wings, and sampled a few of the “hot” wings. Neither were truly up to my ever-rising standards. The “Blackened” wings (Yes, I just lifted my hands from the keyboard to use air quotes) were not really blackened at all… merely a dry-rub concoction of possibly Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, Old Bay, and Garlic Powder. Again, I stress these wings weren’t black at all – they were whiter than a Welshman. They tasted a staggering “OK” on my personal scale. However, they were served piping hot and they were very crispy.

The again-air-quoted “Hot” wings were… not. Mike pointed out a slightly sweet taste to them, and I couldn’t agree more. These were probably the mildest hot wings to date. With the sauce, they were noticeably soggier than the dry-rub blackened wings. The caliber of the wings coupled with the small size of the chicken and the high prices for “add ons” ($3.00 for fries?!) left a somewhat bad taste in my mouth.

Overall, the dining experience itself was pleasant… but the food was par at best.

At least the celery and bleu cheese comes free here.”
–Scottie

All in all, we agreed that this was a decent sports bar, worthy of watching a game. But, as a wing establishment, the Gym leaves a lot to be desired!