APPLEBEES NEIGHBORHOOD GRILL & BAR

Health grade
A · 99/100
Lake County rank
Safer than 96%
Diner rating
4 ★ · 2,367 reviews
Violations
1 basic
Last inspected
Oct 2025

Its latest inspection on October 20, 2025 cited 1 basic violation. Diners give it 4 across 2,367 reviews. It's a American spot in The Villages. Menus here flag vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, keto, and other dietary options.

A · 99/100 · safer than 96% of Lake County restaurants we grade

Get directions Call (352) 753-0000

Restaurant details

Health grade
A (99/100)
Violations
1 total — 1 basic
Address
1009 BICHARA BLVD, The Villages, FL
Cuisine
American
Categories
Restaurant, American restaurant, Bar & grill, Diner, Family restaurant, Hamburger restaurant
Price
$$
Rating
4 stars (2367 reviews)
Seats
160
Phone
(352) 753-0000
Website
Official website
Photo of APPLEBEES NEIGHBORHOOD GRILL & BAR
Photo: Pat Patten

Community Rating

Reviews via Google
4.0 Community-sourced rating 2,367 reviews
Read all reviews on Google →

What diners say — our read

The recurring subject in this corpus is the staff, not the food in general. Where front-of-house comes up, the rating that follows averages 4.1, so it reads as a strength.

The split is 16 positive to 1 negative across 18 rated reviews, with 1 in the middle. The single most common rating left here is 5 stars (9 of 18). No one in this corpus comments on how much food arrives at all.

On the inspection side the picture is cleaner: DBPR graded this kitchen an A (99/100), with 1 basic violations. Whatever the reviews argue about, sanitation is not the weak point. The visit behind that grade was October 20, 2025. That puts it ahead of 96% of graded kitchens in Lake County. For specifics, the last inspection cited floors, walls, ceilings clean & maintained.

Nothing here pulls in opposite directions — an unusually clean read. Full reviews follow below in the order they were left.

Our own analysis of 18 reviews for this restaurant, set against its Florida DBPR inspection record. How we calculate grades →

  • June 29, 2026

    Julian was very pleasant and attentive. He was always there whenever we needed anything.

  • June 27, 2026

    We had an amazing waitress...so nice

  • June 26, 2026

    Julian was great!

  • June 25, 2026

    Liked food and service. Never had bad service or food! Always have nice specials!

  • June 24, 2026

    Me and my wife both ordered the Bourbon Street Chicken and Andouille pasta. The food was fantastic! Also a special shout out to our server Cassie A. She was absolutely fantastic. Very attentive, kind, professional and had a great attitude. 10/10 would make her a paper heart again. 😁

  • June 23, 2026

    I took my ribs home they just were room temperature. The shrimp was good. Service excellent. Its an Applebee's so atmosphere was good. My mixed drink was really good.

  • June 23, 2026

    Had an enjoyable time here, Katie T was great!

  • June 22, 2026

    Man, I was really hoping for Applebee's to be good. I know they've been falling off. But this location was so so. The food was overcooked twice. I was really hopeful for this, the workers were all super nice.

  • June 11, 2026

    I just came here to say I ordered you guys through Doordash. I ordered 30 traditional wings, 20 boneless. I called the store to request the traditional to be well done because it doesn't give the option online. Your AI sucks, btw. She gave me a headache. Order comes, smells fire, looks spectacular. So excited. I go to divy it up. This isn't 30 wings. I have 21. So I go on doordash, let them know and they offer to redeliver or refund. I've never had a redeliver option, money is right, I ordered 30 wings for a reason. Hell why not? New wings come, still look fire and y'all sent extra sauce. Why are there still only 26 🤣😭 I got my monies worth. But someone needs to make sure y'all ain't wing shorting every order.

  • June 8, 2026

    $4.19 for a Glass of Ginger Ale 1/2 full of Ice is OUTRAGEOUS ! We will never order another drink ! CASSIE is an OUTSTANDING Waitress !

  • May 19, 2026

    Always good food.Greay service!

  • May 16, 2026

    Best French onion soup. Long wait for service and food. Chicken burger dry.

  • May 15, 2026

    Good food. No wait.

  • May 12, 2026

    Great crowd!

  • May 7, 2026

    Don't bother. Horrible experience. Hostess was nice/nasty with a condescending tone. I wanted a booth but none available. I was seated and she proceeded to warn the waitress and pointed in my direction. Hire people who want to be around customers and leave your attitude at home. I walked out. I dont need anyone messing with my food.

  • May 5, 2026

    Just great food

  • May 1, 2026

    Great burger,good service

  • April 25, 2026

    What a great place to go and have lunch or dinner. We went when they had live music. It was awesome!

Overall Score

80 / 100

  • Health inspection grade 40/40
    Grade A
  • Dietary transparency 20/20
    7 options listed
  • Community rating 16/20
    4.0★ average
  • Hidden-gem status 0/10
    Not flagged
  • Track record 4/10
    Stable, 0% clean

Composite score from health grade, dietary options, ratings, and inspection record — distinct from the state-derived health grade.

Opening hours

Monday
11 AM to 1 AM
Tuesday
11 AM to 12 AM
Wednesday
11 AM to 12 AM
Thursday
11 AM to 1 AM
Friday
11 AM to 1 AM
Saturday
11 AM to 1 AM
Sunday
11 AM to 12 AM

Inspection history

The following records are from Florida DBPR public inspection records, most recent first.

  1. October 20, 2025 · Complaint Partial

    Inspection Completed - No Further Action

    0 high-priority · 0 intermediate · 1 basic

    • 36 — Floors, walls, ceilings clean & maintained; proper ventilation
  2. September 15, 2025 · Complaint Full

    Inspection Completed - No Further Action

    0 high-priority · 0 intermediate · 2 basic

    • 36 — Floors, walls, ceilings clean & maintained; proper ventilation (×2)
  3. August 14, 2025 · Complaint Full

    Inspection Completed - No Further Action

    0 high-priority · 1 intermediate · 8 basic

    • 14 — Food-contact & nonfood-contact surfaces properly designed/maintained (×2)
    • 22 — Food-contact surfaces clean and sanitized (×2)
    • 23 — Nonfood-contact surfaces clean
    • 36 — Floors, walls, ceilings clean & maintained; proper ventilation (×4)

This grade is calculated by us from Florida DBPR public inspection records — Florida does not issue official grades. How we calculate it →

Data last updated: October 20, 2025