Sawmill Grill

Note: This is a 3.5 rating in my book, which means it’s a place definitely worth trying if you’re in the area! :)
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My bf and I were passing through this town on a Sunday lumber run, and this place popped up as the go-​to pub in town. How appropriate!
This place was absolutely bustling on a Sunday, though the rest of the town was pretty dead (and a bit run down). Still, it’s a cute area that seems to be getting a makeover, with several vacant buildings getting renovated and such.
When we stepped in, we were told there’d be approximately a 30min wait. Three minutes later, we were seated. (Hahaha!) So don’t worry if the place seems crowded and they give you a long wait time. Chances are you’ll be seated really quickly, especially if you’re a fairly small party.
We ordered the loaded cheese fries as an appetizer. Delish! The fries were crispy, well seasoned, and topped with a delicious medley of cheese, bacon, jalapenos, and other goodies. The fries were also cut like corkscrews, which went along with the eclectic vintage décor (old saws, barrel tops, iron wheels, auger sets, vintage photos of lumber yards, and random firefighter paraphernalia, probably because the place is right across the street from the fire dept).
For our entrees, my bf ordered a cheese steak and I ordered a pulled pork sandwich. Both came with more fries. I didn’t try his cheese steak but he vouches that it was yummy. My pulled pork was wonderfully smokey, fatty, and tender, though I would’ve preferred a little less sauce. Good pulled pork should be able to stand on its own; The BBQ sauce should be more of a condiment than a dressing. The buns were pillowy soft, well-​oiled (a bit overly), and had had their bottoms crisped up in a pan. The coleslaw was decent, if a bit watery. Overall, the meal was pretty great, especially for an town we weren’t familiar with and which looked lacking in culinary offerings.
Food: (3.5÷5) — Pretty darn good. I’d recommend the cheese fries wholeheartedly. Only a few minor complaints on the entrees. Decent drinks list too.
Service: (⁵⁄₅) — Great! Our server was a chipper young lady who was very friendly, attentive, and never kept us waiting.
Atmosphere: (³⁄₅) — Interesting décor, albeit a bit of a hodgepodge. Very rowdy though, even for a pub/​bar/​local dive (lots of little kids and occasional screeching).
Overall: (3.5÷5) — Great! Definitely would recommend if you’re in the area. Only reason I can’t give this place a 4 is cause I wasn’t so wowed by their food that I would’ve driven out of my way to eat there. That’d be a 4 in my book.

Great local place to eat and get a beer. Usually crowded since its small though and sometimes hard to get a table. Try the local beer brewed right across the street!

Do not get the salmon!!! I repeat do not get the salmon!!! The salmon at sawmill was absolutely the most disgusting piece of «fish» (I wouldn’t even call it fish) I have ever eaten.
First of all I have worked in many fine dining and 5 star restaurants before. However, this one takes the cake. They advertise on the menu as 2 filets of salmon with your entrée. When they bring it out, the shape of it looks a little peculiar (perfectly square and rounded edges.) I have never seen anything like this other than it being frozen from a bag.
Who the HELL sells FROZEN SALMON FROM A BAG in a restaurant!!! That is a no-​no for this industry. Especially when their charging 13 $ for a «fish» that taste like cardboard… c’mon. People deserve fresh seafood not «fish» that comes from a frozen isle @ your local supermarket.
Although, I hated the «fish» I can’t knock them for their fries, chicken fingers, and some of their burgers. Which is why a I gave them 2 stars.
Sawmill why are you making everything else fresh and selling frozen salmon filets to your guests!!! That is so wrong on all levels!!!

We were passing through the area and needed a place to stop for lunch. So happy we picked this place!
This is a nice, local place with nice service and good food. We ordered the bison burger and the grilled chicken. Both came out fast and fresh. The chicken was flavorful and juicy and the burger was cooked as ordered and delicious. The fries were an interesting combo of steak fries and curly fries and were very tasty.
I am not sure if we’ll be back in the area anytime soon, but if we are, this is definitely worth a stop.

Absolutely love the burgers! Wonderful wait staff, actually have blue moon on draft! The owner John always goes through the restaurant making sure all his patrons are enjoying thier food. Who does that anymore? He makes everyone feel special! I understand he helps the oxford community as well!

This place is a quiet cozey dining restaurant that has great food!
The prime Rib is to die for,
It melts in your mouth!
fresh Green Beans & Home Made Mashed Potatoes were superb!
a nice dining place to take your Sweetheart!
I would recoment this place to anyone!

Nice change of scenery for our little Oxford! My wine was tasty (thank you Wilsons!) and my wings were yum as well. It was a quiet Monday night and our server was attentive and friendly.

Just had a great dinner at this cozy spot. Great burgers, awesome chili and a great beer selection served by the most friendly staff around. Definitely recommend checking this place out.

Passing through on our way to Longwood Gardens. Walked through the door with a party of 25. We were met with smiles and the staff seated us quickly.
They took our orders and food started flying out of the kitchen.
Come with an empty stomach, because portions are generous. Every dish was solid and fresh.
Gotta have the loaded sidewinders and pickle spears.
The country fried sirloin was real steak (not chopped), albeit a bit well done for my taste.
Green beans were prepared perfectly.
The pork loin special with sauerkraut is worth bragging about.
Great casual atmosphere and perfect for families.
This little town is lucky to have such an establishment.

My experience wasn’t the best. Buffalo chicken sandwich was very very greasy and overcooked. The bun was literally dripping oil. Chicken chili was bland.
Upside, good service. But the food that came to our table was not great. Maybe another time

One star is even a bit too much. Nachos as large as Chester county turned out to be as tasteless as Jersey City. Cheese wasn’t even on the recipe! A few drops of cheesewiz substitute on a platter of Dollar General chips with a spoonful of Manwich and a sprinkle of cilantro to color there plate. Not nachos by any stretch. If your looking for cooking, keep moving.

Our first visit-wouldn’t go out of our way to come back. I had chilli-​average but lukewarm. Served with crackers not chips so I ordered chips and salsa. My husband had the crab soup which was good but also lukewarm. He also had a chicken sandwich which was good but served on a burnt bun.
Basic bar food isn’t be that hard to get right but these guys are struggling.

Went for lunch on a Saturday afternoon coming home from OCMD. Great little place, cool ambience, clean and very friendly staff. College football on all the Tvs behind the bar. I had the crosscut burger… yum. Hubby had grilled chicken sandwich and added cheddar which melted deliciously over the sides. Both came with homemade fries which were AWESOME! Food was very fresh. Happy we found it on Unilocal and would definitely come again next time we are in the area.

Hand battered yuengling chicken tenders, burgers, were great. Warm atmosphere, will definitely stop by again.

I will definitely be back! I ordered a bacon cheeseburger and it was one of the best I had ever had. Juicy, flavorful, perfect! The fries were also awesome.
The menu is mostly burgers and sandwiches. I didn’t have any appetizers but they looked delicious.
Their beer selection is also great. The prices can’t be beat either.
The one drawback is that the space can get kind of loud when it’s crowded. Not the place to have an important conversation, but perfect for a night out with friends.

Stopped in on a Saturday afternoon. Place is cute and even has some sidewalk dining. Food was great. Had the chicken fingers and they were homemade. Such a nice surprise. Fries are great — wonder how they cut them? Soon to be famous they say — I believe it!
Very loud when they had the music on. Thankfully they turned it down a bit while we were there and that made it even more enjoyable.

The place was busy when we arrived (there was a 30 minute wait), but we got seats at the bar and got served immediately. They have a nice craft beer selection in bottles but nothing but Sam Adams on tap. I’d like to see them add a couple more craft selections on tap. I had a burger an my wife had a buffalo chicken salad. The food was good and the presentation was nice. Tried the fried pickles and they were awesome! The owner and his wife both came and chatted with us and made us feel very welcomed. The best part of the night was paying the bill. Very reasonably priced! We will definitely be back soon.

We loved the atmosphere. We were impressed with the personable owner who genuinely seemed to care about how we were treated. We even asked the server where the name Sawmill came from… 5 min later, the owner comes to our booth and sat with us to explain. Nice touch !

Ate at the Sawmill for the first time today. The food was great and the service was just as good. It’s very welcoming. Our waitress was really friendly and the owner came by several times to check on us. You’ll feel like a regular the first time you eat here. The owners stops and talks to every customer in the restaurant. The sidewinder fries were great and my chicken sandwich was huge! We will definitely make this a regular stop! I highly recommend the Sawmill.

We will DEFINITELY be back! The wait was only half of what we were told it would be. The atmosphere was classy, yet country and laid back. Everyone, staff and patrons alike seemed upbeat and to be enjoying themselves.
The food was hot, delicious, and very reasonably priced. The menu had options for many palates. Everything tasted very fresh. Nothing seemed bagged or frozen. I had the fried pickle spears as an appetizer. They menu said they came with a special sauce but we got ranch for whatever reason. No biggie. I prefer fried pickle chips over spears because the batter holds better and they are more flavorful. For that reason, I wouldn’t order them again but they were very tasty and were hand battered. I had the sirloin filet special which was 12.99. It came with two sides. I had the side winder fries and a side salad. The steak was perfectly cooked and the salad was made from fresh greens and veggies. The salad alone was worth five bucks.
During the meal the server was very attentive. All of them seemed to be doing a great job keeping up with the demand. There was a man who kept checking on us-​either the owner or manager. He was very involved in what was going on and seemed genuinely interested in our experience. He thanked us for our business and made us feel good about spending money at his establishment.
A great experience all around and I would highly recommend it. One word of caution: it does get quite loud from all the patrons talking and enjoying themselves, but it’s not «rowdy». If I could offer one suggestion it would be to change the fried pickles to chips instead of spears :-)