The Sawmeal Restaurant
Quick info
About The Sawmeal Restaurant
On AL-5 in Brent, The Sawmeal Restaurant serves American food across a menu of 88 dishes, with table service bringing orders to the table. Saturdays bring a buffet with a salad bar, alongside items like pot roast, while the regular menu runs from fried green tomatoes and fried pickles to a ribeye steak and a barbecue plate. Teriyaki chicken and chicken fingers also appear regularly. A fireplace sits in the dining room, and a private dining room is available for groups. The restaurant opens daily, and ample parking runs alongside the highway frontage.
Good to know
- ReservationsAccepts reservations
- ParkingFree of charge street parking · Free parking lot · Paid parking lot
- AccessibilityHas wheelchair-accessible car park · Has wheelchair-accessible entrance · Has wheelchair-accessible seating
- Good for kidsGood for kids · High chairs available · Has kids' menu
Menu & Prices
88 dishes · mains $2–30- Onion Petals$7.99
- Mozzarella Cheese Sticks$6.99
- Fried Green Tomatoes$6.99
- Fried Pickles$3.99
- Ribeye Steak$23.99
- Barbecue Plate$10.99
Reviews
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention fried chicken, breakfast buffet, biscuits and sausage gravy and teriyaki chicken.
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention fried chicken, breakfast buffet, biscuits and sausage gravy and teriyaki chicken.
Customer Review Summary
The buffet draws the most praise, with reviewers repeatedly calling out the salad bar, pot roast, and breakfast spread of biscuits and sausage gravy as consistently fresh and home cooked. Close behind, several single out specific dishes like the fried chicken, catfish, chicken fingers, and pecan pudding as standout comfort food, with servers described as kind and attentive. A few travel long distances, from Alabaster or Helena, just for the meal. Not every visit lands the same way, though: one longtime patron reports a recent problem with the teriyaki chicken order after years of trouble free visits, another describes a mix-up when a child's finger plate arrived as a mismatched sandwich, and one reviewer flags below average restrooms and a lunch buffet that's merely okay. Even so, most describe leaving full, satisfied, and planning to return.
Customer Review Summary
The buffet draws the most praise, with reviewers repeatedly calling out the salad bar, pot roast, and breakfast spread of biscuits and sausage gravy as consistently fresh and home cooked. Close behind, several single out specific dishes like the fried chicken, catfish, chicken fingers, and pecan pudding as standout comfort food, with servers described as kind and attentive. A few travel long distances, from Alabaster or Helena, just for the meal. Not every visit lands the same way, though: one longtime patron reports a recent problem with the teriyaki chicken order after years of trouble free visits, another describes a mix-up when a child's finger plate arrived as a mismatched sandwich, and one reviewer flags below average restrooms and a lunch buffet that's merely okay. Even so, most describe leaving full, satisfied, and planning to return.
Featured reviews
- Touch of Color Screenprinting
“Sunday drive in the Jeep from Helena for some good food. What can I say but we are full and happy !”
- Margaret Mosley
“Buffet for mother's day was so good.! .we chose the pot roast and it was really good !.....every thing else looked good too.. .we will be coming back !”
- James Maxwell
“Great home cooked buffet. Server was very kind and attentive. Price was great for buffet. Great place and about only place on that stretch of highway. Would visit again!”
- Jeremy King
“We really like it here. Saturday buffet is good. Salad bar is always fresh with plenty of good toppings. My wife likes the catfish, and the fried chicken instantly takes me back to my grandmother’s kitchen in Kentucky. Yams and okra are good. Friendly staff and fellow customers. We’ll drive 45 minutes from Alabaster on a weekend when we just want some good Southern food.”
- Kayla walsh
“When we came in the atmosphere was great but that changed fast. We ordered without any issues but when the food came out the waitress brought my daughter a finger sandwich instead of the finger plate and asked if she could just eat it …”
Hours
- Monday
- Tuesday
- Wednesday
- Thursday
- Friday
- Saturday
- Sunday
Highlights
- Has fast service
- Has fireplace
- Serves great coffee
- Has great tea selection
- Serves local speciality
- Popular for popular for breakfast
Amenities
- Has wheelchair-accessible car park
- Free of charge street parking
- Accepts reservations
- Offers takeaway
- Serves dine-in
- Good for kids
Show more amenities
- Has bar on site
- Casual
- On-site services available
- Always offers all that you can eat
- Serves coffee
- Serves comfort food
- Dining options· 8
- Serves breakfast
- Serves brunch
- Serves lunch
- Serves dinner
- Has catering
- Serves dessert
- Has seating
- Has table service
- Facilities· 1
- Has toilet
- Accessibility· 3
- Has wheelchair-accessible entrance
- Has wheelchair-accessible seating
- Has wheelchair-accessible toilet
- Offerings· 5
- Serves healthy options
- Has private dining room
- Quick bite
- Has salad bar
- Serves small plates
- Atmosphere· 3
- Cosy
- Historic
- Quiet
- Parking· 3
- Free parking lot
- Paid parking lot
- Plenty of parking
- Highlights· 4
- Has fast service
- Has fireplace
- Has great tea selection
- Serves local speciality
- Popular for· 4
- Popular for breakfast
- Popular for lunch
- Popular for dinner
- Good for solo dining
- Crowd· 2
- Good for groups
- Popular with tourists
- Family-friendly· 2
- High chairs available
- Has kids' menu
Location
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