Quick stop for breakfast after volunteering for Ainsley's Angels up the road. I've been to Sawmill in Hampstead and both have a similar feel! Old school, good home cooking! There was 4 of us and we were told to sit wherever we'd like. We were greeted quickly for coffee and water/juice orders. I chose the bacon egg and cheese on a biscuit that did not disappoint! The biscuit was flaky and hearty while there was just the right amount of bacon and cheese. The place was casual and looked like it's a place for regulars, just like in Hampstead. read more

Sawmill Restaurant - Bacon Egg & Cheese Biscuit - American Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

First time trying this one. Only dig would be service was a ittle slow (but it did look like i hit the end of a rush) Food was excellent. Scrambled eggs wete almost omlett like and delicious. Everything was tasty and well cooked. Pancakes were huge and waffles looked perfect. Place was clean and well maintained read more

Very very Clean!!! New menus and a big Chalkboard with the day's specials. My wife ordered the Turkey and Dressing with mashed potatoes and collards. I had the Tenders and collards. All the food was piping hot and well prepared. The price was very reasonable and a lot of leftovers went home for another great meal!!! I would recommend this location 100% read more

"Sawmill Restaurant consistently delivers an exceptional breakfast experience. I was particularly impressed by the generous portion sizes and the efficiency of the service. I highly recommend Sawmill to anyone seeking high-quality food paired with prompt, professional hospitality." read more

SAWMILL RESTAURANT REVIEW On April 19. 2026, I made my last visit to the Sawmill Restaurant on Carolina Beach Road. As a local resident in Wilmington, it was a sad day for me. I have been a customer of the Sawmill Restaurant for 9 years. I am a guy who likes basic, honest southern cooking. It is more than comfort food: it is a tradition for me. I am born and raised in the South and enjoy everything about the lifestyle. That has been my attraction to the Sawmill. Over the years I have watched costs in Wilmington escalate. Most everything has gotten more expensive. The Sawmill Restaurant menu prices are no exception. In fact, the Sawmill Restaurant prices have increased faster than most. Sunday, I realized I could not afford to eat at the Sawmill anymore. My breakfast Sunday was two eggs, a small piece of ham, four small tomato slices, two slices of rye toast and a cup of coffee. The bill was $16.05. With the tip, the total was $20.00. Far too expensive for me, and most people I suspect. A family would be sticker shocked if they ate there. I overheard one server tell another that a family said, "they were not going to leave a tip because the food was so expensive." Additionally, The Sawmill charges 3.5% more if the customers use a credit card. Credit card charges are generated because a business chooses to accept credit cards. It is a business expense, not the customers. I wish the Sawmill Restaurant all the best. I hope the summer tourists support them well. I fear the locals will be seeking other places to eat. read more

One of my favorite old-fashioned diners in town, no frills breakfast comfort food. What would make it even better would be having real maple syrup and hashbrowns. At a recent visit, got there around 8:30 AM on a Saturday and there were still plenty of seats open. Usually like to get the lumberjack breakfast, which is pricey, but worth two meals. There are options within the lumberjack breakfast. Most recently, I chose eggs, scrambled with cheddar cheese, potatoes, bacon, and pancakes. My partner got French toast (3 slices) and the sausage patty. Eggs were fluffy and was presented like an omelette. Pancakes are humongous and soft. My toddler enjoyed them very much. Sausage patty looked homemade and was very good. French toast were good. read more

Sawmill Restaurant - French toast - American Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

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This is our go to place, especially for breakfast ! It's a neighborhood restaurant where everyone feels comfortable. Casual dress and down home style cooking. We meet up with our friends and we've always had a good experience. The staff is friendly, professional and they pretty much know all of the customers. It's like a big family. We are "regulars" there and truly enjoy the food and atmosphere. If you are in Wilmington it's a must go to restaurant ! read more

Went today with 3 sisters from my church. The food was delicious, and plentiful. The prices were good too. I ordered a thick pastrami sandwich, fries and peach cobbler, came to less than $20. Also, the waitress was pleasant, and checked on us to see if we were ok, a couple of times. We were all satisfied and are already talking about our next trip, because the menu had a lot of great choices. See you there read more

It's a diner for goodness sake, it has everything you want, free pour sugar, decent coffee,seat yourself(today), I walked in and sat at the bar and the ladies were making fresh coffee, and served by April, but someone else brought the menu, water, coffee, team work was wonderful. I ordered the breakfast bowl and it was awesome with an extra egg and English muffin on the side. All in all, the KISS principal done well. Eat here! read more

We love a good meat and three and sawmill never disappoints! Service is fast and friendly and food is delicious

This place has just about anything on the menu you crave for breakfast! This time around I got chicken and waffles. Not my usual go to, but I haven't had it in so long I figured I'd try it. Definitely not disappoint in my pick. Chicken tenders were huge and fulfilling! Waffle was crispy just like I like it. The children split pancakes and my husband got biscuits and gravy. Everything was perfectly served and large portions for sure! Wait staff was very welcoming and friendly! Alway try to make a stop here when we're in the area! read more

Sawmill Restaurant - Chicken and waffles - American Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

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Catered for our Thanksgiving at work, and they were great! Food was amazing, and portions were plenty! The green beans could have used some flavor, but other than that, everything was excellent! Thank you! read more

Great food great service lot of locals eat here. They always seem very busy. The ambience is like a diner, but bigger.

My husband and I eat at the Sawmill almost every day. The food is good and varied. If something is not up to par, I always mention it to the server, and they will pass it on. Corrected in a timely matter. The staff is great and always strive to please. My only complaint is the new ''Take Out'' fee. $ 2.50 is way to high . I don't think a take-out fee is necessary at all. Too many home-bound people that order take-out just can't afford those prices. I'm afraid they will loose business. Please re-think these fees. read more

Everything was amazing and the staff was wonderful as well, I'd get another plate because all of what they served was excellent, the food was delicious. read more

Wouldn't eat there again if it were the only restaurant in Wilmington. The quality has been going downhill for awhile but the customer "service" is horrible. We got a take out order and it was the wrong order. No biggie. We only live a couple of blocks away so we called to tell them what happened and we were going to bring it back. We were told in a very rude tone that we should have looked in the bag first and hung up on us. Too many good places to eat around here to put up with that. Buh bye..... read more

This is a family owned restaurant and if you ask any regular customer that comes in, they will tell you how amazing it is. People are too cruel these days and one little mess up. It's the end of the world. Everybody makes mistakes everybody has bad days. Try to be understanding. No one is perfect. The stay truly care about your opinion and we wanna make everyone happy read more

Good home cooking. It was great! The service was great as well. 3.5 stars is so not correct!

I look forward to enjoying breakfast at the Saw Mill every time I'm in the area. The service has always been friendly . If it's really busy, please give the staff some time as they do a great job read more

Terrible service! Well I guess technically no service. Sat down and waited over 20 minutes for no one to greet us or bring a menu or anything. Watched multiple families who arrived after us get drinks and service. Will not even consider eating here again. read more

THE BEST BREAKFAST SPOT in Wilmington. Best $5.70 Sausage Patty (very low fat) Sandwich Ever! Yes eggs come on the sammy, but I don't get down with yucky eggs. And the CAKE SLICES OMG!!!!! I got a slice every time I went. The Best. Packed with people looking for good food at affordable prices. Daily $7.99 Entree + 2 Sides + Drink Specials from 3pm to 5pm daily!. Your tummy will Thank me later. read more

Sawmill Restaurant - Daily $7.99 EarlyBird Dinner / Late Lunch Specials Board. - American Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Zero stats! Horrible service. 45 mins to get coffee. We were party of four (2 adults/2 kids) Multiple parties seated, ordered, served and given bills before we even got coffee. Watched as 3 diff waitresses went to one table for a party that had just sat two mins before (40 mins after we sat). Had to leave my friends there to get home for mtg it took so long and they had to wrap my food and bring home to me, initially looked like not enough staff but then watched one busboy hasten across room and not finish one task then start another and 5 waitresses clearly not working efficiently at all, literally bumping into each other. Ppl waiting 20-30 mins to pay at register. Manager rude. 30yrs waitressing, new to town, have never seen worse service and wasn't even busy when we got there! read more

The food was horrendous, absolutely awful. My kielbasa was burned. My omelette was full of sour cream when I had asked for no cheese or sour cream. when they brought the second omelette, it was filled with cheese !! The waitress was very rude and ignored us the whole time and the gal who checks you in at the cash register was just as rude. Never looked up at us barely spoke to us ....I will never return. The nicest person was the bus boy... I feel sorry for him having to work with such nasty people. What's wrong with this place? read more

No. I was hoping to like this local joint. Its longevity and apparent southern-style food was appealing. The food - her bacon, egg & cheese biscuit and my sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich with Sawmill potatoes - was adequate. Yet... -We were told to wait outside while a table was being readied. -The hostess called to us and then pointed out "the third booth on the right" for us to take rather than escort us there. -The server did not offer to refill my coffee. -Walking up to pay, the hostess was arguing with an elderly couple that wanted to sit on the empty padded bench and demanding they wait outside in the 90+ degree heat because that's the "policy". -Hostess complained about the elderly couple while taking my payment. -The men's room had no paper towels. -The ladies' room had liquid soap in what appeared to be an unmarked condiment bottle. I'm guessing that's a health/safety violation. read more

Sawmill Restaurant - Liquid soap in an unmarked condiment bottle in the ladies room. - American Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Consistently great home cooking! Breakfast today with friend pork chops, eggs and grits for my BF and an omelet and potatoes for me! read more

Sawmill Restaurant - Fried pork chops, grits and eggs - American Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

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So disappointing start to finish. The hostess put our names down and told us wait was 20 mins which we didn't mind. She said she would come get us when the table was ready so we waited in the entrance area and she ended up seating large parties of 5-6 people that had just walked in before we finally went to stand in front of the host counter and she noticed us again and then sat us. Her attitude was very passive aggressive no customer service at all and she literally sat behind the counter on her phone the majority of the time we were there. I know those groups had just walked in because they asked us how long we were told the wait was as they came in. When we sat down we didn't get menus and nobody came over for at least 10 minutes, the guy who got us drinks was nice and we thought he was our server but our server was actually a young girl who literally only came to our table to take our order and drop the food off and then brought us the check. The food took an hour to come out and was cold when we got it which tells me it was dying in the window for a pretty long time but we were starving so we just ate and paid and left. Our server didn't even ask how the food was or anything either and had a similar attitude to the host just very dry. All in all we were there for over an hour and a half and it was just not pleasant I am so surprised by all the positive reviews. As a server myself I can understand when things are busy service can suffer but this was beyond that it literally seemed like nobody in there cared except the guy who brought us water. Not sure who's managing this place but they need to rethink their service standards for sure. read more

I really wish I had taken pictures of my food! I've heard so many great things about Sawmill so I finally decided to try it. I am so glad I did! They were pretty slammed. It was a Sunday morning and a holiday. I sat at the bar. The server who took care of me was awesome. I'm sad I don't remember her name because she was genuinely awesome. A couple sat next to me who were regulars that knew the server well. It was quite evident through their banter. It was fun to talk to them and get to know them a bit. The atmosphere at the Sawmill was just fun and friendly. The food. Oh. My. Word. It was so good and I couldn't have fit anymore into my belly. I ordered 1 scrambled egg with bacon and grits. Yum! There were more grits than I thought there would be! I had also ordered a Belgian waffle with strawberries and blueberries. I asked for some whipped cream to go on top too. It was SOOOOOO good! This is definitely a restaurant I will visit again when I am in the area! read more

Yay! Love this little spot. Quick and simple breakfast, my bacon egg and cheese on rye is the best! Service is genuine and quick, simple, and kind. Come here! read more

Sawmill Restaurant - So good!!! I love this little old fashioned vibe spot! - American Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

My family and I visit Carolina Beach annually on vacation, this is the first time we have ever stopped at the sawmill restaurant to eat breakfast. When we first arrived, the hostess paid no attention to us and when she sat us down she was very rude, our waitress was very impatient with us and it seemed like she was having such a horrible day. We ordered a plate to go, and they brought it to the table to eat there, when we told her about boxing it, she just brought the box to the table and dropped it off. They also forgot our biscuits and when they were brought out they were cold. I did not receive my potatoes or my toast to go and when we told her about this, she got an attitude. This is the absolute worst experience I have ever had at any restaurant. I would not recommend eating there at all. read more

I went to Sawmill on my lunch break yesterday. Hadn't been to one in several years and actually had never been to this location. I'd forgotten how good their food is! After I sat down at a socially-distanced table, I was promptly greeted and my drink order was taken and brought out within less than 2 minutes. My server Samantha then greeted me and took my order of turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, macaroni and cheese, and stewed apples. The speed that my food came out was astonishing--I didn't check how long, but it was definitely within minutes. The best part is that it was hot and fresh, not an old batch that was waiting to be ordered (the speed initially brought it into question, but everything was indeed fresh). The hushpuppies came a few minutes later, however, they were a bit old. I brought this to Samantha's attention and she profusely apologized, bringing out a fresh plate a few minutes later. Having worked in a restaurant, I understand that large batches have to be used up, and it is sometimes hard to assess if food is past its prime just by looking at it. I honestly wasn't even going to say anything, but wanted to see how they would handle the situation and also really wanted some good hushpuppies. I have to say, I was impressed on both accounts. The new batch was piping hot (and I was warned of such) and delicious! Definitely worth speaking up for! The serving sizes are very nice and I even had enough for leftovers. Samantha was very attentive and provided excellent service! I am very glad to have a Sawmill so close by and will definitely return! read more

Sawmill Restaurant - Ignore the missing bites of the turkey and dressing. I was starving and forgot to take a picture until 5 bites in! - American Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Great food at a great price! I had the fried catfish which had the most amazingly light batter. The Mac and cheese was gooey and the banana pudding... yum! They also have a salad bar and will bring you a plate and a rubber glove for touching the spoons. read more

Sawmill Restaurant - Fried catfish, Mac and cheese and banana pudding - American Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

I have lived in Wilmington, NC since 1985. I have been going to Sawmill monkey junction restaurant for a very long time. The quality of food has declined to the point where I have found it necessary to go to other restaurants. We gave it one final try today and the food was almost not fit for consumption. Most unfortunate because we live five minutes away. read more

The service is horrible. Placed order sat there 35 minutes no food. The two booths that came in after us got theirs in about 10 minutes. Got up and walked out. This place has gone way downhill. Will not waste my time again since this is the second time this has happen. read more

Although i didn't dine in the restaurant, I did get a to go order. I ordered at the register and waited about 20-25 minutes. I got a chocolate Belgian waffle with a side of toast, side of sausage, and corn beef hash with home fries and toast. I thought the food was excellent and I cannot wait to dine in at the restaurant! read more

Mediocre Food, mediocre service- VERY overpriced for what you get. Comparing with Jimbo's - much more reasonable and more food for what you get. Not worth the wait - I eat at a lot of diners and this one I'd give a 2nd go if the prices weren't so high. Skip it. read more

Would give it no stars if I could. My girlfriend and I tried it once and said we wouldn't go back but my parents were in town and wanted to go as they had, had a good experience before. Would rather have missed my meal then eat this food. Took forever for 4 simple meals to come out and the worse part is that my steaks, that I asked to be cooked medium were cooked well-done, so much so that they could have been used as hockey pucks. The only saving grace was the server was nice about it and took my meal off the bill... read more

Sawmill Restaurant - Chicken tender biscuit... - American Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

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Decided to give this place a try for breakfast this morning and so glad we did! I had the Sawmill Benedict and the hubby had French toast with bacon. Everything was great and the coffee hit the spot! We'll definitely come back when we're in town! read more

The food was very good especially the fried pork chops - ample portions - the service was on point very prompt and courteous servers - seat yourself at a clean table - wholesome atmosphere- enjoyed my visits over these past 20 or so years read more

This is legitimately our favorite breakfast place whenever we come to the beach. The wait is never as long as it seems, and if you get there early, there's rarely a wait. The food is consistently good and the service has always been great! read more

September 6, 2018 Waited until 4:00 pm to come enjoy their the prime rib special and baked potato.....it is not done....regular cook not here....cook forgot to take meat out to thaw....running behind schedule......so here we sit, waiting for prime rib to be done.....the great servers were apologetic, and offered something to nibble on, but who wants to fill up on bread......now, another customer has just come in wanting prime rib.... So here we sit, waiting in an almost empty restaurant for prime rib to be done. :-( Who's responsibility is it to see that this place is run effeciently??? read more

Sawmill Restaurant - Seventy five cents (.75) extra for 5 onion rigs, and some broken pieces. . - American Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina