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    The Sawmill

    4.2 (136 reviews)
    Closed 4:00 pm - 8:00 PM
    Updated 1 week ago

    The Sawmill Photos

    Business Info

    THE SAWMILL ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Live music
    Good for kids

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    Garlic Cheese Curds
    Brian L.

    This place is one of my go to places to chill and have food and a beer. The outside area is the place to be. They are dog friendly outside which is nice because it is all enclosed and it is artificial grass. Food wise I usually get their garlic cheese curds, onion rings, and a wrap. They always have craft beer on tap which is part of what makes this place so good. They have live music outside sometimes which adds to the ambiance. Service is friendly. If you happen to be in Boulder Creek, this place is solid.

    Mike P.

    Made this a destination for our drive to explore the Mountain roads. The Sawmill has a certain amount of charm, I recognize that and when there's live music, seating outside, and a vibrant weekend crowd I'm convinced that its a different experience. Today we were greeted by a welcoming staff and enjoyed a good meal but in comparison to other similar locations, it was just ok. Burger was cooked well and tasted. A little heavy on the BBQ sauce but overall a good sized portion and cooked well. The fries were forgettable. The Smashed Burger appeared appetizing as well and received a similar review. Glass was never empty and the service was on point. I would go back if I was in the neighborhood again.

    Arugula Salad (has sautéed mushrooms, pickled onions and pistachios). I added grilled chicken. Delicious!
    Steph A.

    I love the onion tower and their salads and burgers. Great environment and vibe. Very cute spot along the greatest hiking trails around. Great place to grab a drink and some eats and chill out. They play football on the tv on Sundays and whenever it's on. Feels very homey. The service is great too! Love everything about this spot. It's definitely one of my favorite. Thank you!!!

    Teri A.

    Cute place with great service! The food was very tasty, I ordered their Iceberg wedge and it was delicious! The bleu cheese dressing was amazing and the bacon bits made it perfect. My hubby ordered one of the burgers with frings (French fries and onion rings).

    Hot sauce selection
    John D.

    Rule of Saw Located at the home of the former Roadside Café, The Sawmill has now been in operation for nearly two years and features a classic gastropub fare of fresh-tapped beers and classic American chow. After a full morning of hiking at nearby Big Basin, some frosty ones and comfort food sounded really good. The Good: *Less than 15 minutes from the entrance of Big Basin *Huge dog-friendly outdoor area w/ cornhole boards (upon request) a band stage for performances. *Twelve local beers on-tap, plus some in bottles. There's also fermented grapes if you're into that, as well. *Service from Melissa was very prompt and friendly. *Fried Garlic Cheese Curds app was ridiculously good, and we couldn't stop scarfing them down. *Their Reuben featuring their housemade Pastrami was fabulous and one of the best I've had. The Meh: *Carissa's Morrell sandwich was just OK. It was supposed to be a chicken thigh but almost seemed like a breast?? Irregardless, it was pretty dry, but the one saving grace was the high-quality bacon they use on it. *Fries were just decent and nothing to write home about. I don't know what it was about them, but they just didn't hit like they should. I also would skip the garlic fries upgrade as it's not worth it; the garlic is burnt and muted. I'd prefer it be more Gordon Biersch style, served with EVOO, raw garlic, and some parsley. The Ugly: *Occasionally get a wiff of the sewer line (septic tank?) when you're seated outside. TLDR: Overall, it's a nice spot for a beer and burger after a long hike.

    Cheese Curds
    Ashley A.

    I can't even explain how good the burger at The Sawmill was. Everything was really fresh and delicious, zero complaints. We also enjoyed the cheese curds! Hot, melted cheese is great. My boyfriend and I were visiting the town for the weekend and we both enjoyed this little restaurant. We hope to come back soon for the chill environment, scenic route, and delicious food. Shout out to the chef!

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    2 months ago

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    3 months ago

    Food is good, but most times when I call to place an order for pick up they don't answer. End up having to eat elsewhere.

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    Pricey for what you get.. Food is good. Options are good. There is a surcharge for to go orders.

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    Page 1 of 4

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    Emerald Mallard

    Emerald Mallard

    4.4(94 reviews)
    7.7 mi

    I literally wept the first time coming here as we were coming out of the pandemic weirdness. The…read morefood is imply beyond good. I can't rave enough!! The spot is lovely, surrounded by trees and a nice bar attached. Definitely a nice hang out spot. We did come once and they had closed early for the day (might have been the 5th of July or something) which is understandable, but it would be great to have a way to know that before the drive (update the hours on the various apps I guess?) But then the owner apologized and invited us to his holiday party for a bbq as a consolation. We didn't go, but it's pretty damn hard to complain about that level of care:-) Thanks!!!!

    Emerald Mallard is the kitchen part next to Humble Sea's Taproom in mountain town Felton. It is a…read moreseparate business. There's a few tables out on their raised wooden porch and none inside. But Humble Sea next door has indoor tables and patio seating. If lounging there and enjoying a drink (which is ideal) food will be brought to you there. But you will still have to order and pay at Emerald Mallard's side. Only tried 1 thing here. I was going to come back the following day to do a burger but didn't make their hours. Their menu is small but impressive. Quite foodie in rhythm with Euro flairs. They'll do American smash burgers, fried chicken sandos and sometimes pastrami. But you can also run into steak tartare, frites, duck confit or caviar adds. Menu changes weekly so adventurous palates are to be rewarded. Tortilla Española ($15/4*) This throws a lot of Americans off. Cuz Americans mostly know of the Mexican definition of tortilla which is a starch flat disk made either of corn or flour. A Spanish tortilla is a thick potato omelette/frittata often found at a tapas bar. The version here did sound impressive. The Spanish omelette consist of potatoes and onions fried in beef tallow until both get soft and sweet. Then scrambled eggs are poured in to bind everything to form a thick potato omelette of sorts. It is sliced and served room temp. But here they bump this further by slathering on a healthy dose of Crème fraiche, chopped chives and an impressive dollop of kaluga caviar. Served on an old timey grandma type of plate, this was an elevated appetizer that seemed too fancy for a rugged beer bar with no table service. Lol. I did find the omelette to be too potato dominant as the good ones I've had, had a nicer balance of egg to make the texture more silky and soft. I also found the amount of cremé fraiche to be too much as well as it drowned out the delicate caviar. But we sipped on a couple of well crafted brews and savored this thoughtful tapa with tiny yet deliberate bites. We were going to have dinner in a few hours so we didn't explore the menu any further. But now that I know what this place is bringing, I'm gonna bring my happy ass down for more exploration in their changing and unique menus. RSVP...count me in.

    Photos
    Emerald Mallard - Inside (10/11)

    Inside (10/11)

    Emerald Mallard - Pistachio Cannoli ($8)

    Pistachio Cannoli ($8)

    Emerald Mallard - Chipotle Cream Sauce ($1)

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    Chipotle Cream Sauce ($1)

    Betty Burgers - Chicken | Garlic Fries

    Betty Burgers

    3.8(1.5k reviews)
    14.6 mi
    $$

    I've eaten at this Betty Burgers many times because the food is usually good. It's not the best…read moreburger in Santa Cruz but it's a decent and I want to support the businesses affected by the road closure. This visit was a little disappointing. The burgers seemed sloppier than usual and just weren't as good as they've been in the past. What really bothered me, though, was the 3.95% credit/debit card service charge. I didn't notice it until after I had already paid because the only explanation was printed at the bottom of the receipt. If you're going to charge customers an extra fee for using a card, that should be made very clear before they order so they have the option to pay cash. Between the food that wasn't up to par and an added processing fee, this visit just wasn't worth it. I don't mind paying for good food but I don't like feeling nickel-and-dimed over an extra charge that wasn't obvious before ordering. Transparency goes a long way.

    We stopped by for some take-out to bring with us to our beach picnic. They were having a FIFA watch…read moreparty at that time so customers were enjoying their food while watching Spain and Argentina play. I ordered the Point Grinder which is a burger with bacon, sauteed mushrooms, bleu cheese and green onion and it was a great combination! The only reason why I'm giving a 4/5 stars is because my patty was still very red instead of a standard well-done. My friends and I also ordered one side each and tried garlic fries, sweet potato fries and onion rings and all were delicious. Garlic fries were seasoned well and had lots of garlic, sweet potato was slightly thick cut and soft and yummerz and the onion rings wasn't just batter, it had thick slices of onion! Their ranch was also creamy and aromatic! Parking could be difficult on a busy day! 9/10 would recommend!

    Photos
    Betty Burgers - Inside

    Inside

    Betty Burgers - Chicken | Garlic Fries

    Chicken | Garlic Fries

    Betty Burgers - The Duke Burger

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    The Duke Burger

    Sixth Street Burger

    Sixth Street Burger

    4.6(347 reviews)
    18.7 miDowntown
    $$

    Great burgers and the friendliest staff you could imagine…read more Ashley was so helpful and friendly. Great job!!

    We had to take a phone for repair a few doors down so we came here while we waited for that. We had…read morea GREAT meal. These are like, the smash style patties so they have that nice crispy edge to them. I got mine just the way I like it; swiss, tomatoes,avocado and mustard. Also tried the onion rings. And they had Stubborn Root Beer (YUM!!) the burger was really good, just the right size. Onion rings were a good, perfectly serviceable battered rings, but a little salty. Partner had a breakfast sandwich and LOVED adding their special hot sauce mix to it. He said it was a little unwieldy to pick up and eat sandwich style, but tasty nonetheless. The inside was clean, but the seating was sparse. However, the outside seating was very good, and a great place to people watch. My only real complaint is the medu ordering screens were hard to navigate, since the only place to "grab" the screen for scrolling was over easily clickable burger options, so going through the customisation list was like accidentally ordering MANY toppings I did not want and then having to carefully go back up and unselect them and then try not to re-select them on the way back down. So, in light of that, I would recommend ordering from the super friendly counter person instead.

    Photos
    Sixth Street Burger - Upbeat decor and welcoming

    Upbeat decor and welcoming

    Sixth Street Burger - 1/2 lb mushroom swiss smash cheeseburger

    1/2 lb mushroom swiss smash cheeseburger

    Sixth Street Burger - Double burger

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    Double burger

    Belly Goat Beef Burgers - Seoul Surfer Burger, Forager Burger

    Belly Goat Beef Burgers

    4.0(208 reviews)
    13.7 mi
    $$

    Burgers were delicious, fries were very good as well. Little tough to find a table on a Saturday…read morebut the live music and overall vibe are solid. Slightly overpriced since there is no table service. Parking is less than ideal as well since it's central to Santa Cruz but that's expected. Maybe the best part is the fact that everyone in your group can find something to eat (even if it's not Belly Goat) since there are several options in Abbott Square. This is what the US should look like. People of all ethnicities enjoying food from all over the world (I know, I know, I got a burger lol). But everyone just chillin', enjoying great weather and good food. Highly recommend a stop here

    If you're a cow eater, this is your place. My husband devoured his Cowboy Burger ($18.00). He…read morethought the burger was juicy and prepared perfectly with paired toppings. The Lost Boys ($6.75)(garlic fries) were perfection. The fries are separate from the garlic confit and herbs provided in an Individual container. The garlic was well balanced in flavor, far from being overwhelming, fresh and so satisfying when paired with the fries. The Ahi Burger ($15) was not my favorite. The brioche bun was soft and toasted slightly, the slaw was crunchy and flavorful, the burger itself needed flavor. It felt like an afterthought rather than a main highlight of this dish. If we return, I would try the Forager ($14) a portobello, avocado mash burger I missed on the menu.

    Photos
    Belly Goat Beef Burgers - Inside

    Inside

    Belly Goat Beef Burgers - Pork belly fries

    Pork belly fries

    Belly Goat Beef Burgers - Seoul Surfer Burger

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    Seoul Surfer Burger

    The Sawmill - burgers - Updated September 2026

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