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    The Sawyer

    3.9 (180 reviews)
    Closed 12:00 pm - 9:00 PM

    The Sawyer Photos

    THE SAWYER ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Happy hour specials
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - The Sawyer

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    Reviews With Photos - The Sawyer

    Strawberry butter cake with vanilla ice cream

    This place is definitely the best place Truckee has to offer for food and service. Zach was very passionate and knowledgeable about the restaurant and all the food, drinks and dessert was amazing. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The setting, ambience and view of the surrounding areas just adds to the beauty of this place.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]]

    Crispy bird
    Jill C.

    Recently came back to the Sawyer again for another dinner. They warned us (both the hostess and the server) that the kitchen was really backed up and food could take upwards of 25 minutes. Not ideal, but we figured we'd get drinks and see how it went. We ordered the burrata board to start with a blueberry bourbon smash cocktail. Cocktail was tasty but noticed the blueberry garnish still has stems on it. Burrata board was very tasty - the berries and tomatoes were so fresh and lovely. The crackers were plain but we loved the toasted baguette slices. For entrees we got the steak sandwich and the millionaire burger. Both were cooked beautifully and as we asked. The steak was one solid piece which felt an odd choice for a sandwich (rather than chopped or sliced) but was tasty. Atmosphere was lively - we were seated near a fireplace closer to the bar area. One note: the booth we were seated in could have used a wipe down and vacuum...lots of crumbs in the corners. Overall a great place to go for a bite when we are feeling too lazy to cook.

    Short rib
    Mary D.

    We came here to celebrate my wife's birthday and we sat at the bar. The bartender (teresa?) was lovely. She was super friendly and knowledgeable. She makes excellent drinks as well. I ordered the short rib and it was heavenly. The restaurant is located in a gated community and gold course. Nice restaurant with good vibes. Will definitely make a trip back here when we are in town.

    Lauren L.

    Came here twice in one week on vacation. First with our son, all the food was impeccable. Waygu burger was beyond, tied for my favie burger ever. Towards the end of the week we came back again, just my husband and I. After a very long day driving around the lake because of a visit on the trashy south side of the lake, I didn't want to go to our reserved restaurant and instead wanted to return here. It was another delicious meal. One of the best!

    Blueberry and watercress salad with crispy salmon filet
    Adriane M.

    The food was great and servers were on top of it. We ordered a mix of salads, entrees, apps and the cookie skillet for dessert. We had an energetic toddler in our party and the staff were patient and friendly with her too.

    Steak
    Amanda M.

    Excellent Food & Service. Chef knows what they are doing! [[HIGHLIGHT]]Beautiful restaurant.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Try to snag outdoor table overlooking the golf course.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Definitely would return & recommend to all!

    Chicken fried chicken
    John K.

    Excellent place to take in a view for an early dinner. Great pizzas. Burgers. And fried chicken. Place is nice enough for date night or a special occasion and also casual enough for the kids or to watch a game. Go early (before sunset) because the views are amazing! Friend chicken A- Burger A+ Pizza B+ Brussels C+ Gabby was our server and she made the experience so enjoyable and fun. Thanks gabby!

    Burger

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    2 years ago

    Omg! The rib appetizers might just be the best ribs I've ever had. We'll be back for sure.

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    Page 1 of 5

    Ask the Community - The Sawyer

    Visiting from Bay Area and want to treat our Truckee friends to lunch. Need warm outdoor seating. Have a small dog who can be crated if necessary.Reservations?

    Hello Jomary, We will be happy to welcome your party to The Sawyer! Can you let me know how many… 

    Are dogs allowed on the patio?

    Yes dogs are allowed on the patio if leashed and quiet. I've seen several people bring their leashed dogs and they sit under the tabLes outside. So nice. They can't allow them indoors

    View All 3 Questions

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    Full service, sitdown restaurant in a casual atmosphere. Indoor, outdoor and bar seating. Good luck…read morewith finding public street parking if you're there during a popular time. If I recall, parking is free after 6pm, which is when we went. Fast and friendly service! All their food items are meant to be shared. We got 4 items split between 4 adults and it was enough. Not stuffed by any means, but definitely weren't hungry after. Curds, brusselsprouts, sausage and kale mac, and meatball pizza. Other than the brusselsprouts, which were too large so that the middle of them had no flavor, the rest was bomb. Loved the other dishes so much!

    Old Town Tap used to be one of my favorite places to stop whenever I was in Truckee, but the last…read moretwo visits have been a disappointment. The quality of the food, and the care that used to go into preparing and presenting it, has completely fallen off a cliff. During my most recent visit this week I noticed that much of the kitchen staff seemed to be different from the team I've seen over the past few years. The pizza was genuinely disappointing. The crust lacked flavor, the toppings were sparse and it felt like something that had been rushed out of the kitchen with little attention to detail. Even the presentation was careless, which was surprising because this restaurant used to take pride in what they served. It's frustrating to see a place that I used to recommend decline this much. I really hope the upper management takes a look at what's happening to the restaurant because the Old Town Tap I used to enjoy no longer seems to exist.

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    RMU Truckee

    RMU Truckee

    4.0
    (204 reviews)
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    What a great find here in Truckee! We happened to stumble upon Alibi when another beer hall ended…read moreup being closed for the night and were happy we did. Alibi was a cool spot with awesome wall art inside their bar and in the adjacent dining area. You order at the bar and can choose either scene to enjoy your food and drinks. The dining hall was more lit and made a cozy spot to catch up with friends without too much loud noise. I ordered their seasonal Asian Wonton Salad ($15) with a sweet dressing and loads of cabbage, carrots, and onions, and it was a refreshing bite to pair with my draft beer. Drinks were fairly prices and had a great selection of local choices. If I'm ever back in warmer weather, would definitely enjoy checking out the outside patios.

    I had quite literally the worst experience I've ever had at any establishment in my life at this…read moreplace on Thursday, July 9th. My fiancé and I were celebrating our ENGAGEMENT with a party of 9. We had been looking forward to this place for SO long and were so excited to spend an entire evening here. For VERY important context, both my fiancé and I were restaurant and bar managers for several years. Neither of us have ever raised our voice at anybody working at a restaurant, bar, etc. We are literally an entire crew of service workers or former service workers who are very respectful of the entire industry and its practices. When we walked up, the older blonde woman working the front was extremely hostile and rude from the jump. I was trying to ask questions about the venue, food options, etc before we went in, and she began barking at us for IDs immediately. Not a single hi, welcome in, etc. Just immediately aggressive. My fiancé, who is 27, gave her his Oregon ID. Considering this state is literally a few hours away, you would think they are fairly familiar with this ID, but apparently not! She began aggressively and repeatedly bending the ID to the point we sincerely thought it was going to snap it in half. Despite it being obviously real after looking at it under a light (Oregon has very specific and complicated patterns, it's widely known as the hardest ID to make a fake of), she said she didn't believe that it was real. We were a bit baffled, and insisted it definitely was. She asked my partner what his zip code was, and because we had just moved, he gave her our current zip before realizing she meant the one on his ID. She laughed and said "nope, i'm keeping this! This is a fake". She said because he said the zip code wrong, she wasn't going to give it back. At this point I got angry. I told her that 1. It is 1000% a real ID and 2. It is completely illegal to hold somebody's ID hostage. Her and her coworker got really defensive and told me to "just calm down" despite her continuously bending it and laughing. She kept saying "I'm allowed to keep it if it's fake" which it WASNT. It is completely illegal what she was doing. This is THEFT OF PROPERTY, so I was absolutely not going to calm down. My fiancé called his parents to hopefully get a photo of his passport to diffuse the situation. The older woman who was holding us hostage demanded to TAKE HIS PHONE and speak to his mom. She then grabbed it and walked all the way down the sidewalk, spinning around and giggling. It was one of the most bizarre things I had ever witnessed, and frankly, we believe she was intoxicated. Her coworkers looked incredibly embarrassed and wouldn't even make eye contact with us. She finally came back and we took the ID and phone back from her. She never once apologized for stealing our property, almost breaking it, and falsely accusing us of committing a crime. Not even an inkling of remorse. Just giggling. I told her how absolutely unprofessional and illegal everything she just did was. Luckily, we have legal resources that we will absolutely be exploring this week, because no patron deserves to be held hostage, have their property stolen, and not even receive an apology. Not only did RMU tarnish what was supposed to be one of the happiest nights of our lives, they lost out on thousands of dollars (that we spent elsewhere that night) from our party because their hostess had a major power trip. To make matters even worse, we had other folks join up with us later that night who also stopped by RMU and had equally unpleasant experiences. They all said that the same rude hostess was bending the ever loving life out of their IDs and being incredibly snarky.

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    Trokay

    Trokay

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    2.0 mi
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    My wife and I celebrated our anniversary at Restaurant Trokay and couldn't have asked for a better…read moreevening. From the moment we walked in, the ambiance set the tone for a special night. The dining room is elegant and intimate without feeling stuffy, creating the perfect balance of fine dining and relaxed Tahoe hospitality. We enjoyed the four-course prix fixe menu with the wine pairing, and every course was excellent. The ingredients were incredibly fresh, the flavors were thoughtful and unique, and each dish felt like something special without being overdone. The wine pairings were fantastic and added to the experience throughout the meal. A special thank you to owners and chefs John and Nyna Weatherson. Their passion for what they do comes through in every aspect of the restaurant. Just as impressive as the food was the service--warm, welcoming, attentive, and genuinely focused on making guests feel cared for. The entire team helped make our anniversary memorable, and we left already talking about our next visit. If you're looking for a special dinner in Truckee, Trokay is the real deal. Outstanding food, exceptional hospitality, a beautiful atmosphere, and an experience that's worth every bit of the drive, time, and anticipation. Highly recommend. We'll definitely be back.

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    Moody's Bistro Bar & Beats

    Moody's Bistro Bar & Beats

    4.0
    (1k reviews)
    2.0 mi
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    This is the best place to have dinner in Truckee. The food is terrific and there is always great…read moremusic. Here's a recap of our dinner last night: Two of us walked in and requested a table. The place was packed. The Hostess, Larissa, worked her screen for a minute then escorted us to our table --- right next to the band and with a nice view of the bar and football game. Our waitress, Christal, was attentive and extremely nice. She made great suggestions for dinner. I had the French Onion Soup and the Beef Bourguignon. Both were delicious. The band ("Quartet minus One") played a fantastic arrangement of Miles Davis's "So What" and many other songs. But here's the interesting part: during the evening I saw Larissa (Hostess) wiping down tables to speed seating. I went to the kitchen to thank the chefs and I saw the GM, JC, cleaning dishes! These people work very, very hard to make dining a memorable experience. I give Moody's my highest recommendation!!!!!

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    It was difficult finding a restaurant for dinner, however, we got lucky with a cancelled…read morereservation! Highly recommend making one as it can get very busy! Nonetheless, the service was still attentive. It was quite busy so it took approximately an hour for our food to come out Unfortunately my friend did not like her pasta as it did not have enough salt and the noodles were over cooked. Luckily our server took that off our check! The steak AMAZING! By far the juiciest & cooked to perfection The onion soup was great as well and full of flavor! I wish they gave bread on the side or in a bread bowl The ambiance was medium to loud noice level. This restaurant is medium to large size party friendly

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    Bar side interior
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    The Sawyer - newamerican - Updated July 2026

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