Sawmill Inn
2301 S Hwy 169, Grand Rapids, MN, 55744
Sawmill Inn Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Grand Rapids for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Grand Rapids for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Grand Rapids for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
2301 S Hwy 169
Grand Rapids, MN, 55744 - Phone (218) 326-8501
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Opening Hours
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Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Krysta B.
I realize this is a small town and options are limited and whereas this may be one of the better hotels in town (according to locals) I believe there MUST be something better. Our room was a sauna, it was awfully warm more like hot, sleeping was impossible. They have one central heating and air unit that controls the whole building. Each room cannot be individually tempeture controlled. The shower was literally a trickle of water and I mean literally it was more like a leaky faucet and the whole time it's squealed and screeched at me it took me about 30 minutes to take a shower. I was here for my sister-in-law's wedding and the reception was held here, the food was pretty basic, and the staff here was not really the most friendly. But the bar on the other hand was wonderful the staff there was so attentive and so friendly and the drinks were made strong and entertainment was lively and the food was good. They offered pizza late night for those that drank too much since I ordered some I guess I was one of those people that drank too much. :) The pool to the building is in the center of the hotel and the rooms or wrapped around it. So it is very loud pretty much all the time lots of children and the carpets are wet and the floors are wet and the rooms smell like mold and chlorine. When I asked the front desk for a fan for my very hot room (since the were booked and couldn't give me a new room) they only offered me a small, low watt fan that would offer no comfort. I had to borrow a high watt window fan from family members who live in town. Out room door was made of glass and had a curtain for privacy so when you would go to open the door you would have to move the curtains to get out. Not very private at all. The key to the room was very difficult to use in the lock it took me forever to unlock every time. Eventually I got smart and used the other door but still thought the whole thing was silly. Never been in a hotel room with 3 exit doors, a glass door, no climate control in the room and such bad insulation that my own room felt like the sauna from below. quite strange.
(1)Stephen W.
We went to Sawmill because everyone said to try it out. We tried it out. It was ok at best. The ribs were subpar. The Walleye was extremely good! The popovers were... rolls? I do not understand why people are going crazy over them, but to each their own. The servers were very nice and the atmosphere was cozy. I doubt I would come back here just because I had good walleye elsewhere during my trip.
(2)Scott P.
I don't think it gets better in Grand Rapids than at the Sawmill (unless my mother-in-law is cooking at home)! Great walleye and I like the ribs a lot. The steak is first rate and it is nice that the bar is adjacent so you can eat in peace in the dining room if you so desire or be more active in the bar. Great staff both places! DO NOT FORGET THE POPOVERS! Fresh and homemade! Awesome for sure!
(5)Marguerite A.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME ??? Cedars Restaurant is a classic!! I haven't had a popover in a restaurant for 30 yrs ! I LOVED it! I chose the lounge instead of the dining room as the DR was empty (at 5:30 pm). Same exact menu. I had a coupon from the neighboring hotel for a free beverage if I ate at the Sawmill. So right out of the gate I got a free Pinot Grigo, very mild, perfect for this meal. Oh look, free hor d'oevores ! Packed full tasty egg rolls, and crudities. YUM. So this Sundowner Menu is awesome and reasonably priced. Other words, early bird special. So since I am UpNorth, Walleye it is. Impeccably prepared walleye. Truly. And preceded by an exquisite fresh spinach salad with chopped bacon and a poppyseed dressing. With a popover, an eggy bite of bready goodness, half air. Does that mean it is half the calories? DON"T CARE. And room temp whipped butter. So my wild rice side is exactly that - a bowlful of wild rice, no white or brown rice, just pure, well prepared rice with chunks of carrots and celery. A little more of that whipped butter, a dash of salt, and I am in Northwoods heaven. The medium sized walleye was lightly breaded , gently sautéed, and was flaky, not fishy. There were enough toasted almonds to have some with each incredible bite. All that could of made this meal better was having a tall handsome dining partner. :-) Then to top it off, an included dessert of light fresh lemon cake. And hot coffee. All this under $17. Be still my heart. So I rolled back over to my hotel to bask in food nirvana. IT IS WORTH THE DRIVE UP HERE JUST TO EAT HERE !!!!!!!!!!!!!
(5)Jimmy W.
I have been here a few times and I will tell you that when you are in Grand Rapids tho is a spot worth going to the staff is seasoned and friendly the atmosphere is like an old boys club from te 70's and the prime rib is fantastic! It's small town feel is kinda sweet they even have free popcorn! Who hoo!
(4)K G.
I've heard this place used to be really nice, but it is clearly showing its age. We were booked to stay a few nights at the inn and it was pretty underwhelming. The people are nice, but unfortunately, that didn't make up for how awful the rooms were. This is a place where you can tell that they've spent way more time updating the dining area and event center than the inn itself. It was so bad that we actually left a day early and cut out vacation short. Not only is it horribly dated, but it just looks dirty. When we walked into our room, we were literally greeted by a bug within the first 5 minutes. There was rust all over the room and what seemed like water damage. The carpets were damp. The room smelled musty. The hallways felt like we were in an asylum (complete with flickering lights). The lighting was very bad (borderline unsafe). We had an infant with us in a pack and play and the mattresses are so old and worn that adjusting yourself even an inch would let out this loud creak that woke the baby EVERY time. It was just gross, unfortunately :( Recommend: No Would stay again: No
(1)George S.
Bad service, bad food, bad environment. What a combo these people pulled together. Let's star with the service. Hostess took over 5 minutes to show up and get me a table. Waitress walked by me several times without saying anything. Finally I got some water and a menu. Alleluia! The water was the only good thing about this "restaurant ". I ordered a Fiesta Omelette. The ground beef inside was grease and over cooked. The food tasted so bad that I gave up and left to grab some McDonalds. Of course I needed to pay the bill. Again they took forever to show up and give my check. Come on people. You can do better.
(1)M L.
I usually tip 20% for average service. The service We got left me wondering if they even wanted us back. I felt 10% was generous. To wrap it up, slow service, over-priced average (at best) food, 3 star wannabe, with a 4 star promise. This place could be super great if a wise restauranteur ran it. One last thing, the busboy cleaned a table next to ours. He took a pitcher of water off it and put it on a counter top. This was 1/2 hour after we were there and 15 minutes after the dining party left. 20 minutes later our waitress picked up the pitcher and topped off our water glasses from it... Gross
(1)Janie S.
I would NEVER recommend this place to anyone. First, we checked in and ran some errands so we didn't notice how bad it really was. After coming back we noticed how moldy our room was. There was mold on the ceiling by the vent and on the ceiling by the door. With both of us having allergies we couldn't stay there. We reported it to the front desk and she goes "oh it very well could be.. We'll get you another room." When we walked into the second room there was minimal mold, but it smelt of it right as we walked in the door. We asked for our money back and the lady was too okay with it. Also, the pool and hot tub both close at 10pm. Most places close at 12am or even 11pm.. But 10..? Really? We didn't check in until 8 and then ate at their restaurant. Which was pretty good surprisingly. The maintenance guy came running in shortly after ten kicking us and the other guests out in the domed community pool. In the rooms they don't have any air you can set yourself and they still use room keys as in actual keys to get into the different parts of the hotel. Mine worked but my boyfriends didn't work at all. The door he had to yank open because it was stuck on part of the cement.. We ended up staying in the bed our pick up in the walmart parking lot..... Just a heads up for anyone debating on staying there so they don't get the same experience we got!
(1)Rick D.
Great waitress and fantastic walleye. This place was recommended by the bartender at Forest Lake restaurant.
(5)Kelley S.
This place has been around longer than I can remember and for that long they pretty much have delivered consistent delicious food. I will admit that what I have eaten here most is the sunday buffet and from the beginning their Belgium waffles have been fantastic and still impress from the second you walk in the door and smell them. They offer a variety of toppings... yum! The rest of the buffet is pretty standard... eggs, sausage, bacon and potatoes with sausage gravy. Fruit and fruit salad and yummy caramel rolls pretty much round it out. I seem to recall more of a bred variety in years past... bagels, toast etc, but that wasn't the case yesterday, only biscuits. I have eaten here for lunch and dinner as well and as others have mentioned the popovers are unique and fantastic!! Everything else I've ordered has always been cooked well with prices that are comparable to others. The staff here has also been top notch for each of my experiences. They are always friendly and went out of their way to entertain my son. Sure there have been duds in the bunch, but overall they are great. Not somewhere I eat all the time, but definitely an old standby.
(4)Gaia E.
This is possibly one of the worst hotels I have ever stayed at. I live out of hotels for work so I am constantly staying in them. The whole place is damp because of the pool, which is in the middle of the hotel. The rooms have clearly had the same comforters and beds since the day it opened. There are constant children's birthday parties so you can hear screaming most everyday and into the night. Also, the majority of hotel staff is quite rude. The only redeeming quality of this place is the bar, which has descent prices and food as well as some really nice employees. Also, there are no microwaves or fridges in the rooms.
(1)Carla G.
This hotel has been the mainstay hotel of Grand Rapids for nearly 40 years. When it was first built it was a Holiday Inn. Then it went solo. The draw factor is its domed pool and two levels of rooms poolside or overlooking the pool. It also has a small Jacuzzi pool. The pool was as good as I remember it from pool parties as a child. Stayed here this last weekend since it was also the location for a class reunion. As a hotel it is Old School, still has keys not electronic door cards. The bathrooms have been updated in the rooms. Room rates per night are very reasonable, especially with a AAA discount. It is a comfortable place to stay with some drawbacks. 1) No way to control the heat/cooling in the room. Air conditioning was on too cold and when we came back the cleaning staff had turned the air back down to 60 degrees. 2) The ice machine on the second floor, where we were staying was broken. 3) The building is not handicapped accessible, in that there is no elevator. Second floor guests need to be able to carry their luggage up and down the steps. 4) The Internet did not work. I tried to get on using both the pool and the building internet and could not connect. I had to use my phone as a hot spot to connect to the web. Ate at the Cedars dinning room. It was annoying to be asked as one of the first guests to enter the empty dining room at 4:30 pm in the evening if we had a reservation. Service was slow, the food was good. Really enjoyed my Walleye Sandwich as did hubby. The catering for the class reunion was good. The ribs were excellent (and I live in a BBQ town). As a venue for an event, it was nice. The Sawmill and Cedars Dining is one of the better places in town to stay, have and event and eat. Didn't get a higher star rating from me because of the cooling issue in the room, the broken ice machine, and internet issues. I would suggest an update to the interior too. It is showing its age.
(3)Tom S.
It was pretty clear during my visit to northern Minnesota that I was far from home. The cashier at a liquor store in Cloquet stared at my ID in amazement, exclaiming, "New Jersey! What the hell are you doing up here?" Hosting a visitor from the "big city," my friends wanted to give me the true Minnesotan experience, which included Walleye ala Ritz at the Sawmill Inn's restaurant. I'll admit that I was skeptical pulling up to the place -- very unassuming exterior -- but in the end, I was pleasantly surprised. The walleye was fantastic and I loved the side of wild rice and the chicken minestrone soup. The staff was very friendly and you can tell that this place has really grown its base of regulars. Loved my brief taste of northern Minnesota!
(4)Jennifer B.
This place is fun for kids because they don't notice that it's a little dirty. The pool is big, and the place itself is big. I have quite a bit of nostalgia for it since I loved going there as a kid, which I suppose is why I gave it 3 stars when it deserves 1 or 2. Oh well. If you're going to Rapids stay at the Country Inn & Suites instead just up the road.
(3)Traci H.
would I stay at the Sawmill again? Probably not. While this is an older hotel and they have made some updates cosmetic-wise, it really needs to do a lot more.... They still use a room KEY system. Not key cards, but actual keys. One for the outside doors and one for your room. Good luck getting a set that will easily work. We had to exchange two sets, and we still couldn't get 2 sets that would work all the time. Nothing like having to walk around outside half the building because your key won't open the exterior door that you need to use to get to your room. Also the mattresses are so old and uncomfortable getting a good nights sleeps is next to impossible. (hotel was opened in 1973 and I think they still have the same mattresses from when they opened) They are either lumpy, extremely squeeky, or the springs are so old they make a cracking noise when you move. We also had some really nasty looking, large brown liquid looking stains all over the boxsprings in our room. As part of the block rooms our group had there we could go to a free complementary breakfast. It wasn't even worth it being free. No meats offered (bacon or sausage) the eggs were the most unusual ones I have ever tasted...we were thinking they had powder eggs mixed into them. We left barely eating a thing and ended up stopping somewhere else to eat. However the pool area is really nice, and the service in the bar is great. If you can tolerate the mattresses and room keys, stay here. If they get things updated I would go back as the inside of the hotel is pretty nice, but until then, I would go across the road to a nicer place.
(2)Phil A.
I was impressed coming from Chicago and moving to Minn. This place had well-prepared steaks, good au gratin potato. Good service. I really have to give this place 5 stars because it's the best bet up in this part of the state.
(5)Emily C.
There's no separate listing for the restaurant, Cedars, so though I didn't see much of the hotel, I'm writing my review here. I was also only there for lunch, so am not familiar with the dinner menu. Sandwiches and burgers are the standard lunch fare, although they did offer a buffet on the random Thursday I was there. I'm not sure if that's a usual thing, though. The buffet had fried chicken, beef, potatoes and salad along with several cakes for desert. It was kind of sparse. I didn't have the buffet, though, I ordered a Reuben sandwich and it was fantastic! Very thinly cut meat, tasty toasted marble rye and some excellent seasoned fries. I highly recommend it.
(4)Michelle B.
When we're in Grand Rapids and looking for a consistently good meal, this is where we go for dinner. The Cedars dining room has a retro-kitch feel to it (vinyl upholstered cushy chairs on coaster wheels), but delivers on quality. Don't come here for the wine selection - best to stay with the standard bar drinks that are served up no-nonsense and stiff to boot. I love the 8 oz prime-rib that comes with an orchid flower as garnish. It's part of the "Sundowner" menu (served from 4 - 6pm) that also comes with choice of soup or salad, side, one of their famous popovers (Yum!) and dessert. All for $14.95. Can't beat that! Washed down with a good ol' gin & tonic, it's a meal even your Daddy would like.
(4)