Sam Kendals has always been our favorite and dependable restaurant in our small town. Dinner experience there this week wasn't up to what we have been accustomed to. Mostly due to inattentive service. Server brought basket of bread first then waters then about ten minutes later finally our drinks arrived. The bread was disappointing. It was a small loaf of plain white bread. More like eating a hot dog roll. I would expect something like Italian bread with a nice crust. Our dinner of Lump crab over Cod was cooked perfectly and flavorful. Water glasses were not refilled. Friends also dinned there this week and said drinks took twenty minutes to arrive. Attention to detail was not what it had been in the past. Not sure what has changed but hopefully it will get better again. read more

Out of 7 visits to this restaurant, the last 3 were terrible. From rude wait staff to subpar food, it's definitely not worth the price. The old building is very cool though. I'm never going back. There are consequences for treating customers rudely while messing up simple orders. read more

The atmosphere and interior is very nice. The food was good but service was slow and marginal.

Had great service and food. One had New York Strip with asparagus. House salads for us both. I had an add-on to his steak. The lobster pot which looked small, but by the last bite, I was full. Very rich, very good. In town over night for one evening meal. Will pick lunch someplace else but not because this wasn't wonderful. read more

We stopped in on our way through Camden because it popped up on my phone. What a pleasant experience!!! The manager accommodated is on a busy night and the wait staff was phenomenal! The food was EXCELLENT! Best steak I've had in a very long time. I would definitely recommend anyone in the area to try this restaurant. The total experience was a great end to 2019 and an excellent start to 2020! read more

The atmosphere is nice but is a bit loud. The server was nice but very slow. Perhaps it's her first day. We (8 of us) ordered steak, pork chops, crab cakes and mussels with pasta. The paste came out 7 mins after everyone else got their entree. The food was average . read more

1st few times I was there it was top shelf. Now it's just ok. You can tell a lot of the food isn't homemade.

Well, the staff was great, which is why I gave it 2 stars. The food tasted cheap and overdone.....I expected more from this place considering the reviews but was let down read more

Not too good. Drove from Columbia to have dinner. Best thing was the cocktails. Had to ask for.specials. Server did not volunteer the information. Dinner salad was frozen. Steak was much smaller than usual and VERY tough. Salmon was awful. So salty you could feel the salty crunch when chewing. read more

a real surprise in Camden. Nice bar but the food is where it's at. Fresh wild caught gulf shrimp (appetizer only) are very nice along with some of the best calamari I've had. Pork Tenderloin is banging. read more

Thanks for your excellent service Heather! Wonderful lunch today. We have had several people who recommended Sam Kendall's, finally had the opportunity to drop by today. Looking forward to going back! read more

The atmosphere was very nice, very comfortable. Good service from the waitress. The food was perfectly prepared. One of camden's hidden treasures. read more

Love this place. Always go there when in the area on business. Last time there was 5/18/17 for dinner. As usual the salad was fresh, the steak was tender as a mother's love! Can't wait to get back read more

Food is always great, atmosphere is awesome and the service is usually great as well. Had issues with cork in wine but that was over a year ago and they seem to fixed that by having wine specials. The owner is there most nights and is attentive to customer service. I didn't want to review because it may make my favorite place to eat too busy, but they deserve 6 stars. read more

Delicious food and friendly staff here, plus an incredible ambiance. I truely love old brick & wood in buildings, nothing like that character of a place that has been used & lived in for decades. We arrived without reservations a bit late on a Friday night. No worries and a great experience. We tried the mini crab cakes appetizer. Light, fluffy and barely enough bread crumbs to hold the crab together! House salads for both of us, done differently. I liked the Ginger Mandarin dressing on mine. My husband tried out the Sam's Special - Rare. Now I have to say my husband is a stickler about rare steak and isn't happy unless it is warm throughout even though he may not say it when ordering. Again, no worries, it was done perfectly and delicious! I like mine with no blood. I tried the Kingston Cut because I wanted that size and to see what they would do with the pineapple & carribbean spices. Well I was NOT dissapointed in the least. Flavorful, light and a touch of sweet.. We were having such a good time that we splurged on a Remy Martin Cognac & Coffee for my husband and a to die for slice of chocolate cake for me. Although the server had a bit of difficulty understanding what my husband was asking for (it IS a bit unusual), it got straightened out and he enjoyed every bit of it. This place has a very good feel to it and everything we tried was top notch. Prices were right on par for what you are getting, not inexpensive, but not pricey either. I'm sure we'll return here again! read more

Place is ok. Service was bad.,Atmosphere is excellent , food was ok. Doesn't live up to the hype

Visiting from out of town and this restaurant was recommended. The ambiance of the restaurant was okay. The lighting was too low - you could barely see the menu - had to use the phone flashlight to see. The food is overly priced. What's truly disturbing was the bathroom - not clean and smelled. Would I recommend this establishment? NO! read more

We live in Camden and want to support our local business. The first time we dined here in October it was a solid 7 out of 10. It could have been a 9-10 but the service sucked. We returned a few weeks ago and did not have a good experience. First margarita was great. The second was straight sour mix. I took one sip and left it on the table. Our server, well, I'm not even sure what that was, so I'll skip it. We had broccoli bites and spin dip for appetizers. Broccoli bites were delicious but the spin dip was very watery. (It's their signature appetizer.) The replacement spin dip was the exact same way so I sent it back. I had the chicken alfredo for my entree. The chicken was bland and the alfredo sauce was watery. I'm assuming it's the same sauce they use in the spin dip. The server agreed with our observation, yet they continued to serve these items knowing there was an issue with consistency. All things considered, I expected more for $100+ on dinner for two. Can't say I'll be returning. Two stars for atmosphere alone. read more

ive only ever visited this place twice. first time was with my girlfriend. she wanted to try it so I said why not. our first visit wasnt really all that great. our server, michael was his name, was very rude to us and it seemed like he was rushing us out of the restaurant after we recieved our food, which by the way, the food was subpar at best. and in me and my girlfriends honest opinion, i dont think michael should be a waiter, some people are just too obnoxious for that profession. overall a 1 star review for my first visit. As for our second visit, me and my girlfriend had a great time! the food improved slightly but our server the second time around was absolutely amazing! she was so kind with us from the start, joked with us and made us feel very welcomed! she had the brightest smile from when we walked in to when we left. thank you so much for your kindness and humor Leila! very memorable dinner for me and my girlfriend, if ur reading this i wish you the best and goodluck in school! we will definitely come back again and if we can, we plan on requesting for her on our next visit because i dont think my girlfriend and i could deal with that first server again! read more

We went here to celebrate our son's birthday. This was my first visit but our son has eaten here previously. The service was poor - over 1 hour before food arrived and then only after many reminders! Of the five diner only two were satisfactory and none were adequately warm. Disappointment would be an understatement - they did adjust our bill - but we wasted our time. I don't think I will return, too many nice places to choose from. read more

In town for business and dropped in here for an early (4:30PM) dinner. No surprise, I was the first dinner customer in the door. Very classy, old-school feel throughout the restaurant, which also has a HUGE, sleek bar. I ordered the Montego chicken with a baked potato. The food was cooked perfectly and was more than delicious! Even the salad was perfect! If ever in Camden, SC EAT AT SAM KENDALLS!!! Super friendly staff as well. read more

We love to go there on special nights without the kids. The atmosphere is nice with the brick walls. My favorite entree on the menu is the salmon. Staff is very professional, which is what I would expect from an upscale restaurant. read more

Sam Kendalls is the best steak you're gonna get in Camden (Mill Pond isn't in Camden), The spicy shrimp app is always good. Bourbon peppercorn NY strip is great if you can catch it as the special. I don't recommend the grilled chicken Caesar salad. I don't know if they were having an off night or what but my chicken came cold and seemed boiled. Every other thing I've had there has been good. Adult drinks are on the pricey side. read more

Superb dining experience. Extensive menu with beautifully presented fresh fish, quality meat, vegetarian and salad options. Delightful understated elegance with spoiling quality service. Highly recommended! read more

i took my wife to Sam Kendalls for some food and a drink.. we were met by friendly folks at the door... opting to sit at the bar we were served right away by a sweet girl named nahja.. she made a great long island ice tea and she was nice with all the southern charm you could want.. the food is excellent.. right from the bacon cheeseburger.. to the potato soup.. my fav is the Sam's special steak.. we tell everyone if you end up in camden.. go to Sam's for dinner Keep up the good work all read more

This place use to be my wife and I's date spot. Mostly because there really isn't a lot of classy places in this area to choose from for a date night! We would meet every Thursday and every Thursday the quality kept getting more and more worse. Not sure what happened. Prices got higher and food got worse go figure. Back in the day like 5 years ago I would have given this place a 4-5 rating but not anymore. I hate to do that to any restaurant but when this place really has been the only place around I think that went to their heads and they slipped so I hope they correct this problem so I won't have to travel to Columbia just for a date. We tried it a couple a days ago and the calamari was cold and under cooked we didn't get much of it either for that price. Wife's chicken way over cooked and portion was good enough for a toddler. I had the special that was anything but that "special" sorry to have to post this but I hope they read and do so major over hauling. read more

Staying in town on vacation from Baltimore. Came here in the evening around 10 pm for a light dinner and drinks. The drinks were very good and fairly priced, 5 dollar cocktails are always a good deal! This may be common in SC but in MD you would probably pay 8-10 dollars for that size drink! We came in about 40 minutes before the kitchen closed and they were still happy to serve us food, we ordered from the bartender who was very friendly. I got the tomato basil crab bisque which was very good!! My friends ordered the spinach and artichoke dip and broccoli bites those got good reviews too. For drinks all together we got the melon cocktail on the summer specials menu, strawberry margarita and a mint julep all very good! Next time we are in camden we will definitely stop by again :) read more

A Hidden Gem!! Very understated exterior, but warm & welcoming inside. Staff was very friendly & knowledgeable. Food & wine was fantastic!! Variety of seafood, steaks, chicken, etc. All four of our dinners were excellent. Will definitely return. read more

Very disappointing. Went for a birthday dinner. Decided to stay in town and support a local restaurant instead of going to Columbia or Charlotte. Pork chops dry and only 3 asparagus spears served with entrée. Very little chicken on dinner salad. Crab cakes and scallops were good. Very pricey meal. Waitress was excellent. read more

This needs more than 3 stars... I travel all over the country, and for the size of this town, and lack of good places to eat... It has a nice wine list, clean, in an older building which is cool... Good service, good food. Made to order. No frozen diner food in this place. Our table custom ordered everything and it came out exactly as we asked them to.... Good place. read more

Our reservation was made approximately 5 days before Saturday evening for 7:00 and confirmed for 7:00 later in the week, when we added a fourth party to our reservation. When we arrived, we were told it was for 7:30. Hostess did not care that we told her it was confirmed for 7:00. We were forced to wait in a noisy crowded foyer and watch other parties of 4 be seated immediately. Hostess was supremely disinterested in trying to seat us or rectify the situation. She should never be in a position of dealing with the public. Our server was wonderful, however, and she is to be commended for dealing with a very unhappy birthday woman as a result of the nasty, disinterested hostess with the curly dark hair. She actually put a smile on my face in a matter of minutes with her sweet and attentive nature. Food was good, but as we have Hamptons closer to home, with an outstanding chef and excellent attentive staff, we will continue to give our considerable dining business to them and other restaurants who do not disappoint and make no effort whatsoever to offer any kind of compensation or acknowledgement for putting their guests thru this. Very rude hostess- cannot stress enough how disinterested she was in getting us seated. At no point did she address our situation with who I assume was the dining room manager. It was busy, but that is no excuse for treating guests in that manner. That girl belongs in fast food, not a fine dining experience. Because of her, I would give the restaurant a minus one star if I could. If this is the first interaction you have with a new restaurant, why bother with a second try? read more

The owner was beyond rude to a $1000.00 plus table on a recently crowded evening in an effort to turn the table. No food is that good and he can kiss the business of a talbleful of local folks goodbye. read more

Our large table of locals with reservations made weeks in advance was treated more than rude on our visit. It was not our problem they were obviously over-booked and busy but we sure suffered for it. I can assure you most of my party will never return again due to our experience. It's not only about the food folks, it's the service...... read more

food was very good and the creme brulee was delicious! prices a little high but worth it food is quality. service was very good and attentive. located inside a historic building. will be going back! read more

Excellent! Was passing through on a long day's drive, searching for a place for lunch which can often be a challenge since I am not a fan of fried food and so many restaurants down South (annoyingly) close at mid-day. Saw Sam Kendall's and decided to give it a try, even if it was a few miles into town. So glad we did! The pear and mixed greens salad and fish and chips special were both great. Nice reasonable portions and served very quickly. Fish and chips were both very light so you got the flavor of the food, not the batter. Our waiter, James, was very nice and exceptionally attentive. I would stop in again any time and feel confident of having a great meal. Plus it's a nice atmosphere, cool old downtown building in a pretty little town that looks happy to remember, share and celebrate its history back to Revolutionary War times. Sorry we didn't have more time to explore all that. Maybe another day with another fine meal. Stop in. You won't regret it. read more

I've been to Sam Kendall's before, a couple of times, and found their food exceptional, for the area. So, when I had the opportunity to take a detour by there tonight for a drink and dessert, I jumped at the chance. My experience at the bar was exceptional, but not in a good way. I was offered, and served, a drink. But other than that, I have never been ignored so completely by bartenders. Yes, they were busy, but not that busy. Nobody asked how I liked my drink, although I opted for something I'd never had before. If they had asked, I would have told them that that which they were calling an IPA had so much chocolate that I really needed the dessert menu, but they didn't ask. Neither did they offer me a dessert menu, or any other menu. I really don't understand it. They even ignored the twenty dollar bill I put at their edge of the bar, until I aggressively asked to be allowed to pay. I'll go back, but I plan to sit at the bar, I'll take someone with me for company. read more