A restaurant that is open on a Sunday and Monday is a big plus. There are very few choices if you want to stay in Chemainus. We were seated quickly even though the place was pretty busy. We liked the variety on the menu and they have non-alcoholic beer available. I tried a flight of beers and found some new brews I really like. If only I can get them in California. Foodwise, we had the smoked brisket sandwich and the seared cod with white beans and veg. We were hungry so no photos. The sandwich was alright. We're used to brisket with stronger flavors or perhaps a bit more smoke flavor. The seared cod was very good. For some reason, I didn't expect soupy beans. But the flavor was good and I enjoyed it. The service was good. We enjoyed our meal. read more

Sawmill Taphouse And Grill - Beer list 9/22/24 - Pizza Near Me - Chemainus, British Columbia

We were staying in the cute town of Chemainus and wanted some cocktails late at night. Sawmill Taphouse and Grill is a large pub just right off the main road through town. Service was great, we were sat right away. A plus was Happy Hour all day on Sundays! We ordered the onion rings, and a funghi pizza with sausage. Drinks were good, not fantastic. Pizza was delicious. The onion rings didn't come with a dipping sauce, we requested an aioli, which our server obliged. Overall- good solid pub food- cool spot to sit with friends over some drinks. read more

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My brother and I came here for dinner while I was visiting. It's a big space with a nice outdoor patio, but it was very busy - not a bad thing. It's definitely a hot spot of the neighbourhood. We had the fry bread to start. I love the spices and the dipping sauce that came with it. We also split the carne pizza. I've had wood fired pizzas before and the crust can be so thin. I really like how their pizza had a bit of thickness to the crust. Nice flavour, and the left over dipping sauce from the fry bread was good for the pizza too! We also split a side garden salad, which was dressed perfectly and a splash of fresh vegetable to have. read more

Had the: - Black & Blue Pizza - Smoked Meatballs Food was good for a pub, not amazing, not bad. read more

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So we had never been to this restaurant. Service wasVery good , however we ordered one item and got wrong order. Food tasty but my pizza crust was soggy , not fully cooked (I make better crusts at home from scratch). I think it may have been previously frozen crust ? But not long enough in the oven . Hubby used the washroom and it was not clean. Well worn restaurant inside , stain on the back of the booth material , a hole in the seat cover . Half wall dirty , mop marks along the base and splashes of Drink on the wall, some TLC needed with paint chips and looking dingy. I am fussy though and have been spoiled by visiting Japan & they take much pride in their establishments with immaculate bathrooms , clean surroundings & good food . Fairly pricey we both would rate the food about a 7 for the price . Won't be returning to this place again. read more

Service was a bit spotty. We received the wrong pizza but they did come over and rectify that. Asked for sauce on the side for the chicken wings and didn't get that and had to ask for cutlery Food was ok. We had the pizza and black and blue burgs. The burgs were quite tasty however the beef patty was way over cooked so was dry. Too bad cuz the taste was there. The blue cheese wasn't overpowering at all. I'd recommend but ask they don't overlook the party! We had the smoked chicken wings but they had NO Smokey flavour at all. Not bad but again we didn't get our sauce on the side. Pizzas are average. I would not recommend. They have a huge selection of craft beer though! read more

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Great service, friendly waitress, grey soups! Settled right away, great selection of old world beers

I was not impressed! They brought the wrong burger to my sister, and there was a hair in mine! Two thumbs down, the service was super slow, and my hamburger tasted gamey, save your money go somewhere better! read more

Preferred the original taphouse that was there, came in and stood at the door for probably longer than I felt we should've considering there was no one in the restaurant. When we looked at the menu didn't care for the fact that you had to have a half-and-half burger, half pork half hamburger. I found Menu to be pretentious. I won't be back. read more

This Taphouse and Grill has a small menu but an interesting choice of food. Their service is great, the on tap beer choices are great. Their wine options are all on the dry side (especially the whites are all tart - I don't drink red. Their ciders are all tart, except for the MerriBerri which I enjoy. I have only sampled one pizza, the margarita, which was underwhelming. Their seafood chowder, for Vancouver Island fare, is not great - but then I have been to Gibson's Landing and had a very good chowder at Molly's Reach, so this one at Sawmill was disappointing. This business is very good with verifying vaccination status, cleaning of tables, handling people on first come - first serve basis as well as reservations. The atmosphere is great and appies are very good. I will be returning to this business. Their staff is very good and interested in being helpful. read more

Absolutely fantastic meal! Despite being short staffed during the evening rush, I was seated pretty quickly. My server was a cheerful young woman named Jaime who was very attentive and expertly answered all my food/drink related questions. I ordered the Black and Blue Burger, which was absolutely delicious! It comes with blue cheese, which is slightly melted by the heat of the burger, but is a great contrast to the sweetness of the caramelized onions and saltiness of the bacon; add mushrooms for an extra kick! The meal comes with both French fries and a house salad, making the whole meal feel very balanced. I would definitely recommend this restaurant, and would absolutely go again myself the next time I'm in town! read more

Sawmill Taphouse And Grill - Front of the restaurant, just to the right of the entrance - Pizza Near Me - Chemainus, British Columbia

Wood fired pizza comes out on top everytime. Tried 3 pizzas and 2 of 3 were rockstar status with the 3rd still better than most around mid island. Definitely my goto pizza joint when im on the island. read more

My daughter introduced me to the Sawmill Taphouse and Grill. Ambiance is casual, clean and welcoming and staff are keen to make sure you're enjoying your time there. Definitely worth your time to stop in if you're in the area or waiting for the ferry. It's not a long way off the highway if your driving past Chemanius (though there are a bunch of turns to get there. FOOD Food menu is not extensive but has something that will satisfy everyone. Sandwiches, burgers and sharable plates (including clams). The house specialty seems to be the pizzas which come in some unique (and delicious) combinations. Of course you can always create you're own if you don't trust the professionals in the kitchen. The ingredients seemed fresh and truly flavorful. Whoever is in charge of the kitchen knows what they're doing. I loved the Parmesan cheese and herb blend that was offered at the table to go with my pizza and the presentation together with dried chili pepper flakes in small snifters was very creative. I didn't have dessert but the chocolate torte looked delicious. Based on the quality of the other food it's worth a shot. DRINKS With "Taphouse" in your name you better have a pretty good selection of beers - this place definitely lives up to its name. If you're into trying different beers this place will be a hit! A really good mix of ales, lagers and IPAs. The staff know what they're talking about and will be happy to make a recommendation based on what you like in the mainstream market. I also appreciated that 5 ciders were available on tap. Not a common feature of most establishments. If you want to be able to walk home without falling over but still want to try a bunch of different brews; the Sawmill has beer flights - 3x4oz for $9 ($10 for ciders). It's a great way to still be able to taste the beer your sampling when your in your 12th!! Staff were very friendly and regularly checked in with the table, but didn't hover as some tend to do. Prices were very reasonable a 12" pizza is about $14). Portion size was good and not remotely pretentious. A great casual spot to hang out, grab a quick meal, or just waste some time. You'll probably make some friends and you could do far worse! I'll be back. read more

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Okay, time to try something I haven't tried before, the smoked brisket dip...and, of course, a pint or two of glorious Creepy Uncle Dunkel! The jus isn't what one usually gets with a beef dip..it is lightly smoked and a delicious companion to the smoked brisket. The brisket was juicy and flavorful. The house salad always pleases - the cranberry raisins are a neat touch. read more

Sawmill Taphouse And Grill - A picture's worth a thousand words... - Pizza Near Me - Chemainus, British Columbia

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Didnt answer phone several times. Pizza is bland and over priced. Dont have water to go. read more

Sawmill Taphouse And Grill - Pepperoni Pizza - Pizza Near Me - Chemainus, British Columbia

The chicken burger is fantastic. I travel up island and I always stop in to the Sawmill for a bite. The staff are absolutely incredible. Friendly, fast and efficient. Always a great selection of craft beers also. Don't miss this place. Cheers read more

Limited choice of entrees although there seems to be a good choice of pizzas. At one time this was a favourite.

I been travelling from Sidney to the Sawmill for a night out and recently had my birthday dinner there, the menu is nothing short of great the fried bread is phenomenal. The waitress that we jave had on several occasions is the best. I highly recommend this restaurant abd whatever the owner is doing keep it up. Will be there again for sure. read more

Great addition to this small town! Been here a few times and food is consistently good. Great selection of drinks (sometimes they don't have the right glasses but who cares, right?) They've got their COVID spacing down so it's a safe co for ya or environment. We'll be back! read more

This place is as good as it gets in the Cowichan Valley. Their beer on tap collection is as good as anywhere on the Island. The food is excellent. I usually order the Black and Blue steak, which is really tasty. The service is really good and they take reservations. During the warmer months, they have a large patio to enjoy. Even though they have not been in Chemainus for too long, I can't imagine Chemainus without it. It's a "must visit" restaurant. read more

My wife and I stopped by this afternoon to have lunch. Although the service was very friendly, the food left a lot to be desired. We were very disappointed. I also felt that their very small glasses for draft beer at roughly the same price as 20 oz beers in other establishments in the Cowichan valley, was not good value for money. Next time, we will keep on going. read more

We were really disappointed by the unnecessary use of single-use plastic in our service. In a breakfast of eggs Benedict, the accompanying fruit salad, ketchup, and hot sauce all came in disposable plastic ramekins. Drinks were also served with plastic straws. In 2019, with the current climate crisis, we appreciate seeing business and industry take responsibility to reduce their waste and ecological impact. While the food & atmosphere are decent for a bite in the Cowichan Valley, we wouldn't return before seeing positive eco-conscious change. read more

Excellent little local spot with great wine, beer and pizza! We enjoyed our his place before the theater, we where seated right away and everyone was very polite and friendly. Pizza was wonderful; my wine flight was excellent. My husband had the local brew and was pleased. Hit it out of the ballpark, only concern was parking read more

Sawmill Taphouse And Grill - White wine flight - Pizza Near Me - Chemainus, British Columbia

I had high hopes for this place. It looked new and cool. Lots of people eating and drinking. There's a pizza takeout option as well. The bartender was a great guy and struck up a conversation in short order. The rest of the staff were busy but friendly. It was the start of a Friday night so it got busy fast. Lots of beers to choose from and a well thought out menu of the variety of options. But alas, everything was pedestrian and typical. I had the tomato soup with my chicken burger. The soup was thick ... but like chunk-ish thick. It tasted like the can of minced tomatoes you use for pasta sauce, and to top it off, it tasted like they had dumped in the dried costco italian spices. MEH! The other 'side' I had was the tossed salad which was really just those thick stemmed greens that come in a bag that no one really likes, but since I was hungry and needed some veggies I ate it. It came with a dressing choice and i went for the blue cheese. Blue cheese, you know, the pungent and strong stuff?! Nope, more like thousand island with some extra flavour. MEH! The chicken burger was pretty good. The chicken breast was tender and juicy and the bun was super soft and didn't fall apart when you bit into it. It was definitely a good choice. So ultimately, I would say to lower your standards and know this place is pub food, good beer, and great for socializing with friends amidst some hard-working and friendly staff. read more

We have been stuck on Island because of a snow storm and have come back to the Sawmill because the food is great! We love the servers and the manager is super. I don't know what we would do if we didn't have this place to come to. read more

We met some friends here for lunch and were not disappointed! I got the caprese chicken burger which was amazing and the fries and salad that come along with it were great as well. We also got pork tacos and the margarita pizza, and both definitely lived up to expectations! Our waitress, Angela, was incredibly friendly and we will be back if we go through the area again. read more

Sawmill Taphouse And Grill - Caprese chicken burger with the fries and house salad. - Pizza Near Me - Chemainus, British Columbia

This place currently has a lot of local hype. Apparently all the beer is local with the exception of 2 beers from Vancouver and the food is fresh local goods. However the experience is best summed up as 'ok'. While the inside is gorgeous, the biggest issue with this place is service. It seems they've divided up staff into bizarre roles. One person for taking orders, one person to serve food, one person to serve/pour beer, one person to seat people and another to clear plates(?). It was awful. We had to wait to be seated (fine) but the person running the seating had no idea how long we would have to wait. The estimate of 15 mins turned to 5 mins but really ended up being 30 minutes. Once seated, our waitress seemed to have little support and we waited 15mins to have our drink order taken, then we waited another 15mins to get our drinks. And then I had to ask for water twice and then my brother had to cut in later and ask for it again. Why did it take so long? Honestly, I think it's because the beer person is separate from the water/food person. In the end our waitress looked exhausted, while other staff wandered about with random odd job tasks or chatted in the corner. The food was a mixed bag. The mussels were fantastic, but the sauce was quite salty even for seafood. The meat was well prepared. Overall, the food is quite rich and heavy. The steak is topped with a pool of butter, as well as the potatoes. There's nothing wrong with that, but don't eat here if you want light food. This place is new. They're still sorting out staffing and serving procedures. I could be wrong in how staff is being managed, but what I describe is how it appeared. This place has a lot of potential but needs to train their staff much better. read more

We brought our hockey team here on a Friday night. We did not have a reservation but did call and gave them an hour's notice. They seated us at a long table for 20 in a private room. Our server was prompt and polite. The manager(?) game in to greet all the kids and asked them what they wanted on the TV and checked on us throughout the meal. Food was hot and very good and all came out at roughly the same time. Great beer and wine selection and prices were good. Large portions and no one left hungry. A minor mix up with bills but very understandable when families were not sitting together. Was fixed quickly and without a problem. Well done Sawmill. read more

Their patio is an inviting place to dine alfresco. We tried 3 selections from the small plates menu: ratatouille, nachos, and baba ganoush, pairing 3-wine and 3-cider tasting flights with our entrees: a full rack of ribs, Salt Spring Island mussels, and a flambé pizza topped with bechamel and prosciutto. Everything was delicious, and our server was friendly and attentive. They're open later than most other local establishments. read more

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Have driven by many times actually rode our bikes out once but due to Covid we need a reservation as they were full so this week we called ahead. Poor waitress looked so worn out working very hard thru the pandemic. Food as excellent I recommend the black n blue burger fries are very good and you also get a huge salad along with. Highly recommend. read more

The staff were fantastic...first time out since Covid...great outdoor patio....but their Prosecco was flatter than a 2x4. No bubbles whatsoever. Super challenging to pay $10 and a tip for a flat drink that should be bubbly. Not exactly the celebratory drink I was hoping for. read more

Feeding a non-seafood eating, no-I-don't-want-pizza son and a daughter who is game for anything while just wanting a good local beer can be satisfied and well by a visit to Sawmill Taphouse. Accommodating my request to skip the frittes with the clams (ask for bread for the delicious salty, garlicky, buttery wine flavored juice) but add the beet and chèvre salad while not over-charging me was an additional plus in addition to their focus on local brews almost exclusively. My husband said the pizza was "really good" which is why I write the reviews. Specialty pizzas should deliver on diversity without compromising on the basics which is good crispy crust and the right balance of flavors is what I am sure he meant when he described the Diavola as "really good." Went with the recommended mocha mud pie for dessert and fell in it like hungry wolves. Nothing left here on these plates!! read more

It is a pretty busy restaurant but we were seated right away. Tables are a little to close for my liking. It was clear the people beside us were on a date. Kinda awkward. We had smoked wings to start and they were ok. I wouldn't get them again for the price. Both burgers chicken and 50/50 were really good. Husband loved the selection of beer and they were reasonably priced. Service was good! read more

4 of us on Father's Day. The place was packed. The service was a little slow but expected. Loved: Flights of beer, wine and cider Pizza was tasty Didn't love: Chicken wings were dry and the smear of sauce on the plate was terrible Fries were shoestring overcooked and dry I would be willing to give it another try. Definitely on a quieter night. read more

Sat, 7pm, waited at the table after waiting to be seated to find out that the kitchen is out of all steaks and ribs. I would not recommend this location. Staff was very cavalier about lack of product. No Management in sight. Service was poor. read more

My friend and I were visiting Chemainus last night (July 8) and decided to drop in for dinner and a couple of drinks We were greeted at the door in a very unwelcoming way. The greeter( Who we found out later was the night supervisor ) opened by saying, " you just made it! We're closing in 30 minutes. " we asked if we would have time to have a drink and dinner and she was vague about it and sarcastically threw her arms out and said, well we are closing and we'd like to get out of here and we had a long day. I felt most unwelcome. We went into eat and we felt rushed. The waitress was very good as well as the pizza. However, I don't want to return Especially when the supervisor does not know how to greet the customer in a friendly fashion read more

We were vacationing near Chemainus and met friends for dinner at the Sawmill. Had to try the pizza, as that seemed to be the specialty of the house, so we ordered the Capricciossa. I've never seen a brick oven pizza with such generous toppings... artichoke hearts, olives, mushrooms, and real baked ham - no deli meat here! The crust was nice and blistered, as it should be. Also had the beet and chevre salad, which was very good. There was an ample and interesting beer selection. For dessert we ordered the espresso granita, which was a bit puzzling, as it simply resembled a boozy coffee drink. It was yummy, but nothing granita-like about it. However, the "Floating Brunch" was one of the best things I've ever tasted... mocha ice cream, Amaretto, dark chocolate porter, and coffee. It was like a boozy warm float and I couldn't get enough. Busy place, but rightfully so! read more

Once again we were in chemainus for the day and after a long hiatus and a reply from the manager about problems we've encountered we we're skeptical but decided to give it another go. We were met with the same problems of 90% of our previous visits. A non existent server. Our previous visit was the only positive experience service wise but we're let down by the menu, this time we saw our usual lack of service. We were there for an hour and 20 minutes and saw the server twice for 2 drinks. I had to get up and find her in the back to order another round. After scouring the menu for 20 minutes additionally and making eye contact with her twice to have her walk the other way, we promptly paid up and left for the saltair pub down the road for lunch. This place repeatedly gives us the worst service we've seen of any place on the island. If it weren't for a serious lack of options in chemainus I'd gander this place would be in serious trouble. read more

This visit was very disappointing. My third visit to this restaurant and probably my last. On previous visits food was good as well as service. Today we had the seafood chowder which only contained one small piece of actual seafood otherwise just broth, not a chowder in my book. Beet salad was good, actually a 4 star dish. Beef dip was 1/3 fat 2/3 meat, don't think there should be any large chunks of fat within this sandwich, totally a lack of attention to detail by the kitchen . We mentioned both of our concerns to our waitress, but she seemed oblivious to our comments read more

We went for dinner and drinks, maybe their 4th night of being open. Great food and drink menu. Nice space - it's clear they put a lot into this place. We had appetizers - pomme frites, sausage, and baba ganoush (all delicious) then a variety off the main menu - beet salad, ribs, lamb, and pizza. Only comments at the table were the meat being slightly dry, but flavours were great. Some kinks with service but I think that's to be expected in early days of a Christmas opening. The rotating beer menu is local and extensive (40 choices!). We found the prices very reasonable. Can't wait to go back :) read more

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