I'm saddened by the negative reviews as this place is one of the highlights of our annual vacations on Canandaigua Lake. We go at least once every year and have a fantastic time each time we go. It is a must go place in our opinions. It is not fast service, but its not a fast town & that is part of its appeal. Woodville is a sleepy little town on the south end of the lake that overlooks a stunning view of the surrounding hills. The water is often serene at the end of the lake & the boating traffic is light. The ability to boat up & dock at the restaurant is a huge appeal & our preferred method of transportation on the lake. Having a local place to boat to & eat adds to this restaurant. We usually get burgers there which have consistently been very good. Their fried pickles appetizer is also particularly tasty. We sit on the porch overlooking the lake and, as I said, the view is incredible. It is very shallow at that end of the lake, so vegetation should be expected. Again, I don't know what the negative reviewers were expecting from this place, but for what & where it is, it deserves every star! read more

Great setting, worth sitting out on the deck with a drink! If you're ready for average food, you'll love it.

Went Saturday with family, 5 people. Waited close to half hour to get acknowledged by a waitress with our waving. Ordered only water and our food and again waited. Reminded girl that we had not gotten our water when she said the kitchen was very busy... it was not crowded. Took about 20 minutes more for our orders. The food was good but not sure with the careless service it is worth another visit. Went previous years and service plus food was very good. read more

Good food, great service, excellent views!!! We throughly enjoyed our dinner here and would feel comfortable recommending it to our friends.

We had a group of 11, and the hostess ignored us twice after informing them of our group number. The place was empty and they finally sat us after fifteen minutes. Once they sat us, we were ignored once we were seated, then informed they were running out of food. Such a shame that a place with a view like they have, has such rude workers. read more

This is the worst service I have ever had. We were with a group ranging from nyc to Cali. The servers thought they were above and beyond us. Our oldest friend gave the server his ID and she said it was fake. He's 34. She took his id to the manager who agreed...we will never come back or recommend this horrible place to anyone. Never come here. Unwelcoming, unfriendly, and ungrateful. read more

The Sawmill is located on the southern end of Canandaigua Lake in Woodville. It is a lumberjack's dream (or nightmare) with rough-hewn pine from floor to ceiling throughout the bar area and dining room. When the dining room is full, it's noisy so opt to eat outside where you will have a view of the lake, although it resembles the Sargasso Sea at this time of the year with an overgrowth of algae and other vegetation. On this particular Thursday night, I ordered fish fry which came with a green salad and choice of side. I'm always in search of the perfect fish fry, but alas I did not find it here. The fish, haddock fillet with a breadcrumb crust, was greasy and mushy, which made me think it had been previously frozen and overcooked in oil that was not up to temp and in need of changing. The onion rings were similarly heavy and greasy. This might be a good place to come for an oil change, but I will not be back! I should also mention that the kitchen is slow-slow-slow, with our table's orders coming up and brought out over about a 10-minute period. The menu warns that the food is cooked to order, so be patient. On this particular evening, the restaurant was not busy so I can only imagine how things get backed up on a busy night. If you come here, be prepared for a wait (or better yet, seek out another dining establishment). As we were preparing to leave, one of the boozy patrons, also on the porch area overlooking the lake, lit up a cigarette. Much to our surprise and dismay, one of the restaurant staff brought her an ashtray. The outdoor porch is completely covered by a roof, so this is against smoking regulations. Restaurant management should know this, and ask the patron to smoke outside. read more

DON'T go - the Soup Nazi owns this place! In town from FL, VA & MD, looking forward to a nice lunch on Sat, Labor Day weekend. After an hour boat ride arrived to locked doors, we knocked and the owner was unwelcoming and stated they were under staffed and as a result they closed- middle of the day. We did note other patrons and waitstaff dining on the porch. Also spoke with a couple who just left, they stated "the waitstaff was very friendly, but the owner seemed to have just had enough and locked the doors". They were perplexed, as well. We had called in advance to confirm they were open, but the phone was not answered. We did confirm the hours on their Facebook page. Labor Day weekend comes the same time every year, perhaps they could do some better planning in the future. Needless to say we had an hour ride home- still NO food. Was very disappointed and feel if you operate the ONLY restaurant on Canandaigua lake you should do better. We have had other similar experiences in the restaurant- *please note their policy regarding reservations for large parties, also the time they had plenty of tables open but wouldn't let out party sit together at the same table. Once again, the owners can do whatever they please and feel no repercussions as they are the ONLY restaurant on the lake. I would love to see new owners taking care of the many friendly residents and visitors in the area. Bring your own food for the trek home in case she locks you out too! read more

My husband and I have wanted to go to the Sawmill Restaurant for about 3 years now. We finally got the chance this weekend. We walk into the restaurant with my husband's service dog and were told no dogs. We explained that he's a service dog at which point they asked for government issued paperwork (this doesn't exist, as a business owner they should know the laws). The owner argued with us and told us she knows the laws, however she clearly doesn't and wasn't willing to let us show her the law and that what she was asking and what she was saying were clearly not allowed. As the 2 questions businesses are allowed to ask and the other issues are clearly outlined in the ADA as they are the most common issues people with service dogs face, there really shouldn't be any question. However these are the sections of the American for Disabilities Act that she violated - 1. Asking what my husband's disability is 2. Asking for paperwork 3. Once she agreed to let us eat there, telling the waitress to seat us away from all other patrons 4. telling my husband that she couldn't tell he had a disability or what it was. She also said they have a couple of seeing eye dogs that come in all the time & she's okay with them. (last 2 are discrimination). We did dine there because this is a small Town and choices are limited. Although, it wasn't until after I called the police that she was willing to let us be seated and eat there. We went into the experience with an open mind. Well, the food was okay, I've had better. We waited a long time for it, so by the time it came we were quite hangry. We weren't given silverware until after our food arrived. And waited about 5 more minutes for napkins. We waited forever to receive our check. Then I just gave her my card because I really was over the entire experience at that point. After 10 minutes I went looking for her and my card. The owner stood over me watching every pen stroke. I was so flustered that I ended up leaving a much smaller tip for the waitress than intended. I didn't really enjoy our experience on the deck because my husband and I were so stressed out after the welcoming that we received. I believe we were seated next to Alexis H, they asked repeatedly for their mojitos and they kept getting told that they were being made. They waited a long time for them. We won't be returning, but we will ensure that the owner is educated on the ADA Laws regarding service dogs so that no future visitors have issues. We were willing to educate her, but she was too convinced that she knows the law and didn't have an open mind at all to what we were telling her or when I was showing her the laws on my phone. read more

I like this place! For casual lakeside dining it is great. The views are incredible. The cheeseburgers are really good and so are the pizzas. One of the few places on the lake you can get to by boat! read more

The one star is for the view or I wouldn't give any! Went here this past Saturday with two other couples, we were told out of most food including burgers! We made a bad decision to stay and ordered sandwiches, very very skimpy for 9.95. The service was beyond slow and very very rude! Never will go here again and will spread the word as much as I can to stay away!! read more

Sawmill offers a great view of the southern aspect of Canandaigua. The bugs on the patio did bother us but the view made up for it. The crab cakes, chicken wings, mozzarella sticks and fried artichoke apps were all great as was the fried haddock. The burgers were average and all were well done even though ordered differently. Kids menu cheese quesadilla beware it comes with beans and ground meat that most kids frown upon. One person tried to get grilled chicken instead of ground beef in a taco salad and even though they said they could make the switch the salad came with beef. Waitresses were overworked and if any busier they would not have been able to keep up. All in all an average experience. read more

The Sawmill. The location is a dream. The place and it's furnishings are welcoming, rustic, and promising. The menu is very limited, which is typically a sign that EVERYTHING is prepared with care and expertise. BUT: The food is apparently merely a vague conceptual gesture in the direction of dining. I would have said it was OK to good, except for several details that made us feel unwelcome, uncared for, and unsatisfied. -- We saw a couple of people leave before we mounted the stairs to the entrance, and we were pointedly told that we just missed the dinner rush. It was 7:30 and the place was empty. -- Fresh fried chips were tasty but dripping with oil to the point of being WET. -- Bruschetta was OK, but it's the first creamy WHITE bruschetta I have ever seen. -- Meatloaf was drowning in red sauce as if it was trying to hide. -- The house Merlot tasted like cotton balls dipped in vinegar. HERE's what REALLY turned us off: - One of us ordered a turkey pot pie. What can go wrong with that, you say? - It was SALTED beyond palatability. While we are four individuals with very different tastes and preferences in food, but the four of us tasted it and agreed... NOT EDIBLE. Seriously, I've licked water softener pellets as a child that didn't hold a candle to this. - Our guest chose a different dinner, and we told the waitress that we felt the pot pie was overly salty and asked her to please put in an order for a DIFFERENT dish. She was very nice and took the pie back. - Several minutes later she returned and asked if we wanted to put in the order for the other dinner. WHAT? Translate: THE CHEF TOLD HER TO CHARGE US FOR THE INEDIBLE MEAL, THEN ADD THE CHARGE FOR THE NEW ORDER ON TOP OF IT. We were stunned. Not wanting our guest from several states away (we ourselves live right up the road) to come away hungry, we DID put in the other order, which she changed to a simple burger in the mean time because the rest of us had finished and she felt awkward eating alone. - My boyfriend and I are 50, his parents are in their 70's all of us have eaten at 5-star establishments and dirty-water-dog-street-carts alike, BUT NONE of us have EVER experienced a crappy meal being thrown in our face and charged for. A simple "sorry" would have gone a long way, and not charging for the meal would have been the common practice. Who do they think they are???? Poor waitress didn't have a clue. In the end, I wished we had stayed home and eaten leftovers. I was so steaming mad that I swore I would write as many scathing reviews as possible, and we are convinced that the business is a front. No wonder it always looks closed. Don't waste your time or money on The Sawmill. Just bring your own peanut butter and jelly sandwich and sit out on the town dock and you will feel loved and pampered aplenty. Oh, and the next time you see a salt-lick, think "Sawmill" read more

It is a beautiful Restaurant and a great view of the lake. It was a shame that the Construction Marina is next to them and that EPA probably needs to check that place out with oil spills and smell of diesel. The food is was okay nothing to rave about but it hit the spot. I did ask to had baked fish on my fish sandwich instead of fried because on the front of the menu it says everything is fresh. Not true according to the staff. I would still come here to enjoy the view and have something to eat and drink read more

My wife and I like to head out in the Jeep and enjoy a Saturday or Sunday ride to no particular place through out the summer months. During these many enjoyable rides we make the Sawmill one of our periodic stops. It is fun to sit out on the back porch and watch the boaters and people come and go. One time we were even handed banoculers by the waitress who showed us some nesting eagles. Staff is friendly and the food is uncomplacted and enjoyable. It is a 40 min drive for us but we much enjoy the drive and The Sawmill is a fun spot to stop a grab a bit. read more

We visited the rustic Sawmill Restaurant last Saturday (8/19/2012) evening, and we anticipated having a tasty dinner served in a timely fashion while we enjoyed the view of Canandaigua Lake and the beautiful forest-covered hills surrounding it. We received our beverages very quickly but were surprised to learn that free refills are not available. Our salads were little more than a pile of iceberg lettuce with slivers of onion and a few croutons. The bread plate that we were served had 4 foil-wrapped pats of butter and two 1/2" thick pieces of bread that were slightly larger than a silver dollar. After waiting almost 1/2 hour for our dinners, we were shocked when they arrived. My Pork Goulash over noodles had 1/2" cubes of pork that tasted like they had been cut from BBQ'd spareribs; the tomato sauce was sugary sweet and cold; the noodles were overcooked and flavorless. My partner's Haddok dinner consisted of fish encased in a tasteless batter that was as hard as concrete, and coating on the onion rings was crunchy but bland and the onion was stringy and tough. Adding insult to injury, the price of each meal was $13.95, and even if the price had been half that amount, it still would have been a waste of money. read more

We have tried this place a few times in the last few years hoping that it will get better but it doesn't. The place is beautiful and it one of the only spots open on the lake for food and drinks. The service is absolutely horrible!!!! When you walk in none of the staff even acknowledge that you came in. After waiting to be seated for 5 minutes you wait some more to have someone come ask you if you want a drink. We were greeted by our server this time by saying "I guess I'm gonna be your waitress." We waited 10 minutes for an ice tea and martini which the server announced she didn't how to make it even though it was advertised at the bar. 20 minutes later we got a cheeseburger and fish taco. My husband said the cheeseburger was disgusting. The roll was freezer burned and toasted and the cheese was nasty and wasn't even melted on the burger. I have to say my fish taco was great! I wish this place would read these reviews and do something about there business. It is a shame to see this place go to waste in this wonderful location! My husband said we would never return. read more