Sweetwater Tavern

I rarely (!) drive to VA to dine, but a friend recommended Sweet Water for dinner. It was worth the drive! The vibe was very laidback and comfy.

Our server was like a ninja. He'd quickly pop in and out, sometime unbeknownst to us. The food was delicious. I loved everything - mango martini, egg rolls, dinner rolls, fish tacos, and the white chocolate bread pudding. The mango martini tasted so good that I bucked my diet and ordered a second one. The bread was warm and fluffy, and reminded me of beignets. The bread pudding was the perfect dessert to end the meal. It was not your traditional bread pudding. Looked like a tart, but tasted like soaked cake.

On the way out, I noticed that is an on-site brewery. Unfortunately, it's not open for tours.

Food: not the fantastic tastes that we rely on when we come to a GAR. The bread basket was cold and Ozzie rolls stale. Firecracker shrimp fell apart. My halibut was good but mashed potatoes were somewhat lukewarm.

Service: fantastic, our server was on point for everything, came to visit and check on us multiple times. I gave her my bread comment and she tried to explain that possibly she may have grabbed a basket that was already sitting there.

Ambiance: we came for an early reservation to avoid the GAR dinner crowd. Maybe it was a mistake because the food was not as consistent.

Tips: they do take reservations via Resy. Lots of outdoor parking. Bread basket contains 4 pieces and they charge you $1

Eah. It's not good. We go here occasionally because my wife likes one of the salads. I'm consistently disappointed. I get the burger because it's cheap (most of the entrees are overpriced), and they've burnt it the past two times. It doesn't even come with tomato and onion; you have to ask for them.

I got a belgian double. I prefer belgian beers, and while this one smelled right, it didn't taste right. It was too dark and too dry.

I think this place struggles because it doesn't know what it is. Is it a bar or a restaurant? It doesn't succeed at either, imo.

Always a great experience at any of the Great American Restaurants! The service is always great and the food is even better! They have plenty of indoor seating and a patio for outdoor seating as well. Reservations can be made via RESY, which I highly recommend. The jambalaya pasta was really good. It was seasoned well and came with chicken and shrimp (we requested no sausage). It's a pretty big portion which is hard to finish if you have appetizers. The drunken ribeye was cooked to the perfect temperature, medium, as requested. It came with cremini mushrooms on the side. The steak was really juicy and tender! I rarely order red meat, but this was definitely worth the indulgence. The loaded baked potato was delicious! If you're in the area, stop by. You won't be disappointed.

Came for lunch, and it took about 10 minutes to be seated, even though the place was not fully packed. No bread was provided as a starter which was a bit of a bummer. I ordered the special of the day - mahi-mahi and it was pretty bland and they had to replace the polenta which was doused with butter (due to my lactose intolerance) with just spinach so I had mahi-mahi and a ton of spinach, my buddy ordered the Louisiana Pasta and that seemed delicious. Net net, the food is pricey and I had an above average experience, but nothing to rave about.

Ok. They made up for the issue on last visit.
Shewwww. I'm happy.
I love this place and they proved my need to go back and try again was needed.

Great experience. Great food. Great service!!!

Thanks guys!!!

Every year I wait for Sweetwater to offer their Pumpkin Cheesecake. It is always great but I had it last night and it's even better than ever!

The consistency of the heavenly tasting cheesecake itself, the luscious whipped cream, the generous amount of creamy caramel, the buttery crust , and to top it off - candied pistachio's!

Run, don't walk to have it!

Tony and I went to Sweetwater Tavern to have dinner, but they only offered their own IPA Beers. They didn't even serve one beer that was a regular domestic Beer. Tony was so upset about no regular domestic beer that we had to leave.
Their Iced tea was good!!

I love sweetwater tavern. I've been here countless times over the years and the food is always delicious. Some of my favorites are the filet mignon, calamari, chicken tenders, field greens salad and the flourless chocolate cake. They also have lots of house made beers on tap. It's a great place, try it!

Sweetwater Tavern is part of the Great American Restaurant Group. The menu definitely has several of the standards from the chain's other restaurants. Service was great. I enjoyed everything we ordered.