Sav’s Grill

This was an amazing surprise to find in Lexington, KY. The idea of finding West African cuisine in the Bluegrass State is unique… but delicious one. We liked our meal at Sav’s as good (or better) than all of the vaunted restaurants in the city. My wife enjoyed the Peanut Goat (it’s amazing) over fufu. I had an amazing dish of beef tips with spinach. The house hot sauce is fantastic and added a kick to the meal. The restaurant is very clean — and the young lady that served us was friendly and helpful.
Don’t miss this one!

great and affordable food! And it’s vegetarian friendly!

I’ve been to Sav’s several times in the past few months. Each time has been great and I have never had a single problem. This sort of dependability is worth the 5 stars, even if the food wasn’t delicious and the staff funny and kind.
I almost always get the peanut goat, which is thick and hearty without being overbearing. I do tend to use a lot of the hot sauce at the tables to spice it up a bit, but that is just my personal taste. I almost always chow down everything in my bowl before I realize I’m done, and then a sadness takes over.
They have several different drinks to try at the counter. I like getting the spicy ginger beer. It has a bite that matches perfectly with the savory food.
I’m always greeted warmly by the staff and they are always very helpful and quick to make recommendations. They have even opened up Sav’s Chill across the street to sell us some ice cream when it is closed. Literally service that is beyond what is asked.
On a cold day, there’s pretty much nothing better than filling up with some of this great food. If you haven’t been, you owe it to yourself to try it out.

Tonight was my first time to visit Sav’s Grill and it was wonderful. I was greeted as if I were a regular that they knew well. I will certainly return and bring friends!

Today was dinner at Sav’s Grill after a while. I been here couple of times but keep forgetting to review. My favorite thing go get at Sav’s is peanut goat. It has the right blend of spices and peanut and both balancing each other rather than one overpowering in taste to other. It’s basically comfort foot for soul. Owners are very nice and always love to chat with them when they are around. Overall good experience. You won’t be disappointed!!!

Located near UK’s campus, Sav’s delivers a unique dining experience. My lovely companion and I stopped in for a quick lunch. It was extremely cold and damp outside, a perfect day for African comfort food.
We both ordered the goat, served over fufu. It was rich, tender and filling. The fufu was thick and delicious. The house hot sauce is Habanero based. It gives a nice, fiery compliment to the hearty goat stew.
We split an order of fried plantains. Sliced thick, they are creamy and slightly sweet. We also tried the Tusker African beer. It was a perfect companion to our lunch. Service was outstanding. I have to admit, I did feel a little old sitting amongst the first year French students who were having class in the dining area. Sav’s consistently delivers great West African food. It does not disappoint.

The peanut chicken is extremely good. When we were there, we ended up having to get brown rice because they were out of white rice, so we got charged more. But the food made up for it.

Would never have thought I would like West African food but Sav’s is off the hook! Peanut chicken is my favorite. Kind of a stew over rice. Sooo good. And definitely season with the house made hot sauce. It’s the best and you can buy some to take home.
Additionally, Sav Savane and his son run the place and they are generally amazing people. They are kind, friendly and make it a point to check on each customer and see how they like their meal. You can’t go wrong with this Lexington gem.

Went with some friends for cheap eats and Sav’s was worth every penny. I got the peanut beef with rice, regular size, and not only was it a great amount of food, but it was steaming hot and delicious. Full of flavor, it paired well with the rooibos tea, and I felt like I was getting a uniquely cultural food experience. Great, cheap food. I will definitely be back again.

Really good! Hot, flavorful food. Our group got the peanut chicken, peanut goat, mahan beef, the lamb ragout, and the sides of cheese grits and fried plantains. We ate every bit!

Have been here a couple times before. Last time my wife and I got the hen platter and goat bowl. The hen platter came with a breast wing combo and a great salad that had cous cous on it with a light dressing. The bowls are hearty stew like dish with rice or cous cous. Also got a bowl of fried plantains which was decent. The establishment is clean and has a very courteous staff. Our meal with those two dishes and the plantains came out to $ 30. FYI the habanero sauce they have at the tables is pretty hot. I have a palate for spice and when I tied a spoon full by itself and it was hot.

I have not had anything from this place that I didn’t feel like I could do in a crockpot at my house. It’s not bad food and the family that owns it seems nice enough, but I’m hesitant to say the food is delicious. I’ll go back and try again sometime. In the meantime, I’ll be spending my money across the street at their ice cream location, Sav’s Chill.

Hmmm. Could all these great reviews be for real? We did not like it. We had:
Small rib platter– the ribs were meaty and tender but had NO SAUCE OR SPICE of any kind. Ive had African food before. Always had like some tamarind bbq sauce or SOMETHING! Ribs were baked not smoked. The only sauce they had in the whole reataurant was their homemade hot sauce. Cheese grits were cold and not good. No bread or anything with platter. Really? No mealie bread? Every African plate Ive had before had mealie bread.
Small lamb ragout. It was okay. Shredded lamb with potato and very little spice.
Peanut veg bowl. It tasted like watery peanut butter over rice. Salty and gross.
I can’t recommend Sav’s to anyone. I can’t believe the good reviews are from the same restaurant. We left and went to Pete’s Wok for some cheap good Chinese food to forget the Sav’s experience!

This is my favorite spot to eat in Lexington. Started coming here when this place opened years ago and tasting Sav’s wonderful West African cuisine. It’s healthy and delicious. My favorite dish is the peanut chicken or goat over fufu. Since its opening, Sav has taken a genuine interest in his customers. The kind service coupled with the excellent food makes Sav’s an always enjoyable experience!

Basic and hearty, the food at Sav’s is great for someone looking for a quick reasonably-​priced bite downtown. The menu is basically three stews: «peanut» (vegetable & peanut broth with potatoes), «leaf» (fresh spinach with tomato broth), and «mafen» (eggplant and carrot in a tomato/​onion broth). Each can be made with chicken, goat, beef, or vegetarian and is served over the starch of your choice (white rice, brown rice, fufu (plantains prepared like creamy mashed potatoes), or whole wheat couscous). These come in a half or full orders, with the half being plenty to fill me up. They have a few platters and salads as well (though almost everyone I saw in the restaurant was eating one of the stews). There is a fun selection of imported sodas and beers as well.
The service is very fast (they dish up your order at the counter from a row of crockpots) and friendly. I got the peanut chicken over fufu. It was tasty and filling, but nothing novel in terms of flavors. I could easily have made it at home. This is not a negative comment though. As someone who is prone to hanger, sometimes a big bowl of home style comfort food available immediately is just what I need.
A gentleman I assume to be Sav came out to personally check on us twice and cleared dishes as we finished (even though there were tubs set up from self-​busing). The ambiance was simple and everything seemed clean and well-​organized. Plus there are booths, which I always consider a bonus. Overall, I wouldn’t go out of my way to hit this place up, but I will definitely stop by again the next time I am nearby and hungry.

Affordable prices and good food. Taste just like what my African friends have cooked at home for me before. Made not too spicy, but have sauces that will kick it up a notch for my fellow spicy lovers.
Here is what is great about this place. You don’t have to have broad pallet. My spouse is a picky picky eater and won’t try a lot of these places. He even found a dish he enjoyed. Thumbs up for that!

Sav’s is great food and pretty cheap as well. They have lots of different options for food and many unique drink options. My favorite is the peanut chicken over white rice with a nice cold Tusker beer (from Kenya). Just about every time I drop by Sav himself is there and he is always super friendly with all the customers and will even clear your tray for you.
Side note– Sav’s also takes Moocho, so I’ve earned free food that way.

Amazing food! Peanut chicken and Atikeikei salad are my very favorite. We stop here whenever we can to Lexington. Always worth the visit!

I have eaten at Sav’s many times, have ordered several different dishes, and have always come away feeling that my mouth has had a happy food adventure! My personal favorite is the Lamb Ragout — the first time I tried this I ordered a small order, then went back for a second small order, then went back again for a large order to take home. The Mafen Beef is like an exotic beef stew (I like it without the rice).
In short, I love Sav’s Grill! We are lucky in Lexington to have this terrific dining option!
FYI I brought a friend from South Africa here a few weeks ago and she loved the ragout and the peanut chicken… said it was better than her Mom used to make!

Mediocre. There is nothing good about the food. Too many carbs and not enough meat. The worst part is the price and value for your money. Tastes liked canned soup on rice.