Sara’s Cafe

Been passing by this place a few times coming in/​out of the 441 Shaw AFB gate and thought… it needs to be updated on Unilocal.After a quick glance here, I had pictured this very old school diner where I may get a side order of cancer. But thankfully, it’s updated with the times.
The outside, and even inside, look a bit dated but that’s honestly to be expected. And nothing wrong with it either. It’s dated, not falling apart.
When you walk in, you’re no longer greeted by a blanket of second hand smoke, instead you’re welcomed by one of the servers. In my case it was «Sit anywhere you like» which is typically when it’s not too busy I assume.
The menu is very ‘diner’… mostly breakfast in sandwiches, but also with a few «plates» of your choice. They also had specials, which I assume are daily (?), listed on the white board hanging on the wall. I decided to go with the Fried Pork Chops, which is generous in coming with 3 sides (my choices: mashed potatoes, cole slaw, and spice cake)… with a sweet tea to wash it all down.
Their tea is good, brewed, and just sweet enough to add the flavor you want; but not so sweet that it’s dragging your teeth out of your mouth. The pork chops were spot on, a generous helping of 2 came on the plate; while a little greasy (expected) they still delivered on flavor, juicy-​ness, and just that southern comfort food you would expect.
Cole slaw wasn’t the best I’ve had, but it wasn’t loaded down with mayonnaise or vinegar either. So it had a good flavor. Mash potatoes didn’t taste like they came from a box and paired well with the pork chops. So I felt I made good choices on both.
Capped it all off with the spice cake, which definitely reminded me of home and tasted great. Definitely not store bought, and had a lot of the delicious homemade flavor you would expect from this type of southern specialty dessert.
All in all I can’t complain about this near work lunch choice. The food was good, tea was tasty, and price was extremely comfortable… especially when you consider the total amount of food! If you’re looking for a southern comfort/​greasy spoon type meal in your near future, then I’d definitely recommend Sara’s Café!

Sara’s is a great place for burgers — clubs and good old fashion country cooking. On any given day — they will have — Shepard’s pie — fried pork chops — cube steak — baked chicken — meatloaf — you name it. It changes everyday. Not only is the food good — but you get your money’s worth. Which is rare — now a days… The service is good and fast. The only bad thing is they are only open for breakfast and lunch. =(
Btw — it is now a No Smoking café! Yay!

When you walk into Sara’s the first thing you notice as you gaze through the hazy cloud of smoke in search of an empty table is that this place is packed with locals! There’s a reason for that: the food is great and the service is even better. No matter how busy this place gets the waitresses are even-​keeled, polite and friendly. I had expected this «greasy spoon» to serve greasy food and butter-​drenched, limp vegetables, but I was wrong. The vegetables are surprisingly good and even though you’ll inhale a half a pack of cigarettes worth of second-​hand smoke during a 45 minute meal here. You glass of sweet (or unsweetened if that’s what you prefer) tea will rarely go below halfway as refills flow freely at Sara’s and if you’re having a soda, before you can finish the first one, a replacement can will be delivered to your table, straight from the cooler filled with ice behind the counter.
Do: Get the lunch special, it’s a great value and is usually the best thing you can get besides the Open Faced Roast Beef Sandwich. Call ahead and they’ll tell you what’s on the menu for the day.
Don’t: Sit in the table in the back corner by the return of the HVAC system, every ounce of smoke in the place is drawn to this very point and will float across your table (and in your nose along the way)

Sara’s is a hidden little gem specializing in comfort food. They’re located on 441, just South of the Shaw gate behind the Pizza Hut. Granted, a lot of the food they serve is pre-​prepared (i.e. the vegetables are from a can, the rolls are packaged, etc) but they have a daily special where for $ 6.95 you get an entrée, two sides and a roll or cornbread (I can’t remember if the drink is included). The plate is loaded, too, and the ladies are friendly. I believe they start serving breakfast around 5:30AM and they close around 6pm but I’ve never been in here when it wasn’t packed from wall to wall. It’s also the kind of place you can walk in nod at the other regulars.
You’ll also get a to-​go cup for your tea if you like
When we bought our house in Dalzell (the 441 side) we had to eat out the first few weeks while we renovated some stuff and Sara’s was a blessing. We ate affordably and without having to resort to fast food.