Sam Walker’s
Mexican Street Nachos smothered with the good stuff. A mouthwatering skillet of Mac and Cheese. Egg Rolls stuffed like an Italian Sub. And fat fluffy Cinnabon Pancakes. If this is the kind of food that puts you in an eatin’ mood, you need to meet Sam Walker.
Located just of Montvale Ave in Woburn, Sam Walker’s American Tavern is an impressive 300-seat spot where the atmosphere is lively, the bar pours plenty of draft beers, and the kitchen specializes in all the things you love to eat.
Patrick Dillon – Owner, Sam Walker’s American Tavern: “It's American comfort food is the best way to describe. We do a lot of in house smoked barbecue, we do some really good nachos, steak tips, mashed potatoes, comfort food.”
Patrick Dillon and Lauren Cantor are two of the owners here, and Pat’s ties to the city run deep. He’s a lifelong Woburn resident, and wanted to bring a fun comfortable spot to his hometown.
Patrick Dillon – Owner, Sam Walker’s American Tavern: “We just wanted it to be like big open space, three bars, a lot of places for people to hang out, a lot of places for people to just kind of enjoy after work crowds. We want it to be fun.”
The place was named after Captain Samuel Walker, Sr., who was a Woburn selectman back in the 1600’s, and the décor has a comfortable feel with lots of burnt woods, handmade iron work, and kitschy Americana.
Lauren Cantor – Owner, Sam Walker’s American Tavern: “Hospitality is huge for us. And we want people to come and sit down and feel like they're at their bar at home.”
Much of the food at Sam Walker’s is made to share, like the Memphis Dry Rubbed Chicken Wings with tangy BBQ Sauce for dipping, or the impressive platter of Mexican Street Nachos, assembled to ensure every chip is loaded with toppings.
Lauren Cantor – Owner, Sam Walker’s American Tavern: “We do it on our sheet pans. We just do one big layer of chips and cover them all with everything that we possibly can.”
Patrick Dillon – Owner, Sam Walker’s American Tavern: “You don't want to be fighting over the best chip, here every single chip is the best chip. They’re really loaded up. We got our pepper jack cheese, pico de galo, black bean corn salsa, avocado lime crema, and then you can top it with buffalo chicken is my personal favorite, or our house smoked brisket or pulled pork.”
If you want to snack on some Asian-Italian fusion food, check out the deliciously inventive Italian Egg Rolls.
Patrick Dillon – Owner, Sam Walker’s American Tavern: “An Italian Egg Roll is an Italian sub rolled up into an egg roll and fried. You got prosciutto, mortadella, fontina cheese, capicola, some cherry peppers, all rolled up. It's delicious.”
Lauren Cantor – Owner, Sam Walker’s American Tavern: “It tastes like you're on the beach eating an Italian Sub, but you're right here in our restaurant eating an egg roll.”
Handhelds here are definitely a handful, like the Spicy Southern Fried Chicken Sandwich topped with creamy slaw, or Walker's piled high Burger Royale.
Patrick Dillon – Owner, Sam Walker’s American Tavern: “It starts with great cheddar cheese, nice crispy bacon on top of that, then we stack up the onion strings nice and high, drizzle it with some barbecue sauce. It’s a great burger to eat.”
When it comes to entrees, you better bring your appetite, whether you order the perfectly grilled Steak Tips, Cornflake Crusted Fried Chicken, or the real deal Barbecue Combo Platter, cooked low and slow.
Lauren Cantor – Owner, Sam Walker’s American Tavern: “You wouldn't look at us and kind of think barbecue, but it's something that we really take pride in and we do very well here. We house smoke our pulled pork and our brisket every day. Comes with two sides, our housemade cornbread, slice of watermelon. It's a big meal.”
Another big meal -- the satisfying skillet of Mac and Cheese.
Patrick Dillon – Owner, Sam Walker’s American Tavern: “Our Mac and Cheese is really really good. It's all about consistency with Mac and Cheese, I think. We have a really good cheese sauce that we start with as a base. All gets mixed together with fresh pasta baked in the oven for a couple minutes. It's just a really gooey cheesy mac and cheese that everybody loves.”
Sam Walker’s is open for lunch and dinner every day, and on the weekends, they serve an awesome brunch, with options like a Country Benny with smoked brisket and barbecue hollandaise on a house made biscuit, Breakfast Egg Rolls stuffed with scrambled eggs, shaved steak, and cheddar cheese, and nostalgically delicious French Toast Sticks.
Lauren Cantor – Owner, Sam Walker’s American Tavern: “French Toast Sticks remind me of when I was a kid and you eat them out of your freezer. They're made basically the same way but in house. We use our challah bread and soak it with some seasonings, and then we grill it on the griddle and fry it, and then we serve it with maple syrup and a mascarpone dipping sauce.”
But for the ultimate sweet stack, the thick, fluffy, fantastic Cinnabon Pancakes are a must order.
Patrick Dillon – Owner, Sam Walker’s American Tavern: “First of all, we just have an excellent pancake. It's a buttermilk based pancake that's made in house, and then they're layered with brown sugar glaze and a mascarpone cream cheese, and then maple syrup on top. It's like eating a stack of cinnamon buns but in pancake form.”
And whether you come for brunch, dinner, or lunch, the folks at Sam Walker’s know that you’ll love being there as much as they love serving you.
Lauren Cantor – Owner, Sam Walker’s American Tavern: “We love what we do and we take pride in it and we care about what we do. Shows in our food and our atmosphere and the people that work here, so it’s definitely a great place to come check out.”
