FOOD & DRINK
2020
The Best of Sanford GETTING BETTER AND BETTER… BY LEON KONIECZNY
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: PHOTOS COURTESY HOLLERBACH'S WILLOW TREE CAFÉ, CHRISTO'S, BUSTER'S BISTRO, THE DISTRICT
Clockwise from top left: Hollerbach's Willow Tree Café, Christo's, Buster's Bistro, The District
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istoric, downtown Sanford has something few other small towns have—a vibrant dining scene with many outstanding eateries, all concentrated in a small, historic, downtown area. In less than a half hour, one can walk from one end of this area to the other and back, in the meantime passing by many of the best “good eats” and “good drinks” that Sanford has to offer—dozens of fine, “Best of Sanford,” award-winning restaurants and bars. While the COVID-19 pandemic has dampened Sanford’s dining scene, downtown establishments have quickly adapted and continue to provide the Best of Sanford to locals and out-of-towners alike, in a safe and socially distanced manner. Yes, Sanford still is a great destination for good eats and fun times.
As a foodie, I’ve been dining (and drinking) in downtown Sanford for quite a few years. I’ve seen it change, evolve, grow, and mature. And Downtown Sanford is not done yet. Quite a few years ago, there were only a few choices for good food in downtown Sanford. Today, you could eat at a different place every day for well over two weeks and never, ever, be disappointed—and have quite the superb variety as well. Along the way, you’d eat at some of the best restaurants there are, the Best of Sanford, as awarded over the years by My Sanford Magazine. Year after year, the readers of My Sanford Magazine reward Hollerbach’s Willow Tree Café with some of their top awards. One of Sanford’s oldest and most established restaurants, Hollerbach’s started out many years ago with only a handful of employees in a small space.
Now, their latest expansion—which includes Sanford’s first and only rooftop biergarten—is downtown’s largest and most popular restaurant. The beer, the fun, the entertainment—it’s all never-ending, and accompanied by some of the most amazing German food you’ll ever experience. Hollerbach’s is an “experience” in and of itself. Still, there are quite a few other fine dining choices in downtown Sanford as well. Receiving MSM “Best” awards this year and in recent years, fine dining includes such restaurants as these: • The Old Jailhouse—and yes, it was once the county’s jailhouse (the iron bars re- main) with their unique offerings and craft cocktails. Dinner behind bars! • The Tennessee Truffle, home to award-
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