Wagon Wheel Restaurant

5724 Lancaster Highway, Fort Lawn, SC - (803) 872-4654

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Posted By Chris Ayers & Amy Briesch on 2/7/2011 3:24:00 PM

Two words: fried squash. This is one item that’s synonymous with the Wagon Wheel and universally known to all residents of upstate South Carolina. Longtime patrons travel from Charlotte, Columbia, and all points in between to enjoy this gem with its expansive menu of steaks, seafood, and traditional meat & two (or three) vegetable lunch specials. After more than a decade of procrastination, we reacquainted ourselves with the Wagon Wheel along with RF connoisseurs Nancypalooza & Julie.

Like many Southern steakhouses, every entrée includes a trip to the sprawling salad bar, and many folks make this their meal. Veggies of every shape and color are featured alongside sundry macaroni and potato salads. Nancy described it best: “It’s like they tried to completely reproduce a Western Sizzlin salad bar circa 1979, which is not at all a bad thing.” Classic staples such as pickled beets, garbanzo beans, and thick Thousand Island dressing are here, but the Wagon Wheel’s versions seem fresher than others. It’s a salad bar that immediately puts a smile on your face.

All BBQ ribs and pulled pork are pit-smoked in-house with hickory wood, and steaks are hand-cut and char-grilled over open flames. The Wagon Wheel Special is a twelve-ounce ribeye, thick and juicy as expected, but we can’t get over the fried chicken. Crispy skin envelops impossibly juicy meat with an internal temperature that is maintained throughout the meal. The country ham steak with red eye gravy is huge and salty enough to crush any sodium cravings. And the fried squash is in a class by itself! The Wagon Wheel is closed Monday, open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday, and for brunch on Sunday.

Scorecard

Overall: One of the Best - Worth a Trip

Fried Squash	Country Ham Steak
Fried Chicken	Ribeye Special

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Reviewers Photos [Upload Your Photos]

"The Wagon Wheel is known far and wide for their delicious fried squash, which many patrons eat like potato chips."
Chris Ayers & Amy Briesch

"The country ham steak with redeye gravy is wonderful, packing a chewy punch that’s not too salty."
Chris Ayers & Amy Briesch

"The fried chicken is lightly breaded but still remains hot throughout the meal."
Chris Ayers & Amy Briesch

"Juicy and tender just like you like it, the 12-oz. ribeye will certainly please steak lovers."
Chris Ayers & Amy Briesch

"Before Interstate 77 was built, the Wagon Wheel dominated the restaurant landscape on Highway 21. Even though it’s been bypassed by the interstate, it is still a mecca for down-home cooking."
Chris Ayers & Amy Briesch

"Wagon Wheel's banana pudding strikes the perfect balance between vanilla wafers, fresh banana custard and thin banana slices. This is one of the better banana pudding I have had in a while."
Cliff Strutz