211 Main Street Restaurant & Bakery

Written By: April James

Bob and Trish Toews have been serving delicious home-cooked meals, freshly baked breads and scrumptious desserts at their 211 Main Street Restaurant & Bakery, located in historic downtown Lavonia, since 2006. Popular with the locals, the restaurant is also a regular dining destination for residents from all over the region as well as for tourists visiting nearby Lake Hartwell or passing through Northeast Georgia on Interstate 85.

The charming restaurant is located in two adjoining century-old buildings, and the main dining room was recently renovated to expose the original brick walls. Family owned and operated, the restaurant prides itself as the place “where friends meet.”

“Many times a day, smiling guests enter our restaurant and say they are meeting friends here,” says Trish. “I love to hear them talking and laughing as they enjoy our food. It is a very special feeling to know that we are helping to bring them together.”

When the Toews are not working at the restaurant, they enjoy spending time with their four sons and daughters-in-law, their 14 grandchildren and their church family at the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite, in Hartwell.

Diners at the restaurant can visit with their friends and family while savoring many popular menu options, including meatloaf, chicken pot pie and poppy seed chicken in addition to a variety of sandwiches, including smoky brisket, chipotle turkey and cheddar roast beef. Special dinner entrees include bacon-wrapped pork loin, shrimp & grits and ribeye steak served with soup or side salad.

The menu also includes a variety of generously portioned salads, and even the dressings and croutons are homemade. The unique Twisted Frito Salad is a combination of fresh mixed greens, tomatoes, bacon, cheese, sunflower seeds and twisted honey barbecue chips topped with a delightful creamy poppy-seed dressing and warm mesquite chicken.

Other popular menu items include creamy potato soup, chicken salad, macaroni & cheese and crunchy cabbage salad. And, you can add a glass of peach iced tea to your meal for another refreshing taste.

And no meal is complete without dessert. Large displays of delicious options like red velvet cake, key lime pie and mocha cheesecake tempt the taste buds and are worth every savory bite. They bake all desserts in-house and offer a large variety, including at least eight different pies, four cakes and two cheesecakes, daily.

The homemade cakes are three to six layers, stacked irresistibly high.

“We probably sell more of the pecan caramel pie than all of the other pies combined,” says Trish. “Our next most popular dessert is the strawberry cake.” There is something for every taste – even sugar-free and gluten-free options.

Guests can also choose from a variety of daily specials and seasonal desserts like peach or pumpkin pie. The Toews also offer catering, and customers can order specialty cakes for any occasion, including professionally designed, multitiered wedding cakes as well as sheet cakes and gourmet cupcakes for holiday parties and other special events.

And, as an extra convenience, diners can purchase casseroles to go so they can savor them at home. Casseroles like poppy seed chicken, chicken pot pie, and lasagna, and soups such as tomato basil, chicken enchilada, and white chicken chili make mealtime a snap. These “heat-and-eat” meals also make much-appreciated gifts for those welcoming a baby, grieving the loss of a loved one or recovering from surgery. Trish adds, “We sell as many food items to give away as people keep for themselves. It’s a Southern thing to deliver a casserole!”