By Jeanni Ritchie
Some places don’t need neon lights or flashy signs to draw a crowd—just good food and familiar faces.
Housed inside Sentry Drugs, this little restaurant has a true community feel. A sign on the wall proudly proclaims it’s been “serving Cenla for over 60 years,” but when asked, I learned it’s been there more than 40. That means the treasure itself is over a century old—and it still feels like home.
Sentry Grill serves breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday, with daily specials written on the board and regulars who don’t even need a menu. Breakfast is served until 10:30 a.m. before the grill switches to lunch, and it’s one I’ll definitely be back for. The menu offers classics like The Big One with eggs, grits, and bacon or sausage, and the hearty Kitchen Sink Omelette piled high with four eggs, hash browns, ham, sausage, and three kinds of cheese. It’s the kind of breakfast menu that reminds you of Saturday mornings at Grandma’s house.
But it’s those homemade biscuits I can’t wait to return for.
I’d arrived for lunch, though, so I opted for the turkey bacon melt (sans the tomato mayo) with a side of sweet-potato fries—simple, satisfying, and exactly what you’d expect from a place that’s been doing it right for decades.
Photos line the walls, and I found myself looking for my great-uncle Eddie Briley. When I told my dad I was planning to go to Sentry for lunch and asked if he’d ever eaten there, he replied, “Many times—especially when Uncle Eddie was running the kitchen.” I was surprised! I know my grandparents and great-aunts and uncles had lives before I was born that involved more than fishing, gardening, and me—but I hadn’t known he’d been a cook. No wonder he was always hosting family dinners and cooking for church breakfasts.
Miss Flo, my server, has been there 43 years. She remembered my uncle well and even reminisced about my amazing Aunt Mae and her delicious cooking. I felt a twinge of grief—Christmas hasn’t been the same since she passed. Every inch of her dining-room table was always covered with baked goods during the holidays—we’d have to move them into containers (or our bellies) to play Skip-Bo and dominoes when we’d visit.
Looking around, I noticed the same sense of legacy all over Sentry: framed playbills, local event posters, even greeting-card displays in the adjoining pharmacy. Every corner hums with connection and memory, proof that this place has fed both stomachs and stories for generations.
The food was good, the service warm, and the nostalgia even warmer. Several customers picked up to-go orders while just as many sat down to dine in—some old friends, some first-timers like me.
From the familiar faces to the stories shared across generations, this place isn’t just a grill—it’s a gathering spot. One plate is all it takes for first-timers to become regulars at Sentry Grill.
Sentry Grill | 1002 3rd St., Alexandria
Open 8 a.m.–2 p.m., Monday–Friday
318-445-0952 for call-ahead orders
