Dock 17 — Restaurant in Clarksville

UPDATE - 12-13-2024: Food is still good and Courtney is an exceptional server!

04-05-2024: LUNCH IS SERVED! If you're looking for a spot to eat a nice lunch, check this place out. The service from Megan was great. Dock 17 will definitely be added to my weekly lunch rotation.

03-04-2022 - Been wanting to go here since they opened, heck...since before they opened but just hadn't gotten around to it.

We were politely greeted at the door and got a seat very quickly. The restaurant is really open, which is cool...but if it gets crowded, it could be an issue because the tables are fairly close to each other, closer than I like.

I really dig the look of the place though, with the brick walls and the dart board lanes.

We ordered the fried green tomatoes as our appetizer...and were happy that they came out quickly and were piping hot when they arrived. Not so happy that they were not fresh, but hey... it's not green tomato season right now is it? Will try something else next time.

I ordered the Bayou Burger with salt-n-pepper seasoned fries and my wife ordered the Rocky Top Burger with the same fries. I could have opted for some seasoned fries, but I wanted to focus on that Fire & Smoke sauce for the fries.

My wife said that her Rocky Top Burger was delicious, she really liked the way the cheese curds tasted with the rest of the burger especially the zing of the dill pickles.

My burger was really tasty. It was a thicker burger, thicker than I like...but since it wasn't cooked to well done, it was very moist, and well seasoned. All flavors on this burger from the Cajun remoulade to the capicola ham to the bourbon jam were found in each bite, but nothing was overbearing, a great balance of flavors. The fries were really good too, would have preferred them to be double fried, but oh well. The Fire & Smoke sauce was really good...a bit more spicy than smoky, but I don't mind the spice!

All in all it was a good visit, would definitely come back and I recommend this place if you are looking for a good burger WITH frills...'cause this...

We’ve been to this restaurant several times before and have always had a good experience, which is why this visit was so disappointing. We arrived at 3:20 and were told the wait would be 30–40 minutes. We weren’t seated until after an hour, which we were still patient about. Once seated, we placed our order — including kids’ meals — and apps came out, but we had to ask twice for our children’s plates after the apps were already served.

After being seated for over an hour and ten minutes, we still hadn’t received our entrees. We asked for drink refills that took over 20 more minutes, and even then, only came after we asked again.

We asked to speak to a manager — not to complain, but to try to get some clarity — and unfortunately, she rolled her eyes as she walked to the back. We were respectful the entire time, so that response was shocking.

We ultimately had to take our food to go after nearly 3 hours total with 3 babies under 2, which made it even more stressful. What made this worse is that no one acknowledged the delay until we said something, and even then, the attitude from staff made it feel like we were a problem rather than valued guests. The manager did offer 30% off, which we appreciated, but we weren’t looking for a discount — we just wanted someone to acknowledge the situation and care that we’d had such a long and frustrating experience.

I understand that restaurants have tough days — I worked in the industry while putting myself through college — but communication, kindness, and accountability go a long way. Sadly, that was missing during this visit, and it was very clear we weren’t the only table...

🚨 STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING AND GET TO DOCK 17 NOW! 🚨

I have seen the light, and it shines directly on Dock 17 – the Holy Grail of Southern cuisine! If you think you’ve had good Southern food before, THINK AGAIN. This place has rewritten the book on comfort food, and let me tell you, it’s a 5-star, Michelin-worthy, life-changing experience.

Let’s start with the royalty of hospitality—Eve and Iris. These two angelic, hospitality-goddesses didn’t just serve our table; they elevated the entire dining experience to something akin to a divine encounter. They knew exactly what we needed before we did, delivering flawless service with charm, wit, and the kind of warmth that makes you feel like you’ve been adopted into the family. I’m convinced that if Eve and Iris ran for President, they’d have my vote because they clearly know how to run things with excellence!

And the FOOD? Sweet mercy, the food. I took one bite and felt my soul leave my body, ascend to the heavens, and personally high-five every Southern grandma that ever existed. The fried catfish? So crispy, so perfectly seasoned, I heard it whisper, “Welcome home.” The mac & cheese? A molten river of cheesy euphoria. The cornbread? It didn’t just melt in my mouth; it hugged my taste buds and sang them a lullaby.

If you haven’t eaten at Dock 17, are you even living? This isn’t just a restaurant, it’s a Southern food sanctuary, a culinary revival, a once-in-a-lifetime, write-it-in-the-history-books kind of place.

I would travel through tornadoes, floods, and locust plagues to eat here again. Eve and Iris, you are national treasures, and Dock 17, you have my heart...