Ale' Rae’s GastroPub — Restaurant in Knoxville

Update: The owner’s response was rather disappointing—and frankly, a bit absurd. They claim there was some "other reason" behind my negative review and even insinuated that I must have enjoyed the meal because I "eat everything on my plate." That’s an odd assumption, considering we left the soggy fries unfinished. Or I believe I left them, I might of just have eaten them because you know chubby guy.

To clarify, I never said all the food was horrible or inedible. Yes, I have a healthy appetite (as a self-aware "chubby guy," I won’t deny that), but my critique was about the execution of the meal, which was subpar.

Their comment about a burger shouldn't need much seasoning is correct. Burger meat doesn't need much seasoning if the beef is good. That is why I do my best to try just a bit of the beef off the burger without the toppings or bread to decide if It was tasty or not. Again, it wasn't horrible, just not up to the expectations I got from the other reviews and menu itself. Maybe it was an off night for the kitchen—I get that happens.

Also the server might have stepped off of camera view to check her phone.

As a Level 9 reviewer with over 143 million views, I pride myself on being fair and balanced. A quick glance at my history will show that my reviews are generally positive. Instead of dismissing feedback, the owner should take accountability for the inconsistency in quality. Questioning my honesty rather than addressing the issue says more about them than it does about my review.

I took the time to read through other reviews (3 stars and below) and noticed several people mentioning the same issues—poor service and soggy fries, for example. It’s also interesting that the owner seems to have just started responding to negative feedback. I saw a review from a year ago that they only replied to an hour ago.

Honestly, a 3-star rating isn’t terrible, and I might have considered giving the place another chance, chalking it up to an off night in the kitchen. But after seeing how the owner handles criticism—defensive rather than constructive—I’ve decided my money is better spent elsewhere.

Disappointing Execution for a "Gastropub"

I had high hopes given the appealing menu, but this place falls short of the gastropub standard—where high-quality food should be the focus. Unfortunately, the execution didn’t match the promise.

Fries: Soggy and oversalted (and that’s coming from someone who loves salt).

Burger: The beef was underseasoned and lacked flavor.

Schnitzel: Remarkably plain, with no depth or brightness to elevate it.

Service was another letdown. Our waitress seemed disengaged, only smiling when checking her phone—hardly the warm hospitality you’d expect.

Was it the worst meal ever? No. But for a gastropub, it was barely a step above fast food. With better attention to detail, this place could deliver on its potential. For now, though, it’s hard...

I will start off by saying that the meatloaf with the Mexican corn side was phenomenal. I ate at the bar and my bartenders were great. They were extremely friendly, knowledgeable about the menu and an overall joy to spend a couple of hours with on a Sunday.

So I'm sure you are asking yourself, "Then why not 4 or 5 stars, why just 1 star?" Because zero stars wasn't an option. Here's the reason...

As you read above I was having a wonderful time. I had sat myself at the bar therefore couldn't see behind me. I had no idea who was sat behind me... BECAUSE I WAS IN A BAR.

Some woman came up to me and started berating me in front of everyone yelling, "You need to watch your mouth!!! There's children behind you that don't need to be subjected to that kind of language!!!" Then stomped off into the back.

I asked the bartender who that was and he said, "That was the owner, Allie...as in Alé Rae's" Although I wasn't "Banned" there was absolutely no way I was going to stay another minute in that establishment. One of the employees apologized for her and said that what she did was uncalled for.

Allie, I know you will make some comment on this review, but before you try and berate me, there's a few things you should know. First and foremost, don't sit people with children next to a bar. Secondly, you could have EASILY came up to me, told me who you were, told me why you were approaching me and I would have not only apologized to you, I would have apologized to the offended party and offered to buy the children dessert. But from the comments I read, you're not that kind of person. You're rude and lack empathy. Maybe rename the establishment "Karen Rae's".

Since I know your reply will try to make me out to be some kind of day drinking drunk, I have the receipt that will show that I had two beers and one glass of wine... topped off with three espresso throughout the afternoon. Also, I was there for nearly two hours and not once did your bartenders ask me to keep it down or watch my language.

You DEFINITELY shouldn't be the hospitality business, Karen. Your attitude and abhorrent demeanor is...

Took my wife there this past Saturday night for a bite, a cocktail, and live entertainment for her 40 + 10 Birthday. We haven’t been downtown at night in years. A lot of venues were booked but I fortunately found Ale’ Rae’s, read their reviews online, and thought we’d give it a go. Service was outstanding, food was delish, wife enjoyed her drinks (we rotate DD when we go out so I stuck with water), and we really enjoyed the environment. We didn’t get out to the patio/lawn area where it looked like there was cornhole being played. We sat just outside a roll up door behind the stage at a small table for 2. The band had gone to break when we arrived and restarted shortly after we had ordered. We enjoyed the Voodoo Cadillac’s and their song selections. A gentleman whom I felt was the owner, came out several times and asked if we needed anything throughout the evening. Our server was wonderful. When my water got below half, she would bring another. We ordered the potato skins as an appetizer. They were different and very delicious. They had chorizo that was not too spicy. I was game to order another order of those but we also wanted to try something else off of the menu. I ended up with the steak fajita street tacos(very good also) and my wife ordered wings. Our waitress said the Peanut Butter Maple were surprisingly good. They were great. The creamy buffalo were great also, but those PB Maple rocked…. We stayed until the band subsided for the night, got a T-shirt from them, cashed out, and went downtown to meet some friends who were getting out of the Black Jacket Orchestra concert. We will definitely be returning to Ale’ Rae’s and...