Carolina Ale House - Knoxville — Restaurant in Knoxville

This went from my go-to mid-tier restaurant to a place I'll never visit again in two visits. I believe they are under new management and it is being ran into the ground.

It was off to a bad start when we were told a 20 minute wait and it ended up being 35, that in itself isn't terrible but the reasons for it are. The hostess was a young woman who didn't know what she was doing and called several people ahead of us who had showed up only 10 minutes before. In one circumstance a group who happened to be the same ethnicity as her got seated immediately. I was pretty bewildered by this.

Let's talk food though. They have an updated limited menu, but this is only practiced in the kitchen, you order off of the old full menu. As a result, most of the things I tried to order weren't actual offerings. Seems backwards.

The meal took a turn for the worse when we ordered the Fried Chicken Alfredo. The picture of it on the obsolete menu shows two large chicken breasts fried up and cut in half, a total of four large pieces of chicken, over a bed of no more than a cup of pasta. What we received was (and I am not exaggerating) perhaps 3/4 of a chicken breast cut into small pieces and scattered across what had to be 3 cups of cooked pasta. To make matters worse the spinach was still raw... We sent that one back.

I got the chicken burrito. It would have had potential except the chicken was extremely dry. Oh, there was also perhaps 1/4 to 1/3 cup of cooked chicken in it at the most.

They also tried to charge me extra for a side salad substitute as a side. While this is common and normal, I specifically asked if I would be charged extra (since the waitress was the one suggesting I substitute it) and was told no it was not extra.

Of course we asked to speak to management, at the suggestion of the server. The manager made eye contact with my date but never came. This isn't surprising. They are aware of what they are doing and how far they have fallen, they are simply counting on you not noticing or caring. Restaurants will keep doing this as long as you let them by continuing to visit. Carolina Ale House is gone as far as I'm concerned, this is some shady chimera by comparison and I'll not set foot it in again. I spent two hours there and in this time I could have cooked a nicer meal for about 2/5ths...

The absolute worse customer service I've ever seen,,, from the waiters (we had at least 2) to Jim Barcio (the manager)! First waiter tried to get someone else to wait on us because his shift was over in 30 minutes. After he brought our drinks we never seen or heard from him again. Someone else brought our food out, then brought us some silverware. I about burned my mouth on the hot mashed potatoes but I was able to cool it down with my cold steak. At this point our drinks were empty and after waiting several minutes I went to the bar and ask for more drinks. Our new waiter brought our drinks out halfway through our meal at this point. We never saw him again either, until later. The vegetables were really good and although my 12 oz rib-eye was cooked properly it was quite cool to the touch and missing the tomato butter that was supposed to be on top, (I guess they knew it wouldn't melt on a cool steak). The worst part of my steak is that a third of it was pure fat! I know a good rib-eye will have some fat but we are talking huge masses here (see images). I had to go back to the bar to ask for a box for my friend's uneaten food then after waiting another several minutes we left and went to the hostess station to ask for my check. The hostess ask our waiters name, I said which one? After our waiter showed up I paid my $70.00 bill, (first time ever - I didn't tip). I then proceed to ask for the manager. After listening to my experience he said that I should have ordered the 12 oz "Hand Cut" Classic Rib-eye. He never said he was sorry for my cold fatty steak or apologize for lousy service,,, he just told me what I should have ordered. BTW I ordered the "Spiked & Spiced 12 oz hand cut rib-eye! We were seated in the covered patio at 3:30 pm on Saturday 11/16/2019, There was maybe 4 other diners in the same area and a few people at the bar. My first and last time dining here! The worst dining experience I've ever experienced. Everyone that I came in contact with (with the exception of the bartender) needs some serious training in how to deal with the public as well as how to properly perform their daily on...

Have been a huge fan of Carolina Ale House for years after my company had them cater. Finally had the opportunity to take my wife and friend there; experience was good, but not quite what it used to be. Bit of mixed emotions with this review... But here goes!:

The 5 cheese spinach dip was absolutely delicious. Presentation was great, flavor was great... No complaints except that there was only 9 corn chips on the plate (which is a bit crazy for $10-11), so we wound up eating the cheese dip on our fries instead.

The fish and chips didn't turn out; arrived with soggy fries and overcooked fish, w no tartar sauce... but the flavor was definitely there - and having vinegar, etc. offered alongside it shows that they know how to at least serve seafood!

Our friend ordered a buffalo wrap, and a bloody Mary; she stated that the drink was great and was more than happy with the food. Presentation was good, and they were accommodating with swapping out her side.

My wife ordered a philly sandwich and garlic potatoes; was a 4/5 for the sandwich, taste was good, but lacking on presentation - and the potatoes on the side were so dry they were nearly inedible. Overall, she was satisfied with what she got.

The service left much to be desired. Our server was super sweet, but we didn't receive a single drink refill for our entire hour+ stay, and went over 40 minutes after receiving our food to be checked on to request a to-go box or cheque. My love for this restaurant just won't let me give lower than a three star, and - given this experience - I feel it was just a fluke. I'd still highly recommend giving...