Clancy's Tavern & Whiskey House — Restaurant in Knoxville

I was super excited about trying this place because the menu reminded me of an Irish pub back home. Upon entering there was a large gentleman (we call him the muscle) and a female (the waitress) were talking right inside the door. Neither greeted us nor invited us to sit ourselves or be seated. We did eventually seat ourselves and the waitress brought menus, however, she did not introduce herself. We ordered non alcoholic drinks, which came in plastic cups (see picture). Definitely did not expect plastic based on the menu (this wasn't McDonald's I didn't think....). Anyways, the waitress returned and we ordered food. After rushing us through our order, she scurried over to continue her conversation with the muscle. This pattern of minimal waitressing and inattention and constant distraction by conversation with the muscle continued throughout our meal. After taking our order she came back to tell us they were out of one of the dishes- it's a Saturday night and they have literally three entrées on the menu.... terrible planning honestly. The cheese curd appetizer was delicious but the cold marinara was a bit of a shock as I've never had them with cold marinara, however, it actually was a pleasant temperature sensation against the hot curds. Our meals came and around that time a group of people came in who had more people in their party than the tables are set up for. The waitress allowed them to pull chairs to the ends of the table (without adjusting the table) so for the rest of meal not only was someone's back encroaching on our space, but because the aisle was now smaller, whenever someone walked by we got their back end in our face as well when they turned to squeeze through. I ordered the caprese sandwich and it can only be described as pathetic. As can be seen in the pictures, the balsamic was minimal for the size of the sandwich and was only in the first couple of bites- what a bummer. The real tragedy though is the basil....wait. what basil? There was LESS THAN ONE PIECE for the entire sandwich. See photos. I am not sure in what world that this passes as caprese, but certainly it is not what is expected when ordering out at a restaurant. I ate less than half as there is absolutely no flavor in a sandwich with minimal balsamic and a sliver of basil. Overall, the service was abysmal and the food was terrible. Will not...

Went to Clancy’s, Knoxville last night (17th March 2024) and to say I was disappointed would be an understatement.

I ordered a pint of Guinness, and on the waitress’s recommendation ordered the bangers and mash.

So, first things first, the Guinness was mediocre at best, and served in a plastic cup. I guess it was in plastic due to it being St Paddy’s day. The cup was about 14oz tops.

The bangers and mash, when served, could best be described as slop. Mashed potato, served in a plastic bowl, topped with sliced sausage and smothered in gravy. It looked dreadful and tasted no better. Someone asked me if t was the Irish stew it was so bad. After 3 mouthfuls I refused to eat any more and asked the waitress to take it away. I did tell her it was the worst bangers and mash I’d ever had in my life. As a Brit, I’ve eaten a lot of bangers and mash so would consider my self more than familiar with the dish and my expectations.

In fairness to the waitress she said she wouldn’t charge me for the food, but when I asked for the bill, the receipt said “Guinness 20oz”.

Now, I’ve drunk a lot of mediocre Guinness in the last 40 plus years, but I’ve never been served 14oz and charged for 20oz. I can put up with the beer not being the best, but I can’t do with being ripped off , by being under-served and over-charged. And at $7 to boot. In the UK this would be illegal, maybe it is in the USA, I don’t know. What I do know, however, is that it’s unacceptable, and cashing in on an event day. It would be interesting to know how much was sold that day, and how much extra revenue this produced.

I wish there was somewhere here to post the picture of what I was served for evidence.

I travel to Knoxville three or four time a year, but it would be fair to say that I will never visit this...

We had tried to get in here a few times and it had always been packed to the door, but fortunately it wasn't at full capacity before the Tom Keifer show so we got to actually sit at a table, order food and have a conversation without screaming at each other. I will start with the positive, which was the food. Probably some of the best "Bar food" I've had in a very long time. The Pretzels and Beer cheese, The Wings, The loaded fries and the fish and chips were all fabulous. IF I ev r go back I look forward to trying the Reuben... The service was WAY below par. Before I go on a rant, I will acknowledge that the server could have been new, therefore I place all blame on management for putting a new girl on the floor during a concert night. Otherwise she was just mentally challenged. Not one, but two wrong food orders. She couldn't tell the difference between a shandy and an IPA AND she gave my credit card to another customer. As I said, she could have been new, but it wasn't crowded and we were only a four top, a good manager should have known better to put someone that in expericed on the floor on a concert night. As far as the atmosphere, it was really chill THAT night, but other times I went it was packed out and I the door and heard more than once women complaining about getting their butts grabbed. I would more than likely try this place again because the food was absolutely delicious, but I guess after this review I will have to go incognito but I really want to try that Reuben I saw my friend eating. I won't recommend or NOT recommend, I will just say enter at your own personal...