Captain Jim's Seafood Buffet — Restaurant in Pigeon Forge

Review of Captain Jim's

I’ve been visiting Captain Jim's for the past few years, but my most recent experience was extremely disappointing. Due to a medical condition that limits my ability to eat—similar to aspects of weight loss surgery but not for weight loss purposes—I have a "legal" card that permits me to receive adjusted pricing for my meals. Essentially, I can only consume food in sizes smaller than an egg, and I was previously informed that I would be charged $14.99 instead of the full $49.99 price.

I had every intention of tipping my server generously, aiming for around 20-25%. However, when I arrived, I was shocked at the state of the food. The baked fish looked like it had been sitting in water all day, and I was really only interested in a single cluster of crab, which is often about 20% of what you'd get at other restaurants. Unfortunately, the crab appeared to be frozen and far from fresh, which is quite disappointing considering the location.

I managed to eat only three boiled shrimp and tried just two crab legs—less than five bites in total! To my disbelief, the waitress insisted I pay the full $50 despite my medical restrictions. I tried to communicate my disappointment, stating that this was not how I had been treated in the past. She promised to consult the manager, but I waited and she never followed through.

The overall quality of the food was horrid, and I couldn't even eat my meal. I was eager to leave and paid the bill quickly, genuinely intending to leave a decent tip. However, the waitress then told another member of my party that I was “short” on the bill. Regardless of the amount, it was inappropriate for her to disclose that information to anyone else—it should have been a private matter between us.

I cannot stress this enough: DO NOT EAT AT CAPTAIN JIM'S. The risk of food poisoning seemed imminent, and judging by the state of the food and how poorly I was treated, I would suggest finding a better establishment. It appears they do not value customer feedback or care about their patrons. Please think twice before giving...

This is the WORST seafood that I can ever remember eating. If I had your cell number, I would call you and beg you to avoid Jim's. My wife, mother and I had high hopes for "fresh seafood" as advertised by this place. $25 for a regular adult buffet $50 to add crab legs. Two of us chose the $50 option. I could not run to staff quick enough to cancel that crab option after trying the regular buffet items. All fried food was overly breaded and dry. In the pics you will see what might be misinterpreted as fried green tomatoes.. but no.. they are actually presented as crab cakes. The grilled fish sat in a puddle of water on the buffet. The stuffed flounder tasted like warm tuna fish. Oysters on half shell looked warm and there were only 3 on the buffet. There is absolutely no chance of this being fresh seafood. We were 3 of a total of 6 others in the whole restaurant. When I finally found our server who had moved on to hanging Christmas lights, I reluctantly paid my $100 check and ran into a worker outside. He said I didn't look happy. I told him what I thought and his response was "Well we were changing things out". I told him for $113.00 it should always have fresh food. I promise fresh dishes would NOT have helped. It's now been about 3 hours since we ate there and all three of us feel sick to our stomachs. I tried to warn new comers on my way out but I think I lost them to the bland pull of the overcooked flavorless gumbo. We have been here on vacation for 4 days and this was the worst experience of the trip so far....

Avoid this place at all cost. I honestly don't understand how people think this place is worth eating at. First we had to wait 20 mins outside in blazing heat to get a table, and we couldn't figure out why they had a waiting list when they had 10+ booths open and perfectly cleaned. The food options for the money you pay is abysmal, and majority of it doesn't taste good. The fresh oysters literally had visible sand on them amd weren't properly cleaned, the salmon was over cooked and very fishy, the Mac and cheese tasted like it was made yesterday and then reheated in the oven and forgotten. The frog legs were okay as well as the butterfly shrimp, the issue was is nothing had flavor. It was all plain, something you'd expect to get in a frozen dinner. Even the mashed potatos were dry. The peel and eat shrimp were mushy and watery. They dont even keep desert out on the bar, you have to ask your waitress to bring it out to you and we tried 4 different kinds, and only the strawberry shortcake was any good. The food overall was just bad and at $30 a person minimum (without the crab legs), this place is definitely not worth it. This kind of food I'd expect to pay $15 max for and that's being generous. Their strawberry margaritas are also way too sweet and way too much mix. For 3 people doing regular buffet without crab legs and 3 margaritas it was $114. So not worth the money. My father ended up throwing up once we got back to our cabin. Will never eat here again and definitely do not...