I think Kim was our hostess and a true delight taking time to answer all of our questions. The food is true German inspired. I had the Bistro Salad to start with ham, although there is a Shrimp as option. My wife had the Steak and Bacaras Bleu, the steak tips were cooked to perfection combined with in house made croutons it was a true delight. For an authentic taste of Germany, I highly recommend this hidden gem. Cumberland Plateau. Chef Kurt offers a different menu every night, based on locally sources ingredients available. For the main course, I had Kurt's Ribeye and my wife had the Grilled Chicken Breast with the fresh garden pilaf, for desert we had Crème brûlée accompanied with Cafe Mocha, that truly topped off a gourmet dinner. The decor amazing as it is located inside an 1800s school house, the decor takes you back to long ago around the 1800s. It is a charming restaurant with delicious food. read more

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This place is rough. I feel bad, because clearly this is a small, family run place, but it's time to call it quits. It seemed like a great concept, old school German guy pumping out awesome, unique German dishes. However, you will not get that here. The poor cook had Parkinson's Disease as noted by the waitress several times. The place was cold, dreary, and had a massive amount of issues. Literally there are so many I cannot list them. I just would not go. After leaving, I kept Googling to see if others had this experience. I came across this ghastly article: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wate.com/news/food-for-thought/flies-expired-cheese-steak-intended-for-reuse-in-soup-earn-fentress-co-restaurant-lowest-failing-score-of-the-year/amp/ Like an old dog that can harm others, they need to put her down. It's a risk to people's health. read more

Found this place by accident exploring the Big South Fork NRRA. We tried some of the Chef's German cuisine, and were VERY pleased. If you want a cookie cutter chain restaurant, move along. If you want something off the beaten path, and are adventurous then this place is for you. If you're the type that travels abroad and orders chicken strips....don't bother. Its one of those little bits of Americana (Germicana?) thats dying out. Bring your own bottle of wine or Lager. Call ahead or make reservations if you can read more

I was hesitant about writing this review as I'm sure that owning a restaurant has to have it's own share of challenges. We were staying close by and were looking forward to being served after a long hot day. When we arrived we noticed the parking lot was empty and unsure if it was really open. We had to straddle the large dog at the front door before gaining entrance. The waitress at the front door was careful to triple Check our reservation- even though we were their only guests. The inside of the restaurant gave us "Haunted Mansion Vibes", it looked staged with heavy cobwebs draped from every light fixture. The bread came out and it was great! Drinks were served in cans, no biggie, might just be their thing. There was a ketchup bottle on the table that had a clearance sticker of $.50! My food arrived, it was chicken & fermented broccoli, it smelled like chemicals. There is no way that it was fresh. I told the waitress " this is old, he didn't cook it, its soo cold"? She stated that the chef had Parkinson's. The owners wife came over and offered us a $100 gift to come back. Now, after reading these reviews, they should have been shut down much sooner. I cannot remembered this to anyone! read more

We had a group of us for the Sunday brunch. Friendly staff, liked the decor rustic and unique. Bread, salad and soup was good. The main food group was less than desirable, pork chops were dry and flavorless, vegetables were way undercooked and minimal for our group size, the noodle mixture under the chops were dry. The fish dish was fair, there was one skewer of a couple veggies with about 4-5 shrimp way overcooked like it had been prepared and laid around. The (meat) dish still not sure what kind of meat it was. They told us it was prime rib, had a weird taste almost like a lamb flavor, definitely not prime rib of beef. The potatoes were very good. The cheesecake and black forest cake was very good. Based on everyone in our group's opinions, we would not recommend. read more

We just moved to the area and have been looking for a great steakhouse, this wasn't it! We arrived right at opening and the waitress that greeted us told us we were too early, I said it's 4, she looked at her watch and exclaimed that she couldn't believe it was time to Open already. She asked if we had reservations I said no (there was NOBODY in the place) and then said she didn't think they could seat us! Well they seated us then moved us, the two waitresses seemed so frazzled trying to set up a couple group tables. At that point we just said we can go elsewhere if your not ready, but they hesitantly said it was fine. They were all over the place freaking out. Finally we got to order drinks, Diet Coke and root beer, no root beer..so my husband says that's fine I'll have a coke. Then we ordered and the waitress kept going on that the cook was a 5 star chef etc.. food sucked! Bread was good, salad was wilted and mushy, soup was gross (should tell you the flavor so you don't waste it) I had Italian beef tips which I was told had an Asian sauce on it, weird but ok. It was watered down spaghetti sauce, pasta it was on was hard as a rock, I didn't try veggies. Husband had prime rib he said it was ok but he's had better, veggies were undercooked. Dining room was very dirty, could hardly see out the windows they were so dirty. I had wished we had gone to DQ for a better meal and a lot less money!! Oh and there was only one other table of ppl when we left, so much for being booked solid! ‍ read more

Food and service was excellent. Our hiking club were camping at Bandy Creek and went as a large group. Especially loved bread, red cabbage, soup, salad with homemade croutons, homemade dressing and Octoberfest special. We look forward to returning next year during our annual trek to Big South Fork. read more

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So we were staying at the Laurel Fork Rustic Retreat for the weekend and were recommend to try this place 10 mins from our cabin. So we decided to try it since their isn't anything for at least 30 mins. I unfortunately got myself overexcited. I really only give this place two stars because the service was good. They attended our table often for refills and bread and checked on us. The food was another story. The soup was supposedly tomato basil. It was water and tomato with onions. No basil for miles!! I was pretty disappointed. The rest of our meals were horrible to. I ordered the cowboy steak. No flavor at all!!! Ordered it medium rare and got it medium well!!! I had to use A1 which I hate to give any flavor. My baked potato was sooo HARD ON THE BOTTOM and couldn't even cut it with a steak knife. Vegetables that came on the side were soooo over cooked they were like jello. The others in my party had similar issues. Food with no obvious flavor. We paid 100$ for our food and it wasn't even worth it! I unfortunately would not recommend this place!!! read more

What a surprise! A fine dining experience in the countryside north of Jamestown, just outside the Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area. Bacara's operator came from Germany several decades ago and worked for some time as chef at the "Beggar's Castle" restaurant deep in a valley near Jamestown. He's still serving German food (wienerschnitzel, sauerbraten, sausages, etc.) in the current establishment, but the menu also has plenty of American style choices (steak, shrimp, burgers, etc.) for the less adventuresome palate. The menu also included several items labeled "French" or "Italian". The German style bread made a great start to the meal, accompanied by a tasty vegetable soup and a nicely assembled salad. Our German selections (sauerbraten, jager schnitzel, spaetzle, red cabbage, and other veggies) were well-prepared. Portions were large, so we didn't have room for dessert, but there were some delectable tortes on display. No alcohol is served (I'm pretty sure that Fentress County is still dry), but Bacaras offers set-ups for wine or beer. The dining area is divided into several different rooms, each holding a few tables, which makes for a more intimate eating experience. Wherever you turn, the walls are filled with an unusual mix of Tennessee country kitsch and German kitsch: cuckoo clock, beer steins, farm implements, quilts, Fentress County memorabilia, and plenty more. Although the dining experience is pretty special, the dress is totally casual, as many Bacaras customers are people who stop in fresh from a day of horseback riding, hiking, or other outdoor pursuit. Bacara's is open for dinner Thursday through Saturday (but I think they may operate more days in the summer) and Sunday for brunch. They do accept reservations, so phone ahead (if you can plan ahead better than we do). If this place were in a city with lots of fine dining choices, I don't think I'd be giving it 5 stars, but in Jamestown it's as good as it gets! NOTE: Yelp's current map location for Bacara's is wrong. It's on a different "Wheeler Lane" that's several miles north of Jamestown. This place is on Wheeler Lane which is a turnoff from Leatherwood Ford Rd (Hwy 297), just east of "Sharp Place" on Hwy 154. Here's a Google map link to the actual location: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=36.507429,-84.825697&spn=0.016316,0.037851&z=16 Also note: Bacaras doesn't take credit cards, but they do accept checks. read more

This place is a hidden gem. The food is phenomenal! The setting is quaint and informal. The service was fantastic. You can bring your own alcohol for a modest cork fee. They do not sell alcoholic beverages. There is a mixture of american, french, italian, and german food on the menu; there is something for everybody. We had 4 people who had 4 different meals; each meal was delicious. They serve homemade bread with a tasty orange zest butter. It was so good that we are going back the next weekend and will probably make a trip to Jamestown often. For 4 people: 2 appetizers + 4 entrees + soup + salad + bread + 2 desserts = $30 each with a tip for the bill. You won't find a better restaurant within 2 hours. For the salad, order the house vinaigrette because it is homemade and yummy. The restaurant is owned by a German chef, so we ordered German food. We felt like we were in Germany, the food was so good. I ordered the sauerbraten, which came with spaetzle, a vegetable medley, and red cabbage. It was outstanding. My girlfriend ordered the jaeger schnitzel, which came with a mushroom sauce, spaetzle, a vegetable medley, and red cabbage. She loved it. I don't recall what our friends ordered off the top of my head, but I know that they liked it a lot. We got the apricot torte and a chocolate raspberry cake. We really liked the light fruity flavor of the torte the best, but the chocolate cake was good too. You don't leave the restaurant hungry. We were so stuffed that we could barely walk out of there! The leftovers for lunch the next day were of course delicious. Three of the four of us have spent vacations in Germany and this was as good as anything we ordered in Germany. :-) PS: Bring cash or check! No credit cards. PPS: They are only open Thursday, Friday, Saturday evenings and Sunday for Brunch. read more

This is a unique experience that I was not really expecting. The food is fair and it takes a drive to get to it. It is worth a visit if you are in the Jamestown area but it should be added on the "to do" list if you are driving for more than 20min. The staff seemed to be friendly but the service was inconsistent. I was disappointed in the quality and became concerned with the cleanliness of the place after a few minutes. The food was fair and inconsistent. My guest's risotto was dry, hard, and cold and they were out of all the other sides. It wasn't replaced and this was a very disappointing thing to me since I have been a German chef for 25 years. This should not be a problem for any chef at any level. read more

I really wasn't going to put this because the waiter and the waitress is incredibly awesome people!! But it's been about a month ago now, we went and ate here. The first time we went it was super delicious and we decided to take the rest of the family. This is where it went down hill. So our food was absolutely disgusting. We found a cockroach and ants in our food. The other food that came out smelled so bad. I really feel bad for the help that works there. But quite frankly, this place needs to be shut down and inspected. read more

I took my Brother in Law, Nephew and Great Nephew here for Easter Brunch. We had reservations but didn't need them as the place was like a ghost town, dark and dirty. We were seated next to a window with a terrible view. The waitress took our drink order and while waiting for her to return we discovered the window had several Wasp crawling very close to us, so in her absents we moved to a different table across the dinning area. When she returned with our drinks she was confused and seemed to be upset with us moving, but after pointing out the Wasp she agreed it was a good idea to move. I must say the service was good but the food, not so much. The soup was supposed to be Potato/Tomato. It tasted like Tomato Juice with a lot of Carrots in it, and slightly warm. The fruit plate had old grapes, 1 Strawberry, and a couple of Oranges cut up but not peeled, and some Apple wedges. The Bread Basket came and as my Great Nephew pulled out the last piece of bread there was an ant on it. Our main Dish was Fish, Prime Rib and Ham, served cold. The Prime Rib was cut about 1/4 of an inch thick, the ham was thinner than that and the fish was quite tasteless. There were mashed potatoes under the meat along with some Broccoli and Yellow Squash. It wasn't very appealing being covered with the juices from the meats but did taste okay. Our dessert was Cheese Cake, each one of took one bite and passed on the rest. While waiting for our waitress to bring us the Bill I looked around the dinning room and saw so much filth and cobwebs on the ceiling fans and the electrical cords leading up to them. I counted another seven Wasp flying in other widow sills. I just can't recommend this place to anybody read more

A true hidden gem. The German-trained chef makes everything from salad dressing to soup to entrees from scratch, his own schnitzel and sausages and provides delicious cuisine in the wilds of the Big South Fork NRRA. read more

My family went to Bacara's for mother's day. I was really looking forward to it. However, by the time we got our drinks I was ready to leave. My husband's drink had food particles floating in it and two of the silverware rolls we were given had dirty silverware in it. When the salads arrived, the lettuce in mine was completely wilted and gross. Then, when being served our family style main course, three of the seven plates we were given were dirty. Finally, during dessert, my 8 year old pulled a piece of GLASS out of his cheesecake! After speaking with the "manager's wife" our waitress acted like we hadn't informed her about any of the problems. We will NEVER go back. Avoid this place if you like your food prepared in a clean environment, eaten with clean utensils, and served on clean dishes! read more

I have had good meal time or two quite some time ago. Last two times, not happy with steak. First was inedible, redone still same...no help for that one. Few weeks ago order med well as we'll done not guaranteed, steak fairly tender but only cooked outside, brought home to recook. Good soup always tho only tiny bowl, good bread, decent salad, extra charge extra dressing. Can,t comment other entrees, but I won't order steak again and may not go back in all likely hood. Chef wanted to credit $2 for inedible steak ridiculous'! And you'll likely starve in the hrs it will take. read more

Bread was delicious, soup was good but salty. My filet was medium rare rather than medium and a bit fatty. My fiance got the New York strip and said it was the best steak he had ever eaten . we will go there again but I will try something else. read more

What a great find! Everyone we had was amazing! The service was great. Special thanks to Michael who made us all feel welcome.

So, reviews have been hot or cold. I enjoy going and eating whatever the chef prepares. Sunday brunch is excellent with a variety of family style main dishes served to everyone. The bread is always good and the fare is usually either prime rib, fish, chicken, pork or prime rib (usually 3 with accompanying veggies/sides. At less than 13 dollars with soup, salad, meal and dessert (coffee or tea) it is a bargain. I will go whenever I am in town. read more

I cannot believe there are any negative reviews for Bacaras Restaurant. We had heard how good this place was and decided to give it a try although it was a good hour drive. We could not have been happier with the food and the friendly staff. Usually If the food is good, there is something that was outstanding. In this case, all of the food was outstanding. The price was very reasonable. You can bring your own alcohol. Just a small corking fee.As good as it gets was one of my favorite movies and the title applies to Bacaras as well. We live in a retirement community called Fairfield Glade, Tn. After telling all our friends there, they all wanted to go. You do need to get reservations. read more

The food was good, but awful service. My boyfriend and I got soup and he had two bugs floating in it. The waitress claimed she could see them but they were obviously there! The workers there all seemed confused to what they were doing. We will never go back. read more

My wife's boss told us about this restaurant. We decided to have lunch there on our way back to Nashville and try it out. The German items on the menu were not extensive, but tasty. The menu seems to cater to the local population rather than be stricktly German. They have an extensive desert menu, but we were too full to partake. read more

Ate at Bacaras on 4/28/16 with 8 friends. Service is great, but they seriously need to get another chef. My friends Salmon and my grilled catfish were very undercooked and had to be sent back. Cowboy steaks are huge but for the second time in a year we have found the quality of their steaks to be poor. read more

I hate to be the naysayer for these reviews for Bacaras, however here it is. The waitress read us the nightly specials when I decided on the "surf & turf" that she had mentioned. And I quote "we have a bacon wrapped filet mignon with a pound of spicy shrimp". Sounds good to me...well not so much. Let me start with my "filet mignon", this was no filet mignon it was a very (and I mean very) tough cut of steak with zero bacon on it. When I asked the waitress about the "bacon wrapped" part of the special she had quoted she took my plate back to the kitchen and returned with one piece of bacon that was halfway cooked just dropped over the top of my steak. OK I can live with that, so I cut into the steak and put on a small piece of bacon, wow they used heavily flavored MAPLE bacon. The maple overwhelmed the steak tremendously. Oh well, I can just not eat the bacon I though...well come to find out I couldn't eat the steak either. Every time I popped a piece into my mouth I ended up spitting it back out because it wouldn't chew. I again asked the waitress about this being a "mignon", again she went and asked the cook. Her answer was "oh, it is just a different cut of steak". So of course I had to remind her that the mignon is the cut of the steak. If it is a different cut then it is not a mignon. Oh well the steak is no good but they gave me plenty of shrimp I can just eat that. Let me ask you something, who puts peel and eat shrimp into a boiling pot of a gumbo type mix? The shrimp still had 100% of their shells on them but the pot of gumbo was boiling hot. I had to pull out the shrimp with my fork, lay them on my plate and blow on them until they were cool enough to pick them up with my fingers to peel them. Now with all the bad stuff being said, they do have fantastic fresh bread. It had an orange flavor to it and was like eating a piece of cake. But unfortunately that was the best thing about the meal. read more

I used to love this place, we have eaten here for many years. However, the past couple of years 2 or 3 I'd say have just been sub par. I love the bread and the salad but the entrees are just ok. I wouldn't say it's terrible but it's nowhere near as good as it used to be. I'm not really sure what has changed so much but I wouldn't go out of my way again to eat there. I thought the first time might have been just fluke but the next two times have been more of the same. I would not recommend for anything other than the bread and salad. read more

My husband and I were at bacararas on Friday and Saturday night and here goes, I ordered a filet what I got was a ribeye that had been in freezer so long it tasted old and freezer burned!!! I didn't complain to waitress at all about being served the wrong cut of meat.to tell the truth they were stressed enough without my saying anything! Next night I ordered a filet mignon with Cajun shrimp. Anyone knows a filet does not come with gristle. The meat had a purple cast to it so tough I could NOT get one piece down! The shrimp came on a bed Of spiced rice,which was good, but not trying to get shells off of overcooked shrimp. What a mess! I have in the past had the best filet mignon at this restaurant and they are taking a jewel and turning it into a stone!! read more

Made my first trip to Bacaras on New Years Eve. The service was awsome, the food even better. My husband is a very picky eater and he said his steak was the best he had ever eaten...I will be going back.. read more

I worked here for one week and quit for a number of reasons. My first day I was hired as a dishwasher and witnessed the owner who is also the Chef vomit in a small sink right beside the bread machine, he never rinsed or disinfected the sink nor did he clean the near area. The kitchen was filthy. I have seen seafood laying at room temp. with no ice to keep it cool. He leaves raw meat set out on a bloody pan for my entire shift. There are ants crawling on everything. I have seen them in the salads all over the dishes, in the dishes and in the soup. The owner/Chef sexually harassed us constantly he told me, and the waitress told me also, that he has a mattress upstairs where he takes girls. He is constantly yelling harassing, and belittling the staff. The main thing is that the place is filthy and disgusting and the reason I am writing this review is in hopes that maybe it will keep someone from getting sick and also it may deter a young girl from getting sexually harassed. I think it is very important to note that I am not a disgruntled ex employee. I quit on my own accord because I will not be talked to and treated that way and I could not stand to see them serving food knowing full well that place is filthy. read more

I made reservations for 6 for a Sunday brunch. There was three adults and a set of 5-year old triplets that attended this fare. We were met by a very pleasant waitress who seated us and took our orders. It went downhill after that. As she remained professional and pleasant, my complaints are directed at the preparation and quality of the food that was served. I ordered a diet coke, which was flat, no carbonation. On Sunday, they serve family style food of their choice. The salad, soup and bread were fine. The fruit plate was unremarkable and had old fruit bread on it. The main meal finally came. It was very evident that this food was not fresh. It appeared to have been heated up as leftovers from the previous day. The "prime rib" was dark in color and dry. The cubed potatoes under the meat were grey and inedible. None were eaten. There were pork chops that were masked in a sauce that was also not worthy of eating. Bread pudding for dessert was also not eaten by most. While I reiterate the professionalism of the waitress, I cannot give credit for any other part of this experience. There was only one other table that had several family members. They left before us, and we noticed that they left most of their food on the table as well. I took all the "prime rib" home for my dog. To add further insult, despite the 5 yr olds not eating any of the entrees, we were charged full fare for each of their meals. I seldom complain about anything, and was actually going to let this experience be a lesson learned to never return, but after further thought, decided it only fair to warn possible future patrons of what they might encounter. read more