Great place for crappy service. This is our fourth and last attempt with Calhoun's. 130 on Sunday. There are at least 20 empty tables but all are unbussed. We are told there is a 30 minute wait for a table of 3 while about 15 people are waiting in the lobby. Manager says they won't seat anyone because too many tables and service suffers. So everyone stands around while workers are doing very little. I have yet to see a restaurant that is successful with empty tables and poor excuses. Same thing has happened to us four times and we won't be back. Last time they wouldn't seat us so we sat the bar. The dining room remained empty the entire time we were there and there was a wait at the door. The food is good if you like fried bar food at okay prices. Oh and they won't serve cocktails outside because of the bugs. Here is an opportunity for you if you sell screens. As for the food on the patio since we couldn't get a table inside. Fried fish was fresh and good served with Sysco fries. Salad was reasonably fresh with grilled shrimp. Can't go wrong with salad. Grilled chicken sandwich is overdone and chewy. Served on a stale roll with bbq sauce and nothing else. A little lettuce and some tomato would be nice to at least make it prettier. No matter as we won't be returning. Service is key to a good dining experience. Here they don't care. read more

Horrible service! We had two servers, a trainee and a a trainer. The trainer Waitress was down right rude and talked back or hurried away when we had questions . We waited over an hour for our food. Drinks and appetizers were served very late, and some not delivered until we asked about them. Not all main courses came out either. Servers did not check in to see how things were going, but instead we're cleaning and bussing other empty tables. It's not like they were busy at the time... We asked for items not delivered to be taken off the check. The waitress rudely said that of course they won't be on the check. I paid thinking that the undelivered items wouldn't be on the check, Then noticed that they were still on the check. I pointed out to the waitress who had to bring the manager, which took about ten minutes wait time, who explained that it is a lengthy process to refund the money. The rude server told the manager that we changed our mind about the items not delivered-- not mentioning that they weren't delivered at all. I said to not worry about it because my family was waiting for me outside. She insisted on taking my email address so that she can confirm a refund later. 4 days later and she hasn't written to me and there is nothing on the junk mail folder. Last time I am going to that location. We've had great service at other Calhoun locations. The Lenoir City location needs some remedial management and staff training. read more

Many of times this is a great place, tonight was not the case. The last few times we have had a terrible time getting good fast service with correct orders brought to us. It is the best covered outdoor patio over the lake with fish turtles ducks and swan below. The ambiance is unbeatable. But when it takes 30 min for a cocktail to come out and 40 minutes for a salad to come out with burnt salmon it is disappointing. The potato skins are to die for here but I imagine with the slowness they may not be worth the wait. Depends on how much of a hurry you are in, but it seems like the efficiency of this location is poor. read more

Calhoun's - Salmon salad - Barbeque Near Me - Lenoir City, Tennessee

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Service by our waiter was awesome! His name is Sergio and I recommend you ask for him, Ambiance was great, we got our window water marina view! Husbands ribs were extremely tough and dry and Sergio brought him a new 1/2 rack. They also comped our deserts. My brisket was perfect! Melted in your mouth! If it were not for Sergio, the experience would have been read more

Calhoun's is a great BBQ chain and so happy I came to their location in Lenoir City! We came one night with a big group and the staff quickly sat us. Service was very quick and friendly. We grabbed some drinks before dinner and the bar staff was very fun to speak with. I ordered the ribs with broccoli - very tasty. I would love to come back to try more from their menu! read more

Tasteless, dry, and lukewarm food. Only thing nice is the lakeside, which you can't even see in the evening when we went anyway. Don't bother, plenty of other nice places to go. Stale bread, empty restaurant so the service was quick. But sadly I can't say anything other than service was quick, everything else was just gross and not worth the money. I keep returning and expecting a better experience, but I won't be giving them another chance. read more

Yelp reservations are key. With reservations our wait time was negated, we were seated immediately. The restaurant is on the water and the food and service are excellent. A few items that are really good. Cheese burger Creamy slaw Brisket The assortment of bread is very tasty. Peach shortcake. We will definitely return. read more

I came on a Thursday (it was also raining pretty hard so there was hardly anyone here). The only thing that wasn't a disappointment was the service. It was fast and our waitress was really helpful. However, everything else was disgusting! They brought us cold/hard bread and biscuits to start. I ordered fish n chips and it was cold and tasteless. The other two members of my party ordered brisket and steak, feedback from both were terrible. The steak juice was soaking the French fires and the entire plate was wet. The brisket was lukewarm and dry! Don't even get me started on the BBQ sauce, tasted like apple sauce! The Mac n cheese was okay, but overall, this place is GROSS. Horrible quality food. Not worth returning, try another place. Pretty sure the only reason they're still in business is the Lakeside location, management should stop relying on that and figure out how to turn this around. read more

Went here because I really wanted some BBQ while in TN. First the location is great, right on the water where you can look at all of the boats & the catfish swimming around in the water! The patio is the place to sit. Also shout out to our waiter in the bar area, who was excellent (I really wish I could remember his name). He explained all of the food perfectly and gave some great recommendations! As for food, for an appetizer we ordered the pretzels with beer cheese dip. Of this, I thought that the mustard was the best part. It had a tang almost like the BBQ sauce. For the main meal, I ordered the BBQ chicken salad. The chicken was really good, and you really didn't need a sauce for the salad, with the amount of BBQ on the chicken. We also got the chicken tenders with smokehouse potatoes. The potatoes are super creamy with bacon bits in them. It was a favorite. We also got the smokehouse salad. This also got great reviews and there was a lot of bacon in it! For drinks, since the restaurant has Smokey Mountain Brewery beer, we thought we should have some. The hellos later is the was to go for summer. Pretty light, not super hoppy, and well balanced! I definitely recommend it. read more

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Very good food and great view of the marina. Our server was amazing and made us feel at home. Definitely be back soon!

Great location, service pretty good, food quality very average Expected better food quality, maybe it is difficult to get that quality when servicing so many customers read more

Steak and shrimp was excellent. Restaurant very clean. Staff was very friendly. Great place on lake. read more

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I ordered a hamburger with avocado. It was tough & dry and had 2 thin slices of avocado. Probably the worst hamburger I've ever had . What a waste of money. This is the third time I've eaten here and I can't say anything good about their food. How is it that a restaurant can't even make a decent hamburger? read more

This place is perfect! We're from out of town so the views and location were perfect. Our servers were all polite and professional. The food was outstanding, best burnt ends ever! Highly recommend this place, I could only imagine how lively it is in summer read more

Calhoun's - Bar area inside - Barbeque Near Me - Lenoir City, Tennessee

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This was pretty much a Saturday night train wreck. We arrived at 5:25 and the place was already crowded and we were told a 20 minute wait, it wound up being 30. We were seated and got our drinks and order in pretty quickly ... our salads took 30 minutes to come out with apologies from the manager for the wait and then our dinners were 15 minutes or so later ... I had the pulled pork plate and my wife got the sampler ... food was good ... had to ask our waitress for extra napkins, extra water, dipping sauce and salad plate removal ... not a good night for Calhoun's ... read more

Great food & service down at the lake! Not dressy, but is not the typical lakeside grill with bathing suits & flip flops...

As always, slow service 45 minutes to driver a salad. Worst management of a restaurant I've encountered in years read more

1 star is too high of a rating. Management needs to clean house and oversee staff beginning at front of house. Blonde hostess rude and condescending. Wish I had better things to say but couldn't get seated with open tables and staff standing around huddled and looking at their phones. Left after cook employee went to the restroom wirhout mandatory hand washing. Sad as my daughter is a long term employee of this chain at a different location. Come on Calhoun's! read more

Very nice atmosphere. Can sit inside or outside. Service was excellent. Food was delicious and generous portions.

We've been here multiple times although we haven't sat in dining room as of yet. We've eaten outside in Tiki Bar and inside bar and another bar inside and downstairs. The lake view is what I'm drawn to and the food is well-prepared. Waitresses and bartenders are kind and efficient. I give 4 stars because last time I was there the female blonde manager was curt and busy talking with staff at 4pm and seemed miffed to be bothered by my question of seating. Otherwise great little hangout for wings, great salads that are quite large and filling and bbq with fresh squeezed juice for a perfect margarita! read more

Would not go.....long long wait for food, food cold, food not good. Went twice thinking first time was just a misnomer - not so

Our server and wait staff were amazing. However, Cody needs to have some customer service training. I have never met someone who treats customers and staff the way he does. He did not want to honor the reservation and was calling people to cancel their reservations. We had made our reservation in advanced and modified and double checked our party size was ok. He needs to learn customer service and have some emotional intelligence when talking to people. Calhouns needs to be aware of how treats and speaks to his staff. As a manager myself, I would never treat my employees or talk to my customers the way he did tonight. read more

Definitely a good place to eat. Sitting next to the lake makes everything better. We had to wait bit it is well worth it. read more

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Visited for lunch with patio seating. The view and location are fantastic for a sunny day. Our server was very attentive and genuinely wanted to provide the best service. Unfortunately, the food quality left a lot to be desired. Everything seemed old, stale, and reheated. I ordered a prime rib sandwich (prime rib is only available on Friday and Saturday) and the bottom of my sandwich bread was moldy. Our server and the manager were attentive, but their reaction also made it feel like this was a common occurrence. They took the sandwich off the bill and offered to remake it, and the next hoagie did not have mold but was clearly pretty old bread. Hard to get your appetite back after that! The restaurant has a lot to offer and at least one server who really cares - I hope the restaurant management can focus on the food quality and ingredient freshness in the future. read more

Love this restaurant. Perfect experience sitting on the patio watching the ducks and fish while enjoying a delicious meal

It's a great location for warm weather dining. Sitting outside on the lake is great in Spring, early summer, and fall. Several great menu options. There was a time when their ribs were award winning. The last couple of times I have ordered ribs, they had obviously been smoked much earlier in the day. They had dried out and weren't as juicy as I'd like or that I remember. Great flavor on the ribs, and no doubt they were phenomenal earlier in the day. Everything else about the meal was good to great. Great pork BBQ, chicken Calhoun, wings, and chicken tenders. Great sides, but spinach Maria is the best side and it isn't close. Friendly staff and fun atmosphere. read more

Everything is good. Orders are generous and the biscuits are heaven. Consistently across all their stores.

Food was consistent and good, facilities seem clean. Service was good. Atmosphere is where it failed. The noise from the kitchen and the over flow of noise was bit loud. I felt like I sat through a service change Meeting heard every word that was said. Other than that I highly recommend Lenoir city Calhouns. I believe this kitchen noise could be mitigated by doors or some barrier. read more

Good meal at a decent price. The Bearden Hill location is better. Pros: Location, location, location. On the lake (Melton Hill), boat parking. The only restaurant on the lake. Nice outdoor deck, great interior design, good solid menu. Service staff is good though it seems like they are all freaks with weird hair, ink, etc. Cons: Garlic Rolls (which are generally "to die for") were way under-cooked, doughy. And they don't have the beer muffins like the Bearden hill location. Disappointed. They got 2 out of 4 orders wrong but fixed it right away and we ended up with extra sides because of it. All told, adequate. I'll stay at Bearden Hill thank you. read more

$4 for a single corn cob, you can do better at home. It's just a fancy restaurant because of its location to a lake and it's high prices, but not because of its food. It's not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but it's just too expensive for what you get. read more

Ruined our Mother's Day dinner. We love Calhoun's but would not recommend this location. As others have recently posted, wait for food was long - an hour, to be exact. Understood it's a holiday weekend but either staff properly or limit seating to what your staff can handle. Or brush up their training. Mom's prime rib came out undercooked and cold. In that hour our drinks were never refilled. Dad also ordered prime rib but was served a ribeye instead. We weren't offered a drink menu, had to ask for silverware, etc. We had to ask multiple times for everything - asked 2 people for silverware, asked a nearby busser to fill our water, had to ask 3 times to get a manager to the table. Again, would recommend any other location in Knoxville but not this one. read more

Great local gem in Loudon County. Tiki bar real nice and live music. Fresh food. Great atmosphere and place to bring out of town visitors read more

Always a great choice for a meal! I've never had a bad experience here. Very attentive staff and the food is fabulous

We had excellent meal with our Grandkids. All enjoyed and they fed the fish as well. We felt fortunate to find such a delightful place with good food. Laid back and right on with service Long way from home, but if in the area would sure go again read more

Food is always great! The tiki hut menu is awesome while also getting an outdoor experience. Although, the servers aren't the friendliest.

I had never heard of nor been to a Calhoun's because My home is Salt Lake City. Calhoun's was recommenced to me and I checked yelp to see what had been said. I had seen some not so glowing reviews and was apprehensive when I went to Calhoun's. The negative reviews were absolutely incorrect and I was very pleased that I went to Calhoun's. I was greeted promptly and with respect. I found the restaurant to be clean and very pleasant. Warm feeling and inviting. My server was Morgan and she had a very pleasant demeanor and made me feel as if I were the only customer in the entire place. I knew from listening that they were short staffed but I never felt neglected or had to wait. Morgan offered suggestions as to what to eat and she knew what she was talking about. The coleslaw was far and away the best coleslaw I have ever eaten, ever. I have dined all over the world and this clearly was the best. The barbecue ribs were spectacular. Not weakly flavored like some place can be, nor were they buried in bbq sauce to hide poor cooking. The ribs were nicely spiced with just the right amount of seasoning and in my opinion, barbecue done right. I finished my meal with a triple fudge cake that was as delicious as everything else I had eaten. I was very pleased with my entire experience and I would happily recommend this restaurant to anyone anytin read more

Calhoun's - Barbeque Near Me - Lenoir City, Tennessee

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Our early dinner was very good and service was great also. Loved sitting on the river watching the boats go by was an added bonus. Would go back for sure! read more

Usually calhouns is great but when you do takeout apparently they no longer care. All of our portions were tiny, and the $18 salmon dish was so dry I could barely eat it. Luckily there were only a couple of bites in that tiny filet. Truly so disappointing and not typical of Calhoun's. read more

Calhoun's - Salmon with rice - Barbeque Near Me - Lenoir City, Tennessee

Awesome, social distancing, great service, good food, super atmosphere. my out of town family loved!!! CLEAN! Yummy! Waiting for tekkie bar this summer! read more

We were a party of 8. Our food arrived sporadically I was first and mine was cold. Everyone who had shrimp on skewers said their shrimp was barely warm. My friend also received her prime rib cold. For the price of the food, you would think the kitchen would know how to serve it hot. read more