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    Jim Oliver's Smoke House Restaurant

    3.4 (228 reviews)
    Closed • Closed

    Jim Oliver's Smoke House Restaurant Photos

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    JIM OLIVER'S SMOKE HOUSE RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Live music
    Happy hour specials

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    Ray R.

    Stopped in last weekend for lunch while out riding. The place has a pretty cool atmosphere and cool to walk around. Now the food wasn't good at all. The brisket wasn't very good at all. The pinto beans flavorless . The service was slow but we were not in a hurry and they were super nice. But when it comes to food it wasn't any good. Maybe it was just an off day for them but it was off so much I wouldn't stop again.

    Breakfast Sampler with Coffee
    Chris C.

    I was unsure about trying this place after the mixed reviews, but I'm always up for a culinary adventure when I am traveling so I gave it a shot. I'm so glad I did!!! The restaurant is set off from a country store, which you get a tour of right off the bat since you must head for the restrooms at the back to wash your hands before being seated. This is a great opportunity to peruse the sauces and jellies sold by the store as well as see the rattlesnake that Jim Oliver bit. I have no complaints about breakfast. The service was friendly, the plate arrived promptly, and the coffee was refreshed regularly. I had the Breakfast Sampler which was a great way to experience a lot of different breakfast items on the menu. It was the epitome of a great southern breakfast, and I highly recommend a stop here if you find yourself traveling through the area.

    John M.

    A barbecue place attached to country store that is part of a Lodge, this restaurant offers the kitschy ambiance to lull patrons into thinking they stumbled into a rerun of that classic television show from the 1970's, "Hee Haw." This is not a bad thing, I enjoyed the atmosphere and after lunch I wondered through the general store and found a few items that I never knew that I needed. We all opted for the buffet and while it was not huge, it offered us enough to keep lunch varied. The kale salad was a huge winner. I also really liked their hot peach barbecue sauce. Not overly spicy, but good. The pork and beef stew were good, but the smoked chicken was way overdone. Service was friendly and the prices were decent. This is a good option in an area that didn't seem to offer many dining choices.

    Fried Pie
    Shannon S.

    I have visited Jim Oliver's Smoke House Restaurant & Trading post many times over the years with it always being a great time stopping in this classic restaurant and store. There is also a hotel here along with offering very nice cabins and I have stayed here when visiting Sewanee: The University of the South or back and forth between Nashville and Chattanooga. Jim Oliver's Smoke House Restaurant & Trading Post has all sorts of nooks and crannys with an astounding assortment of interesting items and little mini stores selling things like fudge. The Smoke House has one of the best collections of weird things in Tennessee along with a great sample of Tennessee antiques and music memorabilia here as well. This place is NOTABLE for selling some of the craziest and largest selections of BBQ sauces I have ever seen anywhere in my rather extensive BBQ explorations (watch out for the "Blazin Rectums" sauce and their other XXX Hot BBQ sauces). The restaurant here serves a buffet or you can order off the menu (and many menu items still include part of the buffet) and their BBQ brisket is decent stuff which with the huge selection of sauces you need to return a LOT of times to ever sample all of the options on your meat (and they are always adding new flavors of BBQ sauce). The beef stew that was being served during my last visit was really good and I could have made a meal of just that and as it was also all you could eat I nearly did make a second meal out of it when I finished off my BBQ brisket. This is one of the original old school joints that places like Cracker Barrel and Applebee's try to rip off but you will have a LOT more enjoyment here at one of the real McCoy's as you might have heard! Overall this place is a classic and you should make an effort to visit here at some point. They also have LIVE MUSIC so make make sure to check out the music schedule here. To see my video review of The Smoke House Lodge & Cabins look under that Yelp listing and under my restaurant review videos of Jim Oliver's Smoke House Restaurant is here: https://youtu.be/vfWZaP2wTgs

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    30 days ago

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    10 months ago

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    11 months ago

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    4 months ago

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    9 months ago

    Worth the drive for excellent Bar B Que along with great sides and desserts. As authentic and fresh as it gets

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    4 months ago

    My food came out cold and burnt after almost a hour I do not recommend this place I'm telling you it's not good

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    10 months ago

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    5 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    James David O.

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    3 years ago

    Barely a bbq. No ribs, brisket. Pulled pork was dry and hard. Beans seemed straight out of the can

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    2 years ago

    So good! Very great prices! Would recommend to anyone who is in the area! Go check them out!

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    8 years ago

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    James David O.

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    2 years ago

    This is such a fun place to eat, and listen to music. Good food, atmosphere and service.

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    13 years ago

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    James David O.

    Thank you so much for your comments. I'll pass on to the staff.

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    3 years ago

    Service was good. Waitress was sweet. Food was not good. Not a great menu option for a smoke house.

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    5 years ago

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    Page 1 of 6

    Ask the Community - Jim Oliver's Smoke House Restaurant

    Review Highlights - Jim Oliver's Smoke House Restaurant

    “The Two Girls working the register where you pay & can sample amazing Fudge were so pleasant & friendly!!”

    Mentioned in 13 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Judith - Butter lettuce salad

    Judith

    4.5(23 reviews)
    4.6 mi

    An absolute must visit if you're in the area! We were in town visiting friends and they said we had…read moreto do here and I'm so glad they suggested it. We ended up talking about this meal all weekend long. Our friends Tyler and Lindsay have come multiple times and they guided us through the menu and what they recommended. We ordered: - house sourdough - chicken liver mousse - sugar baby watermelon salad - pappardelle - duck breast - half chicken x2 Every single thing was amazing! The vibes were cute, the service was great. Such a hidden gem but would absolutely come back to check out other seasonal menus.

    Had been long looking forward to a return to Sewanee, particularly to have the opportunity to check…read moreout Judith Tavern. Unfortunately, left pretty disappointed. The space is attractive, though it's far from being any sort of "tavern". It's rather loud, industrial. The worst aspect of the space are the tables for 2, which are small cocktail tables, really sized to hold a couple drinks, not dinner for 2. One is left with the impression that they're more interested in fitting as many diners as possible into the space rather than providing a fine dining experience. So much so that the wait staff apologized for the table size several times. Menu varies with the season, though we found most items on the online "sample" menu were on the dinner menu that night as well. Roasted oysters were plated very attractively, the oysters were plump, and the topping tasty, though several of mine were refrigerator cold - clearly made in advance and not properly heated for serving. Starter of sourdough bread with chili oil. The bread was wonderfully rustic, the chili oil was actually garlic oil. For my main, I had the "signature" trout. Pleasant enough, a nicely cooked filet swimming in a brothy sauce. Accompanied by a few small rounds of potato, what amounted to a single thinly sliced fingerling, I left hungry and considered stopping for a burger on the way home. The wife was underwhelmed with the duck. Kudos for providing an upscale dinner destination in Sewanee. Though not an option that we'd consider revisiting.

    Photos
    Judith - Bar

    Bar

    Judith - Citrus cake with buttercream

    Citrus cake with buttercream

    Judith

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    La Bella Pearl - Strawberry Balsamic Gelato

    La Bella Pearl

    4.2(38 reviews)
    2.0 mi

    You cannot get a more gourmet meal for a better price! The first time we ate here, I actually…read morethought there had been a mistake on the bill because I couldn't believe we had gotten this level of food for the price. The food at La Bella Pearl is thoughtfully created and beautifully executed, with French and Cajun influences woven into a farm-to-table, mountaintop dining experience. Every dish feels intentional without ever feeling fussy. The restaurant itself is set inside a beautiful old home, which makes the experience feel less like going out to a restaurant and more like being welcomed into Chef Tom's home for an incredible meal. The service and atmosphere are warm, relaxed, and unpretentious. You could absolutely dress up for a special date night, but you would feel just as comfortable coming in casually. They do not sell alcohol, but you are welcome to bring your own bottle, and the corkage fee is one of the lowest I have ever seen. La Bella Pearl is a true gem. From the moment you pull up, it feels as though you have stumbled upon the pearl inside an oyster, tucked away on the mountain and waiting to be discovered. Do not sleep on this place. It is easily one of the best dining values I have found anywhere, and the kind of restaurant you almost want to keep a secret.

    Great food with a wonderful wait staff friendly and experienced…read more Fast service Wonderful cocktails

    Photos
    La Bella Pearl - Dining room

    Dining room

    La Bella Pearl - Grape leaf. The red sauce was Devine. Tasted like Vodka sauce to me. The grape leaf was tough

    Grape leaf. The red sauce was Devine. Tasted like Vodka sauce to me. The grape leaf was tough

    La Bella Pearl - La Bella Pearls Restaurant entrance

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    La Bella Pearls Restaurant entrance

    The Caverns

    The Caverns

    4.5(206 reviews)
    6.8 mi
    •$$

    Amazing Venue, great on acoustics, who could ask for more? Absolutely unforgettable. We saw Jacob…read moreCollier here last night, and I honestly can't imagine a more perfect venue for him. The Caverns is breathtaking on its own, but hearing that kind of music underground was something else entirely. Jacob conducted the audience like we were part of the performance--at one point turning the entire cave into this incredibly layered sound of falling rain. Not the simple snap-your-fingers version, but this deep, building, immersive rainstorm created by hundreds of people together. It was absolutely beautiful. The acoustics, the atmosphere, the intimacy of the venue, and Jacob's ability to turn an audience into an instrument completely blew us away. We were fortunate enough to be right up front, and it was one of those experiences my son and I will be talking about for a very long time. The Caverns isn't just somewhere you go to see a concert. It's an experience. Absolutely magical, and we can't wait to come back.

    A unique venue for sure! We were here for a techno show and walking in gave some Blade the movie…read morevibes. The cave is not super large and the sound is a little interesting. Bc of it's natural rock curves, visibility of the front stage is hit or miss, especially for the short girlies like me. Security and walking to the venue was easy. We stayed on the property in one of their yurts which made it all that more easy. They have large fields for camping on site too. Price point for the ticket felt a little up there but not terrible. And the Yurts were pricey but AC, running bathroom, very clean and cozy so can't complain. A couple of food trucks at the entrance and the doner kebab one was sooo good, we ordered from there twice in the night.

    Photos
    The Caverns
    The Caverns - What about this one? I see it!

    What about this one? I see it!

    The Caverns - Cool cave

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    Cool cave

    Jim Oliver's Smoke House Restaurant - musicvenues - Updated September 2026

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