This is real food. I had the blackened ribeye and the standard is set at Knotty Pine On The Bayou. It's cooked on cast iron and they do a remarkable job on it. Red skinned potatoes are great, bread is killer and I love how they do the bleu cheese dressing. Service is great too. You can't go wrong. I've gone three times in the last four days and when I come back here I will always return. I had the shrimp blackened and they were also fantastic. read more

Knotty Pine On the Bayou - Blackened shrimp. - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Cold Spring, Kentucky

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We've been here several times and enjoyed it every time. We have been with a large group and we have all also been just the two of us would recommend it. read more

The food was amazing everyone enjoyed the food, and the staff were very friendly and helpful, can't wait to return.

Food and ambiance were great. Chilean Sea Bass must have! Service was great, knowledgeable and hospitable.

Totally disappointed. Was so looking forward to a good meal after a long hard work week, but unfortunately the dinner came up short. Totally bummed as I really like this little place. Just haven't been in a while. Sat down at 6:30 and ordered two bourbon drinks. Great pours! Ordered Fried oysters for our apps to have with our drinks. Drink one done and no Oysters. 15 minutes later we were told they have no more oysters. Hmmmm. Stinks, as the oysters were the main reason we came. We went ahead and ordered our entrees. Fried Catch filets - note the word filets, and streamed shrimp . Food came pretty quickly, however, I only received one piece of catfish.? Note the word "Filets" - plural. And for $21.00. My One piece of catfish and the steamed shrimp were really good as were the greens. Total bill with tip close to $100.00 for 1-piece catfish Dinner, shrimp dinner and 3 bourbon drinks. Overall Disappointed. Perhaps it was just an off night. read more

Alligator and collard greens were amazing! Very tender and chewy. Glad to enjoy this for the first time in my life. Service here was excellent! They really make sure to take care of you. They're a little off the beaten path but you are going to get some real good treatment here. Nice boisterous indoor atmosphere. I would definitely give this place a try for some good Cajun food! read more

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It was pretty good Cajun food! Everything had good spice & the service was quick. It was for sure a unique place! Definitely worth a try!

My brilliant husband had the idea to get Cajun food at Knotty Pine on the Bayou . Everything was delicious. We split a bunch of stuff because we couldn't decide! Sauteed shrimp, oysters bienville, gumbo, collard greens, and salads with bleu cheese. My husband had an Abita Wrought Iron IPA and I had a Sazerac, which was so very good. If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend! Not to be left out, the service was attentive, friendly, and helpful! *Photo of the Sazerac has an empty glass because it was sooooo good! read more

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Food was great we had the alligator creole as our starter. And for the main course she had crab cakes and I went with pan seared sea bass. Stellar food. Service was ass but that's because the place is packed wall to wall and it's so loud in there with everyone talking I felt like I was actively losing my hearing. Gave the Cajun/Louisiana feel with the decor and building. read more

Knotty Pine On the Bayou - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Cold Spring, Kentucky

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I love their food, and the service is up to par. It's a special place- a hidden gem- really.

We have been to this restaurant several times and have never had a bad meal. The service is unbelievable. Servers are always looking to clear dishes, refill drinks, etc. The waiters/waitresses are awesome, but there are additional servers who help clear dishes. My husband's favorite dishes are the gumbo and Sea Bass. My favorite is lobster bisque and Grilled Shrimp. read more

Everything about Knotty Pine is amazing. The food is fantastic, eight of us got different things and it was all so delicious. The decor and ambiance is great and the service is even better. The view of the Licking River from the back balcony is beautiful. It feels and looks and tastes like a little mom and pop shop you'd find off of some back road in New Orleans. read more

Enjoyed a great evening at Knotty Pine! While I haven't taken the time to leave them a review before now, we enjoy an occasional visit to this place. We started off with fried frog legs and a small bowl of lobster bisque and loved them both so much that we ordered seconds with our main entrees! The frog legs were fall off the bone and tasty and the lobster bisque was very delicious and creamy! Had the frog legs main entree, Etouffee and crab cakes for our main dishes. Etouffee was spicy but delicious and had generous portions of meat. Both the lobster bisque and Etouffee were over small portions of rice but had generous portions of meat and stew/soup. Had the opera cream cake for dessert and it was delicious! The cocktails were fantastic and tasty as well! Our waitress and her assistant were top notch...very friendly and attentive to our needs. The atmosphere was laid back and quieter than other visitors. It was a tad chilly in the dining room and the parking lot needs a little improvement. Would highly recommend this establishment if you're looking for great Cajun food! read more

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Always a Great time.... One of our favorite restaurants!!! The food is amazing, and the service is excellent... and they always treat you like family!!! One of the few restaurants I can blindly order the special... I Know it will be Epic!!! read more

Great little chunka mood,food, and space! Hope to go again. It's very noisy and very small and can get steamy in that rustic shanty of delicious bayou cuisine! read more

This was the best food I have had in a very long time. The service was excellent. We didn't know we had to have reservations but they seated us at the bar and the bartender was great. I will definitely be back and bring others with me. Absolutely good food! read more

Knotty Pine On the Bayou - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Cold Spring, Kentucky

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Not good food. Service ok. Prices are exorbitant. They were out of halibut, so I ate the Seabass, which was OK, but they priced it the same as halibut. The atmosphere is like being in a bar I had to ask for a wooden chair instead of the wicker will not go again. read more

If you love everything Cajun this is for you. Just not Cajun in potatoes, green beans... too much! A bit over priced in my opinion!

Wow! We pulled into the area late and did a quick search for dinner. Luckily they weren't too busy on a Tuesday night so we were able to grab a seat at the bar. Staff was very friendly, food was amazing. . . transported me back to New Orleans.! Portion sizes made sure we would have leftovers. Decor also matched and made me think of my last trip. A must stop! read more

Went there on a whim after seeing it on Chowdown Cincinnati on fb... sat at the bar and had the absolute sweetest and most personable waitress! She made great suggestions on what to order and the food was out of this world. It was fantastic! I tried the gator, the blackened scallops and the Chilean sea bass. Everything had great flavor and was cooked to perfection! While sitting at the bar I struck up conversation with the gentleman and his wife next to me who just so happened to be the owners! So kind, and humble and have a genuine passion for delivering quality food but also quality service. I will absolutely be returning here!! Do yourself a favor, check out this restaurant!! read more

Over the top Great place to take out of towners They never expect this quality of service and food read more

My husband and I tried this place for the first time because we heard good things. We were not disappointed!!! Hubby had fried catfish. He said it was the best he's ever had. I had etouffee and fried oysters. They were to die for!!! We can't wait to go back!! read more

Knotty Pine On the Bayou - a table full of food - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Cold Spring, Kentucky

Order the bass pan fried!! Not on the menu but " always on the menu". Best in the tri-state!!!

We shared a shrimp cocktail shrimp are cooked nice and firm with a great cocktail sauce As you can see by the picture Johan had the alligator and it was mounted on his plate he could only eat half I had the blackened Seabass which was cooked to perfection both entrées came with green beans and rice and a side salad We will be back If you park in the side parking lot come in the back door for easy handicap access read more

Knotty Pine On the Bayou - Blue cheese salad - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Cold Spring, Kentucky

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I'm from New Orleans originally and I very impressed with almost everything I tried here. I lucked out and they had boiled crawfish which were excellent. They would be considered excellent even in New Orleans. Plump bugs boiled to perfection with the right amount of spicy kick. My second dish was the fried catfish which was also excellent. The waiter suggested fried instead of blackened and I'm so glad I took his recommendation. The fish was firm, flavorful, and not greasy with a nice thin crust. I had the red beans as a side and they were fine but nothing special. I tried my friend's gumbo which tasted good but it was too thick for my taste. To people in New Orleans, gumbo is a soup and this version was closer to a gravy. But it did have a good flavor. Can't believe I never ate here in all the years I lived in Cincy. Great food. I missed a lot of opportunities for a great meal. read more

So I've heard so many good things about this place. The food, the feel, the drinks..etc. Me and my partner decided to meander to the restuarant from the city. When we initially passed it we drove right past it. It's a charming resturant right as you turn onto the street with a parking lot right before it. On Saturday night is was crowded! Which is always a good sign. We had a reservation for 8:00 and it took a few minutes to get our table ready. We were sat at a two person table by the window and it was pretty nice. Now, the resturant itself reminded me of one of those older mom and pop resturants that the south is full of. It made me feel a bit at home, especially seeing the clientale and the noise level. In North Louisiana there are many resturants like this and I always enjoyed the feeling of familiarity in environments like that. We ordered drinks, and they were brought out promptly. I got sweet tea and a hurricane and boy did it bring me home! Every summer my grandmother makes sweet tea on her porch and lets the sun do its work. The tea brought me back to those summers. We ordered our food. I ordered the sampler and a salad and my partner ordered the blackened chicken pasta. The salads were just usual run of the mill salads. I got a house dressing that was pretty good. The servers kept our drinks filled and the bread that was brought to us was good and warm. When our food arrived I was confused. With the sampler comes blackened chicken and steak, but what was delivered to me seemed sauteed and didn't have the "blackened" look. Actually I didn't see much seasoning on the chicken or steak which is why I requested hot sauce. When eating these items, it was not blackened at all. The steak was super soft and the chicken had no taste other then the hot sauce. The shrimp was nicely seasoned with a delicious sauce and butter on the side. The red beans and rice was alright, not what I'm used to and a bit more watery then I would have liked but hot sauce always does wonders. The gumbo was interesting. But I guess it's what I expect outside of Louisiana. My partner was pretty upset with what he ordered. It was suppose to be a blackened chicken over angel hair pasta with a "gravy" over it. Again, the supposed blackened chicken wasn't blackened at all and the pasta itself with the gravy had no flavor. Like at all. It was pretty bland. Our sever told us it was similar to chicken alfredo without the cheese but it was just sauteed chicken over flavorless pasta. Yikes Yeah so this place does things right, but it wasn't a place I would suggest to my Cajun friends. Slowly starting to learn not to eat Cajun food outside of like...Louisiana Though Im thankful for the salad and sweet tea! read more

Knotty Pine On the Bayou - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Cold Spring, Kentucky

We always love eating here! The service is usually really good, and the food is always on point. The Cajun sampler is my all time favorite. The steak tips, chicken, and shrimp are perfection. It also comes with red beans and rice, and jambalaya. It's a lot of food but it reheats really well, so I say go for it and enjoy leftovers tomorrow! The Bayou-tini is also delicious. If you're into oysters, their Bienville is really good. read more

This is a top 10 all time great restaurant for my family and the friends that I've sent here. We live 3 hours away but stop by every time we pass through. This restaurant will not disappoint you! read more

I swear I got food poisoning there! The place is not what ppl make it out to be. The server was good

We were here on a Thursday night, get immediately seated.. the service is very prompt and polite. We ordered the raw oysters and grilled shrimp as appetizer. The oysters are not as fresh as i expected and also have a kind of mud taste. The shrimp is fine. I ordered the halibut, the texture is nice, firm, the size is smaller than i expected. The two sides i ordered are both boiled veggie.. very salty.. my husband ordered fried alligator, i tasted, quite nice and also reasonable quantity.. read more

Knotty Pine On the Bayou - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Cold Spring, Kentucky

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My husband ordered the mixed platter. With the exception of the beans and rice, it was terrible. I ordered halibut and it was great. I'm not sure what the hype is about the opera cream cake. It's just ok. Service was very attentive. Atmosphere is fun, casual. We probably won't be back. read more

Was there last night. Great and service was great. Love the oysters and we had gumbo alligator and catfish plus cheesecake

Food was excellent! I had frog legs this time but whatever I've ordered it's been delicious. The reason I'm giving 4 stars this time is because of the bus help. I had to hold on to my salad plate do she didn't remove it. My dinner plate was snatched from me while I had my fork on the last bite. She never made eye contact or said something along the lines of can I get this out of your way...It was not late, there were open tables and the 4 of us had only been there 45 minutes. She obviously was being forced to work and didn't want to be there. Please just chill dining is supposed to be a relaxing experience. read more

only stopped because it was close to our hotel room being from out of town. Went on a tuesday and had fresh crawfish. They were good but being from the midwest probably not our thing but hlad we got to try them. We both had filets blackened with red potatoes and green beans. It was one of the best steaks I have ever had . Everyone was very nice in helping us learn how to eat crawfish and give us great service. Sure wish it was closer to Des Moines because it would quickly become one of my favorite restaurants! read more

Highly highly recommend this place!!! We went here prior to a concert at riverbend this summer and let me tell you this place is amazing!! The atmosphere is so neat and the food was so good! We had a party of four including my in laws and everyone left complementing how good this place was and how excellent the service was!! read more

Order the sautéed scallops with white rice and gravy plus the red potatoes with a salad. The salad was good but a little plain. No tomatoes cheese or croutons. The bread was very good. Meal was very good. Really enjoyed the flavors of everything. The potatoes were slightly cold. Companion had the alligator appetizer and a cup ettufee both were very good. We didn't do dessert Server was ok. read more

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This is at a very scenic location which is a big draw to this place. The restaurant was extremely loud although there was a UK game going on while we were there. The service was solid and the restaurant was clean (especially for having a bar there). Now onto my food... Sautéed Shrimp Over Pasta with a side of cottage cheese. What Is It: Sautéed very spicy shrimp over pasta. Presentation: Everything looked proper. The shrimp especially looked appealing. 8 out of 10 Taste: Simply put this was the best tasting shrimp I've ever had. The bite on there just made for an awesome flavour. The pasta was ordinary. My big problem was the fact that this plate cost $22.95. There was 8 or 9 shrimps on a bed of noodles. As good the shrimp is this was way overpriced. A good experience but they need to get their prices under control. Taste: 10 out of 10 Value: 2 out of 10 read more

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The cocktails are great but I feel like this place has gone downhill a bit. Or maybe just because I have been to New Orleans more, the gumbo and the etouffee do not wow. read more

What a wonderful experience a 45 min drive and we can't wait to come back. Jonie made the experience for us! What a wonderful night with my boyfriend, we are counting the days until come back. read more

Knotty Pine On the Bayou - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Cold Spring, Kentucky

Awesome service and great food! My husband and I both got the sea bass and was very pleased.