Ye Olde Steak House

My wife and I hade been previously and the food really was not good, however we decided to give them one more shot and went there on 2/19/12 for an early dinner. I ordered the Rib-eye and my wife ordered a prime rib. Ok, the Rib-eye is a 10oz steak and the prime rib is a 20oz cut...I was really hoping that the 1st time I had visited this place that it was an off day for the chef, apparently I was very wrong, my steak came out overdone and totally tasteless and my wife's 20oz prime rib turned out consisting of 14oz of fat! I let the staff know that it was too fatty but I was told that this helps give the meat flavor....not a good way to make a customer happy after they have just paid $30 for a plate of fat! I had filled 2 side plated of the fat from the steak before our waitress offered to comp a desert and took the 2 sweet tea's off the bill....This is the last time that I will ever go to this place,,,,and I would advise anyone thinking of going to Ye Old Steakhouse to stop and really think twice about it. I would rather go to Ruths Chris where I know that I will get what I pay for instead of being fed SUB STANDARD food, more

After reading some reviews, we almost cancelled our plans to take two couples there for our Thursday dinner of February 2, 2012. I even sent a copy to them of some reviews expressing our concerns. No matter what experiences others have had and remember, hundreds could have had a great experiences and not posted it. Our experience is from the here and now so history isn't important to us except to say the food is pricey and they could not have stayed in business for decades without impressing a lot of Knoxvillians. When we arrived, we were greated warmly by the hostess. We were seated at a table that accomodated 3 couples and promptly served. On a Thursday night they were very busy which speaks well of experiences by others. Our wait staff which included more than just one waitress were professional and quite friendly. One of our couples makes a point to visit the most upscale resturants in Knoxville more than we do and have a complete experience with fine dining. We were served our order promply and I can tell you the same as our other two couples remarked. The steaks were the best I have had in the Knoxville. That includes Flemmings, Conners, etc.. While ordering a ribeye steak can be risky, these were prepared and tasted fantastic. Now, was this the most elegant place to dine, of course not. It is casual but well furnished and has a great atmosphere. One word of caution though, if parking is not available in front, drop off passengers at the sidewalk before driving up the hill to park. In summary, we highly recommend this restaurant and maybe we will see you there on one of our return visits. more

My husband, my sister & I drove 55 miles to eat supper, on Aug 10, 2011. We arrived about 5:30 PM. There were only 6 other tables, with customers. All either had their meals or drinks & salad. We sat at our table for a good 10 mins without ever being acknowledged. One elderly waitress walked by us, several times, to a table next to ours, never making eye contact with us. Two middle aged waitresses cleared a table on the other side of us, also never looking at us. One other server, in her late 20s, who had a large table, had her hands full, while the elderly waitress stood over from us, drinking ice water and swinging her arms as if she were bored. The hostess, also an older woman, early 70s, never looked at us, after seating us, even though she walked past us, a few times. I tried to get her attention, but she turned and walked away. Finally, we walked out, telling the hostess we guess they were too busy to wait on us. All she said was 'sorry.' I don't know...maybe because they are all in their late 60s and 70s, 5 or 6 tables is more than they can handle. Whatever the reason, they should be ashamed of their staff. People, like us, travel a long distance, for a special evening out, only to be snubbed by a very inadequate staff. For the prices they charge, there is no excuse for such a bad group of servers. That was our first, and our last, visit. On the bright side, it probably saved us about $180.00, which would have included a very good tip, had we have been served. more

My husband wanted to go for his 30th birthday to Ye Old Steakhouse,waited 2 months to go. First the parking was absolutely awful, not only was it rough terrain off a 4 lane highway but it wasnt even asphalted! Dangerous in any kind of shoes other then hiking boots! Then we were quickly shuffled in the front door by the bus boy, it looked like he was bringing us in throught he service entrance....tacky to say the least. First we ordered Dr.Pepper's brought to us in 2 cans with cups of ice again....tacky! $2.19 for for 2 cans of soda a piece...tacky! Then our waitress came back and asked us what kind of salad dressings we wanted for our salads.....we hadnt even ordred yet! The price of the food crazy but we expected it $37.00 for filet and shrimp, I ordered sauteed onions for my steak and when it arrived I got the onions but no potatoe, they replaced it instead of asking me....tacky! They open at 4:30pm, on the table is bacon and sour cream for your potatoe which at first I never got, but that stuff sits on the table the entire night...every night. I think thats a little risky for food poisoning! Then I went to the restroom to wash my hands and had to PLUNGE the toilet from someone before me and they were towels and the toilet was nasty and they had only been open1 HOUR! The servers all sat out in the general seating area in the middle of the dining room which is again....tacky! When we left the cook was sitting on the bench out front smoking, right in front of the entrance that looks like a service entrance to start with! My review our check was a $100 dont waste your money or your time going there! The service sucks, the atmosphere sucks, the parking sucks and all for a steak I can get somewhere else for 1/2 the price! more

I have had some of the best steak dinners at Ye Olde Steak House, and I've had close to some of the worst there. I don't understand how unbelievably inconstant they are. I used to go ahead and chance having a good experience, but now I just can't bring myself to try it again. It's never terrible, but it's just not what we expect from Ye Olde. Sometimes the steak is AWESOME! But other times it's comparable to Shoney's. The sides have never been great but I can over look that to a point if the steak is what it should be. I sure hope they can get it together. I'd love to know that when I go there that I'm gonna get what I expect. And I'm really not that hard to please. I just love my steak! more

Son.. We ate here Friday June 18th. I thought I was going to an up scale restaurant, but I soon found out different. First off, I ordered coke to drink and was brought out a 12oz can of coke and a cup of ice. We all had our laughs until I realized they charged $2.19 for that can. The bread had been microwaved and the sides weren't anything special. I will say the steak I had was pretty good even if everything else sucked. It was around 7pm we were there and it wasn't busy at all. At least half of the tables were empty. I can see why now. Pros: The meat Cons: Everything besides the meat more

Growing up in Knoxville, I remember my parents talking about Ye Olde Steak House as if it were the Holy Grail of eateries, and if you saved your money long enough, you could go there and buy the best steak on earth. Well, I grew up to find that it is not the Holy Grail, nor is it the most expensive restaurant in East Tennessee. But Ye Olde does serve an incredible steak. That's why we still drive way out Chapman Highway and fight for a parking spot on the side of a mountain (The nearest neighborhood is aptly called ""Little Switzerland""). Then we stand outside with the rest of the horde waiting for a seat at one of the simple wooden tables in the rustic log building. Eventually a friendly but multitasking server will greet us, and we'll eat crackers and cheese while we wait for the Real Deal. Simple salad and basic side dishes may be designed to keep from upstaging the reason we are here: the steak. Please don't cook it past medium - this one is too good to charcoal! In all, the small inconveniences and the less-than-creative menu are part of the charm, and as any Indiana Jones fan can tell you, the Holy Grail was the wooden cup, anyway. Maybe my parents were right, after all. Pros: Steak Cons: Parking, Crowd more

I moved away three years ago and my wife and I still talk about Ye Olde. Pros: Everything Cons: Parking more