Calhoun’s Oak Ridge

They let us in before opening to get out of the weather. The hickory smoked prime rib sandwich was outstanding. Never put it down. Still looking at pictures of it.

So, we went on a road trip from Florida to Tennessee during Hurricane Helene. We were looking for a cozy place with good food, and this place totally delivered. The staff was super friendly, especially the hostesses. They gave us a great table with a beautiful view. Our waiter, Robbie, was awesome and took care of everything we needed. Even the manager, Kyle, came over to introduce himself since we heard about the restaurant from some locals. He assured us that if we needed anything, he'd be there for us. The food was incredible! I had the steak and shrimp, and the steak just melted in my mouth. It was seriously the best steak I've ever had. The whole experience was amazing, and we'll definitely be going back to Calhoun's the next time we're in Tennessee. There are a bunch of locations in the area, but the one in Oak Range has a gorgeous view of the lake.

I was too busy running my mouth and enjoying the outdoor eating area to remember to take pictures of our dinner; however, that is a sign of how relaxing and pleasurable the experience was. There was four of us in our party and each one of us thoroughly enjoyed our meal. I would recommend a reservation due to the popularity of this eatery.

Calhouns is a charming spot with reasonable pricing and a welcoming atmosphere. The service was excellent—our waiter was attentive and courteous throughout the visit. The views overlooking the lake were stunning, and we were lucky enough to catch a rainbow, which made the experience even more memorable. The Southern Salad was generous in portion, and the fried green tomatoes were a clear favorite at our table. The venue offers a well-sized bar, cozy indoor seating, and a vibrant patio, each with its own unique ambiance. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time here and look forward to returning.

We didn’t have to wait long. Our view was excellent. Our server was in training and did an awesome job. The food was excellent. My fish was cooked perfectly and flaked just right. The spinach Maria was phenomenal. We enjoyed our St Patrick’s Day dinner.

We have visited this location a few times and this one was the best so far. Our waitress was kind helpful and efficient. The food came out within a decent amount of time and tasted great. We were also greeted by the manager who was friendly and helpful. We most defintiely will be back again!

Well, we often read reviews before going anywhere the reviews for 50/50, but we found Calhoun's to be the cleanest, the nicest, the best tasting food that we've had in our trips so far. Our waiter, Harley, was excellent right to the table, kept filling our drinks, answered our questions. The service that he put out was very good. The appetizer was spinach dip. It came with warm chips. My husband ordered the moist brisket with a salad and mashed potatoes. I got catfish breaded, it was breaded a little bit more than I like but it was still very good. You'll have no pictures of the broccoli, I got three huge spears of broccoli and it was cooked to perfection! Can't say enough nice things about this. It was a very pleasant experience. Our lunch was excellent. It is a must stop when you're in the area.

I love calhoun's Smoked prime rib on Friday/Saturday. We had a rain shower for about 30 min and it created beautiful scene to look at. Enjoyed eating dinner watching the fog comes and goes. We ordered Smoked prime ribs and shrimp and Trio for dinner. Everthing tasted good. Amily, our server was sweet and provided a good service. We'll be back again.

The atmosphere is terrific restaurant is right on the river. The Food was good & service was excellent had 6 people and the waitress was great. Calhouns is a great dining experience with awesome BBQ. I recommend the burnt ends and the brisket.

I ate at Calhoun's the first night, that I arrive in Oak Ridge. The food was Amazing! I had 2 other meals there during my 5 day stay. Every meal was perfect! The service was great, very friendly and attentive staff! The atmosphere was very cozy and inviting! I will definitely eat here, if I should return!

Had the southern salad, very good! Service was not good tho, took awhile to place order! Took a bit to get food, and about choked waiting on drinks. But it was good food!

On November 1st, a Saturday night, a group of myself and other 9 old friends met for dinner. We hadn’t seen each other in quite a few years, and there was a lot of laughing, talking l, of us getting acquainted again. I had called for reservations and everything was perfect. I especially want recognize the waitresses that took care of us that evening. Although, I didn’t get their names, management can figure it out because of the reservation I had made previously. They were great!!!!! Courteous and quick to reply to our requests, so nice, it made our evening that much better. Just wanted to say we had a lovely evening at Calhouns and our waitresses made it that much better.

Just a great place to eat in a stellar location! The menu is excellent and the specials were great. Service was great. One would be comfortable in casual attire or business attire, just the same. Prices were reasonable for the quality of food & stellar atmosphere.

Had a great family dinner on the patio Saturday! Drinks, appetizers, delicious bread basley and meals were all superb! Julie, our server, had many tables to attend to but didn't miss a beat. She had a table that was incredibly rude to her but she didn't let that interrupt her excellent service! She was fantastic!

Fantastic establishment, here riding sxs at Windrock Offroad Park and wanted a quality meal. By far exceeded our entire groups expectations. Will definitely be back.

A local favorite, Calhouns does not disappoint. Perfect for a lunch date and viewing football in the bar area. Jason was our server and we just loved him. ****Prime Rib on Saturday! Get it. Delicious

My son is on the spectrum and it had been a long time since we tried to eat out in a restaurant with him. He was very nervous and wasn't doing well when we first came in. But the staff helped calm him and made us feel at ease. Eventually son sat on the patio and walked around with us in the grass and watched the boats and even ate fries. He really seemed to enjoy it. Our server was so sweet! Everyone who helped us was so, so wonderful and accommodating and we cannot thank you enough for your kindness! We are going to have family dinners there whenever we can!! Thank you! 💗

We had a wonderful late Sunday lunch. Our server was wonderfully attentive without being over the top. Hubby had a burger and fries and he raved about being the best he's eaten a a while. A smokey flavor without being over powering. I had the half chicken. It was perfection. Also I have to eat GF and items are marked on the menu and the server was very knowledgeable and steered me in the right direction regarding BBQ sauces and salad toppings. Overall I'd give this dining experience a 10 out of 10.

Overall, fun place with a neat location on the water. Sitting outside during good weather is a must and the service here met my expectations. I got the ale steak with a baked potato, a house salad, and a fresh squeezed lemonade. Pretty sure they used sparkling water or carbonated water as it had kind of a bubbly texture to it. Interesting take on a fresh tasting lemonade that I certainly enjoyed. The sirloin was just OK but the bread, baked potato and salad were on point and also exceeded my expectations. I would recommend for the location for the scenery alone, but the food certainly pairs well with a nice evening on the water.

8.26.23 Lots of free parking. Outdoors seating area has nice views. We had a 30-minute wait, but that's usually a good sign. Our waitress was superb. We ordered all sorts of dishes but nothing blew me away. The presentation also wasn't that great. Overall this is a wonderful place and I'd go back (if I wasn't from CT).

A great restaurant in the Oak Ridge area right on the water. This place was recommended to me by a friend that had tried it previously. It is a little way off the Oak Ridge Turnpike and east on Melton Lake Road. It sits, as you can guess, on one of the fingers of Melton Lake. They often have rowing races along this body of water. I watched several teams practice on the water while I was at the restaurant. There is a parking lot that seems to have plenty of spaces to the west and north of the location. We checked in at the counter and the hostess seated us immediately. We chose to eat on the deck outside to enjoy the weather and the water activities. The waiter came out quickly after we were seated to take our drink order. The menu is a mix of dishes to include everything from salads to burgers to wings to steaks. I ordered the barbeque ribs with fries and tea. The half slab was about $17 which is reasonable. The food came out quickly. The meat was good but the sauce was a little less sweet than I normally have. I was not a fan of the fries but the view and atmosphere outside were very enjoyable. I would recommend this for anyone wanting a good meal in the area with pleasant service at a reasonable price with a great view. Enjoy.

Visited Monday evening about 5pm on 8/7/2023. Food was alright. We got the brisket and chicken tenders. Everything tasted good but I would try something else next time. We didn't wait very long to be sat and the restaurant wasn't busy. The hostess was very rude, acted like we were bothering her being there, and was angry looking but our server was amazing. She was pretty funny and saved the experience. Pretty awesome view of the water from inside.

Amazing view over the river from the outside patio. But sadly most of it was closed down. Patio is open and the people are super nice.

Good food and great service. Friendly open atmosphere makes this place a great place for people to get together and enjoy a meal and conversation.

It was a good time, food was decent typical lunch food, nothing bad perse but nothing to write home about. I would go back if I had to or someone was paying for my lunch. Great nice staff, normal restaurant environment nothing worth raving about

Friendly service. Dining room and lounge/bar area available. We sat in the lounge area. I had the lemon shrimp special - very good. My husband had the pulled pork BBQ sandwich, and he said it was good. The BBQ sauce they make is well balanced in flavor.

Nice place with great views of the lake. Very good service. Pork bbq sandwich was moist. Tried their sauce for some flavor & it was quite good. My wife's shrimp skewers were excellent.

Firstly, they didn’t served us breads as a starter, but they served other customers it. Secondly, they served us plain potato as a side while the other customers’ potato was with different topping. Next, the steak we order was supposed to be Medium, but they gave us well done. I might guess that they know about it, but why won’t they tell us about the steak if they mess up. Overall, the foods are good, but I think they should improve their customer service.

Horrible service. It took forever for anyone to even come greet us at our table. Then forever after we had eaten to come by and give us the check or ask how we were doing. At our time of visit there was also only about 4-5 tables filled with patrons. So the lack of service cannot be blamed on being busy. The views are great, and the food was pretty good. The drinks were excellent. We ordered a blackberry margarita and a seasonal special apple drink.

Amazing staff, wonderful views, brisket wasn't the best, Mac and cheese felt more "Velveeta-y" than home made. I mean put some bread crumbs on it and throw it in the broiler for two minutes....oh and put some Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top too. Also, (unpopular opinion) wasn't a huge fan of the house & whiskey BBQ sauce. Food presentation overall was four stars though. I hear the prime rib sandwich is fairly fantastic so I'll give these guys another shot.

Visited Calhoun’s in Oak Ridge on a Wednesday at 5 PM. Service was polite but slow, with kids’ drink refills delayed. I had the trio plate — ribs (tough), pulled pork (warm), chicken tenders (hot, crunchy, very good), and a baked potato that was barely warm. My daughter’s smoked chicken was hot, moist, and smoky. My son-in-law’s catfish was flavorful but not crispy and a bit greasy. Kids’ burgers had unmelted cheese, though fries were hot. The artichoke dip appetizer was lava hot and delicious. BBQ sauce was smoky and slightly sweet. Overall, decent, but not standout compared to Texas BBQ.

Best place in Oak Ridge for outdoor dining. Food quality was a mixed bag - appetizer breads were old and hard, disappointing. Side salad was probably the best part of the meal. Brisket was a bit dry in spots, needed to use bbq sauce to soften it. Catfish was thick battered like chicken tenders instead of light cornmeal? Waitress was very nice and attentive, but overly concerned about screwing up orders and kept second guessing herself.

The staff in the area before going into the kitchen area are very bothersome, loud, and distracting. Unnecessary be behavior and it wasn't appreciated. Made for a much less enjoyable dining experience on Valentine Day

This is a friendly Calhoun’s on the water, but like other Calhoun’s, the food is hit and miss. Our table had ribs, prime rib, and roasted chicken. The ribs were not tender, the prime rib was not pink (brown and overcooked), and the chicken had no flavor. All of it was edible but not worth paying money for. Our waiter seemed new, made several mistakes, but was very nice and friendly. We had a reservation and were seated almost immediately. The atmosphere was fine as we were able to hear each other without overhearing other conversations. Overall an ok experience if you are looking to eat on the water.

When we got there we waited a really long time before we were waited on and then we set a table that had not been watched yet it just looked like they were kind of understaffed and it wasn't even that busy we were just about to leave and finally they came out to take the order. They gave us a free dessert to make it for it but honestly it could have been better. It doesn't change the fact that this place just doesn't seem to have it together sometimes now it's not like that all the time I think I've been there before and it's been all right but this time sucked.

Staff was friendly, accommodating, attentive. Food was mediocre. Ribs were dry and fry portions small. Main issue was the condition of the patio seating. Spiderwebs everywhere, sticky dirty chairs and table settings, a simple sweep of dead bugs and debris would have gone a long way.

The service was slow. The waitress took our order and 40 minutes later she came back to tell me that they were out of brisket. A BBQ restaurant out of brisket at 6:30 on a Saturday! It was at least another 20 minutes before we actually got our food.

I tried to eat here. It’s obviously a popular restaurant, given the size of the parking lot and dining area. My one experience there was marred severely by the rack of ribs I was served. The ribs are vinegar-based, according to the manager that talked to me. The ribs were tasteless and tough. The BBQ was thin and weak. They didn’t even offer a sauce with some heat. I couldn’t eat it and sent it back. They offered to try again or a different dish. I chose to leave disappointed.

Come and enjoy the dryest ribs, water like BBQ sauce, beans that taste like hotdog chilli, and tasteless coleslaw. Servers were great.

We were a party of two. Our orders were easy. The same beer and the same salad. We waited a minimum of 15 minutes for the beer. There at least four other tables near us that came in well AFTER us. Although our server told us food was coming up, we sat and sat and sat, while others ordered their food, received it, and finished eating. Mind you, we all had the same server. We req