Reviews for Carter Caves State Resort Park - Tierney's Cavern Restaurant

05/30/2014 - Jeannette
I wish I could give zero stars!
My family and I just spent a few days at Carter Caves. I am so glad we rented a cottage for 3 days, especially after the experience we had the one evening we chose to eat at Tierney's.
My son ordered the "all you can eat" catfish, and my husband and I chose the "11 Large Shrimp" platter.
When our dinners arrived, we immediately made a complaint. There was nothing large about the shrimp, they were the size of quarters. None of them had been deveined, and on both of our plates 4-5 of those 11 shrimp were nothing but tails, the size of a dime at best. When we complained, we were told that "that's just the way they come" ...sorry, that's not a good enough excuse. In addition, my "baked" potato was anything but. It was a microwaved potato, still hard on the inside.

We did argue to have our dinners removed from the check (since neither my husband nor I ate the shrimp) and while they did remove the dinners, they decided to charge us instead for the free sides (salad, soup, potato) that come with the dinners. So in the end, we ended up paying just as much as we would have, had they left them on the check. I have never been so irate over a dining experience. Any time a restaurant screws up that badly, they remove the entire meal from the bill. Never have I had a restaurant nickel and dime me for the sides that accompany a meal.

I wouldn't recommend the restaurant to my worst enemy. While my son said his catfish was "ok", it was all previously frozen bits and pieces that were fried previously and arrived to him cold. I suggest to those visiting Carter Caves that you rent a cottage and bring your own food, or find someplace else to eat. Paying over $30.00 for my son's ($9.99) catfish dinner and 3 sodas is a joke.