Well, 9 of our Thirsty Thursday crew met up on Friday night at the Shakerag Restaurant in the Sewanee Inn. First off the decor there is worth the trip even if you don't eat there, but we did! Usually it's hard to get seating for 9 folks but we were accommodated as soon as we arrived. The host, servers and manager waisted no time getting everything ready and we were seated.Waiting on one couple we ordered drinks and they were out in a flash. Great selection and very well made! We visited and had a great time and got our orders in when the couple arrived.The menu selection was great and everyone seemed to get something different. Appetizers of Pork Belly, Brussel Sprouts and Sweet Potato Fries were ordered and were excellent. All of the entrees were fantastic and everyone loved their orders. Our server was awesome and the manager came, checked on us and we all gave him a "big" thumbs up!!This is a definite "do again" place whether it's the group, couple or single!!
We ate the new breakfast menu with our favorite Sewanee Professor this weekend. The omlet was five stars, the buttermilk pancakes were delicious! Big fan of this breakfast initiative!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dennis S.
Just a few draft beer choices, but they cover the bases with a lager, stout and IPA. I particularly liked the little bomb lager from Memphis. It's a smallish bar, and popular with those at the inn, but we never had trouble scoring a couple barstools. Staff was professional and friendly. One tv, which is tough during prime football season. Decent cocktail program, wife thumb's up-ed their dirty martini. After cocktails at the bar, we ordered dinner to go. The restaurant looked pleasant and inviting, but football called our name. Wife got the arugula salad and chicken wings. I got to sample the wings and they were meaty and well flavored, though personally I'd prefer a bit more spice (they do teriyaki only). She was just ok with the salad, thought the dressing a bit too tart. I really liked the cajun penne. It was a nice sized serving with a generous number of really plump perfectly cooked shrimp. Just a couple small pieces of andouille, so not a spicy dish, but still really enjoyable such that I'd order again. We'll certainly be back to the Sewanee Inn, and when we do, we'll be at the Shakerag.
Robert D.
Eh- it's mediocre food and over priced for what it is. Staff energy low and boring atmosphere. Long wait times for food and comes out warm.
Joseph Lurgio
Not the greatest but not terrible. Good drinks & service but the food was just ok. Pics show the bread basket (we ate some before the pic was taken), Flatiron steak, Caesar salad w. Steak, order of fries.
Clara Stephens
Dine in: Yes
Robert Taylor
Food was pretty good. The brussel sprouts were great and the Buffalo burger was fine but nothing special.
Henry Parson
I have been coming here for years, the past two nights have been absolutely delightful. My wife and I come in at least once a month. Over the last year service and food have been ok, but the last two nights have truly blown us away. We met Brent, the new manager, and he was so personable and brought such a genuine passion for this place that made the experience that much better! Thank you all and Brent For the top notch service and experience!
John Thompson
Last week we enjoyed an excellent dinner, chatted with the new manager and left well fed and planning to return soon.
Crystal Hill
Ate there 6/2/22. The $29 Chicken Breast meal with potatoes was the worst entree I’ve ever had anywhere. The chicken had a bad smell and was like eating a piece of rubber. My husband had the $28 ravioli. It was good but not anywhere near the size of portion you would expect for a dinner item. Salad and/or soup is extra and no bread on the table with entree. We both had to come home and eat again after spending $80 plus tip for dinner. We have been long time customers of the Sewanee Inn but this will most likely be our last meal there.
We are guests at this cute hotel. There are two restaurants, this is the fine dining establishment (versus pub style). Very boring menu to start: steak frites (no mention of the cut), some marinara pasta, shrimp and grits, some baked chicken, a few other things w/ some boring appetizers... started w a blackberry mojito and that was undrinkable. The bread service is $4 and it was three rolls, probably from frozen, two of which were pumpernickel- yuck. The Brussels sprouts appetizer was delicious, albeit presented poorly. Fries and sweet potato fries probably from frozen. Marinara pasta good for my kid but NOT worth $28. The steaks were close to $40 a piece and were small. One came medium rare as asked, the other did not, and it was obvious since they pre sliced this small piece for you. And left all juices running all over the plate. We asked for a dry white wine and we're brought Chardonnay. We spent close to $140 and I wish we'd gone to McDonalds for better food. Very cute hotel, I hope they can up their game in this fine dining space with a more interesting menu and a little effort, less stuff from freezer-to-fryer. Service was slow and lacking, but in post-COVID times, I'm just happy someone is working.
Love2EatIndeed
If I were rating this place based on the venue only it would be a 5. Beautiful architecture, warm and inviting. I was not blown away by the dinner. First, the menu is minimal, it’s only one page fir everything except dessert. The wine, beer and liquor have a similar size page. It was unfair that they charge $4 for three dinner rolls, something 99% of the industry provides just for ordering a meal. The pork belly appetizer was good. My entree, the steak frites was disappointing. In fact the best part of the meal were the fries. The steak was cooked medium rare as ordered, but it was flavorless…no seasoning tasted at all.
Ash lander
Understaffed and overworked. Food was much less impressive than I remember from years past; but definitely not bad by any means.
Ashlee B.
Really enjoyed this place! Came to town for a concert at The Caverns and figured our food options would be limited. We were pleased to find this place and even more so because they were able to accommodate a day-of reservation for us. The location is beautiful in the Sewanee Inn on the University of the South campus. The space itself is quite quiet but it livened up a bit by the time we left. The service was incredible--we did not want for anything the whole time we were there. We quite enjoyed all of the food we had, also. We all started with the soup of the day, which was a baked potato soup. I enjoyed it but my fiance said the texture was a bit off to him as it was more of a chowder than a cream soup. He also had an order of chicken wings. I tried one and the buffalo flavor on it was very good. For dinner, I had the steak frites but switched out the regular fries for waffle fries. Loved the mustard aioli served with the fries and I was really impressed that the steak was cooked perfectly medium rare as I had ordered. My fiance had the pork loin, which he enjoyed, and our friend had the shrimp pasta. She said the shrimp itself was pretty flavorless, but enjoyed the pasta. She and my stepdaughter also enjoyed the cookie skillet after dinner. The cocktails we ordered were a bit strange but the glass of wine I had with dinner was delicious. I would definitely recommend coming here if you find yourself in town.
Vince R.
My daughter lives in Chattanooga, and I live south of Nashville so the Monteagle area is a great meeting place. We spotted this place on Yelp and we were not disappointed. The restaurant is located inside the Sewanee Inn on the campus of the University of the South. The scenery is great, so I may return to stay overnight in the Inn and play some golf next door. I arrived first and sat at the bar to wait. They have a great happy hour with $3.50 craft beer pints on tap. The service was great from the start, so when my daughter arrived with her friend, we decided to stay put for dinner - the full menu is available. We had grilled brussel sprouts for an appetizer - enough for 3 or more. I had the Chicken Fried Steak sandwich - my daughter and her friend had the Steak and Frites. We finished by splitting the caramel cookies with ice cream dessert 3 ways. All of us were very satisfied with quality and quantity in every course. I highly recommend this place - only a few minutes off I-24 at the top of the Monteagle Pass about halfway between Nashville and Chattanooga. It is far superior to most of the highway food offerings, so well worth the short detour.
Well, 9 of our Thirsty Thursday crew met up on Friday night at the Shakerag Restaurant in the Sewanee Inn. First off the decor there is worth the trip even if you don't eat there, but we did! Usually it's hard to get seating for 9 folks but we were accommodated as soon as we arrived. The host, servers and manager waisted no time getting everything ready and we were seated.Waiting on one couple we ordered drinks and they were out in a flash. Great selection and very well made! We visited and had a great time and got our orders in when the couple arrived.The menu selection was great and everyone seemed to get something different. Appetizers of Pork Belly, Brussel Sprouts and Sweet Potato Fries were ordered and were excellent. All of the entrees were fantastic and everyone loved their orders. Our server was awesome and the manager came, checked on us and we all gave him a "big" thumbs up!!This is a definite "do again" place whether it's the group, couple or single!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fried Brussels Sprouts, Steak Frites, Truffle Fries, Caesar Salad
We ate the new breakfast menu with our favorite Sewanee Professor this weekend. The omlet was five stars, the buttermilk pancakes were delicious! Big fan of this breakfast initiative!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Just a few draft beer choices, but they cover the bases with a lager, stout and IPA. I particularly liked the little bomb lager from Memphis. It's a smallish bar, and popular with those at the inn, but we never had trouble scoring a couple barstools. Staff was professional and friendly. One tv, which is tough during prime football season. Decent cocktail program, wife thumb's up-ed their dirty martini. After cocktails at the bar, we ordered dinner to go. The restaurant looked pleasant and inviting, but football called our name. Wife got the arugula salad and chicken wings. I got to sample the wings and they were meaty and well flavored, though personally I'd prefer a bit more spice (they do teriyaki only). She was just ok with the salad, thought the dressing a bit too tart. I really liked the cajun penne. It was a nice sized serving with a generous number of really plump perfectly cooked shrimp. Just a couple small pieces of andouille, so not a spicy dish, but still really enjoyable such that I'd order again. We'll certainly be back to the Sewanee Inn, and when we do, we'll be at the Shakerag.
Eh- it's mediocre food and over priced for what it is. Staff energy low and boring atmosphere. Long wait times for food and comes out warm.
Not the greatest but not terrible. Good drinks & service but the food was just ok. Pics show the bread basket (we ate some before the pic was taken), Flatiron steak, Caesar salad w. Steak, order of fries.
Dine in: Yes
Food was pretty good. The brussel sprouts were great and the Buffalo burger was fine but nothing special.
I have been coming here for years, the past two nights have been absolutely delightful. My wife and I come in at least once a month. Over the last year service and food have been ok, but the last two nights have truly blown us away. We met Brent, the new manager, and he was so personable and brought such a genuine passion for this place that made the experience that much better! Thank you all and Brent For the top notch service and experience!
Last week we enjoyed an excellent dinner, chatted with the new manager and left well fed and planning to return soon.
Ate there 6/2/22. The $29 Chicken Breast meal with potatoes was the worst entree I’ve ever had anywhere. The chicken had a bad smell and was like eating a piece of rubber. My husband had the $28 ravioli. It was good but not anywhere near the size of portion you would expect for a dinner item. Salad and/or soup is extra and no bread on the table with entree. We both had to come home and eat again after spending $80 plus tip for dinner. We have been long time customers of the Sewanee Inn but this will most likely be our last meal there.
Restaurantji Recommends
We are guests at this cute hotel. There are two restaurants, this is the fine dining establishment (versus pub style). Very boring menu to start: steak frites (no mention of the cut), some marinara pasta, shrimp and grits, some baked chicken, a few other things w/ some boring appetizers... started w a blackberry mojito and that was undrinkable. The bread service is $4 and it was three rolls, probably from frozen, two of which were pumpernickel- yuck. The Brussels sprouts appetizer was delicious, albeit presented poorly. Fries and sweet potato fries probably from frozen. Marinara pasta good for my kid but NOT worth $28. The steaks were close to $40 a piece and were small. One came medium rare as asked, the other did not, and it was obvious since they pre sliced this small piece for you. And left all juices running all over the plate. We asked for a dry white wine and we're brought Chardonnay. We spent close to $140 and I wish we'd gone to McDonalds for better food. Very cute hotel, I hope they can up their game in this fine dining space with a more interesting menu and a little effort, less stuff from freezer-to-fryer. Service was slow and lacking, but in post-COVID times, I'm just happy someone is working.
If I were rating this place based on the venue only it would be a 5. Beautiful architecture, warm and inviting. I was not blown away by the dinner. First, the menu is minimal, it’s only one page fir everything except dessert. The wine, beer and liquor have a similar size page. It was unfair that they charge $4 for three dinner rolls, something 99% of the industry provides just for ordering a meal. The pork belly appetizer was good. My entree, the steak frites was disappointing. In fact the best part of the meal were the fries. The steak was cooked medium rare as ordered, but it was flavorless…no seasoning tasted at all.
Understaffed and overworked. Food was much less impressive than I remember from years past; but definitely not bad by any means.
Really enjoyed this place! Came to town for a concert at The Caverns and figured our food options would be limited. We were pleased to find this place and even more so because they were able to accommodate a day-of reservation for us. The location is beautiful in the Sewanee Inn on the University of the South campus. The space itself is quite quiet but it livened up a bit by the time we left. The service was incredible--we did not want for anything the whole time we were there. We quite enjoyed all of the food we had, also. We all started with the soup of the day, which was a baked potato soup. I enjoyed it but my fiance said the texture was a bit off to him as it was more of a chowder than a cream soup. He also had an order of chicken wings. I tried one and the buffalo flavor on it was very good. For dinner, I had the steak frites but switched out the regular fries for waffle fries. Loved the mustard aioli served with the fries and I was really impressed that the steak was cooked perfectly medium rare as I had ordered. My fiance had the pork loin, which he enjoyed, and our friend had the shrimp pasta. She said the shrimp itself was pretty flavorless, but enjoyed the pasta. She and my stepdaughter also enjoyed the cookie skillet after dinner. The cocktails we ordered were a bit strange but the glass of wine I had with dinner was delicious. I would definitely recommend coming here if you find yourself in town.
My daughter lives in Chattanooga, and I live south of Nashville so the Monteagle area is a great meeting place. We spotted this place on Yelp and we were not disappointed. The restaurant is located inside the Sewanee Inn on the campus of the University of the South. The scenery is great, so I may return to stay overnight in the Inn and play some golf next door. I arrived first and sat at the bar to wait. They have a great happy hour with $3.50 craft beer pints on tap. The service was great from the start, so when my daughter arrived with her friend, we decided to stay put for dinner - the full menu is available. We had grilled brussel sprouts for an appetizer - enough for 3 or more. I had the Chicken Fried Steak sandwich - my daughter and her friend had the Steak and Frites. We finished by splitting the caramel cookies with ice cream dessert 3 ways. All of us were very satisfied with quality and quantity in every course. I highly recommend this place - only a few minutes off I-24 at the top of the Monteagle Pass about halfway between Nashville and Chattanooga. It is far superior to most of the highway food offerings, so well worth the short detour.