Butcher Shop Steakhouse

I had the worse experience last night in this place....since we got to the restaurant to the end.The service was horrible, the food was so so, I probably will get better service in fast food place, the bartender did not know any of the the drinks that we asked for and they were out of desserts for the night...I was there at 7pm. I will never go back there!!!

I went to the Butcher Shop in Sept '09 with my wife and an out-of-town guest. This was the first visit for all of us and we were looking forward to the meal. They have a private parking lot, which is a huge plus since the restaurant is in downtown Knoxville. Upon arrival, we were seated immediately and the server took our drink order quickly. The service was great for the rest of the visit.

I ordered the New York Strip cooked medium rare. When the food arrived, the steak appeared over-cooked and dry. I cut into it and found the looks were accurate. Even with their special seasoning they tout in the menu, this was one of the least flavorful pieces of meat I have ever had. I virtually never add any salt or pepper to meat when I eat out, but I sure did on this one. I also considered asking for steak sauce, something I NEVER do. Just to add some juice to the meat, I took some butter and put on it. In addition to being dry and bland, it also had a lot of gristle on it. Overall, chewing on any portion of that steak was like chewing on shoe leather. I ALWAYS finish my steak, but I took about 1/3 of this 12 ounce monstrosity home for the dogs. The bread they bring with the meal was nothing more than a piece of Texas toast with butter tossed on the grill until it is burnt and dry. The baked potato and salad were good, the salad being the highlight of the meal. For those who are saying, "why didn't you send it back?" I reply with the reason that I didn't want to delay the others in their meal and I was hungry so I figured I could tolerate it.

The atmosphere is OK, but more like the Golden Corral with all the tables out in a large open area with little or no intimate seating. They also had the lighting dimmed to the point where it was actually difficult to see the food. It got fairly noisy as well, which didn't bother me, but it is something that some may want to know about.

Overall, I was not happy with the meal, especially considering the prices they charge. I have had much better steak at chain restaurants or even the Waffle House. My wife was also not impressed at all, and our guest didn't seem to thrilled either. We do not plan to return unless something dramatically changes with their food quality. I don't mind paying a little more for a meal, but the food better be worth it, and this certainly wasn't.

Pros: Service was good and prompt

Cons: Food was not impressive and over-priced

Is it possible to give less than one star?

My family went to The Butcher Shop last night for our father's 60th birthday. We were expecting something special, like The Chop House or Shula's. The Butcher Shop's website led us to believe this is the kind of experience we'd get... false advertising doesn't even cover it. We arrived for our early evening reservation on time and were seated promptly... at a table right next to the grills that was noticeably slanted enough to make things slide from one side to the other. When we mentioned it to our bumbling server she didn't offer to seat up elsewhere in the nearly empty restaurant (which remained so for the entirety of our meal, by the way), she went to get matchbooks to shove under the table legs. Not only was this absurd, it didn't help at all. She took our drink order, but became confused and brought the wrong number and type of drinks. To her sole credit, our meal order went normally. I previously mentioned the proximity of our table to the grills, which would have been fine if while waiting for our salads we hadn't been swamped in smoke. I'm not sure if the ventilation fans weren't working properly or what the difficulty was but several of my family members were tearing up from the smoke and I had to use my rescue asthma inhaler. None of the staff seemed phased by this so perhaps it happens all the time. However, if that is the case I think it would be considerate of someone to mention we were in the 'smoking section' as it were.
As for the food: it is entirely overpriced for the amount of fat on the steaks. No one should have to pay for a 30oz steak when only half of it is edible. I realize that The Butcher Shop is primarily a steakhouse, but the chicken breast was laughably emaciated. I'd expect that from Denny's but not from (what we thought was) a high-end steakhouse. The bright spot was the 12oz New York Strip, which while slightly fatty, was at least flavorful and juicy. After finishing our food we asked for a box to take the leftover meat home to our dogs since no human was interested in it. After ten minutes the aforementioned bumbler walked past the table and told us she'd have the box to us shortly. After another ten we reminded her as she passed again that we were still waiting for the box and the check. We handed her our credit card before she could even set down the mints; we were more than ready to leave. As soon as we exited we offered our apologies to my father for selecting so poorly. We really wanted to go somewhere special, to make a great memory and celebrate our father's life. If we'd known The Butcher Shop was an everyday, after work, throw on your flip-flops, sort of establishment we'd never have gone. As it is, we're never going back.

Pros: No one got sick?

Cons: Almost everything else.

My fiancee and I had dinner here and both of us ordered steak. I have been to many of the steak houses around Knoxville and I would have to say this was one of the best places to get a steak for the price. Both the steaks were perfectly cooked and the twice baked potato was excellent also. I usually eat steak sauce on any steak that I get (just personal preference), but I tried this steak both ways and ended up eating it without the sauce.
Another thing that we liked about the restaurant was that we were seated immediately and the wait staff did a great job.
This is a steak house that you have to go looking for, you will not just be driving down the road and find it, unless you are lost.
We are planning on having our reception in their back room.

Pros: Great Steaks and service

Cons: You almost need to have a gps to find the place

I have eaten at the Butcher Shop a number of times and have never had a bad meal. I'm sure you might happen to catch a restaurant on a bad day and get poor service, or even a tough piece of meat but the people who run this place always are asking if everything is ok and they seem eager to please you when you are dining there. As for waiting for everyone to recieve their meal before anyone else eats when there's a snafoo and the management is fixing it for you, is just foolish and you should have had a cold meal. That's not the restaurant's fault. I used to manage a restaurant so I appreciate how much trouble it is to try to please everyone, and I must say these folks do an outstanding job. I recommend it to people who are looking for a good steak. I'm hoping to be able to dine there soon again.

Also it's been my experience that people are much more apt to write a bad review moved by what they feel was a bad experience rather than praise someone for giving the service you usually expect when you go to a restaurant. In any case the best way to judge who's right is to eat there and see for yourself.

Pros: They don't try to be everything to everybody. They serve good steak.

Cons: restaurant is a little off the beaten path.

I was looking forward to visiting this restaurant as I have lived in Knoxville for 6 years and never eaten here. My old college roommate used to work here! I am from Memphis and have visited both locations in my hometown several times. The service was fine except for one minor mistake. Our server switched my entree with my fiance's. While we waited on his entree to arrive (which was actually mine) everyone else's steak turned cold (we don't eat until everyone has been served their entree). Besides being cold, the steak was very bland in favor and tough and it's the first time I wished for steak sauce at a steakhouse! The manager seemed very uninterested in our concerns and even commented that he agreed the sirloin was tough! We then waited for our checks for 15 minutes, finally retreating to the patio to watch the 4th of July fireworks at the Worlds Fair Park. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed with my first visit and will probably not return. I can't say that I will recommend this restaurant to anyone.

The atmosphere is a lot of fun at the Butcher Shop. I like the option of being able to cook my own steak or to have it cooked for me. I think the strip steak is delicious and have a hard time ordering anything else each time we go. I have tried the chicken and fish though and both were delicious. The staff is friendly and the food is good. I'd definitley recommend checking it out.

Pros: excellent food

Cons: only open for dinner

I think the food here is excellent. I love that we have the option to cook our own steaks or let one of the cooks do it for us. It's nice that you can view all the cuts of meat and pick the exact one you want. I absolutely love the strip steak, it's always excellent. The chicken never disappoints either. The environment supports a night out with friends or dinner with your spouse/family. Our kids love to hang out by the grill and watch what is going on and help cook garlic bread. I'd definitely recommend the Butcher Shop if you are looking for a fun atmosphere and great food.

Pros: fun atmosphere, great steaks

Cons: a little tricky to find

My husband treated me to dinner on my birthday 9/30/2006 and we chose the Butcher Shop (based on wonderful food and atmosphere experienced at the restaurants by the same name in Memphis and Nashville). We are new to Knoxville. The steaks (sirloin strips) were tough, grisly, and without flavor. The baked potato was cold and the only things we really enjoyed were the toasted garlic bread and the salad, which was just average. I had looked forward to this for a week and was greatly disappointed. I was also less than thrilled with the atmosphere which was noisy and open, opposed to the more intimate (but noisy) Memphis and Nashville restaurants. DO NOT waste your time or money. I can fix my own steak for the cost of one of these poorly cut and cooked steaks.

Pros: seated immediately

Cons: tough, grisly, flavorless steaks

The Butcher Shop has been around for a long time and is truly one of Knoxville's hidden gems. You can choose your own collosal steak and either grill it yourself of have the chef cook it for you. We love going to the Butcher Shop with friends and for celebrations because it's unique, fun and delicious. Very Highly Recommend.

Pros: Excellent Steaks, convenient parking and great service

Cons: Hard to find