Chesapeake’s

Went to Chesapeake’s for the first time last night after living in the area for 15 years. How we missed this place for so long, being seafood fanatics is a mystery. Maybe an unfair prejudice against downtown?
We were greeted very cheerfully by a hostess though she was getting a rude and loud dressing down by someone on the phone. A waiter saw us there and immediately picked up the host service and got us to our table. Simple teamwork. Very refreshing. We told him it was our first visit and he ran down a list of things he was proud of there. He was clearly glad to be working there. That sort of enthusiasm is infectious. Our waitress appeared and on learning it was our first visit, walked us through the specials and the regular menu and, silly as it sounds, even let us know where the rest rooms were since she’d found it to be a common question.
We ordered a broiled seafood platter and grilled scallops. All the seafood was cooked perfectly. The fish on the platter was seasoned perfectly. The accompanying crab cake could barely hold itself together because it was all crab and very little cake. Awesome! Scallops and shrimp. So often overlooked, were just great. The sides we sampled, steamed cabbage, spinach Maria, and spinach mac and cheese were served hot and all were up to the standard of the excellent entrees.
The continuing service was excellent throughout the meal. We lacked for nothing and felt like we were valued and appreciated.
I feel like a fool for not having «discovered» Chesapeake’s sooner. All those years wasted… But no more. We will be regular guests in the future.

Best seafood in Knoxville. The lobster bisque is to die for. I also really enjoy the fried oysters. Not cheap, but worth it in my opinion.

The only restaurant on new year’s eve that let me make a last minute reservation. The staff were friendly and extremely attentive. Food was solid, not outstanding, but overall tasty experience. Bread basket came with a few different varieties of bread. The décor is really fun :) looked like a good place for groups.

Great atmosphere and delicious food. I am a disabled veteran that is still very apprehensive about taking my service dog in public places. The staff and management were very pleasant and accomidating. I would highly recommend for a date night.

Okay … In my 6+ years I travelled for work, I ate at many places calling themselves a seafood restaurant when in fact they were no better than Red Lobster. This place is the real deal!!! And in Knoxville. A little pricey but you get what you pay for. Impress a first date with this place !!!

My husband I went here while dating (so several years ago). He LOVES seafood! Me, not so much. But, their cheeseburger is great too! So, it was a win/​win for both of us! Definitely authentic seafood restaurant according to him! I would go back again as well! Highly recommend!

Best seafood in Knoxville, period. I could eat about 100 orders of the crab claws.

We had dinner for six and have mixed reviews. First, and most important, the service was terrific.
It was a Friday night and the restaurant was packed. We had a reservation, I suggest making reservations. Cautionary note, if you have hearing loss, like me, avoid busy nights, the noise level can make conversation difficult.
First the terrific: the crab finger appetizer and the fried calamari was as perfect and terrific as it can get.
The roasted chicken and baked potato was great.
The fried seafood platter and baked potato were great.
The wedge salad was perfect.
My daughter had shrimp scampi which she said was ok. She did like the baked apple side.
My wife ordered Shrimp Chesapeake, a featured house specialty. I was sooooo disappointed to find the taste a bit fishy.
Now as for my food, I ordered my all time favorite fish, halibut. It was overcooked and just ok. Here is my beef, no pun intended, if an entrée costs more than $ 30. It should be fantastic.
Another comment:
Also, fried fish is infinitely easier to prepare than broiled or grilled.

I’m giving it a four because I came in with high expectations. Everyone I talked to said this place is the jam. It was good. It was not the jam.
The service was outstanding, the décor is fun, and the food is good. Good, not great. Especially for the price.
We had the snow crab appetizer a half a dozen raw oysters to start and both were delicious.
Our son had the fried fish kid dinner. It was good but for $ 6 it wasn’t worth it.
My wife and I both had entrees that were very average and lacking any wow factor.
We might go back.

This is one of my favorites for birthdays and celebrations! In my family, special occasions mean seafood, and all of Chesapeake’s seafood is so delicious. I LOVE the crab cakes and you really can’t go wrong with any of the platters. If you love seafood, don’t let the prices deter you. It’s fresh and it’s beautifully prepared, and I’ve never found the derive to be lacking.
I think it’s important to patronize local businesses whenever possible, especially those who are deserving of your business, like ANY of the restaurants in the Copper Cellar family.
Chesapeake’s deserves a try!

Was really good seafood and cute ambience with lots of aquariums. We split the seafood platter, which was plenty for 2. Their spicy Mac and cheese with spinach was really good and creamy and had an unexpected kick. Bread was actually amazing, every type. Servers were super nice. It’s pricey, but seafood usually is. I’d come back though.

I love the atmosphere and the food are very good… Our server John-​Michael was superb… Over all it was an awesome experience.

While working in Knoxville I was hitting the downtown restaurants. I was looking for seafood and a co worker suggested Chesapeake.
It’s a little hard to find. It’s like the street its on was converted to a highway on ramp and the front entrance was closed. You have to enter from the back.
The décor is great. It’s broken up into separate areas so it does not feel like a warehouse. There are of course fishing nets and other seaside paraphernalia on the walls. The bar is elevated and well stocked. The music the night I was there was like listening to 1970s AM radio. I loved it.
I had the blackened tuna and Neva potatoes. It was a little expensive but a great piece of fish. Everyone around me seemed to be enjoying their food as well.
The wait staff is top notch. They all look very experienced.
I recommend this place when you need some good seafood.

I grew up in Northern Virginia eating blue crabs and old bay shrimp. When we first came to Knoxville this was one of my favorite restaurants. When my dad came to town I took him here for dinner and apparently quality has gone down on their food. I ordered my usual favorite, a bowl of the crab bisque with a side of old bay to start and Shrimp Chesapeake. The soup arrived, but no side of old bay. By the time the waiter brought it my soup was luke-​warm to cool, not yummy. The crab imperial that came on the Shrimp Chesapeake was over cooked, so it was very dry and the crab meat was chewy instead of tender they way it should have been. A sad let down, and a little embarrassing since I had told my dad it was a good restaurant.

Absolutely GODAWFUL experience!!! One of the worst restaurant experiences I have had in a long time and we didn’t make it to the table… We came in at 7 on a Tuesday night, no reservations which concerned me a little but turns out we didn’t need one by far and we were about to find out why… There were three groups in front of us, all twos. There was no host in sight but we figured that she or they were seating someone… about five minutes later she came back to seat the reservation ahead of us and the other two parties. We are now ten minutes in to waiting at the door easily with less than a half full restaurant.
So then came the awful part, my wife asked the host of she was the only host there tonight and she snapped back with «this is how we do it, we are a fine dining place, not like OCharleys or Applebees»??? I don’t know if her implication was that we weren’t worthy of dining here? Or if she was commenting on our attire (we weren’t in suits or dresses) but she severely hurt my wife’s feelings. We told her that we would go somewhere else and as we were leaving she made a comment to our backs.“Oh how sad…”???
WTF!!! I have never experienced this at Mc Donalds let alone at somewhere where we intended to spend a hundred dollars for two. I called back and spoke to the manager from the parking lot. to his credit Rodney asked us to come back in and that he would take care of us personally. At that point though there was no way that either of us was coming back. This host I believe her name was Alisha? should be nowhere near customers at a restaurant, maybe not around humans period.
Utterly ridiculous and shocking from a «Knoxville institution» SHAMEFUL

Boy, did we have a great experience at Chesapeake’s last night, from our reservation all the way through leaving after a wonderful meal.
Kudos to the manager Ken for taking our reservation as it’s SUPPOSED to be done. He asked if were there for a special occasion (we were, in fact) and told me he would stop by our table. He did. We loved meeting him. The lady who seated us also offered us congratulations, as Ken had obviously noted for the staff.
I also must give my kudos to our fantastic wait staffer Stacy, who took great care of us. Not too much attention, and not too little. Just right!
Our meal was perfect. I had the best drink in the entire world, a Cucumber Rain. My husband loved his ribeye steak, and the fried oysters and fresh tartar sauce were TO DIE FOR. I even ate my slaw, which I normally don’t do. It seemed to have a drop of sesame in it. Whatever was in it, it was very fresh and tasty. Of course the Spinach Maria and my husband’s veggies were on point, too. The key lime pie for dessert was wonderful, as expected. We even had a great conversation with one of the kitchen staff on the way out.
Everything was simply fantastic, and I can’t wait to go back. This is the way dining SHOULD BE! Thank you, Ken, Stacy and all others who gave their for us last night.

The service is friendly and the food is good. Where else can you find seafood in Knoxville? This is your place. They offer a wide variety of seafood and preparation in several ways.
It took a bit for our food to come out as the kitchen staff was working hard to get orders out. Yes that is fine with me, but I would also like my fish to be just as hot as my sides too please. It was busy for a fish fry Friday and restaurant week (even with our reservations), we still had to wait. You get bread on the table similar to what you would get at Calhoun’s.
For my appetizer, I had the half dozen oysters. Good but grainy. Grainy from the poor shucking skills. I forgive because I then realized that I don’t really like raw oysters after that moment. I opt for the grilled salmon with spicy mac and cheese. Which were not spicy whatsoever. I also had the steamed spinach which were a nice break away from the starchy carbs. Flavor was on point. Nothing overly well seasoned nor overcooked.
Overall, would I come back? It wouldn’t be my first choice but yes, I’d give it another try.

One of the only three restaurants that offer fresh fish in Knoxville. One of my favorite places to go when its not on my dime ha. The most delicious crab cakes you’ll gave along with the spicy mac and cheese with spinach! Great sides and specials especially with the fresh fish of the day. located downtown without the hassle of the square or Gay st.

Alright, my husband and I were in Knoxville for a concert and decide on seafood. However, the thought of a grease filled platter of mostly frozen items, essentially cooked to order did not sound appetizing. Did a little Unilocaling and found this gem.
The atmosphere was pleasant, you have a full bar, outside seating, as well as in of course. The service we received was excellent, great attention without going over the top. Sometimes a waitress or waiter is overbearing throughout an entire meal, but not here!
I had the broiled platter and an amazing wedge salad, which was way too much! I wanted the fried platter but was opting to be a little more healthy. Surprisingly, the baked/​broiled platter did come and ended up being a little crispy which was so refreshing and made me feel like I got a little of the healthy boiled world, as well as a little of the fried world. My husband had the crab legs, which were the best he’s ever had and GIANT. They were even served with his own warmer to keep his butter warm. Fabulous!
Whoever said this is a pricier Red Lobster, I definitely do not agree. Pricier, yes, but you get what you pay for and our meal and good time was worth it. Cheers fellow helpers and happy dining!

My parent’s 40^th wedding anniversary fell on a Sunday, so my sister and I wanted to take them to brunch. They picked Chesapeake’s, so I called and made a reservation and noted it was their 40^th wedding anniversary.
We were on time for our reservation and promptly seated, where I noticed that the «Daily Menu Specials» print out had «Happy 40^th Anniversary!» written at the top. That was so thoughtful and classy — way to go Chesapeake’s!
Mom had a $ 3 screwdriver, I had a $ 5 mimosa, and hubby patroned the bloody mary bar, which was expansive and had everything under the sun that you could want in your blood mary. So. Many. Pickled. Things. YUM.
It was about then that the live jazz kicked in, to really set a perfect, chill atmosphere for my parent’s anniversary. Our waitress was also refined and poised, a tremendous contrast from our waitress the night before. She was thoughtful, quick with refills on bread and drinks, and pointed out so many off-​menu options she thought we might like.
We quickly ordered crab stuffed mushrooms as our appetizer. They were absolutely delicious, and honestly, quite large! We also enjoyed the sweet fresh warm croissants in the bread basket.
As a lover of redfish, I couldn’t bypass the fresh redfish special on the menu. I ordered it with grits instead of rice (omg, fish and grits is the best combo) and a side of spinach. The fish was cooked to blackened perfection — still moist and juicy, but yummy spicy. They still brought me the rice, but also brought me the grits, which had perfect texture and balanced well with the fish. The spinach was the same as I had the night before at Copper Cellar, but was good and less cheesy. I liked it with the fish and grits.
My mom got the fried fish platter, but our awesome waitress informed her it could be broiled instead, so she had it that way and absolutely loved it. Again, our waitress really took great care of us and anticipated our needs before we even had them!
We also got a comped dessert for the anniversary — their amazing strawberry shortcake! The shortcake was like a perfect crunchy buttery biscuit and the strawberries and Chantilly cream were fresh and delicate in comparison. A terrific dessert, even though the «small» was absolutely massive.
I would highly recommend Chesapeake’s for brunch. The live music, the bloody mary bar, the excellent service, and the wide variety of menu options (breakfast and lunch, seafood and not, fried or grilled, etc) means that everyone can find something they will enjoy. Absolute A+ — can’t wait to return!