The Stolen Coin Oyster Bar & Bistro

We stopped at this place for a late lunch on 04/06/2023 while in town visiting family. We were not disappointed! The place is a quaint little dinner room with a bar upstairs which was not open at the time, but was said to open a few moments after we were seated.
We were told that they had huge Po’ boys by a patron with whom we spoke to outside. Upon entering, we were immediately greeted and seated. The only thing better than the service was the food! I had the oyster Po’ boy and Buttercup had a delicious burger. The Po’ boy was huge and full of delicious oysters!!! The burger was quite tasty, as were their fries. Buttercup had the banana pudding which was tasty, but seemed to have a few slices of banana that had sat around a little too long. For me, not a big deal, but Buttercup tends to have a more sensitive palate. All in all, we can’t complain. I’m going back just for the Po’ boy!!!

My wife and I heard about this place from family and decided to try it for a date night. It was an awesome experience! Our server Maggie was spectacular and really passionate when explaining items on the menu and giving recommendations. The food was phenomenal. The shrimp and andouille sausage dip was one of the best appetizers we have had at a restaurant. The fish and chips and red snapper were also top notch. Definitely worth the drive and look forward to visiting again!

Don’t normally leave reviews but WOW… some of the best catfish my dad and I have ever had. We don’t eat here enough but Gainesboro is truly lucky to have this place around! Some of the kindest staff and coolest environment you will find at an upper division restaurant like this. Great value for the price and HUGE quantities! As citizens of this county we will for sure have to come back more!

Nice little restaurant on the Gainesboro Square with outdoor seating on fair weather days.
The service was great and always friendly.
Our party ordered a variety of dishes and everything was delicious.
We held a table for quite a while, but never felt rushed (we took care of the wait staff).
The atmosphere is elegant funk with a touch of antique bliss.

This place is absolutely amazing! The food was incredible - everyone was satisfied. The seafood is flown in fresh and the oysters were great. Cassie, the owner, is so sweet and goes above and beyond. I highly recommend this restaurant for lunch or dinner. There is also a speakeasy upstairs!

This place is amazing! From the moment we walk in the door to the moment we leave, The service is exceptional, you never even have to ask for anything they are already bringing it to you OR they are offering. The atmosphere is fun and child friendly downstairs. The food…Wow. The cooks are absolutely extremely talented. The thought and science that goes into each plate is incredible. I feel the price is extremely fair, portions are large. My husband and I make special trips from Knoxville for this restaurant. The stolen coin runs circles around any Knoxville restaurant that I have ever been to. It is obvious to me that they take extreme pride in what they create and love what they do. This place a hidden gem.

A wonderful dining experience from start to finish. I personally had a small portion of Gumbo with shrimp, and it was an exceptional flavor journey through savory and heat.

The cocktail menu had a wonderful assortment of drinks that spoke to its southern locale. Lastly, the desserts are an absolute delight.

Special shoutout to the wonderful and attentive staff. Real stars of the show ❤

This spot is a must check out whenever you're passing near, but be sure to consider calling ahead for a reservation, as seating is limited and it's clearly a well-loved local treasure.

(Additional Side Note: I was out of state visiting my family who lives in the area, and they recommended it highly to me. I'm transgender, and I had my husband with me (along with my older parents and young nephew). I wish we lived in a world where it didn't need to be said, but it's relevant for some of us to know that I felt safe, respected, and treated extremely kindly for the entire duration of our dinner. There is a single stall restroom as well, and I'll leave it at that.)

I'd been wanting to try The Stolen Coin for a while. I'm not a fan of oysters, but I do love trying new restaurants, so I had an opportunity this past weekend. I called and made reservations, and I would definitely suggest that, because it's a small dining room, and almost everyone coming in after us had to have reservations or they didn't get seated. The host was super friendly, not only to us but to everyone who came in and went out. We ordered a pound of cold marinated peel-and-eat shrimp for an appetizer. They were good, but almost to the point of being overcooked. For our entrées, I ordered the Southern Apple & Pecan Salad. It was good. My mom ordered the Fried Catfish Dinner. The catfish was delicious, but the coleslaw needed a lot of work. Overall, we had a good experience!

Definitely a hidden gem!! We went for lunch today after a hike and was blown away by the customer service and food!! My husband had the all you can eat fried shrimp, after the initial serving he couldn't ask for more. I tried it and it was the best fried shrimp I have ever had, we have lived in florida, so I've tried a lot. The shrimp were huge and perfectly breaded and cooked! Will definitely go back. We are so lucky to have a restaurant so close to us :)

The food was amazing!!! The service was undeniably the best. I can't wait to visit again.

I had a late lunch of fish and chips - outstanding! Everything was prepared perfectly and my server was courteous and attentive. Will be going back on my next trip to Gainesboro. Well worth the scenic drive.

Everything I've ever had here was absolutely spectacular. The chef Pete is a wizard or something, I mean this dude can cook! I've been to ALOT of high quality, expensive, really nice places across the country that don't even come close to The Stolen Coin! What a great job you guys are doing...keep it up, I can't get enough. Give em a try I garendamntee you WILL NOT be disappointed

Great service awesome food! If you’re thinking about going just stop and go. This place is a gem. Fresh food deliciously prepared. you can tell they care about what they’re doing here. We had the short ribs and a special which was snapper. The pork belly and oyster were spot on

We went on a Friday evening and didn't realize we needed a reservation. It is a good idea to get a reservation. They did get an open table and we didn't have to wait too long. The food was fantastic and we all enjoyed the evening very much. We were sitting at the first table on the left as you go in and when the door was open we would get a cold breeze. Nothing to do about that. They had added a new item to the menu (Shrimp Tacos) and I got those. There were three but a very large portion of shrimp. The sauce on the shrimp was a firecracker sauce and it was really good. You can get any sauce offered on the wings or none at all. They also have Sweet Potato fries and they were really good as well We also got Fried Green Tomatoes for an appetizer and they were great. It is not cheap but no more than going to any other good restaurant. We are looking forward to going back and trying something else out on the menu. Everyone there was super friendly and helpful. A must try it f you enjoy good food....

This hidden gem was a complete suprise. We visited because of a local recommendation. We love seafood and wanted something besides a burger and fried fish. I ordered the grilled blackened salmon. It was perfectly cooked and seasoned. I love salmon and usually try it when we go to a new place to eat. This was by far the best salmon I have ever had in TN. My husband who always tried but never liked salmon, really liked it also. He ordered the grilled blackened red snapper with fries and slaw. The red snapper was light and cooked perfectly. Tasted awesome. The slaw was a favorite to us both. Fresh and crunchy and seasoned with lots of flavor. We will be back soon.

UPDATED

First and foremost I just want to acknowledge the kind manager that reached out to me! They went above and beyond to ensure me that I will never have an experience like the one below again. They told me to see them personally the next time I visited and even offered me a gift card for my trouble. It is rare these days that businesses truly care for their customers. You can tell these people have a heart for people. So I greatly appreciate that.
For that I am giving the BUSINESS 5 stars and the server 0...

Here is what happened

I just want to preface this by saying the FOOD is absolutely AMAZING! I ordered the riblets with fries and slaw. The riblets were tender and full of flavor and the BBQ sauce was very tasty! The slaw has a unique flavor but it is absolutely delicious unlike anything I've had before. Fries were good seasoned nicely and crisp.

Now, moving on. The low rating is because we had the RUDEST server I have EVER had in my life. It took EVERYTHING inside my body not to retaliate to her attitude towards me. Every question was answered with a smart aleck response. She dropped our food off and didn't come back until the end of our meal practically. I had wanted ranch for my fries but by the time she came back my fries were gone.

The last time we came food was amazing and Parker was super friendly. If you ever visit, ask for him. We always have a great experience with him!

She absolutely ruined our dinner with her rude attitude and dirty looks.

06/06/22

My friend and I visited again. The food once again was absolutely delicious. I got the honey brined chicken with spinach and fries. The chicken was tender and delicious! The spinach was full of flavor. The fries are always crisp and delicious with their ranch. It almost tastes like tzaziki. Yummy!

For dessert I had the key lime ice cream. It was some of the best ice cream I've EVER had.

Our server was Parker per usual service was phenomenal! We bragged about him to the kitchen manager who was also just lovely. Great visit!

Must try!!!! Absolutely positively amazing food and service!!! Oysters were as fresh as you can find in Tennessee!!! Grilled oysters were as good if not better than Drago’s in New Orleans and I’m a tough critic on seafood. Bravo Stolen Coin!!! And the Blackened Red Snapper was divine. Not to much blackened spice, just right with the balance of the cream & shrimp sauce over rice!! Also the scallops were cooked to perfection!!

My husband took me here for our anniversary. If I could leave 20 stars, I would! The food was phenomenal and the service was great. Staff were all friendly and our server was so sweet. Absolutely our favorite spot now!

The food was amazing and the staff was lovely! My brie stuffed french toast with fresh apple pie topping, bacon and home fries were delicious! I will definitely back for more!

I wish I could rate ten stars. Never had a bad experience here. I make a trip every vacation. They have the PERFECT old fashioned, oysters are amazing and the red snapper is a must.