Caney Fork - River Valley Grille

Best Place For Southern Food Opryland Area. It has been a while since a new review has been written on Caney Fork here. I recently wrote a review of Trip Advisor which was a very comprehensive review. My wife and I are locals and eat and drink here quite often. New management, new attitude, new menu, a lot to offer locals and visitors alike. Great food, quality service and hospitality. There was a time when Caney Fork had their problems, but new management change, menu changes and kitchen changes, new servers, new bartenders, and more. Great place for very good food, priced right, fresh, great service, and a whole different attitude. You should try this place again...…

Fabulous is not the word for this place! "Sub-Par"‎. Whatever you do, please do not go there! It is the worst place for southern food. I had the rib eye and it was like cardboard! I asked for mid rare, it came done! My roommate had the shrimp and grits. How can you mess that up. You can by using salad shrimp! Not big or jumbo but salad shrimps! The best part of the meal was the H20! My friends would call me a foodie and trust this was not food. My dog would not even eat this type of tripe! Nasty with a capital N! Go to Cracker Barrel next door! Not happy in Nashville!…

Couldn't ask for better!!!!!!!! FABULOUS!. I live for seafood and all kinds of it - local and exotic. We had been to a convention at Opryland Hotel Convention Ctr and in that general area, you have every kind of restaurant and chain to choose from you can imagine. We decided upon and went to Caney Fork just to see what it was like because it wasn't your typical run of the mill nationwide chain. For starters, the complimentary corn fritters they serve were so good. We had gotten caught in the rain just prior to going in there and the fritters were nice and warm and just what we needed to get started. Upon ordering entrees, I had the Oscar Salmon and it was absolutely to die for! A nice sized portion of salmon topped with hollandaise sauce that was just right and so creamy and then topped with lump crab that was very sweet and tasty. The asparagus spears on it just made the entee. They even went so far as to ask how we wanted the salmon prepared from raw to well done. The meal was absolutely excellent - no wait - fantastic service and a very personable waitress. My husband had the sirloin steak - said it was a little bland but extremely tender and he enjoyed it. One of our friends ordered the catfish - said it was the best catfish (paticulaly the breading they used and mind you the filets were huge & plentiful) he had run into in a very long time. The other friend ordered the Oscar Salmon just like I did and she loved it as well. The atmosphere was nice and family-like and very comfy. Wish there was one near me, I'd be a frequent visitor. Anytime I'm in Nashville Caney Fork will be a must for us. FABULOUS!…

Once, twice, never a third time. In general when I try a new place I like to give it a second chance just in case what I ordered wasn't their best or giving them the benefit of the doubt; in this case that was a mistake. The fried pickles are great but not worth the rest of the experience.

On lunch my party waited 10 minutes for the server to take a drink order; although she did have 3 whole tables within 10 feet to deal with and chatting in the corner with other servers does take some time.

Once we finally got drinks she said she'd be back to take our orders, overlooking our reply that yes we were ready to order.

She finally brought these "famous" corn fritters which I have to say are great, however regardless of your long wait and server inattention they bring you 5 for 4 guests and offer to charge you for more; very unlike any bread course I've experienced before.

If you want to go please avoid the fish and chips. Mediocre, runny... something between the soggy batter and darkened "cod", and very little flavour for something that arrives nearly cold. Not to mention the take away I was given in the form of being sick for the rest of the day and the extra that cost nothing of spending most of that time in the bathroom.

Did I mention never getting a refill on my drink? I'd have sent the food back if I'd not been on lunch and had time to wait for a replacement.

In short, if you want mediocre food, poor service, and a country cabin atmosphere then this is the place for you. Just be prepared for a long wait, inattentive service, staring across the room while waiting for a drink refill that never arrives, and being asked to pay for that little something that may have made the inattention a little less biting.

For the management, keep track of your wandering servers. I understand that we all need breaks now and again but spending half my visit chatting with other coworkers standing around while guests wait for not so freshly cooked food... Not the way to earn my business.…