Tierney's Cavern

We stayed at the lodge. The food was hot and good but took over an hour to get. Was told summer staff just left that day and kitchen short handed. It was over an hour and no food yet host offered everyone free salad bar while we all waited. Came back next morning for breakfast buffet and was great.

Let me start off by saying it's been close to 30 years since I've been to Carter Caves State Park to begin with. Today I was there for a work event, so when it ended I naturally started thinking of someplace to eat. Tierney's Cavern was the first place that popped up, and was conveniently right beside of the conference room we were in! After speaking with some colleagues that were more familiar with it, I decided to give it a try. When I first walked in, I quickly looked everything over, trying to determine if it was a "seat yourself" sort of place or not. Even though it was, my wonderful waitress (please forgive me, I forgot your name!) assisted me in finding a place to sit. The restaurant is very clean and has amazing views of the beautiful forest which we are nestled in. She quickly brought me silverware and a menu and took my drink order while I perused the menu. She was quick, attentive, and personable, which definitely helped me feel more at ease, after all, it's my first dining experience here! She checked on me several times throughout my meal, but didn't make a nuisance of herself, and seemed to genuinely care about her customers. I ordered the Reuben sandwich and fries for lunch. She asked if I wanted ketchup or something else for my fries and I requested ranch dressing instead. I had a very minimal wait time from when I ordered until my food was delivered. This is where this restaurant REALLY shines! That Reuben was absolutely fantastic! The rye bread was marbled nicely and grilled to perfection. The sauerkraut was mild, not overpowering like I've seen on some sandwiches, and how can you possibly go wrong with Swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing! That sandwich definitely ranks in my top three I've had! Now the fries.....I'm not sure if they had been double fried, but they were a crispy, crunchy, golden potato masterpiece! Every single one of them.....not a soggy, oily fry to be found anywhere! I am also extremely thankful I requested the ranch dressing.....I knew with the first bite I took of it that the dressing was homemade! In all honesty, I could have probably eaten three or four cups of that ranch, but I was good and only had the one! This whole dining experience was wonderful and I left feeling satisfied, full, and extremely happy with every portion of it. I have another meeting planned later this month at the resort and I have EVERY intention of eating here again!! A++++ rating from me!!

Cozy and relaxing is the best way to describe the vibe. Food is pretty on point. Price is reasonable. Service is hit and miss sometimes, but all in all great experience with tons to do close by. Highly recommend.

Hubby and I went to Tierneys Cavern restaurant on a Thursday evening. We were seated promptly and had attentive service. Hubby and I started with the fried tomatoes which were perfect in their texture and taste. Hubby ordered the Kentucky Hot Brown which was good except for super salty ham that he ended up not finishing. I had the bacon cheeseburger which reminded me of a burger at Steak and Shake. Hubby and I joked that they should do a special 3 part Kentucky Full Dinner with the fried tomatoes, hot brown, and the Kentucky mud pie for dessert. All in all, hubby and I didn't go back the second night. However, we would go again.

I was nervous because of the lack of recent reviews. But we were staying at the lodge and didn't want to venture out after dinner. We were hesitant upon walking in since it was quiet and unimpressive in decor. However, our waitress was so kind and helpful and the food was actually phenomenal. We were pretty shocked. I had the fish tacos and they were actually SO good we almost went back the 2nd night. Way more than enough food for one, too. My husband had the beef steak and that was delicious, as well. Simple but good. We both ended up splitting our dishes and continued to rave about how yummy our dinner was. Make sure you go once if you're making the trip!

I got a grilled chicken salad to go. The salad looked ok, but the grilled chicken was over cooked and tough. Then as I started to take a bite of lettuce, I noticed a piece of what was either plastic wrap or the tip of a plastic glove. I am sure that this is just a fluke, but it didn't make me happy. This restaurant seems to have the standard Aramark food stuffs. Nothing is special or spicy. Hopefully the restaurant service is better if you go inside.

This is our second meal here, this time breakfast. I had a very-well prepared omelet with nice fried potatoes (perhaps a touch too salty). My wife had a traditional egg, sausage, and potato breakfast. Everything including the coffee and service were pleasant. We didn't much care for the biscuits, but otherwise we were satisfied with the meal.Last evening we had a country ham dinner and a Caveland burger, respectively. I'd say dinner was a bit worse than breakfast, main complaint being various parts of the meal were too salty, and the service wasn't great. To be fair, the place was totally empty, so I can see how the rhythm of taking care of customers would be disrupted.

This restaurant is similar to all of the other restaurants located in most Kentucky State Park lodges. They all have the same menu and during peak seasons they have breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets. This one is located at the Carter Cave state park lodge. My first experience was at breakfast, when I ordered the breakfast burrito. It was just ok. The potatoes that came on the side were tasty, and even though they were less than warm, I tore them up. My husband had the breakfast buffet. Despite the temperature of a few items being a bit cold, he liked it. They were out of eggs on the buffet and my husband mentioned it to someone, but they never did put anymore up.My second visit was for the lunch buffet. We got there at 11, but they didn't open back up until 11:30. We went back upstairs and waited the 30 minutes. The salad options were plentiful and the soup options were baked potato soup and pinto beans. Carved ham, fried chicken, catfish and cheesy mac casserole were some of the items on the buffet. Overall it's a good option if you're staying at the lodge or camping nearby. I wouldn't go too far out of the way to get here though.

We spent 4 days with family, camping and hiking at Carter Caves. The highlight of our stay was dining at Tierney's Restaurant at the lodge. The food was spectacular, the staff were superlative and our hostess was especially attentive, kind and accommodating for our large group. Without a doubt, the best Kentucky state park restaurant.Thank you, we'll be back often.

Food was excellent. The salads are amazing and sides were good too! Fresh and quality dishes at decent prices! Clean dining room. Very nice waitress! Service at front desk was great too.