I've been to Boathouse / Bubba's twice now on different visits to Norris Lake. The place is a typical no-nonsense, unpretentious lakeside restaurant, with most of the dining space and bars located under a large covered outdoor space that is floating on the lake. While they're mostly known for drinks and food, they occasionally host live music. And then there's the name confusion: Bubba's Brews is now known as Boathouse at 33, but I feel like the Bubba's name is going to stick around a while for locals... as "Boathouse at 33" doesn't roll off the tongue quite the same way. Now let's get to the food severed at Bubba's, which is more like pub or bar food--wings, nachos, tacos, etc. I recommend the wings, fried catfish tacos, and nachos. All of these are great. On the weekends, Bubba's serves pit-smoked meats like brisket and grilled wings (these are different than the fried wing which are on their menu every day). The day I tried the brisket, it was just okay (it just needed to be smoked a bit more so it would be more tender). But I know briskets can be hard to perfect, so maybe it was just an off day. I am, however, eager to try the smoked wings, but it seems I keep visiting on the days they don't have them. As for the staff at Bubba's, they are all fantastic! Everyone is attentive and super nice! Final thoughts: If you're heading over to Norris Lake for a vacation (or if you live nearby), be sure to check this place out! read more

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Catfish is always on point & Karaoke Night is a fam favorite! Best place to eat on the water at Norris Lake 100% - Perfect spot to pull the boat in & get for some grub! Service can be touch & go because it's definitely a summer job for a lot of those kids and the place can get pretty packed (rightfully so!) but we've had many more good experiences than bad ones. read more

Great food and outstanding staff!!!!! I live in PA and have a place on the lake. From the first time i walked in there, i felt like i was in a home town bar/restaurant! Made quick friends with the staff and it remains from year to year! Love the place. read more

Great destination spot for boating on the lake. Plenty of seating and good atmosphere for hanging out and having a meal by the water. There are tvs so it's a good place for catching sports while out on the lake. Our server Britney was great and we had wonderful service. That seemed to be a big issue in the reviews, but we had really good service and it was full. We will be back for another giant cocktail. read more

Bubba Brew's - 1/2 brisket with Mac and cheese and beans - Sports Bars Near Me - Maynardville, Tennessee

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Staff was super friendly! Food was out fast and absolutely delicious, and the live band was a plus!

Great menu and they accommodate changes due to preference. I ordered the pulled pork and wanted two slices of brisket. They did it for like $4.50. AWESOME! Their drinks are fun and I highly recommend a visit! read more

0 If I could... Honestly it's a nice area with cornhole and okay food, the employees are the problem!

Our team of 8 visited the marina pub for a late lunch. The outdoor smoker was the perfect bait to lure us in but we were extremely disappointed from there. After being seated, we waited 20+ minutes before we were even visited by a waitress or offered water on a 90 degree afternoon. Our young waitress was less than impressive. With everything that wasn't right, she never really tried to make it better. The beers were warm. The two bowls of queso that came with our pretzels tasted drastically different. The 4 brisket sandwiches were dry, filled with gristle and fat, and little/no smoky flavor. The fries were cold. We didn't receive our entire order of tacos. I wish they cared as much about their food and service as they do about leaving the restaurant with a drink. I expected a lot better with $240 bill for 8 new customers that boated 45 minutes each way to try this restaurant for the first time. After reading other reviews here, it appears the management ignores YELP. I wish I had read about this place before we went read more

Terrible service. We waited for 40 minutes before being acknowledged and assigned a waiter (although we had been seated by a hostess). They were out of multiple items but were not aware and did not let us know until after we had ordered. Our waiter did his best but could not make up for the shortcomings of the restaurant as a whole. When we finally got our food it was unimpressive. This is a cool spot with a lot of potential however they did not live up to expectations. read more

We had an excellent experience. It was a mellow week night. The staff was friendly. The vibe was cool! The lake was great! Ordered some wings, the Philly cheesesteak, and the tenders. All was great! Thanks Bubbas! We're gonna try you with a side of Live music on Friday.... Cheers! read more

Bubba Brew's - Paradise - Sports Bars Near Me - Maynardville, Tennessee

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Our friends got us to go to Bubba's for the first time. The location is beautiful and fun. The service was awesome. The bathrooms were super clean. Unfortunately the food was very average. We'll for sure go back to drinks. read more

Bubba Brew's - the entrance to the restaurant - Sports Bars Near Me - Maynardville, Tennessee

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Well, the bottled beers were good. Had a bucket of Modelo. Can't really mess that up. At least they were cold. Order pulled pork nachos. Absolutely foul. There was so much grease and jalapeño juice at the bottom, it made us sick just looking at it. Clearly they don't care about what comes out of their kitchen. We obviously sent it back and won't be trying anything else. I gave 2 stars because it's a least a decent atmosphere. read more

Bubba Brew's - Sports Bars Near Me - Maynardville, Tennessee

For starters, the service is terrible. From my experience, the people they hire do not have great character and IMO the new owner is right in line with them. They are on the lake in a convenient spot, that's why they get business. Do yourself a favor and visit Hickory Star or Jimmy's. You will not regret it. read more

Good food the service is amazing and fast amazing environment portion size is more than enough and it is all on the water

On Vaca at Norris Lake. This looked like a great place to get some drinks and food. We get seated, after 20 minutes, a waitress finally asks if we have been helped. She takes our order, 17 minutes later we finally get our drinks. I'm exhausted, my kids and I are hungry and it took 37 minutes to get some gd drinks. We ordered our food when we ordered our drinks since we already sat so long. 1 hour and 40 minutes later, no gd food, not even an appetizer. The place was a complete shit show. The waitress kept apologizing and she gave us chips and salsa which was nice, but I was completely upset and other customers were in the same boat. We payed for the drinks and left. Not to mention, they ran out of several food items, pork, shrimp, catfish. I mean....terrible place read more

Went for lunch on a Saturday. I heard marinas were short staffed due to school starting so had low expectations. Service was exceptional, atmosphere was perfect and we all loved our food. Even the tea was brewed right. What really got me were the prices though. You can get a brisket dinner with 2 sides for $14 ! read more

Fun Fun Fun!! Great place for lunch at the marina by boat or by car. Drink menu is amazing and the food is really good the teriyaki wings are so delicious!! You can skip the cheese curds, nothing to write home about. The fish sandwich, hush puppies and tacos are all amazing. Great portions and the kitchen pumps out the food. The restaurant has live bands booked all season to add to the fun. The best waitress is Chevran. So sweet, super efficient, never forgets a thing!! This is a great spot for locals but also to bring tourists and friends. read more

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2 hours on food ... the manager said he "would check" no regard for customer service in the slightest .... Avoid

we went to Bubba Brews on 7/6/23 for my daughters 34th birthday celebration and there was a total of 11 of us which we all ordered in groups of 3! our waitress was very nice however when it came time to pay the bill she didn't provide us with a bill she gave us everyone's order! we asked for an itemized bill but that was not forthcoming! we finally got a bill and she told us well owed her $400 for 7 people and we knew the 3 shots were $51 (which is highway robbery): but that most our dinners were was $10-11 each! so after arguing with her we just paid it and my daughter gave her a $60 tip unbeknownst to us they had already added a 20% gratuity to the bill! in fact she never even mentioned that it would be charged! we asked for the $60 back that she got in addition to what the bill showed and she told us she didn't think she could do that! we told her she better bring a manager over! finally she came back and said she would refund the $60 so far we have not seen the refund so we will see! I know one thing we will never eat there again especially since it is bar food and the food was terrible! And our waitress was dishonest not only to us but the other 2 couples as well! read more

Bubba Brew's - Bubba Brews - Sports Bars Near Me - Maynardville, Tennessee

Beware they charge a 18% gratuity no matter the party size, then ask for an additional tip. When you pay they don't give you the bill for you to review so you'll see they charge the gratuity. They just tell you the total, then ask for payment. read more

The food is good, but for some reason my plate ends up being incomplete, but they remedy it quickly. The servers are attentive and make sure you have everything you need throughout the meal. We will be back again and again. read more

Good food, nice people, pet friendly and reasonable prices. Right on the water. Drive your car or boat right up! Only complaint is that they should be open more. Not even Labor Day and not open every day read more