Went to have lunch on Saturday, being a lovely fall day sat on the patio over looking the river, perfect. Most of the other dinners had the same idea. I had the turkey club on sourdough with fries. First the fries are magical just the right amount of crunch and the flavor, scrumptious. The club was put together perfectly not like some places where the filling all slides out, would have it again. My daughter had the cheese burger and could select type of cheese she wanted, was cooked to perfection and the service was quick our server was attentive even when she had quite a few tables did a stellar job. read more

Rustic River Restaurant - View from patio. - American Near Me - Tazewell, Tennessee

We had a fun trip and good time at the restaurant. Casey was our bartender and server. The food was good the atmosphere was great. We watched the Vols win and got to talk to some regulars. Everyone was super friendly. Check out my fall fun drink read more

Rustic River Restaurant - Witches brew - A tall, cylindrical glass containing a dark-colored drink, possibly a soda or cocktail, with a red rim around the top edge. The glass is on a wooden table in a restaurant or bar, with a blurred background showing a person, menu, and other items. The setting appears casual and cozy. - American Near Me - Tazewell, Tennessee

Large outdoor seating on their deck space over looking the Powell River. Love the pizzas & cocktails, they also have great appetizers including Hush Puppies & Fried Green Tomatoes! Kid friendly & service has proven to be spot on during all of our visits. read more

Back again on Father's Day! Even thought the whole parking lot was packed, we were still able to eat inside with no wait. Our server Raelyn was amazing! I once again didn't take pictures because it was devoured as soon as it came to the table ‍ Looking forward to coming back soon read more

Under new management and renamed Rustic River Restaurant. Had dinner tonight. I had the catfish. Really good but unfortunately not local ( would have done 5 stars if they had any farm to table offerings). Hush puppies were really good but need honey butter. Another person had the cheesy river sticks and that was more like a deep dish woodfire oven cheese pizza and very good! Beautiful view of the river. Worth a trip and worth going back. read more

We came here a few weeks ago with my mother in law - we came as soon as they opened so it took awhile for the grill to heat up - that was the only downside to us ! The waitress was amazing , all our meals were delicious, the fried green tomato's were delicious although they took awhile as the grill had to heat up said our waitress and the prices were completely reasonable ! It's a cute little restaurant on the river and we will definitely be back . read more

Amazing food and views of the river! Long wait for a party of 6 but we enjoyed it. Service was good and food amazing read more

Rustic River Restaurant - Views - The image features a tranquil river with still water reflecting the surrounding dense green trees and foliage. A hillside covered in trees is visible in the background under a clear blue sky. The scene is partially shaded by a structure or building on the right side, with a grassy bank along the river's edge. The overall setting appears to be a peaceful outdoor area with natural scenery. - American Near Me - Tazewell, Tennessee

The service would have been good, except we kept having to get other server's attention to help us. The service was terrible! (I always tip anyway). My fork, wrapped up neatly in a dirty napkin, was also DIRTY! We had to flag down a different server to have it replaced. We had to ask other servers for more to drink, to ask about my potato and any other requests. The fajita stuffed potato I ordered had very little "stuff" on it AND the point is, it was so salty, I could not eat it! The server refused to taste it. The manager refused to taste it. The other stuffed potatoes tasted the same, they said. So, no point in ordering one of those. It was not possible to order a small item. Not even half of a sandwich, nor a cup or bowl of soup. The manager was extremely rude, unyielding, unprofessional and unconcerned about his patron's meal. He told me there had been 'over a hundred stuffed potatoes' served that day. Mine was the only complaint! Right?!?! I did not have to pay for the stuffed potato I sent back (because it would have floated a battle ship in the ocean due to the salt content). That should have been the case without telling me. I could only order a meal, a full plate with a sandwich which I had to pay full price for. After all, I ate it. No, due to my surgery, I could only eat a portion of half of the sandwich. That wasn't the point! The manager, nor the server offered to discount my meal, nor even offered a free dessert for the inconvenience. I had to wait for my meal while the others finished their meals. I have had surgery and am only able to eat a very small portion. I explained this to the staff. This made no difference. This establishment was not going to try to accommodate me in any way. My profession for many years was in restaurant management. We NEVER would have treated our customers the way we were treated. We would have automatically comp'd (made the meal complimentary) to save customers rather than have left a "bad taste" in the mouth of these patrons. This establishment will never have to be concerned about being rude to these patrons. We will not be back. Nor will we recommend this restaurant to anyone else. We will not bring our groups here anymore. My edit is this: this restaurant is not Shelly Belles anymore. The new name is: RUSTIC RIVER RESTAURANT aka Shelly Belles. If I could give this business a -5 stars I would! The food was ok. Frozen packaged food, tasteless, except for the amount of salt. I truly wish I had taken photos of the plates. It would help to understand. read more

Salmon was very good. Hush puppies were on point. The beautiful river below up was amazing. Such a nice rustic little place.

Our local favorite! Food, service and ambiance all excellent! Location on the Powell River with deck, even enclosed for winter use. Dinner specials (Prime Rib Fridays- go early!), live music, Bingo, Paint nights, check out website for current events and specials. Can accommodate large parties easily and many families take advantage. Just go! And also well managed and you will see them on the floor. read more

This place never disappoints. We always have a great time there. Food and service were excellent as always.

Food was good but we had 18 and dishes were not hot. Service was great. Love the atmosphere.

Had the all you can eat catfish which was great! The breading tasted like it was KFC crispy breading. Hushpuppies were good; fries and onion rings not house made, but they are tasty and fried in beef tallow. Mac n cheese was super yummy, but the pea salad was like my Mimi used to make! Nathan was the host last night, but was very attentive and loved on our pups! read more

We drove from Bean Station to the restaurant- about 38 miles. It was well worth the drive. The restaurant is located way down a road that eventually turned to gravel and the restaurant is at the end. It's a great looking building located right on the river. We chose to sit outside. The server, Megan, was quick to come to our table and had a great personality. We asked her how they made their pea salad and she told us they make it with peas, Mayo, bacon and onions. (I make mine like potato salad). She brought us both a sample and it was very good, but decided to try other sides. My husband and I decided to split the Lemon Pepper Chicken. We chose green beans and creamed corn as our sides and she said the mashed potatoes were homemade so we added that too. The food came out quickly and also had 2 hush puppies on the plate. Everything was delicious and hot. The chicken was just slightly dry- not too bad though. The sides were great. The mashed potatoes were awesome and tasted like they were made with sour cream, which I don't normally like, but I did enjoy these. Our friends ordered the Lemon Pepper chicken and the Mushroom Swiss Double Burger. They said theirs were delicious too. (I didn't get pics of theirs) The atmosphere was fantastic and sitting along the river was beautiful with the huge river birch trees beside the restaurant. It was a little drive for us but we definitely plan to go back! One note- the unsweetened tea was not very good. It had a strange taste but the water tasted fine. read more

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Our server was great and she helped us out with making great food and drink selections. The food was out pretty fast. The food was very good. Especially the pizza and burger. The adult beverages were very good. The view of the river was very nice as well. Overall we had a great lunch and will be returning to this establishment. P read more

My first visit here and I will start off saying that this is worth the stop. My wife and I stopped here after tubing the Powell River. My first impression was not good. There is a prominent sign when you walk in stating, "Go to the hostess stand to be seated Please!" which we did. There was a weight person at the hostess stand putting in information into the POS. She was there for a couple of minutes and never acknowledged us being there (there was no one else waiting to be seated and the restaurant was not busy at all) and when she was finished, she walked off. We waited a few minutes and, with no one around to seat us, I tracked the same person down in the outside area and asked her if we could seat ourself in the outside area. She said OK then proceeded to tell me (with a bit of an attitude) that normally customers have to wait to be seated by staff. Ironic... Anyway, it is a clean place with a nice menu selection and fair prices. There is a large bar and a smaller one and inside and outside seating. The outside area has a great vantage overlooking the Powell River. The tables throughout the restaurant are large and have cool whiskey barrel bases. The restaurant is nicely decorated and open. Miranda was our server and she did a great job. Our food was good and served hot and Miranda checked on us from time to time. Upon returning home, I spoke with various friends about this restaurant and they all said the same thing, 'great food and service'. So I'll give Shelly Belles On The River a solid 4 stars and go back and try the ribs that I hear good things about and see how it goes. read more

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Went with 3 other people for a dinner, the only acceptable parts were the pre melted butter in individually wrapped paper, the pulled pork partly (it had lots of pure fat parts as well as not much sauce), and the waitress who took over our table after we were seated for 30 minutes with no waitress taking our drink orders or speaking to us at all. We waved her down and she took us over immediately, she was very quick with our drink refills. Once we ordered the food it took another 30 minutes to come to the table. Now one of the people I was with ordered a cheese burger with tomatoes and no lettuce or onion. It came with no cheese and one tomato slice that was so thin you can see through it, It said that it came with tomatoes not the thought of one. The waitress immediately got a slice of cheese when asked, again the waitress is the only plus. Two people in my group ordered mac and cheese, their cheese for that is white melted queso. They said the mac and cheese was okay compared to anything, but that isn't mac and cheese, especially not for restaurant standards. One person ordered mashed potatoes, they came colder than ice and had no seasoning there was less flavor in the mashed potatoes than if you were to eat a fresh piece of printer paper. We also ordered lemon pepper chicken. It definitely was not 8oz. It was small, pathetic, and only seasoned on one side, though there was more lemon pepper stuck than there was chicken itself. I guess they were not kidding when they said lemon pepper chicken, it was all lemon pepper and barely any chicken. The fries were mid and the loaded adds nothing useful, it's all bland and cold. The baked potato was mildly warm and was decently soft, you make Went with 3 other people for a dinner, the only acceptable parts were the pre melted butter in individually wrapped paper, the pulled pork partly (it had lots of pure fat parts as well as not much sauce), and the waitress who took over our table after we were seated for 30 minutes with no waitress taking our drink orders or speaking to us at all. We waved her down and she took us over immediately, she was very quick with our drink refills. Once we ordered the food it took another 30 minutes to come to the table. My group tried to order ribs and they were somehow out of ribs on a night where their special is ribs. Now one of the people I was with ordered a cheese burger with tomatoes and no lettuce or onion. It came with no cheese and one tomato slice that was so thin you can see through it, It said that it came with tomatoes not the thought of one. The waitress immediately got a slice of cheese when asked, again the waitress is the only plus. Two people in my group ordered mac and cheese, their cheese for that is white melted queso. They said the mac and cheese was okay compared to anything, but that isn't mac and cheese, especially not for restaurant standards. One person ordered mashed potatoes, they came colder than ice and had no seasoning there was less flavor in the mashed potatoes than if you were to eat a fresh piece of printer paper. We also ordered lemon pepper chicken. It definitely was not 8oz. It was small, pathetic, and only seasoned on one side, though there was more lemon pepper stuck than there was chicken itself. I guess they were not kidding when they said lemon pepper chicken, it was all lemon pepper and barely any chicken. The fries were mid and the loaded adds nothing useful, it's all bland and cold. The baked potato was mildly warm and was decently soft, you make it your own so I feel like that definitely helped since there seemed to be issues with everything that you do not make yourself. There are more taxidermy animals in that restaurant than a cabelas or a taxidermy museum. They were everywhere. Really starts to creep you out and make you lose your appetite when you have an hour of being forced to stare at nothing but those around you and the walls. When you walk in you have to walk past the tables to the host stand at the other side of the restaurant. The seating for waiting is awkwardly in a line across the dining room and entrance and there is barely any service if you get any. The parking is also terrible it two lines down a gravel road that is packed and hard to find a spot close causing you to have to walk pretty far. There were about 3 waitresses in the entire place and one manager who seemed very condescending and enabling. We saw many customers go up to complain about food. Overall terrible experience and will never be coming back. read more

Rustic River Restaurant - sad cheese burger with hint of tomato - A person is extending their hand to hold a slice of pizza topped with tomato, cheese, and black pepper. The pizza slice is positioned over a wooden table, with a basket of napkins and a drink visible in the background. The person is wearing a white shirt with a colorful design, and another person is partially visible sitting nearby. The setting appears to be a casual dining restaurant. - American Near Me - Tazewell, Tennessee

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It's pretty good. The servers are all really friendly. It's a down home place. I love the steak salad, shrimp and fries

We've been going here for years. The quality of food has gone waaaaay down. Frozen burger patties and imitation crab meat for starters. The prices don't reflect the quality of food. Also, we used to fish in the river after eating our meal and now they want you to purchase a fishing pass to be able to fish after spending hundreds on food. Truly sad read more

Food service and ambiance are great here. Name was changed to Rustic River Restaurant

I ate lunch with a friend here a couple of days ago. We opted to sit outside with the heaters, so it was nice and toasty. It's really inside and out, great atmosphere! The food was just meh. I got the grilled chicken sandwich, and it was very blah, no salt/pepper. I wished I had gotten a burger, that will be next time. It's good enough to try again. Oh and those French fries have go to go! You need a good crinkle cut with a good chili powder seasoning. They would go so much better with what you're offering. Please do this and you'll have your patrons ordering them more. Because if they stay the same, I'm not. I wished I had tried an alcoholic drink! But I didn't... next time! read more

My wife and I really enjoyed our meal. My wife got the river burger and I got the 1/2 rack of ribs. Very delicious! Our server was awesome! She kept checking on us and making sure everything was perfect. The mashed potatoes were really good as well. Price was close to $40.00 before tip. Not bad. The restaurant is big and the booths are very spacious. I couldn't even reach my wife over the table LOL. We will definitely be back! Bravo! read more

BBQ sandwich was filled with tough burnt pieces The auce is on the sweet side and fries were luke warm. The hushpups were burnt, but inside was edible and that is not a perfect pup. The chicken tend were salty and the greenbeans over seasoned. Beef tips overcooked.Baked potato was small and corn casserole was liquid. Wings good. Beer cold. View on porch made all the so so eats tolerable You absolutely have to want to visit, it is not a drive by local joint located on the river. We saw an eagle! read more

Rustic River Restaurant - Blue Moon on the deck - A clear glass filled with orange juice and lemon slices is positioned on a wooden surface outdoors. The background features a river with greenish water, surrounded by dense green trees and foliage, creating a natural setting. The scene suggests a peaceful outdoor location near a river, with sunlight illuminating the greenery. - American Near Me - Tazewell, Tennessee

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We stopped in on a Sunday afternoon...beautiful location right by the Powell River .... the catfish was the best I have ever had!! The burgers are huge! The clouse fries are the bomb too!! read more

Rustic River Restaurant - Catfish - A round plate holds fried fish fillets, a baked potato with butter, and a hush puppy. Several small cups of creamy dipping sauces surround the plate. The setting appears to be a casual dining environment with a wooden table surface. - American Near Me - Tazewell, Tennessee

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the food wasn't good the appetizers were better than the main course and the drinks are nice but they said they couldn't do a medium rare steak so and it wasn't medium rare the fries were good but the sandwich wasn't good it was supposed to be chicken but it's a burger instead slapped with buffalo sauce and it disappointed me and we don't like it I don't suggest coming back here.There service is pretty nice and sweet the time management is good and their timing is cool they play music and stuff. read more

Food was great and the view was amazing. Our server was new, but at least she admitted it. We had a great afternoon here on the porch overlooking the water. read more

A hidden Gem for local restaurants in the Harrogate -Tazewell general area. We happened to notice a small bifold sign along the roadway for Shelley Belles Riverfront restaurant. Being hungry we decided to give it a try. What a great decision that turned out to be. Sitting on the river front we enjoyed our best to date restaurant since moving to the area two weeks ago. My Prime rib was not only large but was excellent flavor and tender. The baked potato was great and the mac and cheese was very good also. Besides the hush puppies that came with the meal I had two sides to choose from. Needless to say my dinner was more than I could eat but it made for an excellent meal the following evening. My wife's Philly Cheesesteak was good proportions and very tasty. Needless to say we will be returning very soon to sample some of their house specialty, fried Catfish. I can't wait. read more

Rustic River Restaurant - A plate of food from Rustic River Restaurant in Tazewell, TN, includes sliced roast beef, a baked potato with cheese, macaroni and cheese, a bread roll, and side dishes such as meatballs and a small container of gravy or sauce. The meal is served on a round, rustic-style plate, with a person in a plaid shirt visible in the background, holding the plate with both hands. - American Near Me - Tazewell, Tennessee

Excellent food. Don't change a thing. If you don't get a burger then you haven't tried this place. If you're looking for the best cheesecake in town, you're going to have to check this place out. My first time, it felt a little understaffed, but tbh that's just a sign of the times. read more

Excellent food Everything was fresh and made from scratch Got the fried mushrooms Fried green tomatoes And house pizza All were amazing And Pam the waitress was Great I have saved it and will be back anytime I am in the area read more

The owner of the Airbnb we rented enthusiastically suggested we try Shelly Belles. As we read some of the mixed reviews we hesitated but decided to drive the 30 minutes and entered the restaurant with low expectations. Since it was 4:30 pm on a summer Saturday with lots of folks both on, coming off of and around the river we were surprised that we were warmly greeted and seated immediately. It only took 4 minutes for our server to engage us and bring our drinks and then only 12 minutes before our hot and well prepared food was set in front of us. I got a Classic Burger and Fries. The burger was very thick, juicy, prepared as ordered and extremely tasty along with the piping hot fries. My wife got the Shelly Belle Burger which was even thicker than mine and mine was really thick. She commented after each bite on how well the pepper jack cheese, sautéed onions and thick bacon meshed so well with the angus beef. Our server was attentive, our service was quick, our food was hot and amazing and the prices are reasonable for what you get. We have no complaints and we will be back. read more

Rustic River Restaurant - The Shelly Belle's Burger with Fries. - American Near Me - Tazewell, Tennessee

Great, hidden away spot near Cumberland gap! The food was very tasty, and the place is rustic, and Quaint sitting directly on the river!!

Loved this restaurant. We had dinner on the deck overlooking the river. Atmosphere was great. Food was pretty good. I'd call it better-than-average for 'bar food.' Our service could have been better. Seemed almost like we were an inconvenience , but the atmosphere made up for a lot! read more

To the window to the wall Till the sweat drop down my b*lls The restaurant was so hot inside was about unbearable to even eat food. Service was ok and food is alright. Things and menu has changed from what I've seen a few years back read more

5/24/24 had an early dinner passing through to Ky to what is now Rustic River Restaurant at 4:00pm, which was a slow time of day there. We ordered two of the fish dinners. In about five minutes the waitress who was very nice brought out our food, barely warm and slightly soggy fish. Noticed a decline on our last visit but not as bad as today. The two dinners with two drinks was over 40.00. Very disappointed to pay that for food of that quality. read more

This restaurant is a hidden gem. The service was fast and helpful, and the food was great. We always try to sit on the deck so we can watch the river. Once, while we were eating, we saw a bald eagle fly over. I highly recommend giving this restaurant a try. read more

Rustic River Restaurant - Parking - A red sedan is parked on a gravel parking area in front of Belle's Restaurant, a brown wooden building with multiple windows. The background includes a hillside with trees and a clear blue sky. The scene appears to be during daytime with no visible people. - American Near Me - Tazewell, Tennessee

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The service is awful and the food sucks I would not recommend going here.And it's also over priced

Awesome food the hush puppies were out of this world. We ordered extra to go. Will definitely be going back when we are in that area

Under new name, myself and family waited 30 minutes after being sat down by the host, and received zero service. Ended up leaving. Ate here when it was Shelly belles, same small menu with 15$ BLTs. Would not recommend. read more

Just happened to stop here on our way to LMU and was pleasantly surprised with what an adorable place this is! Absolutely beautiful view, great ambiance, incredible service, and great food! I had the club and was expecting some little sandwich but holy moly, it was delicious and I could only eat half! My girls had the BarBQ pork and loved it. My husband had a quesadilla that he also enjoyed! Our waitress was super friendly and did a great job! Great hidden gem! read more

The service was great and the view beautiful. My daughter LOVED the pulled pork and my husband loved the wings. We tried 8 different moonshines and peanut butter was our favorite. I wanted to take home the mini mason jar. It was so cute!!! read more