Pinchy’s Lobster + Beer Company makes a splash with pricey but tasty seafood | Grub Scout

The Grub Scout
Updated ·5 min read

Talk about coming full circle: Ages ago, I lived in downtown Sevierville, just a few doors down from a funeral home. The elder Grub Sprout actually taught himself how to roller blade in the parking lot of that business. That lot has since been developed and is now the site of Pinchy’s Lobster + Beer Company, the destination of my most recent Grub visit. The Grub Spouse and I rolled up there for dinner last week, yours truly drenched in nostalgia.

Inside, Pinchy’s has a very casual, warehouse-y feel. On the mild day we visited, two large garage-style doors were in the raised position to allow free flow of both air and patrons between the main dining room inside and a covered patio area. After wavering back and forth, we settled at an interior table, out of the line of fire of the descending sun.

Pinchy’s Lobster + Beer Company in Sevierville has an extensive seafood-based menu that includes a classic lobster roll, which features 4 ounces of chilled claw and knuckle lobster meat with a bit of Duke’s mayonnaise and light celery on a toasted brioche bun.
Pinchy’s Lobster + Beer Company in Sevierville has an extensive seafood-based menu that includes a classic lobster roll, which features 4 ounces of chilled claw and knuckle lobster meat with a bit of Duke’s mayonnaise and light celery on a toasted brioche bun.

A server approached and took drink orders, which for me included a Blackberry Farm IPA, one of more than a dozen craft beers on tap. They also offer a number of canned beers, seltzers and beer-based cocktails. When our server returned with our beverages, we weren’t quite ready to order, so we requested more time. As is so often the case when we decline an initial offer to take our order, we waited an unusually long amount of time to get a follow-up visit. I finally had to make eye contact across the room to get our server back.

That gave us plenty of time to sort through what is a fairly extensive seafood-based menu. We looked at starters such as fried pickled okra and Korean fried chicken wings before deciding on the she-crab poutine ($10). It’s a thick crab bisque served with French fries for either dipping or smothering.

Daily specials include Taco Tuesday, lobster ravioli on Wednesdays, steamed crab legs on Thursdays and jambalaya on Sundays. They also have a raw bar featuring oysters, peel-and-eat shrimp, and sushi rolls as well as a few items that I wouldn’t exactly consider raw: crab wontons, spring rolls and spicy tuna tacos. As tempted as I was to try the oysters, I went with a sushi roll. I had a tough time choosing from among their selection of 15 raw-fish creations, but I landed on Pinchy’s Popper Roll ($20), filled with spicy ahi tuna and jalapeño and topped with spicy crab, jalapeño and sriracha.

That left The Spouse to sort through the preponderance of the menu, which includes soups (clam chowder and she-crab bisque), lobster rolls and main entrees. The entrees consisted of a couple of salads (Cobb, Caesar) and a lot of fried dishes: fish and chips, fish sandwich, oysters, shrimp, etc. We were tempted by the lobster mac and cheese, and we briefly took note of the pricy New England Clambake; for $80, you get a pot of steaming clams, Prince Edward Island mussels, potatoes, corn, salt pork, andouille sausage and a 1.25-pound Maine lobster. There’s even a burger for any weirdos out there who refuse to order seafood at a seafood restaurant.

Of course, The Spouse got one of six different lobster rolls, the Classic ($30), which features four ounces of chilled claw and knuckle lobster meat with a bit of Duke’s mayonnaise and light celery on a toasted brioche bun.

The key lime pie at Pinchy’s Lobster + Beer Company is small but sweet and tangy.
The key lime pie at Pinchy’s Lobster + Beer Company is small but sweet and tangy.

I offer an all-around thumbs-up to Pinchy’s on the execution of the dishes we ordered. The thick (though sodium-rich) crab dip was abundantly flavorful, but I also can’t ignore the stellar fries. The wide-and-flat cuts were crispy on the outside, tender in the middle and made a tasty vehicle for the crabby dip.

My sushi roll was cromulently assembled by the sushi chef on duty. The eight-piecer was surprisingly satisfying, and yummy in the middle. It was also a pretty creation, thanks to the mini-dollop of sriracha atop each section. I was disappointed, however, in the spiciness level — quite low considering the use of jalapeños and sriracha.

The Spouse’s lobster roll was A-OK and then some. Lobster meat: adequately present and rich in crustacean flavor. Mayo and celery: the perfect accents. The soft-but-toasted roll: a cushy blanket to contain it all. It was $8 more expensive than the lobster roll I tried at Marble City Market a few weeks ago but was much better prepared and an overall better value, considering price vs. quality.

We shared a piece of key lime pie ($5.50), not realizing the serving size was literally about three inches in diameter. At least our fleeting sampling of it was satisfyingly sweet and tart.

They’re doing some good things in the kitchen (and at the raw bar) at Pinchy’s Lobster + Beer Company in Sevierville. But between pernicious inflation in general, the built-in costs of seafood and tourism-driven mark-up — you’re going to need a bigger credit card.

Pinchy’s Lobster + Beer Company

Food: 4

Service: 3.75

Atmosphere: 3.75

Overall: 3.75

Address: 212 Court Ave., Sevierville

Phone: 865-365-4168

Beer service only

Kids’ menu

Hours: Noon-8 p.m. Sundays; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Thursdays 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays

This downtown Sevierville seafood-and-beer hangout is a worthy stop for locals as well as tourists looking for tasty grub off the beaten Parkway.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Restaurant review: Pinchy’s Lobster + Beer Company makes a big splash