When I first started paddleboarding back in 2011, I didn’t have many other friends who paddled, and I wasn’t as comfortable getting on the water alone. One of my few paddling friends, Brian, lived in Hendersonville, so I spent a lot of time there, paddling from Drakes Creek on Old Hickory Lake. (Brian also repaired paddleboards, and in those days I needed a lot of dings patched.)
That meant I spent a lot of time driving past the then-vacant building at 101 Sanders Ferry Road, wishing someone would turn it into a restaurant where we could paddle up on shore to eat lunch or dinner.
For the latest installment of my waterfront dining posts, I’m highlighting Lyncoya Café, located in that space I used to covet. Perhaps it’s a tiny bit of a stretch to say this is “waterfront dining.” If you sit along the windows you can see a shallow section of Drakes Creek, but you can also hear the traffic on Main Street, which is less relaxing than the sounds of water against rocks. To kayak or paddleboard the cafe, you come up the back grassy area, and then walk around front to enter the restaurant. If you have a boat, you’ll need to launch from the boat ramp half a mile down the road. (Remember: My criteria for this waterfront dining series is that you need to be able to look at the water and access it in some way. Some other suggestions are here and here.) I fudged the rules a tiny bit because of my personal nostalgia for the building and because the menu and vibe at Lyncoya Café are so good, I’d go there even without the water.
Lyncoya Café
Lots of waterfront dining places have similar menus. Not that there’s anything wrong with fried pickles, bushwackers and grilled chicken sandwiches. But sometimes you want something different. Lyncoya Café’s menu is filled with non-fried alternatives, including a delicious poutine, salads, vegetarian wraps, shrimp and grits, and a catch of the day. There’s a full bar, with cocktails, beer, wine, mocktails and other nonalcoholic options including Cheerwine. The ambiance is neighborhood-y and stylish, but not overly hip. A turntable plays music at a level that is loud enough to be enjoyed but quiet enough to have a conversation. Service is exceedingly friendly and attentive.
The only downside to Lyncoya Café (named after Lyncoya Jackson, a Creek Indian orphan who was adopted by President Andrew Jackson) is that because it is a small space, there’s often a wait for a table. Fortunately, there are several other waterfront dining options on Sanders Ferry Road, so if you want to paddle on Drakes Creek, you won’t go hungry. Sanders Ferry Pizza and Pub (at 125 Sanders Ferry Road, in the old Barefoot Charlie’s location) has a menu of classic and creative pizzas, as well as sandwiches and lots of beer on tap. The back deck looks out over the water, and you can also see the big screens inside in case you need to catch the game. Further up the street, Moby Dicky’s (155 Sanders Ferry Road) bills itself as a “seafood and sports bar.” You can get big portions of shrimp, oysters, lobster bisque, grouper and other seafood with a view of the water and of TVs playing the game of the day.
Lyncoya Café and Sanders Ferry Pizza and Pub are open seven days a week. Moby Dicky’s is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
