You will find the city of Knoxville, TN, crammed with tasty restaurants.
The city’s vibrant social atmosphere includes chain restaurants like Aubrey's restaurant, fine dining, fast food, quick service, and sit down cafes and restaurants of essentially every major ethnic food from African to Italian, German to Mediterranean, Chinese to Indian, and, of course, good ole fashioned American.
While some cities cluster their restaurants of a specific ethnicity, hosting areas such as Little Italy or Chinatown, Knoxville differs.
The city only clusters its Mexican restaurants around one of its sports facilities. The other ethnic restaurants you will discover spread throughout the city. Many line the I-40 corridor and the area where the other interstates merge with it, such as I-140 does. In this area, you can find breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
While neighborhoods have their own shopping centers, few cluster cafes or coffee shops in them. Each shopping complex typically has just one or two restaurants and may be the only place in the neighborhood.
Most of these are mom and pop cafes or chain coffee shops like Starbucks. The city offers many fast food chains and remains one of the Midwest locations for Hardees, known as Carl’s Jr. in other areas of the country. Your best bet for gelato will be a stop at one of the city’s many Italian cafes while Braum’s offers ice cream.
You can come up with one or two must eat at restaurants in each neighborhood or within each ethnicity. The city does have its favorites.
The city’s residents dine at Café 4, Emilia, and Forno Grill often enough that all of them amassed a 4.5 or higher rating on a scale of zero to five with five being the best tasting restaurants with ideal service. Each neighborhood has its own fabulous finds.
Downtown Knoxville Restaurants
When you visit Knoxville’s downtown for business or pleasure, schedule time for Tupelo Honey or Downtown Grill & Brewery to taste down-home Knoxville cooking. These eateries offer home food and Deep South delights. You could also eat some of the city’s only Mediterranean at Yassin’s Falafel House.
Market Square Knoxville Restaurants
At the shopping complex Market Square, you will find a dearth of restaurants including Café 4 , which serves genuine American food like shrimp grits and macaroni and cheese; Italian at Emilia; and French at The French Market Creperie.
The massive shopping center also offers tacos, steaks, soups, and coffee shops.
West Knoxville Restaurants
You can find nearly any type of food in West Knoxville, but traditional American fare proves most popular as well as BBQ. Many coffee shops line the streets of the neighborhoods here, plus steakhouses and Italian restaurants. Try the well-reviewed Copper Cellar Corp.
Turkey Creek: Find Your Favorite Restaurants
Turkey Creek also hosts a massive number of restaurants. Hit this area for anything from Mexican to steakhouses. This area also offers Japanese, burger joints, cafes, and bars with pub food.
Old City Restaurants
The Old City area offers much of the entertainment in the city of Knoxville including The University of Tennessee, Cal Johnson Park and the Knoxville Ice Bears. If you need a quick bite between classes or need somewhere to take your parents when they visit the university, try The Tomato Head or Stock & Barrel. Both make tasty meals after a game of flag football or Frisbee in the park or watching a game of the Ice Bears.
Tasty Food at Kingston Pike
The Kingston Pike area located on the Tennessee River provides much to do and see. You can enjoy water sports, boating, fishing, and swimming at the river and afterward, enjoy a meal at Chesapeake’s restaurant or Calhoun’s.
Cedar Bluff Area in Knoxville: Incredible Eateries
If you stay in Cedar Bluff for the holidays, you will find yourself in a neighborhood chock full of delicious food. The neighborhood of Cedar Bluff offers one of the city’s best-known eateries, Chesapeake’s restaurant. While visiting relatives, you can also explore one of the city’s only sushi spots, Nama Sushi Bar.
Mexican Restaurants
Sports fans love Mexican food and TexMex food. They must because in Knoxville all of the city’s Mexican restaurants are clustered by the Thompson-Boling Arena. Try Habaneros Mexican when you come to town to see a game. The city also has a number of taco stands and food trucks to consider and these offer some of the best tasting street food available.
Restaurants with Italian Cuisine
Pull off I-40 to find a glut of Italian places if you need something tasty to eat while on the road.
If you live in Knoxville or visit for an extended period, visit the neighborhoods to find the good stuff. For instance, customers give Forno Grill five stars and rank Elidio’s Pizza nearly that high. Try the chicken marsala or lasagna and don’t forget the garlic bread.
Chinese Restaurants
When on the road, stop off and try any of the many Chinese restaurants strung along I-40 and I-140. Fulin’s Asian Cuisine and Golden Garden Chinese Restaurant both garner high reviews from travelers and locals. Load up on egg rolls, egg drop soup, hot and sour soup, and General Tso’s chicken.
Indian Eateries for Tandoori and Similar Cuisine
The interstate also plays host to numerous other ethnic foods. Along I-40 you can find a hotbed of Indian restaurants. Try the tandoori chicken, but save room for the gulab jamun for dessert.
Japanese restaurants
The city has many Asian eateries, but few of them serve Japanese food. You will need to visit Nama Sushi Bar to find your sushi and miso soup.
Seafood Restaurants: Fish, Lobster and More
A riverside city tends to love fish and Knoxville fits that perfectly. You can eat at a multitude of seafood spots along I-40, but to find the best seafood place, according to reviews, you have to travel into the city’s neighborhoods. Connors Steak & Seafood, located on Turkey Dr., has not just the best seafood rating, but one of the highest-rated restaurants in the city.
Vegan Restaurants for Non-Meat Eaters
Vegan restaurants have yet to make a home in this city, which is known for BBQ. You can find a gluten-free vegetarian/vegan menu at Sergeant Pepperoni.
German Restaurants
When you just need bratwurst and cabbage, the city provides a couple of options that specialize in protein-centric German food. Veritably any type of sausage you like you can find at these cafes.
Korean Restaurants
While many cities make Japanese ubiquitous, in Knoxville, Korean restaurants permeate the city. Try Kaya and Osaka Hibachi when in town for Bi Bim Bap and spring rolls.
Restaurants with Greek Food
Anywhere you go in Knoxville, you can find Greek food. On the river, by the shoals, on the interstates. Seemingly, it is the city’s favorite. Grab a gyro and Greek salad with French fries while you are out and about.
Vietnamese Restaurants
Cold weather requires soup and the Vietnamese pho provides a huge, hearty meal that you customize with your choice of meats. Clustered along the interstates you will find more than ten Vietnamese restaurants including the tasty Bida Saigon and Viet Taste.
New and Up-and-Coming Restaurants
With 850 eateries in one city, you might think every type of food is already represented, but StrEat, J.C. Holdway, and Sweet P’s Barbeque & Soul House just opened. You can usually find a new restaurant opening every few months in Knoxville.
Nice Restaurants for Date Nights and Fancy Eating
In a state known for barbecue, you do need to search for fine dining. The perfect place for a sit-down business dinner or a wedding luncheon takes some time to find, but you will discover that most of the nice restaurants either serve Italian or steaks. When your search requires a "good fancy" restaurant, stop off at Sapphire Fine Food and Fancy Drinks or Emilia.
Romantic Restaurants
Some eateries lend themselves to a romantic meal. These restaurants cater to the couple's set. You can count on them for dim lighting, candles, quiet, sultry music, and succulent meals. They also fall into the nice restaurant category. Try Brazeiros Churrascaria Brazilian Steakhouse or The Chop House for a hearty meal in a romantic setting.
Kid-Friendly Restaurants: Families Get Ready
When you need a family-friendly place to take the kids or grandkids, you can take them to The Lunchbox for sandwiches or Knox Mason for spectacular hotdogs. Each spot provides an environment for families without alcohol served, but not particularly healthy fare.
What are must-try Restaurants in Knoxville?
For breakfast, try OliBea which offers unusual combinations such as stuffed acorn squash with quinoa. Five Bar offers a simple menu about which the Travel Channel raves. Choose from five appetizers, entrees, and desserts. Each is a specialty of the house.
How many restaurants are in Knoxville?
Knoxville currently has 850 restaurants throughout its metropolitan area.