The 19th-century industrial district north of downtown, revitalized into brewery row, aperitivo bars and Italian dining around Jackson and Central.
Osteria Stella on West Jackson, the Aaron Thompson and Jessica King Italian room above Brother Wolf, runs Italian dinner service in the Old City.
Signature: Pasta, Wood-fired Italian
Order: Whatever the kitchen is rolling for pasta that night, plus a glass off the Italian-leaning wine list.
Tip: Sunday dinner is the quieter night; pair the meal with an aperitivo at sibling Brother Wolf downstairs.
Kaizen on South Central, chef Jesse Newmister's Asian-fusion room in the Old City since 2016, runs steamed buns, ramen and rotating chef plates a block.
Signature: Steamed buns, Ramen noodles
Order: A round of steamed buns with the chef's noodle bowl of the week.
Tip: The Old City location runs busier than the kitchen seats can handle on Friday and Saturday nights; aim for Tuesday or Wednesday.
Curious Dog on West Jackson, the brothers Weidenhamer's hot-dog counter in the historic JFG building, runs over 30 specialty dog builds since 2009.
Signature: Specialty hot dogs, Bottle shop
Order: A specialty dog build, plus a bottle off the rotating craft-beer wall.
Tip: The bottle shop runs longer than the kitchen; aim for lunch or early dinner before the Old City night crowd arrives.
Osteria Stella on West Jackson, the Aaron Thompson and Jessica King Italian room above Brother Wolf, runs Italian dinner service in the Old City.
Signature: Pasta, Wood-fired Italian
Order: Whatever the kitchen is rolling for pasta that night with a glass off the Italian-leaning wine list.
Tip: Sunday dinner is the quieter night; pair with an aperitivo at sibling Brother Wolf downstairs.
Kaizen on South Central, chef Jesse Newmister's Asian-fusion room in the Old City since 2016, runs steamed buns, ramen and rotating chef plates a block.
Signature: Steamed buns, Chef's noodle bowl
Order: A round of steamed buns with the chef's noodle bowl of the week.
Tip: Friday and Saturday nights run busiest; Tuesday and Wednesday are easier for the chef's plates.
Curious Dog on West Jackson, the brothers Weidenhamer's hot-dog counter in the historic JFG building, runs over 30 specialty dog builds since 2009.
Signature: Specialty hot dogs, Craft beer bottle shop
Order: A specialty dog build with a bottle off the rotating craft-beer wall.
Tip: Bottle shop runs longer than the kitchen; aim for lunch or early dinner.
Old City Java on South Central Street, the neighborhood coffee shop serving downtown Knoxville since 1991, anchors the Old City's specialty coffee tier.
Signature drink: Filter coffee
Tip: Weekday mornings turn over faster than weekend afternoons; the bench at the front fills first.
Old City Java on South Central, the Knoxville coffee anchor since 1991, runs espresso, drip and whole-bean retail in the Old City as a longtime cafe.
Tip: Weekday open at 07:00 catches the commuter crowd; Saturdays move slower for sit-down work sessions.
Sources from: Ethiopia, Colombia, Honduras
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
Osteria Stella on West Jackson in the Old City, Aaron Thompson and Jessica King's Italian dining room, runs an Italian-only wine program at the bar paired.
Signature pour: Northern Italian by the glass
Wine focus: Italian regional
Food: Italian wood-fired plates and pasta
Tip: The Italian-leaning list overlaps with the Brother Wolf cocktail list downstairs; do the wine first, then aperitivo below.
Brother Wolf on West Jackson, Aaron Thompson and Jessica King's Italian aperitivo bar below Osteria Stella, anchors the Old City's cocktail tier with amari.
Signature drink: Italian aperitivo cocktails and amari
Food: Light bites and snacks
Tip: Sister venue Osteria Stella is upstairs; pair the aperitivo with the Italian dinner for a one-stop Old City night.
Boyd's Jig and Reel on South Central, the Old City Scottish session pub, holds one of the largest single-malt Scotch lists in the world with live Celtic.
Signature drink: Single-malt Scotch whisky
Food: Scottish gastropub
Tip: Sunday and Monday Scottish music jam sessions are the most authentic windows; the whisky list runs over 1,000 bottles.
Pretentious Beer Co. taproom on South Central in the Old City, glass artist Matthew Cummings' experimental brewery, pours small-batch beer in hand-blown.
Signature drink: Experimental craft beer in custom glassware
Food: Snacks; food trucks rotate
Tip: Beer garden between the brewery and glass studio is the centerpiece; weekday afternoons are quietest.
Crafty Bastard at Emory Place, the downtown Knoxville taproom HQ on a corner lot north of Gay Street, runs a rotating tap list of Crafty Bastard brews.
Signature drink: Rotating Crafty Bastard taps
Food: Food-truck rotation
Tip: Food trucks rotate nightly; check the taproom Instagram before walking up.
Curious Dog on West Jackson, the brothers Weidenhamer's hot-dog counter in the historic JFG building, runs 30+ specialty dog builds for the Old City crowd.
Try: Specialty hot dogs
Tip: Pair a dog with a bottle off the 200-deep craft beer wall; opens at 12:00 daily.
Crafty Bastard at Emory Place hosts nightly rotating food trucks on the brewery patio, the Old City taproom's calling card alongside the rotating tap list.
Try: Rotating food-truck plates
Tip: Check the Crafty Bastard Instagram for the night's truck; the rotation runs nightly except when winter weather hits.
Pretentious Beer Co. on South Central, the Old City brewery from glass artist turned brewer Matthew Cummings, pours experimental beers in glassware made.
Tip: The beer garden connects the brewery and glass studio; weekday afternoons run quietest.
Crafty Bastard Brewery at Emory Place, the brand's downtown Knoxville HQ taproom in the Old City, runs rotating taps and a nightly food-truck rotation.
Tip: Food trucks rotate nightly; check the Crafty Bastard Instagram for the night's truck before walking up.
Boyd's Jig and Reel on South Central in the Old City, the Scottish session pub with 1,000+ whiskies, keeps kitchen and music running until 02:00 Friday.
Try: Scotch and Scottish pub plates
Tip: Friday and Saturday nights run latest; Sunday and Monday traditional Scottish music jam sessions are mid-evening.