Knoxville: Downtown Food Tour with Tastings and Guide
Discover the flavors of Knoxville on a guided food tour. Enjoy tastings at local restaurants, learn about the city's history, and explore the neighborhoods of Market S...
Knoxville eats with an Appalachian accent. The largest city in East Tennessee sits at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains and built its food story on three things: White Lily flour milled here since 1883 and folded into the South's flakiest biscuits, post-1982 World's Fair downtown revival that gave Market Square and the Old City their current restaurant density, and a chef cohort anchored by Joseph Lenn at J.C. Holdway who left Blackberry Farm for Union Avenue in 2016. The Market Square Farmers Market runs Wednesdays and Saturdays through October. Buddy's Bar-B-Q has been smoking pork on Kingston Pike since 1972, Pete's has fed downtown breakfast since 1986, and the Tomato Head has sold pizza on Market Square since 1990. Add the Old City's brewery row, Honeybee and Old City Java pulling specialty coffee, and Yassin's Falafel House feeding the city since the Reader's Digest crowned it the Nicest Place in America in 2018.
Eat your way through Knoxville
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All Knoxville food festivalsBook food experiences in Knoxville
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Discover Downtown Knoxville's hidden gems on a guided walking tour. Taste some local ice cream and coffee while uncovering the city's rich history and scenic views.
Map of Knoxville
Every restaurant, cafe, market and bar we cover in Knoxville, pinned. Click a pin for the page.
Where to eat in Knoxville: editor-picked starting points
5 institutional venues to anchor a Knoxville food trip
- J.C. Holdway - Modern Appalachian, Farm-to-table, chef Joseph Lenn
- Emilia - Italian, chef Matt Gallaher
- Lilou Brasserie - Brasserie
- Osteria Stella - Italian
- The Plaid Apron - Farm-to-table American
Signature Knoxville dishes
- White Lily Biscuits with Sausage Gravy - Knoxville's signature Appalachian biscuit, made with hometown White Lily 9-percent-protein soft red winter wheat flour milled here since 1883
- East Tennessee Pulled Pork - Knoxville's hickory-smoked pulled pork sandwich, the East Tennessee tradition that runs sweet rather than vinegar-forward and arrives on a soft white bun
- Petro's Chili and Chips (The Petro) - The Knoxville-original chili-over-Fritos bowl born at the 1982 World's Fair, served in a sliced-open Fritos bag with chili, cheese, sour cream and salsa
- Smoky Mountain Trout - Pan-seared mountain stream rainbow trout, the Appalachian foothills' freshwater catch served whole or as fillets with butter, lemon and Smoky Mountain herbs
- East Tennessee Country Ham - The salt-cured aged country ham of East Tennessee tradition, served thin-sliced with red-eye gravy and a buttermilk biscuit on Knoxville breakfast plates
Best Knoxville neighborhoods for food
- Market Square and Downtown - The pedestrian plaza off Gay Street that anchors the city's food scene, with the Farmers Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays and patios spilling onto the bricks
- Old City - The 19th-century industrial district north of downtown, revitalized into brewery row, aperitivo bars and Italian dining around Jackson and Central
- Gay Street - Downtown's main commercial spine running from the Tennessee Theatre south, lined with the Bistro at the Bijou, Lilou, Cruze Farm and Suttree's High Gravity Tavern
- Cumberland Avenue (The Strip) - The University of Tennessee's Cumberland Avenue corridor, home to Sunspot's multicultural menu and the bars and counters that feed the student crowd
Signature dishes in Knoxville
The plates that define eating in Knoxville.
White Lily Biscuits with Sausage Gravy
Knoxville's signature Appalachian biscuit, made with hometown White Lily 9-percent-protein soft red winter wheat flour milled here since 1883.
Where: Pete's Restaurant and Coffee Shop, The Plaid Apron, Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen, Litton's Market and Restaurant
Where to eat White Lily Biscuits with Sausage Gravy in Knoxville →
East Tennessee Pulled Pork
Knoxville's hickory-smoked pulled pork sandwich, the East Tennessee tradition that runs sweet rather than vinegar-forward and arrives on a soft white bun.
Where: Buddy's Bar-B-Q, Sweet P's BBQ Uptown Corner, Dead End BBQ, Calhoun's on the River
Petro's Chili and Chips (The Petro)
The Knoxville-original chili-over-Fritos bowl born at the 1982 World's Fair, served in a sliced-open Fritos bag with chili, cheese, sour cream and salsa.
Where: Petro's Chili and Chips Downtown
Where to eat Petro's Chili and Chips (The Petro) in Knoxville →
Smoky Mountain Trout
Pan-seared mountain stream rainbow trout, the Appalachian foothills' freshwater catch served whole or as fillets with butter, lemon and Smoky Mountain herbs.
Where: J.C. Holdway, The Plaid Apron, Bistro at the Bijou
East Tennessee Country Ham
The salt-cured aged country ham of East Tennessee tradition, served thin-sliced with red-eye gravy and a buttermilk biscuit on Knoxville breakfast plates.
Where: Pete's Restaurant and Coffee Shop, Litton's Market and Restaurant, The Plaid Apron
Pinto Beans and Cornbread
The Appalachian comfort plate of slow-simmered pinto beans with country ham and a skillet of buttermilk cornbread, the most-resilient East Tennessee.
Where: Litton's Market and Restaurant, Sunspot, Pete's Restaurant and Coffee Shop
Tennessee Stack Cake
The Appalachian wedding-and-funeral cake of stacked spiced ginger biscuit layers cemented with dried-apple butter, sliced thin and aged a day before serving.
Where: Magpies Bakery, The Plaid Apron
The Mahasti Pizza
The Tomato Head signature pizza on Market Square since 1990, with sun-dried tomato pesto, fresh mozzarella, basil and a thin Knoxville-style sourdough crust.
Where: The Tomato Head, The Tomato Head Bearden
Yassin's Falafel Sandwich
The Knoxville-canonical Syrian falafel sandwich: hand-rolled chickpea fritters in pita with tahini, pickled vegetables and Yassin Terou's hot sauce.
Where: Yassin's Falafel House (Marble City Food Hall), Yassin's Falafel House West Knoxville
Tennessee Hot Chicken
The Tennessee fried-chicken tradition that originated in Nashville and runs at Knoxville counters with a cayenne-and-lard paint applied after frying.
Where: Stock and Barrel
Knoxville Stack Burger
The Knoxville American burger tradition: hand-pattied beef from Mitchell Family Farms or East Tennessee farms, on a Flour Head Bakery bun with Sweetwater.
Where: Stock and Barrel, Litton's Market and Restaurant, The Plaid Apron
Sweet Tea
The East Tennessee sweet-tea tradition: black tea brewed strong and sweetened with a syrup of dissolved sugar while still hot, served over ice with a lemon.
Where: Pete's Restaurant and Coffee Shop, Buddy's Bar-B-Q, Litton's Market and Restaurant
Restaurants to know in Knoxville
A handful of the places we send friends to when they are in Knoxville.
J.C. Holdway
J.C. Holdway on Union Avenue, Joseph Lenn's wood-fired Appalachian room since 2016 after his Blackberry Farm run, anchors Knoxville's chef-driven downtown.
Signature: Wood-fired Appalachian plates, Local trout
Emilia
Emilia on Market Square, chef Matt Gallaher's Emilia-Romagna-inspired Italian room since 2016, runs handmade pasta and house-pulled mozzarella a block off.
Signature: Handmade pasta, Hand-pulled mozzarella
Lilou Brasserie
Lilou Brasserie on South Gay Street, Aaron Thompson and Jessica King's French room in the old Sapphire space, runs all-day breakfast and jazz brunch.
Signature: Steak frites, Weekend jazz brunch
Osteria Stella
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
Bistro at the Bijou
Bistro at the Bijou on South Gay Street, attached to the historic Bijou Theatre, runs a pre-theater menu in one of downtown's oldest buildings.
Signature: Pre-theater menu, Live jazz Tuesdays
Kaizen
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
Where to eat by neighborhood
Market Square and Downtown
The pedestrian plaza off Gay Street that anchors the city's food scene, with the Farmers Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays and patios spilling onto the bricks.
Best for: Pizza, Burgers, Italian, Brunch
Also: downtown
Old City
The 19th-century industrial district north of downtown, revitalized into brewery row, aperitivo bars and Italian dining around Jackson and Central.
Best for: Italian, Cocktails, Breweries, Late-night
Gay Street
Downtown's main commercial spine running from the Tennessee Theatre south, lined with the Bistro at the Bijou, Lilou, Cruze Farm and Suttree's High Gravity Tavern.
Best for: Bistro, Ice cream, Bakery
Cumberland Avenue (The Strip)
The University of Tennessee's Cumberland Avenue corridor, home to Sunspot's multicultural menu and the bars and counters that feed the student crowd.
Best for: Casual, Tex-Mex, Late-night
Also: university
Bearden
The Kingston Pike corridor west of downtown, where Buddy's Bar-B-Q opened in 1972 and where Dead End BBQ and Aubrey's now anchor the residential dining scene.
Best for: Barbecue, Comfort, Family
Happy Holler and North Knoxville
The North Central Street arts strip and surrounding North Knoxville neighborhoods, home to Schulz Brau's German beer garden, Wild Love Bakehouse and Magpies.
Best for: Bakery, Breweries, Cafes
Also: north-knoxville
When to come hungry in Knoxville
Peak food season: May to October, with Market Square Farmers Market in full swing Wednesdays and Saturdays. May brings the International Biscuit Festival and Rossini Festival; October is Brewers' Jam. Avoid UT home football Saturdays unless you have a reservation.
Local dining hours: Breakfast 07:00-10:00, lunch 11:00-14:00, dinner 17:00-21:30 weeknights and 22:30 weekends. Many downtown rooms close Sundays or Mondays.
Tipping: Standard US: 18 to 22 percent at sit-down restaurants, $1 to $2 per drink at bars, 15 percent at counter-service. Service charges are not yet common in East Tennessee.
Knoxville food, FAQ
What food is Knoxville known for?
Knoxville's signature dishes include White Lily Biscuits with Sausage Gravy, East Tennessee Pulled Pork, Petro's Chili and Chips (The Petro), Smoky Mountain Trout, East Tennessee Country Ham. See our signature dishes chapter for where to eat each.
What are the best food neighborhoods in Knoxville?
TableJourney editors map Knoxville by district. Market Square and Downtown, Old City, Gay Street, Cumberland Avenue (The Strip) are among the strongest for food, each with its own guide.
Where should I eat fine dining in Knoxville?
Editor picks in Knoxville include J.C. Holdway, Emilia, Lilou Brasserie, plus the full fine dining chapter on TableJourney.
Are there food tours in Knoxville?
TableJourney covers 5 editor-picked food tours in Knoxville, with what each shows you and how much to budget.
Does Knoxville have good vegetarian or vegan food?
TableJourney's Knoxville dietary chapter covers vegan, vegetarian, gluten_free, halal venues, each editor-picked with what to order and how to ask.