Pete's Restaurant and Coffee Shop on Union Avenue, the downtown diner since 1986, runs breakfast counter service voted Best Breakfast in Knoxville seven.
Must order: Country ham and eggs with grits
Tip: Closes 14:00 daily; weekend lines form before 09:00 and weekdays move faster.
Address: 540 Union Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902
Tupelo Honey on Market Square, the Asheville-born Southern kitchen at the plaza's north end, runs weekend brunch with biscuits, fried chicken and Shoo Mercy.
Order: Fried chicken biscuit and Shoo Mercy plate
Tip: Weekend brunch 09:00-14:00; UT football Saturdays push wait times past an hour.
The Tomato Head on Market Square since 1990 runs weekend brunch service 11:00-15:00 with brunch-specific pizzas and salads alongside the regular menu.
Order: Brunch pizza or veggie sandwich
Tip: Brunch pizzas and special menu items run Saturday and Sunday 11:00-15:00; rest of the day runs the regular menu.
Wild Love Bakehouse on North Central, the North Knoxville bakery and cafe profiled by Afar magazine, runs weekend pastry and coffee brunch service Wednesday.
Order: Almond croissant with a pour-over
Tip: Closed Mondays and Tuesdays; the pastry case sells out by midday on weekends.
Honeybee Coffee Co. on Sevier Avenue, the South Knoxville roaster and cafe in the Urban Wilderness corridor, runs weekend brunch pastry and pour-over coffee.
Order: Pour-over and pastry case selection
Tip: Weekend mornings draw mountain-biking crowds; weekdays are reliably quieter for sit-down brunch.
Stock and Barrel on Market Square runs weekend brunch with burgers, biscuits and bourbon Bloody Marys, drawing the post-Saturday-Farmers-Market crowd.
Order: Brunch burger with a bourbon Bloody Mary
Tip: Saturday brunch starts at 11:00 right as the Farmers Market wraps; the patio fills first.
The Plaid Apron on Kenesaw Avenue in Sequoyah Hills, the Southern brunch and dinner room, runs Wednesday-to-Sunday brunch with cinnamon rolls.
Order: Cinnamon roll with grits and a smash burger
Tip: Sunday brunch only; Wednesday to Saturday are full brunch and dinner. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
