Kaizen is an asian fusion restaurant in Old City, Knoxville.
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 dishes: Steamed buns, Chef's noodle bowl
Must 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.
Address: 127 S Central Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902
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.
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.
Petro's Chili and Chips on Market Square, the chili-on-chips concept born at the 1982 World's Fair Knoxville, runs the Petro signature bowl downtown.
Signature: Original Petro, Chili-cheese chips
Order: The original Petro with chili, cheese, sour cream, salsa and Fritos.
Tip: The 1982 World's Fair original; Petro's still runs across Knoxville malls but the Market Square counter is the symbolic one.
Nick and J's Cafe on Lovell Road in West Knoxville, the hometown diner across from the Pellissippi Parkway exit, runs all-day breakfast and burgers.
Signature: Breakfast platter, Hometown burger
Order: The breakfast platter with bacon and country ham, or the hometown burger at lunch.
Tip: Weekday breakfast runs 07:00-10:30, Saturday until 11:30; expect a line on Saturdays. Closed Sundays.
The Tomato Head on Market Square, Mahasti Vafaie's Persian-American pizza counter since 1990, is downtown Knoxville's longest-running independent restaurant.
Signature: Mahasti pizza, Veggie sandwich
Order: The Mahasti pizza with the sun-dried tomato pesto, or the veggie sandwich at lunch.
Tip: Weekend brunch runs 11:00-15:00; happy hour Sunday to Thursday from 16:00-18:00 for slices.
The Tomato Head Bearden on Kingston Pike at Gallery Shopping Center, Mahasti Vafaie's West Knoxville arm of the Market Square original, runs the same pizza.
Signature: Mahasti pizza, Veggie sandwich
Order: Same Mahasti pizza pesto build that runs at Market Square.
Tip: Bearden opens 10:00 on Saturdays for brunch; the Kingston Pike location is reliably easier than downtown on weekends.
Stock and Barrel on Market Square, the bourbon-and-burger counter since 2013, sources beef from Mitchell Family Farms with bread from Flour Head Bakery.
Signature: House burger, Bourbon flight
Order: A house burger with a bourbon flight off the 300-deep American whiskey list.
Tip: Walk-up runs weeknights before 18:00; the bar stays open past kitchen close on weekends.
