Sweet P's BBQ Uptown Corner is a soul food restaurant in Fountain City, Knoxville.
Sweet P's BBQ Uptown Corner on Tazewell Pike, Cookie Patton's North Knoxville barbecue and soul food counter, runs the brand's pulled pork and brisket since.
Signature dishes: Pulled pork sandwich, Soul food sides
Must order: A pulled pork sandwich with the daily soul-food sides.
Tip: Closed Mondays; weekday lunch is the easiest window before the dinner crowd.
Address: 3029 Tazewell Pike, Knoxville, TN 37918
Dead End BBQ on Sutherland Avenue in the Pond Gap neighborhood near Bearden, the competition-team-turned-restaurant, runs award-winning smoked brisket.
Signature: Smoked brisket, Pulled pork
Order: A combination plate with brisket and pulled pork and two East Tennessee sides.
Tip: Order from the counter and find a seat; Friday and Saturday dinners run busiest.
Sunspot on Cumberland Avenue, the multicultural Southwestern and Caribbean room on the UT Strip since the 1990s, anchors Knoxville's student-area dining.
Signature: Sweet potato burrito, Sunspot bowl
Order: The sweet potato burrito with black beans, or the Sunspot bowl of the season.
Tip: UT home football Saturdays run packed; weeknights and weekend brunch are reliably easier.
Soccer Taco on Market Square, the long-running Mexican counter on the plaza's south end, runs tacos and margaritas with weekend late-night service.
Signature: Carne asada tacos, Margaritas
Order: Carne asada tacos with a classic margarita off the rocks list.
Tip: Late-night kitchen runs to midnight Fridays and Saturdays; Sunday closes earlier at 21:00.
Tupelo Honey on Market Square, the Asheville-born Southern kitchen at the plaza's north end, runs all-day brunch with biscuits, fried chicken and Shoo Mercy.
Signature: Fried chicken biscuit, Shoo Mercy double biscuit
Order: The fried chicken biscuit with sweet tea, or the Shoo Mercy double-biscuit plate.
Tip: Weekday lunch turns faster than weekend brunch; UT football Saturdays push wait times past an hour.
Calhoun's on the River at Volunteer Landing, the Copper Cellar group's barbecue and burger room overlooking the Tennessee River, runs baby-back ribs.
Signature: Baby-back ribs, Smoky Mountain Brewery beer
Order: A rack of baby-back ribs with a Smoky Mountain Brewery pour and a river-side patio table.
Tip: Patio fills on UT home football Saturdays and Vols baseball nights; weekdays are reliably easier.
Aubrey's Papermill in Bearden, the Knoxville-born comfort-food chain's West Knoxville flagship, runs pretzel-crusted chicken and Southern weeknight family.
Signature: Pretzel-crusted chicken, Fried green tomatoes
Order: The pretzel-crusted chicken plate with a side of fried green tomatoes.
Tip: Sunday family dinners run busy; Tuesday and Wednesday weeknights are reliably easier.
