Knoxville's signature Appalachian biscuit, made with hometown White Lily 9-percent-protein soft red winter wheat flour milled here since 1883.
White Lily flour was founded by J. Allen Smith in Knoxville in 1883, named for his wife Lillie. The low-protein soft wheat flour became the Southern biscuit standard for over a century. Pete's Coffee Shop on Union Avenue has served the canonical Knoxville version since 1986. The International Biscuit Festival on Market Square each May anchors the city's biscuit calendar.
4 editor picks for White Lily Biscuits with Sausage Gravy in Knoxville, ranked by editorial score. All Knoxville signature dishes · White Lily Biscuits with Sausage Gravy across every city.
Pete's Restaurant and Coffee Shop ★ 4.6
downtown · 540 Union Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902
Pete's Restaurant and Coffee Shop on Union Avenue, the downtown Knoxville diner since 1986, runs the breakfast counter that voted Best Breakfast in town.
The Plaid Apron ★ 4.6
bearden · 1210 Kenesaw Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37919
The Plaid Apron on Kenesaw Avenue in Sequoyah Hills, the long-running Southern brunch and dinner room in West Knoxville, works with East Tennessee farmers.
Litton's Market and Restaurant ★ 4.6
fountain-city · 2803 Essary Drive, Knoxville, TN 37918
Litton's Market and Restaurant on Essary Drive in Fountain City since 1946, the family-run burger and bakery counter, sells the famous burger.
Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen ★ 4.3
market-square · 1 Market Square, Knoxville, TN 37902
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.