Curious Dog is an american restaurant in Old City, Knoxville.
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 dishes: Specialty hot dogs, Bottle shop
Must order: A specialty dog build, plus a bottle off the rotating craft-beer wall.
Tip: The bottle shop runs longer than the kitchen; aim for lunch or early dinner before the Old City night crowd arrives.
Address: 200 W Jackson Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902
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
Order: Whatever the kitchen is rolling for pasta that night, plus a glass off the Italian-leaning wine list.
Tip: Sunday dinner is the quieter night; pair the meal with an aperitivo at sibling Brother Wolf downstairs.
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
Order: A round of steamed buns with the chef's noodle bowl of the week.
Tip: The Old City location runs busier than the kitchen seats can handle on Friday and Saturday nights; aim for Tuesday or Wednesday.
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
Order: Whichever Appalachian-sourced wood-fired protein the kitchen is leading the night's menu.
Tip: Reservations open about a month out on Resy and the Tuesday to Thursday dinners run quieter than weekend Saturdays.
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
Order: Whichever pasta the kitchen is rolling that day, plus a hand-pulled mozzarella plate to start.
Tip: Reservations open about three weeks out; Tuesday through Thursday dinners turn faster than weekend Saturdays.
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
Order: Steak frites at dinner or a Saturday jazz brunch plate with the daily happy-hour pour.
Tip: Daily happy hour runs 16:00-18:00; Saturday and Sunday brunch sits 10:00-14:00.
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
Order: Whatever the kitchen is rolling for pasta that night, plus a glass off the Italian-leaning wine list.
Tip: Sunday dinner is the quieter night; pair the meal with an aperitivo at sibling Brother Wolf downstairs.
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
Order: The pre-theater bistro menu, plus a wine pour off the shortlisted list before the curtain.
Tip: Time the reservation 90 minutes before showtime at the Bijou Theatre next door; Sundays run quieter than weekends.
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
Order: A round of steamed buns with the chef's noodle bowl of the week.
Tip: The Old City location runs busier than the kitchen seats can handle on Friday and Saturday nights; aim for Tuesday or Wednesday.
