The Public House is a gastropub restaurant in Downtown, Knoxville.
The Public House on West Magnolia, the no-TV no-live-music neighborhood bar, runs a serious cocktail program and Southern-inflected food menu.
Signature dishes: Smashburger, Craft cocktails
Must order: The smashburger with whichever rotating cocktail the bar is featuring that night.
Tip: Walk-up is the only seating; aim for early evening on weeknights for the cocktail bar's quieter run.
Address: 212 W Magnolia Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917
Marble City Pub on Jack Dance Street in West Hills, the craft-cocktail and beer bar between Salsarita's and Sticky Rice, runs a Knoxville rotating tap list.
Signature: Craft beer flight, Bar plates
Order: A rotating craft-beer flight with the bar's burger.
Tip: Saturday salsa nights run late; Sunday afternoon is the reliably quiet window.
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, Bottle shop
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.
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.
