27 upscale rooms in Knoxville, editor-picked. occasion rooms in Knoxville: destination kitchens for celebrations and visits. All Knoxville food.
J.C. Holdway ★ 4.8
market-square · 501 Union Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902
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.
Tip: Reservations open about a month out on Resy and the Tuesday to Thursday dinners run quieter than weekend Saturdays.
J.C. Holdway ★ 4.8
market-square · 501 Union Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902
J.C. Holdway on Union Avenue is Joseph Lenn's wood-fired Appalachian dining room since 2016, the top of Knoxville's chef-driven dinner tier.
Tip: Reservations open about a month out on Resy; the dining room sits about 50, so book early for Friday and Saturday.
Brother Wolf ★ 4.7
old-city · 108 W Jackson Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902
Brother Wolf on West Jackson, Aaron Thompson and Jessica King's Italian aperitivo bar below Osteria Stella, anchors the Old City's cocktail tier with amari.
Tip: Sister venue Osteria Stella is upstairs; pair the aperitivo with the Italian dinner for a one-stop Old City night.
Emilia ★ 4.6
market-square · 16 Market Square, Knoxville, TN 37902
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.
Tip: Reservations open about three weeks out; Tuesday through Thursday dinners turn faster than weekend Saturdays.
Lilou Brasserie ★ 4.6
gay-street · 428 S Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902
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.
Tip: Daily happy hour runs 16:00-18:00; Saturday and Sunday brunch sits 10:00-14:00.
Osteria Stella ★ 4.6
old-city · 108 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.
Tip: Sunday dinner is the quieter night; pair the meal with an aperitivo at sibling Brother Wolf downstairs.
Emilia ★ 4.6
market-square · 16 Market Square, Knoxville, TN 37902
Emilia on Market Square, chef Matt Gallaher's Emilia-Romagna-inspired Italian dining room since 2016, runs handmade pasta and hand-pulled mozzarella.
Tip: OpenTable opens about three weeks out; Tuesday to Thursday dinners turn faster than weekend Saturdays.
Lilou Brasserie ★ 4.6
gay-street · 428 S Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902
Lilou Brasserie on South Gay Street, the Aaron Thompson and Jessica King French brasserie in the old Sapphire space, runs full-day French service.
Tip: Daily happy hour 16:00-18:00 is the easiest entry; brunch sits at 10:00-14:00 on weekends.
Osteria Stella ★ 4.6
old-city · 108 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.
Tip: Sunday dinner is the quieter night; pair with an aperitivo at sibling Brother Wolf downstairs.
The Public House ★ 4.6
downtown · 212 W Magnolia Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917
The Public House on West Magnolia, the no-TV no-live-music neighborhood bar, runs a serious cocktail program and a tight Southern-inflected food menu.
Tip: Walk-up only; the bar opens at 16:00, the kitchen runs the full night menu.
Boyd's Jig and Reel ★ 4.6
old-city · 101 S Central Street, Knoxville, TN 37902
Boyd's Jig and Reel on South Central, the Old City Scottish session pub, holds one of the largest single-malt Scotch lists in the world with live Celtic.
Tip: Sunday and Monday Scottish music jam sessions are the most authentic windows; the whisky list runs over 1,000 bottles.
Lilou Brasserie Wine Bar ★ 4.6
gay-street · 428 S Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902
Lilou Brasserie on South Gay Street, Aaron Thompson and Jessica King's French brasserie, runs a built French and natural wine program at the bar.
Tip: Daily 16:00-18:00 happy hour is the easiest entry to the by-the-glass list; brunch sits Saturdays and Sundays.
Pretentious Beer Co. Taproom ★ 4.5
old-city · 131 S Central Street, Knoxville, TN 37902
Pretentious Beer Co. taproom on South Central in the Old City, glass artist Matthew Cummings' experimental brewery, pours small-batch beer in hand-blown.
Tip: Beer garden between the brewery and glass studio is the centerpiece; weekday afternoons are quietest.
Emilia Wine Program ★ 4.5
market-square · 16 Market Square, Knoxville, TN 37902
Emilia on Market Square, chef Matt Gallaher's Italian dining room since 2016, runs a deep Italian wine program with regional Emilia-Romagna focus.
Tip: The bar seats fewer than a dozen; pair with the pasta menu rather than a full dinner reservation for a quicker visit.
Osteria Stella Wine Bar ★ 4.5
old-city · 108 W Jackson Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902
Osteria Stella on West Jackson in the Old City, Aaron Thompson and Jessica King's Italian dining room, runs an Italian-only wine program at the bar paired.
Tip: The Italian-leaning list overlaps with the Brother Wolf cocktail list downstairs; do the wine first, then aperitivo below.
Suttree's High Gravity Tavern ★ 4.4
gay-street · 409 S Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902
Suttree's High Gravity Tavern on South Gay Street, the downtown Knoxville craft-beer bar named for the Cormac McCarthy novel, runs 32 rotating taps.
Tip: Ramen menu runs to last call; check the tap-list chalkboard for the night's rotation.
Bearden Beer Market ★ 4.4
bearden · 4524 Old Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919
Bearden Beer Market on Old Kingston Pike, the West Knoxville beer bar and bottle shop, runs a rotating tap and bottle list open 365 days a year.
Tip: Outside dog-friendly patio is the real draw; food trucks rotate so check the Facebook page for the night's truck.
Stock and Barrel Bar ★ 4.4
market-square · 35 Market Square, Knoxville, TN 37902
Stock and Barrel on Market Square, the bourbon-and-burger room since 2013, carries a 300-deep American whiskey list with Pappy and Blanton's allocations.
Tip: The bar runs past kitchen close on Friday and Saturday; aim for early dinner if the kitchen is the priority.
Schulz Brau Beer Garden ★ 4.4
happy-holler · 126 Bernard Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917
Schulz Brau beer garden on Bernard Avenue in Happy Holler, the German family-owned brewery's outdoor space, pours authentic German lagers and weisse.
Tip: Beer garden runs weather-dependent; check the brewery's Instagram before driving over on a borderline day.
Chesapeake's Seafood House ★ 4.3
downtown · 415 Locust Street, Knoxville, TN 37902
Chesapeake's Seafood House on Locust Street, part of the Copper Cellar Family Restaurants group, runs Maryland-style crab cakes and fresh fish.
Tip: Pre-theater dinner runs faster than the post-show seating; reservations on OpenTable open about three weeks out.
Chesapeake's Seafood House ★ 4.3
downtown · 415 Locust Street, Knoxville, TN 37902
Chesapeake's Seafood House on Locust Street, the Copper Cellar group's downtown seafood room, runs Maryland crab cakes and fresh fish in a historic setting.
Tip: Pre-theater dinner runs faster than the post-show seating; OpenTable opens about three weeks out.
Crafty Bastard Brewery Emory Place Taproom ★ 4.3
old-city · 6 Emory Place, Knoxville, TN 37917
Crafty Bastard at Emory Place, the downtown Knoxville taproom HQ on a corner lot north of Gay Street, runs a rotating tap list of Crafty Bastard brews.
Tip: Food trucks rotate nightly; check the taproom Instagram before walking up.
Bistro at the Bijou Wine List ★ 4.3
gay-street · 807 S Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902
Bistro at the Bijou on South Gay Street, attached to the historic Bijou Theatre, runs a selected French and Californian wine list paired with the pre-theater.
Tip: Pre-theater wine flight is the easiest way into the list; Tuesday live-jazz nights pair well with a bottle.
The Public House Wine List ★ 4.3
downtown · 212 W Magnolia Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917
The Public House on West Magnolia, the cocktail bar with no TVs or live music, runs a small natural-leaning wine list to complement its cocktail.
Tip: The wine list is short by design; the bartender will pick a pour off the list if you describe what you like.
Yee-Haw Brewing Knoxville Taproom ★ 4.2
happy-holler · 745 N Broadway, Knoxville, TN 37917
Yee-Haw Brewing taproom on North Broadway, the regional Tennessee brand's Knoxville location, runs the full Yee-Haw lineup with live music programming.
Tip: Live music nights run Fridays and Saturdays; the kitchen stays open through last call on weekends.
Elst Brewing Taproom ★ 4.2
north-knoxville · 2419 N Central Street, Knoxville, TN 37917
Elst Brewing taproom on North Central, the dog-friendly Belgian-leaning craft brewery patio, runs saisons, farmhouse ales and rotating seasonals in North.
Tip: Dog-friendly outdoor patio is the draw; food trucks rotate so check the chalkboard for the night.
Marble City Pub ★ 4.0
bearden · 108 Jack Dance Street, Knoxville, TN 37919
Marble City Pub on Jack Dance Street, the West Hills cocktail and beer bar, runs craft cocktails, rotating taps and Saturday salsa nights in the strip.
Tip: Saturday salsa nights run late; weeknights are reliably easier for the cocktail program.