The Best Restaurants in Knoxville: 12 Spots Worth Your Time (and Calories)
JC Holdway
By Kelly McMurtry
Knoxville might be best known for its college football and its proximity to Dollywood, but as someone who has done an embarrassing amount of eating here, I can tell you it’s a city that knows its way around a plate. Whether you’re after Southern comfort food or a global flavor adventure, Knoxville delivers in a way that’s surprising, satisfying, and worth telling people about. Here are seven places that will make you glad you showed up hungry.
1. JC Holdway
Chef Joseph Lenn’s JC Holdway has single-handedly raised Knoxville’s culinary game to new heights. This James Beard Award-winning chef offers a constantly changing menu with ingredients that look like they were foraged by woodland sprites in a forest full of artisanal farmers. Whether you're there for the wood-fired quail or something you can't pronounce, JC Holdway strikes the balance between refined and relaxed, which Knoxville desperately needed.
2. Lonesome Dove
If you like your fine dining served with a side of cowboy swagger, Lonesome Dove is your place. Chef Tim Love brings wild game into the spotlight, with elk sliders and rabbit-rattlesnake sausage to challenge your definition of "dinner." It’s like stepping into a saloon, only you’re paying fine dining prices, and nobody’s going to punch you for looking at them the wrong way.
3. Emilia
Pasta lovers rejoice. Emilia is your cozy corner of Italian goodness in Market Square. Chef Matt Gallaher, known for his time cooking for politicians and rock stars (not hyperbole), serves up handmade pasta that makes you wonder why you’ve ever settled for boxed noodles. Try the pappardelle and let your carb dreams take flight.
4. Landing House
Sevier Avenue is where you’ll find Landing House, a place that makes you question why Asian fusion doesn’t dominate every city’s food scene. Their bao buns are a fluffy, flavorful dream, and the stir-fry dishes are packed with fresh vegetables and tender meat. It’s a casual spot where you’ll feel comfortable lingering over a sake flight or two.
5. A Dopo Sourdough Pizza
If you haven't experienced the glory that is sourdough pizza, A Dopo will convert you faster than a tent revival. This small, unpretentious spot offers wood-fired pizzas with crusts that have been given the same love and attention a grandmother gives to her biscuits. It’s Knoxville’s answer to the nationwide pizza obsession, only better, because it’s here.
6. Southern Grit
If Southern food were a personality, Southern Grit would be the cool aunt who knows how to make perfect shrimp and grits and insists you call her by her first name. Nestled in the historic Old City, this place takes Lowcountry classics and makes them feel both modern and familiar. The fried green tomatoes are crispy without being oily, the shrimp platter feels like it was pulled straight out of the water, and the meatloaf might make you think about calling your grandma to apologize for liking this one better.
7. Bistro by the Tracks
Want a little sophistication with your Southern hospitality? Bistro by the Tracks is as close as you’ll get to white tablecloth dining without anyone actually using the term "white tablecloth." The food is polished but approachable, featuring seasonal dishes with a focus on locally sourced ingredients. If you leave hungry, that’s on you, not them.
8. Flats & Taps
Flats & Taps is unapologetically laid-back in the best way. Their stone-baked flats come loaded with toppings like bacon, blue cheese, and caramelized onions, and they somehow manage to make paninis exciting. But the real star here is the beer list—an endless parade of taps that will have you saying, “Just one more,” several times.
9. Not Watson’s Kitchen + Bar
Market Square is a Knoxville institution, and Not Watson’s is the place you’ll stop for lunch and accidentally stay through dinner. Their burger is good enough to make you forget every other burger you’ve ever loved. For something lighter, the house salad is shockingly satisfying, and by "lighter," I mean it’s loaded with cheese and candied pecans, so don’t worry.
10. Fieldhouse Social
There’s a lot happening at Fieldhouse Social, from the giant TV wall (seriously, it’s enormous) to a menu that reads like a greatest hits of American comfort food. You might be here to watch a game, but the wings will steal your attention. They’re crispy, saucy, and likely to end up all over your napkin. Don’t skip the loaded fries, a guilty pleasure that combines everything good about food and regret.
11. Savelli’s Italian Restaurant
On Sutherland Avenue, Savelli’s sits quietly, doing its thing, which just so happens to be making some of the best Italian food in town. It’s the kind of place where the pasta feels homemade because it is, and the marinara sauce tastes like someone actually cared about the tomatoes. Their lasagna is gooey in the best way, and the garlic knots—pillowy and drenched in butter—are impossible to share. You’re not leaving here without carbs in your heart and on your shirt.
12. Kabuki Restaurant Downtown
Kabuki does Japanese food without pretension or fuss. The sashimi is fresh, and the rolls are beautifully presented without being fussy. It’s the kind of spot you go to for dinner and leave thinking you should really eat sushi more often.
More From Knoxville
The Best Hotels in Knoxville
These five hotels will give you a perfect base to explore downtown Knoxville and the Smokies.
The Best Things to do in Knoxville
Knoxville is a vibrant city full of surprises, and here are five unique experiences.