50 Best American Restaurants in Knoxville

“We had a fantastic evening - first we were proactively moved from a table next to a large group and therefore noisy to a quieter space in the restaurant- where does that ever happen - secondly our dinners were exquisite- creativity and quality above the price - one of the best meals we’ve enjoyed in a while - had the tuna crisp - burrata salad -osso buco - chicken and trout - financier and olive oil cake - we would happily order any of those again - thank you for a wonderful evening - we will be back !“

“If you love biscuits and sausage gravy this is the place for you. Delicious!“

“Shout out to the bartender, Tara. You were absolutely phenomenal during our visit! Keep making those amazing White Russians!!“

“Food is incredible and service was great. Very knowledgeable server. Portions were sizable as far as fine dining goes. Had the chicken and dumplings and they were fantastic, husband had the wagyu steak and it was perfect. Definitely try the bread board.“

“I want to give a big shoutout to our server Jai at Walk-On’s. From the moment we sat down, they were so friendly, patient, and attentive. They checked on us often, made sure our drinks stayed full, and gave great recommendations. The food was delicious, but the service made the whole experience even better“

“We needed a burger and a quick old fashioned! This place was packed and they still turned out our food and drinks fast! The well whiskey was good too. I should have gotten the whiskey flight! Buffalo trace , welled reserve, Blanton’s, and to finish it off with some Taylor! Man, that sounded like a great choice! This is place is on my Must revisit!“

“They say you should never meet your heroes, but clearly they’ve never met Candy. I ordered a simple unsweet tea, macaroni, a burger slider… and she turned it into a five-star experience. Halfway through my meal, a flock of rogue pigeons somehow burst through the front door (long story), and one made a dive straight for my slider. In one fluid motion, Candy blocked it with a cocktail shaker, slid me to safety, and single-handedly negotiated peace with the birds. She refilled my tea before I even knew I was thirsty again. Her tea pouring technique should be studied in hospitality schools, and if she ever writes a memoir, I’ll be first in line… assuming she isn’t too busy saving the world. 5 stars, no notes“

“Our first visit for dinner won’t be the last! We ordered steak and burgers and were very very satisfied-great quality food! Charity, the manager, and Lily, our waitress, went above and beyond to provide amazing service. It was obvious that that is the standard to which they do business. We were very impressed and will definitely be back!“

“The smokey burger was the best burger that I've ever eaten in my life! Also, my three year old daughter is autistic and getting her to eat can be a struggle, but she LOVED the chicken tenders here. Everyone here was very kind and friendly. We will definitely be back!“

“A+. The food was 5star plus!!!! Great server! Highly recommend!“

“Great burgers best burgers“

“Delicious food, helpful staff. Had a great experience!“

“Good sno balls on hot days“

“I loved this place. Intimate atmosphere, great drinks, wine and dinner menu. Enjoyed our meal very much.“

“We ate here twice while we were in town, and we loved it! The servers, Amber and Daniel, were fantastic-nice, attentive and great personalities. We will definitely be back there!“

“love everything especially the made to order fresh chicken livers.And cobbler!!“

“Fantastic girls getting it done! They should play Fail Army on tv,that’s funny.Not as many guys as you think watch sports at all.I know because I go there a lot.“

“My go-to for comfort food! All the daily specials are consistently delicious. The prices are on point, considering the generous portions (enough for two meals. I often call ahead to order a breakfast biscuit for carryout. The staff feels like family! Highly recommend! 5 stars“

“My husband & I moved up to Powell from Orlando in April. We really miss our old Smash Burger place, Cow and Cheese, so 7/4 we spent part of our day at the Mall and tried BR. He had a double jalapeño burger and I got a double mushroom & swiss. Absolutely delicious! We ended up going again today, 7/6 and added Bacon Cheese Ranch fries. Also excellent. They make everything to order but it comes out pretty quickly. We both highly recommend everyone try them. We will be back. They serve Coke products along with 2-3 different fruity beverages.“

“We were in Knoxville for UT graduation and spent a lot of time here! Our sever Stacy has been wonderful!! Friendly, quick to service, and super positive energy! We loved it!!!“

“My wife, our 3-year-old daughter, and I stopped in today for a late lunch while visiting Knoxville from Ooltewah (Chattanooga). We're always on the lookout for great spots to eat, and this place did not disappoint. While there was a bit of a wait from ordering to getting our food, we weren’t in a rush—and it was absolutely worth it. My wife did also make the comment that she read that everything here was cooked fresh from ordering. Our server was friendly, attentive, and gave us fantastic recommendations after asking a few thoughtful questions. We ended up loving everything we ordered. As we were eating, we overheard another customer commenting on how good the food was and how busy it had been earlier—it was around 2-3 p.m., so we figured the staff was catching their breath after the lunch rush. We’ll be back in town next week, and we’re definitely coming back here! I signed the check and left it at the table, as we had to hit the road back to Ooltewah and didn’t get the chance to properly thank our server. She was excellent, and we truly appreciated her service. We hope to see her again when we're back next week.“

“I have been eating here for years and love their sandwhich selection! I have always had good service and really enjoy the atmosphere.“

“Delicious grits!!! And yummy spicy bloody marys!“

“Haven't had a bad meal and the staff is very nice! The burger and BBQ sandwiches are some of the best in town!“

“This place feels like an upscale local bar. Regulars sitting at the bar, which doesn’t bother me a bit. The bar tenders (Katana and Mike) were both very nice and personable. They checked on me regularly. The Caesar salad was good. Pimento cheese and sausage was a bit odd. I’ll definitely be back!“

“I have been eating here for years and love their sandwhich selection! I have always had good service and really enjoy the atmosphere.“

“It's hard to tell when this place is open but when it is they serve up some of the best food. Their salads and especially the poppy seed dressing is amazing. They season their meat perfectly and always taste great. Desserts are also always on point. Wish I could eat here more frequently but with the hours they have its a bit hard to get over there.“

“Delicious, healthy food & cheery place to go!“

“If you are anywhere near Knoxville, TN you MUST stop in. This is more than a tea room. It is place to go for home made breakfast, brunch or lunch with a Southern atmosphere. The food is delicious. The friendly owner is onsite making sure everything is done right. We like it so much we came back. Try the pineapple boat with pineapple, chicken salad, banana bread & chips, our favorite.“

“Great service and great food!! The staff and the manager make sure you enjoy your meal and your evening. We will definitely be back ?“

“The food is really great and the staff is so nice! I love the beefeater, which is like a French dip. I also love their salad bar with those tiny delicious muffins.
Upade: I've been trying the soups and both the chicken pot pie soup and the beef stew a fabulous!“

“Will NEVER eat there! Served my son a ROTTEN Oyster!!! Emily Acknowledged and apologized that the oyster was rotten!! I spoke to her after the incident and she was very apologetic and wanted to make it right!! Fast forward, asked for all the receipts for his medical care and then crickets!!! Weeks later, he received a $50- gift card, what a joke!! That is NO WAY to do business!!! BEWARE!!!!“

“Love this place. Come here often and the waitstaff and bartenders are efficient and personable. Bailey and Kailey are amazing and I will be bringing clients by just for the attentive service. Kitchen seemed a little backed up so food took awhile. However my drink never got below a quarter full“

“Great place to eat. Good food, good service. Sweet katie is always great.“

“Waiters And waitresses are the best. Annie was our waitress and she was awesome .there is a new manager who was not very visible or engaging. Not impressed with her“

“The Bel Air was nice are waitress was excellent but I was disappointed once again about ordering a hamburger medium rare and it coming to me medium well I don't think these restaurants know how to cook a burger The only one that seems to know is the burger or longhorn or somewhere like that. The Bel air's advertisements said that because they use a certain kind of beef or because their beef is in house something like that that you were able to order to taste totally not so should have sent it back but didn't want to be difficult do better“

“My server, Alex was polite and attentive. He gave us refills in a timely manner. The chicken salad sandwich was delicious. Best baked squash also.“

“Amazing food and great staff. Always a good experience.“

“Excellent food & amazingly friendly staff“

“First place I went to eat when I came "home" to Knoxville!“

“We were passing through and decided to stop since we no longer have a Shoney’s in our hometown. The food was great , service was great, and my kids loved getting to try their first hot fudge cake!“

“I've seen it there for the past month and finally stopped by. I'm glad I did I had the Bacon cheese burger meal with fries and drink and a steak Taco. Prices are decent and food was delicious.“

“Been here several times and every visit has been exceptional! Will continue to eat here and the staff and owners are very helpful, nice, kind people. A must do for all.“

“This place was nasty. Food isn't labeled - you have to guess what you're eating. My daughter plated Mac and cheese with a long black coarse hair in it in front of my husband and was so disgusted she didn't even want to eat anything. The "steak" is bathing in what I assume is Montreal Steak Seasoning and some type of juice. My toddler literally ate a breadstick and NOTHING else - not even Jello. I paid for our meal but regret eating here. Sorry just my opinion. Our server was WONDERFUL so I have NOTHING against her.“

“We ate at the Cheddars on Clinton Hwy in Knoxville and man it was soooo good. My son and I had the sirloin and they were cooked to perfection! There was a slight timing mishap with a soup and salad but they made it right on the spot and I am glad that I did not get that salad earlier because I would not have been able to enjoy every bite of that steak. The green beans? Oh my gosh soooo good. Next time I will forget about the salad and get the two sides. I didn't catch our server's name but she was great! Shout out to server: hey girl tell us your name! you don't have to say I am _____ and I will be your server. But maybe, and my name is _____ if you need to get my attention. That is what I used to do. And you were great! Thank you Cheddars!!! Oh and Kyle Busch is my driver!!“

“Our waitress was very nice. Our order was 💯. Prices are reasonable and food quantity and quality is top notch! So delicious 😋“

“As soon as I stepped foot in this establishment, I was greeted with not only the warm aroma of fried chicken but also an intimate massage from the greeter. A meal swipe gets you so much nowadays! Anyway, I need you to understand that my hunger unleashed a primal aggression that had been long chained and subdued. Only a delicious Aramark prepared frozen meal could save Knoxville from utter devastation. Southern Kitchen is not just a home but a hero. Not like Iron Man, more like Hawkeye after he gives up on his life’s ambitions in a deep depressive episode, but a hero nonetheless. Alas, if I had to pick a last meal, it would be Southern Kitchen.“

“The Tennessean Hotel truly feels like my home away from home! The property exudes class and elegance in every detail, and during every Volunteer home game, the lobby comes alive with team colors and energy! From the top-notch Drawing Room restaurant with its perfectly curated menu to the exceptionally comfortable rooms, The Tennessean checks every box. What truly sets this hotel apart, though, is the staff. They are warm, professional, and always knowledgeable about what’s happening around the city. The team goes above and beyond to tailor your stay just the way you like it, and the management’s attentiveness makes it feel like an all-inclusive resort. They even remember returning guests by name and recall personal preferences — a rare and impressive level of hospitality. We can’t thank the entire team enough for consistently making each stay outstanding.“