No place is worth waiting an hour for food after you order. It took an hour to get a seat, which on a Saturday is understandable. However, by the time we got our food two hours later I was past the point of being hungry and was somewhat lightheaded. Maybe there aren’t enough trendy places in Knoxville for diners to eat brunch. And the food was pretty good once it arrived. But we won’t be back.
Katie Rojas
Reasonable prices, friendly staff, AMAZING food!!Awesome menu with rotating daily specials and breads.Housemade hot sauce was fabulous.Owner is Mexican-American and the menu incorporates traditional Mexican flavors into your typical brunchfare.Amazing brunch spot in Knoxville!!
John Kelleher
Check the “Specials” board. Amazing dishes here. Weekday is best; no line.
Sun Lee
I stopped in for breakfast while visiting Knoxville. The vibrant Old City location is the perfect setting for this casual eatery featuring an inspired menu and friendly service. I loved the lemon buttermilk pancakes with smoked pork belly.
Hunter Carlheim
Worth any wait you might have. Daily specials and a great menu. Coffee is local and food is one of the best breakfast/brunch in Knoxville.
Julia Delaney
Amazing!My husband I were traveling through town and stopped in for brunch. The food looked delicious, and I didn’t stop to take a snap before digging in (that’s why the photos are clearly post-bite).The smashed potatoes are light and creamy inside and crispy outside - the perfect combo. The sage sausage was delicious, and the eggs were poached (for me) and fried (for him) to perfection. The biscuits are fluffy, and who even knew that English muffin bread was even a thing?!? Oh, and the bloody Mary’s and mimosas were top notch.To top it all off, it was blue skies inside with a wall of Dolly. Highly recommend.TL;DR - Yes, 100% you should try this place.
Holt R.
Second time here, everything on the menu is delicious and you can tell it is fresh! Staff is also super friendly. Highlight of the menu has to be the PANCAKES. DON'T MISS EM'!!!
Rachel R.
Excellent breakfast and great service. They were very accommodating of my gluten and dairy intolerances.
John K.
The reason this awesome little cafe is packed on weekends with lines out the door is because the food, staff, & service is OUTSTANDING! There are various vegan & vegetarian options, and even gluten-free solutions; just ask the helpful wait-staff. Summertime on the patio is perfect. Parking can be tricky on weekends; so go on a weekday because it is so quick to park & just a small crowd can enjoy the wonderful food with you.
Elizabeth N.
The staff were super kind! The restaurant itself was quite small, but they did their best to get everyone seated in a timely manner. It was quite a long wait, but the food itself was worth it. The hostess was kind enough to bring out complementary hot chocolate--it was a very cold day--to one of the parties waiting outside. The food was fantastic; I had the chicken biscuit, which was some of the best fried chicken I've had in my life. Highly recommend this dish!!
One of our goals on any trip we take are discovering new places to eat. Specifically ones that are recommended by locals. Or business owners we meet that are plugged into the local restaurant community. This was one of those recommendations so here we go! 1st thing is the atmosphere and it is welcoming as soon as you walk in. It has both inside and outdoor seating depending on the weather. Our server asked where we were from? Which would indicate as much as we try not to look like tourists. We look like tourist. She was incredibly friendly and welcoming only made the experience that much better. We tried two entrees of our choice and a side dish. I went with the Breafast Taco's and my wife ordered "The Problem" biscuit and for our side we chose a biscuit and gravy. Everything was amazing!!! If you see the picture of our empty plates thats why we savored every last morsel. This is a must visit when you are in Knoxville, Tennessee!
Nathan Todd
Amazing breakfast with great vegan offerings! Portions were perfect. Service was quick even when the restaurant was packed.Vegetarian options: Vegan burrito
Anna D.
I was excited to try OliBea after reading all the rave reviews. I ordered the chicken biscuit with a poached egg, smashed potatoes and a horchata to go. The total was around $22 including tip. I arrived to pick-up my food at the time I was told and by then the food was already cold. The biscuit crumbled too much and the gravy was bland. The chicken was very very good though. The smashed potatoes were ok but I did like that they added nutritional yeast on top for extra flavor. The horchata was decent but not the best I had.
K M.
Phenomenal food and professional service. Our waiter knew the food, how to describe how it was prepared, and what it tasted like. Always a good start. Excellent coffee. Disappointed in the trans right virtue signaling which seemed to "support this cause" without any backing behind it. It's best for restaurants to do what they do well and cook good food rather than become political or Wade into the murky waters of social justice.
Debra P.
We had to wait half an hour for brunch and it was worth the wait. When seated, we had an excellent server. We had the classic benedicts, tried their herb gravy on our potatoes, delicious. I opted to have my bennie on the veggie of the day instead of on toast. We also shared a lemon pancake, it was good, but I think the addition of blue berries would of elevated the pancake. We started with an amazing cocktail, pineapple, basil mojito. Excellent.
No place is worth waiting an hour for food after you order. It took an hour to get a seat, which on a Saturday is understandable. However, by the time we got our food two hours later I was past the point of being hungry and was somewhat lightheaded. Maybe there aren’t enough trendy places in Knoxville for diners to eat brunch. And the food was pretty good once it arrived. But we won’t be back.
Reasonable prices, friendly staff, AMAZING food!!Awesome menu with rotating daily specials and breads.Housemade hot sauce was fabulous.Owner is Mexican-American and the menu incorporates traditional Mexican flavors into your typical brunchfare.Amazing brunch spot in Knoxville!!
Check the “Specials” board. Amazing dishes here. Weekday is best; no line.
I stopped in for breakfast while visiting Knoxville. The vibrant Old City location is the perfect setting for this casual eatery featuring an inspired menu and friendly service. I loved the lemon buttermilk pancakes with smoked pork belly.
Worth any wait you might have. Daily specials and a great menu. Coffee is local and food is one of the best breakfast/brunch in Knoxville.
Amazing!My husband I were traveling through town and stopped in for brunch. The food looked delicious, and I didn’t stop to take a snap before digging in (that’s why the photos are clearly post-bite).The smashed potatoes are light and creamy inside and crispy outside - the perfect combo. The sage sausage was delicious, and the eggs were poached (for me) and fried (for him) to perfection. The biscuits are fluffy, and who even knew that English muffin bread was even a thing?!? Oh, and the bloody Mary’s and mimosas were top notch.To top it all off, it was blue skies inside with a wall of Dolly. Highly recommend.TL;DR - Yes, 100% you should try this place.
Second time here, everything on the menu is delicious and you can tell it is fresh! Staff is also super friendly. Highlight of the menu has to be the PANCAKES. DON'T MISS EM'!!!
Excellent breakfast and great service. They were very accommodating of my gluten and dairy intolerances.
The reason this awesome little cafe is packed on weekends with lines out the door is because the food, staff, & service is OUTSTANDING! There are various vegan & vegetarian options, and even gluten-free solutions; just ask the helpful wait-staff. Summertime on the patio is perfect. Parking can be tricky on weekends; so go on a weekday because it is so quick to park & just a small crowd can enjoy the wonderful food with you.
The staff were super kind! The restaurant itself was quite small, but they did their best to get everyone seated in a timely manner. It was quite a long wait, but the food itself was worth it. The hostess was kind enough to bring out complementary hot chocolate--it was a very cold day--to one of the parties waiting outside. The food was fantastic; I had the chicken biscuit, which was some of the best fried chicken I've had in my life. Highly recommend this dish!!
Restaurantji Recommends
One of our goals on any trip we take are discovering new places to eat. Specifically ones that are recommended by locals. Or business owners we meet that are plugged into the local restaurant community. This was one of those recommendations so here we go! 1st thing is the atmosphere and it is welcoming as soon as you walk in. It has both inside and outdoor seating depending on the weather. Our server asked where we were from? Which would indicate as much as we try not to look like tourists. We look like tourist. She was incredibly friendly and welcoming only made the experience that much better. We tried two entrees of our choice and a side dish. I went with the Breafast Taco's and my wife ordered "The Problem" biscuit and for our side we chose a biscuit and gravy. Everything was amazing!!! If you see the picture of our empty plates thats why we savored every last morsel. This is a must visit when you are in Knoxville, Tennessee!
Amazing breakfast with great vegan offerings! Portions were perfect. Service was quick even when the restaurant was packed.Vegetarian options: Vegan burrito
I was excited to try OliBea after reading all the rave reviews. I ordered the chicken biscuit with a poached egg, smashed potatoes and a horchata to go. The total was around $22 including tip. I arrived to pick-up my food at the time I was told and by then the food was already cold. The biscuit crumbled too much and the gravy was bland. The chicken was very very good though. The smashed potatoes were ok but I did like that they added nutritional yeast on top for extra flavor. The horchata was decent but not the best I had.
Phenomenal food and professional service. Our waiter knew the food, how to describe how it was prepared, and what it tasted like. Always a good start. Excellent coffee. Disappointed in the trans right virtue signaling which seemed to "support this cause" without any backing behind it. It's best for restaurants to do what they do well and cook good food rather than become political or Wade into the murky waters of social justice.
We had to wait half an hour for brunch and it was worth the wait. When seated, we had an excellent server. We had the classic benedicts, tried their herb gravy on our potatoes, delicious. I opted to have my bennie on the veggie of the day instead of on toast. We also shared a lemon pancake, it was good, but I think the addition of blue berries would of elevated the pancake. We started with an amazing cocktail, pineapple, basil mojito. Excellent.