A brunch chain is preparing to open on Gay Street, a popular gluten-free bakery has left South Knoxville, and a new cocktail festival is bringing more than 20 distiller-crafted drinks to downtown.
- The Flying Biscuit Cafe is opening inside downtown's new Lone Tree Pass development in September.
- Small Comforts Kitchen has left Baker Creek Bottoms, but fans of the gluten-free bakery will be able to find their favorite pastries around town.
- The inaugural Knoxville Cocktail Festival is set for Sept. 18 at The Mill & Mine.
Here's a closer look at the latest updates from the Knoxville restaurant scene.
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The Flying Biscuit Cafe opening in September on Gay Street
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Flying Biscuit Cafe, a national brunch chain, is opening this month in downtown Knoxville.
The restaurant posted a sneak peek of the space on Facebook, saying, "we couldn’t be more excited to open the doors EARLY SEPTEMBER!" It will be inside Lone Tree Pass, a $30 million development bringing condos, restaurants and a coffee shop across two buildings in the 200 block of Gay Street.
The Flying Biscuit Cafe will open in the Lone Tree Pass building fronting Gay Street and will connect to the courtyard at the epicenter of the development. The chain already has a Turkey Creek location at 11683 Parkside Drive.
Separately, Gemini Hospitality, the group behind Bella, The Raven, The Armory and Lucky Bird, is bringing a 6,000-square-foot Italian steakhouse to the site. The yet-to-be-named restaurant will occupy nearly all of the ground-floor commercial space in the same building as Flying Biscuit Cafe.
Treetop Coffee Shop, a popular Sequoyah Hills hangout, also is planned for the development.
Small Comforts Kitchen leaves South Knoxville storefront
Gluten-free bakery Small Comforts Kitchen is leaving its Baker Creek Bottoms storefront and returning to its roots.
Jordan Smith-Cowen opened her first brick-and-mortar storefront at 3726 Sevier Heights Road in 2025 after hopping around town from coffee shops to farmers markets and working out of Real Good Kitchen. Now, after more than a year away, she's returning to the shared kitchen at 2004 E. Magnolia Ave.
"As relieved as I am to be in a place I know we'll be able to stabilize alongside a community of food businesses I really love, I am also really quite heartbroken," Smith-Cowen shared on social media. "If you've been by Baker Creek recently you will see some construction progress has happened, but I just know in my gut that it's not the right place for us anymore. I am still so proud of what we were able to build in spite of every difficult thing that came our way."
Customers can find the gluten-free pastries at farmers markets across the city, as well as at coffee shops like Jacks and Primo Passo Coffee.
Knoxville Cocktail Festival coming to The Mill & Mine in September
The Old City is a prime spot to try trendy restaurants, return to your favorite bar or celebrate at local festivals. Later this month, a new cocktail festival just north of the neighborhood will bring together some of Knoxville's top beverage makers.
The inaugural Knoxville Cocktail Festival is set for 6-9:15 p.m. Sept. 18 at The Mill & Mine. The event will feature more than 20 signature, distiller-crafted cocktails, according to a news release, and local businesses including The Black Dog Brewhouse, Chivo Taqueria and Daisy's NA Bar are joining the festivities.
"Sip your way through creative cocktails from some of Knoxville’s best bartenders, sample spirits from your favorite brands (and discover a few new ones), and see what happens when Knoxville’s cocktail scene gets to show off a little," reads a description on the festival's website.
Tickets range from $49.15 to $59.74 and are available at knoxvillefests.com/cocktailfest.
Knox News reporter Joanna Hayes covers restaurants and retail for the business growth and development team. Email: joanna.hayes@knoxnews.com; Instagram: @knoxeat65. Sign up for Joanna's Eat65 email newsletter to get the latest drink and dining news, as well as restaurant recommendations, at knoxnews.com/newsletters.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: New brunch spot, cocktail festival coming this month to downtown Knoxville
