It's been an incredibly busy year for Knoxville's food and beverage scenes, which have welcomed popular chains like Hattie B's Hot Chicken and Swig, local concepts like French bistro Au Bon Coin and new restaurants at Covenant Health Park.
And plenty more are on the way.
As we inch toward the end of the year, let's look ahead at the restaurants, bars and coffee shops we're still eagerly waiting on to open, from sought-after chains finally making their way to Knoxville to more stadium restaurants and cocktail bars coming to the Old City.
Here's a list of 29 restaurants, bars and coffee shops planned for Knoxville.
Did we miss a spot? Send an email to joanna.hayes@knoxnews.com to have it considered for the list!
Alice in Appalachia
Alice in Appalachia closed in Market
Square at the beginning of this year before moving to 413 S. Gay St. in March. The retail shop is open, and owner Scott West said he plans to have the full shopping and bar experience completed by mid-November.
The West family purchased the Gay Street property (formerly home to Pioneer House) for $2.9 million in September 2022, with plans to invest roughly $1 million to build a new concept before deciding to relocate Alice in Appalachia to the building.
Info: scruffycity.com | @aliceinappalachia | 413 S. Gay St.
Bertie Rose
When Alice in Appalachia decided to make the move to Gay Street, it left a prominent retail spot open in Knoxville's most popular plaza. An all-day cafe named Bertie Rose plans to fill the space on Market Square next year.
Owner Sam Norman is bringing the modern Southern restaurant to life with business partner Brooke Phillips. Bertie Rose will have a walk-up coffee bar, made-to-order breakfast options and gourmet sandwiches for lunch. A few nights each week, it will transform into Bertie’s At Night, serving small plates and shareable entrees.
Info: @bertieroseknoxville | 18 Market Square
Buffleheads
The West family − building on decades of success developing downtown − is planning a duck-themed bar with duckpin bowling just across the river in South Knoxville.
Scott West and his wife, Bernadette, acquired the Everything Mushrooms building at 1004 Sevier Ave. for $2 million, according to the Knox County Register of Deeds. Buffleheads is the name of the concept planned for the 10,000-square-foot space, which the Wests expect to open in early 2027.
Info: @buffleheads | 1004 Sevier Ave.
Chick-N-Sack
After growing into the Marble City Market food hall and taking his K-Town Krack seasoning to grocery stores around the country, James "Boo" Jackson is now bringing his popular Chick-N-Sack brand to the brick-and-mortar space formerly home to Sweet P's Downtown Dive this fall.
As a former professional athlete, Jackson said having a brick-and-mortar spot where teams can place group orders − and a lowkey spot for athletes to visit − is the thing he values most about the new location.
Info: @chicknsack | 410 W. Jackson Ave.
Country Road
Country Road is a honky tonkand country music venue planned for the former Double S Wine Bar near the Old City. It opens this fall and will be the first venue of its kind in the neighborhood.
City Beer Board documents list the owner as Justin Mangelsdorf, who helped open nearby Alchemy Lounge and Cigar on South Central Street.
Info: @countryroadknox | 300 W. Magnolia Ave.
Crispy Cones
Crispy Cones, which expanded nationally after appearing on "Shark Tank" in 2023, is coming to the East Jackson Avenue side of Covenant Health Park in November. The ice cream shop opened its first Knoxville location earlier this year about halfway between Karns and Inskip at 6736 Malone Creek Drive before closing to move into the stadium district.
Info: crispycones.com | @crispycones | 500 E. Jackson Ave.
Disco Chicken and T. Ralph's
Disco Chicken, an entirely gluten-free chicken and doughnut shop, opened inside Kern's Food Hall last year and has been listed as one of the top three gluten-free restaurants in the world. Owner Dustin Cochran is taking that restaurant and another one of his Kern's concepts, T. Ralph's Burgers & Fries, to Covenant Health Park at the end of this year.
The restaurant will house both concepts inside the base of the Beauford Delaney Building near Willow Avenue.
Info (Disco Chicken): @discochickenanddonuts | 2201 Kerns Rising Way
Info (T. Ralph's): @tralphsburgers | 2201 Kerns Rising Way
GARMO
GARMO is a new market planned for 418 S. Gay St. that will sell pastries, breads and household pantry items, along with grab-and-go gourmet sandwiches, when it opens at the end of October. It is being brought to life by Aaron Thompson and Jessica King, who are the brains behind Brother Wolf, Lilou Brasserie and Osteria Stella.
Info: shopgarmo.com | @shopgarmo | 418 S. Gay St.
Golden Corral
Golden Corral is returning to Knoxville after nearly six years away. The chain buffet is moving into the former Party City building at 8503 Kingston Pike and will be in the same strip mall as Ollie's Bargain Outlet, Sunrise Supermarket and The Gilded Gown.
The Golden Corral website says the Knoxville location will open in early fall, but a specific date has not been announced. The restaurant used to have a location at 6612 Clinton Highway before it closed in 2020.
Info: goldencorral.com | @goldencorral | 8503 Kingston Pike
Good Judy's
Good Judy's is moving into the Club XYZ building at 1215 N. Central St. after the longstanding gay bar closed earlier this year following chronic missed rent payments. We don't know much about the new bar yet, but the owners behind the concept have ties to other popular Knoxville spots like Cool Beans and Sevier Avenue Burger Company.
Info: @goodjudysknoxville | 1215 N. Central St.
Good Neighbor Coffee
Oglewood Avenue closed its doors in May, allowing the white brick building on Broadway to transition from selling potted plants to cups of coffee.
Owner Jade Pacifico plans to open Good Neighbor as the coffee shop replacing the plant shop at 3524 N. Broadway. All we know about the concept comes from her April social media post, which mentioned Good Neighbor is "opening soon."
Info: @goodneighborcoffee_ | 3524 N. Broadway
Harold's
Harold's, backed by the same people opening Bertie Rose, is a classic American bar that will open in Alice in Appalachia's 750-square-foot bar area. It will have a food menu to pair with classic cocktails, and it is named after owner Sam Norman's father and grandfather.
Info: haroldsbar.com | @haroldsknoxville | 18 Market Square
Il Mercato
Il Mercato is coming to 5440 Homberg Drive near Lululemon and will be an entirely new concept for Knoxville, offering a way for customers to eat, purchase and learn about Italian foods. When the business opens later this year, it will feature a pasta station, pizza station, cannoli bar, gelato cart and a deli area serving paninis.
Info: ilmercatogourmet.com | 5440 Homberg Drive
In-N-Out
The California burger joint confirmed multiple locations are coming to Tennessee. While we don't know the timeline for openings or how many new locations will be added, we know one is slated to open in Alcoa.
Future locations are in the "early stages of planning," In-N-Out Burger Chief Operating Officer Denny Warnick said.
"After years of planning, it’s been exciting to have officially begun serving customers in three wonderful Tennessee communities in the Nashville area," he said. "We have more growth ahead of us there, and we’re in the early stages of planning for future locations in the Knoxville area."
Info: in-n-out.com | @innout
Jaguar Room
Tyler Measley is bringing the bartending passion that pushed him through college to the Old City, taking a leap of faith as he opens his own cocktail bar replacing a downtown Knoxville tattoo shop.
The Jaguar Room is scheduled to open by the end of the year in what used to be Riverside Tattoo Company, before it moved to South Knoxville. Measley's avant-garde cocktail bar will focus on "old-school Latin American" drinks with Japanese influence, he said, and the bar bites will have Cuban roots.
Info: jaguar-room-bar.merlin.site.com | @jaguar.room.bar | 224 N. Central St.
Jonathan's Grille
Jonathan's Grille, an upscale sports bar with a handful of locations in Middle Tennessee and one in Madison, Alabama, is proposing a multistory building at 406 Willow Ave.
With plans to open in 2027, it will be just south of Covenant Health Park and behind the Shell gas station.
Info:jonathansgrille.com | @jonathansgrille | 406 Willow Ave.
Knox-Quila Cantina
Knox-Quila Cantina is a family-owned restaurant with personal ties to the birthplace of tequila, and it's bringing reposado flights, taco plates and late nights to Covenant Health Park.
Knox-Quila Cantina will be in the base of the Beauford Delaney building in the space closest to the stadium's west entrance.
Info: 122 Stadium Way
Lucky Bird
Lucky Bird is an upscale rotisserie chicken restaurant moving into the former Babalu spot on Gay Street.
Behind the scenes, Gemini Hospitality has been quietly working to create a dining experience that's different from anything else in the area, not just downtown. We don't know much about Lucky Bird, but we do know rotisserie chicken will be at its core and that there will be a full bar.
Info: @luckybirdknoxville | 412 S. Gay St.
Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers
Knoxville is about to get a third Raising Cane's location, this time near Turkey Creek at the former O'Charley's at 11036 Parkside Drive. Knoxville's existing Raising Cane's locations are near West Hills and on the Strip.
O'Charley's closed months ago in Turkey Creek, and the property was sold in June amid a national downsizing for the restaurant chain.
Info: raisingcanes.com | @raisingcanes | 11036 Parkside Drive
Scruffy Pig
Scruffy Pig is the name of the new barbecue restaurant coming to North Central Street from the founder of Archer's BBQ, and a newly launched website offers the first look at the menu.
We don't know the timeline for opening, but William "Archer" Bagley III previously told Knox News he hopes to be serving customers by the end of the year.
Info: scruffypig.com | 937 N. Central St.
Sidecar
The owners of Fiori Bar & Lounge are gearing up to open a "sexy, romantic escape" just across the street in downtown Knoxville this fall.
Jesse and Corey Vose are planning another high-end Old City cocktail lounge called Sidecar in the former home of Bethie Lou's Fabulous Gift Store, which closed earlier this year at 108 E. Jackson Ave.
Info: sidecarknoxville.com | @sidecarknoxville | 108 E. Jackson Ave.
The Shrimp Dock
The Shrimp Dock is expanding to Belltown, a massive residential and retail development near Powell. The Burleson-branded restaurant already has locations in Bearden and Alcoa.
Info: shrimpdock.com | @shrimpdocktn | Market Bell Way
The Slice Bar
A Dopo is adding 2,200 square feet to its award-winning sourdough pizza restaurant just north of the Old City, including a full cocktail menu, pizza by the slice and walk-in availability.
Co-owner Brian Strutz is calling it The Slice Bar, which opens at the beginning of November. The new concept, which connects to A Dopo's dining room, will have its own entrance on the northeast side of the building at 516 Williams St.
Info: adopopizza.com | @adopopizza | 865-321-1297 | 516 Williams St.
Smalls Sliders
Smalls Sliders, a national fast-food chain whose buildings are made out of shipping containers, is planning four locations in Knoxville. Smalls Sliders plans to open its first spot at 330 N. Cedar Bluff Road in November.
Info: smallssliders.com | @smallssliders_knoxville | 330 N. Cedar Bluff Road
Smoked Pickle Barbecue
Smoked Pickle Barbecue has been serving brisket, ribs and pulled pork from a food truck for nearly six years. Now, the business is "bursting at its seams," leading owner Eric Pickle to open his first brick-and-mortar restaurant.
Pickle plans to keep the food truck, which has a home station at 920 Ebenezer Road, while launching a sit-down restaurant near Lakeshore Park in early 2027.
Info: smokedpicklebarbecue.com | @smokedpicklebarbecue | 130 S. Northshore Drive
Stone's Throw Coffee
Casey Stone and their partner, Zoey, are the owners behind Stone's Throw Coffee, which opens at the end of October. The coffee shop is inside the former South Press Cafe space, a South Knoxville anchor for the city's LGBTQ+ community that closed last year at 3615 Chapman Highway.
The space will have a stage for drag shows, slam poetry, author readings and more. Toward the back, their daughter is helping design a sensory room with pillows, books and games for "people who are feeling overwhelmed or overstimulated or just need a second to breathe."
Info: stonesthrowknoxville.com | @stonesthrowcoffeeknox | 3615 Chapman Highway
Water into Wine
Water into Wine already has a Farragut location and is expanding with another restaurant and bar in Belltown.
Info: waterintowineknoxville.com | @waterintowineknoxville | Market Bell Way
Wells Station BBQ
Owner Marcus Stokely is partnering with A Dopo co-owner Brian Strutz to turn his mobile Wells Station BBQbusiness into a permanent brick-and-mortar at 1617 N. Central St. The restaurant will be in the same parking lot as Wild Love Bakehouse and Mid Mod Collective, just north of the Happy Holler neighborhood.
Stokely expects to open Wells Station BBQ sometime in 2027.
Info: wellsstationbbq.com | @wells_station_bbq | 1617 N. Central St.
Universal Pizza Company
Universal Pizza Company is another Burleson-branded restaurant destined for the Belltown community. It will join other restaurants like The Shrimp Dock, Abridged Burger Company and Soccer Taco at the massive development near Powell.
Universal Pizza has one location in Clinton.
Info: upcpizza.com | Market Bell Way
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: 29 restaurants, bars and coffee shops we know are coming soon to Knoxville
