Knoxville, Tennessee is blessed with a huge selection of restaurants and most all are very, very good. However a few stand above the rest for delivering consistantly high quality food, service, and atmosphere.

Here’s my picks for the best 10 non-chain restaurants in Knoxville.

  1. Number one and head and shoulders above most all Knoxville restaurants is the venerable Regas Restaurant located since 1919 at the corner of Gay Street & Magnolia Avenue. Red Velvet cake is my desert of choice here.regas knoxville tn
  2. Quite a bit funkier than the white tablecloth Regas but delivering just as good a meal for the money is Fountain City’s legendary Litton’s Restaurant. Litton’s is my choice for best hamburger in the world! Freshly ground beef, freshly baked buns, fresh cut French Fries; burgers & fries don’t come any better anywhere.
  3. One of my favorite places to eat in the Bearden area is Naples. knoxville tn best restaurantsFormerly called Alberti’s, Naples carries on the tradition of great Italian food in a neighborhood atmosphere. Naple’s eggplant parmigiana is my favorite dish.
  4. Down west in Farragut is Sam & Andy’s, another Knoxville institution and now operated by the third generation of the Captain family. Try a Vol Burger when you visit. Tell John or his sister Brenda that I sent you.
  5. Over in the Rocky Hill area of near west Knoxville is Sullivan’s. Sullivan’s is a terrific neighborhood restaurant that delivers quality food & drink in a pleasant atmsphere. Their fried oysters are the best.
  6. No list of Knoxville’s best restaurants would be complete without including Wright’s Cafeteria on Middlebrook Pike. Only open Monday-Friday for lunch and Thursday evenings from 5:30 to 7:30, David Wright & family deliver ‘down home’ cooking that’s sure to please. I like the veggies, spiced apples, okra & tomatoes, real mashed potatoes, and……lots more.
  7. Uptown on the Market Square Mall is the Tomato Head. Odd name perhaps but nothing odd about their marvelous pizzas, sandwiches on fresh baked bread, home made soups, and other delicious goodies. A favorite of the downtown Knoxville residents and workers.
  8. Another great Italian restaurant in the Cedar Bluff Road area of west Knoxville is Altruda’s. When you visit I recommend the Scallopine of veal with fresh mushrooms and marsala wine sauce. knoxville tn 10 best restaurants
  9. OK, this one is part of a chain now but a small chain and a local one. Downstairs at the Copper Cellar on Cumberland Avenue is a wonderful atmosphere accompanied by an equally wonderful food & wine menu. The ‘other’ Copper Cellar is on Kingston Pike just east of West Towne Mall; they have an Italian annex called Cappuccino’s. Both are equally good but the Cumberland Avenue location downstairs is a special place for my wife and I.
  10. Last and least (just in size, food is huge in flavor and quality) is Savelli’s Italian on Sutherland Avenue. Operated by Mama Savelli and staffed by the family. Cute, quaint, terrific. The only drawback is that it’s very small but that’s part of its charm. Bring your own bottle of wine here; Mama Savelli furnishes everything else…

That’s my current choice for Knoxville’s top 10 local restaurants, visit one soon and enjoy a great meal.

Bon appetit!

PS, we have great houses for sale near all these wonderful restaurants. Visit my menu of Knoxville Tennessee homes at KnoxvilleMLS.com