Good Eats in Knoxville, TN????
 

We'll be in Knoxville for a day next week and are looking for a place to eat lunch. Our kids (5 & 7) will be with us, so nothing too high end. I was considering BBQ - maybe Corky's or Calhouns? We tried Puelo's Grille once and really liked that, but would like to go somewhere different. Any suggestions?

Regas would be good if you can get to it easily. Lots of crazy road construction going on in that area right now.

Corkys or Calhouns either would be fine. Another suggestion would be Chesapeakes. It is under the same umbrella as Calhouns.

Litton's is my favorite casual Knoxville restaurant. They are in the Fountain City area on Essary Rd. They have great burgers made with freshly ground beef on homemade buns, served with handcut fries....mmmm! They have blue plate lunches and other sandwiches, too, but I love their burgers. And if you go, be sure to save room for dessert....their turtle brownie (two huge pieces of brownie with a thick layer of caramel in between, studded with pecans) is to die for! They also have fabulous red velvet cake, Italian cream cake, chocolate chip cookies.....ok, now I'm hungry!

waffle house

Any thoughts on which is better between Corky's & Calhouns? We love BBQ.

Litton's sounds fabulous - definitely something to consider - thanks!

I'd go with Calhoun's. There's one down on the river/UT area that's nice.

lol, xrae...and, I prefer Corky's! Corky's is Memphis style bbq and since that's what I grew up on, that's my preference.

bbq is like religion ... you tend to like what you grew up with ;) I've had Lexington BBQ, Kansas City, Memphis, and I always go back to East Tennessee as my favorite.

But I think Calhoun's by the river has a nice location as well as good food.

Y'all gotta be kidding?! A chain like Calhoun's even for young eaters? Isn't there better local fare,something that isn't a chain----my DD is a senior at UT and says there is fantastic pizza at Pizza Palace which I believe is east of downtown. How about some local suggestions from some Knoxvillians----is Regas local??? We could use these too since we're heading that way soon!

xrae, I was thinking that as I typed my preference....just like everyone's own Mother is the world's best cook!

RandyK, why do you think chains can't put out good food? Of course they can!

Chains offer no variety and serve essentially the same fare all around. Local, whether produce or restaurant, is always better. The adventure of travel is to see what things are like elsewhere, not to replicate your life at home. I am just seeking variety.

Snowrooster--let us know where you go!

Here's the address to Pizza Palace: Guy on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives called it the best pizza in the nation!

3132 E Magnolia Ave, Knoxville, TN 37914

Calhoun's and its umbrella company are a "local chain," if you will - not exactly the same as Applebee's. I'd pick Calhoun's over Corky's. Litton's is great too. Snowrooster, what part of town will you be in? That would be a big factor for me. Regas is pretty high end (at least for Knoxville). I like Buddy's BBQ - also a "local chain," but apparently the OP has no problems with that. :) It's more of a fast food environment, though.

For non-barbecue, if you go that route: the Tomato Head on Market Square is a local favorite - I haven't been, but it's supposed to be good. Kind of funky atmosphere. If you're up that way, Big Ed's in Oak Ridge is my favorite pizza place ever. Looks like a complete hole in the wall, but delicious. My brother recommends Thai (that's the restaurant name), on Kingston Pike in Bearden.

I used to live in Memphis and I live in Knoxville now. I may get attacked for this, but Knoxville BBQ is a joke. Do not go to Calhouns. It really does have that chain-like feel. Littons is a great suggestion - delicious burgers and desserts. I like jent103's suggestions, too - go to Market Square downtown and eat at the Tomato Head or Trio or Oodles. There are lots of cute shops on the Square and it's a fun place to walk around after your meal. She mentioned Thai in Bearden on Kingston Pike, but I think she's referring to "Tai" which is now out of business.

Becca, be careful.........I told someone not to eat bbq in East Tennessee and really perturbed some people!:-D

Oh, I know - I'm ready for the onslaught! Truly, though, it wouldn't be so bad if Calhouns didn't proclaim to have "America's Best Ribs." That just kills me!

Yeah... truthfully in the times I've been to Calhoun's, I haven't gotten the barbecue. I just like the restaurant in general better than Corky's. But it's all personal preference. Becca, I'm sure you're right about Tai - I grew up in Knoxville but live in Nashville now, so I asked my brother for suggestions. He's second guessing himself now, though! :)

One place I'd forgotten was Naples, also in Bearden. It's Italian, so another non-barbecue place, but good.

To tell the truth, I don't like Corky's or Buddy's for BBQ. There have to be some small "hole in the wall" type places in Knoxvegas with good BBQ, but I'm not familiar with them. We have some great places in northeast Tennessee if you're traveling up I-81.

Thanks for all the great insight. I should be finishing packing now!

We are staying on Lake Norris, north of Knoxville, but dh is taking the kids fishing on the Clinch one morning & said we can all to lunch afterwards. So I'm thinking we need a place REALLY casual since kids could be grubby from fishing (I may just bring a change of clothes in case they get wet!).

We live in Ohio, so not much real bbq around here either. I actually can't decide between Litton's, Corkys & Calhouns so I'm going to write down addresses for all three. I'm not sure exactly where we'll be fishing, so it may just depend on which place is most convenient according to the GPS!

So where did you end up eating?