9 Knoxville restaurants and bars that brought something new in 2023
Keenan Thomas, Knoxville News Sentinel
Updated 6 min read
When established restaurants close, new restaurants and bars sprout in their wake, and that was still true for Knoxville in 2023.
This year saw a couple of anticipated dining and drinking experiences burst onto the scene, including a '70s-themed cocktail paradise, a restaurant in the midst of the Urban Wilderness and a glass full of natural wine honoring an old bar's space.
These restaurants and bars offer a new way to experience Knoxville's food scene. A couple are significant based on their locations; others offer items you can't find anywhere else in Knoxville.
Here are nine interesting or unique new restaurants and bars from 2023.
71 South offers food at the end of the hike
The first business to open at Baker Creek Bottoms, 71 South opened April 10 at 3726 Sevier Heights. The restaurant serves a variety of dishes from sandwiches to daily brunch, including vegetarian and vegan options too.
With its location next to the Baker Creek Preserve, 71 South is in a prime location near Knoxville's Urban Wilderness. It's a go-to spot after hiking or biking in the area, and it helps that Bear Paw Bikes is also a part of Baker Creek Bottoms.
The restaurant has a bar serving beer and cocktails, or there's the new Crafty Bastard taproom also at Baker Creek Bottoms. 71 South is housed in a renovated church. Along with the hanging greenery, the atmosphere alone makes it one of the more interesting new restaurants of the year.
DiCarlo's Pizza serves up a unique slice downtown
Pizza is a universal food, but you've probably not tried it the way DiCarlo's Pizza serves its slices.
Located at 524 S. Gay St., DiCarlo's soft-opened Aug. 8. The difference in how DiCarlo's serves its pizza is that the crust and sauce are cooked, and then the cheese and pepperoni are put on last, right before it's served.
This Ohio Valley Style pizza is unique in Knoxville, and a surprisingly good slice (especially for getting two square slices for $5). You can order it to go, but it's better to eat it fresh inside the restaurant.
DiCarlo’s Pizza is known primarily for their Ohio Valley/Steubenville-style pies, which starts with a thin, square crust, a layer of tomato sauce and is then baked. Mozzarella cheese and pepperoni slices are added after the pizza comes out of the oven.
Elkmont Station rolls into Farragut
Bringing parts of Appalachia to Farragut, Elkmont Station combined rustic cabins with finer dining when it opened April 12.
The entree list is varied, including low country bouillabaisse, handmade pasta, shrimp and grits, steak frites and Carolina roasted trout. The drink menu spans two pages of libations to pair with your meals.
Along with the menu, the restaurant's atmosphere at 103 S. Campbell Station Road draws customers in, bringing a cabin feel to the dining experience. It offers a getaway without having to leave West Knoxville, and you can read about the history of its namesake that brought people together in the Great Smoky Mountains.
Fly By Night dances up a storm in South Knoxville
One of Knoxville's most anticipated bars, Fly By Night finally opened its disco floor June 8 just in time for SoKno Pride.
The '70s-inspired disco bar perfectly captured the vibe, complete with custom wallpaper, a lounge area playing VHS tapes and a disco ball spinning up above. The bar features several classic cocktails including the Rusty Nail, Pink Lady and a groovy frozen Harvey Wallbanger.
Located at 906 Sevier Ave., Fly By Night nailed the vibe to become a new hot spot in already-popping South Knoxville. That's what makes it one of the most unique new bars in 2023.
Fred Beans and Rice brings Cajun goodness to downtown
Although Knox Brew Hub has been around for awhile, Fred Beans and Rice is one of the newer editions to Knoxville this year.
Opened in August, the bar at 421 Union Ave. started serving the new concept named after owner Zack Roskop's dad, Fred. The kitchen serves grilled Po'boys, smothered bowls of rice and the Spicy Soppin' Shrimp dish among others.
Kianga's Kitchen offers vegan soul food in Marble City Market
Marble City Market brought in Kianga's Kitchen, a vegan soul food restaurant that operated as a pop-up catering business before. It opened the brick and mortar location in the food hall Feb. 3.
The restaurant serves plates with options like black beans and rice, sweet potatoes, Akara patties, collard greens and more. One of the newer options is the Garden Girl gluten-free sandwich on quinoa flatbread with Akara patties, romaine lettuce, tomato, pickles and sunshine sauce. Kianga's Kitchen also started serving a mushroom stew for winter.
The owners Tor and Romoke Ajanaku named it after Tor's mother, and the dishes are based on her recipes. A standout is the Akara patties, which are a Nigerian dish of black eyed peas, red onion, herbs and spices blended together and fried in coconut oil into a patty.
Kianga's Kitchen offers this vegan twist on soul food 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. The restaurant at 333 W. Depot Ave. is closed on Monday.
Kianga's Kitchen's Tor Ajanaku, left, and Romoke Ajanaku, right, are photographed in front of their food stall at Marble City Market in downtown Knoxville on Thursday, January 5, 2023. The husband-and-wife team's vegan soul food business is a unique offering in Knoxville, which is why it's one of the most interesting new restaurants of 2023.
Potluck Café creates casseroles in North Knoxville
The restaurant at 1328 N. Broadway opened at the beginning of July primarily serving sweet and savory casseroles for brunch. The restaurant also serves lunch and dinner casseroles along with soups and chili. The menu rotates and has vegan, vegetarian and dairy-free options.
The emphasis on brunch and casseroles brings something new to Knoxville's table, and it's a welcomed dish to the overall potluck of restaurants.
STIR Knoxville shucks out a spot in Knoxville
The Old City brought in a new restaurant with STIR Knoxville, which opened July 31.
This restaurant is interesting for one reason: the oyster bar. Acting as an extension of the cocktail bar, STIR features a raw oyster bar where the mollusks are prepared right in front of you. Another factor that makes STIR an interesting new restaurant is the artisanal ice that's carved to order.
STIR provides another elevated restaurant experience in the Old City area with its location at 217 Willow Ave. underneath Stockyard Lofts.
Oysters served at STIR Knoxville, one of the more interesting new restaurants from 2023. It serves oysters and more in the Old City.
The bar primarily serves natural wine, which is wine made with little to no preservatives or additives used in the growing and bottling process. Zero/Zero offers wines by the glass or by the bottle, allowing Knoxvillians to experiment with wine without having to gamble on a new bottle.
The bar also aims to air out the pretentiousness that permeates wine culture. It helps that the space is cozy and inviting, which makes it perfect for a date night.
Keenan Thomas reports for the Knox News business growth and development team. You can reach him by email at keenan.thomas@knoxnews.com.
