The weather has been extra heavenly here on Rocky Top recently. The groundhog may have been lying to us. An extra six weeks of winter? Yeah right.
The warmth spring brings tends to inspire the desire to step out of the house and go for food and drinks with friends. If you and your friends are the type to spend a good chunk of time trying to pick a spot, look no further — this is the place for you. To narrow down your search, here’s a list of the best Knoxville restaurants to check out this spring.
Central Filling Station
The first worthy spot on the list is Knoxville’s most unique outdoor dining experience Central Filling Station. The filling station is a rustic outdoor venue filled with a variety of food trucks, heaps of available seating, interactive activities like cornhole and a Before-I-Die wall and events including live music and trivia. It’s like multiple restaurants wrapped into one. This interesting spot is located close to campus at 900 N. Central St.
This is perfect if you and your friends have different tastes or food cravings as there is something for every taste bud. To-go food and drinks are available if you don’t have time to hang around. Some of their food truck vendors include Just Say Queso, Knox Dough, Penne For Your Thoughts, BUNNZ, CJ’s Tacos and many more.
They even collaborate with non-food trucks including Flourish Flower Truck. It is a pet-friendly area which is a huge bonus for animal lovers.
Central Filling Station is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, open on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5-9 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Overall, the atmosphere and food make this a great place to hang out and grub.
Their daily rotation of food trucks also means you could go every week and try something new each time. Central Filling Station partners with over 50 trucks and hosts around three to five trucks at a time.
A schedule of the trucks they host can be found on their website knoxfoodpark.com. They also keep their social media accounts up to date on the lineup and any changes. Their Instagram handle is @knoxfoodpark and their Facebook account is “Central Filling Station.”
Corner 16
Next up is Corner 16 located at 9637 Kroger Park Drive in Northshore. It’s about a 20-minute drive from campus, but keep reading to see why it is worth a spot on this list.
This restaurant is famous for its large turf-covered outdoor patio with fire pits, cornhole, giant tic-tac-toe, soccer balls and footballs. Nothing beats patio seating on a nice spring day. Corner 16’s mission statement says, “Corners, in their very essence, are places of intersection, where streets going in opposite directions cross paths and overlap. Corner 16 is that place of overlap for friends to intersect their busy lives and spend time enjoying good company and good food.”
Sounds like it aligns with busy college students looking for a place to wind down with good friends and good eats. Corner 16 is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The menu at this casual style restaurant consists of American Bar Food such as a large variety of appetizers, wings, soups, salads, specialty sandwiches, burgers and southern comfort food. They offer a brunch menu on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for the best of both worlds. The outdoor dining experience at Corner 16 is the main attraction and is fun for people of all ages. This is the perfect spot for eating and playing in the spring.
Lakeside Tavern
Coming in third on the list is Lakeside Tavern which offers waterfront dining overlooking Fort Loudon Lake. Although it is somewhat far from UT, it is worth it for the views and yummy food.
Lakeside Tavern is located at 10911 Concord Park Drive. Their hours of operation are Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
If you want to start Wine Wednesday early, Lakeside Tavern offers half-priced wine every Monday. They offer a variety of appetizers, salads and entrees. Menu highlights include their stone oven pizzas, fresh seafood and handhelds such as burgers and sandwiches.
Delicious desserts worth mentioning are the creme brulee cheesecake, Kahlua fudge brownie and two layer key lime pie. Due to its romantic ambience, this spot is screaming date night — to watch the sunset over the water of course.
Curious Dog
Another must-try is Curious Dog in the Old City located at 200 W Jackson Ave. Curious Dog is housed on the first floor of the historic JFG building. Curious dog is open Monday through Saturday from 12-9 p.m. and Sunday from 1-6 p.m.
According to their website, the restaurant was “founded by two brothers who grew up living the surf and punk-rock life of the 1980s in Daytona Beach, Florida.”
Their creative style influenced their unique selection of hotdogs, sandwiches and nachos. Sauce options are never ending and made-from-scratch. Curious Dog offers a large selection of creatively crafted, funky hotdog builds. Hotdog options are themed after various cultures. The following are examples of culture-filled, tasty dogs: The “Better Than A Chicago,” the “N.Y.C,” the “Tennessee Tailgater,” the “Knoxville,” the “Daytona” and the “Hawaiian.”
Better Than A Chicago is stacked with cucumbers, onions, pepperoncini, tomatoes, sweet and spicy mustard, white sauce and herb olive oil. The N.Y.C. has grilled pastrami, swiss, hot and spicy mustard and steamed sauerkraut. The Tennessee Tailgater is a simple build with only chili and mustard, but you can try it VOL style with shredded cheese and onions. The Knoxville dog is crafted with chili coleslaw, barbecue sauce and chipotle sauce. The Daytona is topped with tater tots, cheese sauce, bacon, onions, jalapenos and chipotle sauce. The Hawaiian models ham, pineapple, barbecue sauce, coleslaw, honey, white sauce and sesame seeds.
There are bicycles hanging on the wall and refrigerators filled with all the canned beers you could imagine. There are over 200 options of packaged beer, and they also have a few draft options. The cool and colorful atmosphere is an ideal place to feast with your friends. It is suggested that everyone in your group orders a unique food item and you all share to experiment with the creative flavors. Make sure you bring your appetite — you’re going to need it.
Scrambled Jake’s
Last, but certainly not least is Scrambled Jake’s Breakfast Company located at 7428 S Northshore Drive. This breakfast establishment provides the perfect selection of greasy eats after a long night out, and quiet patio seating to soak up some sun.
They are open every day of the week from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. According to scrambledjakes.com, their vision for this establishment was to exemplify a reflection of their interpretation of Knoxville, “an urban city surrounded by the beautiful mountains of East Tennessee through its design, decor and food.”
The restaurant came to life during the summer of 2017. Their menu includes all the signature breakfast dishes you can think of ranging from the summershine benny, sin-o-man roll, naan breakfast pizza and a breakfast burrito. They have healthy options such as the pineapple express — a half pineapple filled with greek yogurt, fruit, granola and honey — avocado toast, omelets and goatmeal — oats cooked in oatmilk. Scrambled Jake’s also freshly squeezes their orange juice every morning.
Don’t wait any longer, you need to experience this spunky breakfast joint.
Being a foodie is too easy here in Knoxville. There are always new places to try out, and these are only a few of the many local options to satisfy your stomach. Happy eating!
Central Filling Station is located in north Knoxville off of N Central Street
