Diners' Choice: Lively restaurants in Knoxville

OpenTable

Updated September 05, 2024

Looking for restaurants that have the most vibrant bar scenes in Knoxville? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Dancing Bear Appalachian Bistro

4.9

4.9 (3424)

$50 and over

American

Knoxville

About the restaurant

At Dancing Bear Appalachian Bistro, we know that great food begins with fresh, quality sourced local ingredients. On our Modern Appalachian menu, Chef Jeff Carter and culinary team present seasonal and delicious dishes that are familiar and steeped in tradition yet enhanced with bold new dashes of flavor and component combinations that may surprise and delight you.

Dancing Bear provides a premium lodging experience. We bring the same commitment to excellence to our award-winning restaurant and full bar. Whether enjoying a romantic dinner for two or bringing the extended family together for a celebratory meal, we want your night out in Townsend to be a special experience. We offer a refined assortment of modern Appalachian cuisine — all served among elegant surroundings and calming wooded vistas.

Top review

Robin

Dined 2 days ago

Jess was great, food was delicious! We will definitely be back!

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Popular dish

Truffled Filet Mignon

4.9

4.9 (1024)

$31 to $50

French

Knoxville

About the restaurant

Northshore Brasserie is a family owned, full-service restaurant and bar serving French Belgian cuisine in a relaxed and sophisticated atmosphere. Over the last decade, we have become a Knoxville favorite known for hearty delicious food, and outstanding service. For dinner, we specialize in Brasserie classics, such as: steak frites, mussels, roast chicken, fresh seafood, and handmade pastas. We also take advantage of local produce and meats to create in season specials. Our bar has a vibrant, unpretentious atmosphere where locals and out-of-towners gather to enjoy craft cocktails, Belgian beers, and a selection of wines from around the world.

Top review

Vilimvip

Dined 4 days ago

Outstanding as usual. Very accomodating, great food and drinks, great service. This time it was a business dinner. Never been disappointed! Will continue coming back.

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The Restaurant at RT Lodge

4.9

4.9 (1019)

$31 to $50

Southern

Maryville

About the restaurant

Expect something you won’t see many other places—even at the most sophisticated hospitality destinations in the world. Your meals at The Restaurant at RT Lodge are uniquely your own. Every aspect of your meal is important to us. We shape our menus on the changing bounty of each season, with the freshest ingredients sourced from local farms and the best providers. Experience favorites such as our Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Housemade Charcuterie. After dinner, enjoy coffee and complimentary s'mores around the fire pit while being surrounded by gorgeous landscape and all the quiet sounds of Maryville College Woods.

Top review

OpenTable Diner

Dined 3 days ago

Fabulous food, service and ambience! Our server Jody was amazing! Every dish we were served was a culinary delight! And the smores by the firepit afterwards were divine! Felt like we had traveled too a mountain getaway but right in our backyard. Such a gem for Blount county!

The Marlowe

4.8

4.8 (1450)

$31 to $50

Continental

Knoxville

About the restaurant

You don’t have to go far for an exceptional culinary experience. Reviewers say “consistently spectacular” with friendly “non-stuffy” service. Bistro by the Tracks simply is Knoxville’s answer to great metropolitan dining. We proudly offer an extensive and diverse wine list featuring carefully selected whites and reds from the finest wineries around the world. Bistro by the Tracks is a recipient of Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence, 2010. Join us for an evening of dining that is at once casual and elegant. Reservations most appreciated.

Top review

Timothyvip

Dined on Aug 30, 2024

Great food and service. Nice atmosphere. The duck was delicious and perfectly prepared.

Tupelo Honey - Knoxville

4.7

4.7 (2494)

$30 and under

Contemporary Southern

Knoxville

About the restaurant

Tupelo Honey is a revival of Southern Comfort Food and traditions rooted in the Carolina Mountains we call home. We craft brunches, lunches and suppers that bring family and friends around the table and allow for conversations and cocktails to linger longer than usual. Always scratch-made, always responsibly-sourced, and always Southern.

Top review

Drew

Dined 1 day ago

Amazing service. Food was good, but not as incredible as others had made it out to be. Some of the best service I’ve had in years!

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Experience

A Journey Through Appalachia

Experience

Hoot & Holler Happy Hour

STIR - Knoxville

4.7

4.7 (571)

$31 to $50

American

Knoxville

About the restaurant

STIR is the perfect restaurant to sip a craft cocktail over a dozen oysters, enjoy a night out, or meet for lunch. Located in the heart of Old City, the restaurant is an open-air concept with a large, heated outdoor patio. We are open for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch.

Great food starts with fresh, local ingredients. Our kitchen prepares everything from scratch, and our signature raw bar is stocked with fresh oysters and seasonal seafood. STIR is famous for craft cocktails. We freeze and carve 300-pound blocks of artisanal ice in-house, age certain cocktails in oak barrels for richer flavors, and place others on draft for crispness and carbonation. The result: categorically elevated cocktails. Our passion for fine spirits also compels us to find and share rare bottles, many of which are extremely difficult to procure. We welcome Knoxville to enjoy our unmatched cocktails, fresh seafood, and classic dishes in an atmosphere of genuine hospitality

Top review

MJCTWINS

Dined 6 days ago

Fun atmosphere, delicious and perfect for brunch!!!

Balter Beerworks

4.7

4.7 (46)

$30 and under

American

Knoxville

About the restaurant

Balter Beerworks is a scratch kitchen brewpub located in downtown Knoxville. We offer a welcoming environment that celebrates craft beers and made from scratch food. Every bite and every sip at Balter is crafted daily from scratch, using the freshest ingredients available. We are constantly refreshing food and beer menus to highlight seasonal delicacies. Balter offers a place for friends and family to reconnect in a space that weaves urban aesthetics with the history of an old service station.

Top review

Dr. Kathleenvip

Dined on Aug 28, 2024

Great outdoor seating and many things on the menu to choose from. the kids even liked the kids menu!

Harvest - Downtown

4.6

4.6 (697)

$30 and under

Unspecified

Knoxville

About the restaurant

Inspired by our beloved sister restaurant in the Bearden neighborhood, Harvest Downtown on the historic 100 Block of Gay Street offers a seasonal rotating menu highlighted by the use of proteins and produce from local farmers. We are open for dinner 7 nights a week, and are proud to offer a unique lunch and brunch menu on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday mornings. Our menu highlights aged midwestern hand cut steaks and premium fresh seafood selections along with several vegan, salad and house-made pasta options as well as daily chef specials.

Top review

Caroline

Dined 7 days ago

We had a great family dinner here after a Tennessee football game. The daily special cocktail was great. Everyone found something they liked on the menu. We would definitely return.

Calhoun’s Oak Ridge

4.5

4.5 (70)

$30 and under

American

Oak Ridge

About the restaurant

Located along the banks of Melton Hill lake, Calhoun’s Oak Ridge sits along the beautiful Oak Ridge greenway with every seat in the restaurant offering a view of the water. This location is accessible by boat, has a a covered outdoor dining patio as well as seating around the fire pit with a panoramic view of Melton Hill Lake. Calhoun's has become a place where friends and family gather to celebrate what’s good in their lives while they sample some of Tennessee’s best BBQ, ribs, steak, and sandwiches. So come on down and experience the best hospitality and BBQ around.

Top review

Lee

Dined 7 days ago

Asher was very helpful in explaining menu items and helping us with selections. She was also very attentive throughout our meal. Outstanding service. Great food.

Nama Sushi Bar - Downtown

4.4

4.4 (435)

$30 and under

Sushi

Knoxville

About the restaurant

Nama is the premier sushi location and has been consistently voted number one for sushi in the Knoxville area. Whether you are looking to test the waters with your first sushi experience as many have since our opening, looking for a romantic dinner on date night, or headed out for a night with friends or family, Nama is the perfect place for you.

Top review

OpenTable Dinervip

Dined on Jul 21, 2024

We frequent this location and love the food. Last evening Honu was our server. She was classy, attentive and personable and made the evening exceptional.

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