Diners' Choice: Best Overall restaurants in East Tennessee

OpenTable

Updated September 05, 2024

Looking for the best overall restaurants in East Tennessee? 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!

Primo

5.0

5 (180)

$30 and under

Italian

Chattanooga

About the restaurant

Primo, which opened in the spring of 2014, is restaurateur Nathan Lindley’s tribute to his own North Chattanooga neighborhood, presented as a classic American-Italian neighborhood restaurant. Taking its culinary direction from the traditional Italian restaurants of the Northeast, Primo celebrates the rich and comforting dishes that were inspired by Italian cooking and influenced by American prosperity.
As a casual neighborhood bar and restaurant, Primo does not accept reservations for a specific time. A limited number of guests may guarantee a waiting table at the 5:00 opening each night. Also, throughout the night guests may call ahead to the restaurant at 423.602.5555 to be added to the waiting list. The dedicated staff and lively communal environment make for a short and enjoyable wait. Come see us soon.

Top review

Baleigh

Dined on Aug 15, 2024

Primo always provides the most enjoyable dining experience with the most knowledgeable and friendly staff! Their food & wine selections are unmatched to any other restaurant in Chattanooga! If you’re looking for the perfect place for a date night, birthday, anniversary, or even a casual dinner with friends, Primo is the place to be!! Cannot recommend this restaurant enough!!

The Restaurant at RT Lodge

4.9

4.9 (1024)

$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

Carolyne

Dined 7 days ago

One of, if not, the best meal I’ve ever had at a restaurant. Everything was perfect and delicious! The oysters and the fall vegetable pasta were incredible! Our server Mikayla was terrific! Very welcoming and friendly! The renovations to the dinning room and mezzanine and board room were absolutely stunning! Definitely the best dining experience I’ve ever had!

Dancing Bear Appalachian Bistro

4.9

4.9 (3435)

$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

OpenTable Diner

Dined 1 day ago

We had the best dining experience anyone could have celebrating our 50th anniversary. Impeccable service provided by Aileen and a truly outstanding meal consisting of Butternut squash soup, Charred Caesar salad, Pear glazed chicken, Sweet tea brined pork chop along with an excellent pear cake dessert.

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