Diners' Choice: Innovative restaurants in East Tennessee

OpenTable

Updated July 05, 2025

Looking for the best restaurants that are fit for foodies 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!

Dancing Bear Appalachian Bistro

4.9

4.9 (3925)

$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

Joy

Dined 5 days ago

Wonderful dinner to celebrate a special occasion! 🩷

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Wilder at Windy Hill Farm and Preserve

4.9

4.9 (110)

$50 and over

Contemporary Southern

Loudon

About the restaurant

Voted "Best Splurge Worthy Restaurant" by Travel Awaits.

Appalachian tradition is rich in grit, resourceful charm, and determination, which drives our culinary heritage. At Wilder, we cultivate farm-to-table ingredients transformed by an appreciation for international cuisine to offer a fun and unique approach to well-loved Southern staples.

20% service fee assessed on all charges. Additional tipping optional.

Limited reservations are offered nightly. Non-alcoholic beverages included.

Top review

Diane

Dined 4 days ago

The Chef, Ben, the head Hostess, Lisa, and our Server, DJ. ABOVE AND BEYOND, as usual. But this trip, they went a little extra, and we so appreciated all their extra touches and wonderful Service

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Experience

Dinner at Wilder

Experience

Five-Course Tasting Menu

Company Chattanooga

4.8

4.8 (104)

$31 to $50

Cocktail Bar

Chattanooga

About the restaurant

Come see us for our new seasonal shareable menu, featuring wagyu sliders, hummus stuffed endives, and warm pimento cheese dip just to name a few.

Join us in Chattanooga's only true Speakeasy for Classic & Modern Craft Cocktails, accented by an exceptional Food Menu. Come discover us behind our hidden entrance in the Kinley Hotel.

Top review

Tammy

Dined on Jun 15, 2025

Always an excellent experience. Great drinks Great service

Balter Beerworks

4.8

4.8 (84)

$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

TedVIP

Dined on Jul 3, 2025

Our server was excellent and the shrimp cocktail salad special was great!

Vivian's Table at The Bristol Hotel

4.7

4.7 (648)

$31 to $50

Steak

Bristol

About the restaurant

Vivian’s Table delivers an approachable take on the chophouse dining experience, drawing inspiration from the culinary traditions of the Bristol community to breathe new life into the cuisine of the Appalachian region.

With nearly 30 years of food and beverage experience, executive chef Jason van Marter is the architect behind the menu at Vivian’s Table. Chef Jason uses his southern, coastal, and Hawaiian cuisine expertise to enliven Vivian’s classic recipes with innovative twists that delight the senses and level up the local culinary scene. He is constantly developing expertly crafted seasonal specials made with local ingredients to bring something new – and delicious – to the table. His unique bites pair perfectly with Vivian’s extensive menu of wine and cocktails for a special occasion or a simple night out.

Top review

David

Dined on Jul 17, 2025

A very pleasant evening. The food was excellent and our server Christina was fantastic.

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Bourbon Shrimp & Grits

Hickory, at Nicewonder Farm & Vineyards

4.7

4.7 (397)

$31 to $50

American

Bristol

About the restaurant

Hickory at Nicewonder Farm & Vineyards is the signature restaurant from James Beard award nominee, Chef Travis Milton, offering the finest dining in the region. The menu is inspired by his Appalachian heritage, culture, and traditions and uses
locally sourced produce to create a menu rooted in the beauty of the Appalachian mountains. Located on the ground floor of The Inn, a boutique luxury property with 28 elegantly appointed rooms and suites, you will enjoy breathtaking views of the rolling hills, lake, and vineyards, whether sitting at the vast bar enjoying a craft cocktail, in the private dining room for that special evening, being awed at the Chef’s Table, or being treated to a wine tasting in our wine cellar that boasts a 1700 bottle curated wine collection, including Nicewonder Vineyards’ own award-winning wines. From the breakfast meeting to start the day, midday snacks, or celebrating a special occasion for dinner, the Hickory team will make your experience unforgettable.

Top review

SusanVIP

Dined on Jul 18, 2025

Delicious food and such an awesome atmosphere! Love Hickory!!

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Experience

Copy of Summer Supper Somm Dinner

Eggspectation - Knoxville

4.7

4.7 (11)

$30 and under

American

Knoxville

About the restaurant

Founded in Montreal in 1993, eggspectation is world-famous for elevated takes on comfort-food classics for brunch, lunch, dinner, and cocktails. Eggspectation uses classic ingredients and bold new flavors to create memorable dishes in a cozy yet sophisticated atmosphere. When you are dining with the people who matter during the moments that matter, eggspectation is where memories are made. Our menu... *Brunch, including elevated takes on pancakes, French toast, omelettes, and Benedicts, where you will always taste the quality with free-range eggs, thick-cut bacon, and always 100% real maple syrup. *Lunch, including hand-crafted sandwiches and burgers, served on artisanal breads. *Dinner, including culinary adventures of seafood, steaks, lamb chops, pasta, and more. *Plus tastes from our home in Montreal, including poutine, crêpes, and duck confit. *Full-bar, available all day, serving all your favorite libations as well as our own signature cocktails and mimosas.

Top review

JohnVIP

Dined on Jul 18, 2025

My wife and I went there for a date night. We enjoyed the evening. Our food was great and our server, Halie, did a great job taking care of our needs. My wife had the chicken snitzle and I had the crab cakes. Everything was prepared well and food was hot when it arrived. Friday date night is a great value at Eggspectation.

Whitebird at the Edwin Hotel

4.6

4.6 (358)

$31 to $50

Southern

Chattanooga

About the restaurant

Whitebird is a modern American restaurant at the foot of Chattanooga’s historic Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge. Here, we offer a fresh take on Appalachian cuisine with ingredients sourced straight from the Tennessee River Valley. We warmly invite you to take in the river views from our elegant setting and enjoy a sincerely elevated dining experience.

For parties of 10 people or more, please submit an inquiry here:
https://www.whitebirdchattanooga.com/events-in-chattanooga

Top review

Brenda

Dined 7 days ago

I always feel special when I dine at Whitebird. The food is always excellent, and the service is perfect. I usually spend a bit more than usual at Whitebird. but it's worth it.

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4.6

4.6 (835)

$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

Teresa

Dined 3 days ago

Food was excellent. There was live music playing great songs. Waitress was great.

Melting Pot- Gatlinburg

4.5

4.5 (1652)

$31 to $50

Fondue

Gatlinburg

About the restaurant

The Melting Pot sits on the second level of Taco Trail and overlooks the Parkway in Downtown Gatlinburg. Watch the passersby and take in the Gatlinburg skyline, or choose one of our more romantic and intimate tables. Whether you're craving a duet of cheese and chocolate fondue or want to experience all four courses, we've got you covered.

If you're looking to try something new during your next visit to the Smokies, we encourage you to visit The Melting Pot. We are the premier restaurant in Gatlinburg for celebrating a special occasion. Whether you're celebrating a birthday, wedding, anniversary, a long overdue date night or simply just spending an evening in Gatlinburg, let us make your special occasion even more sweet.

***Party sizes larger than 11 please call the restaurant directly

Top review

Devin

Dined 6 days ago

Amazing service! Amazing food! Amazing atmosphere! It was just all around incredible!! Loved spending our anniversary here!

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Popular dish

Chocolate Double Dippers

Popular dish

Pure Chocolate Fondue

Popular dish

Sparkling Chocolate

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