Knoxville's Must-Try Barbecue, Biscuits, and Brunch

The no-excuses eating guide for anyone who wants to experience Knoxville the right way.

You can learn a lot about a city from its barbecue joints, its biscuit spots, and its Sunday brunch scene. The way people eat — slowly, communally, with strong opinions about sauce and where to sit — reveals more about local character than any guidebook. Knoxville's food culture runs deep, unpretentious, and seriously delicious. Whether you're a newcomer figuring out where the locals actually eat or a longtime resident who needs a reason to try somewhere new, this guide covers the three categories that matter most on any given Saturday morning, afternoon, or evening in Knoxville.

Stretch your waistband. Let's go.

🔥 Barbecue

Knoxville's barbecue scene has grown impressively over the years — from family-owned joints with decades of pit-smoking wisdom to newer spots pushing BBQ boundaries. This city knows how to handle meat and fire, and the smoke trails on Sutherland Avenue alone are enough to make you pull over unplanned.

Dead End BBQ | 3621 Sutherland Ave | Since 2009

The name tells the origin story: Dead End BBQ was born at the end of a dead-end street where neighbors gathered to barbecue. For more than a decade, the Dead End Society honed their barbecuing skills in the dead end and in professional barbecue competitions where they achieved national recognition.

Located at 3621 Sutherland Ave, this spot built its reputation on hickory-smoked ribs and an honest approach to classic barbecue traditions. The ribs are smoked low and slow over real hickory wood, developing a rich bark that holds in all the natural juices — producing layers of smoky, savory flavor with every bite. The mac and cheese, made creamy and thick, is one of the best side dishes in East Tennessee barbecue, and regular customers often order it as its own standalone comfort. The beef brisket nachos have become a personal fan favorite for many regulars — a creative twist that earns rave reviews. Dead End BBQ has a neighborhood feel that makes strangers feel like regulars almost immediately.

Order: The hickory-smoked ribs, beef brisket nachos, and the mac & cheese as a side — not optional.

Sweet P's Barbecue | Downtown Dive (Old City) & Uptown Corner (3029 Tazewell Pike)

Sweet P's Uptown Corner brings a joyful, soulful energy to Knoxville's barbecue landscape that sets it apart from every other spot in East Tennessee. This vibrant restaurant combines the best of Southern barbecue with the heartwarming tradition of soul food cooking — a combination that is as natural as it is delicious. The smoked brisket is a standout — sliced thick and served with a beautiful smoke ring that tells the story of hours over real hardwood. The fried chicken holds its own alongside the barbecue offerings. Sides like collard greens, black-eyed peas, and sweet potato casserole carry the full weight of Southern culinary tradition. Originally a catering company, Sweet P's expanded to include two brick-and-mortar restaurants offering daily specials like BBQ burritos, smoked meatloaf, and andouille sausage. And yes — they also do brunch.

Order: Smoked brisket plate with collard greens and sweet potato casserole.

Calhoun's On The River | 400 Neyland Drive, Downtown | Since 1983

In 1983, the original Calhoun's opened for business in West Knoxville on Kingston Pike. After winning the grand prize ribbon at The National Rib Cook-Off in Cleveland, Ohio, Calhoun's claims theirs as the "Best Ribs in America." Sample for yourself at any of their four Knoxville locations — including the downtown Volunteer Landing spot right on the Tennessee River waterfront.

Calhoun's On The River offers a casual dining experience with a family-friendly atmosphere and scenic views of the Tennessee River. Located along the riverwalk greenway downtown, it is a popular stop for families and friends, known for its hickory-smoked ribs, pork chops, smoked chicken, and entrée salads. The riverfront location earns its spot as one of the best tables in the city on a clear evening — especially in summer when the patio fills up and the Tennessee River catches the last light of the day.

Order: The ribs. Bacon-wrapped burnt ends as a starter if available.

Buddy's Bar-B-Q | Multiple locations citywide | Since 1972

For over 50 years, Buddy's has been a bar-b-q favorite in East Tennessee. Since 1972, Buddy's has schooled Knoxville on the gospel of chopped pork. Sandwiches arrive stacked with tender meat kissed by smoke since sunrise, each bite rich with tradition. Wings pack a smoky-spicy punch, and for the truest Tennessee touch, hushpuppies join the feast — golden-fried cornmeal nuggets that smell of comfort and pair with barbecue like lifelong friends.

Buddy's is the definition of institution. Multiple locations, loyal regulars going back generations, and prices that make you feel like it's still 1985. For a no-frills, genuine East Tennessee BBQ experience, nothing beats it.

Order: The chopped pork sandwich, a side of smoked green beans, and hushpuppies. Sweet tea, obviously.

Love That BBQ | Sutherland Avenue

Love That BBQ, located on Sutherland Avenue, is known for its commitment to competition-style quality. The restaurant started as a small pig roast at a block party and has since grown to represent Tennessee at national championships. Love That BBQ offers an outdoor gazebo dining experience in a converted gas station that's exactly what you want a BBQ joint to look like — nostalgic, cool, and unpretentious. If you're on Sutherland Avenue and you smell smoke, follow your nose. It'll lead you here.

Order: Whatever they're featuring that day — competition-style joints rotate their strongest cuts based on the smoke. Ask the staff.

🧇 Biscuits

Tennessee takes biscuits seriously. A good biscuit is a point of civic pride — tall, flaky, golden on the outside, pillowy inside, with butter that melts on contact. Knoxville has no shortage of biscuit opinions, and these spots tend to inspire genuine devotion.

Southern Grit

If you're craving biscuits for brunch, run to Southern Grit. They've got nine different biscuit sandwiches, plus fried biscuit donuts that'll keep you happy and full all day. To drink, order the Mimosa Bottle — flavors include orange, pineapple, grapefruit, and cranberry.

Nine biscuit sandwiches means nine very specific reasons to come back repeatedly until you've worked through the menu. The fried biscuit donuts are exactly what they sound like — and exactly as good as they sound.

Order: Work through the biscuit sandwich menu systematically. Start with whichever has the most gravy involved.

Maple Street Biscuit Company | 9314 Kingston Pike & 10837 Hardin Valley Road

Maple Street Biscuit Company is a casual cafe that offers a delectable selection of biscuit sandwiches and Southern sides for breakfast and lunch. With two Knoxville locations and a loyal following, this is a reliable destination for a great biscuit-forward meal in a comfortable, neighborhood setting. Maple Street leans into the creative biscuit sandwich format — layered builds that treat the biscuit as a serious canvas rather than just a vehicle. If you're newer to Knoxville and want a consistent, welcoming introduction to the local biscuit culture, start here.

Order: Ask about the day's specials — they rotate creative biscuit builds regularly.

Tupelo Honey — The Cathead Biscuit Standard | Market Square, Downtown

Tupelo Honey was voted a top 100 Best Brunch Restaurant in America by OpenTable, and for good reason. With southern spirit infused in every bite, Tupelo Honey on Market Square delivers consistently delicious weekend brunch. Grab a table on the patio and order chicken and waffles, fried green tomatoes, and their famous cathead biscuits.

The cathead biscuit — named for its size, roughly that of a cat's head — is the gold standard here. Enormous, golden, and served with various accompaniments that change with the season, it's the kind of biscuit that makes people plan their Market Square Saturday mornings around it.

Order: The cathead biscuits as a table starter, full stop. Then proceed to the rest of the menu.

🍳 Brunch

Knoxville's brunch scene covers the full spectrum — from casual spots where regulars have had the same booth for years to elegant downtown dining rooms where the cocktail list is as considered as the food. These are the ones worth getting out of bed for.

Tupelo Honey | Market Square, Downtown | Weekends

Tupelo Honey was voted a top 100 Best Brunch Restaurant in America by OpenTable. With Southern spirit infused in every bite, Tupelo Honey on Market Square delivers consistently delicious weekend brunch. They even have a "Bone Appetit" menu for your pup — making it one of the most genuinely dog-friendly patio experiences downtown. The Market Square location means you're steps from the Farmers' Market on Saturday mornings. Arrive early or wait — there's rarely a middle ground.

Order: Cathead biscuits to start, chicken and waffles as the main, something with seasonal fruit on the side.

Balter Beerworks | Saturday + Sunday, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.

Balter Beerworks knows how to brunch. Every meal includes a spread of starters on their brunch bar, including southern cold salads, fruit, muffins and brownies. Save room for shining stars like the shrimp and grits and chicken and waffles, or one of their many vegetarian options like quinoa veggie benedict. Their unique drink is the Baltering Mary, made with their coffee oatmeal porter.

The Baltering Mary alone earns this place a permanent spot on any brunch list. A Bloody Mary made with a coffee oatmeal porter is the kind of creative local thinking that makes Knoxville's food scene quietly excellent. The brunch bar starters mean you're never sitting with nothing while you wait for the main event.

Order: The shrimp and grits, a Baltering Mary, and raid the brunch bar thoroughly.

Oliver Royale | Friday 10 a.m.–2 p.m. | Saturday–Sunday 9 a.m.–2 p.m.

If you don't start with the biscuits and jam for the table, you're not doing it right at Oliver Royale. This is one of the more elegant brunch experiences downtown — a polished room with a menu that leans into elevated Southern and continental dishes, serving mimosas alongside benedicts and crepes. The biscuit-and-jam opener is the perfect preamble to an unhurried brunch that stretches into early afternoon. Oliver Royale rewards those who take their time — order something from the cocktail list, share a few things from the menu, and let the morning dissolve into afternoon properly.

Order: Biscuits and jam for the table, any of the benedicts, and a proper cocktail.

The French Market Crêperie | Daily, hours vary | Downtown

The French Market has three brunch essentials covered: omelettes, delicious coffee, and great cocktails. Plus the star of the show: crêpes. This authentic crêperie lets you top any crêpe with an egg, or go sweet with Nutella and banana. Their croissants and sandwiches are great too — order up mimosas and you're set. Downtown Knoxville doesn't have many spots with the feel of a genuine Parisian crêperie, and this one earns the comparison honestly. The coffee is good, the atmosphere is warm, and the crêpes are the right kind of indulgent.

Order: A savory crêpe with egg, then a sweet crêpe with Nutella and banana. You're already there — might as well do both.

A Few More Worth Your Weekend

The Bottom Line

Knoxville's food scene is one of its most underappreciated qualities. The barbecue runs from no-frills neighborhood institutions to competition-honed smoke temples. The biscuits are a point of local pride with genuinely strong opinions attached. And the brunch scene is varied, creative, and deeply social in the way that the best weekend eating always is.

Start with the Neyland Greenway if you want the views. Start with Dead End BBQ if you want the ribs. Start with the cathead biscuit at Tupelo Honey if you want the right Saturday morning in Knoxville.

Actually — do all three. In that order.

Stay tuned to Knoxville Right Now for more local food guides and neighborhood recommendations.