The Lunch Box is fabulous for a quick meal-they offer lots of prepared salads and entrees, usually lighter fare like chicken quesadillas or ceasar salads. Try the pimiento cheese or the cobb salads, those are my faves.

This restaurant is heavenly. Lovely ambiance, very professional yet unpretentious wait staff. The menu items are not too adventurous, but they are all done very well. The lamb stew with rosemary dumplings is my favorite, just the right amount of "lambiness" and the dumplings are light and fluffy. Excellent spot for a romantic dinner.

Good bar food (lots of deep-fried yummies), we have always received excellent service. If smokiness is a problem then you probably do not want to have a meal here.

Fairly typical casual Italian restaurant. Ambiance is somewhat lacking (red checkered tablecloths are plastic-coated) but the service is friendly and fast, and the food is predictable but good. Good spot for families to eat.

These sandwiches are absolutely the worst fast-food sandwiches I have ever sampled, and that is comparing them to Subway. Which is half the price. Their version of a vegetarian involves heaping wads of finely shredded iceberg lettuce on a stale wheat bun, it was absoultely awful. And expensive for what you get.

Mango's is somewhat pretentious but I find the food daring for Knoxville. Try the calamari, long, thin strips that are tempura-fried. They are accompanied by what I believe is a tamarind-based sauce, kind of sweet and sour but completely different from the Chinese version. Their grilled duck breast is my favorite in town, be warned it is served exceedingly rare. Mango's is a divergence from the Knoxville norm, and that is probably its best selling point.

I have only eaten sushi at this restaurant, but found it to be quite good. I love the free squid salad that begins your meal, as well as the hot, lemon-scented finger towels. The service was especially good, although most of the wait staff appeared to be from far West Knoxville instead of the Far East.

This is the best sports bar in town. The bar food choices are varied and all well done. The burgers are just about my favorite in town, huge and flavorful. Their wings are also my favorite I've had in Knoxville. Not much for the low-cal dieter, but the food is great, the service is consistantly great, and you will know why Rick's place is so popular once you visit.

Tomato Head is a wonderful restaurant in an under-appreciated part of Knoxville (Market Square.) It is worth the drive in, the wait staff is gracious and the pizzas are exotic and delightful. My favorite menu item is actually the Asian spinach salad with broiled tofu, if you like tofu you will love it. Otherwise try one of their pizzas or sandwiches, the choices are quite varied and everyone will find something appealing.

The name alone should interest you. Once inside, the decor is so dramatic (kinda Tex-Mex meets guerilla insurgent chic) you will forget you are in a strip-mall. The margaritas are potent, the service is good, and the food is a combination of regular Mexican offerings w/ a Cuban influence. Some of the menu items are a little heavy, but everything I have had there was good.

Stir Fry is very good for it attempts, which is Americanized Thai that is not spicy enough to offend anyone. I really enjoy the cold spring rolls, I have found their curries and noodle dishes to be bland. A good friend has recommended the salmon wraps (since when are wraps a Thai standard?) but they do not serve them on weekends (???) so I have yet to sample one. The interior is hip & casual, but I have found the servers to be basically indifferent. They will bring your food, but do not expect expedient service or a positive attitude.

I have only eaten brunch at this restaurant, but I have visited at least 5 times and have always enjoyed it. The atmosphere is kinda early-eighties upscale steakhouse, with a very dim interior. The food, drinks and service have been consistantly great. I usually have eggs benedict w/ a Bloody Mary, and they bring an outstanding version of both. I have also tried their crabcakes, which as a seafood lover I found to be the ideal ratio of crab to crumbs. Though pricey, Copper Kettle demonstrates you pay for what you get.

Calhoun's is an above-average chain restaurant that I believe only has locations in Knoxville. Their BBQ, side vegetables, and salads are all very well done. I have only been for lunch, to the far west location, but I have always found the service to be quick and courteous. If you are in a hurry for lunch, you can call ahead and HAVE THE FOOD WAITING AT YOUR TABLE when you are seated, which I think is an excellent idea for those hour-lunchers.

I love Petro's! I was highly skepical initially (They're selling Frito's w/ stuff on top? Isn't that copyright infringment?) but I tried them at a UT game and have been hooked ever since. The orange tea is regular tea w/ fresh oranges squeezed in it, and it is wonderfully refreshing. Even if you are just traveling through Knoxville, try it!

Very odd combination of menu items-typical sandwiches, then some Italian dishes, with some Carolina low-country offerings thrown in. However, everything I've ordered was great (try the fried green tomatoes w/ cheese grits and 2 kinds of gravy.) The service was excellent, and the interior of the new location in west Knoxville is very elegant.

Very odd combination of menu items-typical sandwiches, then some Italian dishes, with some Carolina low-country offerings thrown in. However, everything I've ordered was great (try the fried green tomatoes w/ cheese grits and 2 kinds of gravy.) The service was excellent, and the interior of the new location in west Knoxville is very elegant.

Baker-Peters is one of my favorite 'experiences' in Knoxville. Despite the beautifully formal interior, the wait staff to a person has been gracious and welcoming. Start off with a drink upstairs in the jazz bar, where you can watch a three-piece or go out on the back deck. Once seated, any of the prime beef selections are recommended, and I believe their seafood specials change weekly. I just can't recommend this restaurant enough, especially for a date or celebratory dinner.

Chop House is your best bet in Knoxville for prime meats, but you will pay dearly for them. My husband and I split a small rib eye on our last visit, which I believe was the special and around $25. Their other menu items are predictable but well-done, if a little heavy. Our service has always been impeccable, as it should be considering the prices!

Aubrey's is wonderful! The service can be a little hit-or-miss, but the salads are very fresh and imaginative (try the blue cheese and sirloin) and the pasta dishes are just as creative (try the rattlesnake pasta.) The interior is upscale casual and very tastefully done, especially the booths in the bar area. A good date restaurant.

ALL of their menu items, excluding breadsticks and salads, come from a plastic bag, a la Lean Cuisine. I f you want to eat italian food, you have sadly wandered far, far off the trail.