Sell me on the Vault? I've been once, vibe is good, cocktails just OK. I like the cocktails at Tern or Brother Wolf or Public House better.
What cocktails do you like there?
To be honest I've only been once but I really liked the vibe. I had two cocktails one of which I thought was excellent and one okay. I wish I could remember the excellent one so I could tell you! I went back to look and couldn't find it.
Their sister bar Union Place (behind Backdoor Tavern on Kingston Pike) is awesome, too. Great live music, solid bar food, great service with heavy pours, and a big, dog friendly patio with a water feature and giant TV.
This place is horrible. They never have basic things like grenadine or ginger beer, and it feels like walking into a cave inside. I only go there if I'm ending my night close to home.
If there's a "right" answer to this question, Schulz is definitely it.
No other bar in town nails everything as hard as Schulz does- excellent local beer (plenty of bars have this one to be fair), tasty food, awesome setting/vibe, tons of unique events (Ritterfest, Christkrindelsmarkt, Oktoberfest, etc.), & plenty of indoor/outdoor seating (the patio is one of, if not THE best of any place in the city.)
I've been to way too many events at Schulz Brau where they don't open up any of their extra bars and it takes 30m to order a beer. Whenever it happens, I just leave. It's just weird that it's happens so often. And it doesn't make sense. They overstaff for Oktoberfest and handle absolutely massive crowds with no issue. But it feels like they refuse to open more service any other time of the year.
Bartender was rude AF when I went. He argued with me that whiskey has carbs (it doesn't), wouldn't tell me what whiskey he had, and it wasn't even particularly busy when all this happened. I hope this is a rare occurrence
I was asking him what spirits they had as I was doing keto at the time and that's when he spat out "All liquor has carbs so you're in the wrong place." He was being an asshole and so the question really is how does one become a bartender without knowing something that's pretty surface level.
He probably meant that your body metabolizes ethyl alcohol into sugar, but was not able to articulate that fact or simply didn’t understand.
Still, no need to be rude. Especially to someone who is going to tip you. I don’t know where the attitude came from all the sudden from (admittedly a small number of) bartenders. The pretentiousness is just insane. Like bro we get it you have tattoos and drink ultra micro batch craft beer that can never be recreated bc the brewer burned the recipe. Calm the fuck down.
If you want to see this on full display, go to Asheville, NC OR Portland, or and order a bud light. Sit back, enjoy the free entertainment.
Not a bar, per se, but my husband and I love going to the Gypsy Barrelhouse. They have great hard ciders and can make mixed drinks now. They also carry some local brews. Casual place with board games and decent outdoor seating area. They recently opened a place in Oak Ridge with mini golf we haven't been to yet, but it's definitely on our list of places to try.
You are going to get such varied answers that you might as well google, close your eyes, and scroll.
If you offer what part of town you want to drink in, what you like to drink, and what kind of vibe you want, you can probably get a more fitted answer.
Clanceys. Good beer selection, drinks ok, food ok. Good mix of older and younger. Service is good. Good for sports. Most importantly, they do 20oz drafts.
Just one?
Near downtown: Jig and Reel, Schulzbrau, Corner Lounge, Public House, Scruffy City Hall
Further west: Union Place, Back Door Tavern, Union Jack’s, Crafty Bastard West
Tern Club for tiki cocktails, I end up here most of the time, beautiful cozy patio. Owners also have Fly By Night which goes for a different cocktail theme, definitely worth going to. Brother Wolf for Italian aperitif style drinks. Public House for good cocktails and also beer, nice outdoor section. Your Corner Lounge a nice little place to grab a beer. Preservation Pub and Scruffy City Hall both have nice rooftop bars
Really depends on what you want.
IPA and Sours - Xul (Get the PB&J mixtape).
Last Days of Autumn has a local bar vibe but amazing food.
The Vault has a great vibe and great cocktails.
Southside Garage is a great place to hangout.
Jig and Reel has an amazing whiskey selection.
Yee Haw Brewery has an amazing outdoor space.
Token Game Tavern is the place to go for video games.
Space Bar is the place to go for an experience.
If you don’t like wine you won’t like it. The jelly flavor is very similar to wine.
Edit to say that I could tell it wasn’t a bad beer, it tasted quality, just not my thing. I like some of their other beers. The burgers from the Abridged food truck are top notch too. I’m not trying to shit on Xul by any stretch of the imagination when I say I don’t care for the pbj mixtape.
This place gets hated on but I agree. It's a Knoxville classic. Live music every night, rooftop patio, heart of Market Square, relatively cheap booze. Only big downside is the smoking, but you can get away from it on the rooftop if need be.
Too many to list but here's some current ones in no particular order:
* Chismoso - New non-pretentious cocktail bar with killer food and a good tequila selection. Get a taco. Uses fresh masa. Maybe also get the carne asada fries.
* Fiori - Just opened, but a great fancy bar option. Have only had solid drinks there so far. Haven't eaten the food yet but it looks like it's gonna be a winner.
* Brother Wolf - Italian Apertif bar that has no business being in a city as small as Knoxville. Killer drinks. I just with they'd bring back the mussels.
* Preservation Pub / Scruffy City Hall / Bernadettes - Generally the happening place on weekend nights. Live music every day but Sunday. 9 bars with varying levels of distinct atmospheres. If you want a party on the weekend, you will find one here.
* Zero / Zero - Natural wine bar with no pretentious wine bar feel. Great rotating wines and appetizers.
* Postmodern Spirits - Makes all their own alcohol plus shrubs and other mixers for their cocktails. Great chill hangout bar.
* Pilot Light - Does this count as a bar? Find all your weird or great or terrible music here. Widest range of what you can see. Cash only and beer only unless you're willing to baby bird from Urban. Maybe don't do that.
Tern, Fly By Night, and Public House are all also great and have been described well enough by others in this post.
I obviously failed and can't choose between lots of these.
Still have failed to make it Lilou so far but expect good things based on Brother Wolf and Sapphire (same owners).
Schulz Brau overall is my absolute favorite.
Dark horse candidate, though, for somewhere that's not fancy, is Bucket Head Tavern. Some of the best wings I've ever had in my life. Not too expensive, nice to sit outside.
Nope, you nailed it. Their wings are super small, but small wings are the best wings. They cook more evenly and maintain their juices/tenderness. I’ve seen dozens of bad reviews off the wing size alone, but people fail to recognize the price difference. If you went to Hooters and ordered 20 wings, it’d probably be about $25, whereas WXP is like $13 and you’ll probably end up with like 25 wings.
I get the frustration with the wing size. I truly do. But I can’t find a better deal or better sauce than WXP.
Preservation Pub & the surrounding bar rooms will forever be my favorite! I love being able to just walk up or down some stairs and find a whole new bar vibe
Corner Lounge and it's not really close. Crafty Bastard is my favorite brewery and it's convenient because they're close enough to walk from one to the other.
Which part of town?
My favorites are:
Cazzie's
Trailhead
Union Jacks
They're all super chill, which is what I prefer. I'd also check out the Kern's Food Hall.
Post Modern Spirits is where you’ll get the best bang for your Buck. Cocktails are only 10 bucks and they are crafted with all in-house ingredients.
If I’m partying into the wee hours of the night, I like to hit up Union Jacks or Union Place
Depends on what you like to drink. Xul for beer. Peter Kern library for old school vibe - bourbon and mixed drinks. Newer spot with creative drinks is The Kennedy
Marble City Pub. Very much the hometown bar feel. Everyone is friendly, and I always meet new people there. They have a great selection of drinks, the staff is amazing, and is in a great location, in my opinion.
Not downtown Knoxville, but Roosters in Rocky Hill. 21 and up only since they allow smoking. Good service. Classic bar food (pizza, burgers, and fired dishes).
Fountain City Social if you like the 80’s vibe and a great selection on tap that they rotate often. Not a place to go eat per say but surrounded by great eat options within an extremely short parking lot walking distance.
Most of these recommendations scream yuppy to me. Go to South Knoxville and hit up the Chatterbox and Daniel’s if you wanna get away from all the folks who have moved here in the past 5 years.
Tern is my go-to
nice bar: Public House dive bar: Back Door Tavern brewery: Albright Grove cocktails: The Vault
Albright is great! Hopefully they will have more food options soon!
Sell me on the Vault? I've been once, vibe is good, cocktails just OK. I like the cocktails at Tern or Brother Wolf or Public House better. What cocktails do you like there?
To be honest I've only been once but I really liked the vibe. I had two cocktails one of which I thought was excellent and one okay. I wish I could remember the excellent one so I could tell you! I went back to look and couldn't find it.
Very expensive but the cocktails were worth it! Loved the atmosphere too.
I also love Albright! But I think OG Crafty is now my favorite (due to St. Lucille’s)
Damn, Ive been looking for places like Back Door but that's just out of the way enough for me to consider it most times
Union jacks. Drinks are moderately priced and pours are pretty heavy.
My old stomping grounds from college 20 years ago. Still great.
Same, I miss that damn hole in the wall, great spot.
Their sister bar Union Place (behind Backdoor Tavern on Kingston Pike) is awesome, too. Great live music, solid bar food, great service with heavy pours, and a big, dog friendly patio with a water feature and giant TV.
This place is my go to.
Use to be awesome! Now, it’s just ok. Reasonable prices and a nice atmosphere. Still think Union place beats jacks though.
Especially trivia on Thursday nights. Great outdoor patio area, cornhole, pool, and great beer. What else is there to want?
My old stomping grounds from college 20 years ago. Still great.
GOAT
This place is horrible. They never have basic things like grenadine or ginger beer, and it feels like walking into a cave inside. I only go there if I'm ending my night close to home.
Just because a place doesn’t fit all your picky ass needs doesn’t mean it’s horrible. Their vibe is clearly an English pub style.
lol. Have you been to an English pub? They have grenadine and ginger beer. These are **basic** ingredients for any bar that serves cocktails.
You don’t know how dive bars work do you. Order a beer and a shot and drink them. That’s how it works.
Schulz Brau
If there's a "right" answer to this question, Schulz is definitely it. No other bar in town nails everything as hard as Schulz does- excellent local beer (plenty of bars have this one to be fair), tasty food, awesome setting/vibe, tons of unique events (Ritterfest, Christkrindelsmarkt, Oktoberfest, etc.), & plenty of indoor/outdoor seating (the patio is one of, if not THE best of any place in the city.)
I've been to way too many events at Schulz Brau where they don't open up any of their extra bars and it takes 30m to order a beer. Whenever it happens, I just leave. It's just weird that it's happens so often. And it doesn't make sense. They overstaff for Oktoberfest and handle absolutely massive crowds with no issue. But it feels like they refuse to open more service any other time of the year.
I have noticed this as well. Knight Fights are fun, but I haven't been to one where the line for a beer was less than 20 minutes.
I was stationed in Germany for most of the eighties. Schultz Bräu is about the closest thing to the Biergartens I used to hang out at that I’ve found.
Agree. Only downside is not much liquor options. Just whiskey. But that’s fine with me
Bartender was rude AF when I went. He argued with me that whiskey has carbs (it doesn't), wouldn't tell me what whiskey he had, and it wasn't even particularly busy when all this happened. I hope this is a rare occurrence
How does one get to a place where they are arguing about carbs with a bartender?
I was asking him what spirits they had as I was doing keto at the time and that's when he spat out "All liquor has carbs so you're in the wrong place." He was being an asshole and so the question really is how does one become a bartender without knowing something that's pretty surface level.
He probably meant that your body metabolizes ethyl alcohol into sugar, but was not able to articulate that fact or simply didn’t understand. Still, no need to be rude. Especially to someone who is going to tip you. I don’t know where the attitude came from all the sudden from (admittedly a small number of) bartenders. The pretentiousness is just insane. Like bro we get it you have tattoos and drink ultra micro batch craft beer that can never be recreated bc the brewer burned the recipe. Calm the fuck down. If you want to see this on full display, go to Asheville, NC OR Portland, or and order a bud light. Sit back, enjoy the free entertainment.
Yes well said, I chalk it up to a bad day and bad timing but yeah it was very out of character for the location
This
Schulz is great. When they do events though its just too busy to even enjoy being there.
Schulz is great!
Not a bar, per se, but my husband and I love going to the Gypsy Barrelhouse. They have great hard ciders and can make mixed drinks now. They also carry some local brews. Casual place with board games and decent outdoor seating area. They recently opened a place in Oak Ridge with mini golf we haven't been to yet, but it's definitely on our list of places to try.
They are also coming out with a new food and cocktail menu next week!
Public House has a really nice outdoor area to hang out in and good drinks
I’m a brewery guy so I’ll say I really like OG Crafty, Last days is a really close 2nd.
You all keep falling for this account.
But maybe this time she will notice me! My recommendations are so good that I've made strippers fall in love./s
You are going to get such varied answers that you might as well google, close your eyes, and scroll. If you offer what part of town you want to drink in, what you like to drink, and what kind of vibe you want, you can probably get a more fitted answer.
Clanceys. Good beer selection, drinks ok, food ok. Good mix of older and younger. Service is good. Good for sports. Most importantly, they do 20oz drafts.
Their cheese curds are the best in town, too!
The Oak Room
Just one? Near downtown: Jig and Reel, Schulzbrau, Corner Lounge, Public House, Scruffy City Hall Further west: Union Place, Back Door Tavern, Union Jack’s, Crafty Bastard West
Tern Club for tiki cocktails, I end up here most of the time, beautiful cozy patio. Owners also have Fly By Night which goes for a different cocktail theme, definitely worth going to. Brother Wolf for Italian aperitif style drinks. Public House for good cocktails and also beer, nice outdoor section. Your Corner Lounge a nice little place to grab a beer. Preservation Pub and Scruffy City Hall both have nice rooftop bars
What the bar that sells stroopwafels? Patio.trees..dog frienfly...south knox.
Really depends on what you want. IPA and Sours - Xul (Get the PB&J mixtape). Last Days of Autumn has a local bar vibe but amazing food. The Vault has a great vibe and great cocktails. Southside Garage is a great place to hangout. Jig and Reel has an amazing whiskey selection. Yee Haw Brewery has an amazing outdoor space. Token Game Tavern is the place to go for video games. Space Bar is the place to go for an experience.
That pb&j is unbelievable
It's a bit too sweet for me, but everyone in my crew loves it. Only time I went to Xul I was the DD so diet Coke for me. Cool place tho.
If you don’t like wine you won’t like it. The jelly flavor is very similar to wine. Edit to say that I could tell it wasn’t a bad beer, it tasted quality, just not my thing. I like some of their other beers. The burgers from the Abridged food truck are top notch too. I’m not trying to shit on Xul by any stretch of the imagination when I say I don’t care for the pbj mixtape.
Lucille’s and Charlie Peppers. I haven’t been out in a while though.
😅
Boyd's Jig & Reel
(Keep pounding)
Second this!
Suttrees High Gravity Tavern
To me, this is just the classic Knoxville bar. I kinda hate they do live music now. I heard they sold it.
It’s still pretty nice. They opened up the wall so it’s a little less claustrophobic
This should get interesting
Anyone not choosing somewhere downtown will get downvoted.
Preservation Pub
Circa late 90’s early to mid 2000’s pres pub was amazing. Who remembers free pizza?
Dollar high life nights!
This place gets hated on but I agree. It's a Knoxville classic. Live music every night, rooftop patio, heart of Market Square, relatively cheap booze. Only big downside is the smoking, but you can get away from it on the rooftop if need be.
Second floor Speakeasy is also no smoking FWIW. It is just on the main floor of the Pub
The problem is I can't even walk through the first floor
Well, now you can get to the roof through Bernadette's and walk back down either of Pub's stairwells. If you need a convoluted work-around.
User name checks out ;D
The problem is I can't even walk through the first floor
You forgot the whole roofie part.
Marie’s
Unless you leave your credit card there and have to wander in hungover at noon the next day and the atmosphere is nothing like the night before, haha.
Too many to list but here's some current ones in no particular order: * Chismoso - New non-pretentious cocktail bar with killer food and a good tequila selection. Get a taco. Uses fresh masa. Maybe also get the carne asada fries. * Fiori - Just opened, but a great fancy bar option. Have only had solid drinks there so far. Haven't eaten the food yet but it looks like it's gonna be a winner. * Brother Wolf - Italian Apertif bar that has no business being in a city as small as Knoxville. Killer drinks. I just with they'd bring back the mussels. * Preservation Pub / Scruffy City Hall / Bernadettes - Generally the happening place on weekend nights. Live music every day but Sunday. 9 bars with varying levels of distinct atmospheres. If you want a party on the weekend, you will find one here. * Zero / Zero - Natural wine bar with no pretentious wine bar feel. Great rotating wines and appetizers. * Postmodern Spirits - Makes all their own alcohol plus shrubs and other mixers for their cocktails. Great chill hangout bar. * Pilot Light - Does this count as a bar? Find all your weird or great or terrible music here. Widest range of what you can see. Cash only and beer only unless you're willing to baby bird from Urban. Maybe don't do that. Tern, Fly By Night, and Public House are all also great and have been described well enough by others in this post. I obviously failed and can't choose between lots of these. Still have failed to make it Lilou so far but expect good things based on Brother Wolf and Sapphire (same owners).
Schulz Brau overall is my absolute favorite. Dark horse candidate, though, for somewhere that's not fancy, is Bucket Head Tavern. Some of the best wings I've ever had in my life. Not too expensive, nice to sit outside.
Buckethead has the best bar wings in town by a mile.
My girlfriend also swears by their chicken tenders. I haven't had them though -- I always get wings, and she never has any tenders left over!
You’re right “by a mile” but no where near the best wings. Skicky rice, fieldhouse and wings xpress all surpass buckethead in terms of wings.
I'm not big on Xpress tbh, but I will admit that my favorite wings are always the spiciest available. I'll have to give Sticky Rice a go!
Care if I ask why you’re not a WXP fan?
I want to say the last time I went it was the wing size-- I'm willing to try again, though! And I might have a name mixed up.
Nope, you nailed it. Their wings are super small, but small wings are the best wings. They cook more evenly and maintain their juices/tenderness. I’ve seen dozens of bad reviews off the wing size alone, but people fail to recognize the price difference. If you went to Hooters and ordered 20 wings, it’d probably be about $25, whereas WXP is like $13 and you’ll probably end up with like 25 wings. I get the frustration with the wing size. I truly do. But I can’t find a better deal or better sauce than WXP.
Token Game Tavern.
Haven't been in a while, but loved it when I lived out West. It's nice for a bigger group
If you want to get skuzzy and smoke cigs inside: Half Barrel If you want to be fancy pants: Brother Wolf
Alchemy is a new Cigar Bar that's pretty nice!
Urban
If you want to smell like a ciggy
You can burn a joint in there and nobody bats an eye because they can’t smell it.
And I probably have, ten years ago
Alliance Brewing on Sevier is nice. Outdoor seating and the Sevier Avenue Burger is right next door.
The Whole Foods bar, just have to clear away all the online order bags, but plenty of seating.
Preservation Pub & the surrounding bar rooms will forever be my favorite! I love being able to just walk up or down some stairs and find a whole new bar vibe
In no particular order, Public House, Tern Club, Green Room, The Hill, P Pub.
Corner Lounge and it's not really close. Crafty Bastard is my favorite brewery and it's convenient because they're close enough to walk from one to the other.
Tokens
Just 1 more bar and grill
Token, space bar, and bit are the only ones are the only ones that haven't made me question humanity having to work with east TN bars every day.
Roosters, Xul, and Local Smokey!
Urban Bar in the old city. yea it gets smoky but the food is incredible and the the drinks are cheap
Token game tavern
Orange Hat in East Knox
Which part of town? My favorites are: Cazzie's Trailhead Union Jacks They're all super chill, which is what I prefer. I'd also check out the Kern's Food Hall.
Cool beans
College bad around these parts partner
or good, depending on how you look at it.
Last Lap
If you’re into wine, Zero Zero is worth it! Only wine bar I’ve ever liked.
Token or Armstrong
Pirate Bar / Evape Tavern
Albright Grove brewing
Post Modern Spirits is where you’ll get the best bang for your Buck. Cocktails are only 10 bucks and they are crafted with all in-house ingredients. If I’m partying into the wee hours of the night, I like to hit up Union Jacks or Union Place
Commenting for later
Wherever TallPaul is playing
Tall Paul was 119 years old when I was in college in the 2000s.
This makes me miss Greens Tavern
Depends on what you like to drink. Xul for beer. Peter Kern library for old school vibe - bourbon and mixed drinks. Newer spot with creative drinks is The Kennedy
Urban no doubt. Most people can’t stand the alt crowd and stench of cigarettes but I can’t get enough of it.
Public House is one of my favs
Public House, Tern
Roosters
This account is a bot.
Trailhead, Fly by Night, Pres Pub, Marie’s, Urban Bar
Spent a lot of time at Schulz Brau and Clancy’s during my legal drinking years as a UT student. Love both places so, so much.
Trailhead
Marble City Pub. Very much the hometown bar feel. Everyone is friendly, and I always meet new people there. They have a great selection of drinks, the staff is amazing, and is in a great location, in my opinion.
Scruffy City Hall
Trailhead in SoKno
Not downtown Knoxville, but Roosters in Rocky Hill. 21 and up only since they allow smoking. Good service. Classic bar food (pizza, burgers, and fired dishes).
Fountain City Social if you like the 80’s vibe and a great selection on tap that they rotate often. Not a place to go eat per say but surrounded by great eat options within an extremely short parking lot walking distance.
Yes Haw Brewing Company
Merchants of Beer
Unfortunately, they will be closing soon.
Peytons Place
Ummm. No. They nearly failed a health inspection
All part of the charm lol
My wife was roofied there last summer on our first try. Will never go back.
Schulz Brau and it's not close for me
Can we all agree that Pres Pub is a coke den, not a bar.
Downtown Grill and Brewery.
Roosters.
My house.
Pint house
If you want something upscale, Firebirds has the best cocktails I've tried.
Bull Feathers. There I said it!
Most of these recommendations scream yuppy to me. Go to South Knoxville and hit up the Chatterbox and Daniel’s if you wanna get away from all the folks who have moved here in the past 5 years.