When my family and I travel, trying new restaurants is one of my favorite things to do. I love finding places that the locals love and getting to explore new dishes. On our trip to Knoxville, TN we were able to try several different places that we thoroughly enjoyed. All of these restaurants have several locations, in the area, so you should be able to find one!
Aubrey’s
Aubrey’s was a gem in Knoxville that I didn’t expect to find. They are a chain in Tennessee with most of their 16 locations on the Eastern side of the state. I do not typically like to go to chain restaurants while on vacation, but as this was local to Tennessee I was willing to give it a try.
When we visited, we went to the Powell location, but there are several more options in the Knoxville area. This location had a nice patio (which we couldn’t use because it was raining), and a large bar right when you walked in with many TV’s. The bar area was enclosed which allowed the rest of the restaurant to be quieter, while still allowing for guests in the bar area to enjoy the sports on TV and the fun atmosphere of rooting for your favorite team.
We chose to sit in the main dining are. This area was quite large, and we sat towards the back of the restaurant. The ambiance in the restaurant was pleasant and made for an enjoyable dining experience.We were brought fresh bread and my husband and I both had a hard time deciding on what to eat as there were several menu items we both wanted to try. They had a decent sized menu! My husband ended up ordering the buttermilk fried chicken with mashed potatoes and I ordered the hickory chicken which was served over rice along with Thick Cut Potato Chips as my side. It was all very good! The chips were different than I expected as they were softer and more like a thick potato, but still really good!
I also loved that they had numerous healthier options to try. While on vacation, it can be so hard to eat healthy so finding a restaurant with tasty options is great! There were many more items that I want to go back and try here!
Check out all their locations here: https://aubreysrestaurants.com/locations/
Petro’s Chili & Chips
Petro’s Chili & Chips is also a chain in Tennessee. I was excited to try this one because it was founded at the 1982 Knoxville Worlds Fair. The original Petro’s served at the World’s fair contained a Frito’s bag opened up and then topped with Chili along with other toppings such as sour cream and cheese.
Petro’s menu has expanded well beyond just a Frito’s bag. When you order The original Petro’s today, it comes with Fritos, chili, cheese, diced tomatoes, sour cream, and fresh cut green onions. You can also top potatoes, hot dogs, nachos, and even salad with any of these tasty toppings.
When we went I knew I wanted to try “the original” and then we also ordered the hot dogs. We decided to get both and split them so we could try both! They were both quite good! I preferred “the original” and my husband preferred eating the toppings over the hot dogs.
One of the great things about this restaurant is that they can accommodate many dietary needs! The original Petro’s is gluten free, they have vegetarian chili, along with dairy free and even Paleo options! It’s nice to have choices that fit different dietary needs, especially if you are eating with a group.
Petro’s also has “a hit of orange” tea. I was excited to try this tea as I love tea and it sounded so unique. I enjoy trying new flavors and I had never had an Orange tea before. I expected the flavor to not be very strong due to the name. However, when I tasted it, it was a burst of flavor. It was truly unique. I don’t know if it is something I would want all the time but it was a fun flavor to try out.
Another nice feature of this restaurant is the price! I felt like we ordered a lot of food and it was the cheapest meal we had our entire trip!
We visited the downtown location of Petro’s. I specifically chose this one as we were also wanting to go to Cruze Farms that was right around the corner! The only drawback to this location was that it was hard to find parking. I also found out that this location has unfortunately closed recently due to an increase in rent. The locations for Petro’s are mainly centered around Knoxville and Chattanooga, TN. Here is a link to find the nearest Petro’s to you! https://www.petros.com/locations
Cruze Farms
My husband and I LOVE ice cream and whenever we are on vacation, we try to find local ice cream stores. What I loved about Cruze Farms is that they are actually a farm! They bottle and sell milk in many different flavors and they also make their own ice cream! They sell their milk in local grocery stores and at their ice cream shops. They also have a Pizza barn in East Knoxville. I wanted to try the pizza out but unfortunately we did not have enough time. They also have an ice cream and dairy store very close to the pizza barn, so if you are able to visit, you can easily also try out their ice cream and milk products.
Cruze Farms has four ice cream and dairy shops and one pizza barn. The pizza barn is located in East Knoxville and the ice cream and dairy shop have two locations in Knoxville. We visited the downtown Knoxville location because it was within walking distance of Petro’s Chili & chips where we ate at for dinner. They also have an ice cream and dairy shop in Sevierville, TN and Morristown, TN. Some locations are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays so make sure you check the operating hours of the location you are planning on visiting before you go!
When we visited the downtown location is was more spacious than I expected. Walking in, there is a sizable area to shop the Farm’s merchandise and place your order. You place your order on one side of the counter and then you pick it up on the other side. They had many different options and I settled on a mixed dessert with Reeses peanut butter cup. My husband got a float with Fanta orange soda as the base.
Once we received our order, we went to the back of the restaurant and found a seat. We went on a Monday night and it quickly became crowded after we arrived! They had a decent amount of seating though and thankfully we found a spot as there were quite a few people who came after us. We both enjoyed our ice cream and we would go back again if we are in the area.
While we did not have a lot of time in Knoxville, we were able to enjoy several restaurants while there. We definitely want to come back to Knoxville one day and we look forward to trying Cruze Farms Pizza barn and going back to the restaurants we have already visited and enjoyed!
Enjoy pizza? Check out We the Pizza in Washington D.C.:
Love ice cream? Check out one of my favorite ice cream places:
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