Visiting the Smokey's from Florida, my brother flew back early and he found this place to stop and have lunch at before flying out and WOW am I glad he did!!! I got the black bean burger and have not stopped thinking about it since. Prepared to perfection and that cherry glaze was just, ugh chefs kiss. 100/10 recommend! Plus great alternative music playing as well. Recall hearing arctic monkeys number 1 anthem while there. Excellent. Will be going back next time I'm in TN! read more

Such a cool vibe and ambience. Not crazy busy. However, the food took forever to come out. When it got there, it was great.... But portions are small (we had to go to another place on the way home to get the boys full). The server was kind, but she just disappeared a few times. They were "out" of 4 different things on the menu, ranging from mashed potatoes to iced tea.... We waited so long enough they could easily have brewed more! Too bad. So much potential. read more

We had a large group of about 12 women celebrating Galentines on Sunday a week later. We arrived for an early afternoon meal. Menus are online via a QR code. Service is friendly and attentive. My meal was delicious! I started with the cranberry faux-jito mocktail and loved it - just the right combo of sweetness and tang. The chargrilled portobello entree was honestly perfect. I love when the zucchini and yellow squash are cooked crisp-tender instead of mushy. That balsamic glaze was a nice topping bringing everything together. The sides of quinoa and mashed potatoes were a nice complement to the main dish. Getting to the door was a little tricky for me with some construction happening on the building but the sign on the door made it clear where to go. Nice place. Not rushed. Great food with lots of interesting options. Tasty drinks. Highly recommended! read more

71 South - Cranberry faux-jito mocktail - soooo good! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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It is tricky to find as the road in front of it was closed, but I open to the parking lot. Food was pretty average. Service was ok. Nothing special, wont return. Decor is pretty cute. But none of the three of us thought food was nothing, I had steak hoagie, lots of roll. little bland overcooked steak. Pretty dry. the fries were good. read more

We stopped in for lunch. We were thrown off at first when we pulled into a church parking lot. I love the fact they have rehab'd an old church! It definitely added to the ambiance. Our server was very attentive. We got the Tuscan chicken, urban cowboy fries, and fried green tomatoes. It was all divine!!! We loved it so much we are planning to stop in again on our way home! read more

71 South - Urban cowboy fries - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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We are visiting the area from out of town. We lucked up on this gem of a restaurant. The dining area is in a sanctuary of a church. I thought this was very unique. We ordered our food to go and it was ready very quickly. The server who assisted us was very nice and helpful. We ordered a fried egg sandwich, 71 Smash burger, fried green tomatoes, and cheesecake. Everything was fresh and cooked well. We are planning to visit again before we leave. read more

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Food was delicious! Staff was friendly and service was fast. Ambience was warm and vintage. Everything on the menu was delicious. I wet with the steak sandwich read more

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Great burger and fries! We wanted to try the steak fries but couldn't justify the price. read more

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Good food, great service, unique atmosphere! We enjoyed our experience at 81 South and will be back.

We stopped by for lunch and had a great experience overall. Everything we ordered tasted fresh and satisfying. The restaurant was pretty quiet during lunch, which made it a nice, relaxed stop. Even though the area is currently under construction, the spot itself is clean and inviting. The service was a bit on the slower side, but since we weren't in a rush, it worked out fine. read more

71 South - philly cheesesteak - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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Having eaten here in the past, we stopped in for a bite before our evening got underway. We were seated promptly, immediately realizing we'd be using their QR code menus (no other option) which we all agreed is not our favorite version. Our server handled our questions, took our order & promptly ignored us for some time before we had to remind her we ordered drinks. Ultimately, she's the reason for the 3 stars as one of us never did get the ranch as requested & it appeared that our server lost interest in following through w/us. The food itself was good so maybe the take-away here is "to go with to-go orders" if we give them another chance. As others mentioned, the setting itself is interesting (old church) & accommodates a good number of patrons so there's no waiting. read more

The food and service was great. Everything came out hot and speedy. It's in an old renovated to church so the atmosphere is inviting.

This is the third time I've visited this restaurant and each time, I love it even more. I don't know how I had forgotten how marvelous the French fries area. They are fried in a delicious, mouth-watering, savory, yummy stupendous batter that is out of this world. Our server was patient with us as we had a toddler and an infant. I had the Portobello Philly Cheese steak vegetarian sandwich on a Hoagie Roll and it was outstanding. I adjured our server to let the owner and kitchen staff know that I would die and go to heaven if they put garlic fries on the menu. She said I am not the only one who has requested that so who knows. The POWER OF YELP REVIEWS. They are not on the menu, but if they were, I would probably drive the 35 miles round trip once a week just to indulge. I implore you to start the chant!! GARLIC FRIES GARLIC FRIES GARLIC FRIES GARLIC FRIES read more

This was my first time here. I met a friend for dinner-a much needed Mom's night out. We were seated right away and our server, Tara came right over to take our drink orders. I had the Bravazzi Peach (hard Italian soda) and my friend got the Janis cocktail. They were both so good! We skipped appetizers and ordered the Steak Frites and Chargrilled Portobello entrees. Delicious! We both enjoyed our dinners. We sat and talked for a while and Tara was so sweet. She checked in on us and was an excellent server. The space was relaxing and laid back. I loved all of the house plants. I will definitely return! This is a jewel in South Knoxville. read more

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The food was delicious and came out very hot. The service was amazing, kind, and fast. The whole atmosphere is welcoming and over all a very good place. read more

We had heard good things about the menu and decided to give it a shot. Although not planned, the four of us each selected a different entree and nobody was denied a delicious meal. There was one member of our group who had been more reticent before we arrived, but was pleased enough to stay and order dessert. Courteous and attentive staff outweighed the slightly longer wait for our food. And the food was worth it. Note: the front steps are quite steep. If you think you will struggle, then park on the left of the entrance where there is an elongated ramp into the side door read more

Enjoyed a visit for lunch after reading great reviews. The place did not disappoint. Cool idea of turning a church into a restaurant and other businesses. There are a good number of steps in order to get into the restaurant, not sure if they offer handicap accessible entrance. The service was good and food was fantastic! The vibe and interior decor was great. Plenty of available free parking and next to a park too. I will definitely be back for future visits. read more

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Looking for a family friendly spot with cozy clean atmosphere that is classy yet casual 71 South is your spot! The service was excellent, food delicious and we all left feeling full and happy. A wonderful place to celebrate with family and friends. read more

71 South - Hang over burger - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Such a great vibe and beautiful restaurant. Inside is such an open and warm environment that offers a quality service. The food was tasty and we would be willing to go back for another visit. read more

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The coffee tasted more like hot sock water than coffee. I ordered the chicken and waffles and they were disappointing. The crust on the chicken was burnt and the waffles were hard as rocks. My husband ordered a sandwich and it was just ok. read more

My friends and I visited for a concert and were looking for a good brunch place. Boy, did we find one! Since it was a Sunday afternoon, pulling up to a full sized Baptist Church was a little disconcerting. It took us a few minutes to realize that it had been repurposed and was now a multifunctional space. Since it was right after opening, there was a little bit of a line, but it moved quickly, and the service was very friendly. Everyone was so cheerful and friendly that it made the wait go by quickly. Inside, it is very tastefully decorated to celebrate its past as a church but also embrace the nature trails and biking paths nearby. It was a perfect balance of the old and new. Oh man, now the food! Everything that we had was absolutely amazing. The appetizers, our main courses, and the very reasonably priced carafes of mimosas. Everything was piping hot, looked as delicious as it tasted, and had very generous portion sizes. This is a great place to stop for brunch if you are anywhere in the Knoxville area! read more

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I debated on whether or not to write this because I have never written a negative review before, but this experience has been sitting wrong with me since yesterday. It was Mother's Day, and we arrived with our 1-year-old right at opening, being seated around 11:00 AM. While the restaurant is beautiful inside, the service unfortunately did not live up to the atmosphere. We ordered our drinks, followed by an appetizer and our mains. Despite ordering a simple spiked cold brew and a canned beer right away, we sat for quite a while with no drinks. They eventually brought our appetizers, but our drinks didn't actually arrive until after we had mostly finished the apps. From there, we waited nearly two hours for our main courses. For anyone with a toddler, you know that a two-hour wait is an eternity. At one point, our server came back to check on us and asked, "Can I get you guys anything else?" and I had to respond, "Other than our food... no!" The food still didn't arrive, and we eventually had to ask for our order to go because our toddler simply couldn't wait any longer. What made the experience so odd was that nobody acknowledged the wait time at all. There was no "sorry, we're understaffed," or even a simple check-in on the status of our meal (until we asked for our food to go, and our server said 'It shouldn't be TOO much longer...") We paid for everything in full and didn't receive any comped items--which is fine--but it would have been nice to at least be acknowledged. To spend two hours waiting and then have to eat our Mother's Day meal out of to-go boxes at home was really saddening. We were so looking forward to this meal, but the lack of communication made us feel like our time/experience didn't matter. read more

I loved the decor of this restaurant! The server was very nice & helpful. The food came out perfect & full of flavor. Cooked to perfection :) read more

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7.5/10 - 71 South beautiful building. A nice mix of modern Southern comfort with flavor that holds up. Reliable and well-executed. read more

Jess, Was totally awesome. She is very professional and very good at her job. She handles and talks to people extremely well. I had filet mignon and mashed potatoes and sweet potato fries. The filet mignon with everything that I had hoped for and anticipated. It's my second time at the restaurant and I would recommend it to anyone who loves good service and good food read more

Positive: drinks are good, and cool atmosphere Negative: I ordered a New York strip but did not get a steak. It looked and tasted like a pork chop. The texture was the exact same as a pork chop. The server brought Tuscan chicken because the steak was off. When cutting into the chicken, I discovered it was raw. Very disappointing. The server apologized and tried to make it better but the damage was already done. We ended up having to get Arby's on the way home. read more

We've been to 71 South 3 times and it's been great! Twice we sat at the bar and Opal did a fantastic job waiting on us. (Even remembered us from our first visit months ago!) Love the baked potato fries. Loaded up with crispy bacon, cheese and chipotle crema. Topped with pickled red onions and not too spicy pickled jalapeño slices. The esthetic La are so pleasant. Local artwork, wooden beams and creeping vines throughout. Just a heads up, Sunday brunch is very busy and they are usually on a 30-45 minute wait. We will definitely be back! read more

71 South - Baked Potato Fries - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Great atmosphere. Terrible food. There is a difference between putting food on a plate versus being thoughtful about food. Sadly the former is the case here. We walked about paying over 250 for four and nobody enjoyed their meal. The meat was dry. The burgers sloppy and sparse (the runny yolk of an egg under the burger not inside) tasteless pasta, wilted lettuce. There is zero thoughtfulness or care out into feeding people. Almost as if robotic college students on pot are running the kitchen. Shapr up dudes. This is not serving people well as they give you their hard earned money. read more

This place was located right next to a church and was so cute on the inside, it was not busy at all when we went on a Monday. The service was fast and the food was very good. They had clearly labeled gluten free options as well. The chicken sandwich was good and the Brussels had cherry balsamic vinaigrette on it which was so good, I recommend both. Definitely will be going back here soon, the prices were also super affordable all together my meal was only $25. read more

71 South - Grilled chicken sandwhich on gluten free bun with sweet potato fries - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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71 South is a fantastic spot with great food, friendly service, and a welcoming atmosphere. Everything we ordered was fresh, flavorful, and cooked perfectly. The staff was attentive without being overbearing, and the whole experience was enjoyable from start to finish. Whether you're stopping by for a casual meal or a night out, it's definitely worth a visit. read more

This isn't my first visit but I decided to review again because of my wife's comment: "I want to come back here so I can try more on the menu". I had the Tuscan Chicken and my wife had the salmon and both were fantastic. The mashed potatoes are unique and delicious. I highly recommend the Quinoa even if it isn't normally a side you would choose. The preparation is reminiscent of a pilaf and not like any quinoa I have had before. The drinks are very good. My wife had the Joan (coconut martini) and would definitely get it again. We really enjoy the atmosphere, the decor pays homage to past as a church but maintains a stylish but casual and comfortable appeal. The staff were friendly and professional. Both attentive and allowed space for conversation and enjoying the meal. Also there is a connected barroom and outdoor seating if that atmosphere is more to your liking. read more

What a great meal we just ate! I had a steak sandwhich and it was great! Steak was cooked just right and no grissle!! My son had the Tuscan chicken, mashed potatoes and quinoa. Exploding with flavor and moist. Mashed potatoes were amazing and the quinoa was very tasty! They also have coke products, thank goodness. Ambience is cool too, its an old church with a great vibe. Oh, yea, side salad was very yummy with the basalmic dressing. Yummy! read more

71 South - Side salad with house basalmic - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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Food was amazing vibes are better! nashville hot chicken sandwich: 10/10 great steak great ahi tuna! what a good place! read more

Just wanted to put that it is not easily handicap/stroller accessible right now during construction! I walked up from baker creek preserve to the front stairs and the hostess said I could go thru the bottom lot to get in, which was two sets of stairs and a hill with construction. I had to walk down their parking lot, onto the street, thru the bottom lot, walk in the middle of the road to the top lot (by the rock climbing place) to find a ramp. It was not easy with a toddler and a stroller with a baby. So just a heads up for moms planning to walk up there from the preserve! But the hostess was so sweet. The fried green tomatoes were delicious! The steak sandwich was just ok, it had like one piece of carmelized onion and a few tiny strips of steak. Really cool location though! But it is construction going on around it. read more

My wife and I heard about the Sunday brunch and decided to give it a go. We were surprised to find it as busy as it was and had a few minute wait, but not bad at all. The inside was bright and airy as this building is a converted church built in 1930 (found that out from the menu). They had immediate seating outside, but the water looked to rain soon so we decided a few minute wait was our better option. the proximity to the Baker Creek preserve also makes this a go to option after a morning on the bike trails. My wife had a Mimosa to start the meal, and I was surprised how quickly it came. I ordered house ricotta waffle, country gravy, scrambled egg, breakfast sausage, wisconsin cheddar, hot honey maple syrup. It was either that or the Chicken and waffle and my waiter Calvin said I could't go wrong with either selection. I ordered an extra side of syrup just so I could dip the waffle for extra sweetness if I desired-good choice! My wife ordered the Breakfast flat consisting of naan, country gravy, crumbled sausage, scrambled egg, Wisconsin cheddar, drizzled with hot honey maple syrup and another win for our taste buds. We will be back and this time bring our fur baby as the outside seating is dog friendly. read more

This place was so good, we will definitely return. The fries were some of my favorite Friendly staff, quick service, pretty atmosphere. read more

71 South - Steak sandwich and fries - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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Well I have wanted to come to this restaurant for a while, because it is in a repurposed church. I wish I had taken pictures of our meals to show just how bad it was. The gyro had only three pieces of Kronos grocery store style meat on it, and there was also too much lettuce butt in it. The best part of the gyro was the pita. My wife's black bean burger also grocery store style. The chicken wings were not well prepared, and we also had a good dose of cold fries with our meal. My kid is a chicken wing fan, and she didn't even want to rank them. I give it a two because of the interior...God bless this mess. read more

Met an out-of-town friend here for a leisurely meal after she braved the heat on the nearby bike trails. Note that GPS does not do a great job of finding this spot yet, but if you see a large brick church, you've come to the right place and it's on the right hand side across the street from the Baker Creek Preserve trail parking lot. It is obviously a super cool, older building with a lot of character and the owners have meticulously restored and renovated the indoor space. Pull super hard on the front door or you may think it is locked (expanded wood from this wild heat?). Once you get in, it is so unique and inviting. Amazing woodwork and windows and very friendly service from start to finish. The weekend brunch menu lasts until 3 (along with reg menu) and the drink and beer selection seemed ample. My friend ordered an Urban Wilderness bowl and I ordered the black bean burger with sweet potato fries. My meal was vegan and hers vegetarian, both with GF options available, FYI. In general, I was blown away with how inclusive the menu is for those with unique dietary needs. My friend liked her bowl and my burger was really well-seasoned, but admittedly a bit dry. I did not notice the glaze but did appreciate the creaminess of the avocado. The sweet potato fries were great! The laid back and eclectic vibe inside (there were people wearing their Sunday church gear mixed with people who had clearly just biked the trails) and inclusive menu will have me come back to try more, especially with my friends who are vegan and/or GF. read more

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This is a really cute and modern restaurant that has a lot of potential. I was impressed with the decor and the transformation from an old church into a restaurant. However: ***Vegans Beware*** Before heading over to 71 South, I reviewed their menu on their website and was impressed that they had Mains listed with both the vg (vegan) and ng (no gluten containing ingredients talk with server) designations. When it came time to order, I asked about the Cauliflower Steak Main since I'm not a huge steak sauce fan. During this discussion I found out that the Mains marked as (vg) for vegan, were actually NOT vegan. Only the "main" itself was vegan (and also gluten free in this case), but the sides were not vegan and gluten free. Turns out the mashed potatoes that come with both "vegan" mains are not vegan and the quinoa that is listed on the menu as being gluten free, is not because it now contains barley and new menus have not been printed to reflect that the "quinoa" is no longer ng. It should be noted that the menus are 8 1/2 x 11 pieces of paper that you could edit and print on a home computer. After many questions about the menu, we realized the only things we could eat were the Brussels without bacon and cheese and the roasted beet hummus. We had ordered two drinks as well, a beer and a mixed drink. Once we got our food, it was unremarkable and tasteless. My mixed drink had little flavor and can best be described as being flat in its profile. The server came to ask how our meal and drinks were. We were honest and it was clear she wasn't taking it well and seemed like she wanted to cry. We explained it was not her fault, and we were just trying to provide feedback for improvement of the menu. We told her we'd be happy to discuss further with a manager or supervisor and she told us she was one. Shortly thereafter, Zack came over to introduce himself as a manager and we shared with him our concerns. He said servers are supposed to explain that vg and ng items don't mean "everything" on the dish is vg and ng. I have never been to a place that advertised vegan and gluten free items on their menu, that were not. I explained that could be dangerous for someone relying on such markings. He said he understood, and we hope he does and changes are made ASAP. After pouring our thoughts out about the food, we were worried that our whole meal and drinks would be comped, which we wouldn't have accepted since a lot of people complain at restaurants to get free stuff. That did not happen, the bill came, at full price. I drank maybe three sip of my drink and we left quite a bit of the rest of our food behind. It would have been a decent gesture to at least offer a discount since we'd been clear on our disappointment in the whole meal; and left it up to us to decline. Instead, after the bill was presented in full, our server came back later with a business card for 10% off "in case we ever wanted to come back". We found this odd. More of a "why bother". I wish them luck and hope changes are made, there's a lot of potential there. And while I realize I'm not their target market diner, Vg and ng items should not be included on a menu when they are not. That feels like a bait and switch which leaves the patrons in an awkward position of not wanting to get up and leave when those items don't match their advertised designations. read more

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My family & I have been to 71 South a few times. Located in south Knoxville, it's in an old church being developed as a multi-function building. The atmosphere in the restaurant is quite, light and airy, it's in the old churches sanctuary. There's a lot of offerings on the menu. It's not a big menu but what I've had so far is tasty. Alcohol and beer is served. The staff have always been attentive and helpful answering any questions. A meal with an adult beverage & tip puts you around $20, which, in my opinion, well worth it. A hidden gem in an area of Knoxville trying to reestablish it's self! read more