No, you aren't dreaming. Jackie's Dream does have great fried chicken! I wasn't impressed with any of the sides -Mac and cheese, Cole slaw, and potato salad were all fine - but the real star is the chicken. I ordered the hot chicken and I enjoyed the heat but could do without it. The hot sauce made what otherwise was a great crust a bit soggy. Some great pieces of fried chicken. As my dad said, "they have more meat on one wing than KFC has on an entire breast!". Mic drop. read more

Jackie's Dream - Hot chicken - Soul Food Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Good is country good eating. Open times are hard for me to get there during business hours. read more

8/10 - Jackie's Dream True soul food with heart. Generous portions, great seasoning, and a warm feel. Food always comes out piping hot read more

Went with the family (of 5) to Jackie's Dream this weekend. The fried catfish and hot chicken (dark meat) were both exceptionally good. The sides we got (Mac and cheese, green beans) were delicious, and I especially liked the vinegary kick of the collard greens. Kids all had some version of fried chicken and French fries and were very satisfied. The service takes a bit because food is made to order, but it's well worth the wait for the flavors and prices. Don't expect anything fancy, but they are friendly and serve great food and plenty of it. read more

Yelp let me down! Lol, sad face. Or, maybe I let myself down. I let the stars fool me. Didn't read the reviews until we had already ordered and unfortunately, I agree with the reviews that were underwhelmed. We walked in to friendly and inviting service. They were extremely packed, but we got seated immediately. We ordered fried green tomatoes, 2 fried cat dinners with mac n cheese, sides of fried chicken. greens, yams, fried potatoes and the hush puppies..Took the food about 20 mins. The fried green tomatoes were coated too heavy and burned. They fried them wayyyy too well done. Hard as a brick! The catfish filets weren't fried hard enough and weren't seasoned. The chicken was bland. I had to dump salt n pepper on it. The greens were sugary and gross. Yams not sweet enough. Fried potatoes were bomb! Hush puppies were dry. All of the food was fresh and hot though. Our server was pleasant too. Unfortunately, I wouldn't return. They don't believe in seasoning. I can't get jiggy with that. Lmao... atleast I tried! read more

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This was some of the best food I have ever had. The buffalo wings were the best I have ever had. The service was great becides it took a long time to get the food. The slow time it took to get the food was well made up by how good the food was. I don't really like crinkle cut fries but these were very very good. The vibes were also great. They treated you like they knew u for years already. This was the best food I have had in a long time. read more

If you want a clean diner atmosphere serving stick-to-your-ribs Southern cooking', with friendly service and reasonable prices, Jackie's is the place to go. If you've never been, it may take you several passes before trusting the GPS and pulling into the parking lot. Seriously there is no sign and yet they still draw a crowd. Yup, it's that good. There were four of us who stopped by for lunch after church. Our server, Armeka, explained the specials, took our orders and took care of us well. My wife had the fried chicken, one of our guests had the meat loaf and the other guest and I had the special of the day: Turkey dinner with all the fixin's. There was not a single complaint. It was just solid down-home cooking. The menu has everything from catfish to burgers, fried green tomatoes, collard greens, corn bread and tons of other great dishes from the South. This is a Black owned business preparing trusted Southern recipes handed down through the family from one mama to the next. Mmmmmmm Mmmmmm Good! Try it; your tummy will thank you. read more

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LOVE THE FOOD the cabbage is the best ive had since my granny died and the turkey is wonderful comfort food at the best and it was so nice to speak with Jackie she is so nice but my number one item is the fried green tomatoes best in town i could eat them every day the service is always good , great atmosphere read more

Jackie is a blessing to the community, she treats everyone like family and when I said she has some of the BEST food in the city I'm not over exaggerating, thank you Jackie for the outstanding service you and your staff provide, and we the people love you and the great ambience you provide read more

Food to salty, no one in kitchen wearing gloves or hair nets. It appeared dirty and not up dated. Drinks served from kool aid pitchers.

This place is spot on for home cookin!! Had the fried chicken and catfish both delicious and the sides just as good. The ladies that work there are super friendly and helpful. I just wish closer so I could go more often but when in Knoxville, I will be back.!! read more

Jackie's Dream - Soul Food Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Food Excellent Vibe Excellent Jackie A Dream Coming here with friends is always a treat. The fried chicken brings back memories of grandmother's Sunday dinners. read more

The waitress Shae was an angel who escorted us to the gates of heaven. I am not being dramatic when I say this food had me seeing God. The shrimp, fried chicken, and all of the sides were top notch. I am actively scheming ways to return as many times as possible while we are in Knoxville. read more

Jackie's Dream - Soul Food Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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I think I've found the best fried chicken ever. Hands down, best seasoned, juicy chicken, perfectly cooked fried chicken. The Knox hot sauce with the perfectly fried chicken, chef's kiss. The service was also excellent and inside is nothing fancy. Just your typical dinner/dive/hole in the wall establishment where the soul food speaks for itself. I will admit, the sides are meh. The fried okra had the nice breading and seasoning but the mashed potatoes, coleslaw and Mac n cheese were average. However I'd come back solely for the fried chicken alone so they still get 5 stars. They're only open 11-5 but they're definitely worth making time for. read more

Jackie's Dream - Knox hot - Soul Food Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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Omg y'all! Hot half chicken okra and Mac and cheese. 10/10. Zero regrets. Soul food at its finest, good music, great service! Ask for Shea she'll do you right! read more

Jackie's Dream - Hot chicken half bird. - Soul Food Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Me and my wife went there for the first time today.I got the fish and my wife got shrimps.Oh, so we got chickens, best chicken I ever ate in my life.Catfish was great.The shrimp was good.The service was fantastic.I'd recommend this place to anyone read more

Menu prices online are different so be prepared if you order. I also found a long hair in my food. Poor customer service

The chicken is no joke, super hot. You can tell it's hot by the red color but damn. Everything is else was decent.

I have yet to be disappointed with a meal from Jackie's Dream. Anytime it friend/family meet... Jackie is guaranteed to be a front runner meeting spot! Be prepared to wait for your fried chicken entrees.... But keep in mind... It's fresh, it's amazing, and ask the sides are made on site too! Not microwaved or boil in bag nonsense. If it's Sunday... grab some oxtails. I'm stuff on the oxtails and meatloaf. My hubby always gets the chicken or meatloaf. And we always start with the fried green tomatoes read more

best fried chicken! no need for any gravy nor ketchup to dip in.. service was good, hardworking individuals. ambiance was fair. i don't think it's noisy at all.. would definitely recommend! read more

Jackie's Dream - fried chicken, slaw, mashed potatoes, corn bread - Soul Food Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

It was very mid, took about 45 mins to get our food while everyone else got there's before us, if your coming here be aware of the wait.

First time visit, probably won't be our last. We both had the fried chicken for lunch. She had white and I dark. You will wait if you order the fried chicken, as they are making it to order (as far as I can tell). All of our hot food was really hot. The collard greens are fresh as was the okra. Everything had great flavor. My only complaint and reason for the four star is the collard greens are not prepared right. I had a bowl of stems, and they were chewy. Other than that I'd come back and try the rest of the menu. Everything that I saw being served looked great. read more

Jackie's Dream - Store front - Soul Food Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Finally made it here! Delicious food and friendly service. Looking forward to go back soon!

Pretty basic. Service wasn't good but the food was average. Not bad but not super impressive. Took a long time.

we had our first visit to Jackie's dream today ! man oh man am i ever impressed!!! the sweet tea was right on! Best tea ever!! the special today was Catfish. potatoes and onions, slaw and hushpuppies!! slaw is not one of my favorites so i got cabbage and white beans! this was delicious! i also got an order of fried green green tomatoes! let me tell you- those were the BEST FRIED GREEN TOMATOES I EVER ATE! the whole meal was delicious. The Catfish was out of this world ! 2 pieces come with the dinner but i could and probably would have eaten 4 pieces !! if you get a chance to go to Jackie's be prepared for a wonderful meal, excellent service and leaving full! i give this 25 on the scale of 1 to.10! i will be back!!!!! keep up the good work and excellent food and service!!! read more

Jackie is a local treasure. She is whats great in the world! Charming southern lady! Fried catfish was great as was fried pork chop. Fried okra: 5 stars! Disappointing : macaroni and cheese which is pretty bad. Cornbread is also a one star. I hope these improve! Honestly, for a meat and three, we expected better read more

Food is always worth the wait! Service is attentive and kind. Jackie is great with mingling and conversing with everyone. Puts you in a comfortable home mood sharing a meal among friends! Would certainly return! read more

The food was hot and delicious! I had the Knox hot chicken and it was the perfect amount of heat. My sides were the Mac and cheese and collard greens. The Mac and cheese was a bit sweet for my liking but I think that's just the style here in TN. Great service and no frills atmosphere. read more

Jackie's Dream - Soul Food Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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This food is soooo delicious! I tried fried green tomatoes. Spot on. They reheat in the air fryer so good if you take some home. Catfish is the best I've ever had. I love how the staff knew customer names and their usual. read more

This place had such rave reviews we were excited to give it a try. Not sure if it was just an off day, but we waited an hour on our food. There was no " we're sorry for your wait", or recognition of the extremely long wait at all. Then the food was not worth the wait. Very disappointed, and confused by all of the great reviews. Like I said, must have been an off day. read more

Jackie's Dream was definitely dreamy. We arrived a bit before noon on a Saturday and it was hoppin'! The vibe inside is old school and simple, but the food is what people come in droves for. The Queen, Jackie herself, is the person who warmly greeted and seated us. We had a party of six and only had to wait about 10 minutes for them to push tables together for us. There were three people serving and every table full. The phones were constantly ringing because everyone was too busy to answer. The amazing part is that all servers remained so calm and friendly even though they were insanely busy and running around. It did take over 45 minutes to get our food, which was challenging with kids but understandable with how busy they were. I suggest bringing crayons, books, etc. to entertain any kiddos. We ordered: 1. Kid chicken tenders: Huge, fresh and loved. The only negative...no dip of any kind. We asked for ketchup (and butter for the cornbread) several times with no success. 2. Fried green tomatoes with tomato jam: Large portion. Adults liked these. 2/3 kids liked them but not the tomato jam. Nice cornmeal breading and perfectly cooked. Probably do not need to order these next time. 3. Kid burger with candied yams: He gobbled this. Again, no ketchup/mustard provided or given when asked. 4. Hot chicken meal (2): LOVED this. My husband and brother wanted to swim in a pool of the sauce. ;-) They asked for rolls, not cornbread and both received cornbread. Doh! 5. Fried chicken meal with mac and cheese and greens: Great fried chicken! Greens tender and flavorful. Both the mac and greens have an unexpected sweetness. The mac has a Velveeta-esque sauce with cheese baked onto the top. The crunchy top is always the best part. We will definitely be back for our chicken fix. I would love to come back when there is turkey and stuffing as the daily special. Note that the hours are fairly early in the day, closed during dinner hours. read more

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I ordered the following Knox Hot Chicken - breading was great, meat was juicy and tender and the heat was perfect. Mamas Cabbage - holy damn perfect French Fries - good for crinkled - crunchy and seasoned Waitresses were sassy but not in a bad way, our waitress was an angel and working her tail off. Service was slower than expected but they were pretty just. All in all will be back 100000% to try that meatloaf and okra read more

Located in a small strip mall. Great food, very friendly staff. Owner went to each table and spoke to customers, making sure everything was good. Food was excellent. Prices were very reasonable. Highly recommended! read more

Jackie's Dream - Menu - Soul Food Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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Home away from home. Great food and service. Always can relax, laugh, and enjoy some good food! Just go an you'll see what I'm talking about. read more

Jackie's Dream - Menu - Soul Food Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

The food was delicious and I really enjoyed the service, but it got a little too loud for me. I would suggest outdoor seating.

10/10! The best soul food in Knoxville! The food is always fresh and exceeds expectations. The staff is friendly. This is a staple on my food list! read more

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An absolute great place to eat. Great food, great service, and all in a timely manner. The fried chicken is top shelf and the sides were all great. I recommend the onion rings. Go hungry. read more

Got one hot thigh and one regular thigh with collard greens. The chicken was perfectly crispy and still juicy. The hot chicken has a good amount of spice that makes your lips tingle afterwards. Having one of each made a good balance. The collard greens were super tender and tasted like they were cooked in diluted barbecue sauce. Lol. It was my first time having collard greens, so idk if that's normal or not. Everything was pretty cheap, too. Less than $8 before tip. read more

Jackie's Dream - One original thigh, one hot thigh, collard greens - Soul Food Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Had the fried catfish which was good. Mac and cheese was delightful, greens were nasty because of the sweet taste I didn't like. Going back to try the hot chicken. read more

I've never had Knoxville hot chicken (or Nashville hot chicken), so I thought id give this place a go, based on the reviews here. I might have a new favorite food! That sauce is so flavorful. It's just hot enough to open your sinuses but not so hot that you have to take a break from it. The cabbage was sweet and spicy and cooked perfectly. Fried okra was some of the best I've had. The hospitality was so good too. We showed up about 30 minutes before closing, so we asked the hostess if we should order takeout. She said yes, and then Jackie came out and said no, sit them at a table. She was nice enough to leave the doors open for just us. Added bonus, she came to our table and talked with us for a few minutes. Super nice lady. I'm upset that I can't get this in my hometown of Richmond, VA. Jackie, when are you gonna bring this to central VA? I need more of this chicken in my life. read more

Jackie's Dream - Knox Hot Chicken, fried okra, cabbage - Soul Food Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee