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    Nick and J's Cafe

    4.6 (384 reviews)
    Open 7:00 am - 4:00 pm

    Nick and J's Cafe Photos

    Business Info

    NICK AND J'S CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Nick and J's Cafe

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    This is the brownstone

    This restaurant has very good service, as well as a nice ambiance that reminded me of diners. The brownstone is a delicious burger, at a good price as well.

    Nick and J special breakfast. 3 Eggs, sausage and county taters
    Chuck J.

    Whenever I'm in the area, I make it a point to stop at Nick and Jay's for breakfast. They offer some of the best home-style cooking I've found in the Knoxville area. Everything is made from scratch, and the food is consistently on point when it comes to taste and flavor. I highly recommend stopping in for breakfast. While lunch is good as well, this is hands down my go-to breakfast spot. If your solo sit at the counter for the full experience.

    Chilli Bowl with a corn muffin and crackers
    Katey J.

    This place seems really busy but all the staff are really nice, the portions sizes are great, and there was a very large array of items to pick from. The Cafe is so cute too, lots of decorations to look at while you wait for your fresh cooked food. It's very waffle house style but more cozy.

    BLT!!!
    Janet C.

    Food is amazing.. cooked to order .. fresh.. yummy.. great service and a diamond in the rough business ... step inside head to the back and wait for a seat!! It's worth it if they are full.. Breakfast and lunch only.. mom and pop owned and they careand it shows!!! I keep dashing TRIPLE D needs to show up here! Everything rocks!!! It's small so advertising this is only because they are so worth the wait!

    Breakfast platter

    We've been in Nick and Js a few times Portions are huge, but the food is excellent. Service is over the top. Make sure you go in with a big appetite and a sense of humor. It's nice when people get my sarcasm and the gentleman doing the seating got my sarcasm even though there was a line we receded within 10 minutes, so don't be discouraged if there is a weight it's totally worth the weight. If you're looking for the diner feel you're definitely going to get it. Lots of things to look at on the wall, memorabilia, etc..

    1/2 lb cheeseburger our server, Anthony  recommended. Great recommendation! Bacon, grilled onions and mushrooms with mayo all the way.
    David V.

    We were visiting Knoxville and I chose this restaurant due to YELP. We arrived, and this place was packed! It looks like an old Waffle House or Huddle House. We were greeted promptly, and seated within 5 minutes. The restaurant was very clean, even as busy as it appeared. Our server, Anthony was a gem. We asked what he recommended , and his response was, "everything." He said, "honestly everything we serve is delicious." That's a hell of a recommendation! I ordered the burger (I forgot the name, but everything listed in the pic was on it) and my wife ordered the chicken salad sandwich on Texas toast. She is very picky about her chicken salad, but absolutely loved it. I also had the fries that were perfectly cooked. Crunchy in the outside, and soft on the inside. When I say that my cheeseburger was huge, it was! I cut it in half, and ate one half, then pulled the meat off the second half and ate it by itself. The meat seems to be seasoned with salt and pepper only, so you can really appreciate the flavor of the beef. The value is more than the price in my opinion. This is an extremely well- run restaurant. It earns 5 stars. Great service (Anthony) and great food!

    Arionne W.

    So my coworker and I went back to this CUTE cafe but this time it was for lunch (that was on accident, we wanted breakfast). We ordered a nicks way burger, patty melt and a tuna melt. We agreed that it was a strong 6/10, in order to give it a 10/10 we would recommend the burger and tuna be seasoned better. For the service, it was still great like last time and we had our same waitress. She greeted us like regulars because at this point, we are. We are going back for breakfast!!

    Philly
    David B.

    Great little diner with friendly staff, delicious hot food, and quick service. We had a party of four and were seated immediately. Orders were promptly taken and delivered. The food was great. The service was excellent, and it had a cool atmosphere as an old time diner.

    Bacon Cheeseburger

    Excellent food & great service! Cute diner ambiance. This place is going on my keeper list! Loved the welcoming staff!

    Christina C.

    This restaurant is a must at least once. My family and I will be going back often. Even though the line was long it moved fast and it was worth it! One serving of pancakes was plenty for three people and there biscuits were absolutely mouth watering! Great place reminds me of an old school diner, loved all the memorabilia and the owners were very nice and funny! Pictures don't do the food justice but man o man it's good!

    Grilled Turkey Reuben with a side of potato salad and a pickle for $12.99
    Susan C.

    Not much has changed in this good old-fashioned diner since pre-pandemic times when we last visited -- except for the prices. Talk about inflation! We ordered two sandwiches with 2 sides and 2 soft drinks, and the bill rang up at $33.00!!! First was a chicken salad sandwich ($5.99 1 year ago according to another reviewer) that now costs $7.50 -- and a grilled turkey reuben (formerly $9.75) and now $12.99! My sandwich came with a pickle and a side: potato salad; my spouse 's entree came sans side, so he ordered potato salad which was only 24 cents more than a year ago. Not bad. The restaurant wasn't exceptionally busy as those who entered after us had no wait, and the counter had plenty of available seats; however, it took more than 15 minutes after we placed our order for the food to arrive. No fault of the server who checked on us midway through our meal and was cordial. I must say the portions were generous, and my sandwich was tasty. My spouse was a bit disappointed with his sandwich as he said the chicken salad was bland. He took half of it home, added a tablespoon of sweet pickle relish, and it pepped-up the flavor.

    Breakfast

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    4 days ago

    Warm loving family run restaurant where the food is solid. Legit omlettes, solid staff!

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    1 year ago

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    7 months ago

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    11 days ago

    Service is always great and food is hot and tasty. I have been going there since the day they opened.

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    2 months ago

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    8 months ago

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    5 months ago

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    30 days ago

    Great service and great food! Worth the visit. We are definitely coming back as soon as possible!

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    7 months ago

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    6 months ago

    Good Rueben sandwich, but a little messy. Classic diner menu. Lots of regulars. Good service.

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Solid mom and pops place with hard working and kind people who make GOOD food. Nothing fancy, but consistently good and that's the best!!

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    9 months ago

    Just awesome! Great food, excellent service!! Will definitely be back as many times as we can!

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    8 months ago

    Always busy but worth the wait. Great food and friendly staff. Live the kitschy diner decor!

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    3 years ago

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    11 months ago

    A local treasure with great food Generous portions and attentive staff! They have great daily specials and wonderful desserts!

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    1 year ago

    Family owned and ran. Great people and great food. It is a busy place, but they get people in and out quickly. Very good prices as well!

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    1 year ago

    Great little place for breakfast. Staff super friendly and food is good. Would definitely go back when in the area.

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    2 years ago

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    SmashCity - Knoxville

    SmashCity - Knoxville

    4.5
    (121 reviews)
    12.8 mi

    Headed to a Smokies game, we chose to stop into SmashCity for a pregame burger…read more The service and burger came up quickly. I opted for the truffle smash and large fry. My buddy opted for the Spicy Smash. The burgers were mmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmm great, Juicy and the bun held up. Fries were fresh and would like to see maybe a topping or poutine option for them. Cool spot to get some AC and great burger before a Smokies game or a night in the old City.

    We already had 250 miles under our belt for the day. 4 more hours to home. I was sick of fast food…read moreand we were making good time so we decided to venture off the road, but just a little. SmashCity wasn't far off of the interstate, it had good ratings and although we'd been eating burgers and fries quite a bit on this roadtrip, a good burger and fries really sounded good. All of the reviews were right on - this was absolutely NOT fast food - it was fast, really fast, but the speed was just bonus. As we usually do, we split. We chose the Carolina BBQ smash. The burgers were juicy - if you're not careful, I guarantee you'll be wearing it. Two critiques, it definitely needed more sauce - I just added some of the SmashCity sauce from our fries and it worked but I really would have liked to have had more BBQ sauce. Second, the fried onions were quite burned. I pulled off most of them. The hand cut fries were piping hot, just the right amount of greasy and seasoned perfectly. Splitting the burger was a good call - I'd never have eaten the whole thing myself. The burger and fries were just over $20. When you consider a Big Mac meal at that clown place is $14, SmashCity is almost a bargain. Paul, the owner was like the energizer bunny - he was everywhere at once. Personality oozed from his pores. Make sure you tell him Sue said hi! (He won't remember me but just say hi anyway!) Now I wouldn't say SmashCity has the best burgers - that award goes to our friend Jerry. He makes a pretty mean smash burger on the blackstone. If you have an extra half hour, skip the fast food burger joints, get off that highway, and go let Paul fill your belly for the rest of your trip! You'll appreciate it!

    Photos
    Truffle Smash (top), SmashCity Classic (bottom)
    Truffle Smash (top), SmashCity Classic (bottom)
    House-Made Black Bean Smash
    House-Made Black Bean Smash
    Rad-Style - SmashCity's version of loaded fries!

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    Rad-Style - SmashCity's version of loaded fries!
    Stock & Barrel

    Stock & Barrel

    4.4
    (2k reviews)
    12.7 mi
    $$

    We made it into Stock & Barrel just before closing, and we're glad we did. With a big hike planned…read morethe next day, we split a burger and a wedge salad. The burger was cooked a perfect medium, and the wedge was fresh, crisp, and exactly what we were looking for. Even though we arrived late, the service was excellent and never felt rushed. There was still a lively crowd, and the restaurant had a great atmosphere. The bar is especially impressive, with towering shelves stocked with an enormous bourbon selection, and the prices were surprisingly reasonable. Great food, outstanding service, and a welcoming atmosphere. Highly recommend.

    I really try and not post bad reviews but this is one is needed after our experience last night…read more Please know that we have been to Stock and Barrel many times during our visits to Knoxville and always enjoyed our experience. After last night I'm not sure if we will ever return. We were seated outside at a table that was right in front of the in and out doors. We waited almost 15 minutes before someone came to wait on this. Honestly this would have been longer if my husband hadn't gone in to ask about a server for our table. Mind you, there were plenty of servers walking to help the other tables around us as we were waiting. Finally a server walked up, her name started with an A, and she was very flippant with helping us. I ordered a beer and my husband ordered water and son ordered a soda. We also went on and ordered since we had no idea when she would return for our order. She brought the water and soda but no beer and then we didn't see her (at our table) until our food came out. My beer came out with the food, a good 10 minutes after I ordered it. I know you may be thinking that the bar was backed up but her other table (that arrived after) got their drinks right away and also a 2nd order of drinks before I received my beer. She never came to check on us with our food and spent more time at the table that arrived with her friends. Her attitude and personality was vastly different with our table versus her friend's table. When it came time to get us our check. I saw her roll her eyes and walked towards us. I let it slide instead of calling her out on her actions as I just wanted to leave. We paid our check and left. I truly feel like this will be our last time here because of the service we received. We have many friends who travel to Knoxville for various sporting events (since I'm in that industry) and I always recommend Stock and Barrel. After last night, I'll be recommending some other place.

    Photos
    Interior
    Interior
    Ring of Fire
    Ring of Fire
    Inside of the restaurant...super small

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    Inside of the restaurant...super small
    Abridged Beer Company

    Abridged Beer Company

    4.6
    (216 reviews)
    7.2 mi
    $$

    Came here to grab a brew so the review is not on the food. I am familiar with Abridged burgers, as…read morethey have a food truck outside of Xul Brewing Company on the others side of the city. Burgers have always been top notch and awaiting their takeover of the Xul kitchens here. Bar staff on top of service, even refilling water when it got low. Service is a plus. Ambiance is more restaurant feel than brewery, although there is a wide selection of brews available. She order a lemondrop. Nice job, but you get a lemondrop pretty much the same no matter where you go. Beer is very good here. I did not have one I did not enjoy. I need to return some time and try some of their food menu items.

    A quick Yelp search while in the area led us here. It was a good find for sure…read more Loved that even on cold days, there is a closed-in patio that allows pups! Our pup travels everywhere with us, so finding these spots is important to us. It was very spacious too - so we weren't on top of other guests. They have an extensive menu and the same with the beer list. There is something for everyone, from hoppy IPAs to fruity sours. Not sure which beer you may like - get a sample. Or try a flight! For lunch, we got the deviled eggs to start - something that is a go-to for us. They were solid and enjoyable. For the main, we opted for the Abridged burger and the Chicken club. Both were solid as well. Fries were crispy, but a bit over-salted, and I enjoy some salt. So made a note for next time to "go light". Service was good too. Overall - really only a tiny detail to 'complain' about, but easily taken care of next time. We will be back for sure - I want to try their pizza!

    Photos
    Abridged Beer Company
    New Layout
    New Layout
    Abridged Burger

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    Abridged Burger
    The Burgers

    The Burgers

    4.1
    (134 reviews)
    12.8 mi
    $$

    Solid spot to grab a quick bite. The restaurant has gotten better over the years adding some…read moreadditional seating and parking. The service was quick and friendly. The food was solid and the prices were fair. If you're trying to decide between onion rings and fries go onion rings, they're made to order and outstanding. I went with a classic cheeseburger add fresh jalapeños and my wife had the $2.99 margarita to pair with a chicken Caesar wrap. Both were stellar and my son got the classic cheeseburger with lettuce and tomato. Five stars all the way around. Will definitely be back.

    This is part 2 of my The Burgers review. Ironically, the very day before I tried the Lenoir City…read morelocation not knowing my friends were going to take me here. Since I had the burger the day before I tried another option. So I ordered the Southern Clucker, a fried chicken sandwich with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, bacon, and jalapeños. I wasn't as impressed with the chicken as I was with the other location's burger. The chicken was fairly tough and chewy and the piece was smaller than the bun it was sitting in, so it was literally tough to eat. The bun and vegetables were fresh though. I loved the onion rings. Best seasoning I've had on fries or onion rings in a long time, and the waitress brought some ranch which helped even more! Because the locations seem consistent, I'll also give the Powell location 4 stars. Great sides, good buns, but not without their faults. Looking forward to trying the fried fish in future.

    Photos
    Outside seats
    Outside seats
    The Burgers
    The Burgers

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    Inskip Grill at Fountain City

    Inskip Grill at Fountain City

    3.8
    (166 reviews)
    13.6 mi

    I stopped in after a few years not visiting and everything is still excellent, with one small…read moreexception. You know how you should never order seafood at a steakhouse? Well, new rule: never order the hot dog at a burger joint. They have one hot dog on the menu and it could feed three of me, no problem. It's huge with a huge bun, but ultimately it left me full but flat. Nothing special. My son had the Inskip burger and it was everything he hoped for. So, lesson learned: enjoy the burgers, avoid the hot dog.

    So sad to say this, as I had high expectations from all the reviews and recommendations to try the…read morefood. We arrived as they opened and our server was super friendly!! We each had a burger I had the chili cheese burger. Food arrived hot but the burger was a fat ball of tastelessness. It didn't even cover the entire bun, which wasn't that big to begin with ( for those prices). So your first few bites are nothing but bun and lettuce. the bun wasn't even that good, toasted or good bread. To make it worse the fries were sad and soggy. Maybe it's just me but I prefer crispy fries not ones that droop over when you picked them up. I ended up taking the bun off eating the chili and toppings leaving half my meat and I didn't even finish the fries. I love my french fries and for me to leave. French fries uneaten is definitely a statement. After the meal, I asked what he thought and he said the same thing. Very underwhelming and doubtful that we would return. I really wanted to love it.

    Photos
    The dolly with bacon added and a pretzel bun
    The dolly with bacon added and a pretzel bun
    Good food, but extremely slow service every time. Always 35 minutes to make two cheeseburgers, fries, and cokes.
    Good food, but extremely slow service every time. Always 35 minutes to make two cheeseburgers, fries, and cokes.
    Inskip Grill at Fountain City

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    Nick and J's Cafe - tradamerican - Updated August 2026

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