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    Nick and J's Cafe

    4.6 (379 reviews)
    Open 7:00 am - 4:00 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

    Nick and J's Cafe Photos

    Business Info

    NICK AND J'S CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Nick and J's Cafe

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    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!

    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!

    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.

    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.

    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!!

    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
    Janet G.

    We yelped and found this jewel. When you walk in you seat yourself. It immediately reminded us of a Waffle House but with a small diner vibe. It smelled delicious. We sat ourselves in the last available booth and waited just a few minutes and our server came and brought us menus. Their menu is full of a wide variety of choices, including a daily special. We ordered iced tea and they were served quickly. The tea was good and is fresh brewed. I ordered the Sandwich and Soup lunch combo. I chose the vegetable soup and the Tuna salad sandwich. Oh man, that sandwich was huge so I split it with my husband, who was trying to go light and just ordered a cup of chili. The server warned him it was spicy, which was fine with my husband. My vegetable soup was full of a wide variety of vegetables and the broth was delicious! We would definitely recommend this gem! While we were there -right at the heart of lunch hour-there was a steady stream of people but no one had to stand and wait for very long. We both thoroughly enjoyed our lunch and the experience at Nick and J's! The food and service was EXCELLENT!!

    the front of the building
    Mike B.

    My wife was looking for someplace we could grab something to eat before heading out of Knoxville. She found this place not too far from where we stayed. She chose it because of all the good reviews. We arrived a little before 11am on Tuesday and the place was hopping. There were two booths that needed cleaned and they said they would get one ready for us. We were seated a few moments later. We were provided menus and offered drinks. As we were reviewing the menu, both my wife and I thought we needed to share the Triple Whammy which is two 1/2 lb cheeseburgers in between three grilled cheese sandwiches and fries. Although, we knew we would not finish it. We asked our server how often anyone orders it and were told about once a week. That is what we ordered. Our food arrived in a timely fashion and looked amazing and huge! We proceeded to unstack it with each of us taking a burger and grilled cheese sandwich. We could not finish it and left most of the fries and most of one of the grilled cheese sandwiches. But, boy was it good! We wish we were in the area because we would come back to try other items on the menu. We definitely recommend you check this place out.

    Some like it hot! Hot sauce on tables
    Lindsay H.

    We snagged the last parking spot on a Friday around 8:30 am. Note that the building nor parking are as spacious as they seem from the highway. You go inside and it is a casual diner with tight quarters and a few rows of booth seating and you seat yourself. The server was swamped and pulled in many directions, so be patient and kind. :-) The owner was also making their rounds to make sure everything was going well. We waited about 10 minutes to get a menu and another 10 for drinks, but the server was sweet, funny, and was very prompt with refilling coffee once we had it. I ordered an egg biscuit sandwich with cheese and bacon-crisp added and a side of home fries (aka diced, fried potatoes). My husband ordered the Nick and J's Special (3 eggs, bacon, home fries, and biscuit with jelly instead of gravy). The eggs were all perfectly cooked and home fries well-seasoned. The bacon was fine. It served its purpose but was not as flavorful or crisp as we had hoped. The biscuit was the most disappointing part, though. It was flat and overbaked and fell apart when bitten into, it was so hard. It literally "clinked" like a coin when a fallen piece fell on the plate. :-( Due to the awesome reviews, I will definitely be back to give this place a second try (probably for lunch or pancakes), but our first experience with the food itself was definitely a resounding, "meh." I think I may have ordered the wrong thing or came on a bad-biscuit day?

    classic burger with cheese
    Beth Y.

    Food was great as usual. Service is always amazing and everyone is so friendly. The usual casual diner atmosphere, which I love. One of our favorite places!

    Banana pudding and strawberry cake... yum!

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    3 months ago

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

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    7 months ago

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    11 months 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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    5 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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    6 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

    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

    Incredible service and incredible food. This is a go to establishment for my family. Oh.. and hands down the best burgers ever!

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

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