As a full-time fiddler, part-time karaoke risk-taker, and lifelong stakeholder in East Tennessee nightlife, I audit a lot of music hubs -- blues jams, open mics, etc. And for over a decade, Paul's Oasis has remained my weekly go-to social hub and unofficial continuing-education site for all things music and mischief. Whether it's the Wednesday blues jam, the Friday karaoke ecosystem, or the Saturday-night live-band deliverable, Paul's consistently executes at a best-in-class level. My mom loves this place. My cousins love this place. My "I-don't-know-a-G-chord-from-a-garlic-knot" friends love this place. Alignment across all demographics; consider that your first indicator this establishment is doing something very right. Now, let's talk consumables. The loaded fries are a strategic advantage. The chili? Surprisingly robust. The pizza, pizza rolls, boneless wings, and their fried okra all score well above industry standard. And let the record reflect: this team has never once short-changed a serving. Portion control simply isn't part of the Paul's Oasis operating model. A quick expectation alignment: this is a smoking bar. The atmosphere carries... well, atmosphere. If you walk in wearing fresh laundry, you will not walk out that way. That's not a bug... that's the user manual. Please don't ding them on Yelp because you forgot where you were. Finally, the people. Paul, Debbie, their son, and the whole family‐run leadership suite are salt-of-the-earth operators who treat every guest like a returning shareholder. Being greeted by name here feels like a quarterly bonus. Yes, it's a locals' bar. Yes, we're intensely proud of that. And in a Knoxville whose downtown is slowly converting into a theme-park for tourists, Paul's remains one of the last great, authentic, high-trust community environments standing. Stop by. We'll save you a barstool and probably hand you a microphone. read more

See all

Was not expecting to eat here but were hungry when we were going to the wood working store next door and decided to give it a try. Am really glad we did. The food is delicious and the staff are friendly. There is not much more that I need to say. read more

Great food and great atmosphere. The smoke smell is a bit much if you aren't ok with it. Great bands and friendly service.

They had very nice staff. The food was decent, we ordered chicken wings. But the restaurant is not clean. They had stains on floor, cigarettes everywhere. So if you are not a cigarette smoker, do not come here! The bartender was super sweat and generous. They have pool tables As well! read more

Paul's Oasis - Floor dirty - Sports Bars Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

See all

This place has rockin' fried okra, fried mushrooms and the pizza is pretty good. Friday nights are karaoke nights which can be a drunkfest. The service is pretty slow. Be prepared to get up and ask for another beer. They have pool tables and dart boards. They have live music usually Monday- Thursday and Saturday. Check it out for some good munchies and decent music. If you aren't in the mood to listen to music then the other room contains the pool tables so you can exclude yourself from the music. Check it out! read more

Went to just hangout with friends. We had a good time. Food was normal bar food. It was ok and the environment is what you would expect.

Came here from out of town for my 21st bday. Immediately loved the atmosphere when I walked in the door. Everybody was so friendly and the drinks were good. I will definitely be returning!!!! read more

First off, this is a dive bar. There's a boxing ring that is used for the stage...they do karaoke and have live music INSIDE A BOXING RING. Glorious. I've been here a handful of times with friends. Normally good service with surprisingly good food and decent drink prices. It's an experience...if you like karaoke, it is probably the best place anywhere near west Knoxville. Why? No long waiting for songs and good volume. The crowd is there for a good time too. Go check it out...just be confident. They can smell your fear. read more

We had a poor experience here. Our first time there we walked up to the bar and the bar tender was very abrupt with us. We were looking to see what we would like to drink and she stood in front of us and said " don't expect to get a drink without showing your ID". We of course were expecting to show our ID's, but after our encounter with her lost any interest to stay at this establishment. Her tone was demeaning and very unwelcoming. It's dark and extremely Smokey inside. Customer service matters, even in a bar setting, and we did not feel welcome there and will not go back. read more

Really good service, great food. A little noisy and smoky, but let's be honest, it's a bar. I would definitely recommend.

Trying to get to-go food from this place is impossible. If you can get through you'll just be put on fold for half and hour. And if by some chance you can order food when you get it, it will be wrong. They always forget something and the bartender is always rude and disrespectful. Very poor service. read more

The service is shit. They mess up something every time we are there. The bartenders are rude. Haven't had one good experience there. Wouldn't recommend. Won't go back. read more

This is one of the hidden gems in Knoxville, TN. The beer is good and cheap (try the Oasis Beer), and the food is actually very good. I normally get the Chicken Quesadilla's which come with Bacon, Onions, and Jalapeno, but I only get the grill chicken and cheese. Their burgers are also good, and very large and could easily be split with another person. If you are looking to play Trivia they have Buzztime. For sports watching they have at least 12 to 15 TVs in the place and always have sports games on them. About 2 are set aside for Buzztime trivia, another can be switched over upon request. Overall I recommend this place, and one of my favorite bars to hang out in. read more

What a dive bar should be, down to the carpet floors, smoky air, and boxing ring stage for karaoke! If you're looking to find down to earth people who are genuinely looking to have good conversation and good times, this is the place to go. Ask for Lauren and Micki- they are the BEST bartenders and are always on top of their service. Great drinks, great bar atmosphere. Lots of regulars and locals-great vibes. Will definitely be making this a place to visit regularly. FOOD IS AWESOME. I was expecting regular bar food but I've had several things on the menu and everything was amazing! If you have the pleasure of being served by Lauren, ask her about luxury sedans-she knows everything there is to know! read more

Dingy, dark, musty but the best hole in the wall bar around. Bartenders are sassy and direct but in the funny good way. The kind of bar you see in movies where everyone knows everyone and you initially feel uncomfortable till 5 min later when your best friends with people you would not normally talk to. Lauren, LB, and Micki will keep the drinks and good times flowing. Good bar to go to when looking for casual conversation and copious amounts of alcohol. read more

Very interesting place, very interesting night. On my cross country trip I visited an old friend who for some reason decided to move to Knoxville TN. This was my first stop in the State of Tennessee. As you walk in this place looks like an ordinary badly kept dive bar. soaked with smoke and bad cleaning detergent. but once you let your guard down you realize that this place is a local water hole. It had everything a bar should have a darts board, pool tables and a stage in form of a boxing ring. I was there on a Karaoke Night where a bunch of odd characters showed their true colors. There was a white boy singing Gangster's Paradise by Coolio, a black dude singing Stayin' Alive by Bee Gees and a lady who I could only assume was employed by the bar performed a number of tunes. She was, what I imagine could be a Dolly Parton impersonator. This place was like something out of a movie. The place smelled and looked like a bar in an old 1970s Reno Casino however, the atmosphere here made this place Rock. Not to mention this place is a local secret for having the best wings in town. Oh yeah!!!!! That was true. The wings were to die for. We drank a bunch of Red Headed Sluts and moved on to the next dive. If I'm ever in Knoxville I'll come in again for sure. If not for the vibes definitely for the wings. read more

As a lover of all things dive bar I'd highly recommend it. Cheapest beer I've had in town, nice size bar area but plenty of tables to spread out, friendly staff, can smoke inside (a plus for me) and a menu with something for everyone. Jessica made me feel at home as soon as I sat down and never left me unattended. I'll be back next time I'm in town. read more

Divey bar. On. I get it. They have a serious chicken wing. They're awesome. They also have cool live rick bands. I like it.

I have been here several times and the food is fairly good for the price . Very good bartender! I forgot the lafies name but she will make an awesome "green drink ". Not sure what it consist of but its wonderful! Its smoky in there but its a bar and probably one of the only few that allow smoking in the area. I am a non smoker but I still love this place. read more

My favorite neighborhood watering hole in Knoxville. Great happy hour prices (Mon-Sat til 7), good sports bar grub, multiple tv screens, and a solid bartending staff. This place is a smoking establishment so keep that in mind. Beer is always cold and the liquor pours are stout. If you are looking for a place to watch a game with friends give this place a try. Also, they have different promotions each night including free pool, live team trivia, karaoke, and live music (with a boxing ring used as the stage). read more

The food hear is very good if your wanting to enjoy great bar-food. The homemade pizza roles and cooked perfect to order burger, are two of my favorites. However, the intense cloud of smoke upon entering makes me avoid this bar altogether. If you are fine with smoking I would definitely recommend giving this place a try. read more

What a fun place! And good food, too. The pizza is awesome. So are the fried pickles and potato skins. The server we had was wonderful - super friendly and attentive. Next time I'm in town, I'll be back! read more

I've only been to this bar a handful of times but it's been within this last month! It quickly became a favorite spot. They have awesome food (shrimp po boy and fried okra), and it's nice and big with lots of seating so you don't feel cramped even when it's busy. Service can be pretty slow so you'll have to go get your own beer sometimes, bit they've always been really friendly. read more

It went bad in one night after poor service and being charged for extra drinks that we did not get.

When we moved to Knoxville from Baltimore we were idesperately looking for bars with NFL Sunday ticket. This was the place we found first and it is great. Great bar food and we've come back other times outside of football season for the live music. It's a great local bar. Friendly and laid back. read more

I recently visited this gem of a bar tucked into a otherwise uneventful shopping center. Ali and LB were delightful bartenders and had us laughing through our entire stay. We will be back just for their great personalities! read more