The Best Places to Eat Near Lilou, by the Record

The open kitchen anchors a room where wood floors and exposed ductwork split the difference between industrial loft and neighborhood restaurant. J.C. Holdway is a Southern-leaning American dinner spot in downtown Knoxville, the kind where buttermilk biscuits arrive topped with braised pork belly and the pasta is house-made. The New York Times put it on their Restaurant List, and the chef is a James Beard semifinalist. Tennessee ingredients run through nearly everything.

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The name means "to fuss around in the kitchen," which tells you everything about this Jewish deli in Knoxville's Old City. It started as a pop-up and grew into a proper room serving comfort food that bubbe would recognize but maybe not endorse, like matzoh ball soup finished with chili oil. The challah comes out of the oven daily, the babkas rotate flavors, and the sandwiches are large enough to warrant a to-go box. A James Beard semifinalist.

1. USA Today Restaurants of the Year
2. Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
3. James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Southeast · Laurence Faber

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1. USA Today Restaurants of the Year

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Blue plaid carpets, antler sconces, and tables built on roughhewn branch bases give this American restaurant inside RT Lodge the feeling of a very tasteful hunting cabin. The menu leans into the region, with North Carolina rainbow trout appearing in at least two forms on the same night. A tasting menu runs alongside the à la carte, and the seasonal cobbler is sized for two, which feels like an argument for company.

1. Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant

1. The New York Times The Restaurant List