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J.C. Holdway
Appalachian
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.
The awards strongest first
- USA Today Restaurants of the Year
- Eater The Best New Restaurants in America
- The New York Times 2025 · The Restaurant List
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Chef · Joseph Lenn
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
One number, weighted & current 88
How we scoreThe dishes from the writeups
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Benton's bacon bolognese
“everyone in the place seemed to be eating Benton’s bacon Bolognese”
The New York Times, 2025 -
Peanut butter tart
“a classic pb&j is reworked for dessert as a peanut butter tart tucked with mousse and a layer of strawberry gelee”
Michelin Guide
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The neighbors closest first
- The Oliver Hotel Stay · 67
- Lilou Eat · 67
- THE TENNESSEAN Hotel Stay · 71
- Potchke Deli Eat · 87
- A Dopo Sourdough Pizza Artisanal Pizzeria Eat · 80
- Graduate by Hilton Knoxville Stay · 66
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