Cradle of Country Music sculpture installation in Downtown Knoxville
Workers are putting the finishing touches on the art installation designed by THEVERYMANY on Thursday, November 14, 2024 in Downtown Knoxville.
Knoxville definitely loves its restaurants – and that love extends to establishments that are no longer on the menu.
A recent informal Knox News survey of what former restaurants readers miss the most prompted a deluge of responses.
Regas Restaurant drew the most nominations overall, “hands down” as one voter commented, not surprisingly for a downtown establishment that operated under a variety of names for nine decades. Even after the restaurant on North Gay Street closed in 2010, its name lived on with the Regas sign still visible atop the building.
Among other top vote-getters for most-missed restaurants:
Grady’s Goodtimes restaurants started in 1982 as a more casual offshoot of Regas, eventually expanding to other cities and being sold to another company in 1989, the News Sentinel reported in 1994. Chocolate bar cake and broccoli cheese soup were cited as customer favorites in the ’80s. After more than 20 years, the last location of what was known as Grady’s American Grill, on Peters Road, closed in 2004, according to Knox News reports.
Naples Italian Restaurant operated for more than 40 years along Kingston Pike – after having taken over the site from another Italian restaurant, Alberti’s, which some readers remembered. When plans to continue operating Naples under new owners fell through, the restaurant closed in April 2019, Knox News reported at the time, and the building was demolished in 2023.
Kay’s Ice Cream had more than a dozen stores around Knoxville by 1940 and remained a local favorite spot for decades. The final Kay’s in Knoxville, located along Chapman Highway, closed for good Dec. 31, 2017.
Darryl’s 1879 on Bearden Hill along Kingston Pike was memorable not only for its ribs and other menu items but also its playful atmosphere, offering the chance to dine in an old Ferris wheel seat or a double-decker bus, according to a 1983 article.
The Half Shell House of Beef and Seafood operated at two different locations, first at Homberg Place from 1975 until a fire in December 1985, and then at Western Plaza until closing in 1987, according to News Sentinel reporting.
Cafeterias seemed to be a favorite category for many folks, with votes spread out among five contenders and with Wright’s Cafeteria on Middlebrook Pike coming in a few votes ahead of everyone else. Wright’s began as a grocery store after World War II, transformed into a cafeteria by 1966 and closed in 2021, Knox News reported.
Here’s the full list of all the restaurants Knox News readers named as places that live on in their fond memories.
AbuelosAli Baba’s Time Out DeliAlberti’sBahou Forest AvenueBayou BayBell Air GrillThe Blue RoomBread of Heaven BBQThe Butcher ShopCardin’sCarlo’s PizzaCat’s Meow (“restaurant on the Strip in the 1970s”)Chandler’sCharlie PeppersCherry Park InnChops SouthChurch’s ChickenCici’s PizzaCopper Cellar on Cumberland Avenue (“A great place to meet – great food”)Cozymel’sCreameryDarryl’s 1879Don Pablo’sEdison Park SteakhouseEdwards RestaurantsEva’sFrontier House on Kingston PikeFull Service BBQThe Gathering PlaceGrady’sHalf ShellHawkeye’s CornerHelmasThe Hungry FishermanIt’s All So Yummy CafeJolly OxJuliosKay’s Ice Cream (“Where Daddy always took me for our day out for a burger and yellow ice cream – lemon custard.” “My cousin and I walked a quarter mile to get a Kay’s ice cream cone. It was 7 cents and we only had a nickel, so it was no ice cream for you! We were 5 years old at the time. Boy oh boy was his mom shocked when she drove by on Broadway and spotted us. LOL”)Kelly’s Kitchen (“Definitely a West Knoxville hidden gem”)Lanai Hawaiian KitchenLet’s Eat ItalianLitton’s RestaurantLogan’s on MerchantsLong’s Drug StoreMacaroni GrillThe Maltese FalconMcGuffey’s Eclectic EateryMenchie’s Frozen YogurtMisaki Japanese SteakhouseMisty Morning CafeMr. SteakMrs. WinnersNaples Italian Restaurant (“Best marinara sauce in the state”)Mexicali RoseOli BeaOn the BorderThe OrangeryPasta Plus in HombergPeerless RestaurantPero’s RestaurantPo’ RichardsPuleo’s GrilleQuiznos (Even though this got a nomination for this list, it’s worth noting there is still a Quiznos in the Knoxville area; it’s just at McGhee Tyson Airport.)Rafferty’s Restaurant and BarRamsey’s CafeteriaRankin RestaurantRegas (“Elegant and site of my first streak as a 16-year-old South High Basketball player traded by the South High Booster Club”) (“For a special occasion”)Restaurant LinderhofRoman RoomRyan’s RestaurantS&S CafeteriaS&W Cafeteria (“THE place to eat in the ’50s and early ’60s”)Sam and Andy’s on Cumberland AvenueSanctuary Vegan CafeSarge’s BBQ on Western AvenueSilver Spoon CafeSimpl in South KnoxvilleSister CatsSmokey Mountain Market (“Home of the famous and delicious 10-cent hot dog circa 1955. Buy ’em by the bag full”)Sno CreamSpice Rack CantinaSwensen’sTandur Indian KitchenTaste of Thai (“There is only one answer to this… Taste of Thai”)The Tennessean RestaurantTic-Toc Barbecue (“Had the very best barbecue, homemade salad dressing and chocolate pie”)Torch RestaurantUncle Roy’s Fried Chicken (“Used to be on Chapman Highway across from Buyers Field back in the mid-late ’70s”)Up the Creek Fish Camp and GrillVarsity InnWeaver’s CafeteriaWishbone’sWoolworth’s counter (“Where Granny used to take me as a child; I’m 70 now”)The Wrangler GrillWright’s CafeteriaZesto Drive-In