Best things we ate and drank in Knoxville during July, from shrimp burritos to PB&J beer
For the past month, Knox News reporters have chowed down across town, sampling some of the best food and best drinks Knoxville has to offer.
The center of the city has its fair share of fare so, of course, some downtown-area restaurants made our list. But we also explored neighborhoods to try bar bites, flavorful food trucks and desserts you can drink.
Brenna McDermott, Brianna Paciorka and Ryan Wilusz lead the discussion with other Knox News journalists about shrimp burritos, PB&J beer, spicy curry and all the delicious dishes and drinks they tried in July.
If listening is more your thing, the full conversation with extra analysis is available on "The Scruffy Stuff," an award-winning weekly podcast featuring new episodes each Tuesday.
Just listen in the audio player, below, or follow the podcast on Apple, Spotify and other streaming platforms.
Share your thoughts about the episode: Email ryan.wilusz@knoxnews.com, and we just might share your perspective on a future episode!
Food: Philly Cheesesteak Eggrolls - B's Bites
Ryan Wilusz, downtown growth and development reporter: It was at Fourth of July down at World's Fair Park, so they were incredibly busy. And what's more "Fourth of July" than a Philly Cheesesteak eggroll? Because you got Philly Cheesesteak − America. And we're a melting pot. So, the nice fusion of Asian and American was an excellent snack. And these eggrolls were something serious. They were large for a low charge and, yeah, very tasty. ... I think the dipping sauce was honey mustard.
Address: Traveling food truck
Drink: Key Lime Pie Float - 71 South
Ryan: This was over at 71 South. It was my first time going there, and it was not the food that was the highlight for me as much as it was the cocktail dessert. I drank it as dessert because it was a boozy float, and there was a lot to choose from: the Tropical Thunder, the Swim Team, the Key Lime Pie. I went with the Key Lime Pie. It was vanilla ice cream, whipped vodka, coconut rum, lime juice in a little bowl with a spoon. ... I don't know if I've ever eaten alcohol outside of a Jell-O shot. So this was a fun new experience for me.
Address: 3726 Sevier Heights Road Suite 200
Food and drink: Don Chuy's Fresh Mex & Cantina
Brenna McDermott, growth and development editor: So, first of all, (Don Chuy's) is in an old Wendy's, which is really interesting. But you would not know it in the inside. They've done it up really cute. ... I had the Los Cabos Tacos. You can get those with breaded shrimp or fish, and they come with all kinds of good slaw-type stuff and a really yummy aioli and super spicy salsa on the side if you like spiciness.
I also had some great drinks there. I'm very picky about margaritas, and their pineapple margarita was excellent. It was a homemade pineapple juice, very little simple syrup mix. So, you're not doing the sweet and sour stuff there. You're getting something made fresh. And I'm a sucker for a Paloma, and their Paloma was off the charts − served with tajin on the rim, which is just perfection.
Address: 2904 Knoxville Center Drive
Food: Bulgogi Taco Bowl - Seoul Brothers
Brianna Paciorka, visual journalist: You get to pick what kind of protein you want. I went with the beef. The bowl, itself, has kimchi, pico, Asian slaw and queso fresco. And it's drizzled with the Seoul Sauce and served with cilantro lime rice and cucumber sprout salad. It was very flavorful, while also being kind of fresh at the same time, which I feel is kind of a hard combination to get. And it was also very, very filling.
Address: Inside Marble City Market at 333 W. Depot Ave.
Drink: Pink Lady - Fly By Night
Brianna: I went to Fly By Night for the first time a couple weeks ago, and I got a Pink Lady cocktail, which is a pretty classic, basic cocktail. But they included aquavit in it, which has a bit of a fennel, anise flavor to it, which really was a unique taste and twist on what's kind of a boring cocktail.
Address: 906 Sevier Ave. #126
Food: Madras Curry - Landing House
Mike Wilson, Tennessee athletics beat reporter: I'm a massive fan of Southeast Asian food, so Landing House is one of my go-to spots in the entire city of Knoxville. I live in South Knox, so it's right there on Sevier Ave. Their Chili Crisp Noodles with chicken − one of my favorite meals in the entire city. I also varied away from that the other day, though, and got the Madras Curry ... also delicious. But the wonton crisps as an appetizer, too − everything is always good at Landing House.
Address: 1147 Sevier Ave.
Food: Baja Burrito - Dia De Foods
Angela Gosnell, video producer: I had the most amazing burrito of my entire life. It's called the Baja Burrito at the Dia De food truck at SouthSide Garage, and it is absolutely freaking magical. ... It has shrimp, rice, pico de gallo, chipotle aioli. That is what's got to be the thing − the chipotle aioli. It is so amazing. ... It also has avocado and red onion cabbage slaw.
Address: SouthSide Garage at 1014 Sevier Ave.
Food: Pasta Salad - Flats & Taps
Silas Sloan, growth and development reporter: It's maybe not the fanciest place in the world, but Central Flats & Taps serves this pasta salad that is very delicious. The balsamic vinaigrette on it is − I'm a sucker for a great pasta salad, and that was just top tier.
Address: 1204 N Central St.
Drink: PB&J Mixtape - Xul Beer Company
Silas: I'm not normally a fan of sours, but this was − A, it's not the sour − but it was magical. That's the only way to describe it. It tastes exactly like a PB&J. That first sip, it kind of tastes like a Smucker's strawberry jelly, really sweet. And then, it's like a perfect peanut butter aftertaste. I don't know what they do to make it so perfect, but I hope they never stop because it's incredible.
Address: 213 E. 5th Ave.
Food: Pho Thai Nam - Bida Saigon
Keenan Thomas, higher education reporter: I was seeing a movie, I popped in for dinner right before and I got the No. 11 − the Pho Thai Nam. And it was like noodles with beef and onions, as well as a side of some greens and bean sprouts. And it was delicious. It was so good.
Address: 8078 Kingston Pike
Drink: Baklava Latte - K Brew
Keenan: I stopped in to K Brew the other day ... and I had a new special drink. It was a baklava latte. Very good. I was very surprised how delicious it was.
Ryan: Did it taste like baklava?
Need caffeine? Check out these Knoxville coffee shops
Keenan: A little bit. It's got some honey in there. It's really tasty. It was a little expensive, but K Brew does that with their specialty drinks. And it's a limited time thing, so I feel OK dropping however much I did.
Address: 7822 Kingston Pike, with additional Knoxville locations
Ryan Wilusz is a downtown growth and development reporter. Phone 865-317-5138. Email ryan.wilusz@knoxnews.com. Instagram @knoxscruff.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Best food and drinks in Knoxville in July, from burritos to beer
