Hungry for a great burger? These 10 Knoxville restaurants have your craving covered

Devarrick Turner, Knoxville News Sentinel
Updated ·4 min read

Where do you go when you have a craving for a big, mouthwatering, juicy burger?

From the Abridged Burger with caramelized onions and smoked bacon to the Elvis topped with peanut butter and fried banana at Stock & Barrel, Knoxville has plenty options to satisfy all your beefy sandwich desires.

Burger and shake chain MOOYAH suggests getting adventurous by spicing up their options with jalapenos, giving it a little sweetness with bacon jam, or adding queso for the cheese lovers.

But what's great about a hamburger is that you can have it any way you like. At Burger King, Tennesseans like it plain, according to 2022 sales data, causing the chain to officially name Tennessee the “Flame-Grilled Patty Purist State.”

When you're hankering for a tasty burger, here's where you can find unusual or more traditional cheese-and-pickles options around Knoxville.

Did we miss your go-to Knoxville-area burger joint? We can't include them all, but please send an email to Devarrick.Turner@knoxnews.com if you think a restaurant should be added to the list.

Abridged Beer Co.

The Abridged Burger is a 7-ounce, all-beef ground-brisket patty topped with white American cheese, applewood-smoked bacon, caramelized red onions, fried Brussels sprouts petals and house aioli. Served on a brioche bun. Potato salad as a side item.
The Abridged Burger is a 7-ounce, all-beef ground-brisket patty topped with white American cheese, applewood-smoked bacon, caramelized red onions, fried Brussels sprouts petals and house aioli. Served on a brioche bun. Potato salad as a side item.

  • This beer pub company has become known for its burgers at two locations around town. The Abridged Burger is 7 oz. ground brisket topped with applewood-smoked bacon, caramelized onions, fried brussels sprout petals, cheese and aioli, served on a brioche roll. There is also a burger of the month option at the Cedar Bluff location.

  • Locations: 100 Lockett Road; 320 N. Peters Road

Aubrey’s

  • Named the best locally owned restaurant in Tennessee by Southern Living magazine, Aubrey has a menu featuring the Thunder Road Burger with homemade pimento cheese, onions and sliced jalapenos, as well as the classic Cheddar Burger.

  • Locations: 9208 Middlebrook Pike (Cedar Bluff); 6005 Brookvale Lane (Papermill); 214. E. Emory Road (Powell); 805 Huckleberry Springs Road (Strawberry Plains)

Bit Burger

The ‘80s-themed Bit Burger features creative combinations with menu names fitting for the decade. There are 14 burger options including the 8-Bit Burger, the Atari, the Smash Bro, and the Mega Man.
The ‘80s-themed Bit Burger features creative combinations with menu names fitting for the decade. There are 14 burger options including the 8-Bit Burger, the Atari, the Smash Bro, and the Mega Man.

  • Bit Burger is a restaurant with an ‘80s-themed aesthetic and a menu to match. Options include 8-Bit Burger, 16-Bit Burger, The Atari and Sunset Rider. Pepper jack cheese, garlic mushrooms, house-made ranch sauce, bacon and the signature “burger sauce” are just a few of the available toppings.

  • Location: 151 N. Seven Oaks Drive.

Burger Boys

An American-style burger is prepared at Burger Boys on Chapman Highway in South Knoxville, Tenn. on Tuesday, July 20, 2021. The two-person operation serves up an assortment of fresh, homemade burgers and foods like wings, gizzards and French fries.
An American-style burger is prepared at Burger Boys on Chapman Highway in South Knoxville, Tenn. on Tuesday, July 20, 2021. The two-person operation serves up an assortment of fresh, homemade burgers and foods like wings, gizzards and French fries.

  • Burger Boys is a Black-owned restaurant in South Knoxville that handcrafts every order. Options include the Kobe Burger (sautéed onions, green peppers and steak sauce), Lil Dom Burger (mayo, ketchup, jalapeno peppers, pepper jack cheese, tomato and lettuce) and the Vol Burger, which is custom-made to your liking.

  • Location: 2400 Chapman Highway

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Five Guys

  • Fresh, hand-crafted patties can be dressed up with as many toppings as you like. Five Guys has classic options like the cheeseburger or bacon burger, but you can also build your own from a list of extras including onions, mushrooms, relish, green peppers, hot sauce and steak sauce.

  • Locations: 234 Brookview Centre Way; 2032 Town Center Blvd.; 10922 Parkside Drive

Inskip Grill

Inskip Grill offers creations like this, but customers can have their burgers made to order, too.
Inskip Grill offers creations like this, but customers can have their burgers made to order, too.

  • Inskip Grill originally opened in the Inskip neighborhood in 1967 serving Southern dishes, but was revamped in 2018 under new ownership. Now, the restaurant - which relocated to Fountain City in 2020 - is known for its wide selection of giant burgers, as well as craft beer and milkshakes. Burger options - many featuring familiar local names - include the Bearden Hill (a bleu cheeseburger with housemade blueberry compote and bacon) and the Popcorn Sutton (a cheddar cheeseburger with moonshine-infused barbecue sauce, ham, bacon and onion ring), to cite just a few.

  • Locations: Fountain City (4877 N. Broadway St.) and a new one in Powell (2509 W. Emory Road).

Litton’s

A cheeseburger served at Litton's Market and Restaurant.
A cheeseburger served at Litton's Market and Restaurant.

  • Litton’s burgers are legendary. A local favorite since it was first served in 1962, a Litton’s Burger is served on a fresh bun with lettuce, tomato and onion. You can also opt for a cheeseburger or a Thunder Road burger with pimento cheese and jalapeno.

  • Location: 2803 Essary Drive

MOOYAH

  • The fast-food chain is known for its wide selection of angus beef burgers. Combinations range from the classic cheeseburger (with MOOYAH sauce) to burgers topped with green chile queso, fresh avocado or hot bacon jam.

  • Location: 7301 Kingston Pike

Sam & Andy’s

  • Serving burgers in Knoxville since 1946, Sam & Andy’s has 14 different burger options on the menu. The Pizza Burger, Rajun Cajun Burger, Barnyard Burger, Black & Blue Burger and the Garbage Burger are just a few available to order.

  • Location: 2613 Adair Drive (Fountain City); 11110 Kingston Pike (Farragut)

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Stock & Barrel

  • Monster brisket burgers with creative toppings (and menu names) are the highlight of this Market Square spot. The Elvis comes with peanut butter, fried banana and bacon. The Bernie has blue cheese crumbles, blueberry preserves, beer battered jalapenos and bacon. And that’s just the start; the menu features 20 burger and sandwich options.

  • Location: 35 Market Square

Devarrick Turner is a trending news reporter. Email devarrick.turner@knoxnews.com. Twitter @dturner1208.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Best burgers in Knoxville: Which restaurants topped our list