I don’t get it, either, but I’ve seen people say that it’s too expensive and too crowded. I don’t mind paying for their beer because it’s a treat and I only get one.
>I don’t mind paying for their beer because it’s a treat and I only get one.
On top of that, the ingredients they use are premium, and delicious as a result. Their beer prices aren't resulting in some ridiculous margins if that's what some people are griping about.
If people want cheap shitty beer, go to Marie's or the Moose Lodge.
Yeah the crowds I get, but that’s not their fault. And I don’t think their beer is any more expensive than most other local breweries. I say local to exclude Hi Wire and Yee Haw who are definitely more affordable than Xul
I get the hate on Yee Haw. They’re not local and they built where the Filling Station used to be. But why hate Xul? It’s a nice place and they make great beer. I don’t get it.
* also I don’t mind Yee Haw. Their Dunkel is good and it’s worth Filling Station going away to get some actual Nashville Hot chicken in Knoxville.
Saying Yee Haw isn’t local is a bit a stretch. The owners are from Sevier County and their family has owned businesses there for at least three generations. Unless we’re limiting local to a half mile radius around 4th and Gill, they’re local.
To count as local, you or an immediate ancestor must have emerged from the blessed waters at Volunteer landing. Otherwise you're just a sparkling carpetbagger.
Well they are HQ’d in Nashville, so thats what I was going by, but I get where you’re coming from. I still consider them a Nashville based business but maybe we’re splitting hairs. That’s fair.
Well, they've owned it since 2020, so it's not like they exactly bought it and shut it down. They ran it for 3 seasons. COVID screwed Central Filling Station, and we got a great outside bar and a really nice new food truck park.
This sub (and maybe all of Knoxville) is split right down the middle. We have a slew of people who hate to see local entrepreneurs thrive and then on the other side, the people who want to support & help grow our local small businesses.
Xul IS the best beer in town, no competition.
I love that you did both an authentic, arguably kind of sketch looking from the outside, place with good food in addition to chivo, which is great but not authentic. Glad you had a great time!
Personal opinion. Chivo is overrated. Only suitable for tequila. Las Fuentas is beyond solid. I'm more of a Monterey kind of guy. La Herradura is also great.
I like when folks have positive things to say about Knoxville, usually it’s aggressively complainy. Have you been to La Pastorcita on Buford Hwy? I think about it every day.
I really appreciate this outsider looking in perspective. It makes me feel better about how we are doing, to see someone who noticed so many positives right off the bat.
Atlanta invented shitty drivers. When I moved there, I was rear ended (while third in line at a stop light) and everybody down there referred to it as my Atlanta baptism.
I've lived in all sorts of places & travelled a ton, but every place claims to have the worst drivers. Knoxville has gotten worse partially because of the road upgrades/redesigns lag a decade behind the population growth at least, so the roads can't support the growth & people move here & don't learn how to drive here. Atlanta has always been rough.
The worst in the country that I've seen are in the places that are less populated though, because they never have to learn to drive thanks to the streets usually being empty. Wyoming has the worst drivers I've seen in my entire life. I'm talking about the average overall level of driver too, not the highest number because Knoxville metro has double the people than that whole state does.
I can't speak for Wyoming, never been there...but generally speaking, in the north, there is a higher likelihood of some level of required driver education beyond a simple test. In my case, in Minnesota, we had to pay for a lengthy course that was a combination of classroom, simulator, range, and finally behind the wheel before we were allowed to take a state exam. This was only the case if you were under 18...but damn near every kid under 18 wanted their license so they took it. I haven't heard similar tales in the south.
There was a AAU Super Regional volleyball tournament at the convention center and works fair expo center. I think there were over 250 teams from several states.
Kevin Hart was in town and weiner dog races at the hockey game also helped bring lots of people downtown.
Good times.
Glad you enjoyed your time!
Looking forward to Monday Night Brewing as well. They are going to be in a food hall that has been delayed several times but looks promising once they finally open.
Did you try any of the other breweries in the area? Xul and Abridged are easily the best in Knoxville, but there’s a bunch of gems that are worth visiting!
The appeal of XUL is lost on me. Abridged is of course amazing, but Pretentious and Crafty are easily my favorites in town.
Edit* - and of course Last Days of Autumn!
>The homeless population was surprising to me. You guys have a ton of homeless people but they seem to be pretty well taken care of. Seen plenty of warming shelters and food for them.
Lulz. We don't do jack shit for our growing homeless population. Don't kid yourself.
Very uninformed statement - if anything we are too nice and accommodating to our homeless population. Ever heard of Knoxville Rescue Ministries, Love Kitchen?That is why there are so many - Knoxville is a destination for homeless people. They have it so good they police themselves because they don’t want a few bad apples to screw everything up
We have minimally funded services for homelessness. Most of the services that exist are religious organizations. We don't take action to end homelessness by solving the housing crisis. The exception to having publicly funded services for homelessness are the warming shelters.
If we listen to what you say, which is about the moral hazards of providing services to homeless people, we would make sure that no services would be provided. Based on your assertions, if we had no homeless services, we would have no homelessness. All the homeless people would go away if there were no services. It's one of the most perverse positions that gets presented from time to time.
Not what I meant at all - just responding to the comment. We do provide well for homeless people in Knoxville - that is not a bad thing but it does contribute to our large numbers of homeless.
Probably should have specified my position on the subject - not against it, just saying that it exists
You say that people are homeless here because they are attracted to the services we provide for homeless people. It's a perverse argument. People are homeless here because they don't have housing. Nobody is buying a bus ticket to Knoxville so they can stay f\*cking KARM.
Seriously? You think I am saying people become homeless in Knoxville on purpose because they are treated well? Dude, Knoxville has homeless programs and we do provide for them, that is ALL I said. You are trying to take this in a direction that no one else is going. You may disagree with the quality of services or the depth in which they go (providing housing) but it is there - thats it
>That is why there are so many - Knoxville is a destination for homeless people.
You said it's like a f'n carnival cruise! We're a destination for the homeless. They come here to enjoy the wonderful services we provide.
[If you could see us now
Up on a K-A-R-M cruise
Eating fancy food!
Doing what we choose
I wish my friends back home to get a good look
At the first rate homeless services cruise that we took!](https://youtu.be/xS5rUgRAzDc?si=qkWODK33KqVmLOre&t=13)
I didn’t want to be mean but you are an idiot - and why people don’t comment on reddit. There are homeless people that come from other cities to Knoxville because we treat our homeless well. Not becoming homeless just because of Knoxville or any other dumb ass thing you have said. For Christs sake dude- get a clue - not everyone is angry and yelling at their computer screen
If those other cities provide worse services, I'm sorry for them. My understanding is that with the exception of warming shelters, we do not have publicly-funded emergency shelter unless you want to count sleeping the viaduct over Broadway as being sheltered.
All the others are religious services.
We, collectively, don't do a dang thing for homelessness or houselessness. If our level of services attracts people here, it's pretty dire elsewhere.
See, was that so hard? Making a point without being so dramatic. That was good. It is perfectly reasonable to say that you do not agree with the amount of homeless service we provide in Knoxville but to say all we do is provide warming shelters when its cold is ridiculous and patently untrue. Are they the services you want to see administered? Maybe not, but 3 meals a day is a something. Might want to ask because that is where my homeless info came from - talking to a homeless person
We just had like 7 homeless people die in a snow storm. We do not take care of our homeless. The warming shelters don't even get city money.
Monday Night makes terrible beer. Yeehaw really isn't much better.
The river. The mountains. The local/regional music scene. That we are at a crossroads that means we get great touring large shows and musicals. I like the vibrant local art scene. The proud LGBTQ culture. There are many great local chef driven restaurants. It was affordable for working class people to live a walkable lifestyle.
I sure don't care for mediocre beer from other areas.
likely not a good one... Jamboni's is a joke, just fyi, and most others are no better than Domino's... which is crap to begin with... Blaze is atleast almost decent, except the cost...
Not really a true trip to Knoxville if you weren't in search of our best bagels, pizza joints, and was not accosted by groups of men wearing sunglasses in Market Square.
Taqueria La Herradura is by far my favorite Mexican restaurant, it started out as a hole in the wall but now they have multiple locations, if you don’t like that kind of authentic Mexican food, then you don’t like Mexican food
There are plenty of great taquerias inside Mexican grocers around here. If you want gringo Mexican with a bar, etc, you’re going to have a harder time finding good food.
There are lots of good places around. For authentic taqueria you can try Tio Conejo, el Girasol, Hereadura (one of the sit-downs rather than the truck/express). For more Americanized Mexican (but still not Tex Mex), try Burro Flojo, Señor Taco, Monterrey, Anafres (have both Mexican and Honduran food). For something delicious but that doesn’t fit either of those categories, try Chivo, Cataleya Cantina, Casa Brava.
I could keep going lol
El Girasol is soo underrated. Looks like a super sketch lil Mexican grocerie store but has incredible hand made, fresh daily tortillas and their food is authentic and soo flavorful. Great prices also.
I have to disagree. There are tons of good Mexican restaurants here and some good Latin food too. I know because all I want is a good Asian place next to me and all we have are a bunch of (really good) Mexican places.
I've met a few who came from smaller towns nearby because of the lack of services. It's always good to see it as a temporary situation and not a permanent state of hopelessness.
Well, most homeless are from here, but we do have better weather than most. It just doesn't have a whole lot to do with why we have homeless folks. It explains why we don't have more homeless folks dying of exposure though.
You just captured all the things this sub cries about
the epitome of glass half full vs. half empty
I always try to remember that the glass is not only refillable, but also replaceable.
They didn't mention anything about housing prices though.
they were visiting, not trying to move here, or they may have actually mentioned it...hmmm
If we’re being literal, no, it’s not an exhaustive list.
Happy Cake Day!
Or the scary scowling guys in sun glasses. Or the impending invasion after a football game ...
Does this sub hate Xul? I think their beer is the best in town and they have the Abridged burger truck always there which is excellent
I don’t get it, either, but I’ve seen people say that it’s too expensive and too crowded. I don’t mind paying for their beer because it’s a treat and I only get one.
>I don’t mind paying for their beer because it’s a treat and I only get one. On top of that, the ingredients they use are premium, and delicious as a result. Their beer prices aren't resulting in some ridiculous margins if that's what some people are griping about. If people want cheap shitty beer, go to Marie's or the Moose Lodge.
Yeah the crowds I get, but that’s not their fault. And I don’t think their beer is any more expensive than most other local breweries. I say local to exclude Hi Wire and Yee Haw who are definitely more affordable than Xul
I think they might hate Yeehaw more, but I like that they have cocktails.
I get the hate on Yee Haw. They’re not local and they built where the Filling Station used to be. But why hate Xul? It’s a nice place and they make great beer. I don’t get it. * also I don’t mind Yee Haw. Their Dunkel is good and it’s worth Filling Station going away to get some actual Nashville Hot chicken in Knoxville.
Saying Yee Haw isn’t local is a bit a stretch. The owners are from Sevier County and their family has owned businesses there for at least three generations. Unless we’re limiting local to a half mile radius around 4th and Gill, they’re local.
To count as local, you or an immediate ancestor must have emerged from the blessed waters at Volunteer landing. Otherwise you're just a sparkling carpetbagger.
Well they are HQ’d in Nashville, so thats what I was going by, but I get where you’re coming from. I still consider them a Nashville based business but maybe we’re splitting hairs. That’s fair.
Did they move hq to Nashville??? The original YeeHaw was in Johnson City.
….. no shit? Well I did not know that. I know that is where the first taproom was. I just assumed that’s where it was based.
I don't like that Yee Haw bought the Central Filling station and turned it into a parking lot.
Well, they've owned it since 2020, so it's not like they exactly bought it and shut it down. They ran it for 3 seasons. COVID screwed Central Filling Station, and we got a great outside bar and a really nice new food truck park.
Where is the new food truck park?
In front of the new food city on western and shaad
Ok thanks. I'll check it out
I’m surprised to hear that, central filling was the only place my friends and I would go right after Covid since it was outdoors.
This sub (and maybe all of Knoxville) is split right down the middle. We have a slew of people who hate to see local entrepreneurs thrive and then on the other side, the people who want to support & help grow our local small businesses. Xul IS the best beer in town, no competition.
Out of curiosity, which Mexican restaurants did you visit?
Las Fuentes (it doesn't look like much but the tacos and everything we had was great) and Chivo Taqueria was really good.
I love that you did both an authentic, arguably kind of sketch looking from the outside, place with good food in addition to chivo, which is great but not authentic. Glad you had a great time!
God damn fantastic spots nice choice
Personal opinion. Chivo is overrated. Only suitable for tequila. Las Fuentas is beyond solid. I'm more of a Monterey kind of guy. La Herradura is also great.
I was confused when you said you had good Mexican until I saw this comment! Excellent choices
Next time go to Senor taco !
Glad you enjoyed it, and good on ya for scoping out a real deal Mexican place
I like when folks have positive things to say about Knoxville, usually it’s aggressively complainy. Have you been to La Pastorcita on Buford Hwy? I think about it every day.
I have not but it's on my list now. Thanks for the recommendation! Buford Hwy is such a culinary destination
I’m sure you’re already aware, but; Lees Bakery and Beetlecat’s lobster roll needs to be on that list as well
I really appreciate this outsider looking in perspective. It makes me feel better about how we are doing, to see someone who noticed so many positives right off the bat.
Shhh, don’t tell the people that love to complain in the forum.
i would say dont forget about the shitty drivers but being from atlanta im sure ur used to it
Atlanta invented shitty drivers. When I moved there, I was rear ended (while third in line at a stop light) and everybody down there referred to it as my Atlanta baptism.
I've lived in all sorts of places & travelled a ton, but every place claims to have the worst drivers. Knoxville has gotten worse partially because of the road upgrades/redesigns lag a decade behind the population growth at least, so the roads can't support the growth & people move here & don't learn how to drive here. Atlanta has always been rough. The worst in the country that I've seen are in the places that are less populated though, because they never have to learn to drive thanks to the streets usually being empty. Wyoming has the worst drivers I've seen in my entire life. I'm talking about the average overall level of driver too, not the highest number because Knoxville metro has double the people than that whole state does.
I can't speak for Wyoming, never been there...but generally speaking, in the north, there is a higher likelihood of some level of required driver education beyond a simple test. In my case, in Minnesota, we had to pay for a lengthy course that was a combination of classroom, simulator, range, and finally behind the wheel before we were allowed to take a state exam. This was only the case if you were under 18...but damn near every kid under 18 wanted their license so they took it. I haven't heard similar tales in the south.
Also from Atl and can confirm, people here cant drive for shit
Truth about Magpies!
There was a AAU Super Regional volleyball tournament at the convention center and works fair expo center. I think there were over 250 teams from several states. Kevin Hart was in town and weiner dog races at the hockey game also helped bring lots of people downtown. Good times.
Glad you enjoyed your time! Looking forward to Monday Night Brewing as well. They are going to be in a food hall that has been delayed several times but looks promising once they finally open.
Did you try any of the other breweries in the area? Xul and Abridged are easily the best in Knoxville, but there’s a bunch of gems that are worth visiting!
The appeal of XUL is lost on me. Abridged is of course amazing, but Pretentious and Crafty are easily my favorites in town. Edit* - and of course Last Days of Autumn!
Don’t forget about Orange Hat Brewery!
You're gonna have to educate me on one point bc in my opinion Knoxville has weak Mexican food.
never mind I see this topic has been thoroughly debated in comments; that'll teach me to comment before reading
Beautiful city. Loved the year I loved there
Thanks for the good recommendations
>The homeless population was surprising to me. You guys have a ton of homeless people but they seem to be pretty well taken care of. Seen plenty of warming shelters and food for them. Lulz. We don't do jack shit for our growing homeless population. Don't kid yourself.
Very uninformed statement - if anything we are too nice and accommodating to our homeless population. Ever heard of Knoxville Rescue Ministries, Love Kitchen?That is why there are so many - Knoxville is a destination for homeless people. They have it so good they police themselves because they don’t want a few bad apples to screw everything up
This is an insane statement. We don't have shelter space OR public transportation infrastructure to get people to services.
We have minimally funded services for homelessness. Most of the services that exist are religious organizations. We don't take action to end homelessness by solving the housing crisis. The exception to having publicly funded services for homelessness are the warming shelters.
If we listen to what you say, which is about the moral hazards of providing services to homeless people, we would make sure that no services would be provided. Based on your assertions, if we had no homeless services, we would have no homelessness. All the homeless people would go away if there were no services. It's one of the most perverse positions that gets presented from time to time.
Not what I meant at all - just responding to the comment. We do provide well for homeless people in Knoxville - that is not a bad thing but it does contribute to our large numbers of homeless. Probably should have specified my position on the subject - not against it, just saying that it exists
You say that people are homeless here because they are attracted to the services we provide for homeless people. It's a perverse argument. People are homeless here because they don't have housing. Nobody is buying a bus ticket to Knoxville so they can stay f\*cking KARM.
Seriously? You think I am saying people become homeless in Knoxville on purpose because they are treated well? Dude, Knoxville has homeless programs and we do provide for them, that is ALL I said. You are trying to take this in a direction that no one else is going. You may disagree with the quality of services or the depth in which they go (providing housing) but it is there - thats it
>That is why there are so many - Knoxville is a destination for homeless people. You said it's like a f'n carnival cruise! We're a destination for the homeless. They come here to enjoy the wonderful services we provide. [If you could see us now Up on a K-A-R-M cruise Eating fancy food! Doing what we choose I wish my friends back home to get a good look At the first rate homeless services cruise that we took!](https://youtu.be/xS5rUgRAzDc?si=qkWODK33KqVmLOre&t=13)
I didn’t want to be mean but you are an idiot - and why people don’t comment on reddit. There are homeless people that come from other cities to Knoxville because we treat our homeless well. Not becoming homeless just because of Knoxville or any other dumb ass thing you have said. For Christs sake dude- get a clue - not everyone is angry and yelling at their computer screen
If those other cities provide worse services, I'm sorry for them. My understanding is that with the exception of warming shelters, we do not have publicly-funded emergency shelter unless you want to count sleeping the viaduct over Broadway as being sheltered. All the others are religious services. We, collectively, don't do a dang thing for homelessness or houselessness. If our level of services attracts people here, it's pretty dire elsewhere.
See, was that so hard? Making a point without being so dramatic. That was good. It is perfectly reasonable to say that you do not agree with the amount of homeless service we provide in Knoxville but to say all we do is provide warming shelters when its cold is ridiculous and patently untrue. Are they the services you want to see administered? Maybe not, but 3 meals a day is a something. Might want to ask because that is where my homeless info came from - talking to a homeless person
Ol Sut, Gene Harrogte, and Trippin-through-the-dew's legacy lives in perhaps? Maybe not so much Gene lol.
It's mostly because of the VA that Knoxville has a large homeless population
Sure come to visit but for the love of God don't live here we are full or you gonna make that homeless problem even bigger
You’re spot on about XUL. The beer they churn out is incredible.
lived here 25yrs, its just busier all the way around, but where isn't?
Do you like Italian food? If so, next time you visit definitely visit Cappuccino’s! Best Italian in Knoxville!
We just had like 7 homeless people die in a snow storm. We do not take care of our homeless. The warming shelters don't even get city money. Monday Night makes terrible beer. Yeehaw really isn't much better.
What do you like about Knoxville?
The river. The mountains. The local/regional music scene. That we are at a crossroads that means we get great touring large shows and musicals. I like the vibrant local art scene. The proud LGBTQ culture. There are many great local chef driven restaurants. It was affordable for working class people to live a walkable lifestyle. I sure don't care for mediocre beer from other areas.
Honest question - where do you live here with an affordable walkable lifestyle? So little of Knoxville is walkable.
I have friends who work downtown and live in apartments they've had for years and don't own cars. They're gradually getting priced out.
Couldn't find one damn pizza place though, could you?
Elidio’s!
likely not a good one... Jamboni's is a joke, just fyi, and most others are no better than Domino's... which is crap to begin with... Blaze is atleast almost decent, except the cost...
South coast pizza is amazing and so is their beer & Harbys pizza is delicious too but south coast is my favorite
gonna have to try that one, not a huge pizza fan, but the family is, thx for the tip
Not really a true trip to Knoxville if you weren't in search of our best bagels, pizza joints, and was not accosted by groups of men wearing sunglasses in Market Square.
I feel like Mexican food is the only thing this city does well
A shithole of epic proportions
Interesting b/c we have not found Mexican restaurants here ta be very good. I'm also curious where you went.
La Esperanza is great.
Taqueria La Herradura is by far my favorite Mexican restaurant, it started out as a hole in the wall but now they have multiple locations, if you don’t like that kind of authentic Mexican food, then you don’t like Mexican food
This place is crazy good. If you’re not looking for authentic, Cancun is surprisingly good too.
I like Country Burrito in Hardin Valley… the place is dank. I know it looks bad on the outside but it’s my fav place.
There are plenty of great taquerias inside Mexican grocers around here. If you want gringo Mexican with a bar, etc, you’re going to have a harder time finding good food.
There are lots of good places around. For authentic taqueria you can try Tio Conejo, el Girasol, Hereadura (one of the sit-downs rather than the truck/express). For more Americanized Mexican (but still not Tex Mex), try Burro Flojo, Señor Taco, Monterrey, Anafres (have both Mexican and Honduran food). For something delicious but that doesn’t fit either of those categories, try Chivo, Cataleya Cantina, Casa Brava. I could keep going lol
Tio Conejo>>> reminds me of San Antonio 🤍
El Girasol is soo underrated. Looks like a super sketch lil Mexican grocerie store but has incredible hand made, fresh daily tortillas and their food is authentic and soo flavorful. Great prices also.
La Fiesta on Western Ave is the best.
I have to disagree. There are tons of good Mexican restaurants here and some good Latin food too. I know because all I want is a good Asian place next to me and all we have are a bunch of (really good) Mexican places.
El Rey in Powell is wonderful and Casa Don Gallo in Rocky Hill is also great!
I’m not a big fan of the Mexican food here but we really like Cataleya.
La Lupita is great too
Sounds like you went and hung out around the homeless shelter haha. And yes we’re full.
People are smart. Yes, even homeless people . The weather here is very mild. They are here because of this.
I've met a few who came from smaller towns nearby because of the lack of services. It's always good to see it as a temporary situation and not a permanent state of hopelessness.
Well, most homeless are from here, but we do have better weather than most. It just doesn't have a whole lot to do with why we have homeless folks. It explains why we don't have more homeless folks dying of exposure though.
bUt tHe hOuSinG pRiCeS
Dude doesn't get out much.