The Dim, the Dank, and the Delicious: Tennessee’s Sketchiest and (Surprisingly) Delicious Restaurants
Across the country, there are many restaurants, bars, and cafes that when you take one look at you immediately consult your fight or flight instincts about whether to potentially risk your life and try it out or not. The drive to find the perfect meal or drink often overpowers the feelings of terror one might feel, for example, when looking at a red light above a door in a back alley that serves as the only signifier of what locals may call “the best place in town.” Sometimes, though, that drive is well rewarded. This author and his friend Ali Zand set out on a quest to overcome their fear of death and enter incredibly sketchy locations to find the best restaurants, bars, and cafes in the state of Tennessee.
Our first stop was at a small red and yellow brick building in Nashville. The building was said to have served some of the best home-style meats and veggies in the state, and they were absolutely right. The food was cheap, but the taste was stellar enough to make us want to submit a positive experience review online, where we found out that Guy Fieri of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” TV fame had also stopped in and fell in love with the food there.
This was our second stop in Nashville, and a place we were already quite familiar with. Prince’s is a small chicken joint with some of the hottest wings this world has ever known. Ali and I had already stopped in once before on our previous endeavor to find the hottest wings in Nashville, but figured this would be the best way to introduce such a unique restaurant. Prince’s is cheap, but the taste is great and the heat is high. If you can get past their less-than-appealing advertising and sketchy restaurant design, you’re in for a treat.
After a few stops in Nashville, Ali and I made our way to the heart of downtown Knoxville in order to find what we’d heard was simultaneously the sketchiest looking bar in town and the most high-class. When shown pictures of The Library’s entrance online, which consisted entirely of a dim red light above a door in a dark alleyway, and were told that they had a formal dress code, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity. The Library was, in every way, a throwback to the high-class speakeasies of the 1920s. Every cent that didn’t go into decorating the exterior clearly went into making the interior as high class as possible. Inside there were shelves filled with books containing drink names and recipes, a cozy fireplace, quilted leather furniture, and a portrait of a former mayor of Knoxville hanging behind the highly-decorated bar. The drink prices were through the roof, but for the quality of the drinks and the atmosphere inside, I can safely say it’s worth a try.
This was our second stop in Knoxville, and once again we were greeted by a small, sketchy, red and tan brick building with minimal outside décor, other than a sign with the restaurant’s name and a headshot of King Tut himself. Inside, we were greeted with a somewhat quirky and mismatched interior that only further complemented the strangeness of the menu. The menu contained everything from gyros, liver and onions, and stuffed grape leaves to chicken alfredo, shrimp scampi, and southern-style rib-eye steak. The only thing there that seemed to make any sense was the pricing, which was on par with most eat-in restaurants we’ve been to, with an average price per plate between $12—$17 dollars. The quality of the food was one thing that we absolutely weren’t expecting. Despite the variety of their menu’s cuisine styles, the one unifying factor was that everything tasted incredible.
After heading back from Knoxville, we decided to try out a place that was far more unconventional than any restaurant or bar we’d been to before. Aptly named The Greenhouse, this bar was located entirely within—you guessed it—a greenhouse. Without the sign on the street pointing to it, we likely never would have found it, as the entire greenhouse was surrounded by tall plants, and the interior was much of the same. If you’re looking for a place to relax and have a nice, moderately priced drink in a one of a kind place, there’s no place better than The Greenhouse in Nashville.
Our final stop of the night was at Bar No. 308 in Nashville, a bar located inside a sketchy green brick building attached to an even sketchier “fine food” restaurant that didn’t look like it had seen a customer since the 70s, and a Sherwin-Williams paint store. As the last stop on our long journey—which was completed in one day, mind you—we were hoping this run-down looking bar in a run-down part of Nashville would be able to offer a bit of a feeling of home after a long day. Thankfully, it didn’t disappoint. The staff were excellent, the interior was plain in a way that felt almost comfortable, and the drinks were just what we were looking for, and all at a fair price. If you want a drink at a place that might as well be a home away from home, Bar No. 308 is the perfect place for you to kick back and enjoy some quality time with your best friends after a long day of work.