Sweet P's Barbecue and Downtown Dive

Found this little place and satisfied my wife and I for quick tasty barbecue and a beer. The trick is to definitely use their sauces on the table. They are are very good. I mentioned that it was our first time but that did not instill and action in explaining whether you carry it to your table or not. Since I waited a short time at the table for the second sandwich, still am unsure about that. But, good was good, place was cool and I’ll come back.

Good casual place for BBQ. Order at window. Take tray with paper plate to table. Sauces are really tasty. I ordered the beef brisket plate. Mac and cheese, and tomato and blue salad, for my sides. My top piece of meat was delish. Juicy and flavorful. The bottom two pieces were dry and a little tasteless. My husband's entire brisket was juicy. I think I might have gotten the last of the roast before they carved a new one. It definitely wouldn't stop me from going back. Just something to be aware of. Total for two brisket plates and two beers was $50.

I ordered a platter that came with a piece of brisket, a pulled pork sandwich and ribs. The sides I had were Mac and cheese which was pretty good, a side of Cole slaw which was also great, and a side of tater salad, my least favorite side. The pulled pork sandwich was good, not great. The brisket was out of this work. Super tender and extremely tasty. I wish I had more. The ribs I was quite disappointed in. They were a dry rub which was fine, the meat was just extremely tough and dry. I felt like I needed to add sauce to really try and enjoy it. Overall, great vibes and service and would stick to the brisket if I got the chance to go again.

The brisket was just amazing! So tender, easily cut with a plastic knife... The Cole Slaw and pork n beans were good as well. For me, it's a bit more than I usually spend for lunch, but no complaints here. Go check it out!

It was good. It's very juicy meat I got the nachos but found out i didn't like the type of cheese they had. The nachos was amazing great. Of couse the meat was amazing. My husband food was good too which i ate some. It is a good area to walk and see the beautiful down town . Will be back and brings some friends. I almost forgot this is a good place to too if u are the caveman diet like my husband is. He has lost 40 ilbs

I recently visited and had the sampler which included pork, ribs, brisket, slaw, greens, and mac and cheese. The mac and cheese and greens were the standout sides – absolutely delicious! The slaw was just average, but the pulled pork was the highlight of the meats, followed by the ribs and brisket. The vinegar sauce paired perfectly with the pork, though it could use a bit more tang. The other two sauces complemented the ribs and brisket nicely. I finished my meal with my favorite dessert, banana pudding, which was good but not exceptional, somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. The pleasant surprise was finding Cheerwine in a glass bottle – truly the nectar of the gods! Overall, a great BBQ experience with some memorable elements.

Love the Mac and cheese! And banana pudding. And the green beans. And the smoked chicken. What am I saying? Everything I have tried here, I have loved. Good sauces. Good portions. Drink station for refills. Order at counter, get your tray of food, then sit down and eat. We have been eating here since they opened. My husband and I prefer this location, too. We always park across the street and walk over. There are a few steps to walk up to get inside.

Great BBQ joint. Stopped here on a road trip based on a friend’s recommendation. We had our dog with us and it was great to have him with us out back in the shaded beer garden. It was a Tuesday and we ordered their burrito special and nacho special in addition to a platter for the 3 of us. Food was really good. The dry rubbed ribs were good. I’m glad we upgraded to a half rack since we were sharing the entrees. Never had a BBQ burrito before but it works. If we still did not have to drive 3 more hours, a beer in the beer garden would have been nice. The place is decorated in lots of stuff from the 1982 World’s Fair which makes it very unique. I would definitely come back here.

Having tried about a dozen BBQ restaurants in and around Asheville I wanted to try some BBQ in Knoxville. I ordered the ribs and they have dry rub and looked dry; however, they were fall off the bone and amazingly tender. The flavor was what you want from a rib - lots of great smokey taste. The dry rub was a perfect mix of sweet & spicy. Probably one of the best ribs I have had in a while. The side dishes were good but not mind blowing. Great service.

Took my Sweet heart to Sweet P's after a concert one evening and we enjoyed it. The regulars in line recommended the pulled pork and swore by their sides and I can see why. I really enjoyed the creamy mac and cheese and banana pudding. The pulled pork was okay but not too flavorful and quite dry (without adding sauce). Good barbecue, but hard to stand out in this space.

We stumbled upon this place and decided to give it a try. We have heard excellent things about Sweet P's, and all things heard were true. The service was good, the wings were tasty, and the restaurant itself was cozy and clean. There was lots of 1982 World's Fair memorabilia, and reading all of it took us back to such a happy time here in Knoxville. Keep up the terrific work, Sweet P's! We will definitely be back.

Decent place to get some bbq. I got the memphis dry rub ribs and they were very tender and soft. The seasoning and crust was very good. The banana pudding pie was decent. The beans with brisket was pretty good. It didn't have too much sweetness to it so I think it was very balanced. You take your order at the front before sitting down and they have TV's for sports and interesting wall memorabilia like the world's fair related stuff.

The ambiance is very homey/cozy with really good customer service! I tried the pork sandwich, Mac & cheese, green & things, and red beans & rice. My favorite side dish had to be green & things because of the collards were so flavorful! Mac and cheese had a light spicy kick to it and the red beans & rice, I really enjoyed the sausages in it.

Definitely get the ribs and Mac & cheese! Brisket was ok. Great ambiance. Staff was very helpful.

I could not have been happier with my choice to eat here. I was walking around looking for dinner and the word DIVE on the sign struck me as promising. I checked the menu, Friday special was Andouille sausage and I said sold! This is a Friday special not an everyday item. Man was that good. It came with two sides, I had a hard time choosing because the list was impressive but I settled on deep fried okra (OMG!) and sautéed greens that had black eyed peas, carrots, onions and other stuff (again, OMG!). The service, at the bar, was great and if I am to be honest, the joint does not strike me as a dive. Nice place, see the picture, yes, the place was empty but keep in mind this is a college town and all the students are home for the holidays. Ok, so why not five stars? Legit question, because the meal was served on a paper plate with plastic cutlery and I loath that. However, I do accept this is a fairly normal practice for BBQ joints which is a genera I do not frequent (I don't care for BBQ because it uses too much sugar-not specific to Sweet P's. Double bonus points, they were kind enough to give me a piece of cornbread (I order it because looked so good) I hate to bring this up because they were kind enough to gift it to me, holy shit, it was just like my grandma made and I cannot give higher praise then that right there. Oh, decent tap and I love the old defunct beer ads all over the joint.

My wife, daughter, and I happened to be downtown and had some time to kill, so we decided to grab dinner. I had been craving pork ribs, so we thought we'd give this place a try. If you've read any of my reviews, you know I'm a serious BBQ enthusiast. As a certified KCBS BBQ judge, I take great BBQ seriously. While BBQ styles vary by region, one thing is consistent: doneness. When we arrived, the restaurant wasn't very crowded. We were greeted and had the ordering process explained to us. However, a sign informed us that they were out of ribs and pork (although the pork would be ready in about 15 minutes). Both my wife and I ordered sliced brisket, mac & cheese, and greens, with me adding smoked sausage and banana pudding. I specifically asked for the fatty part of the brisket (the point) but was told they don't serve that cut, which struck me as odd. So, we both had the lean brisket. The flavor and tenderness were alright, though I noticed the brisket was a bit undercooked -- something only a BBQ aficionado might pick up on. The flavor? It was decent. The sides were alright too -- definitely not the store-bought kind. Overall, the meal was fine. I wouldn't go out of my way to return, but it wasn't a bad experience either.

When we walked in and didn't smell any meat bbqing...it was a red flag. Seemed like the food was in warmers and ready to go. My brother described this place as cafeteria food. Yikes. The food was barely hot too. Got the ribs plate: - Ribs were dry on the outside (think beef jerky) and barely moist on the inside. Hydrated the meat with the okay bbq sauce. - Greens were okay but no flavor at all. They just tasted like they've been sitting and it's probably because they have been just sitting. - Mac n cheese had a thick sauce which is how I like my mac n cheese. But since it was barely warm, it got cold so fast. Also tasted like it's been sitting so the butter and cheese separated. I was excited for this place bc of the rave reviews but it's probably some of the worst bbq I've had.

Service was very nice and attentive. I got the mimosa that was pomegranate and cinnamon and it was delicious! Biscuits and gravy with their special grits and bacon was so good but I asked for my eggs over easy and they were over medium. That's the only negative I can say. Cute restaurant and we will Be back!

Guy at the counter said at 8:10pm that he was out of like everything. Y'all close at 9pm we've all worked in restaurants we know y'all just lazy. Food was maybe lukewarm, more cold than anything.

Got the brisket, ribs, Mac and cheese, and Cole slaw. I was really looking forward to forward to this place so much I drove 40min out of my way. Sadly Mac and cheese not great and brisket was mostly fat. I did however love the ribs

Sweet P's workers are really great, they are speedy with your food , they have a great outdoor patio for nights and the food is delicious!

KNOXVILLE, TN 37902 / AMERICAN BBQ / 09-24-23 / LUNCH +The "Thick" sauce was pretty good. +I got the greens and stuff along with the house salad. The sides were the best part of the meal. -Like other reviewers, the meat was very dry. -No smoke ring or smoke flavor on the meat. -The "Hot" and "Thin" sauces were meh. -The tables and floor were pretty dirty; the place wasn't busy during lunch time, so staff members could have cleaned some of the tables and condiment bottles. -Something hurt my stomach.

Best Brisket I ever had!!!! Omg it was so yummy & tender. I loved their bacon chocolate chip cookies. The staff was great too!!!!!

Really awesome spot. Their rub on the wings is so amazing I asked to buy some to bring home! 10/10!

MY 100TH REVIEW!!! WAHOOOOOOO....Too bad it was at a mediocre bbq place. My chicken was dry and the greens didn't have enough acidity. I also got the tator salad which was pretty good. My family liked the brisket but they said they had better and agreed with me about the greens. My uncle's ribs were just ok. We were surprised because reviews were so good. But I guess bbq is personal. Service was great and the place was clean. Prices were pretty on point so no complaints there. Good beer selection and it was cold. Their bbq sauces were very good too. So it did have a lot of pros.

Well, the portions are hearty and you won't leave hungry. It isn't the greatest BBQ you'll ever have and it definitely has a chain restaurant feel to it, but I didn't hate it. I did enjoy the "thick" sauce on my 1/2 slab of ribs but when I asked what was in it to give it that kick no one working there had any idea. Apparently it's made and bottled somewhere else. Not as authentic as other places but prices are on par with other restaurants in the area. Keep expectations in check and you might leave somewhat satisfied.

Very sad BBQ. When I ordered the brisket, the server literally said to his co-worker "oh yeah --- said we need to push the brisket more. Thanks for getting this" Very bland flavor, lacked smoke and essentially a lackluster experience for purist smoked fans.

I had a hankering for some down home barbecue and this downtown location was spot on! Upon entering the establishment, I was greeted with a warm welcome. The daily special was displayed along with other selections on a large menu board. As I approached the counter to place my order, a very nice young man at the grill gladly assisted with an explanation of their offerings. I chose the chopped pork plate which came with two sides; my choice was tater salad and greens n things (which is a combination of collard greens, pea's & veggies) I opted for a slice of cornbread instead of bread buns. The meal was quite tasty and seasoned perfectly, it immediately reminded me of my mom's cooking. The restaurant was very neat and tidy. There was a steady flow of patrons dining during the lunch hour. I will definitely be returning here to get my barbecue fix. Good job Sweet P's.

Great bbq and quick service. Laid back welcoming atmosphere. Wings are great and on Thursday the have smoked meatloaf, until it's gone.

GET THE RIBS!!!!! My family and I tried the sample platter and the ribs were the absolute star. The ribs are so tender and the outer char is amazing. The brisket and pulled pork were okay. The service was also super friendly! My family and I were very appreciative of the staff :)

As someone from California, I am not used to dry rubs and unfortunately I was not a fan. I wanna get lost is my bbq sauce. Ribs were cook good though. Sides were meh.

Our order: platter plate (1/4 rack ribs, brisket, pulled chicken OR chopped pork) and sides (sautéed greens and things, mac and cheese, Brunswick stew, cornbread), pomegranate and orange mimosas Unassuming spot along Jackson Ave by historic Gay St. Order and pay first, then seat yourself. The meats were flavorful on their own, but they could use a longer marination to achieve full penetration. The brisket was dusted with a sugar topping, giving it a sweet and crunchy texture. My favorite was the pulled chicken, it was tender and juicy. The cornbread fell short of my expectations, it was crumbly and not sweet enough. The cheese to macaroni ratio was just right, the collard greens were tender, and the Brunswick stew was hearty - definitely could have gone for a bowl. Fabulous mimosas that achieved balance between juice and vodka. Rustic decor with a hint of instagram friendly filled memorabilia of World Fair. There is an outdoor second floor patio for those that can brave the chilly evenings to enjoy Gay St skyline.

Food was excellent. Ribs were delicious. Well seasoned and very flavorful Order was filled quickly for all 4 of us. Busy but no wait on a Friday night around 6:00. Would definitely visit again.

Ambiance/Service- Knoxville is such an energetic town and Sunday afternoon didn't disappoint. Street market, people enjoying a beautiful day and lunch at Sweet P's. Perfect! The weather was beautiful, the energy of the employees was upbeat and happy, the service was genuinely welcoming and fun. Great place to be! Food- There were three of us. We ordered the sampler plate with potato salad, Mac and cheese and cole slaw, a pulled pork sandwich with slaw topping and a chicken sandwich with slaw and a side of pinto beans. Also an order of fresh pork rinds! Wow! All fresh and hot. The only item not preferred was the potato salad. Beyond that all the food was great. Meats were tender with great smoke. The sauces were all tasty but we preferred the thick sauce. Pork rinds came popping hot. The sprinkle on them made them super yummy! What a great protein fix today:-) Loved Sweet Ps!

Stopped by for a visit at UT and the Google machine was not wrong in directing us here for some of the most delicious brisket ever. Gracious kind and attentive service and a chill ambience in a cool area make this a winner. Enjoyed a pomegranate mimosa for just 5 bucks.

After a search on Yelp for good BBQ we decided on Sweet P's. The location was easy enough to find and had street and lot parking nearby. I liked the look of the place when we got there with a small bar up front and the food right after. It is counter service with a large chalk board full of choices. For me I decided on brisket and the two sides of slaw and greens. The guy behind the counter said these were the best greens he has had, I guess he hasn't eaten many collard greens because they were bland and had no acidity. The brisket was okay with the flavor but it came from seasoning that was put on after so I can't tell if it was smoked or not because that seasoning covered it up. The slaw was prey good and I tasted the chicken from one of the others in the party and it needed a lot of sauce to help the dryness. I wanted to like Sweet P's, but wanting doesn't always line up with having. I think on the next visit we will look for other BBQ options.

Great ribs and pulled pork, and I love the tater salad. Happy that they moved into my area because I used to have to go to Maryville Pike years ago and Jackson Avenue also.

We pulled into Knoxville kinda late, but craving BBQ. Sweet P's did not disappoint. Brisket was moist even at 9:00PM. Mac and Cheese and Potato salad aka Tater salad (We are in the South you know) was awesome. Then came the Southern hospitality. Oodles and Oodles of Southern hospitality. Love these guys!! Gracious to weary travelers. Sauces are thin, hot and thick. Thin is Tennessee vinegar based, hot and think are more catsup based. All excellent!!

I was exhausted after a long day so decided to Uber some dinner in while I worked. I am so glad I came across Sweet P's as one of my options. I ordered the smoked pork platter with cole slaw, potato salad and cornbread. The serving portion was huge. The potato salad was very good- and I am picky about my potato salad! The cornbread had good flavor. I tried the spicy sauce and the thick sauce they were both good but I think the thick was my favorite. The food held up well through delivery. I would recommend this location and would like to go to the location in person next time.

I love me some good bbq, sadly it's been hard for me to find really great bbq spots here in East Tennessee. I do enjoy coming here though, they have plenty of seating on the main floor and also the bar area and upstairs outdoor area which I love when the weather is nice out. I think it's more on the pricey side so don't be alarmed when you check out haha. There's a huge chalk board menu at the front where you order. The meats are sitting in the smoker and they just pull it out when you order so I could see the meats getting dried out depending on when you go and how long they have been sitting in there. They use this dry seasoning that they put shake on all the meats before they give it to you. I feel like if you know how to smoke meat correctly you don't have to add a bunch of seasonings or spices to it. You're just losing the flavor of the meat at that point. I will say I do enjoy their ribs just wish they used less seasoning, the brisket was just ok to me. I wasn't a fan of those Mac and cheese l, it's a little dry I like more of a creamier Mac and cheese. I'm a huge potato salad fan and their tater salad is spot on, I also really enjoyed their tomato n' blues salad I could literally eat that everyday. They have a few different house made bbq sauces on the tables, definitely try them all! They spicier one was my favorite. The staff all seem pretty friendly when I've gone and they keep the restaurant well kept up, I've never seen food trays left on tables or trash or anything. I will continue coming here because I do like the location and food is pretty good.

We tried so many things and I'll rank my favs below! Clean, friendly and quick service! 3 of us split the sampler platter, a dozen wings and the chips and pimento. We all left full and had another meal to bring home! #1 fav was the ribs, fall off the bone, melt in your mouth with a little sweetness! #2 chips were delicious and the hot pimento is a great addition of flavors #3 wings - I loved the garlic wet, but the dry was a very close tie!! #4 Mac and cheese - so creamy and bbq seasoning make for pure delight! #5 pulled pork sandwich - was good, but with all the other choices this is pretty far down in the list #6 sliced brisket- ours was a little dry. Not bad but not outstanding like the ribs and wings!!

Service is great, Food is good Atmosphere like home, met wonderful people in the small amount of time I was there! I will return for good food and new friends

Great ribs and wings. Service was excellent. Relaxed and clean environment. We will return.

We really enjoyed all of our meals. The ribs were amazing. The bbq has such great smoke flavor. The sides were perfect.

I ordered the brisket, mac & cheese and greens. The service was very quick. The mac & cheese was the best out of what I got. Brisket was alright and wasn't a fan of the greens. Overall a decent place for BBQ.

BEST BBQ!! My fiancé and i went to Knoxville to visit about a year ago and absolutely fell in love with sweet p's! As soon as we moved here, this was the first place we went to. We really recommend the pimento cheese dip as the potato chips they serve you are fresh to order. Their ribs are soooo good! Really recommend the sampler plate!

The food was good. My biggest complaint is that their cornbread had corn in it. It was also not sweet enough for me. I love me some southern food, especially some bbq this wasn't my favorite but wasn't the worst either. The banana pudding was really tasty though!!

Came here and tried their sampler with 1/2 rack of ribs (upgraded), brisket, sandwich and 2 sides. The ribs were my favorite, fall off the bone, and perfectly spiced. The brisket was good, wanted a little more smokey flavor, but it was still tender and juicy. The collard greens was my favorite side. It wasn't too salty and the greens were perfect, not mushy. I appreciated the bottles of sauces on the table to try.

BBQ sampler was excellent and good portion for 2. Sides were delicious, especially the tomato, cucumber salad

My hubby said the ribs that I make are better than the ones served here. I do have to agree. The ribs are not fall off the bones. The ribs are dry and hard to chew ... The sweet tea is not super sweet. The sides are really good though! I also love their bbq sauces. I especially love their mild bbq sauce. It's a viniger based bbq sauce with a tangy and sweet flavor profile!

We come here every year as we drive down to Florida. If you need safe gluten free options, then I would skip this place. This was our first time taking my stepdaughter who has Celiac so we need safe gluten free options. The only thing she could safely order was the chicken, which was fine. Even though the chicken was separate from the other food she still got contaminated and had stomach pain the remainder of the night and into the next morning. This was extremely unfortunate as we were traveling. The staff was very patient and helpful when discussing what her options were but I feel they were more educated on gluten intolerance not necessarily Celiac disease. As I said we come every year and will continue to do so just not when we need safe gluten free options. Leaving 4 stars. This place is great and highly recommended!

Where y'at? If you're not getting BBQ here, you're missing out. DO NOT MISS the pimento cheese. This treasure of a dish comes warmed and with a sprinkling of that magic dust they call BBQ rub AND a heaping serving of their house-made potato chips (also sprinkled with magic dust). You're warmed up for the main event: Q-n-sides. Tried just about several of the proteins available through multiple visits. Don't have pictures of all. Yes: wings, pulled chicken, smoked chicken, turkey breast (go early), pulled pork, brisket, sausage-sausage-sausage! Sides/special sides that get a yes: Mac and cheese, Greens and things (! YES !), house-made potato chips, potato salad, slaw, Red Beans and Rice (Wednesdays), and puddin'! But I loved the pimento cheese so much, I will choose to eat that for appetizer and dessert. I would give a "meh" only to the bacon chocolate chip cookie (good flavor/idea, but the cookie was a bit dry and not chewy/soft enough for me - recommend they update the recipe to use only brown sugar and melted butter or browned butter) and the meatloaf (okay, but not my favorite). Go. Go on, now. Go to Sweet P's and get your Q. Go on!

Tasted great going down, but left me with the worst stomach ache within 10 minutes of finishing my food. Also was a bit pricey and the side portions were too small.

We stopped twice on our travels through Tennessee. We especially love the ribs and salad. When the weather is warm, be sure to sit in their upstairs outdoor patio

ordered the combo platter for 2. Shame on you. Everything was dry like my humor. This is considered the best in Knoxville...? Banana pudding was very good though, respect.

This is some of the best BBQ I have ever had. The service is great and the place is very clean. Definitely need some more! Plus love the name!

Stopped here on the way to Nashville for lunch. Easy parking right across the street, very clean, and very friendly staff. We shared garlic wet wings, the daily special smoked meatloaf, and the brisket with a side of green beans and Mac and cheese. Everything was very good!