The Plaid Apron

Let me start by saying, I’d go back just for Taylor, our waitress. She was an absolute delight and reminded me of home. It was such a pleasure talking with a UT student who clearly has a heart for customer service. Taylor is witty, efficient, personable, inviting, knowledgeable, and undeniably charming. She’s passionate about what she does and seamlessly joined our conversations, making the entire dining experience feel authentic, warm, and memorable. If you’re lucky enough to have her as your server, you’re in for a treat. Thanks, Taylor!

I recently visited The Plaid Apron in Knoxville, a cozy neighborhood cafe known for using locally sourced, seasonal ingredients. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, perfect for a casual brunch. I ordered the almond pancakes, which were light, fluffy, and had a pleasant subtle sweetness, followed by a patty melt with caramelized onions that was well-prepared but fairly standard in flavor. One important thing to note, during brunch hours, the restaurant serves potatoes instead of fries with burgers, which may catch some diners by surprise. Overall, The Plaid Apron offers a solid brunch experience with quality ingredients and a comfortable vibe, though in my opinion, the food leaned more toward familiar comfort rather than standout or inventive. It’s a good option if you’re looking for a well-executed, classic meal in a laid-back setting.

We started with the gluten-free almond cakes as an appetizer, served with syrup and butter—they were amazing! Light, fluffy, and topped with strawberries, they were a perfect start. For my entrée, I had the patty melt with potato wedges. We originally asked for fries (because they looked incredible in other reviews), but unfortunately, fries are only served at dinner. I usually like a side of ranch with my potatoes, but they only had ketchup. Thankfully, our sweet server found an aioli-style sauce for me to dip in, which was a nice touch. The patty melt itself was a bit on the sweet side due to the sauce—personally, I prefer my savory items to stay savory and my sweet items sweet. But overall, the vibe of the place was nice and worth checking out!

This is my family fave for brunch on Sunday after church. I live right next door so love the experience of walking over to fresh foods, some locally sourced. Can’t go wrong with anything on the menu!

Drew is one of my very favorite chefs in Knoxville. He hosted our rehearsal dinner at the restaurant and it was truly the most special night of our lives. I’ve also attended many professional banquets at plaid, that involve multiple courses and wine pairings. Drew knocks it out of the park every time. Whenever my husband and I wonder where we should eat out, we are always in the mood for plaid. You can’t go wrong with a dinner here or utilizing The Plaid Apron for special events. They execute with excellence!

WOW! Absolutely the most delicious and amazing grits & veges…EVER! I enjoyed The Hash and….. you will too!

This restaurant does food right. SO much is made completely from scratch in house including the sausage which is pretty cool. The salads are beautiful. I love the citrus slices and the lemon dressing. The veggie omelette is amazing, full of vegetables. The almond cakes are perfection. This is a great restaurant.

Update after dinner: To me it’s unfortunately a significant drop in stars (from 5 to 3). The old fashioned was amazing, the pineapple drink boring. The lamb appetizer was seasoned to perfection but it had way too much fat (more fat than meet, in fact). The watermelon appetizer was way underwhelming; quite uninteresting and under seasoned. My shrimp and grits were seasoned really well and I liked the quality of the shrimp but grits arrived lukewarm and that’s one of my least favorite things when eating out. My husband’s steak was over cooked and tasted as if it was seasoned with a ready made supermarket marinade and nothing else, not enough salt either; yet again, Knoxville proves that it can’t make steak properly. I also didn’t like how small the steak was compared to the amount of fries (which were very good!). I didn’t really like my dessert: too sweet, watery, and covered with whip cream (my least favorite things in a desert), the sage shortcake was more like a corn bread but quite good. Unfortunately, half of it was covered in whip cream which I deeply dislike. Espresso was OK, but should have been served together with the dessert. This is a casual place, nothing fancy and for what they’re $175 with tip is far too expensive. For this price I’m Austin for two people, you can get amazing food at Odd Duck ;) They didn’t count my dessert because I did say I didn’t like it, but it means we would have paid $200 for a dinner that wasn’t really worth it. Unlikely that we’ll be going back for quite some time. Very good brunch! Salmon cooked to perfection, but the espresso (as much as I appreciate that they have it) could be a little cleaner; I like it European style: with a little saucer and a small glass of water in the side. Looking forward to returning for dinner soon.

The restaurant is tucked away in a beautiful neighborhood, so we weren't sure about it, but we took a chance. Although the menu was limited, it was creative, and all the creations looked delicious. What we picked (sorry, I can't recall right now what), were delicious, and served with attention and helpful information. We learned that they do a brunch weekends and weekdays, so we're planning a morning return visit soon.

Cute little place with outdoor seating. Dog friendly. Gluten free options as well. The cinnamon roll was good.

Excellent fresh food, fast service, nice comfortable atmosphere. Drinks are good. Blends are nice - this is a "foodie" place if you love good food

This is one I'd give 4.5 stars to, if that was an option. A really enjoyable experience, and the prices were rather moderate, for the quality (especially the drink prices, I thought). The menu has a good variety; our table had duck, fish, steak and the special (beef cheek). Everyone loved their dish. Sides were very tasty as well. Cocktail menu was varied and had decent prices. Service was fine; relaxed and timely.

I'm updating this review in hopes that the owners will see it. I've been coming here for years and the last few visits have been bad enough that I no longer want to come or bring friends. Once we were sat in a corner and I honestly think our waitress forgot about us... for almost 30 mins. The next time we sat without even a greeting for about 20 mins. The last time I ordered the terrine it came out with a rotten avocado on top. The final straw was a rude hostess for absolutely no reason. This used to be a lovely neighborhood restaurant, but the weekend brunch staff makes me feel as if I'm ruining their weekend by dining. So much potential, but unless the owners start getting involved on the weekends, there are many better options in Knoxville.

Crossaint was not a real Crossaint and was not fresh. Cinnamon Bun was not warmed and the cream cheese icing, to me does not complement the bun. My omelette was weird and on top of that was COLD! Coffee wasn't good. I will NOT recommend and have already told anyone who asked me how it was to not waste their time and money. It was that bad. The only thing I enjoyed was the company I was with.

The food was simple but good! Our server wasn't super attentive but still provided great service. The Plaid Apron has limited parking and space, so I recommend getting a reservation, especially on the weekend to make dining a breeze!

The food wasn't bad, but my meal was underwhelming. I wouldn't get the fish sandwich again. I've heard great things about this place so I'd be willing to give it another try, but it was just okay as a first impression. The restaurant was clean and a great setting for a quite brunch with a friend. It got much busier around lunch time.

Sat outside on a nice day. Service was fine. Ordered the catfish sandwich with side of tomato soup. Did not see Cole slaw on the menu. The fish looked good and was cooked well. But.... I kept trying find the flavor. My mind says this is a great place for good food but the fish.... Where is that southern fried cornmeal flavor. Flagged Dow the server to ask for tartar sauce. Dont have it. Okay how bout some hot sauce. We got that! Hot sauce made it much better. Will come back and try something different next time. By the way... the water is tap water.

What a hidden treasure we found in this restaurant. Had no idea it was hidden in Sequoia Hills subdivision. We just visited there for brunch for a friend's birthday and had a wonderful meal, great cocktails and a wonderful server. We tried one of the cinnamon rolls for the table everyone got a little bit and it was delicious melt in your mouth. I ordered the breakfast hash, came with roasted vegetables and grits it was delicious.

Food is average and not hot. Steak tough and frites cold. Pasta needed more sauce but chicken on top was great. The worst part of dining there is the harsh lighting and acoustics,. It probably is better for brunch. Service was attentive.

Excellent Food. Excellent Ambience. Cute spot for sure. A diamond in the field of other diamonds, but a diamond nonetheless

Great food! Wonderful French omelette with thick cut bacon. Prices reasonable and love that you can affordably add any side. Biscuit and jam was also amazing!

The breakfast here was fantastic. I don't like grits but I keep trying to find a place that will change that and it finally happened, I finished the whole bowl. Staff was friendly and there was plenty of parking! If I lived in Knoxville this would be a regular stop!

This was my first visit to the Plaid Apron. The food, ambiance and service were all very good. There was five of us for Brunch. Two of us had the Gluten Free (GF) Almond pancakes and three had the hash. There were also sides of Applewood Bacon, Cheese Grits, and Cinnamon Rolls. The food was very good. I loved all of it (we shared across the table.) and the servers were extremely good and helpful! I highly recommend it. We arrived around 1:00 pm and had no wait. We will definitely visit again!

Such promise....but Came for breakfast and was underwhelmed Service: Super slow and inattentive - had to practically beg to pay the bill. Food: Grits were oddly sour and way too savory, Biscuit was underbaked and bitter, Toast was dry, and just one crazy thick slice for $3. "The Bakery" had no offerings. Eggs and bacon were as expected, so at least they were good. Very overpriced. Sadly, do not recommend.

Very nice, but casual, spot for lunch. Went twice and found the regular menu was more interesting than the brunch menu. The chicken thigh sandwich was excellent. The patty melt (brunch) came on sourdough bread which was better suited to it than I would have guessed. Delicious bread. Omelette not very exciting. Soup was good. Grilled cheese was good. Cocktails were also good not great. Would def visit again for that chicken sandwich and to try the lamb...

The Hash was Supa Dupa. Great ensemble of flavors! If you want some ole skool tea, this is your spot. And the cinnamon role.....sigh....yep, it's worth the cheat. The service was better than all the food. Probably made it better.

Food was just ok. The cinnamon roll that they say is the "best" was so bad. My husband took one bite and wouldn't eat anymore. It was cold and just didn't taste good. Wouldn't go back.

I found this place on yelp and saw this Tartine and new I had to try it. The restaurant has a great covered outdoor patio, open parking and the restaurant is just down the street from Sequoyah Hills Park, so it's an idea brunch spot because you have amazing food and a nearby lakefront walk with lovely views of new homes and beautiful scenery. The Tartine was an excellent dish- flavorful and delicious with a nice contrast of toasty sourdough crunch, avocado creaminess, and sweet onion caramelization all punctuated with bright peppery arugula, a savory bacon bite (yes, get the bacon: you won't be sorry), and crowned with a golden yolk. Freaking delish. The service was outstanding. I arrived about 9:30 and even though it was starting to get busy the servers were attentive, polite and smiling. I'd definitely come back again, and I'd try the cinnamon roll, which looked amazing!

This place is hopping after church! My boyfriend and I rolled into plaid apron at about 11 clock & it was hopping with church goers across from across the street! After we got seated, we could tell the waiters were busy! They were running around everywhere, but after about 15 minutes we put both our drink and food orders in. I had the Applewood bacon and the cinnamon roll both of which were delicious! I also had a breakfast tea (they were out of earl grey) and I self steeped it. My boyfriend had the house bacon & eggs Benedict. I was impressed with my food while he was less so with his. I tried a bit of his bacon & I agreed with him that it was very Smokey & chewy (which we were told it would be crunchy). But he also wasn't impressed with his eggs Benedict which is disappointing because we are on the hunt for a solid eggs Benedict place for him! Nevertheless, we walked out full and happy. The service was nice & my boyfriend resigned to going back again & just ordering something different.

Excellent service and delicious food, although it's a limited menu. Eating outdoors was a real treat.

Nice location and outdoor seating in nice weather. The menu is small but the food is good. Not fabulous but good enough to go back.

Tucked in the heart of Sequoyah Hills is this little gem. Over the years this place has been a handful of restaurants and I'm so happy to see that Plaid Apron has occupied this spot for some time now. This is a great little spot for Brunch. I like to make my own breakfast with the side dishes. I normally order eggs, bacon, a biscuit, and grits. They make their own jams that go with the biscuits and believe me their biscuits are delish!! I would say that Farmacy and Plaid Apron have the best biscuits in town. Now for the grits, damn those are good grits. They are thick and creamy, love love love them!! The coffee is pretty tasty too. I don't vary from that very often because sometimes I feel like they can try to be too fancy. If you find yourself upon this cute little place go give them a shot, I'm a fan and I'm sure you will be too. They have a great little patio that is pet friendly, and they have water bowls scattered all over the patio for your furry friends. My sister has taken her pup there before and they made eggs for her pup. I thought that was awesome! Cheers & Enjoy!

Oh wow! Party of three. One had duck. One had venison. We shared a fresh veggie. All were spot on. Service was good. I would highly recommend and will return myself!

Omelet lacked seasoning and sausage tasted and had the consistency of cheap hamburger. The gluten free pancakes and thick cut bacon was delicious. Waitress never checked in with us after food was delivered. Apparently kitchen staff think it's funny to be as loud as Gordon Ramsey. But, service was fast. Oh, the sourdough was wonderful.

Tried it for brunch and it was decent! There weren't a ton of options for vegetarians who don't like eggs, but I made out okay with a side of breakfast potatoes and the tartine (sans egg). I appreciated their full coffee menu and great service!

This place was a recommendation from a friend. Went to visit our daughter from UT on Labor Day weekend and brought her here for brunch. It's in a beautiful neighborhood, great location, lots of parking, indoor and patio seating. Food was very good!

Tried out the Plaid Apron for the first time. All of us went for the veggie omelet and it was amazing! I will say mine was perfectly cooked though one of my friend's was slightly underdone, so that may be something to be mindful of. The fruit was fresh and the biscuits looked phenomenal!

Walking into the plaid apron you could quickly tell the restaurant was very clean! We were greeted by two servers that were extremely friendly and helpful! The food was above average and the coffee was great! Our server (Conner, sorry if misspelled), was knowledgeable, punctual and very friendly! Overall, it was a great place to eat a Saturday brunch and I will definitely be going back. Plus, you can enjoy one of Knoxville's beautiful dogwood trails in the neighborhood!!

I came here for the first time with my friend and will definitely be returning! I am a sweets girl and ordered the apple cake for breakfast. Very good! My friend got the vanilla bean late and I wish I would've gotten that- next time I will! I highly recommend trying out The Plaid Apron if you have not yet!

Terrific customer service. I ordered the steak and eggs from the brunch menu and though it was satisfying the portion size left me wanting more. I would not recommend coming here if you are just finishing a run or hike. Luckily, I ordered a cinnamon roll for desert and it was lovely. I was also underwhelmed by the lack of food options on the menu. A busy neighborhood feel with a great playlist.

The Special for brunch is a pancake with sausage and two over easy eggs. The sausage is crumbled and put into the pancake batter, but all in one clump and not evenly spread throughout. The sausage was also raw inside and burnt on the outside, so they did not defrost their sausage before cooking it. We noticed because the sausage was really hard on the outside, and luckily saw the raw pinkish red part that we bit into. We showed the waitress, who said their sausage is pink. I don't think sausage should be pink, since when it's cooked it will turn brown. Even beef sausage should be brown when cooked. The Hash is roasted vegetables with grits and house bacon. Unfortunately, the house bacon does not come in strips and mine came with one piece of crumble about a centimeter long by two millimeters wide. While the manager eventually took off the raw sausage plate from our bill, I can't say this establishment has good food quality control. Even if everything was cooked correctly, I don't think the food is as good as other brunch spots in the city. There was a lot of parking and not a lot of people, maybe because of better options in Knoxville.

Popular neighborhood eatery with limited capacity, so use Resy and enjoy a curated menu featuring local ingredients. We've dined here several times over the years, so knew to use Resy online for brunch at 1:15 pm on a Sunday. It was starting to quiet down, but the outdoor tables were mostly full, save for one that was only partially shaded. Happy with the A/C today. Seated inside upon arrival and delivered menus. Yes, the menu's limited, but it has range and varies regularly, reflecting both daily specials and seasonal updates. I was tempted by the Kale Salad, but wanted something more breakfasty. And sweet. With maple syrup... I chose the Gluten Free Almond Cakes, served with slices of fresh peach and sorghum butter. These are some damn tasty pancakes; they can be a little dense in the centers (the pitfalls of gluten free) but get crispy and pair well with the peaches, butter and syrup. My mate ordered a Breve from their full coffee bar, along with The Special - a griddle cake with crumbled house sausage cooked in and two sunny side eggs on top. He loved the blend of sweet and savory. Both of our pancake dishes came with a generous serving of real maple syrup. I also got a side of applewood bacon (the house bacon was sold out), and it came out extra crispy as requested - really, is there any other way? Thin, yet meaty with the perfect balance of smoke and salt. Needless to say, it got quiet once the food arrived (about 10 minutes after ordering), and we got to eating! I took a bite and remembered to snag a pic, but my mate's griddle cake with eggs was already too far gone to get a sexy snap - just picture a plate-filling pancake with two eggs on top. We returned two clean plates to the kitchen, and smiled the whole way home.

WOWW. I was looking for a breakfast place to take my daughter and came across this place when searching "gluten free brunch". I'm so pleased with their selection and service!! Nick was absolutely the best part of our experience. Sunday mornings I'm sure are very busy for brunch restaurants, but he was attentive and had amazing recommendations. Must eats: almond pancakes (GF), grits (probably not GF), mimosas, eggs bennie, GF cookies Pretty good: patty melt on GF bread, smokehouse bacon (I liked it but the others at the table thought it was too thick) Mmmmm I've had better: French press coffee- I thought it tasted a little burnt, but it wasn't undrinkable I can't wait to go back!!

As my wife and I travel we try to find a place that is unique. We stopped at the Plaid Apron to celebrate her Birthday. What a wonderful meal. Make reservations because they are busy. We did not and got lucky to sit at the Bar. We watched Jared make drinks and were fascinated that he makes his own ice. "Best Salmon I have ever had"

Service was fair at best. My entree came out in 1 minute after ordering but my wife's order showed up 20 minutes later. The order obviously was messed up, and they continued to have issues. We ordered a side of tater tots with the meal that eventually showed up in a to go box. Sent those back in addition to my wife's fatty chicken thigh (come To find out they only serve thighs and not breasts) salad with the browned avocado. First and last visit here. I would have given them 1 star, but my sandwich was not too bad. Received a free cookie for their ineptitude. Manager did come out to apologize and offer another cookie. Do I look like Cookie Monster? Cute place but they need to get their act together. So much for a nice lunch date.

Have tried this place a few times for brunch and I wasn't entirely impressed. The food was good but just not great. They do have some gluten-free options which is nice but overall just an average brunch spot. The wait staff was always very friendly how. I wouldn't personally choose this place myself again as there are better spots for brunch around.

I've always been a fan of Southern cooking, and grits hold a special place in my heart. That said, the grits they make at The Plaid Apron are so good that after my first bite I knew I was going to become a regular! My friend and I shared the lamb with broccoli over grits and the lamb was almost as awesome as their heavenly grits. We also shared a cinnamon roll big enough to choke a horse before our main came out; while it was really good, I made a mental note to have it for dessert next time to save more room for the meal :-) I'm really glad the Yelp app led me here; I doubt I would have found it otherwise. It's located in a really nice residenial neighborhood and the drive getting here was lovely.

Our absolute favorite breakfast spot in Knoxville! This place is a gem and we always bring visitors for a meal here!

The Plaid Apron is the most beautiful southern style restaurant on the planet. My two son's and I enjoyed amazing from farm to fork fresh made to order breakfast brunch. While we was enjoying our delicious breakfast from scratch, the entire restaurant had hand masterpiece paintings from local artist that was breathtaking. The e entire staff provided us with the best service ever.

Everything is always delicious here. Breakfast dishes are amazing and always consistent. Love eating here when I visit the area.

Great neighborhood farm to table restaurant with fresh local ingredients and interesting southern themed selections. Pleasant outdoor dining in good weather and nice indoors too. Definitely worth a visit.

Excellent! The food and atmosphere are both always wonderful at this neighborhood gem.

So amazing. Finding restaurants with great gluten free options always makes me happy and these were fabulous. They have gluten free bread available and the staff was very knowledgeable about the options.

Oh Plaid Apron. You have been on my list to try out for so long, and finally on a Sunday we finally got to see what the hype was all about. We actually got up on a Saturday to come here, but then after looking at the website and Yelp, THEY WERE OPEN ON SUNDAY. So, we decided to hit a couple of brunch spots this past weekend. Supposedly, they just remodeled, so inside looked clean. It's just one room with a private room on the side. They also have outdoor seating which I saw a good amount of people sitting at. I think though that inside it can get a little loud as there was not really anything to soak up any of that sound generated in there. The restaurant is straight up hidden though. I was not expecting that there was a brunch spot as we drove through neighborhoods and that in itself doesn't work for them. What does work for them is that it is in a middle of a neighborhood, so you would see a lot of residents/churchgoers flood in here. Well, that and the food is pretty good. So, I ordered the patty melt, and it wasn't bad...but it's something I could probably make at home. It wasn't something absolutely amazing, and I guess that's my fault on ordering that...but at the same time I wish it was something amazing. I thought the price was a little steep for what I got, but it's competitive to all the other brunch places around Knoxville. And what can I say? It's a mom and pop shop so that in itself makes up for it. What I do like about this place is that well, the menu... isn't going to stay the same. It rotates depending on the season, which definitely sets them apart from brunch places. Also, well the GF got an eggs benedict and it actually came out correctly unlike other spots (if you haven't read my brunch reviews)... Overall, this place is a good brunch spot. I recommend you to come here early as they're going to be swamped with patrons. We were one of the first after they just opened so that helped a lot with getting a table and getting our food fast. I'm sure this place will be on a repeatable place for us to eat at for brunches if we see something pop up on their menu that piques our interest!

Cocktails are amazing! Food is usually pretty good as well. Service is fine, but sometimes a little absent/awkward. Open floor plan is kind of awkward/creates a lack of privacy. There's a modern, industrial vibe to the place which is easy to clean but very dull from an aesthetic standpoint.

Really cool little spot sits in the middle of a neighborhood. We went for Easter brunch/breakfast. Coffee was really good. Service was great. The food is good. Only knock is the menu is really small. If you're looking for variety this isn't the spot. Otherwise really delicious. If you choose to sit outside you're in a small strip mall so it's not the nicest. Inside is really cool.

Finally found a place in Knoxville that can make Eggs Benedict correctly and they are finally open for Sunday brunch! The staff was friendly and helpful, while the atmosphere was very modern. One downside to this place is that it can get really loud in there. I didn't realize how loud it was until I was outside.