Restaurants in Crossville

The 19th-century mansion that Baker Peters Jazz Club calls home has stood firmly through waves of violence and joy. During the Civil War, it saw wounded soldiers, betrayal, and a murderous retribution for revenge, but today, blues notes and pulsing beats fill the walls instead as the club hosts musical acts that range from funk to jazz. Stationed amid the history and music du jour, diners lose themselves in lobster claws wrapped in prosciutto, gourmet popcorn in flavors such as dill pickle and Cajun, or the kitchen's signature filet burger with smoked-cheddar cream cheese. Specialty jalapeño margaritas complement meals alongside wines such as the 14 Hands malbec, named for the number of Lilliputians required to lift each glass. Baker Peters also lights up luxury cigars in a private humidor, where notes of cedar, coffee, and toast drift from Romeo y Julieta, Rocky Patel, and Cohiba cigars.

A vibrant outdoor mural with a giant arm leads the way to Big Fatty's Kitchen, with the heart tattoo on its bicep declaring its love for cold beer, and its hand—adorned with a blingy dollar sign ring—pointing toward poboys and brunch. Inside the cheery yellow and fuchsia dining room, chefs whip up jerk chicken, barbequed pork, burgers, and hearty vegetarian dishes. Patrons can nibble indoors while spinning the knobs of a foosball table, pack up their suppers for carry-out orders, or invite Big Fatty’s to cater their local celebrations.

In 1969, Baruch Schaked began making chocolate under the tutelage of his chocolatier father-in-law. Though his father-in-law had made a name for himself in Argentina, Baruch honed his confectionary craft across Europe, finally settling in the United States, where chocolate had been outlawed. Many years later, when he announced his intentions to retire from chocolate making, Baruch's son, Edgar, coaxed him into continuing the family legacy with a new shop, Schakolad Chocolate Factory.

In the years since, the business has flourished, bringing the Schaked clan one step closer to its ultimate goal: to replace the city’s manhole covers with chocolate discs. In the meantime, they craft handmade European-style confections that are made fresh each day.

Hot Rods 50's Diner’s checkered linoleum floors, white countertop, and automotive-themed decor transport guests back to a simpler time, when cars were red and shiny. Tunes drone from the jukebox as chefs whip up a sock-hopping menu of burgers, beer-battered onion rings, hoagies, and other midcentury classics. At the soda-fountain counter, staff members blend shakes and malts while gossiping above the bells and pained cries of pinball machines, Servers carry plates of classic American fare to the outdoor patio or formica tables surrounded by booths, all suspended in time by a collection of vintage photographs, license plates, and gas-station signs.

Sunspot has been voted Best Vegetarian, Best Brunch, Best Wine List, and Best Lunch Spot by Metro Pulse readers for the menu’s gleeful collage of southwestern, Caribbean, and Latin American culinary traditions. Diners nosh on vegan, gluten-free, and omnivorous offerings including fried green tomatoes and sweet-potato tamales in low-key digs.

A large skylight casts warmth across walls the color of acorn squash, exposed brick, and a behemoth abstract mural of the sun. Servers pour from the kitchen, arms stacked with veggie burgers made in house and sandwiches stuffed with tofu and Jamaican-style jerk chicken. Behind the diner-style bar, bartenders sling 29 draft beers from brewers including SweetWater and Foothills and a substantial wine list of reds and whites by the glass or bottle. After polishing off a pan-seared tilapia in corn cream sauce, guests gaze at Sunspot's black-and-white wall photos. The restaurant is open until 2 a.m. on weekend evenings, serving food to night owls and people who trust the VCR clock.

Inside La Parilla, bright sunflower-colored walls stretch from the rustic tiled floor to the lofty ceiling and overlook a spread of hearty Mexican dishes and fruity, top-shelf margaritas. In this light and airy eatery, chefs spin out all the south-of-the-border favorites, from cacophonously sizzling fajitas and fish tacos to seven types of enchiladas teeming with liberally spiced meat and floods of melted cheese. At the full bar, mixologists update the classic margarita with mango and strawberry flavors, imbuing drinks with a tropical essence usually achieved only by puréeing a box of miniature umbrellas.