Restaurants in Maryville

Under Azul Tequila Mexican Grill's bright pink sign, chefs whip up simultaneously exotic and comfortingly familiar Mexican specialties. Sizzling chicken, steak, and shrimp make mouths water in the form of fajitas, and plates of pollo fundido aim to slap satisfied smiles on patrons’ faces. Margaritas moisten mouths, allowing guests too cool off and decompress after a particularly stressful day at the office, or day of being accidentally locked in the office.

Though born in Mexico, Jose Garcia has built a career focused on fresh, nutritious Asian cuisine. As reported by Carly Harrington of the Knoxville News Sentinel, Garcia’s goal in opening Fan Chao was to supply health-conscious locals with cuisine that harmonizes with their dietary goals or restrictions. So he teamed up with local chiropractor and wellness expert Dr. Scott Courtley to design Fan Chao’s bill of fare. The restaurant’s made-from-scratch, oil-free, and veggie-heavy fare is as tasty as it is wholesome.

The menu tantalizes tongues with bold flavors of flame-seared beef, chicken, and tofu. Many items, including moo goo gai pan and a vegetarian feast with spiced tofu, can be made entirely gluten-free upon request. Sensitive tongues can also request a lower heat level on spicy dishes such as garlic ginger beef or firecracker shrimp.

Knoxville.com also favorably featured the Chinese eatery, highlighting distinctive décor details such as the color scheme of reds and earth tones. A flat-screen TV beams a live stream of Fan Chao's grill chefs, who spend most of their time searing or singing lullabies to each fresh morsel.

Garrett's Downtown Deli borrows both a name and a philosophy from owner and founder Garrett Scanlan, whose childhood job in his father's kitchen and formal apprenticeships at several kitchens across Europe have led to appearances in more than 50 cookbooks and his own television program, 90 Miles with Chef Garrett. Behind the counter, Chef Scanlan and his kitchen crew take time to construct his eatery's deli-style fare as if it were served in a gourmet bistro or about to be sacrificed to a vengeful volcano. Sandwiches are crafted from Garrett's own recipes and contain hand-carved meats that are roasted in-house, including turkey, ham, and corned beef sliced thin, piled high, and paired with a pickle and chips, coleslaw, or potato salad. A hot-entree-and-salad bar poses even more choices for eager eaters, with daily rotating spreads of pasta, barbecue, baked chicken, from-scratch soups, and diet-friendly salads and recipes.

Jose Garcia’s life has drawn him in many different directions. He grew up in Mexico, but he moved to pursue the American dream, which propelled him from a job as a dishwasher at a Chinese restaurant to his current role as chef and owner of WokStar Asian Cuisine. Here, he draws on culinary skills he painstakingly taught himself and presides over cooks who chop vegetables and wok-sear meats before patrons’ eyes. The menu brims with Chinese, Korean, and Thai influences, which infuse the air with the scents of ginger, garlic, and sesame. Spicy fare, such as chili-spiked kung pao, can be cooked according to a personal preference for mild food or a need to teach a robot to sweat.

Using locally sourced meats, produce, and baked goods, the chefs at 11 Cafe cultivate a selection of artisanal drinks, desserts, and Mediterranean fare that is a testament to Knoxville’s culinary chops. The café’s baristas combine The Golden Roast coffee beans with milk from the nearby Cruze Farm on a menu of lattes and espressos that beg in sweet, overcaffeinated voices to be paired with treats from local sweetshops such as Sugar Buzz Bakers, The South's Finest Chocolate Factory, Magpies Cakes, and Hot Bagel Co. The café’s bar houses a large selection of beers on draft and in bottles ready to overflow mugs as guests munch on Mediterranean favorites such as shawarma sandwiches, cheese boards, and excerpts of Plato’s Republic written on a pita.

The steady hands of experienced chefs drizzle rich sauces across glistening cuts of fish at Koko Japanese Grill and Sushi Bar, where sushi displays meet succulent cuts of seafood, steak, and poultry. Each dish’s precise presentation, from fillets flanked by vibrant carrots and greens to salmon- and eel-stuffed maki wrapped around slivers of avocado and cucumber, underscores the eatery’s use of fresh, colorful ingredients and its kitchen cabinets filled with T-squares. Framed by leafy plants, a saffron-hued color scheme, and glowing amber ceiling fixtures, guests can sit near the open kitchen or gather at the sushi bar to watch the delicate construction of their chilled rice rolls.