The New Places Between Broadway and Central Keep a Short Week
This summer, seven new places were announced for the slice of North Knoxville between Broadway and Central Street. By late October, three of them are serving customers. Those three are the smallest operations on the list, and they are open only part of the week. A French bistro seats about 40 people and serves dinner four nights a week. A bakery counter closes at 2 p.m. and is closed Monday and Tuesday. A flower shop turns into a cocktail bar in the evening. The bigger projects are still behind scaffolding. Those include a bar going into an 1880s building, a barbecue restaurant spread across three buildings, and a fine-dining barbecue room that won't open until 2027.
So right now the new version of this corridor runs on a Wednesday-through-Sunday schedule, and you need to know the hours before you walk over.
Inside of Knoxville's July roundup called this stretch a "vaguely pizza-shaped slice" between Broadway and Central and listed what was coming. Since then, three of those places have opened.
Au Bon Coin, 724 N. Broadway. The bistro is in the small blue wedge-shaped building at the corner of Broadway and Lamar Street, which was home to The Donut Shop until it closed in 2024. It comes from Laurence Faber and Emily Williams, who own Potchke, and their partner Brian Strutz. Its official debut was set for Aug. 6, after a soft opening. Dinner is a four-course prix fixe that changes daily and costs $75 per person, according to its Resy page. The restaurant's own site describes the cooking as French in technique and ingredients, with Ashkenazic Jewish influences. Maximum occupancy is 40. In July, Inside of Knoxville counted nine or 10 tables for two or four, plus a few seats at the bar.
K Brew's bakery and walk-in market, next door to its 1138 N. Broadway café. K Brew opened a bakery production facility next to its longtime Broadway café in June. Knox News reported that the retail market was set to open at 8 a.m. on Aug. 6. That story gives the market's address as 1134 N. Broadway and lists bread, bagels, coffee cake, muffins, Danishes, cinnamon knots, donut loaves and products from local vendors. K Brew's own timeline confirms the bakery and market opened in August. The company opened its first shop at 1328 N. Broadway, a building that now houses Mia Piccola Coffee.
Stem To Stem, 1200 N. Central St. This flower shop and cocktail bar in the former Raven Records space officially opened July 17. During the day it sells everyday and sympathy arrangements along with flowers for events. In the evening it serves classic and creative cocktails, and its site also lists mocktails and private floral events. When it opened, the flower counter kept 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. hours. Check the bar's evening hours with the shop before you plan a night around it.
| Day | K Brew bakery market, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Au Bon Coin, 5 to 10 p.m. |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Closed | Closed |
| Tuesday | Closed | Closed |
| Wednesday | Open | Closed |
| Thursday | Open | Open |
| Friday | Open | Open |
| Saturday | Open | Open |
| Sunday | Open | Open |
Au Bon Coin's hours have already changed once. In July, Inside of Knoxville reported dinner service from 5:30 to 9 p.m. The restaurant's current site lists 5 to 10 p.m. In a 40-seat room with one dinner seating style, the restaurant's own page is the schedule to trust, and booking ahead makes sense.
From Thursday through Sunday, you can buy a loaf on Broadway in the morning and come back for dinner at the corner of Lamar Street. On Monday and Tuesday, neither new Broadway spot is open, and the established businesses carry the corridor.
All three places that opened moved into existing storefronts and could start with small menus. The projects still pending are construction jobs.
Good Judy's, 1215 N. Central St. Club XYZ closed in June after 22 years. Good Judy's is planned for the same space and will continue its role as an LGBTQ+ gathering place. The name is a nod to Judy Garland. The ownership group includes Emily Belanger and William Petro of Central Flats & Taps, Matthew Lewis and Jonathan Smith of Sevier Avenue Burger Company, and Brandon McDermott and Eleanor Tant of Cool Beans. According to Inside of Knoxville, the front half of the building dates to the 1880s, and historic brick sits behind the faux-stone facade. Crews have started peeling that facade back, and the front entrance and glass-block windows are being replaced. The target opening was September. WBIR reported that the beer permit was waiting on more paperwork and a health department inspection. The owners plan an improved bar program and somewhat longer hours than Club XYZ kept.
Scruffy Pig, 937 N. Central St. This is the former Hops n Holler property, which has sat empty since that bar and beer garden closed in 2022. Archer Bagley is turning its three buildings into one barbecue restaurant with a built-out kitchen, restrooms and a bar. In July the name wasn't final, and the target was September. The Scruffy Pig site says the opening date and hours are to be announced. It describes the plan as brisket, ribs, pulled pork, scratch-made sides and cold beer, served at a counter with takeout available.
Wells Station BBQ, 1617 N. Central St. Marcus Stokely built a following with his Wells Station BBQ food truck. He is opening a restaurant next to Mid Mod Collective and Wild Love Bakehouse with Brian Strutz of A Dopo, who is also one of the partners behind Au Bon Coin. Knox News reported on Aug. 3 that construction was expected to start later this year and that the restaurant is projected to open sometime in 2027. Lunch will be counter service, and dinner will be a plated, full-service menu. Stokely has worked at A Dopo, Blackberry Farm and J.C. Holdway. He told Knox News, "I've worked in fine dining enough where tweezers are in my past." He plans to keep running the food truck until the Central Street location opens.
The Tire Shop, 108 W. Oklahoma Ave. This is a planned event room for about 75 people next to The Brookside. It's meant for rehearsal dinners, smaller receptions and private parties. Last fall the space hosted an impromptu haunted house, and in July it was still being used for storage. No opening date has been given.
Inside of Knoxville's Leslie Bateman called Central Street "something of a barbecue desert" before these two barbecue projects were announced. Neither barbecue restaurant is serving yet, so for now the Wells Station truck is the way to try Stokely's food.
Most of the pending activity in Happy Holler involves the same property owner. Architect and developer Daniel Schuh owns the row on the east side of the Holler that includes Stem To Stem, Central Flats & Taps, The Chop Shop and the event venue Relix. Across the street he owns the former Club XYZ building, The Brookside and The Tire Shop. Knox News reported that he also owns 937 N. Central, where Scruffy Pig is going in.
Regular turnover is normal for this block. Knox News described in June how Happy Holler keeps changing. Central Cinema arrived in 2018. The Oak Room moved into The Outpost's former space in 2019. Zero/Zero and The Pirate Tavern opened in the former Time Warp Tea Room space in 2023. This year's openings and pending projects follow the same pattern of existing buildings getting new tenants.
A few quieter changes along the corridor, as of Inside of Knoxville's July report:
Food trucks and menus change faster than buildings do, so check with these businesses directly before you go.
I've lived and worked in East Tennessee for nearly 30 years, and I follow corridors like Broadway and Central closely because these changes shape how homes there are valued. If you own a home in Happy Holler, Old North or Fourth and Gill and want to know what your home is worth with this much activity nearby, Robin L Skeen is happy to help. Request your free home valuation, and call me anytime with questions.
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