Emma's Southern Kitchen — Restaurant in Knoxville

This was a nice change of culinary pace. On Sutherland avenue. This little quaint eating establishment looks very unassuming. In fact it first you might think it worried fruit stand or something. We were greeted at the door by very nice young man, a student at the University of Tennessee as most of the wait staff is he told me. He told us we could sit anywhere we like they have a good little dining room inside with a bar and nice selection of craft beers both local and national brands. Also what looked to be a nice cocktail list however I stuck with a Tennessee blonde. They have a nice outside area with a wooden fence beautiful flowers and herbs around it have a bar rustic looking made of wood and a television for sporting events. We opted to eat outside as my wife being Vietnamese they love outside eating establishments. The atmosphere is very laid back and peaceful. I ordered the fish and chips we also ordered fried mushrooms and pork belly for an appetizer. My wife has a salad with the jumbo shrimp on it. The mushrooms and the pork belly were absolutely delicious! The pork belly was drizzled with maple syrup I believe just right amount of saltiness and sweet. The mushrooms hand breaded was just the right amount of seasoning. The fish and chips were not your typical smooth batter type reminiscent of Long John silver's. But country style breaded actually South Carolina lowcountry style and the french fries were delicious as was the fish served with homemade tartar sauce and cocktail sauce. The prices are rediculously low! I had two craft beers and we had the two appetizers which were $9 each ( we always over order) I think the fish and chips were $12 and I don't remember the exact price of the wife's salad. The total bill came to $54 but a couple could eat here very reasonably for less than 30 as I said we always over or I absolutely highly recommend this place as we need to support more independent restaurants like this in Knoxville. We'll see you on our next...

Love the out door patio bar area - very casual laid back place ! Not foo foo! Good service Griffen- friendly staff - mixed drinks rim& coke $7 - glass of wine same - we had the blackened grilled shrimp appetizer it was excellent! Little spicy 🌶️ loved it ! I got a vegetable place BEWARE I got 4 thinking cracker barrel size was Texas size ! So good size portions on food that’s a big PLUS nowadays - I had the collard greens the vinegar is cooked in the greens and it’s heavy in vinegar- I prefer to taste the greens more but that’s just me - pinto beans ( good has a bit of different seasonings in them ) taco Mac was interesting - & Brussels sprouts roasted with balsamic vinegar- I liked but he did not like the balsamic - He liked his country fried steak & mashed potatoes . My mom had baked beans ,cinnamon apples & Mac with beer cheese - they make their beer cheese in house - we were so full took food home and 2 banana puddings $3-small to go - so nice to sit outside ! Was not crowded but usually is !! So I thought the food was good not great - the vinegar & seasoning over powered the taste of the food ! Love the vibe there ! Reminded me of Louie’s Back Yard in Key west but in atmosphere ONLY ! I will say they were out of cream for coffee and milk our server said - so my mom didn’t get her coffee - but farm fresh produce or krogers is right there -it wasn’t busy would it be good to send someone to buy gallon of milk and half & half - for your customers ?...

All-around great experience.

I had family visiting from out of state and they wanted some down home southern food for dinner. Being a newby transplant myself, with the cravings of five people to satisfy, I relied on Yelp! reviews to discover Emma’s. I mean, it’s got “Southern Kitchen” in its name so I must be on the right track…

Score. It was exactly what everyone — all five of us — wanted.

I can’t remember what everyone ordered, but I know I tried a bite of each (not sure if sharing food is at the table is frowned upon down here, but it’s how we roll in my family). I had the country fried steak. Or was it chicken? Doesn’t matter, it was good. And hot. The mashed potatoes were great, loved the gravy. The fried pickles were snatched up in a snap. Good grits. Fish & chips were on point.

Something to note: It was a bit chilly outside the night we dined so we decided it best to eat inside. We were seated directly under an AC vent so we moved to an outdoor table under a heat lamp and it was perfect. We even got to hear a bit of the live music that started up on the patio.

Our server was just as awesome as the food. We all loved it and I think you will...