Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q — Restaurant in Knoxville

I was very excited to see Jim and Nicks opening in Knoxville. We lived in Knoxville but recently moved to Johnson city, we really miss Knoxville. We drove 1 1/2hrs. for dinner at Jim and Nicks. Let me start with that I have eaten at several locations and for me this location falls alittle short. PROS Nice location and beautiful building Decent bar with inside and outside seating Great salads Great cheese rolls but butter should always come with the rolls Good drink selection Catfish was good Ranch and blue cheese were good Staff was nice but was really covering to much area with the amount of people/staff ratio. It was alittle hard to catch someone. Had chocolate pie to go... great pie

CONS Dining experience, music was to loud. Hard to hear people speaking at our table Small dining area with chairs to close Ordering process, you have to stand in line to order and then try to find first come first serve seating. Food is served by a number that you take with you. Terrible design for dinner service... maybe for lunch but not dinner. It felt like a food truck experience. To much of a bar atmosphere to feel like we were having dinner My husband, a collard green expert said other locations had better greens. He did not finish them. He ordered a bowl of chili and it was brought out in a small cup size dish Chicken wings looked good but they were suppose to be sauced they were not. They were tough and kinda pink raw looking inside. Did not appear to be done. Ask to cook more and then they were really overdone and we couldn⁶'t eat them. When I ordered a whole pie ( that was advertised on the menu) the server was alittle snippy and said we need 24 hour notice for that. I had 5 in my party and slices were 5.99 per slice. It was cheaper to get the whole pie. Nowhere that I could see stated that they need 24 hours. It was more the attitude as if I should have known that. We did end up getting a pie but the attitude was not called for. While ordering dinner.. the staff member couldn't answer basic questions about menu items... like were the fries seasoned. She replied I don't know... I'm not sure. I proceeded to ask her can we just get then plain. Grant it they are newer but atleast find out instead of saying I don't know.. not sure and then remain silent. Felt rushed for dinner service Final bill table of 5= $120.00

Overall we might try it out again but maybe...

This place is confusing, unfriendly, and the food is bland.

First and foremost, this restaurant uses this new model (that Super Chicks uses as well) where you kinda get served but also kinda serve yourself. I think it’s called “fast casual plus”. You order at a register and seat yourself. The servers bring you food, but it’s on you to get silverware and fill up your drink (unless it’s one of the minimal draft beer selections). It’s like they want to do the bare minimum to justify a tip.

The staff was not friendly. Taking my order, the lady seemed like my entire existence was ruining her night. When I got to the register she asked “how many?” - and clarified she meant how many are in my party. I came with a friend but we wanted to pay separately, so I didn’t know if we should order together or not. She didn’t answer any of my questions and just said “whatever we’ll give you both numbers”… okay….

I had planned on getting a beer, but the selection was pretty lame. So I got a Diet Coke. After filling it up myself - it had absolutely no carbonation - a massive ding in my book. It was just syrup water.

While waiting for our food, they bring you these weird cheddar muffin things. They were definitely undercooked and soggy - didn’t even finish it.

My order came out relatively quickly, so the speed was nice. I ordered a pulled pork sandwich, Mac and cheese, and potato salad. The pork sandwich was incredibly bland, had very little flavor, and I had to drench it in the honey habanero sauce just to make it taste good. The pickle was the best part of the sandwich honestly. I didn’t even finish the sandwich it was so bland. The potato salad was also bland and was more of a mashed potato than potato salad. The Mac and cheese was really good though! Honestly the Mac and cheese was the only item I enjoyed here.

Honestly, to the people who like this place, you need to try some real bbq. It’s not even that hard. Buddy’s bbq is WAY better than this place by all metrics, and it’s no fancy bbq place or anything. I’m genuinely shocked that people like this place. I have no intention of...

We ate dinner and my husband and I remarked that this might be the best JNN we’ve ever had. After eating at almost every JNN across Alabama - that’s saying a lot.

The greeter at the door was enthusiastic and really knowledgeable! I should have known from his energy alone, the food was about to be good! So shoutout to him - I wished I had gotten his name. The young lady taking our order was really kind and really thorough. Even when the rush came in, she was composed and efficient.

Speaking of service, we ordered and before we could sit and take off jackets, our food was at the table. Now, being a skeptic, that could go either way. Fortunately, it went our way. Everything was PERFECTLY cooked, seasoned, and hot. My oldest ordered the ribs, and as a self proclaimed rib connoisseur, she was very clear that these were a cut above any other bbq place she’s had in Knoxville. The order of chicken was juicy and really flavorful. The Mac and cheese, collards, and baked beans were exceptional. With a bbq restaurant, I typically experience an emphasis on either sides or the meats, but rarely both. Tonight, JNN said “hold my whiskey” and delivered on both. For those of you going for those famously delicious biscuits, save room. They loaded us DOWN and we still left with half a dozen. And yes - they’re as good as you remember.

The star, though, is the staff! My husband and I have traveled across the world, and the service tonight rivaled many five star restaurants we’ve eaten at. Every person working was masterful. The GM made rounds to personally check in on every table and hand delivered a serving of delicious banana pudding to our curious toddler. Our cups were always filled, every single request was met with an eager attitude, smile, and really good attention to detail that created an overall memorable experience. From the moment we walked in to the minute we left, there was not a SINGLE miss.

Take note: THIS is...