A Popular Local Diner for Breakfast...

Bonnie and Bill's visit continues... They expressed interest in eating breakfast out one morning and since that is our favorite meal and we love breakfast out too, off we went.

We love diners!  Unlike the eastern and northeastern part of the country, there aren't too many diner style restaurants in the Knoxville area.  Laurie and I chose Nick and J's Cafe for our breakfast.  It is one of the most popular restaurants in the area.

How popular is it and how favorably do customers rate Nick and J's Cafe?  On TripAdvisor it is ranked #6 among all of Knoxville's restaurants.  On Yelp, customers have recorded a 4.6 out of 5.0 rating.  With over 2,100 reviews, Nick and J's scores 4.8 out of 5.0!

Like many diners, the walls are covered with memorabilia, as well as photos of customers and local celebrities.  Both counter service and booths are available for diners.  The atmosphere is bustling and friendly.  The wait staff is efficient and friendly...and most of them seem to have been working at Nick and J's Cafe for some time.

Laurie ordered a breakfast that was a break from her norm, which usually involves eggs, bacon, potatoes and toast.  She did order a side of bacon with her 3 pieces of cinnamon maple French toast with powdered sugar and strawberries. (Total = $18.99) Laurie gave high praise for the quality of the bacon and she really enjoyed her French toast with its topping.

I followed Laurie's example, ordering a breakfast item that I rarely chose...  These 3 plate-size buttermilk pancake behemoths came with butter and maple syrup. ($10.50) They were thick and had a little crust or flat top griddle 'edge' to them.  I really liked them...but this was just too much food for even me.  I managed to finish about 75% of my plate.

Laurie's sister Bonnie ordered the Deluxe Pancakes. ($11.99) They came with your choice of blueberries, strawberries or chocolate chips with whipped cream.  Her choice is obvious based on the photo...unless you're color blind.  She was a little worried that a blueberry compote would just be layered on top of the pancakes and she was pleased that actual blueberries were actually mixed in the batter.  She skipped the whipped cream.  She could only finish about half of her pancakes, but her husband Bill had a few bites too.

Bill went 'southern' for his breakfast.  This was the Clifty Farm's Country Breakfast. ($13.99) It included a slab of country ham, 2 eggs your way, toast or a biscuit and gravy and seasoned or 'dusted' home fries.  Bill ordered his eggs 'basted' but Nick and J's doesn't do 'basted' so he had to settle for scrambled.  We warned him that the ham would be pretty salty...and it was...but he seemed to like it.  His toast was on the side.  

In our opinion, the only negative is that Nick and J's doesn't offer hash brown potatoes as an option instead of 'home' fries.  In retrospect, it is one of the reasons why we didn't order our usual breakfast items.  I will note that a lack of hash browns hasn't hurt Nick and J's business...

Nick and J's Cafe is located at 1526 Lovell Road right at the interchange/exit with the Pellissippi Parkway aka TN Hwy 162 just north of I-40/I-75.  It's open for breakfast and lunch Monday - Saturday.  Phone: 865-766-5453.  The restaurant was named after the owner/operator's children, Nickolas and Jordan.  Learn more and check out the menu at https://knoxvillerestaurantstn.com/.  

I just had to include a photo of the Laurie 'original' charcuterie board that we recently put together for a neighborhood gathering.  It featured 6 types of cheese, salami, sweet ham, pepperoni, grapes and Bear Jam. (The jam includes blueberries, elderberries, apples and raspberries) Not shown...a basket of crackers and toast rounds, a bowl of olives and another bowl featuring pickled mushrooms.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave