We were visiting Knoxville and I chose this restaurant due to YELP. We arrived, and this place was packed! It looks like an old Waffle House or Huddle House. We were greeted promptly, and seated within 5 minutes. The restaurant was very clean, even as busy as it appeared. Our server, Anthony was a gem. We asked what he recommended , and his response was, "everything." He said, "honestly everything we serve is delicious." That's a hell of a recommendation! I ordered the burger (I forgot the name, but everything listed in the pic was on it) and my wife ordered the chicken salad sandwich on Texas toast. She is very picky about her chicken salad, but absolutely loved it. I also had the fries that were perfectly cooked. Crunchy in the outside, and soft on the inside. When I say that my cheeseburger was huge, it was! I cut it in half, and ate one half, then pulled the meat off the second half and ate it by itself. The meat seems to be seasoned with salt and pepper only, so you can really appreciate the flavor of the beef. The value is more than the price in my opinion. This is an extremely well- run restaurant. It earns 5 stars. Great service (Anthony) and great food! read more

Nick and J's Cafe - 1/2 lb cheeseburger our server, Anthony recommended. Great recommendation! Bacon, grilled onions and mushrooms with mayo all the way. - American Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Great service and great food! Worth the visit. We are definitely coming back as soon as possible!

This restaurant has very good service, as well as a nice ambiance that reminded me of diners. The brownstone is a delicious burger, at a good price as well. read more

Nick and J's Cafe - This is the brownstone - American Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

How does this place have such good reviews? I still cannot get over that the fruit was straight out of the can. It's too expensive for this, if it was cheaper, I'd take it for what it is. read more

Nick and J's Cafe - American Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

The food wasn't good, the coffee was just colored water, and I ordered a Coke but they brought something that was flat and tasteless. In the end, I paid for three drinks I couldn't even drink, and the service was extremely rude. Fifty-three dollars for bad food and bad service. The owner was very rude and had a confrontational attitude. I will never go back to this place! I do not recommend it at all. It's sad read more

Whenever I'm in the area, I make it a point to stop at Nick and Jay's for breakfast. They offer some of the best home-style cooking I've found in the Knoxville area. Everything is made from scratch, and the food is consistently on point when it comes to taste and flavor. I highly recommend stopping in for breakfast. While lunch is good as well, this is hands down my go-to breakfast spot. If your solo sit at the counter for the full experience. read more

Nick and J's Cafe - Nick and J special breakfast. 3 Eggs, sausage and county taters - American Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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Food is amazing.. cooked to order .. fresh.. yummy.. great service and a diamond in the rough business ... step inside head to the back and wait for a seat!! It's worth it if they are full.. Breakfast and lunch only.. mom and pop owned and they careand it shows!!! I keep dashing TRIPLE D needs to show up here! Everything rocks!!! It's small so advertising this is only because they are so worth the wait! read more

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We've been in Nick and Js a few times Portions are huge, but the food is excellent. Service is over the top. Make sure you go in with a big appetite and a sense of humor. It's nice when people get my sarcasm and the gentleman doing the seating got my sarcasm even though there was a line we receded within 10 minutes, so don't be discouraged if there is a weight it's totally worth the weight. If you're looking for the diner feel you're definitely going to get it. Lots of things to look at on the wall, memorabilia, etc.. read more

Nick and J's Cafe - Breakfast platter - American Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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This place is sooooo good! The burgers are huge and beyond delicious! Feels like you are sitting down at the owners own dining table for a home cooked delicious meal. You can't go wrong with Nick and J's! read more

Great little diner with friendly staff, delicious hot food, and quick service. We had a party of four and were seated immediately. Orders were promptly taken and delivered. The food was great. The service was excellent, and it had a cool atmosphere as an old time diner. read more

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So my coworker and I went back to this CUTE cafe but this time it was for lunch (that was on accident, we wanted breakfast). We ordered a nicks way burger, patty melt and a tuna melt. We agreed that it was a strong 6/10, in order to give it a 10/10 we would recommend the burger and tuna be seasoned better. For the service, it was still great like last time and we had our same waitress. She greeted us like regulars because at this point, we are. We are going back for breakfast!! read more

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This place seems really busy but all the staff are really nice, the portions sizes are great, and there was a very large array of items to pick from. The Cafe is so cute too, lots of decorations to look at while you wait for your fresh cooked food. It's very waffle house style but more cozy. read more

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Amazing food. Gyro was great! Husband's mushroom and Swiss was very lean and tasty. Fries and okra were very crispy. Neither of us were able to finish either meal. Service was great! They could easily fill another building! Absolutely will return! read more

Excellent food & great service! Cute diner ambiance. This place is going on my keeper list! Loved the welcoming staff! read more

Nick and J's Cafe - Bacon Cheeseburger - American Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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This restaurant is a must at least once. My family and I will be going back often. Even though the line was long it moved fast and it was worth it! One serving of pancakes was plenty for three people and there biscuits were absolutely mouth watering! Great place reminds me of an old school diner, loved all the memorabilia and the owners were very nice and funny! Pictures don't do the food justice but man o man it's good! read more

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Service and food were excellent! Pecan pancakes and biscuits and sausage gravy were outstanding! A frequent customer said their chuck wagon sandwich for lunch is outstanding! Can't wait to return read more

Not much has changed in this good old-fashioned diner since pre-pandemic times when we last visited -- except for the prices. Talk about inflation! We ordered two sandwiches with 2 sides and 2 soft drinks, and the bill rang up at $33.00!!! First was a chicken salad sandwich ($5.99 1 year ago according to another reviewer) that now costs $7.50 -- and a grilled turkey reuben (formerly $9.75) and now $12.99! My sandwich came with a pickle and a side: potato salad; my spouse 's entree came sans side, so he ordered potato salad which was only 24 cents more than a year ago. Not bad. The restaurant wasn't exceptionally busy as those who entered after us had no wait, and the counter had plenty of available seats; however, it took more than 15 minutes after we placed our order for the food to arrive. No fault of the server who checked on us midway through our meal and was cordial. I must say the portions were generous, and my sandwich was tasty. My spouse was a bit disappointed with his sandwich as he said the chicken salad was bland. He took half of it home, added a tablespoon of sweet pickle relish, and it pepped-up the flavor. read more

Nick and J's Cafe - Grilled Turkey Reuben with a side of potato salad and a pickle for $12.99 - American Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Good Rueben sandwich, but a little messy. Classic diner menu. Lots of regulars. Good service.

Solid mom and pops place with hard working and kind people who make GOOD food. Nothing fancy, but consistently good and that's the best!!

We yelped and found this jewel. When you walk in you seat yourself. It immediately reminded us of a Waffle House but with a small diner vibe. It smelled delicious. We sat ourselves in the last available booth and waited just a few minutes and our server came and brought us menus. Their menu is full of a wide variety of choices, including a daily special. We ordered iced tea and they were served quickly. The tea was good and is fresh brewed. I ordered the Sandwich and Soup lunch combo. I chose the vegetable soup and the Tuna salad sandwich. Oh man, that sandwich was huge so I split it with my husband, who was trying to go light and just ordered a cup of chili. The server warned him it was spicy, which was fine with my husband. My vegetable soup was full of a wide variety of vegetables and the broth was delicious! We would definitely recommend this gem! While we were there -right at the heart of lunch hour-there was a steady stream of people but no one had to stand and wait for very long. We both thoroughly enjoyed our lunch and the experience at Nick and J's! The food and service was EXCELLENT!! read more

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My wife was looking for someplace we could grab something to eat before heading out of Knoxville. She found this place not too far from where we stayed. She chose it because of all the good reviews. We arrived a little before 11am on Tuesday and the place was hopping. There were two booths that needed cleaned and they said they would get one ready for us. We were seated a few moments later. We were provided menus and offered drinks. As we were reviewing the menu, both my wife and I thought we needed to share the Triple Whammy which is two 1/2 lb cheeseburgers in between three grilled cheese sandwiches and fries. Although, we knew we would not finish it. We asked our server how often anyone orders it and were told about once a week. That is what we ordered. Our food arrived in a timely fashion and looked amazing and huge! We proceeded to unstack it with each of us taking a burger and grilled cheese sandwich. We could not finish it and left most of the fries and most of one of the grilled cheese sandwiches. But, boy was it good! We wish we were in the area because we would come back to try other items on the menu. We definitely recommend you check this place out. read more

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Just awesome! Great food, excellent service!! Will definitely be back as many times as we can!

Always busy but worth the wait. Great food and friendly staff. Live the kitschy diner decor!

We snagged the last parking spot on a Friday around 8:30 am. Note that the building nor parking are as spacious as they seem from the highway. You go inside and it is a casual diner with tight quarters and a few rows of booth seating and you seat yourself. The server was swamped and pulled in many directions, so be patient and kind. :-) The owner was also making their rounds to make sure everything was going well. We waited about 10 minutes to get a menu and another 10 for drinks, but the server was sweet, funny, and was very prompt with refilling coffee once we had it. I ordered an egg biscuit sandwich with cheese and bacon-crisp added and a side of home fries (aka diced, fried potatoes). My husband ordered the Nick and J's Special (3 eggs, bacon, home fries, and biscuit with jelly instead of gravy). The eggs were all perfectly cooked and home fries well-seasoned. The bacon was fine. It served its purpose but was not as flavorful or crisp as we had hoped. The biscuit was the most disappointing part, though. It was flat and overbaked and fell apart when bitten into, it was so hard. It literally "clinked" like a coin when a fallen piece fell on the plate. :-( Due to the awesome reviews, I will definitely be back to give this place a second try (probably for lunch or pancakes), but our first experience with the food itself was definitely a resounding, "meh." I think I may have ordered the wrong thing or came on a bad-biscuit day? read more

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Nick & J's is a must!! Clean place, amazing food, great service, and great people! Best Reuben Sandwich ever!! My husband tried the pizza burger and loved it! Great restaurant & owners that give back to the community. Highly recommend!! read more

When you think of the classic small town diner, Nick & Jay's is it. Yummy choices, huge portions, and the desserts were awesome! Save room for the strawberry cake. Too bad no dinner service. read more

Nick and J's Cafe - Banana pudding and strawberry cake... yum! - American Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Food was great as usual. Service is always amazing and everyone is so friendly. The usual casual diner atmosphere, which I love. One of our favorite places! read more

Nick and J's Cafe - classic burger with cheese - American Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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Solid meal, if a little pricey. Breakfast only until 10:30, not 11:00, and we missed it by 6 minutes. Great service, and everything was good. We did not have a problem with parking, as noted in another review. (There are only three spots on a hill, the rest of the spots are level.) We would eat here again if we were in the area. read more

Nick and J's Cafe - Burger sandwiched by two grilled cheese sandwiches. - American Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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A local treasure with great food Generous portions and attentive staff! They have great daily specials and wonderful desserts!

Family owned and ran. Great people and great food. It is a busy place, but they get people in and out quickly. Very good prices as well!

Great little place for breakfast. Staff super friendly and food is good. Would definitely go back when in the area.

This place never disappoints. Excellent food served fresh and hot and quickly. One of the things I like best about it as I can walk in sit down at the counter order the daily special and within three minutes it's in front of me fresh and hot ready to go. I could be in and out and back to work in 25 minutes. read more

Service was very quick, got our drinks as soon as we sat down. Food came out quickly and hot. No matter what you get the food comes in large sizes (come with an empty stomach). The food was pretty decent, nothing crazy. The chocolate chip cookie was a solid 9/10 as well. read more

We're in Knoxville for the week staying at Drury Inn. We wanted someplace unique for Lunch/Brunch. "Nick's" is the real deal and a happening place. Even though busy, we got a table in 5 minutes. My wife and kids ordered a chicken fried sandwich, 2 Classic burger 1/2 lbs meat with fries and all the toppings plus my wife got the melt on marble rye. We were all impressed as this food fresh, hot and delicious. Service was quick courteous and food came out quickly. Very happy we came here and definitely worth coming here as prices were amazingly reasonable. On way out my kids got the baklava and giant chocolate chip (nice and chewy) cookie. Look at the pictures and be the judge for yourself. read more

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When it's 14 degrees outside they should have the Heat going. It was COLD inside the diner. The food came out Quick and the service was Quick, the Ham was not the greatest but it is a Diner. Will I go back probably Not read more

This place was absolutely phenomenal!! It was my birthday and they treated me like I was their own. It was absolutely amazing. Such a wonderful experience and warm atmosphere. The people here are real and genuine. The food on the other hand was some of the best food I've ever had. It looks delicious and came out very quick. Tasted like a home cooked meal. I appreciated every second of it. The prices are great for how much food they give you as well as how absolutely delicious it is. Since it was my birthday they brought me this huge chocolate chip cookie with whipped cream and candles. read more

Nick and J's Cafe - The griddle biscuit. I chose sausage and scrambled eggs. But you can get chicken or bacon. Eggs however you choose - American Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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You get your moneys worth and food was good and coffee. Owners are nice there is a wait but they are quick. read more

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Honestly I'm hesitant to recommend this place because it will get busier and it's almost too good to share. It's by far the best diner I've experienced since moving to East TN. The Ruben is phenomenal and the grilled ham and cheese with vegetable soup was great as well. Prices aren't bad and the staff is your new best friend from the first time you walk in. You can eat at a booth, the counter, or take your food to go - no matter what you get to enjoy watching them cook right in the open in front of you - see the pictures, signs, autographs, and general swag all over, and just enjoy old school interaction with good people. read more

Standard diner and way from all of the chaos downtown or Turkey Creek, located right the Lovell road exit beside a gas station. Very hometown feel and good service. 1. Try the Turkey Gyro and Tuna Melt if not into burgers. I believe the burgers are the main attraction. 2. If you are a Vols fan, you'll see alot of memorabilia. This is very local diner. I recommend and will try again. 3. You'll seat yourself and it's about the size of a Waffle House. I recommend read more

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My first impression was great. Nice atmosphere with nice people. The food was great and big. It was breakfast and I will probably come back at lunchtime. read more