By Patricia Williams
KNOXVILLE, TN (May 2020) – East Knoxville eateries are gradually emerging from the coronavirus shutdown, while practicing sanitation, social distancing, limited seating, or drive-up service. For your safety, protective Plexiglas shields have been installed at the customer contact points when ordering and payment at many businesses. Most all close at earlier than in the past.
Perk City is East Knoxville’s first and only barista coffee shop, has reopened for drive-up service. The business is at 3229 E. Magnolia Ave. at the corner of Beaman Street, which allows for convenient drive-up service. Proprietors Sherene and Bob Jacobs will have your call-in order delivered to your car, or you can enter and order to go. The lite lunch menu of homemade soups and chicken salad has been suspended for now. Sherene has been making face masks during the time of Covid-19. So if you enter without a mask she will offer you one at no charge. No need to drive miles away, enjoy fresh barista made coffees on your way to your destination. Hours of service are from 8:30 am – 1 pm Monday thru Saturday and closed on Sunday at this time. Click here, to visit the Facebook page or to purchase a gift card. Call 865-247-5917.
Dulcie’s Cafe Jamaican Cuisine, operated from a food truck on the lot of the Exxon station on Magnolia Ave. (at the corner of Cherry St.) for about a year before hanging a shingle a block away at 703 N. Cherry St. Dulcie’s Café is family owned and is named for their (deceased) Jamaican grandmother. Menu favorites are Jerk chicken and ox tails. The owners had barely opened before the Coronavirus shutdown. Plans are in the works to add a hooka lounge, but for now you can call in or pick-up an order. noon- 8 pm, Tuesday – Saturday. For menu ordering and catering information, click here; or call 865-805-7663.
Knoxville’s own Tammy’s Fried Green Tomatoes and Fish food truck has been an East Knoxville staple years, before food trucks became a thing. It is located on a lot near 4001 Holston Drive behind Hardee’s on Asheville Hwy. Social distance markings are in place, sanitizer is available, they are wearing face mask and as always you can wait in your car. Tammy’s is open Thurs-Saturday.
Shoney’s, East Knoxville’s only buffet at 4020 Rutledge Pike has reopened. The marque says “Let’s Eat.” The buffet has been scaled down, but still offers a reasonable selection. For your protection, a buffet server assists in preparing your plate, you just point and choose and it’s handed to you. Customers are not allowed to touch anything on the buffet. Patrons do not handle utensils. Coronavirus service at its best. Most menu options are available and the Sunday Senior buffet for $7.99 that includes a beverage is still available. Open for limited dine-in service. Open 7 am – 8 pm, Sunday-Saturday. Call 865-525-5381 to place a pick-up order.
Don’t be shy; finish your meal at home with a cocktail, glass of wine or two-fingers of your favorite spirit from Christy’s Liquor Store, 4613 Rutledge Pike (a few blocks east of Shoney’s). Christy’s also has Uncle Nearest bourbon made by the only U.S. black-owned distillery. Social distancing is enforced. The number of customers allowed inside at one time is limited and a walk-up window has been installed for customers waiting outside. Open 7 days, call 865-522-8353. Visit them on the web at cristysliquorstore.com.
Just one more thing, did you miss out on getting your favorite Girl Scout cookies? The major fundraiser of the Girl Scouts in East Tennessee was also derailed by Corona. For the first time, the cookies are still available. If you were sidetracked by the pandemic, there is still time to quench that seasonal craving by ordering online. The Girl Scouts of East Tennessee has a warehouse filled with boxes of your favorites waiting. Don’t let the cookies and girl scouts dreams crumble. The girl scouts have gone hi-tech, you can purchase online. You can also purchase and donate them to be delivered for free to healthcare workers and first responders – a win-win.