Head to Metro Diner for Comfort Food You’ll Love

Ask any friend what their favorite comfort food is, and they’ll immediately have an answer. Whether it’s mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, chicken soup, meat loaf, or chicken pot pie, everybody has a favorite comfort food. And eating that comfort food just seems to make the bad day better. So, if you’ve had a hard day, or just need a break from cooking, I’d suggest you head to Metro Diner for comfort food you’ll love.  

Metro Diner is a new restaurant located off Clinton Highway in North Knoxville (yay, a new restaurant for our side of town). It’s part of a family of restaurants with over 60 locations in 12 states. Knoxville’s restaurant is the second location in Tennessee after Murfreesboro.

Metro Diner offers an all-day breakfast and “classic dinner dishes”. It’s also known for its generous portion sizes. I also liked the motto they had posted on the wall.

But this family of restaurants is also known for something most restaurants can’t brag about.  Guy Fieri of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives featured the original location in Jacksonville, Florida on one of his episodes.

If you’re not familiar with the program, Guy Fieri travels around the United States visiting different diners, drive-ins, and dives. While there, Fieri watches the chef prepare some of his restaurant’s most popular dishes. Once he sees how the dishes are prepared, he then interviews the diners to get their opinion.

Fieri had some great things to say about Metro Diner. In fact, some of these same dishes that impressed Fiori in Jacksonville are also featured on the menu at the Knoxville location. Can anyone say, “Iron City Meatloaf”?

Metro Diner is exactly what it says it is…it’s a diner. It offers the kind of food that diners are known for….the comfort food that we grew up with. Whether you’re in the mood for a chicken pot pie filled to the brim with juicy chicken, carrots, celery and corn and topped with a biscuit crust or you’re craving shepherd’s pie with that creamy mashed potato topping, Metro Diner has you covered.

In the mood for a sandwich? They’ve got burgers, chicken sandwiches, a double-decker BLT, and their own Metro Club. In the mood for something a little lighter? Metro Diner has a choice of salads and chicken noodle soup. Talk about comfort food.

With all these different entrees, it should have been a difficult choice for me when hubby and I headed there on a Friday night. But I quickly made my decision when I saw the Roasted Turkey Plate. The moist flavorful turkey with cornbread stuffing and fluffy mashed potatoes covered with brown gravy and accompanied by cranberry sauce and steamed green beans had my mouth watering. Hubby chose one of his favorite meals, shrimp and grits. and totally polished it off.

But Metro Diner doesn’t just serve lunch and dinner. They serve breakfast, and they serve it all day. My first visit to Metro was with a friend in late July. While she ordered one of their popular specials, a tender, juicy pot roast, but I was in the mood for breakfast. The choice was almost overwhelming.

There’s the Bissell Breakfast which features two eggs, bacon, toast, hashbrowns or grits and pancakes. The Croissant French Toast, which is four pieces of croissant, battered and grilled and then topped with powdered sugar. Of course, who could forget the Fried Chicken and Waffle? This is half a fried chicken (yes, I said half a fried chicken) and a Belgian waffle, topped with powdered sugar and strawberry butter.

And that is just the beginning.  There’s an entire slew of breakfast offerings, even some for those who are after a healthier selection. I was in breakfast heaven! After a great deal of angst, I settled on one of the specials: the Blueberry Lemon Belgian Waffle, accompanied by blueberry butter served with a side of bacon. It was amazing.

Each time I have been to Metro, I’ve noticed a lot of families. This laid-back diner makes for a family friendly atmosphere where the entire family can relax and enjoy a flavorful meal. It’s the type of place where they don’t seem bothered by spilled milk or indecisive kids.

But for the full Metro experience, you’ll want to sit at the bar. It’s the best seat in the house. Here you get the chance to watch a team of talented chefs dazzle you with their perfectly choreographed movements. Hubby and I were amazed as we watched the team prepare entrée after entrée like a well-oiled machine. I felt like we should applaud at the end of the night. It was like dinner and a movie.  

With all it has going for it, you may wonder who shouldn’t go to Metro Diner. Here goes —  If you don’t like the diner atmosphere, Metro Diner won’t be your “cup of tea”. If you’re the type of person who expects to have exquisitely designed entrees, perfectly displayed on your plate, you won’t be comfortable here. This is diner food – pure and simple.

While the chefs at Metro Diner do a great job, this is not a cordon bleu restaurant. I repeat – this is diner food.

In addition, don’t go if you want a quiet, intimate, or romantic dinner. This. Is. A. Diner! It’s not quiet, it’s not intimate, and it’s definitely not romantic. This is a restaurant you go to after a long day’s work and you don’t want to cook.  

While I enjoy an upscale restaurant as much as the next woman, hubby and I also enjoy diners when we want a quick bite to eat with not a lot of fuss. I love that I can show up at Metro diner in my jeans, sweater and boots and feel perfectly comfortable and still have a great meal.

I know you’re going to want to check out Metro Diner so here’s everything you’ll need to know. Metro Diner is located at 6546 Clinton Highway in front of the Crown Point Plaza. Currently they are open 7 days a week from 7:00am – 8:00pm. Don’t despair if the front parking lot looks packed; there is more parking available at the back. Despite the cars out front, we’ve never had to wait too long for a seat.

Just a tip if you’re coming from the Callahan Road exit on I75.  Enter at the light at Lowes, drive past Chick-Fil-A and drive up the ramp, around the back of the building. This is so much easier than having to turn left from Clinton Highway.

According to their website Metro Diner offers 10% off for uniformed first responders and active or retired military members.

One final note: If you log onto their website, you’ll see a pop-up menu that invites you to sign up for Metro Diner’s e-club and receive 50% off your next entrée. This offer will be sent via email and is only valid for 30 days after sign-up. Who doesn’t like to save some money? What about you? Have you been to Metro Diner? What was your experience? By the way, if you’re looking for a great breakfast experience on the west side of town, check out this post.