Kern’s Food Hall – My Perspective -Is It Worth Exploring?

After over 5 years Kern’s Food Hall finally launched on April 13. Since that time, my Facebook page and Instagram have been flooded by posts about the new food hall.  While most of the reaction has been positive, there have been some negatives. So I set out on a mission to find out if the hype was true. Here’s my perspective on Kern’s Food Hall — Is it worth exploring?

I guess if you’re not from Knoxville, you might not be familiar with the Old Kern’s Bakery Building on Chapman Highway. But if you’ve lived in Knoxville, or the surrounding area any time at all, you probably grew up eating Kern’s bread. In fact, some of you might have even had the Kern’s iconic merry-go-round at your birthday parties.

In 1989, Sara Lee purchased the Kern’s Bread brand and used the Chapman Highway building until sometime in the 2000’s. While the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2017 it has stood vacant for years.  (For an interesting documentary on Kern’s Bakery, you can click here.) It wasn’t until 2019 that Mallory & Evans Partners purchased the building, along with adjacent acreage. Their plan was to develop the building into a food hall.

However it was only after almost five years of waiting and numerous challenges, that the Kern’s Food Hall finally opened this year.   

Kern’s Food Hall is located right across the Tennessee River from Downtown Knoxville and is open Monday-Thursday from 7a-10pm; Friday from 7a-12pm; Saturday from 8am-12am, and Sunday from 10am-9pm. It provides South Knoxville with a one-stop venue that contains restaurants, a coffee shop, bakery, retail spaces, and an awesome outdoor space for events

But according to the folks at Kern’s Food Hall, it’s more than just that. According to their website, “At Kern’s Food Hall, we are cultivating a vibrant gathering place. Anchored by our values of family and memorable experiences, we aim to create a welcoming space where foodies, families, and pets can come together to savor life’s moments.”

I’m all about savoring life’s moments with my family and friends. Sometimes we’re just too busy, and we need those times when we can eat lunch with the family or grab coffee with a friend.  And if I can bring my sweet little Murphy, I’m going to check it out.

And that’s exactly what I did last week. I left beautiful north Knoxville, headed past downtown and across the Henley Street Bridge towards Chapman Highway.  My friend, K, and I were going to meet at Kern’s Food Hall. But things didn’t start out to well. Let’s just say that traffic was horrible and finding the entrance was just a little challenging. The signage definitely could stand some improvement. Suffice it to say, if you pass McDonalds, you’ve gone too far.

In addition, getting into the parking lot was quite a feat. I’m not sure what was going on downtown, but there was a line of cars as far as you could see, and I was trying to get across them. Thankfully, Tennessee courtesy took over and two cars stopped to let me pull into the parking lot. 

Once I got into the parking lot, I was impressed. It’s a nice looking  lot with approximately 250 free parking spaces (although Knox News says that eventually those spaces will only be free for the first 90 minutes). Not sure how I feel about that. I mean if you’re meeting with friends, who wants to have to call it quits after 90 minutes if you’re in the middle of a serious conversation. But maybe they won’t go through with that.

I’ve got to be honest. I had a lot of expectations going into this….and they were probably unrealistic. The family and I had been to a food hall in San Diego and  loved the wide variety that it offered. That’s what I was expecting when I entered Kern’s Food Hall.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed. While the setup was great…think common dining area with some more secluded spots throughout…my first impression was: Where are the rest of the restaurants?

K and I circled the building several times hoping that maybe we had missed a hidden corridor or a staircase to an additional floor with more restaurants. But we hadn’t and we stood there a little dismayed. There just weren’t a lot of restaurants. (After going home and looking at reviews, several people said the same thing). Even though I had done some preliminary research, and I knew there were some vendors who weren’t open yet, I was still very disappointed.

Let me say that the concept is great. Having a group of restaurants under one roof is awesome. In addition, there are several retail shops and a nail salon in the building. And if that’s not enough, there is a beautifully designed outdoor area perfect for the movies and concerts that Kern’s Food Hall is hosting at different times.

All that was great, but the lack of selection, in addition to the difficulty of getting in to the parking area, really turned me off so K and I decided that maybe we just needed to head downtown. After all, the selection was much greater, even though it meant parking and walking somewhere … in the heat.

But as we were exiting, we ran into a couple. Out of desperation, because I really did want to like this venture, I asked them if they had been here before. I wasn’t prepared for such an enthusiastic answer.

All I can say is that Kern’s marketing department ought to put this couple on their payroll. They were so excited about the Kern’s Food Hall. And their excitement was contagious. They could not say enough good things about it.

After hearing them rave about how great everything they had tried tasted, and how they were so excited to finally have any kind of selection in South Knoxville, K and I decided to give it one more try.

Bolstered by their enthusiasm, I set aside my (probably unrealistic) expectations and really looked around this time. We finally settled on Won Kitchen where you can build your own Korean Rice Bowl for $14.

This was a new concept for me…hubby likes your more traditional foods…so that’s where we usually eat.  I was intrigued by the whole idea. For those of you who are like me and don’t know how it works, here goes:  you pick a base…noodles, salad, rice and then your protein.

In my case I tried the salad (after all, I’m supposed to be trying to lose weight), Bulgogi Beef and KFC Bites (don’t ask me why they call them KFC bites, cos they don’t taste anything like KFC). Then you choose your toppings, sauce, and “crunch”.

Being an amateur photographer, I decided to go for color: purple cabbage, vivid orange carrots, cucumbers, and vibrant green broccoli. And I threw on a few noodles on the top with a sauce on the side.

K and I picked a table in a quieter part of the building and proceeded to sample our treasures.

I really didn’t know what to expect, but I decided to go for the full experience and try eating with chopsticks. Bad idea. After only two pieces of broccoli I realized I might starve if I kept this up.

Besides, the aromas coming from my bowl were so tempting, I didn’t want to waste time with chopsticks. I tossed the chopsticks aside and dug in with my fork. The vegetables were tasty with the perfect amount of crunch. In addition, the chicken had just the right seasoning and sauce, and the beef was wonderfully tender with a perfect balance of savory and sweet.

By the time I was finished, I was stuffed. Everything I ate was delicious. I would definitely come here again. The Kern’s Food Hall website says that every dish at Won Kitchen is “crafted using traditional family recipes passed down through generations”.  All I can say is, “can I have that recipe?”

Since K and I don’t get to see each other as often as we’d like, we sat for a while and enjoyed the ambiance. It started to get a little busier the longer we were there, but nothing that seemed overwhelming. All in all, we were glad we ran into our friendly couple and decided to give Kern’s Food Hall a chance.

I went back this week to see what it was like earlier in the day before the lunch crowd showed up. It was time for a cup of coffee and a doughnut. After ordering my latte at Awaken, I headed to Myrtle’s Bakehouse for a Richy Kreme kronut. I had heard about these kronuts, and I really wanted to try one. It was absolutely scrumptious and worth every last calorie.  If you haven’t tried one, you have got to go right now and get one.

It was much quieter this early in the morning and I enjoyed my kronut and latte while people watching. I wanted to see what type of people were enjoying the food hall experience. As I looked around, I glimpsedas two young mothers relaxed on the couches, catching up with each other while their babies napped close by. I watched a mom and her teenage daughters headed toward the boutique, and as I left, I saw a group of businessmen engaged in a lively conversation at the tables in the center. Every person I saw seemed to be enjoying their time at Kern’s Food Hall.

I find myself selfishly hoping that Kern’s Food Hall will remain this peaceful oasis I enjoyed that morning, but I doubt it.  I’ve read that the vendors are looking forward to August when the UT students return. I understand that because they need the volume to survive. But that will definitely mean the food hall will be more crowded, and that might be a consideration for those of you who like a quieter space.

In fact, the couple we met earlier told us that they never come on the weekends because it is too crowded.

Just so you know what to expect, and so you won’t be disappointed,  here are the restaurants that are currently open at Kern’s Food Hall:

• Awaken Coffee
• Ava Italian
• Hey Bear Café
• Irvey’s Ice Cream
• Kandilige Spicy Food
• Myrtle’s Bakehouse
• Ooh Lala Indian Kitchen
• Won Kitchen 
• Zukku Sushi
• Hemingway’s Cuban Kitchen

And coming soon: T. Ralph’s Burgers, Clean Smoke BBQ, Eggspectation, and Amaryllis Taqueria. Check the Kern’s Food Hall website for current information.

In addition, there is a nail salon and several retail establishments including Archer Paper Goods. I found myself wishing I was into coloring so I could buy a handful of the vibrantly colored pencils that Archers has on display. I’m sure I’ll be coming back to check out their card selection.

1. I love the concept of the food hall. And I love that they have included some retail shops so that you can browse around after you’re done eating. 
2. They’ve done a great job utilizing the space. While they’ve given you the true “food hall” experience, they’ve also created some more intimate spaces and more comfortable seating so you don’t feel like you are in a big warehouse.
3. The outdoor space is great. As it gets into the fall, I can see myself meeting friends and sitting outside with a big cup of coffee.
4. While they are still waiting on several restaurants to open, the selection they do have is varied enough that everyone in your group should be able to find something they like.
5. I absolutely love the idea of the different events. If I lived in South Knoxville, I could see myself going here more often.

1. Trying to see exactly where you are supposed to turn in is a little challenging. Trying to get into and out of the parking lot is a bear if traffic is bad.
2. Some people may think it is a little overpriced.  I checked some review sites and saw this same comment several times. Having said that, the quality of what I have tried so far has been very good.
3. I would have preferred that they open more food choices than have the overabundance of bars — Monday Night Brewing, Scruff Bar, Market Bar, and a Bourbon Lounge that is coming soon.
4. This brings me to my final concern which is with this many bars, and being located so close to the campus, what will the atmosphere be like in the evenings and on the weekends?

While my original impression of Kern’s Food Hall was somewhat negative, I’ve totally revised it. In fact, once Kern’s Food Hall is up to capacity, I think it’s going to be a great place to bring your friends.

That said, I doubt that I will be spending much time there in the evenings, especially on the weekends. I’m just not into the bar scene. That may be an unfair decision; we will have to see. I’ll check back later once UT is in session.

But to meet a group of girlfriends for lunch, to meet someone for a business meeting, or even to grab a cup of coffee and do some writing….this is the place to be.

If you do decide to check out Kern’s Food Hall, or you’ve already been there, please share in the comments what your experience was like.