I love living on the north side of town. But all too often I find myself venturing west. After all, some of the best shopping and restaurants are in west Knoxville (which is actually rather frustrating for those of us on who don’t live there). Recently, I’ve had to be in West Knoxville early in the morning on two different days. Rather than scurry around grabbing what I could for breakfast, I decided these two times would be a great opportunity to meet with friends. So, I began searching for the best breakfast restaurants in West Knoxville.
There are plenty of options for breakfast in West Knoxville. Of course, there are the regular chains like Waffle House, Cracker Barrel, First Watch, and Panera Bread. But, if you read my blog, you know I prefer to eat at local restaurants, so that narrows things down.
As I was exploring online, one restaurant caught my eye. In fact, it was a restaurant hubby and I wanted to try several months ago, but the wait was over an hour, and I just couldn’t do it. That Saturday, we ended up going somewhere else, but this restaurant kept popping up. Friends would tell me it was their favorite place for breakfast. I kept wondering what I was missing.
Scrambled Jakes Hits the Spot
I finally decided it was time to try Scrambled Jakes. Located in the Rocky Hills community, at 7428 S. Northshore Drive, Scrambled Jakes Breakfast Company is a family-owned restaurant and that was right up my alley.
Despite being a weekday morning, Scrambled Jakes was hopping when I got there. Thankfully, just as I rounded the corner of the building someone pulled out and I snagged the only remaining parking space in the packed lot. I was desperately hoping this wouldn’t be a repeat performance of another hour’s wait for breakfast like hubby and I had encountered earlier.
It wasn’t. My friend was already seated. I had already scoped out the menu online, so I knew what I wanted to order. I wanted a Chocolate Covered Almond Cold Brew. This delectable concoction features Jake’s cold brew, almond syrup, milk, chocolate drizzle and whipped cream. It was just as good as I had imagined. It was a candy bar in a glass.
If super sweet coffee isn’t your thing, Jakes also features French press coffee, hot tea, sparking lavender lemonade, and alcoholic beverages.
Can I Just Say, “Yummmy”
According to their website, the “culinary team” arrives at the restaurant before sunrise to create irresistible dishes like sausage gravy, house-baked bread for French Toast, fresh fruit salsa, breakfast potato casserole and the hand made “Sin-O-Man” rolls.
While the “Sin-o-man” roll was calling my name, I wanted to avoid a sugar crash later in the day so I ordered the Belgian Waffle with pecan-smoked bacon and my friend had the blueberry pancake.
In no time at all, our waitress had our order out to us. Sprinkled with powdered sugar and adorned with a huge dollop of butter, my waffle accompanied by bacon looked and smelled delicious. But we had a problem. Although my friend’s pancake was huge, there was only one lone blueberry peeking out of the top of the golden pancake. How could they call that a blueberry pancake? But once my friend flipped that flapjack over, she discovered a plethora of juicy blueberries filling her pancake.
We thoroughly enjoyed our breakfast. So much so that when a friend of mine suggested breakfast at Jakes a few days ago, I jumped at the chance to return. This time I opted for a healthier breakfast – the garden omelet. Three whipped eggs with grilled asparagus, sautéed zucchini, mushrooms, baby spinach, tomato confit, and creamy brie cheese. It comes with a potato casserole, but because I am trying to cut back, I ordered the fresh fruit. I wasn’t too sure about this when I ordered it, but it was delicious. I’ll be coming back to Scrambled Jakes
Mimi’s Cafe
So, I promised you two different breakfast options in west Knoxville. I’m feeling a little sheepish because this next restaurant is not a local. I know…I harp at everyone about eating local and here I am about to suggest you try a chain restaurant.
When I decided to visit this restaurant, I had just gotten back from the mountains (check out that blog post here), and I was craving a big breakfast. You know, the kind where you don’t eat lunch because you’re so full. I had a lot to do that day, and I wanted to power up with a big breakfast. After a lot of research, I finally narrowed it down to two selections.
This restaurant caught my eye, and I couldn’t resist. It was founded in 1978 as a neighborhood bistro and now has 45 locations in 12 states. The restaurant I’m talking about is Mimi’s Café located on Parkside Drive.
Unlike Scrambled Jakes, Mimi’s is not just a breakfast restaurant. They are open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And judging by their menu, I’ll be checking them out for lunch sometime soon.
As usual, I started out with a latte which was wonderful. My only complaint was that it got cold way too soon. And I don’t know about you, but I’m not crazy about a lukewarm latte. But I’m not sure what you do about it. Let me know if you figure something out.
I ordered the Mimi’s Brunch trio which is a malted waffle and a seasonal griddlecake and a slice of Pain Perdu with mixed berries. All of that in addition to two eggs and your choice of sausage, bacon, ham, turkey sausage or fresh fruit. Now that’s a huge breakfast.
More Food Than I Could Eat
When our waitress brought it to me, it was on two plates…can you believe it?
I had no idea what Pain Perdu was but found out that it is basically French toast. At Mimi’s the Pain Perdu is stuffed brioche French toast filled with an orange marmalade and cream cheese blend topped with fresh berries and strawberry puree.
Quite honestly, I did not taste the orange marmalade, but the Pain Perdu was still delicious. The waffles were amazing, and the syrup was some of the thickest syrup that I have ever had.
Looking at their menu a little further, the breakfast burrito looks amazing, and so do a number of other items. While Panera Bread has always been my go-to for meeting friends simply because you can sit there for hours and talk and not have to worry about taking the waitress’s table, I’m thinking that when I go to West Knoxville, Mimi’s might be just the place to meet friends.
It just has character. Mimi’s makes me think of a little French café. I adore the fact that they have outdoor seating, although it does face the road.
Mimi’s is definitely going on my list of restaurants to remember. Would I go there for my anniversary or for a very special occasion? Probably not, but if I get hungry and am on that side of town, Mimi’s is where I’m planning on stopping.
So there you have it. We’ve explored two of West Knoxville’s best breakfast options. Check back with us frequently to see what other locations we are exploring.
