A Dopo, the pizza restaurant on Williams Street, is Knoxville's first Bib Gourmand. Au Bon Coin, J.C. Holdway and Potchke Deli are also in the 2026 guide.

A Dopo, the Neapolitan-style pizza restaurant at 516 Williams St., has earned a Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide. It is the first Knoxville restaurant to get one.

Michelin published its 2026 Bib Gourmand list for the American South on Wednesday, Oct. 21. The Bib Gourmand is the guide’s award for good quality, good value cooking. It is not a star.

“At A Dopo in Knoxville, Tennessee, pizza is the carbohydrate of choice,” the guide said. Owner Brian Strutz calls the pizzas “Neapolitan-ish,” it added.

Last year’s American South Bib Gourmand list, the guide’s first for the region, named no Knoxville restaurant. Its Tennessee picks were all in Chattanooga, Memphis and Nashville.

Every Knoxville-area restaurant in the guide

The guide’s Knoxville listing now shows six restaurants in Knoxville and Maryville, about 15 miles south.

Restaurant Where Michelin listing Food Price
A Dopo 516 Williams St., Knoxville Bib Gourmand Pizza $$
Au Bon Coin 724 N. Broadway, Knoxville Recommended French $$$$
J.C. Holdway 501 Union Ave., Knoxville Recommended American $$$
Potchke Deli 318 N. Gay St., Knoxville Recommended Deli $$
Raven Steakhouse Maryville Recommended Steakhouse $$$$
The Restaurant at RT Lodge Maryville Recommended American $$$

Au Bon Coin’s Michelin page describes a four-course menu that mixes French technique with Ashkenazi Jewish flavors. J.C. Holdway on Union Avenue is chef Joseph Lenn’s restaurant, its Michelin page says.

No Tennessee restaurant gained a star this year. The three starred restaurants in the state, all in Nashville, are listed in Michelin’s American South stars for 2026.

The wider list

The American South guide now has 59 Bib Gourmand restaurants, 14 of them new this year, Michelin said. Tennessee has 12 of them:

  • Chattanooga: Little Coyote
  • Knoxville: A Dopo
  • Memphis: Bao Toan Kitchen & Bar, Hog & Hominy
  • Nashville: Kisser, Maiz De La Vida, Peninsula, Redheaded Stranger, S.S. Gai, Sho Pizza Bar, St. Vito Focacceria, Uzbegim

What it means for you

  • Planning a visit to A Dopo? The guide suggests booking a table. Check the restaurant’s own website for hours and reservations.
  • Looking for more places to eat? Our where to eat in Knoxville guide covers more of the city’s restaurants.