Lacto
Ovo
Organic
Beer/Wine
Non-veg

Serves meat, vegan options available. Small restaurant with a few vegetarian options. Note that bread is not vegan. Relocated from 1909 Cumberland Ave in 2015. Open Mon-Fri 11:00am-10:00pm, Sat-Sun 10:00am-10:00pm.


Venue map for Sunspot
© OpenStreetMap contributors

26 Reviews

First Review by tomaswk

HealYourDisease.com

Points +1294

Vegan
18 May 2024

Really great food

Busy place. Don't be in a hurry.

LisaPermar

Points +996

Vegan
20 May 2023

Options options options!

Gorgeous lil place “where tie dye meets neck tie”. Fun corner patio on Cumberland. Many lovely plant based options featuring Beyond Beef crumbles, tofu, and homemade black bean burgers! Even had a plant based dipping sauce, queso, and Mac n’ cheese. Thoroughly pleased with our experience.

EliRankins

Points +489

Vegan
20 Oct 2022

Exceeded my expectations!!!!

Wow!!!!!! A fun vibrant atmosphere located on the UT campus! This plant based chili Mac was a grand slam! It far exceeded my expectations in presentation and flavor! This is a place definitely worth checking out when in Knoxville! Plenty of options for vegans as well as options for those who aren’t.

Pros: Many vegan options, Extremely fast service , Exceeds expectations

lleslienicole

Points +172

Vegan
15 Aug 2022

Really good

Had several vegan options. Really nice staff. Fries were excellent!

Pros: Several vegan options

Laura310

Points +60

Vegan
15 Feb 2022

Delicious

Several options and good food. Can't go wrong.

Pros: Separate vegan menu, Good food

Cons: Not cheap, but worth it

DianaWFPB

Points +469

Vegan
01 Jun 2021

Amazing food!

3 of us (2 vegans and 1 non) ordered the black bean burger and waffle fries and we all thought it was amazing. Our vegetarian daughter loved her tofu melt and fries. YUM!!

Dani713

Points +32

Vegan
03 May 2021

Food was delicious & fresh

Had the seasonal hummus platter & the classic vegan taco with sweet potato fries. Food was delicious and fresh. Loved the atmosphere of the place. Would recommend.

Pros: Vegan options, Everything is labeled , Friendly staff

Cons: Outdoor seating is a bit nosey with the road

JonathanMulkey

Points +128

Vegan
14 Dec 2020

The best black bean burger 🍔

I challenge you to find a better black bean burger than Sunspot’s. I would love to try it.

Pros: Lots of plant based option, Menu icons to indicate plant based items

Carbivore

Points +59

Vegan
06 Oct 2020

Some tasty options exist here

There is a chili Mac thing and some other tasty treats. I don’t like going but friends often drag me there and it’s totally fine. Sometimes you even get pleasant staff. Sometimes anyway, not always.

Pros: It’s downtown , It’s got some options, It is clean inside

Cons: Downtown , Clientele, Lack of options

VegOut64

Points +82

Vegan
10 Jun 2020

Favorite place in Knoxville!

The black bean burger is amazing, even my non veg friends love it. Lots of other options for non-veg friends too. Great for casual dining or a nice dinner night. Plant based food is clearly marked.

foodie67

Points +118

Vegan
29 Dec 2019

Always Good

This is a good restaurant for a creative menu and good food. The at isotherme is pleasant. Parking can be a challenge.

Pros: Some veg options. , Tasty food.

Cons: Parking

terraserene

Points +115

Vegan
11 Oct 2019

Good vegan options

sunspot has lots of good vegan options

Pros: lots of vegan options , vegan mashed potatoes, vegan soup offered daily

Chasen5

Points +370

Vegan
13 Aug 2019

Love!

Sunspot has had my heart for years. Loved the original location, but the food is still top notch.

oleiah

Points +587

Vegan
15 Jun 2018

"Plant Based" confusion

We basically just went here for the burger that people mention on Happy Cow. Their menu marks things as "plant based" - I asked the server if that means vegan and he was like, "Umm mostly, but not always. I know it's confusing!" It's weird because they mark their desserts as "vegan" but everything else is "plant based". Fishy.

My husband and I both got the Black Bean Burger. After asking about details of other items, the server basically steered us toward the burger, saying that it's our best bet for a vegan option. They substituted Veganaise chipotle mayo, and even gave me a side of it to dip my fries in (when I asked). The waffle fries were legit.

Pros: hearty portions, big booths, lots of beer on tap

Cons: loud inside, confusing labels on menu

AlexandraPhillips

Points +497

Vegan
08 May 2018

Love this place!

I’ve had this place bookmarked for months so we decided to finally check it out this past weekend. There were quite a few items that were vegan friendly or could be made vegan. So, we decided to try a few things. We first tried their seasonal hummus plate. The hummus was black bean and delicious! But the vegan naan and pickled veggies served with it were also amazing. I could eat a plate of just those green beans and peppers! We also tried the chorizo style lentil taco but in a corn tortilla instead of romaine leaf. The crema and mango slaw were very fresh and tasty. The lentils were good but could use a little more heat. Finally, we tried the veggie burger with fries. This was my favorite dish. It is definitely one of the best veggie burgers in town. It’s black bean based with mushrooms and beets. It was thick, held together well, and had great flavor. It came with guacamole, vegan chipotle mayo (I got mine without), cucumbers, tomato, and arugula. Perfection! And the fries were great too! Finally, we got hot tea and a piece of vegan chocolate cake. It was perfectly moist and not too sweet. The restaurant itself is pretty big including two outdoor patios. The service was friendly and the music was great too. We can’t wait to go back!

Pros: Good vegan options , Friendly service , Great music

Cons: None

JohnClark

Points +113

Vegan
04 May 2018

Used to be good

Those who remember sunspot before it moved miss the huge number of veggie options and specials. It offers token options now. You can do better in Knoxville.

Jdeezy80

Points +213

Vegan
14 Feb 2018

great vegan options

They certainly have a good selection of both vegan and vegetarian options at this trendy spot on Kingston Pike. The interior is charming and the service is attentive, too!

Pros: good location , reasonable price

Cons: tough parking at lunchtime

CColors

Points +191

Vegan
24 Apr 2017

Delicious

Vegan items are clearly marked with a symbol. Even though the selections were limited for vegan, what they do offer is great! Sweet Potato Tofu Cakes was hearty and delicious. Two vegan desserts were awesome and highly recommended: Chocolate Tart with prickly pear sorbet and Coconut Mango Flan.

Pros: Spacious

Laniebug

Points +88

Vegan
10 Aug 2016

it was fair

The food was pretty good but it was extremely expensive and there were not many vegan options on the menu

anikalehde

Points +169

Vegan
20 Feb 2016

Great tofu

This place didn't have tons of vegan items, but I loved that they had smoked tofu to replace meats and cheeses. The tofu was really spot on good and I'd go back for sure.

Pros: great tofu

Cons: needs more vegan options

rickyboy

Points +35

Mostly Veg
15 Apr 2015

nice umbrellas

the place looks cool as can be and the umbrella bar is a beautiful atmosphere. the food is not terrible but also not my favorite. Fried eggplant was drowning in oil and other experiences have been just okay. Hate to leave a mediocre review and hopefully they will improve. Great place to get a beer, for sure!

no whey!

Points +206

Vegan
13 Jan 2013

Convenient, Quality Vegan Food

I have lunch here at least once a week. Their blackened tofu is amazing! They offer it on a salad with mandarin oranges and chick peas, which I thought was pretty creative. I didn't know they served brunch on Sundays until I happened to go last week and to my delight, they had a vegan 'breakfast burrito' option. If you're a vegan, you know breakfast is the most challenging meal to find at a restaurant. Basically, I think you'll like this place.
Updated from previous review on Thursday September 22, 2011

Pros: Good food, Vegan options, Drink variety

Cons: somewhat pricey (but fair)

bloodredclovers

Points +17

Vegetarian
28 Feb 2012

One of my favorite places

I really love Sunspot. There veggie burger is really good (and huge, I can't eat the whole thing). They also usually have a great specials menu. I wish they had more vegan options but I have never been disappointed when eating there. I recommend Sunspot to anyone looking for a really good local vegetarian/vegan friendly restaurant in Knoxville.

Pros: great food, fast service, freindly staff

Cons: limited vegan choices

KevinMeyer

Points +242

Vegan
14 Jul 2010

limited vegan options

Very nice little place, friendly, can be noisy, creative menu but limited options for vegans.

Pros: creative, good quality, good beer list

Cons: limited vegan options, spicy dishes can be too spicy

KevinMeyer

06 Aug 2012

We recently took our vegan meetup group of about 20 folks there for dinner. They printed out vegan menus for us. Clearly they have added some vegan options. We had a very good meal.

KevinMeyer

12 Sep 2014

Our K-Town Vegans MeetUp Group has now endorsed this restaurant as vegan friendly. They now have a separate vegan brunch meanu, the only place in town that offers that.

fnprice

Points +23

Mostly Veg
09 Jul 2009

Excellent!

My wife and I stopped here on a trip up I75. I had the Rio Grande Pasta, she had the Sao Paulo. The Rio Grande was better, but both were great. Would definitely make a point of going again if ever in town.

tomaswk

Points +46

Vegan
16 Jul 2007

A good place for Veggies right next to UT

They use local organic vegetables to make some of their food. I had the homemade veggie patty. Yummy! And it was a big portion, so I had to do a little running afterwards :)

The soups are made fresh each day from a mix of what is around, so it is always a unique taste. Mine was Peanut and Jalapeño and good.

They give you a basket of chips as well and spice it with some special spices that gives it that extra kick of flavor.

All around a good place to get some yummy veggie food.

Pros: Food, Staff, Decor




This page has been viewed 8883 times.