Chase Kinger and Helen Russell are all smiles at the Knoxville Cigar Company.
Chase Kinger and Helen Russell are all smiles at the Knoxville Cigar Company.
Absorbing the vibe at the Knoxville Cigar Company are Danny Berry, from left, Gwen Williamson, Mike Badal, April Schubert and Tommy Smith.
Knoxville Cigar Company
- Address: 118 S. Central St.
- Phone: 865-673-8556
- Hours: Mondays-Thursdays: 11 a.m.-midnight, Fridays-Saturdays: 11 a.m.-2 a.m.
The Old City is home to more bars than I can ever keep up with. In truth, it doesn’t surprise me anymore when someone brings up a bar I haven’t managed to visit, often due to my complete oversight. This instance occurred again when I finally realized that the Knoxville Cigar Company was not only an upscale smoke shop, but a pretty classy bar as well.
The Knoxville Cigar Company is on the main strip of the Old City just across from another classy establishment, The Crown and Goose. Before even heading downtown I already had images in my head of how I should potentially dress, what scotch I should order and how cool I should ultimately be.
This is, of course, assuming that I was actually cool or able to even pick a scotch that I recognized from their gigantic selection. Realizing this, I donned my normal getup and headed for the Old City. Unfamiliar with the particular scene that I assumed plopped down in the cigar bar every night, I pictured several groups of gentlemen sitting around in top hats and suits smoking stogies while discussing their latest railroad venture.
Entering through the Cigar Company side of the building, you are greeted with shelves of cigars, the rather pungent aroma of cigar smoke and a variety of fancy tobacco products. If I was to take a guess, I would say they carry just about anything you might need if smoking was your hobby. Personally, cigar and cigarette smoke don’t usually bother me, but be warned: The smoke is thick.
After making your way through the cigar shop and into the bar, you will find what I can only describe as a sort of “man-adise.” The bar is fairly large with comfortable seating all around the bar and along the walls. There are televisions scattered throughout the room that kept me up to date on the Stanley Cup finals throughout the evening. (Boo Red Wings!)
We took a seat near the back of the room and waited on one of the many tables to clear out. The crowd was fairly heavy earlier on in the evening, but began to thin out around 11. The crowd was surprisingly more varied than I had imagined. From young to old, T-shirts to more dressy attire, it was all represented at the Knoxville Cigar Company. Sure, there were still a few frumpy old men sipping scotch and smoking cigars, but that was only to be expected.
Speaking of scotch, the Knoxville Cigar Company has a large scotch menu with what I can only assume are some pretty high-dollar drinks from my limited knowledge of the beverage. They also carry a full selection of microbrews and imports as well as a fairly healthy draft selection, when it’s available. On this night, of the six or seven selections, only two, Magic Hat #9 and Guinness, were available. I decided to go with a #9 for $3.25, a good price considering we were clearly past any sort of happy hour. I also ordered a Jack and Coke for a reasonable $6. The service was great, with the bartender often coming out of the bar to make sure we had what we needed.
The Cigar Company also has a food menu, but I didn’t get around to trying any of it. Just from glancing over the menu I feel it is safe to say it is worth trying. Most of the food is under $10, and the menu features a wide range of choices for even the pickiest of eaters.
I had a great evening at the Knoxville Cigar Company and would definitely consider making a second trip in the future. The atmosphere, service and affordable drinks make the Knoxville Cigar Company a great alternative when heading out to the Old City.
© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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Comments » 5
tstegall writes:
Don't go to this place. One of the guys in the cigar shop portion cussed my girlfriend out on new years because she asked him a question. The guy always works there. He has "short man" syndrome like you wouldn't believe. If you have a problem with the service the owner will not back you up. When I contacted the owner/manager about the incident she told me that "her employees would never do that." Well my question is why in the heck would we get so upset over nothing? We weren't intoxicated and my girlfriend didn't badger her employee. She, for some reason, wouldn't respond to that question, hmmm, interesting. This is not a customer first business. They are very self righteous and think it is an honor to step in their bar. They had a guy come in and pull a gun on a bartender and didn't prosocute the guy. The girl bartender quit out of outrage. She works at Backroom BBQ and Manhattans go ask her about it. Her name is Kimberly. This place is a good example of a big problem that occurs in businesses today. They don't care when you have a complaint. To them you are just 1 customer and they can stand to lose you. This is a big time problem. Again, DONT GO TO THIS PLACE.
chaseman#374157 writes:
Knox Cigar Co. has always treated me with respect. I'm not quite a regular, but I go fairly often--it is one of my favorite places. The bartenders are always very friendly, as are the cigar-room employees. I don't see how any type of altercation could happen in there--everyone (customers and employees) has been friendly. One of those "frumpy old men sipping scotch" even bought me a glass of scotch one night(not sure what kind, but it was delicious).
tstegall- I hate that you and your girl had a bad experience there. I'm sure if you went back and tried it again, things would be different.
This is a great article spotlighting Knox Cigar Co. The writer is right when he says that anyone is welcome-young to old, casual to dressy. I've been in there in a suit once and a t-shirt and shorts the next time, and I am always treated with the same respect.
I admit I have a little bias... (I do look pretty happy in that picture--but that's not because of the cigar co, but more because of the pretty lady I'm sitting next to).
Come back one night tstegall, and I'll buy you and your girl a beer.
tstegall writes:
Chase, thanks for the kind words. I'm not sure if I indicated in my initial post, but I was somewhat of a regular there as well. I had many a great night there. But the way I was treated this one night and to a much higher degree the way the management handled the matter was atrocious. I was given the impression that "you are just one customer, so we don't care about your issue/complaint" and that bugs me to no end. It is the same kind of attitude companies like Comcast and DirecTV have when you call in on a complaint and I am sure everyone out there knows what I am talking about.
And maybe the saddest thing about the whole thing is that the management wouldn't even discuss it with me. THEY DIDNT CARE.
tstegall writes:
Karma's a b%$#h, they are closing. Guess they shouldn't be trying to get in fights with customers during a recession. Enjoy unemployment!
chaseman#374157 writes:
Guess you were right :)
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