Friendly neighborhood Prince Deli and Sports Bar diversifies

Photo by Greg Wood

Olia Hutson, left, and jason Cook relax on a recent night at Prince Deli.

Photo by Greg Wood

Prince Deli's laid-back vibe gives Lindsey Teague and David Owens something to smile about.

KNOXVILLE — I'll admit that I'm surprised I've ended up at Prince Deli twice in the past month. It's never been a place I've gone regularly.

But I've noticed something interesting in my recent visits - Prince Deli has changed a bit in the past few years while holding on to its down-to-earth vibe.

Management for Prince Deli changed within the past few years, but the attitude and appearance have remained the same. Prince's is one large open room with pool tables toward the front of the venue and a slightly elevated stage in the back. To the left is a lengthy bar and seating area with a marquee sign serving as the menu.

Prince's is certainly the kind of bar that's home to mostly regulars. It has that laid-back feel right down to the fact that the bartenders happily start you a tab without taking possession of your credit card. The people there seem to know each other and come from nearby.

With its lack of pretense (and general lack of decoration - it's really just one big, dimly lit room) Prince's is in stark contrast to the nearby Turkey Creek establishments. Whereas those places may offer up premium beer or cocktails for a steep price, Prince's appeals to those who would rather take advantage of $6.50 domestic beer pitchers and shoot pool with their friends.

Additionally, Prince's is set up more like a diner, with booths up against the front windows. They've got your traditional bar food, and it's evident that people frequently swing by after work for a meal. On my recent weekday visits, that's been the resounding feel of the whole establishment - people stopping by their spot on the way home.

For years, Prince's has been a hard-rock hub. On Friday and Saturday nights the live music consisted of the heavier end of the rock spectrum, frequently featuring metal acts. The lineups branched out occasionally, with cover bands here and there, but most commonly the live shows had a metal core. For these evenings, the clientele wasn't just regulars, and Prince's brought out people from all over town to catch shows.

And whereas that's still a part of Prince's, there's a lot more going on nowadays. Thursday and Friday nights feature karaoke with live music mostly on Saturday nights. And within the past month, Prince's continued to diversify its entertainment options by adding a stand-up comedy open mic.

Although I don't know for certain if there's a specific connection, I've found that the crowd has grown in diversity as well. On my recent trip there was a wider variety with regards to age and race. In past trips I've found what tends to be the norm at the neighborhood sports bars - mostly white men. Recently Prince has been bringing a wider age spectrum starting a little lower than I've seen before (early 20s).

As a result, the place feels friendlier. I've never thought that the Prince crowd was rude or otherwise impolite, but a wider variety of people in the crowd makes a place seem more inviting. Everyone still seems to know each other, parties still play pool for hours on end, and it's easy to strike up conversation with anyone.

Anymore, I gauge the quality of a bar by how much longer I stay than I planned to. On a recent Wednesday night I had every intention of leaving by 11 p.m. but stayed until almost 1 a.m., meaning that Prince far exceeded my expectations. If I can't pull myself away and head home for a good night's sleep, then the place is doing something right.

But even though I've been twice in the past month (and several times total) I've never sampled their cuisine - an aspect that really makes a neighborhood bar stand out.

I guess that makes for another good reason for me to head back.

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