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Potchke is a Jewish deli and kosher restaurant in downtown Knoxville that opened as a pop-up in 2022 and made national news. Potchke was named to his 2024 USA TODAY Restaurant of the Year list, along with 46 of his other restaurants.
“We are thrilled to have been named one of America’s best restaurants by USA TODAY,” co-owner Lawrence Faber told Knox News. “This recognition helps us move closer to our dream of making Knoxville a great Jewish food destination.”
What are the characteristics of Pochike?
Potchke’s pop-up was short-lived due to its quick and huge success. Still, the restaurant only has seven cutouts of his letters in the window to promote this unassuming culinary gem located behind a towering condominium in downtown Knoxville.
Owner Emily Williams and Faber, a former pastry chef at the acclaimed Blackberry Farm, agree it may be time to expand marketing. But glowing features in The New York Times and Southern Living have helped promote them. The restaurant is currently featured in USA TODAY as a modern take on a traditional Jewish deli.
more:10 Knoxville restaurants that should be on USA TODAY’s list of best restaurants
Potchke is housed in the same building as the former Regas Restaurant, a Knoxville icon for more than 90 years and once a staple spot for special occasions. Regas’ lounge is called “The Gathering Place,” and just like that, Pochike continues the tradition of socializing.
Although this space is a pillar of the Jewish community, people from all walks of life are welcome to sit on the couch, chat with strangers, and enjoy refreshments. Probably something you’ve never tried before.
“It was really important to us to have a place that felt really welcoming,” Faber said. “It’s a place where you can sit for six hours, drinking coffee and babka. And it’s fine on weekdays. It’s really, really busy on the weekends. But there’s so much seating that I still rarely actually wait.”
Housed in a former coffee shop that is now an office building, the restaurant maintains an atmosphere inspired by the nostalgia of Jewish retirees who came to Miami in the ’60s and ’70s. That means lots of bright colors to reflect South Beach style.
“There will be kosher bakeries, kosher delis, kosher restaurants all along South Beach. People will speak Yiddish as their first language on the beach and at the games,” Faber said. “It’s just a relic of the past now. … We were really, really excited about that inspiration.”
Where is the best restaurant nearby?Check out USA TODAY’s 2024 Restaurants of the Year.
What to order at Pochike
Babka.Prior to Pochike, Faber and Williams operated on Lesser Babka, inspired by an episode of “Seinfeld” where Cinnamon is the “Lesser”. Sales are about 50-50, Faber said, but chocolate tends to be a dessert, while cinnamon is often enjoyed as a breakfast. Their version of braided pastry contains “every kind of dairy product possible” and is “moist, juicy and delicious,” Faber said.
Rocks Bialy. Bialys are hard to find these days, but they are very similar to bagels, just not boiled. In addition to the lox, “we’re running it in the garden,” Farber said. This delicious treat includes dill and leek schmear, red onion, cucumber, capers, tomato, pepper relish, and dill.
matzo ball soup. Manischewitz’s matzo balls can be ordered just like her grandma used to make, based on her mix recipe. But if you’re feeling more adventurous, go for the “fuss” with chili crisps, green pepper sauce, and “plenty of herbs.” “Pochike” means “making a fuss” in the kitchen, and this soup is the perfect example of that.
potato blintz. When Pochike started thinking about breakfast items, potato blitzes made a lot of sense. Faber said the two crepes are stuffed with potatoes, caramelized onions, cheese and scrambled eggs and are packaged in “little burrito packages.” Lavna, chili oil, avocado and a ‘petit salad’ complete this flavorful dish.
USA TODAY Restaurant of the Year:How is the list of best restaurants determined?
Did you know that?
Other than fish, the only meat served at pochike is chicken in matzo ball soup. Or is it? The restaurant actually has two secret sandwiches, written inside out in small, faded letters on the back of the menu. Farber wants to respect the dairy aspect of kosher, but people kept asking about pastrami. Flip the menu and choose from the Pastrami His Mustard Sandwich or the Pastrami His Reuben.
detail: Potchke, 318 N. Gay St., Knoxville, Tennessee. No phone. potchkedeli.com.
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