From cocktails to Cajun, Knoxville is full of flavor with these new bars and restaurants

Knoxville has seen a lot of restaurants opening recently, and you don't want to miss out on the hot gossip on Gay Street.

Two prominent new restaurants have begun to make a splash downtown, a huge nightclub just opened and a massive food hall development finally welcomes guests in South Knoxville. On the other end, a brunch casserole restaurant will have to move and two separate cars ran into two different restaurants.

There's also a new salon, a warehouse giant making its way to East Tennessee and the closure of a local downtown shop.

Here's 15 restaurant and retail stories you don't want to miss.

The Kennedy is open on Gay Street

The Kennedy is now open at 430 S. Gay St., replacing Blackhorse Pub & Brewery.

The restaurant is a new concept from Chad Kennedy and Kennedy Concepts. The restaurant features Americana dishes, communal cocktails, a huge bar, live music every night and a timeless feel.

The Kennedy is open 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Monday through Thursday. Hours extend to 3 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and are cut back to 11 p.m. Sundays.

Have you heard? Chismoso Cocktails and Comida is here

Further north, Chismoso Cocktails and Comida is now open.

The new restaurant renovated the space formerly used by Anaba Japanese Cuisine at 131 S. Gay St. The new restaurant features Mexicanized-American food, tequila based cocktails and the hottest gossip in Knoxville.

Chismoso is open 4-10 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

Saint Lucille's Cajun Kitchen is now open

Saint Lucille's Cajun Kitchen is now open at 8 Emory Place after a few months in the works.

The restaurant is a collaboration between two breweries: Last Days of Autumn and Crafty Bastard. The new restaurant is located right next door to Crafty Bastard and serves up new twists on classic Cajun dishes like barbeque shrimp and various po'boy sandwiches.

The restaurant will be open 4-9 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 12-9 p.m. Saturday and 12-8 p.m. Sunday.

Thai Time reopens after car crashed into restaurant

Thai Time has reopened in a limited capacity after a car crashed into the restaurant in April .

The restaurant is only doing to-go orders while renovations are under way, and some menu items won't be available. But the restaurant is serving South Knoxville Thai food once again.

Taqueria La Herradura will reopen after a seperate car crash

The Mexican restaurant Taqueria La Herradura shared May 4 on Instagram that a car crashed into the restaurant at 2625 N. Broadway.

However, the restaurant shared a story May 13 that it will be reopening soon after working on the wall and window the car crashed into.

Potluck Café will move after a year in business

Potluck Café will unfortunately stop operating from its first home at 1328 N. Broadway .

Fortunately, the brunch casserole restaurant has found a temporary new home at Pretentious Beer Co. in the Old City. Owner Melanie LaFoy will start serving brunch at the brewery May 18, and will implement dinner from Thursday to Sunday starting in June.

The Velvet Panther is now open near Marble City Market

Over at 313 N. Gay St., The Velvet Panther is a new salon open near Marble City Market.

With a distinct 1980s aesthetic, the salon focuses on beauty and hair care along with tattoos, merchandise and mocktails. The Velvet Panther is open for appointments.

Kern's Food Hall makes a splash in South Knoxville

Kern's Food Hall is open with a lot of buzz in South Knoxville, with lots of vendors serving or selling their goods at 2201 Kerns Rising Way.

You'll find a brewery, a boba shop, a nail spa, an Italian restaurant, a sushi restaurant and more. It's open 7 a.m.- 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday through Saturday.

Lunaverse Asylum 801 brings the nightclub vibe to Knoxville

From the mind of Scott West, Asylum 801 is open at 940 Blackstock Ave.

The first segment of LunaVerse, the nightclub features a huge open space with out of this world visuals. The club has live music and DJs getting the crowd hyped. If you haven't taken a trip to Lunaverse yet, Asylum 801 might be the club vibe you're looking for.

Taj Indian Bistro is open in Farragut

Taj Indian Bistro is a new restaurant open at 10901 Parkside Drive near Earth Fare in Turkey Creek.

The restaurant serves dishes like chicken biryani, paneer tikka and chicken tikka mughlai all for $16.95 or under. It's open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and reopens from 5-10 p.m. Sunday through Friday. It's open for lunch from 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Saturday and reopens for dinner from 5-10 p.m.

Raising Cane's moves to new location on the Strip

Raising Cane's has moved down the street into a new location at 1830 Cumberland Ave. on the ground floor of TENN Student Apartments. The restaurant chain previously operated a location adjoined to Panda Express on campus, which will close soon.

The Lousiana chain's new Knoxville restaurant will be open from 10 a.m to midnight Thursday through Sunday, and until 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

Knoxville Soap Candle & Gifts has closed downtown

One of downtown's local stores Knoxville Soap Candle & Gifts has closed at 714 S. Gay St.

Owner Jodi Bowlin decided to wind things down after operating the shop for almost 16 years across different locations. She's repurposed the Facebook page into a hat store called Hats ReBorn to sell homemade hats her mother made before she died.

KISS Caboose has ceased shuttle operations

KISS Caboose is no longer offering free shuttles around downtown Knoxville.

Owner Gina Kelly might have stopped the shuttles and tours from KISS Caboose, but it is still driving around Knoxville as a mobile billboard. If you see the tiny car driving around, be sure to give it a wave!

BJ's Wholesale Club is opening a Maryville location

Maryville will be getting a BJ's Wholesale Club , the first in East Tennessee.

The membership warehouse will open in the former JCPenney in the Foothills Mall. A specific opening date hasn't been set yet, but it's in the works right now. The store is expecting to bring 150 jobs into the area.

The Dog Stop has opened in Bearden

Get your leashes ready because The Dog Stop has opened at 4589 Kingston Pike.

The pet care business provides grooming, boarding, training, day care and goodies for your pet dog. The Dog Stop features indoor and outdoor areas for dogs in Western Plaza behind The Fresh Market. It's open from 6:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Chase Bank opens Farragut branch

Chase Bank has finally made it into the Knoxville area with a Farragut branch located at 11242 Kingston Pike.

The branch features three ATMs and is open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. every day except Sunday when it is closed.

A second branch in Maryville at 503 Foothills Plaza should be open soon, and a third is planned for East Tennessee.

Keenan Thomas reports for the Knox News business growth and development team. You can reach him by email at keenan.thomas@knoxnews.com.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: From cocktails to Cajun, Knoxville is full of flavor with these new bars and restaurants