Brother Wolf

This is our favorite bar downtown! Drinks are always creative and delicious. AJ, Maddie, Willis, and Makenzie do a fantastic job making drinks and conversation. Love the seasonal pop-ups and special beverages; you can tell they've taken the time to put real thought into the details. It gets very busy in the evenings so we try to go earlier to get seats at the bar.

Love the atmosphere here, it’s a casual but a little eclectic place. Nice cocktails, pretty well made. I got an old fashioned, but it was made with rum. No complaints, just a bit different than i’m used to. My guest also had an espresso martini. Nicely made also. Very good, I’ll definitely comeback again. Nice place.

For my birthday, we decided to try Osteria Stella and since we didn't have a reservation our only option was the reduced menu at Brother Wolf. Let me start off by saying I love their cocktails, especially during the Peppermint Trail, but was not impressed at all with the food. The plan was to have our meal in true Italian family style. Bought 3 apps and figured these would be sufficient. The meatballs, fried artichokes, bruschetta. Meatballs were tiny and a bit dense. Fried artichokes were mostly tiny little pieces, it felt like we ended up with mostly scraps from other orders, only a few good size pieces. And they were very heavy on the lemon flavor. The bruschetta was approximately 2 bites and done. They did give a little more topping than bread which was nice, except we had nothing to eat it with, just a waste. When these tiny apps did not fill us we ordered our dishes. My son got the linguini with clams. It was one small scoop of pasta and 3, maybe 4 tiny baby clams. My husband ordered the Cacio E Pepe, which was almost raw pasta. Truly, we make el dente all the time and this was also uncooked boxed pasta. The sauce itself was so conjealed that he would stick his fork to the top of the pasta and held it over his dish. It took almost a whole minute for the noodle to start pulling away. I ordered the gnnochi, they were not heavenly little pillows as they should be and just smothered in pesto as if to hide their imperfections. Do recommend swining in for a great cocktail, but caution against ordering the food. It's way overpriced for the quantity and quality.

Everything about Brother Wolf immediately caught my eye and pulled me in, and it only gets better when you walk inside. Impressive, sophisticated Italian style and design adorn this charming spot for aperitifs and digestives, and unique takes on the Negroni, my favorite cocktail. It’s like the person who envisioned and created this delightfully stylish space knew me and was trying to personalize it precisely to my taste. It’s a truly stunning space, and the drinks are fantastic. I wish this bar existed in Nashville, where I live. I will be back on my next trip to Knoxville.

We stopped in for part of our peppermint trail quest and had a wonderful experience. It's a small bar, but decorated with such character and fun! The themed drinks are yummy and the servers are attentive.

What a fun little bar. Dolly Parton theme but in the best way. Upscale with lots of fun, tasty drinks. Great place to hang out before eating at Osteria Stella.

First time at this bar and I had a really great experience. I ordered the Oaxacan Negroni and it was absolutely fantastic. One of my favorite cocktails I have had in Knoxville and especially if you are into something a little different. Lots of bitter cocktail options and Italian liquors, staff was friendly, and the vibe was chill. Maybe not the place for everyone, but for sure the spot if you know what you are looking for!

Best espresso martini in town. It can get pretty loud (not your cozy little pub environment), but I like the aesthetic and the cocktails are truly remarkable.

Really loved the decor and the ambiance of this place. We sat at the bar and tried a few cocktails which were all delicious. The Girl Scout inspired drinks were my fav. The service was great and he was even able to recommend some drinks for us!

Brother Wolf has been on our list for a while and we were so happy we finally got to try this cozy aperitif bar! They were doing a Halloween pop up and transformed the space for spooky season as "Brother Werewolf." The decorations were so creative and on point! The cocktails were perfection and this created such a fun vibe before our dinner at their sister restaurant, Osteria Stella. The service was quick and efficient. It was overall a wonderful experience and definitely worth the hype we've heard about this hot spot!

We had a great experience at Brother Wolf. Our server was fantastic, helpful, and attentive. We were lucky enough to snag a table on a Friday night and enjoyed the bright and modern atmosphere and the wide variety of drinks. Also cool is that you can order food from their sister biz next door, Osteria Stella. We ordered Arancini con Caciocavallo to eat while we enjoyed our drinks. They were super tasty. We just wished they were served with a sauce of some kind. For drinks, we got the specialty Capri Barbie drink (very sweet, but booze-forward and good) and the Manhattan Niro, which my husband enjoyed. We will definitely come back here when in the area.

We came on a Friday night and were lucky to get a spot at the bar. It some Italian charm and the staff were amazing. I started out with an Old Fashioned with rye, and it was very good. Then I ventured out and tried the Leave the Gun, Take the Do-Si-Dos... that's Peanut Butter washed scotch and Frangelico. the first sip was smooth and had a good finish. Not bad, I could only drink one of those. If they would served a Thin Mint Martini to follow up that would have been awesome! Now we are going to go next door for dinner to Osteria Stella....

Great service, friendly and unique bar & sit down restaurant in the next room. Had a few drinks. Chill place during the afternoon and at night very popular and stacked.

Came here during the week and loved the vibe. There was only one bartender so we had to go up to the bar, totally understandable. The cocktails were delicious. Best espresso martini

BW was our first stop in our craft cocktail tour for the evening. We didn't know much about this bar before coming here. It was Superbowl Sunday, so the place was pretty dead around 7:00 PM. So we snagged spots at the bar very easily. The male mixologist was welcoming and helpful; however, the beautiful lady lacked customer service skills. Kinda felt like a pretty woman experience when Julia's on Rodeo Drive and they're giving her that 'you don't belong here' vibe. Yeah - we weren't dressed up, but we still are spending our money at your establishment so ... Anyway - the fella was great and glad he was the one caring for us. This is a stunningly beautiful bar in downtown Knoxville. Perfect setting for a date night or night out with the ladies when you want to feel special. I loved the large open space, the art on the walls, the lighting. It was well thought out when it was designed! It definitely makes you want to sit for hours and sip drinks! As for the drinks, we were actually a little underwhelmed. My special Old Fashioned was just OK - didn't notice the peanut butter wash at all and it was pretty mild on the palate leaving me wondering where the bourbon was. My fella ordered a slow gin fizz since they actually carried slow gin. The egg white was shaken up well leaving a very frothy head, but the drink overall was not his favorite version he's had. Since the first drink impressions weren't mind blowing we moved onto the next place. I'll come back and try something that's more traditional for what this experience is known for: aperitivo culture (lower proof cocktails) next time. Take sometime before you come to read what they're about on the website - I wish I had as this may have help me understand what to order. OR maybe the staff should ask if it's your first time and guide you a bit ;) Oh - we really liked the Suppli al Telefono: ARBORIO RICE WITH TOMATO, MOZZARELLA, PICKLED ONION. Perfectly cooked with a crispy shell and soft flavorful inside. The pickled onion was amazing - probably the best I've had before.

Visited Brother Wolf a couple of weeks ago for a ladies' book club. We were a group of 9 and arrived pretty early, so no problem getting a large table. I ordered the polpette (meatball appetizer) and a glass of wine, and the other ladies ordered a variety of other apps and cocktails. Everyone seemed to enjoy their choices. My meatballs were good, but honestly nothing very special. Our server did an excellent job!

I was visiting some friends in Knoxville and they wanted to take me to their favorite bar (Brother Wolf) and absolutely raved about it so I was very excited. We sat down at a dirty table from a group that had just left and they said "good luck with the waitress" on their way out which we thought was strange but then a waitress came over to clear it without saying a single word. A couple minutes later a friend in our group saw the waitress walking around and flagged her down and said very politely "I think they are ready to order whenever you get a second." The waitress responded with "Yeah I know that's why I came over here" with a horrible attitude that left our whole table taken back. We got our drink order taken and the whole time she was just extremely rude. She made the whole experience bad. The drinks were great and the atmosphere is very cool but the service from this woman was the worst I had ever experienced.

Absolutely recommend Brother Wolf!! My husband and I happened upon there after dinner at Kefi. It was moderately busy and we found space at the bar, and were greeted by a kind bartender. We each ordered a drink off the cocktail menu and they were great! Within the next hour the place got packed. Brother Wolf is welcoming , cozy and has great ambience. highly recommend! My personal favs : the Robino Spritz and their killer espresso martini

Went Sunday afternoon hoping to eat at Osteria Stella, but they were booked. So we decided to have a drink here, then got a snack from their menu (a limited set of options from the restaurant's menu). That led to another snack....and then one pasta dish....and finally dessert and after-dinner coffees with some added touches. Well, it was a wonderful meal in a bar setting, with great drinks at fairly reasonable prices for craft cocktails. I do wish they had more of our favorites from the restaurant menu (gnocchi, especially) but every thing we had was delicious. In another review, some one gave this place 1-star and mentioned a bartender who sure sounded like ours. I think something had to be seriously wrong for that person to come away with such a low impression. The bar was well-staffed, it was easy to get service when needed, and the drinks were all very tasty.

Great Vibes, food and music. Perfect for a date night or a quick cocktail before meeting friends

Buzzy and bright, Brother Wolf is a must for cocktails and vibes in Knoxville. As it's cute name nods to, this spot takes you to Rome with its expertly curated and glamorous menu of Italian aperitifs. We stopped in on a Sunday evening and found a couple of seats at the busy and gorgeous bar. She started with an impossibly fluffy espresso martini, so light and creamy it was more like a mousse than a cocktail, whereas I had the delicious Negroni sbagliato with Prosecco in it (forgive me). I followed that up with an espresso martini for myself, whereas she had the sgroppino, an endlessly refreshing lemon sorbet drowned in gin and prosecco. Dreamy and transformative, Brother Wolf is simply a must for truly Italian, and truly delicious, cocktails in the most unexpected of places.

This place has a pretty bar and great seating. It is pretty small, but we didn't have any trouble finding a booth and getting our drinks quickly.

Great for cocktails. Signature expresso martini. Great atmosphere as well. Highly recommend.

Had drinks before dinner last night at Brother Wolf's pop up Jolene. Was an exceptional experience. The pop up was very artsy and clever. The drinks were creative and the bartender was exceptional. Very fun place.

We were in town for Big Ears and were looking for a bite and a drink. Brother Wolf looked good and was a quick walk from where we were so we decided to try it. We had two great cocktails, a negroni and a spritzer my wife really enjoyed. We started with the olives and had two pasta dishes which were right sized to not make us too full (and priced accordingly). We finished with the tiramisu which was delicious. If we lived in Knoxville we'd definitely be back.

They were late on our reservation. Waitress said my family offended her by paying her a compliment!! I don't understand how a compliment can offend someone!!! Food at the time was just ok , until in the middle of the night, then I was really sick . I eat scallops. First I just wanted my tip money back , but now after the way I'm been ignored , I want my whole bill refunded.The manager has my phone number and will not talk to me any more. The owner won't even discuss this with me. Now I am being rude.

Easily one of the best bars in Knoxville. I've never had a drink I didn't like here; and I love both the vibe inside with all the artwork on the walls and outside on the super cute patio. Also, if you love a theme or holiday like me then this is definitely your place. Fun themed drinks for Halloween (Brother Werewolf), Miracle at Christmastime, and recently a Romeo & Juliet themed menu for Valentine's Day. Right now they have Girl Scout cookie-themed cocktails and I'm so sad I missed the green espresso martini for St. Patrick's Day! Definitely one of the first bars I'd bring a friend who's visiting.

I have been to Brother Wolf many times & we went again for Valentine's Day drinks. The ambiance of this bar is lovely, it has lots of wall art and beautiful drink menus. The service is perfect, the servers are always friendly and not over or under attentive.& the drinks are always so good.... Last night they had valentines themed cocktails along with their normal menu. They are always decorating and adding fun drinks to their menu for every holiday. Brother Wolf is a great bar & I can't wait to try the attached restaurant soon!

My absolute favorite bar in Knoxville, possibly the country. Such an inventive menu & ambience- I just love it! Negroni & Appertivo forward so must love bitter profiles but for the spritz/ Italian liqueur lover, it's a dream come true. The first time I came I enjoyed snacks on the patio and this time on a Monday the kitchen was not open but that was A-ok. Good service, great branding & vibe. Keep it up, brother wolf!

I finally got to check out this bar after having seen rave reviews about it on Instagram! Back when I went to school in Knoxville we pretty much stuck to the college bars on the strip, so this was quite the departure from those kinds of bars. It ended up being a very pleasant surprise! The whole atmosphere of the bar was great, with low lights, great decor, and an amazing playlist! We even got lucky and got a table and were immediately served the minute we sat down. For my first drink I got an espresso martini, which was one of the best I've had recently. For my second drink, I ordered an aperol spritz which was also delicious! Our server was also fantastic, despite there being a huge crowd in there on a Friday night, she came a checked on us multiple times. I definitely think this is a great addition to the Old City and I will 100% be back!

We dropped by Brother Wolf after a wedding last night. It about about 10:45 and the place was packed. I count that as a good thing. We weren't allowed inside because of the crowd, so we sat at a small outside table. It was great to enjoy the patio and people watch on a Friday night. I really like Brother Wolf's selection of both local and large batch liquors. The have several options from Post Modern Spirits which happens to be one of my favorite places. I went ahead and ordered an old fashion because it's my go-to. Honestly, I was disappointed. Two of us ordered the same drink and one came out in a larger glass with the same number of ice cubes and fully garnished, filled to the top. Mine was smaller glass, tasted watered down and was missing garnish. I drank it and had no plans of saying anything because it isn't that big of a deal, but I was disappointed at the lack of consistency. The drink price was $14. I also have zero problem paying $10-15 for a cocktail downtown. What I was bothered by was that there was a liquor tax coupled on top of regular tax resulting in the drink being $20. Never would I ever consider paying $20 with tax or not for that drink. For something as simple as an old fashion $14-16 should include any additional taxes on the restaurant. Unless I'm going for a specific event, I probably will skip Brother Wolf next time. There are plenty of other options with incredible cocktails nearby.

My husband and I were out on the town! We rarely get date nights so we wanted to stop at a few different places. My sister recommended coming here because they were having a special Dolly Parton pop up bar experience called "Jolene's". For the heck of it, we decided to stop by. It was around 9:30/10ish on a Saturday night and it was pretty packed but we were able to go in and find a place to stand. I ordered one of their featured cocktails which was basically an espresso martini with a creme and my husband got an orange creme drink. Both were about $15ish--which, for a bar downtown, especially a themed pop up bar, I l es drinks would be a little on the higher side. However, both drinks were in pretty small glasses. We each finished ours in about 3 sips. My husband really enjoyed his drink and said it was good enough that it made the loud atmosphere, crowd and higher prices more worthwhile. I, however, did not enjoy my drink. I didn't taste any alcohol or coffee. I felt like I was sipping on milk. So I was pretty disappointed and underwhelmed with our experience here.

I had a great time here! We stopped by for drinks and there are definitely a limited number of seating, but we got there relatively early and there were many seats open. The drinks were made really well and there was a huge selection to choose from.

One of the best cocktail bars in town. They have some very delicious cocktails on their standard menu, but frequently change things up with seasonal or special occasion pop-ups. Bonus: you can order some small plates from the Osteria Stella kitchen! Service is always top-tier. Space can get a bit crowded at times (it's a popular spot, and for good reason).

I prolonged writing this review because I really wanted to give it the words it deserves. An entire bar basically dedicated to showing off the beauty and complexity of Italian cocktail (using amaro, especially)?! What could be more genius. Brother Wolf is F A B U L O U S. Everything about it is perfect. Even on a busy Saturday night (the night before Halloween even!!!!) the restroom was spotless, the service was above and beyond, and the drinks were crafted perfectly. I could have sat at that bar all night watching the bartenders. They were so engaging and skillful, without being even a slight bit stuffy or condescending. The night I was there they had an entire special Brittney Spears inspired cocktail menu, they put literal glitter in all of the drinks. They were pink, glittery, flavorful (in a boozy and complex way, nothing overly sweet about it) and plain fun. The ambiance deserves an entire review of it's own. This is a standout bar/restaurant.

We were looking for a good bar to drink Christmas drinks and found a miracle bar. There is hardly any miracle bars in Knoxville compared to Dallas but this place had several good Christmas theme drinks. We got the christmaspolitian and Yippee-kiyay. Both were good and tasty. Not too sweet or too strong.

Super cute place! Really delicious cocktails and the music is at the perfect tempo. My only complaint is the sign in the front says please wait to be seated and the bartenders although they see you wait at least 3 minutes to tell you to sit anywhere. We were sitting close to the door so we would help people out who were there for the first time

This is not your Knoxville of 2003. It's like I'm back in LA! Cocktails are creative, well mixed with the best ingredients, and probably rested before serving. If you like Fernet and amaros, this is the place to go. You can order a few items from their sister restaurant next door. The focaccia was delightful, served with roasted garlic and exceptional olive oil (where did they find that?). Mozzarella is authentic. The fried oyster mushroom dish could use a squeeze of lemon. And the entire cocktail experience could be improved by leveling up the ice cubes to spheres or giant cubes. Am I nit picking? Yes! Go now. You won't regret it.

We we were walking by and were intrigued by this place. As we approached, it looked closed. I noticed a little sign that gave an indication that it was open. I ended up trying the door and it was open! Inside was very cute and by cute I mean it looked like fun. I was so excited to see the same brands of alcohol, limoncello and drink options that aren't normally served in the states. This place brought me back to the places I visited on our road trip through Italy. My favorite was the Hugo! The bartenders were attentive as well. We didn't have dinner, but I'd love to go back and try the food.

My wife and I went here for drinks, and drinks are all we had, so that's what my review is based on. They offer wines exclusively from Italy. My wife and the bartender had a nice conversation exploring the various wines, and he let her taste some in order to find just what she wanted. They provide about 12 wines by-the-glass, everything else id by the bottle. He provided outstanding service. I had a bourbon on the rocks from the fairly limited selection. This place is mostly for drink service, although they offer a limited food menu from their restaurant next door. It's bright and tasteful, as opposed to dark and romantic. It was a great, albeit, an expensive experience. ($50 for those drinks mentioned above.)

If you read through all my reviews, I'm straightforward on all I say. This place came highly recommended and we walked from another restaurant to come here for an after dinner drink with my honey for Valentine's Day. Absolutely beautiful place, cool name etc, obviously the downtown setting is amazing and romantic even for a guy that's not a romantic persay. We were not really greeted at all. They weren't unfriendly but they weren't friendly. The bartender seemed annoyed that we sat down at some empty seats that he hadn't cleared the bar top off from the last customers. We ordered a few drinks (An old-fashioned and the tiramisu martini for my honey) The old-fashioned was on point and the martini was tasty but absolutely tiny, Now mind you he made the martini in a large tin so he had at least twice as much drink as he gave us. We asked him for what was left and he started to put it in another cup and my wife didn't want him to dirty another cut so he poured it into our existing drink to top it off. We both watch him pour it and there was still quite a bit left, I asked him for it since it probably would be going down the drain. He said the tin was empty. (Absolutely a boldface lie) I watched him pour it. It was not empty at all. The waitress who was standing behind the bar was not appropriately dressed at all. She had way too much skin showing for a cold Valentines night and it was NOT appropriate for the place she worked at. It's like she wore shirt that showed off every onee of her tattoos and mind you they weren't good tattoos. I have an attached a photo for reference. When you go to a restaurant you want to have a good experience from top to bottom. You don't want to see someone's bad tattoos they got when they were in college. As a bartended you have to pretend that you like the people that you're serving alcohol and they will spend more money. We spent $35 on two drinks and didn't have a "good time". . The bartender seemed bothered that we were there. They weren't that busy and both my wife and I both used to bartend so we know how it's done correctly and how to get good tips. We also watched the female bartender drinking on the job which not sure if that is allowed there but I always thought it was a bad deal for soo many reasons. Overall, this place could be crushing it! With the alcohol wasted in the tins, the owner lost money. A lot could be done to make this place epic. It's not far off but needs some help. Cheers!!

We came here by a local's recommendation and we're not disappointed! The polpette, insalata, and papparadelle al ragu bianco we're delicious. Drinks, ambiance and service were 5 stars, too! Highly recommended and will return when in town again!

Went with two friends and waited by the front for several minutes and no one greeted us. A couple came in and were greeted and seated immediately again without acknowledging us. Then a table became open and we sat down and no one came to the table for at least ten minutes. Super frustrating experience. We left with a very bad taste in our mouths for the poor service.

Tasty Negroni with a riff on an ole classic. Nice bartenders as well, suggest weekday evenings, very popular since being named in not said mens magazine.

Unorganized lady behind bar with tattoos and black hair very rude took 30 minutes for a drink. If your an out of Towner they don't care they only want local people to come in. Very rude and disrespectful, she should not be serving. She made a nice trip very bad by one interaction.

We went to the Christmas pop up bar because the website looked super cute. We were excited to get the themed drinks in the cute Christmas cups, however we were very disappointed with the experience we had. We ordered the snowball old fashion and the Santa Rex specifically for the cup- the Santa Rex was not served in the specialty cup and even worse, the "snowball" of shaved ice was molded together by the bartender with her bare hands! The bartender was collecting money, credit cards, dirty dishes, dirty napkins, receipts, etc and then proceeded to go to the shaved ice machine to make the ice and then without washing hands mold the ice into a ball and put it in a cup. How disgusting!! This would be appalling at anytime but especially so with Covid being in our presence. to top it off, although advertised you could buy the cups, we were told we could not by the Santa Rex due to not havilong enough, although the boxes were stacked up in plain site for us to see they had them.

Bad service. The waitress acted like she was bothered by us being there. Ok food that was over-priced. The drinks were decent.

Great place. Very classy. A substantial contribution to downtown Knoxville. Rivals top bars you might find in a European capital city.

We were in town for my nieces campus tour with family friends accompanying us before heading to Gatlingurg. After having dinner nearby we came across this establishment walking back to our hotel. The appearance and decor was inviting and sleek. Upon walking in for a quick drink at the bar, the mixologist (later we learned his name was Willis) was attentive and seemed happy to take care of us. Even with others at the bar he would always come by, ensure we were taken care of, and initiated genuine conversation. What started as a quick drink turned into conversations of family, upbringing, culture, etc. AJ was also behind the bar and serving other patrons. While not spending as much time with us because she had her own clientele, when we needed something she appeared out of no where. At the end of the day the staff, the music, and overall atmosphere hands down was the highlight of our evening. If you ever stop in you have to ask for Willis. He's the man! Great job Brother Wolf!

Arrived at 4pm on a sunny Friday afternoon and sat on the lovely patio. My friend and I drank Sgroppinos which were so delicious that we could not stop ordering more. The kitchen opens at 5pm, but our sweet waitress brought us chips and olives (for free!). I'll be back!