The Front Porch

Update: The owner has reached out to me regarding my review which is huge in my book. We agreed to giving the The Front Porch another try. The owner’s response was professional and fair. I’m going to upgrade my one star rating to three because the owner cares. I will update again once I experience the food and service. Thx Bart!
I am not reviewing the food since I never had the opportunity to try it. I am writing regarding their business practices on how they treat their customers. My wife and I traveled over an hour to have lunch. When we arrived at 2:45p, we were told by the hostess/​manager that we had to leave because they got slammed for lunch and that we had to leave since we did not have reservations. Here are ridiculous business practices I experienced:
1. We arrived at 2:45. FP starts lunch service at 2:00p. So they got slammed in the 45 mins before we arrived. (Does not make sense.)
2. The restaurant was only a ¹⁄₃ capacity. Again we told we had leave because they couldn’t accommodate us. (Even though lunch service starts at 2:00p)
3. I checked their website prior to our hour long trip to Powell for a FP lunch. There is absolutely nothing on their website about making reservations.
4. We ask if we could just hang out on the empty «front porch» and have a drink. Nope! We had to leave.
5. Honestly, I feel like the hostess/​manager was discriminating towards us and did not want to be professional.
6. My wife and I were pleasant and respectful towards the hostess/​manager.

Arrived at 3:00 and were turned away because we didn’t have a reservation. The restaurant was half empty, and every table on the porch was empty. We explained that we drove an hour and their website says nothing about needing a reservation. (Not to mention all the empty tables!). But no luck unless we waited 45 minutes. Wait for what? The entire restaurant to be empty? Were people with reservations going to come, eat, and leave in 45 minutes? I really think the wait staff just didn’t want to handle more than a few tables. Doesn’t speak well for the overall management of this restaurant. While walking back to the car we ran into three families walking in without reservations. When we told them the restaurant wasn’t taking walk-​ins, they left as well! Lots of lost business, but customers aren’t the priority at this restaurant!

A tad pricey although the food was good. The atmosphere was nice. Quiet and relaxed. Wait staff was good and attentive. A little rushed. I had Hearthside chicken which was very strongly Parmesan. The roasted potatoes were over done but had a good flavor. Wife had chicken and dumplings which she liked. Didn’t have any 1000 island dressing but this happens in many restaurants.

Stopped here on a whim looking for lunch on our trip back to Indiana. So glad we stopped! Love the atmosphere. The house is 105 years old. The waitresses were so friendly and helpful. The owner came by twice to check on us and thank us for coming in. The food was AMAZING! We had 2 burgers, both cooked perfectly and the fries that came with were hand cut and fresh. My wife got the chicken salad sandwich which she loved and says you have to try the avacado dressing. The steak and chips were cooked perfectly and the chips were right from the potato. Definitely worth stopping in! We would definitely come back!

The Front Porch is my go-​to, favorite restaurant in Knoxville. The restaurant is located inside a historic home and yes, you can enjoy your excellent meal on the porch, or inside the charming converted front rooms of the house. The food is tasty, fresh, beautifully prepared, and not outrageously expensive. My favorite meal is trout cakes on braised cabbage. Portions are ample – you won’t leave The Front Porch hungry. There is a large display case of delectable desserts from which you can choose. (I usually take my dessert home – too full to eat it in the restaurant!) Upstairs, three rooms are devoted primarily to the sale of primitive art, candles, fragrant soaps, and other decorative items. Even the sparkling clean bathrooms have been remodeled in a spirit of country elegance. The best features of the front porch are the service – prompt, considerate and cheerful – and the very personal greeting by the owner, who is usually present, and goes out of his way to ensure that your experience will be special.

Had a wonderful fun meal with my girlfriend from out of town! Enjoyed the Tennessee Trout with pecans, sweet potato casserole, and corn casserole. The sweet potatoes were like a campfire treat meets Thanksgiving! So delicious! Also enjoyed an interesting wonderful appetizer which is flat bread, goat cheese, and a balsamic glaze — so yummy! We can’t wait to go back! Desserts will be on our next trip!

The food here is amazing. I have had the honey chicken and the chicken salad sandwich. One for dinner one for lunch. Both were super! I also had the berry water. So Yummy! They serve amazing bread. I like to sit outside on the porch but the inside is nice as well. Love the gift shop — this is a great place.

Wonderful place off the beaten path. Enjoyed a wonderful lunch with the girlfriends there today. So much so that we booked for Christmas party. Service is excellent, the food is beyond wonderful. Every item chosen exceeded our expectations. So much so that we applauded the ending of our meal. Precious and attentive waitress and just all around a great «feel good» place. I will surely be bringing the husband and family back for a dinner. Thank you!

We went for lunch on a Saturday. What a relaxing porch! Our waitress was quite sassy and knowledgeable. Goat cheese is my weakness so I ordered the flatbread. Bacon, blackberry and goat cheese enough said. One friend ordered trout cakes. I was hesitant to try, bit the were delish! The roasted cabbage was good for this Irish kid. Dad ordered meat. Was great! Dessert was good, even the sugarless tart was good. Try the flavored waters and lemonade! The only issue we had the whole time was the train!

We had such a lovely meal here. The ambiance is perfect for a romantic date or a relaxing outdoor meal. We sat on the ‘front porch’ and dined in the cheery sunlight. I can’t say enough about what a difference the décor and cheery lighting makes. It gives The Front Porch such a light and refreshing touch.
On to the food. I really like their light-​style menu. Don’t go straight for the red meat. I dare you to try out one of their salad selections (go for green goddess dressing!) and you’ll be pleased with each fresh and zesty bite. Oh and you HAVE to have the blackberry tea. It’s so good! Seriously, I would drive 887 592 miles just for this tea!
We stopped in for the Mother’s Day four course dinner. I did not love everything in our meal, but for the most part it was all good. My blackberry balsamic glazed chicken came out a tad bit too dry and the primitive bread was served warm and tasty but I don’t think it merited the $ 6 price tag. Nothing bad. just a few things I might suggest to iron out since they just opened a few months ago. The potato soup was creamy and delicious! And oh my goodness. the feature dessert was absolutely wonderful. We had to try one of each so we got the strawberry cheesecake parfait and chocolate brownie mousse parfait. Lucky for you, I snapped a picture before we gobbled it all up. You could certainly taste the freshness in the cream and in the berries. I feel like The Front Porch may not realize yet how good their dessert line is — it truly upstages.
The Manager does an excellent job managing his restaurant. He checked in on us often and asked if he could serve us something different in light of the chicken faux pas. He came back from the kitchen and served us tender and delicious filet medallions. Wow! that really made up for it. Next time I crave red meat. we will be coming here.
Overall, the prices are very reasonable. At first I was bummed that this is a dry establishment. No alcohol. (Red wine goes sooooo great with medallions!!) But then I fell in love with the tea and I’m totally hooked.
Spend sometime upstairs in their primitive shopping area. One of these days, we’ll reserve the balcony seating on the 2^nd floor so we can eat outside in the breeze and watch the sunset perhaps. Gosh, I’d love to see breakfast or brunch on the menu one day. I’d be here daily.
I really can’t wait to try Front Porch again. I’m definitely coming back to sip some more tea on the sunny porch. If I get a crisp healthy salad can I go straight for the dessert afterwards!!!

The Front Porch is outstanding. A locally owed higher end menu in Powell. An odd combination indeed but well worth the trip North on I-​75 to exit 112. Warm, friendly staff with a menu of steak, filet, duck, several chicken dishes prepared to perfection. Tonight we had habanero lime chicken and steak medallions paired with grilled cabbage and sweet potatoes. The opening primitive bread is to die for.