Reed: Get your kicks at Brixx

By Kevin Reed

I decided to head back into Turkey Creek, the pinnacle of consumerism in Knoxville, to continue with my nightlife exploration of the west side of town.

I heard of a new pizzeria and bar opening somewhere within the confines of the ever-growing shopping mecca and decided to check it out. After driving back and forth through Turkey Creek, I finally noticed that a place called Brixx had opened where the Atlanta Bread Company had once called home. With a location finally known, I decided to head down and check it out the following night.

My love for Barley's Taproom in the Old City is probably well known by now. I am usually hard pressed to find someone who disagrees. This same twisted love for pizza and beer led to high expectations for Brixx. The more I thought about it the more I realized how much the west side needs a place like Barley's to add some new nightlife spice among overwhelming amount of sports bars in that part of town.

Brixx went above and beyond my expectations for a place that just opened in the competitive West Knoxville food and drink market. It is fairly large with plenty of seating to go around both inside, outside and at the bar. The crowd was by no means thick when we arrived around 11 p.m., but it was still bustling with people coming and going the entire time we were there. While this should be a given for any newly opened establishment, Brixx was clean, well-lit and I particularly liked the modern design.

The draft beer selection at Brixx is one of the best in West Knoxville, with 23 different brews to choose from. There are some interesting choices, such as a slew of brews from Starhill that I had not previously tried and some from Highland Brewery as well. Many of your standard selections are present as well, such as Guinness and Yuengling. The beer selection is top-notch compared to many places in the area. You are almost guaranteed to find something you haven't tried before.

The specials at Brixx are pretty decent as well. Sunday features half-priced wine while Monday is home to $1.95 domestic drafts. Tuesday and Wednesday have interesting specials with $3.75 Yazoo and Sweetwater drafts, respectively - and for the $3.75 you get to keep your glass as well. Thursday will net you $3 import drafts, Fridays are for $2.50 Yuengling, and Saturdays close out the week with $3 Highland draft. While we were there, Brixx was also offering half-price pizzas and appetizers as well as a great draft special.

The food at Brixx was delicious. We ordered the Bronx Bomber and were thoroughly pleased. Even at full price the pizza would have been a good deal, coming in at a little more than $10. I haven't yet tried the selection of appetizers, but they all looked promising. We were able to get out of Brixx spending only $13 for a pizza and four drafts thanks to their opening special.

If Brixx keeps up the solid pricing, tasty food and good service, I will definitely be back.