If you moved to Knoxville longer than, say, a day ago – chances are you’ve heard of K Brew. Known for their hammock chairs and delicious specialty lattes (they rotate with the season), it’s no surprise K Brew quickly made a name for themselves as one of the best coffee shops in Knoxville. Here’s a quick peek inside this local gem!

Where You At?

A Look Inside the Locations:

Starting from the original itty-bitty 400 square foot location off of Glenwood and North Broadway, K Brew now has three locations absolutely crushing the coffee and bagel game every day: North Broadway, West Hills, and Downtown in Embassy Suites.

If you’ve been lucky enough to visit all three locations, you may have noticed the vibes are unique to their respective part of town.

DOWNTOWN:

Located in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Gay Street, Downtown’s got the business vibe, with companies like Searay and HT Hackney just steps away.

NORTH BROADWAY:

North Broadway (the oldest of the three and just steps away from the original location) takes on a more chill, peaceful vibe with a large demographic of UTK and Pellissippi students meeting for small groups or study sessions.

Image of KBrew West from @knoxvillebrew

WEST HILLS:

When you step into West Hills, you can expect a vibrant environment of meetings with friends and business partners alike. West Hills also hosts the kitchen that bakes and supplies all locations with their delicious, New York-style bagels and cream cheese. (*drool*)

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THE HISTORY:

I got the chance to sit down with Anthony, the marketing manager at K Brew, to get a closer look inside the shop’s history (which I, for one, was stoked to learn about).

Brothers Pierce and Michael LaMacchia dreamed up the idea of K Brew on a family road trip to the northwest in 2008. It was the beginning of third-wave coffee shops beginning to pop up in little “coffee huts”, and the brothers loved the concept so much, they had to bring the idea back to the south with them.

Flash forward to 2013. The brothers finally bought a tiny shack in Kentucky for the start of their coffee shop… but thankfully for us, once they drove by that corner spot in Fourth & Gill, they knew their concept was destined for Knoxville, Tennessee.

A few years later, the *OG* Kbrew opened in that 400 square foot corner spot on Glenwood and Broadway. She was an adorable little shop – emphasis on little. With just a handful of seats available, the original K Brew was a particularly good place to grab to-go coffee. Needless to say, just a couple years later, it was time to expand. They relocated just a few blocks down North Broadway and the rest is (as this section is so eloquently named) history 😉

TO INFINITY AND BREW-YOND:

From the time the first location opened, K Brew made a name for themselves with a new kind of traditional fall coffee drink – the Pumpkin Pie Latte made with actual pumpkin. Holy. Yum.

And of course, the coolest hammock swings ever.

Speaking of hammocks, one could definitely argue the coolest part of the North Broadway location is the open garage. This indoor-outdoor space has hammock swings, heaters, outlets, and (most importantly) is pup-friendly (cue all the heart eye emojis!).

Image by: @knoxvillebrew

2019 brought us many blessings from this cute lil coffee shop – namely the West Hills (and with it, their beloved bagels!) and Downtown locations. They also recently transitioned from their specialty label by Good Folks Roasters in North Carolina to roasting their own beans and expanding their selection of blends. (All their syrups were already made in-house so this has just elevated the experience even more.)

BUT FIRST, COFFEE:

All of K Brew’s specialty drinks are created by their baristas. Best part? 5% of sales from that drink goes straight to the barista who created it!

Speaking of specialty drinks, they just introduced their fall drinks (again, *drool*). My current favorite is the S’mores Mocha. Think mocha with housemade marshmallow syrup, espresso, steamed milk, chocolate shavings, and wait for it… wait for it… a homemade baked meringue on top 🤤

They also have a steamed caramel apple cider on the menu to hold you over until the release of their pumpkin pie latte, (It makes its reappearance on October 1st and trust me, it’s worth the wait.)

SIP SIP HOORAY:

I asked Anthony if there was anything fun coming from K Brew coming up and oh boy. Drumroll please!
Shop #4 is set to open (hopefully) by the end of 2021! Woohoo!
She’ll be located on Ebenezer Rd. and there may even be a drive-thru with its own separate counter, allowing you to get your beloved K Brew coffee quicker than ever.

So what’s your go-to drink at K Brew? Is it the classic Marble City roast, or maybe a seasonal specialty latte? Either way, with the combo of fantastic coffee and bagels, you can’t go wrong.
Interested in more local coffee? Discover the Coziest Coffee Shop Corners in Knoxville here!