Rolled in here with my husband on a Sunday night after peeling ourselves out of the bar and grill next door that had a poker tournament going on. Glad it worked out that way! Loved the menu - while small - had interesting and eclectic choices! We opted for the cheese plate as an appetizer ; it was ok -the onion relish was outstanding. Hubby got the cheeseburger with goat cheese and shoestring French fries; I got a veggie burger and we also got a side order of Brussel sprouts - ooh lala!!! Â How can I make them like that - the outer leaves were kind of shriveled, and the center of the Brussel was soft! Â We gobbled them up! Â We came back to Sapphire on our return trip back up north - again, place next door was crowded again, this place not - but it seemed to fill up as people realized the good food going on next door. Â We got the Brussel sprouts again, and I got an eggplant stack - while not superb, I was satisified and wished I Â could have a few more meals here to try out the other dishes on the menu. Â Skip the sports bar, keep on walkin' to this place.
Review Source:I don't know what I was thinking, but I came to Sapphire for Sunday brunch. There weren't many people there, but it still took over 40 minutes to cook 2 sunny side up eggs & breakfast potatoes. When I got them, they were cold. Waffle House is better.
The atmosphere is kinda creepy too.
I hate to see thd bad reviews here because I love this place! It's classy without being over the top snotty. We always have a good time everytime. I've been here about 6 times now. 2 times for late night dancing & drinks. 3 times for just for drinks after work. Recently wanted to try their food so went for dinner & well umm drinks! My favorite drink is dirty vodka martini & they do it right. I've also had a few of their novelty drinks, which were quite good. The drinks are a little pricey but you pay for atmosphere. If you want Applebee's priced drinks, go to Applebee's...that's just how it is. Ok, so to the food. The menu is a bit small. I loved the appetizer menu. A few things sounded delightful but chose the crawfish fritters (not sure if that was the exact name, but that's what they were). Very good. BIG pieces of crawfish in them. The main course menu I was a hit disappointed in. The only thing that looked good to me was the pork ribeye. It was very good though. No compaints. 2 pork chops...tender, juicy and had a sauce that was delicious. The grits that came with it were awesome too. I devoured it. My boyfriend had the cheeseburger (he loves gourmet burgers). He said it was really good but not the best he's ever had. So both entrees were good. Our service was wonderful, but I've never had bad service there. I would give 5 stars if the menu had a few more entrees to choose from...
Review Source:My favorite thing about Sapphire is their mixed drinks. I am a big fan of the mixed drinks. They have so many of them that it will take me a very long time to try them all. So far, I've had the Pimm's cup and peach Mojito. Both drinks were very well made.
The ambience is also very nice. I've visited twice and haven't been overwhelmed by the music. Service wasn't top notch but it was efficient.
The food. Sapphire's food is somewhat disappointing. It is not as great as the price tag that comes with it. They need to work on their menu.
However, I'll be back often. To enjoy the wonderful ambience and indulge in their drinks. Perfect place to visit for drinks after dinner at THC, The French Market or Cafe 4.
Dear Sapphire,
We enjoyed our time at your restaurant tonight. Really, we did. The drinks were great and, to be honest, really our motivation for coming anyway. Our server was fantastic and very accommodating. But, we were really disappointed in the menu. We went for dinner and ended up settling for a few small plates because, a) none of the entrées were appealing at all, in the slightest, and b) we couldn't get a reservation elsewhere at the last minute. We don't understand what happened. Your food was great before! I read the menu before we went even and was excited by what appears to be the menu of days gone by. I can see what you're going for, but it really didn't come through for us - sort of an uncomfortable mix of comfort food and trendy cuisine. My suggestion: go for the tapas approach. If you stick to appetizers, I think you'll satisfy the appear you're going for and also deliver great food. But please.... PLEASE.... Don't keep the menu you have now. It's not working. :-(
Sincerely,
Disappointed diner, happy drinker.
Sapphire gets my business because it's got a great people watching patio, good service, good wine and cocktail selection and an overall cool environment. Â It's located in an old jewelry store and they've kept the signage as well as the woodwork cases. Â The bar is long and somewhat inviting. Â The lighting is good. Â The menu is decent with a great cheese plate and a black eyed pea hummus which I'd recommend. Â There are few places like this in Knoxville especially on Gay St. Â It's a bar/lounge/night club. Â The emphasis is not on sports or games or neon beer signs. Â And that's why it's cool and unique to Knoxville. Â Cheers!!
Review Source:I really enjoy the idea of this place but have yet to have a "great" experience here. Saying that I also have never had a bad time here either. I have never tried the food but the happy hour here is great! I highly recommend the long island if you like a strong mixed drink! One of the few places that pour it to do damage! Okay beer selection but an excellent whiskey selection. Â I also really like that they support local artist by displaying it throughout the bar.
Review Source:F--kin' hoes-- Mother fuc--n'-- nig-a this & nigg- that!
Yes. I'm sad to say this was the "music" we were subject to last night, and on the outdoor patio no less!
Poor passersby just strolling past, some with kids, some elderly, looking over at us like we're freaks for even listening to this.
Abhorrent!
It was about 10pm and the music from inside was played (loudly) on the outdoor speakers.
It fluctuated from perfectly delicious and appropriate lounge music, to trance to vulgar & totally unacceptable rap/hip-hop. Â
People at the neighboring tables were shaking their heads a bit and rolling their eyes. Â
Where was the manager? The owner?
I LOVE hip-hop music.
I don't even mind cursing in music.
BUT IN THE CLUB!
WHEN I'M DANCING!
NOT at an outdoor lounge on Gay St where one comes to relax, hang, chill.
In the hour or so we were there, at least 30-40 people walked by and didn't enter the lounge.
I cannot help but think it was due in part to the horrible choice of "music." Â
Most just bypassed Sapphire & went next door to the Downtown Grill & Brewery.
We, also, could only take so much, so as soon as we finished our one drink, we bolted, too!
Lucky for Sapphire --I'm still a Sapphire fan, and I will attribute this faux-pas to the DJ's poor taste last night.
Hoping this will never happen again and I can still enjoy their specialty martinis and delicious wines by the glass.
My experience at Sapphire was not terribly satisfying: everything there had great potential plagued by drawbacks.
We tried their fruit and cheese platter. The cheeses (a creamy yellow, excellent pimiento spread, a delicious blue cheese, and one with nice texture from mustard seeds but too much heat, and I think I'm missing one more) were mostly very good, although they didn't always compliment each other. There was half a loaf of warm toasted bread, but no crackers. A lamentable oversight, since not only was there not enough bread for all the cheese, but some of them would have paired much better with crackers. The fruit offered was a small pile of blueberries and strawberry halves--not all that much, compared to all the cheese--with a mound of walnut halves opposite. None of the promised jam.
The menu had some appealing options, and I settled on a pasta dish with portabella mushrooms and spinach in an goat cheese cream sauce. The food took quite some time to arrive, and when it did the perimeter of my dish was noticeably cool, with the center warm but definitely not hot. The flavor of the cheese was overwhelming, despite the dusting of spices around the rim, which, when I tried solo, tasted remarkably bland. The mushrooms were flavorful and not overcooked, and I was happy to eat them to cut the flavor of the goat cheese. The spinach would have helped, too, except there was truly only a tiny, almost raw portion.
Our server was pleasant, but noticeably neglected my party in favor at the bar patrons; it took 30 minutes to get the check.
For the prices and hip atmosphere, I'd expect what they offer to be more put together.
I bought a Groupon for Sapphire, excited that the reduced price would allow me to try one of their appetizer samplers as well as a meal. Their menu looked incredible online and I couldn't wait to try it. Believing a hip bar could be good for dinner was a mistake. While their "TN Cheese" tray was delicious, I can't say the same for anything else I tasted.
I ordered the "Grilled Cheese of the Day": Manchego, goat cheese, tomato, and olive. The goat cheese was overwhelming, the manchego didn't melt, the olives didn't' blend, and the bread was slightly burnt. It was not a thought-out offering, but a combination of things easily at hand in the kitchen.
As a side I requested the "Country Potato Salad" since it seemed one of the few sides which doesn't contain cheese (Manchego baked beans, really? I love cheese, but it was too much for even me). Unfortunately the salad couldn't decide what it wanted to do. It was overwhelmed with mustard (which I believe might be melted mustard cheese, like on the cheese tray) and an odd flavor no one in my party could place. One of my friends had a similar problem with her goat cheese pasta - too many intense flavors fighting  for attention.
After trying to muster through my meal, I was more than ready to leave. But because Sapphire is a bar first and foremost, only one server/bartender was on staff and she was completely preoccupied with with drinking customers. It took about 30 minutes to get the check and pay AFTER having the table cleared.
If you still wish to visit this restaurant for food and not just drinks, I leave you with this advice:
1. Order the TN cheese plate! It was EXCELLENT and would have earned Sapphire another star if only it had crackers in addition to the bread.
2. If you must have a cheese sandwich, request a Grilled Pimento Cheese. Their pimento cheese is very tasty and I suppose this would be a much different review had I that foresight.
3. One of my friends genuinely enjoyed his Jambalaya.
4. Be prepared for poor service.
You feeling like a drink and good company, then this is the place. Mondays are great here with some of the best happy hour specials I have ever seen. Plus they have a live Jazz band Monday night. On the weekends they have a DJ laying down the tracks. They have some of the best bartenders too. I would recommend going off the menu and just asked the bartender to make a drink for you. If you are every downtown Knoxville then you should swing in.
Review Source:My friends and I were drawn in by the promise of $5 martinis, and the maitre'd (a.k.a. the guy standing at the street entrance trying to entice people to come in) immediately brought over the bartender. Since it was a slowish Friday night, he ended up waiting on our table the whole night.
Two friends got the cucumber lime martini, one got a traditional martini, and I got the Strawberry creamsicle martini. All of ours were $5, and all were delicious.
When we came in, the crowd was a few small groups of guys, who disappeared to make way for a bachelorette party and a large group of college kids who came in as we were leaving. The DJ was playing to an empty dancefloor, but he immediately played every song I requested.
The bartender even volunteered to make us custom shots. Seeing as Friday night was to be our last night on earth, we asked him to create a shot called The Rapture. He suggested that the rapture would be bloody, so he recommended Belvedere Bloody Mary vodka and let us smell. As I'm not a fan of Bloody Marys, I'm pretty sure the smell of that vodka is exactly what the apocalypse will smell like. We ended up compromising with some Alabama Slammers because we all decided that if it was our last drink on Earth, ASlammers would be okay.
Long story aside, this was a good bar with a kinda split identity. I'll definitely come back, especially if they rotate their $5 martinis for other delicious choices.
We went here on a WED night and were very disappointed. The service was terrible as we waited 5 mins for a hostess and to sit us down (there were plenty of tables available). It then took us a while to see a waitress and then get our drinks. From walking into the door till getting the drinks was probably 20 mins on a wed night. Â We were disappointed since they have an online menu at the website for sushi, but they apparently don't do sushi anymore. Unsure of why they couldn't have updated their website to remove the sushi menu. We didn't end up eating but stayed for a couple drinks. The bar is below average. It looks like the furniture was bought from an inexpensive store and they had 3 flat screens on top of the bar with the cable boxes just thrown there. They are trying for an upscale, hip identity but are missing the mark by a longshot.
They had a special on $5 martini's, so we appreciated that as well as an extensive martini menu. They also have a buy one entrée get one free in the Knoxville Lifestyles book, but we didn't use it. Â
Drinks were well made, but based on the poor service we wont be coming back.
I am a 40 something and I took my parents to Sapphire and we loved this restaurant. Â First off, they live up to their reputation as having great Martinis. Â From the classic gin martini to Cosmos to any fruity maritini you want. Â If you live in Knoxville and love a good martini, go to Sapphire. Â The food was very good too and we will definitely go back. Â It appears to have a double identity though, a good restaurant and bar by day for us older folks and a live band for the college kids later on. Â Give them credit for trying to appeal to all. My parents who were born and raised and still live in Knoxville quickly recongnized the building as being the old Kimball's jewelry store from back in the day. Â You can still see the custome made jewelry drawers on the wall.
I would say they need to open their back porch though. Â Smokey Mountain Brewery (SMB) next door was much more crowded with people sitting on the back porch and I have eaten there and the food is not better there. Â Also, we parked behind the restaurant in the lot (free on weekends) but had to cut thru SMB to go thru the front door of Sapphire...they need a back entry from the parking lot for sure. Â Good restaurant, we will be back.
I went here on a first date with my boyfriend. We had sort of a late date with dinner taking longer then expected and wandering several bars. We got to Sapphire around 11:30-12 ish. They had flipped from resturant to bar by that point. It wasn't very crouded and we sat at the bar. The place looks pretty cool and the drink list is fantastic. All the drinks we got were super yummy. We tryed several martini's and a mixed drink.
However what seemed to be the regular crowd was super drunk and falling all over the place. I had some drunk guy 40something guy pretty much stalk me the whole time I was there. Plus they were blaring very outdated rap music the whole time but it was low enough to talk over. The bartenders/waitstaff weren'tvery attentive until we were getting ready to leave and they started pushing a $300 Sapphire martini on us even after declining repeatedly.
Over all the place is ok and the drinks are good just don't have high expectations of the staff or regular patrons.
20 somethings and 30 somethings should really give Sapphire a try. Â Sapphire is located in the middle of downtown and has a cool,swanky feel. You will find art on the walls, Â weekend DJ playing house music, and a pretty decent bar. They also have the best mojito in Knoxville.
The food and drink menus have recently been changed and that has made the restaurant great. They eliminated their crummy sushi and incorporated more fresh ingredients and gourmet style dishes. Their burger and fruit and cheese plates are my favorites.
This place is a bit pricey, but it's usually worth it.
Well, my company sent me here for work and I texted my fiance after 3 long nights, saying that "Knoxville certainly wasn't all I had dreamed". Â No offense to your fair city, but I haven't had the moving and shaking, sports enthusiast, cultural, cosmopolitan dream week that I had envisioned. Â Instead, I feel like I am stuck in "generic-ville" deciding every night whether to eat at Olive Garden, or if I should drive to the hot area of town where all of the "swanky" places, like P.F. Chang's (seriously) are located. Just when I thought I was doomed to eat at yet another chain (my biggest eating pet peeve!) I stumbled upon Sapphire. Â I wasn't too impressed getting out of my car and working my way up the stairs in the dirty parking garage and fighting my way around the building (back doors near the parking are not entrances, fyi), but my whole world changed when Amy, my lovely bartender/manager of the place showed up with a beaming smile and told me I looked like I needed a drink. Â Finally someone in Knoxville noticed I was a fish out of water. Â When I mentioned I would start with a martini but was intent on moving to wine, she reminded me that I could taste anything I like. Â Euphoria set in at that moment and continued on throughout the yummy concoction that she made me (some sort of Strawberry martini-thing, that would have made a Las Vegas mixologist proud), and throughout the incredible dinner. Â Who knew an open-faced pulled pork sandwich could be so good? Â (Some funky queso and jalapenos on top were the key). Â I had several people walk by the bar and ask what I was eating, and soon my dish seemed to multiply like the fish and loaves in the Bible, as everyone was ordering it. Â As I sit here now, I still am salivating and dying to know what the shrimp and grits tasted like. Â I never thought I'd say this, but Thank God I have one more night in Knoxville!
Review Source:A college buddy and I recently had dinner at Saphire while on a cross-coutry road-trip from LA to DC. Each night we wanted to have a nice dinner somewhere in the center if the city we were staying; this particular night, we chose Saphire.
Saphire had a very inviting, modern look and a great menu. Walking up to the restaurant, there were a couple tables outside (heat lamps are on in cooler temperatures) and an open floor plan for seats inside. The tables and chairs were very modern, Ikea-esq, but fit the scene and the modern menu well.
The menu has everyday items with a modern flare -- nachos with pork bbq instead of chili or hamburger; chilled soups (along with hot soups), chicken wellington instead of the normal beef wellington, roasted potatoes instead of french fries and great risotto and pasta salads. There were many, many other items on the menu along with a very extensive cocktail and wine menu.
Prices were very reasonable; a couple drinks, an appetizer and an entree was under $30 a person.
The service was pretty good as well; the server we had was very attentive, was very knowledgeable about the menu, very prompt with drinks and didn't seemed rushed. Other servers in the restaurant were also very chatty with the patrons and seemed calmed.
This is a great place to try out if you are in the Knoxville area and looking for good southern cooking with a flare.
Went to the Sapphire for brunch with the family.  The food was great, delicious and creative, especially for the price. There were subtle twists that showed initiative from the kitchen: savory sauce on the fritatta, dill cheese with the hamburger, chorizo in the cheese grits, cinnamon crème fraiche with the french toast.  We really enjoyed the food.
There were strange and interesting--but sadly untried--items on the drink menu including a $350 martini (with a 2.5 carat sapphire), varied pitchers of mojitos, and red and white sangria.
The two complaints we had were that the chairs were out of the IKEA "discomfort" section: plastic, confining, and purchased more for their appearance than their usefulness for sitting. Â The service seemed harried and made many mistakes on our order: it wasn't clear if this was due to the number of tables they were waiting.
Fantastic new menu and very well priced for the quality of food. Â Only con for the establishment is that on the weekends their DJ starts playing music very, very loud. Â It's not that big of a place so if you're planning to converse with your group of friends that time of night you better be outside.
Review Source:I had a great first experience at Sapphire! Â I heard so many awful things about this place, whether it was bad service, mediocre drinks, etc. Â I had a ketel one martini a little dirty with olives. Â It was perfect. Â After that I ordered a glass of a Cotes du Rhone, which was also wonderful! Â They had an amazing cheese plate. Â You got to choose 5 selections out of 10 options. Â They gave you a large amount of fruit which is normally rare.
I did see the bartender put splenda instead of sugar in a mojito which was disappointing. Â In other words, don't order the mojito.
Overall I had a great experience. Â This place is definitely a place I would go for drinks, not for dinner. Â The menu was small and there were not many choices but for a cheese plate and some drinks it is the perfect place. Â They also had a good looking patio. Â That is where I will try and sit next time.
My boyfriend and I decided to try Sapphire while visiting Knoxville last weekend. I have to disagree with the last review that compared Sapphire to a place you would find in NYC. I understand the concept Sapphire is trying to portray, but they fall short. The furniture is very IKEAish and the bathroom was suffering due to technical difficulties. On a positive note, I did think the art cases and hardwood detailing were very cool.
I have lived in Chicago for over 5 years now and have grown accustomed to Chicago prices, service and food. All of which I found unacceptable at Sapphire. I was shocked at the prices of drinks and food! My boyfriend ordered crab cakes, which they were out of, so he opted for the Seared Tuna. It was okay, but pretty bland. I love spicy tuna rolls and I figured I couldn't go wrong so I ordered it. It was the most expensive spicy tuna roll I have ever had, so I expected good things ($6 is the usual cost, at Sapphire they charge $8). I was sadly disappointed when I got my roll, the tuna was not spicy at all. This was the blandest thing I have ever tasted, and they just threw a dab of hot sauce on the top to make it "spicy." I seriously doubt this place even has a sushi chef.
The service left a LOT to be desired, unless you like sitting around waiting. The waitress brought me a glass of wine that I did not order. Instead of taking it off of the bill, she added another glass of wine to the bill. I was shocked to learn that she had worked there for a year, she seemed very nice but inefficient.
Oh, and they put a stamp on your hand when you walk in to signify that you are 21. Well, I am still looking at that stamp 3 days later, even after scrubbing. A quiet reminder of my disappointing experience at Sapphire.
Long story short, this place is trying to be something it is not. It wouldn't last a week in Chicago, let alone NYC. It actually doesn't seem to be very popular in Knoxville either, the place was deadsville.
This place gets five stars because of it would be cool in Atlanta. Â According to my Knox-friends, this is the equivalent of a "New York" bar for Knoxville. Â And I think they are right. Â It definitely has that shotgun layout like many New York bars I have been to- long and narrow. Â According to my friends this was once a jewelry store, and they have these cool old jewelry cases that were probably built in the 1930's. Â They now house lovely glasses and vases and such. Â
I can't comment on the food, but the menu looked very posh, a mix of many styles of cooking. Â The menu I saw had oysters, bruschetta, Caprese salad, Thai lettuce wraps, etc. Â
By the time we got there, though, it had gone from restaurant mode to bar mode. Â Everyone was mingling and checking each other out. Â The drinks were considered pricey by Knoxville standards, but right on the money for Atlanta folk who are accustomed to spending too much for drinks. Â They had an outside patio where everyone wanted to be, as it was such a nice evening, and there were a lot of people walking around since it's a block from the Tennessee Theatre and the Morrissey show had just got out. Â I talk about that man too much...
Overall it was a pretty cool place and would probably thrive in a bigger city, and seems to be doing very good here as well.
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