Takeout on Watts Bar Lake

A packed, colorful street taco spot in Harriman that people drive an hour for and visit multiple times a week once they find it.

Wizapa's Street Tacos is a Mexican restaurant on Roane State Highway in Harriman, named for and inspired by Antonio Garcia Alcala, a taquero who operated in Degollado, Jalisco for 56 years. Open six days with a split-hour schedule. The place is frequently at capacity; online ordering is available.

A Rockwood Mexican restaurant that runs fast, keeps portions honest, and has regulars from out of state who make a point of stopping.

El Morral is in the Walmart corridor of Rockwood, open seven days a week from 11 AM. Fresh, consistent Mexican food with a full bar, attentive service, and regulars who moved from California and describe it as the real thing.

A small Mexican restaurant in Kingston that has built a steady following on quesabirria tacos and an unusually deep vegetarian section.

Chicken Loco is a Mexican restaurant on North Kentucky Street in Kingston, open daily 10 AM to 10 PM. The kitchen turns out well-seasoned plates and a vegetarian menu that runs deeper than most restaurants in the area carry.

A newer Harriman pizza shop making fresh-dough pies with real mozzarella, in a plain room that lets the food carry the experience.

A pizza restaurant on Griffith Drive near Harriman, open seven days until 9 PM (Sunday until 6 PM), making fresh pies with quality cheese, a thin New Jersey-style crust, Chicago deep dish, calzones, wings, and a full slice option.

Kingston's Chinese takeout spot, unpretentious on the outside and reliable on the inside.

Mei Wei is a Chinese restaurant on Martin Street in Kingston. Locals call it Mei Wei; the address number 100 appears in the Google listing as a name artifact. The kitchen turns out reliably good Chinese-American food. Open six days, closed Sundays.