"We've got so many good high-end restaurants that this is just a great addition to, hey, we go out to dinner, and then let's go have a drink." Alice Basler said that to WATE in an October 5, 2026 report. She opened Wells Tavern on East Broadway on September 19.
Basler has lived in Maryville for more than 20 years. She described the gap behind her new business plainly: "We don't really have anywhere to go, especially if you've gone out to dinner and you want to go somewhere else. We don't really want to go to Knoxville all the time."
That one sentence explains this year in downtown Maryville. Most of the 2026 openings didn't add more places to eat dinner. They added places to go once dinner is over. A downtown evening used to end when the check arrived. Now it can stretch into a second stop, and that changes how the whole night is planned.
Dinner Was Already Handled
Downtown had good dinner options before this year, and the newest restaurants add to that base. The Raven, a steakhouse at 211 W. Broadway Ave., was already open by November 2025. Its menu centers on USDA Prime steaks, seafood starters and towers, and caviar service. The main dining room takes reservations. The lounge takes walk-ins for cocktails. That split already gave downtown a bit of an after-dinner room, though it sat inside a dinner restaurant.
The Raven also posts a happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, with bar bites and no reservation needed.
Pinchy's Lobster & Raw Bar at 508 High St. is the newer dinner option. WATE's October roundup counted it among recent downtown openings. Pinchy's Maryville page describes a restaurant with more than 200 seats serving New England fare, sushi and raw oysters, with live music and outdoor dining. A restaurant that size with a live music lineup sits somewhere between dinner and the stop after.
So dinner was never the problem. The problem was the second half of the night, and that's where most of this year's activity has landed.
Where the Second Stop Lives Now
Three downtown businesses now cover the after-dinner hours. They sit in two pockets: East Broadway, and the stretch of Ellis Avenue a few blocks off it.
| Spot | Address | Opened | What's there | Posted hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wells Tavern | 114 E. Broadway Ave. | Sept. 19, 2026 | Scottish-inspired food and drinks, rooftop bar over Broadway, patio stage for live music | Tue–Thu 11 a.m.–11 p.m.; Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–midnight; Sun 11 a.m.–9 p.m. |
| The Armory | 496 Ellis Ave. | July 20, 2026 | 27,000 sq. ft. of games, restaurant, two bars, rooftop deck | 11 a.m.–11 p.m. daily |
| Daisy's Non-Alcoholic Bar & Bottle Shop | 608 Ellis Ave. | Fall 2025 | Mocktails, nonalcoholic beer and wine, kombucha, board and card games | Check its event calendar |
Each one handles the second stop differently.
Wells Tavern is the one built most directly for an after-dinner drink, according to its owner. Its website describes a rooftop bar and a ground-level patio with a stage for live music and special events. Its Friday and Saturday hours run to midnight, the latest posted closing time on this list.
The Armory is the option for groups who would rather do something than sit. Blount Tourism's July roundup of new openings lists duckpin bowling, digital darts, a nine-hole putting course, shuffleboard, bocce, skeet shooting, yard games and ValoArena mixed reality, which tracks players' movements without headsets or controllers. The rooftop deck and two bars mean you can treat it as a place for a drink and skip the games. The Armory's site also takes reservations for birthdays and company events, so a weekend night may overlap with a private party.
Daisy's opened in fall 2025 and held its ribbon cutting in January. It brings a neighborhood-bar feel without the alcohol: handcrafted mocktails, mocktail flights, casual food, and games around the bar. Its rotating calendar includes live music, trivia, comedy, brunches, wellness programs and creative classes. For anyone driving home, or anyone who simply doesn't drink, Daisy's makes the second stop more than a soda at someone else's bar.
Height is the quieter change. Wells Tavern's rooftop looks out over Broadway, and The Armory has its own rooftop deck. Downtown Maryville has gained places to sit outside above the street in the same season it gained places to stay out later.
Which Night You Go Changes the Plan
Once a second stop is part of the evening, the day of the week starts to matter. The posted hours don't line up neatly.
- Monday: The Raven's posted dinner hours include Monday from 4 to 10 p.m., with happy hour from 4 to 6. Wells Tavern's posted hours start on Tuesday, so Monday isn't on its schedule. The Armory's printed hours run daily.
- Tuesday: The opposite case. Wells Tavern is open Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. The Raven's posted dinner schedule skips Tuesday.
- Wednesday and Thursday: Every stop on this list has posted evening hours. The Raven serves until 10 p.m. and runs happy hour from 4 to 6, while Wells Tavern and The Armory stay open until 11.
- Friday and Saturday: The latest nights. The Raven serves until 11 p.m. and Wells Tavern stays open until midnight.
- Sunday: The earliest night. The Raven closes at 9 p.m. and so does Wells Tavern.
These are posted hours from each business and from a February 2026 Blount Tourism listing, and new places often adjust their schedules in their first few months. Check before a specific night out.
The Pieces Still Behind a Fence
Downtown Maryville Alliance executive director Amanda Gillooly told WATE that downtown has "changed significantly over the past three years." She credited the change to vacant older buildings being restored, with construction "finishing up" and businesses "just starting to open up." The Alliance's Downtown Improvement Grant has paid for facade improvements at 12 properties. She was also clear about who the work is for:
"I'm not necessarily trying to get people to move here, but I want the people who either grew up here or live here currently, have lived here for many years, I want them to come explore downtown."
A few things are still unfinished.
The planned downtown hotel is the biggest one. Gillooly said there is no timeline for completion, and that the project could include a full-service hotel and a rooftop bar. For now the site is a construction zone. She tied the hotel to downtown's event venues: White Star Station, the Capitol Theatre and SkyView at Broadway Social. SkyView, at 101 E. Broadway Ave., is described as an event venue. We couldn't confirm whether it has public walk-in hours outside booked events.
An earlier WBIR report said Jersey Hustle Pizzeria was under construction alongside Pinchy's at 508 High St. As of early October, its official site still lists only its Pigeon Forge and Sevierville locations. The WATE roundup's list of recent openings doesn't include it. Until it opens, treat it as coming rather than here.
Gillooly also said more downtown buildings are available for sale or lease. So the after-dinner list in the table above will probably keep changing.
Our family has watched downtown Maryville's older buildings sit empty, and now we're watching them fill with rooftops and patio stages. A busier downtown evening changes what living within a short drive of Broadway is worth. If you own a home near downtown and want to see how that shows up in your number, Mandy B. Street can walk you through it. Get Your Instant Home Valuation and we'll talk through what's changing near you.
