About Bistro at the Bijou

The Bistro was originally opened in 1980 in its current location on Gay Street in downtown Knoxville, TN. Martha Boggs—a Ducktown, TN native and graduate of the University of Tennessee—began managing The Bistro at the Bijou in 1993. In 2009 she became owner. The restaurant quickly gained a reputation for providing fresh, made-from-scratch meals in a quaint, urban setting. In the 90s Martha started to grow a variety many of vegetables on her small farm and began to incorporate the traditional, seasonal offerings—like okra, tomatoes, and eggplants—into her dishes. Nearly two decades later, the "farm to table" movement went mainstream. She creates two seasonal menus a year focusing on regionally-sourced cuisine prepared in simple, traditional ways, but also gets creative with her daily chalkboard specials.