With an ever-evolving food culture, Knoxville has plenty of fantastic meals, drinks and desserts to try.

With so many bars, restaurants and food trucks serving up outstanding work, Knox News staffers came up with a list of the best things we ate and drank in East Tennessee this year.

If your New Year's resolution is to eat more local food, this list will get you started.

Food, brew and things to do: Check out new West Knoxville beer, unicorns and giant cookies

Aroma Café: papa rellena

Although not specifically in Knoxville, Aroma Café in Maryville is too good not to include.

Just about everything on the Cuban cuisine menu could qualify as a contender for someone's best meal in a year (seriously, try the Cuban).

But if we had to choose just one, the papa rellena (or "stuffed potato") takes the cake. These are stuffed mashed potato balls with ground beef that are breaded and deep fried before being topped by more ground beef. For only $3.49, it's "like a warm hug," according to Knox News reporter Becca Wright.

Address:  2570 E Broadway Ave., Maryville

Balter Beerworks: chicken bacon mac and cheese

Now more accessible with the Broadway viaduct open, Balter Beerworks has stellar American cuisine twists on its menu.

A standout and one of our picks is the chicken bacon mac and cheese priced at $14.95.

Filled with pasta, this dish is drenched with Sweetwater Farms buttermilk cheddar cheese sauce along with chicken, bacon, mushrooms, Roma tomatoes and green onions.

With this much pasta, it can serve as a meal for two or as leftovers the next day!

Address: 100 Broadway SW.

Barley's Taproom & Pizzeria: salmon rice bowl

Barley's Taproom & Pizzeria is (obviously) known for its pizza, but there are some surprisingly great alternatives on its menu.

One of our favorites from this year is the salmon rice bowl.

This bowl is served regular or Cajun style and features a 6 oz. cut of grilled Coho salmon on top of seasoned rice, Brussels sprouts, chickpeas, bacon and collard greens.

Market price varies, but it's worth ordering.

Address: 200 E. Jackson Ave.

Bernadette's Crystal Gardens: the Amethyst cocktail

Bernadette's Crystal Gardens is a West-family concept providing a fancier alternative to the Market Square bars, which includes crystal-themed cocktails for $12.

Our pick is the Amethyst cocktail. This purple cocktail is mixed with Empress Gin, ruby red grapefruit juice, honey syrup made in house and topped with a torched rosemary garnish.

Address: 26 Market Square

The Brass Pearl: shrimp 'n grits

The Brass Pearl has been open for less than a year, but it's quickly become a go-to spot, specifically for seafood.

Out of all the fish in a sea of menus, our pick for one of the best meals of the year is its shrimp 'n grits.

Priced at $28, the meal is exceptional with sautéed gulf shrimp cooked with Gifford's bacon, andouille sausage, peppers, onions and cheesy Marsh Hen grits. Editor Brenna McDermott said everything was "seasoned to perfection" and she was "impressed with both the quality and the quantity of this dish."

Address: 24 Market Square

Dia De Foods - Baja Burrito

For some food truck representation, Dia De Foods serves Mexican food out of an old school bus.

One of our picks is its Baja Burrito. At $12, the burrito features citrus marinated shrimp, rice, pico de gallo, chipotle aioli, avocado, pickled red onion cabbage slaw and basil. It's all wrapped up in a flour tortilla.

If that doesn't sell you, there was some debate over whether to substitute the chicken or the shrimp. Any way you'd like it, the Baja Burrito might become one of your favorite dishes for the year, too!

Address: Varies from week to week. Here's its schedule.

Honeybee Coffee: Scruffy Little Kitty beer

As it keeps growing, Honeybee Coffee has expanded to include its own beer alongside coffee and food. Full disclosure: It's co-owned by Knox News photo editor Jennifer Dedman.

We picked Honeybee beer in general, but there are several options to choose from, including Salute the Hill and Scruffy Little Kitty. There's a beer for everyone at Honeybee.

Address: 10716 Kingston Pike

J.C. Holdway - Prince Edward Island mussels

J.C. Holdway downtown uses fresh ingredients from local suppliers. Its menu includes a variety of dishes including pasta, meat, vegetables and seafood.

Because of that, the menu at J.C. Holdway changes based on the season and what's fresh. So while one of our favorite meals came from J.C. Holdway, you can't get it right now: the Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) mussels.

The specific dish was served in February and March and featured house sausage, white wine, butter and focaccia.

If you see P.E.I. mussels on the J.C. Holdway menu this spring, don't miss your chance to try it!

Address: 501 Union Ave.

Litton's Market and Restaurant: cheeseburger and strawberry cake

A north Knoxville classic for decades, Litton's Market and Restaurant is a must-stop for Knoxvillians new and old.

Unsurprisingly, the Litton's cheeseburger is a Knox News favorite meal of the year. If you want a sweet treat to pair with it, order a slice of strawberry cake with cream cheese icing.

Address: 2803 Essary Drive

The Original Louis' Restaurant and Drive-in: baked spaghetti

The Original Louis' Restaurant has been serving north Knoxville for almost 70 years, positioned right at the Old Broadway Exit 6 off of Interstate 640.

Only available on its dinner menu, the baked spaghetti with meatballs, pepperonis and mushrooms is one of our favorite meals. With all three added, the price is $26, but it's worth it for one of Knoxville's older establishments.

Address: 4661 Old Broadway

Oakwood BBQ: pulled pork sandwich with potato salad

With barbecue present in every part of the state, there are a lot of options to choose from. But you don't have to go far to try the Oakwood BBQ food truck.

Oakwood BBQ serves brisket, turkey, ribs and pork in plates and sandwiches, but our favorite is the pulled pork sandwich plate with a side of potato salad. For about $12, this is one of the best pork sandwiches in Knoxville paired with a stellar side.

Address: It varies based on the season. Check its Facebook for where it'll be.

Pizzeria Nora: Gino Pizza and tiramisu

Changing it up, Knox News has two favorite dishes from Pizzeria Nora, a local pizza place open 5:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday in north Knoxville.

The Gino Pizza is topped with Kalamata olives, tomato sauce, garlic, olive oil, chili flakes, oregano, parmesan and pecorino Romano. It's $18, and we suggest replacing the Kalamata olives with Sicilian olives.

The house-made tiramisu is perfectly proportioned with coffee, lady fingers, whipped cream and cocoa powder.

Address: 2400 N Central St.

Ruby Sunshine: French toast bites

Switching gears to breakfast dishes, Ruby Sunshine has some great offerings for your first meal of the day.

A favorite meal of ours is the French toast bites. These Brioche-based bites are fried and tossed in cinnamon sugar and served with cream cheese icing and praline sauce. For $11, there might not be a better way to start your morning.

Address: 37 Market Square

Taqueria La Herradura: taquito plate

With two locations and food trucks, Taqueria La Herradura provides plentiful plates of tacos, burritos and mulitas.

We love the taquito plate, which for $12 comes stacked with three chicken and potato fried taquitos with a side of refried pinto beans, rice, sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes and lettuce.

If you haven't tried Taqueria La Herradura, you can't go wrong with anything on the menu, especially the taquito plate.

Address: 2625 N. Broadway or 7063 Kingston Pike

Tennessee Tap House: brunch menu

Way over in west Knoxville near Chesapeake's West, Tennessee Tap House features local and regional beers alongside its own food menu.

But we're not taking a look at the burgers and pizza it offers. Instead, one of our favorites comes in the form of brunch.

Every Sunday 11 a.m.-2 p.m., the restaurant serves a surprisingly good brunch. Our favorite is the country fried chicken, gravy and biscuit combo for $12.50.

Address: 350 N. Peters Road.

Tern Club: Publicly Private Cocktail

Our final favorite from 2022 is a cocktail with a fundraising twist.

Back in June, Tern Club partnered with Publicly Private, a nonprofit organization supporting people in the LGBTQ community. For this, the cocktail bar made a specialty cocktail for one day only with gin, passionfruit, Cassis liqueur, Suze bitters and lemon. It's not available on the regular menu.

If you get a chance to try this fruity cocktail (maybe next June), go for it. Even six months later, we can't stop thinking about it!

Address: 135 S. Gay St.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville restaurants: The best things we ate and drank in 2022