Heard the gossip? Chismoso will bring American food with a Mexican twist to Gay Street

Have you heard what's coming to Gay Street?

Chismoso Cocktails and Comida, a new bar and restaurant that will offer Mexican spins on American food, is aiming to be the talk of the town.

"Chismoso means a person who gossips, so I guess our play on that is how when people go out to dinner, go out to drink – women, men, friends, whatever – that's what they do. Get together and gossip," co-owner Emmanuel Perez said.

The restaurant is aiming for a spring 2024 opening, but could get delayed due to permitting and renovations at the 131 S. Gay St. space. Anaba Japanese Cuisine previously operated there before it closed.

Chismoso will offer 'Mexicanized American food'

Perez and co-owner Corbin Azambuja work for Perez's parents at Monterrey Mexican Restaurant. The two run the seasonal location at the Waterside Marina at Norris Lake and they're a part of the Pop Up food truck at Merchants of Beer. By branching out on their own, Chismoso will let them experiment with the food and drinks.

The menu is still being finalized, but Perez and Azambuja shared a couple of ideas including Smash Burguesas (their Mexican take on smash burgers) and Mexican chicken wings using Mexican hot sauce as a base.

"A lot of newer, trendier Mexican places will do Americanized Mexican food," Azambuja said. "We wanted to flip that and do Mexicanized American food."

They will test out some of their experiments at the food truck.

The cocktail menu will rotate, with a heavy emphasis on tequila and mezcal drinks, including Mexican-infused classic cocktails and classics like margaritas. They're excited to serve the Cantarito, a drink from the Mexican state of Jalisco served in a clay cup and made with fresh juices.

"We're being really picky with our tequila, too. A lot of them are Mexican-owned, so we're not doing any celebrity tequilas," Perez said. "All the tequila we're procuring is (distilled) probably like 35 minutes to an hour from where my parents are from. We will definitely be traveling to Mexico."

Chatting in person or over the phone at Chismoso

Along with cleaning and getting equipment, Chismoso will need to paint over a giant anime mural on the wall.

This new venture will give Perez and Azambuja the freedom to design the restaurant however they want. One aspect of their design plans will lean into the gossip theme with telephones they've collected, including rotary phones, uniquely designed phones and old payphones.

They want to capture an atmosphere that's approachable and accessible. Chismoso will be a place without a dress code, somewhere folks can come casually to enjoy time with friends or dress up a little bit to enjoy a nice evening.

Chismoso Cocktails and Comida doesn't have a set opening date yet. When it does open, Knoxville will have a new place to spill the tea over cocktails.

Keenan Thomas reports for the Knox News business growth and development team. You can reach him by email at [email protected].

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Chismoso Cocktails Comida restaurant coming to downtown Knoxville