When the neon's on, the dough is out
Late-night doughnuts,
out the back door.
A walk-up window in the Old City behind Lonesome Dove. Warm, yeasted doughnuts in new savory and sweet flavors, made fresh and sold straight to the street until they're gone.
What comes out the back door
The flavors change
every weekend.
Doughnuts are built from whatever the kitchen is playing with that week, so the board is never the same twice. One weekend it's savory, the next it's sweet, often both. Here's the kind of thing that's come out the window.
Savory
- Chicken wing doughnut Blue cheese fondue filling, hot sauce glaze
- Grilled pheasant & crispy duck skin With pickled celery
- Nacho doughnut A fried yeast round gone fully savory
Sweet
- Grilled lemon curd Vanilla glaze, blueberries, mint
- Cream-filled Light, soft, the one that melts
- Chocolate custard Rich, glazed, late-night company
Want to know what's on this weekend? Check the latest on Instagram.
A dozen, roughly
Hand-glazed, one at a time.
Illustrations stand in for the real thing while we gather window photos.
When the neon's on
We're a weekend,
after-dark thing.
The window opens late and stays open until the trays are empty. If the neon sign is glowing out back, the Back Dough is open. If it's dark, we sold out, come earlier next time.
Hours can shift with the season and we close once we're sold out, so Instagram has the final word each weekend.
The back of the house
A doughnut window behind a western bistro.
Back Dough is the late-night side project of chef Tim Love, served out the back door of Lonesome Dove Western Bistro on the corner of Jackson and Central in the Old City. There's no dining room and no menu printed in advance, just a window, a handwritten sign, and whatever the kitchen felt like frying that night.
It started as something to do for fun rather than a business, and it still runs that way: warm yeasted doughnuts, new flavors every weekend, sold straight to the sidewalk until they're gone.
Good to know
Before you walk up.
When are you actually open?
Friday and Saturday nights, roughly 8:30 to 11:00 PM, and we close early if we sell out. Hours move around with the season, so Instagram has the current word.
Where's the window?
Around the back of Lonesome Dove at 100 N Central St, on the corner of Jackson and Central in the Old City. Look for the glowing neon and the handwritten sign.
How do I order?
Walk up to the window and order off whatever's on the board that night. No app, no reservation. Cards and cash are both fine.
What flavors will you have?
It changes every weekend, savory some nights, sweet others, often both. We post the lineup on Instagram before the window opens.
Is there parking?
Yes. Old City Lot South and Old City Lot North are a short walk, and the I-40 Lot East is close too. All three are free on nights and weekends.
Can I order ahead or get a large batch?
The window runs first-come, until sold out. For anything bigger, send a DM on Instagram and ask.
Ask the window
Got a question for us?
The fastest answer to "what's on this weekend" is always Instagram. For anything else, drop a note here and we'll get back to you.
@backdoughknoxvilleFind the window
Old City, around the back.
100 N Central StKnoxville, TN 37902
Corner of Jackson & Central, behind Lonesome Dove
No public phone line, the window runs on foot traffic. DM @backdoughknoxville with anything you need.
Free nearby parking: Old City Lot South, Old City Lot North, and the I-40 Lot East, all a short walk on nights and weekends.
Open in Google Maps