My family and I were seated within 5 minutes of waiting. Our waitress was really nice and patient with us and our 3 year old twin boys. The food came out piping hot. My kids got a hotdog and tater tot's, along with a grilled cheese sandwich and fries. My husband got the 11oz bacon cheeseburger with fries. I got the chicken burger with sweet potato fries. This is our 4th time being here and we love it! Definitely love the ambiance and the pinball machines out in the front. Was disappointed the candy machine and the claw machine didn't work. We will definitely be back. read more

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Johnny B Good all the way to Alcoa Tennessee. I had read some review on Yelp, - Thank you fellow Yelpers! and had Hot Rod's 50's Diner on my list. We pulled into the parking lot, and I could hear my compadre, RIP, say to me, ' Si está ocupado, va a ser bueno." If its busy, its going to be good. The parking lot was full and the inside of the restaurant was busy. We walked in and our Mom who was a teenager during the 50's loved the decor and signage and my brother immediately gravitated towards the pinball machines. We sat down at a booth. The booths are a little tight if you're tall and have had a couple of cheeseburgers over the years. The good news is that the table is moveable Our server Finch was delightful. By the way, it was her Birthday on the day we were there and even though she was working on her Birthday, she was still having a lot of fun. The regular menu is HUGE. I'm not talking Cheesecake Factory HUGE, I'm talking about triple that...... There's about 50 different burgers and I'm probably missing some. There's burger with a fried bologna slice and american cheese There's a burger with Military Chow The menu is clear to understand but there's an overwhelming amount of choices. I didn't see the vegan menu in the regular menu so I politely asked Finch for the vegan menu, and she skipped back to me with it. Wow - A lot of choices as well. Hot Rod's uses Beyond Meat for some of their burgers but they also custom craft their veggie burgers. The vegan cheese on my burger was most likely Follow Your Heart or Violife, but it was properly melted. The Beyond Burger was a frozen slab without any seasoning but cooked through. I would have preferred some seasoning but hey - I'm not going to knock it. The portion of fries is massive. The vegan ranch is Follow Your Heart and was a nice dipping sauce for the fries. My brother had a buffalo chicken sandwich and my mom had the reuben. We all shared the vegan banana split. Hot Rod 50's Diner as stated by another Yelp reviewer may be the best diner in the United States. read more

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Great place for a burger, 50s vibe. Skip the glazed donut burger, not worth it. Great milkshakes.

The food is fresh and cooked to order. The service was nice and our server was very nice. The ambiance is very casual and is cool with the oldie stuff inside the restaurant read more

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This is one of the best diners in America. Full stop. The interior is a cornucopia of 50s plus memorabilia. It's practically a museum. Pinball machines. Small tvs showing commercials and shows from the 50s. 80 different burger choices means you're going to spend some time with the menu. Service (Keana) was off the charts. Attentive. Friendly. Fast. A chocolate malt to die for. Sides include cheesy grits for crying out loud. That burger? There are no words. Very good prices. If you're in the area do not miss a chance at perfection. read more

Hot Rods 50's Diner - Pastrami burger cheese grits malt - American Near Me - Alcoa, Tennessee

Burgers weren't that great (maybe it was just an off day when we went, but they were pretty dry and didn't taste as if they had much of any seasoning). The fries were good though and their Caesar salad was delicious! I liked that they had fry seasoning at the table to add to your desire. The inside of the place is cool looking with that old school diner look. Service was good on the day we went. Overall would go back if I was craving a salad and fries vibe, but probably wouldn't do a burger again. read more

First off, our server, Marian, was what we needed for the day. She took excellent care of us, which made the meal better. She took our orders and we didn't have to wait or ask for anything. The tuna melt tasted like mom made it! Thanks for a nice lunch, Hot Rods. The price was reasonable, the restaurant is cozy, and the service was exceptional. read more

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Super fun atmosphere, endless menu options, any burger topping you can think of they probably have it! Tons of desserts. Banana split was great. Prices aren't bad. read more

Service is Fantastic!! Food is Great!! Menu extensive. Only problem seating is crowded. read more

The initial reaction was "this place looks really cool". I love the "oldies" diner theme and this place didn't disappoint with the atmosphere. The second reaction was not so great. We entered and waited to be seated, to which we were ignored as staff walked past. Finally a young lady quietly asked if he had been helped and then seated us. The menu is a lot to take in, with so many choices. We started with the fried pimento cheese balls - we give these a 2 star rating; super greasy and the sauce was not the best. I ordered "The General Forster" and added bacon and jalapeños; this burger was delicious! Throughout our visit, the waitress assigned to our table was semi-attentive, but didn't check in very often once food was delivered. Overall the rating I'm giving is a four - it's deserved by the food alone and the missing star is due to service. Still worth a visit and we probably will visit again. read more

Hot Rods 50's Diner - The General Forster, with bacon and jalapeños added. - American Near Me - Alcoa, Tennessee

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I hadn't been to Hotrods in a number of years. In the past, the food was always outstanding. I decided to try their Club Sandwich and tots. The tots were good but the sandwich was terrible. The meat was dry and tasted like it looked. There were only four other people in the restaurant so they were not busy. Will never try it again. The service was fine. read more

Hot Rods 50's Diner - Hot Rod Club Sandwich - American Near Me - Alcoa, Tennessee

We use to go here when the kids were young. My daughter, so in-law and granddaughter was in town from Austria. Though we would do a like nostalgia, what a big mistake. The food was very under par and cold. I was in the marine corps, our mystery meet was more noticeable and eatable than the so called meatloaf. My wife wanted a good tenderloin, so the hog was the answer or was it. It was more like a breaded pork sandwich. They did comp the meal , but I would have rather had food we could eat. The manager offered us a free dessert, we declined. Wouldn't have been worth eating, if we was using what we was served as a gage. read more

This place is a trip. It has an enormous menu. Two entire pages are burgers and more than a few were tempting. Ultimately, I decide to try a variety of smaller offerings to get a taste of what they were doing here. I started with the sweet potato fries that were served with pulled pork, bbq sauce and cole slaw. Unfortunately the pork was like shoe leather. The rest of the dish was fine. Next up, a cup of their chili, which was really good. It had a different flavor profile - maybe cinnamon used to give it a different taste? Not sure, but I enjoyed it and would get it again. Then I got one of their all beef hotdogs, split in two and stuffed with cheese, then wrapped in bacon and deep fried. The bun was buttered and toasted on the grille. Perfection! And finally, I washed that down with a brown cow root beer float. There were many other items on the menu that caught my eye, so if I ever make it down this way again, I will return. read more

Hot Rods 50's Diner - The "Woody" Dog - American Near Me - Alcoa, Tennessee

Wait staff and atmosphere are great. Our burgers weee a little tough, but other than that they were great. I got the bourbon burger (onions were perfect and bacon was salty goodness) and my husband got a blue cheese burger with ribbon fries. For dessert we had the fried honeybun sundae and it was everything I wanted it to be!! read more

We both went with a classic cheeseburger. Easy, right? Wrong! We ordered medium, hoping for medium well. It was charred beyond recognition. The jukebox was fake--no choice in music. The service was slow, but friendly. From those pouring in after church, I'm thinking the 5 reviews are locals without many options. Better off to head to Hardin Valley or West Knoxville. read more

Can I just say this restaurant is freaking awesome! We showed up with hungry threeagers and the staff were amazing! Everyone in our party could pick what they wanted because the menu has so many options!!!! All the food was great! Huge serving sizes and the restaurant theme was excellent! Lots of different decorations, pictures, and memorabilia to keep playing I spy! Excellent worth the drive and $$$$ read more

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I was working close by and saw this place on YELP. It looked interesting so I decided to give it a try. I travel with work and really like trying local restaurants, especially nostalgic, vintage diners and drive ins. The decor is perfectly charming and spot on. The service was great as well as the food. I had a cheeseburger and fries and thought they were amazing. It was cold when I was there so I didn't get a chance to experience the outdoor dining area but it looked nice. It was definitely worth checking out. read more

This was one of the very first restaurants with vegan options that we discovered on our initial visit to the Knoxville area. Our server was also vegan, and he gave us lots of tips! They have an ENTIRE vegan menu, be sure to ask for it. The menu also notes items that are also Gluten Free, which could be an example to restaurants everywhere. There are so many options! They serve Beyond Burgers, which I'm not a fan of, but also serve two other homemade vegan burgers that I hope they never retire! I think the black bean is my favorite, but I'll gladly eat either one. The tip our original server gave us was to order the homemade patties cooked for 14 minutes, which we always do! For a side I usually order the "ribbon fries" because I think that means the thin French fries. Each time I'm wrong, and they come out as "spiralized" potatoes, fried, that are more like potato chips. Next time I'm ordering traditional fries. Nothing against the ribbon fries, I'm just more of a French fry gal! We've brought out of town guests, and they just love the 50s vibe. I've never been disappointed in anything I've gotten here. read more

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Been here several times enjoyed each time Food is good although sometimes slow to get our food but all in all well worth going will continue going read more

Went here the other day with 3 other people. The service was great our server was on top of everything. We had a French dip a burger a chicken Parmesan and a Reuben. The Reuben is served like a club sandwich. The taste was good but odd set up for it. The sandwiches and chicken Parm were all excellent. The issue were the fries, these things were terrible all were ordered crispy and it seemed they had too much in the fryer because they were no where close to crispy. They use shoe string type fries which are terrible if not cooked properly. I really wanted to enjoy the fries but just could not. We will go back again just will not order the fries. read more

This place is a great value overall!! The shakes were amazing! We loved the fried green tomatoes, the onion rings were excellent! Our burgers were all delicious! Our servers were friendly and prompt!! We loved the ambiance here and all the 50's memorabilia.. the prices were very fair! We will definitely be back!! read more

Hot Rods 50's Diner - Atmosphere!! - American Near Me - Alcoa, Tennessee

1st here and will be back. Amazing selection off the menu. Could come here every night for 6-months and have something different every time. read more

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The place is truly a throwback 50's Diner. The food is really good. Sandwiches are served with a mountain of fries (1#) on real plates. I'd have given the place 5 stars but for the service. Though our was order was taken quickly and the food served hot and fast. Once we received it we never saw our server again. No is everything good, No would you like more water. Nothing. We were eating outside and maybe that was the issue. Finally when a server from another table came out we asked her if she could track down our server. We then waited another 10 minutes for her to come out and if we needed anything. In all about 40 minutes between visits. read more

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We were welcomed right in. Started with Poutine fries. They were a little salty but pretty good. We got a tuna melt with chili, Cadillac Hoagie with Mac and cheese and the Monte Cristi donuts burger with sweet potato fries. The burger was a hit, the donuts was sweet glazed donut goodness. Hoagie was good Mac and cheese was homemade slightly salty. The tuna melt was average I would have like tomatoes on it. The chili I personally did not like. It almost tasted like it had beer in it. The establishment is rather loud. The service was ok the server was nice enough. read more

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While visiting Tennessee, we stopped here for lunch. It was absolutely delicious. I'm vegetarian but the rest of the people with me aren't. Everyone was able to find something delicious. The service was wonderful. My boyfriend and his dad really loved the ambiance of the place. They were definitely interested in the pinball machines. Overall, we definitely want to visit again the next time we're in town. read more

Hot Rods 50's Diner - Black bean burger with pimento cheese - American Near Me - Alcoa, Tennessee

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Pricey, but the burgers are always good along with the staff never have a problem when I come here

If you want a solid hamburger, this is the place to come. But be prepared to be overwhelmed, their menu is extensive and that's an understatement. They have so many hamburgers it's unbelievable. Additionally, they offer many many different malts and shakes and desserts. The food quality was good, the service was good, the environment was very unique. It's a staple in the community and for what it is it's very good. I'll be back. read more

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I will make this short and sweet, came here for the 4.4 reviews and wanted to give it a shot. We order the pastrami sandwich and the cheeseburger sliders with drinks. Good news - The place was clean and wait staff were friendly Menu is broad (actually too much so, better to limit it and do a smaller list of offerings well) Nice tunes Bad news - Food was not hot when it arrived Small portions for these options Wait for the food was over 20 minutes Price was $32 without tip, for what we ordered - no thanks Side of cole slaw was maybe 1/2 cup, very stingy At the end of the day, we did not get it, the prior ratings. No doubt some of the menu items may be better but our experience was a no return, sorry. read more

Excellent food! Great Cool cars atmosphere! everything there is just family cooking!

My husband and I had dinner here and it was delicious. I had the Mac cheese burger and he had the cowboy burger. The food was great and service was superb! Would definitely recommend this diner. read more

Amazing selection on the menu. I finally selected the Gorgonzola Burger with fries. Amazing! Topped it off with a Vanilla Chai Tea Milkshake to go, and it was a great treat. read more

Food option and service was good. Overall a nice experience as we flew into Knoxville and stopped in going to Gatlinburg. Stars was the reason we stopped in and agree it's a 4.5 read more

Huge selection of old and new comfort food dishes. Atmosphere definitely takes you back to the 1950's and service is good.

The menu has so many items on it that you should be able to claim it as a read book once you have looked it over. I'm not sure how the chef can make so many items. The decor of the place is just like the name of the restaurant- a 1950's diner. The employees were all great. We had the Reuben Club & Open Face Pit Roast Sandwich. Unfortunately, neither was at a 1950's price. Each was $12.99 with the cokes being $3.29. Overall, it was all pretty good. Prices just seemed a bit steep. read more

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Have visited several times-husband likes the food. I go reluctantly- DO NOT care for the food. Service was very good, waitress very attentive (we were there on Monday 8-18). Had onion rings appetizer - I choked down 1/2 of one- tasted like it had been fried in rancid, over used oil. Got Caribbean salad for entree- the only thing 'tropical' was the 1 slice of canned pineapple that had been 'grilled' on one side only for about 2 seconds. Took leftovers home & pitched them out- no amount of home 'doctoring' was gonna save it. And, my biggest gripe is THE MENU IS TOO BIG- cut it down to 1/4 the size & you will still have plenty to sell. So sorry for the bad review- love the idea of your place but just not the reality. read more

This is what Johnny Rocket's was as a kid (exception being that Johnny Rocket's as an adult SUUUUCKS). This place is amazing and kitschy and I love it. Food is delicious, menu is enormous, the people were gracious and friendly despite the stress they were under. Just a great place to go!! read more

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If you're looking for a fun, 50s themed classic diner vibe, this is the place to go. Great atmosphere and a menu so long that you're gonna need extra time to read it all (highly recommend looking at the menu before you go!). They have some to fancy everyone's taste buds, from classic diner favorites to what it seems like an endless hot dog and burger menu, and even Italian classics, and of course you can forget the salads, there's literally something for EVERYONE, even a VEGETARIAN/VEGAN menu. You also can't go to a diner without the classic desserts and shakes. Our food overall was pretty great. My only complaint was I thought the onion rings were a bit over saturated in oil but everything else was delicious. We decided to go the more classic diner route with country fried steak with candied carrots (which were my favorite) and the fried fish and shrimp with a side of grits. The grits were on the sweeter side for cheddar grits but were nicely cooked. Of course we had to have a strawberry banyan milkshake to top off our visit. I will 100% be back again. Service was friendly and a fun experience for all! read more

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Excellent food. Atmosphere is great. Milk shakes are huge. French fries are too plentiful. Service always attentive. So many hamburger choices. read more

Food was good! Staff were pretty nice. Loved the 50s music playing and all the decor. Would come back! read more

Hot Rods 50's Diner - Decoration - American Near Me - Alcoa, Tennessee

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Delicious steak burgers. We ordered their Classics, General Forester (with pimento cheese) and Cowboy (mushrooms on provolone cheese and grilled onions). They were all delicious!! Not one of us had anything left!! From $11.99 for the Classic up. The appetizer was their pimento cheese balls and DIP is delicious and we even dipped their homemade onion rings into. The potato strings were like potato chips but all one piece. Neat if you like chips!! Great home cooking. The bonus was our waitress, Janelle! She was wonderful!! Was too full to order dessert so that will have to wait for our next visit. read more