This restaurant feels like new Japanese, a western twist. We had the crab cakes, which were delicious with a side of roasted beets and edamame. We also had the drunken noodles and the spicy chicken steamed buns. I will say that the portions feel small for the apps and buns. Entrées are filling. Some of the meat in the drunken noodles were tough, others was nice and soft. Service was good. Ambiance is small and feels quaint, they have a patio outside in the back. 8/10 read more

Kaizen - Drunken Pork Noodles - Asian Fusion Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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You can find Kaizen at 127 S Central Ave Knoxville, TN 37902. This is in Knoxville's revitalized Old City. There's some street parking but most of it appears to be pay-to-park. There are several nearby lots also pay-to-park but some may be free on weekends. Kaizen appears to me to be more akin to an Izakaya than a noodle hosue, where you basically go for drinks and they supply some food to keep things going - it has a more expansive menu than an Izakaya (which tends to be yakitori and sushi) - Kaizen's menu features several noodle dishes which all looked very interesting. We started with the appetizers and ordered some mixed steamed buns and soup. All of the buns that I tried I liked quite a bit - some strong, distinctive flavors. For an entree I ordered the Koji-Cured Ribeye medium-rare - 12 oz sliced ribeye, gai lan, broad bean paste, steamed rice. The steak was cooked perfectly. The service was exceptional - the next night we tried Fin-Two Japanese Ale House across the street - this restaurant was my preference - the flavors seemed more authentic and the quality of the dishes better in my opinion. read more

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Still mystified by the high ratings here. There are so many good Asian restaurants (though not downtown, I admit) that give many more options and are just tastier. Also this trip we noted how many of the dishes are SPICY. read more

Cute little Japanese restaurant in Old City. Service was good and the food was between 4 and 5 stars, but I'll go with 4 (for reasons explained below). We went for lunch, which they serve on weekends using the same menu as for dinner. It's nice that they offer many "tapas" style small plates, so you can try various things. We started with the red curry crab cakes. The cakes were tasty, although we didn't get a lot of red curry coming through. They went well with the beets and edamame served along with the crab cakes. It's a nice combo both because you get sort of a side salad to balance the crab cakes, and because the beets and edamame are great when shared in the same bite with a piece of crab cake. Plus visually, it makes a beautiful dish! Also beautiful were our mochi buns, one bang bang shrimp and one shitake mushroom. Both were quite tasty, but the bang bang shrimp was my favorite. We also had the noodles with chicken and lemongrass teriyaki sauce. This one was a little disappointing. It wasn't bad and it got better as it sat for a little and the flavors melded together more. But again, we got zero lemongrass coming through in the teriyaki sauce. The sauce itself was a little too salty. The chicken (thighs) also could have been better. The noodles were good and the saving grace of the dish was the crispy wontons on top, which provided a nice contrasting crunch. Overall an enjoyable experience, but a little mixed. read more

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I went here on a Wednesday night. I found a paid public parking lot across the street which was super convenient except that the price to park was a bit high so you may want to plan to go early to drive around to find better parking. We were able to be sat quickly without a reservation that day which was lucky and nice! Lots of choices on the menu and great for sharing! We started out with our own Bao buns. I got the mushroom one and it was very good!! We both shared the dry fry eggplant which were like fries and had a good spicy kick to them. Very delicious. We also got fried rice with bang bang shrimp. It came with an over easy egg that we broke before digging in - yum!!! Lots of flavor and very good! I'm excited to come back and try more items from the menu!! read more

Kaizen - Bang Bang Shrimp Fried Rice - Asian Fusion Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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Overall quality was fabulous and portions were perfect! Spice level on this drunken noodle with pork was higher than expected with all the chilli in it but overall flavor was top tier! Would definitely go here again, the appetizers looked great also. read more

Kaizen - Drunken Pork Noodles - Asian Fusion Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Went here last week and loved it so much and will be going back. Menu is clearly labeled gluten free and t was such a cute building in old city Knoxville! Will be coming back here again the service was very friendly and very quick. Got the fried rice with grilled chicken and it was so yum. read more

Kaizen - Spicy Chicken Steamed Bun - Asian Fusion Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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We finally made it over here for lunch on a Friday. We ordered: Sesame Salad: fresh, beautiful salad ingredients. The egg was perfectly cooked and the sesame dressing had a great base of flavors...just not nearly enough salt and seasoning. Loved the egg the most. Bang Bang Shrimp bun: this was tasty. The bao was so soft and delish. Wish there had been more cabbage Pork belly bun: we won't order this one again. Half was chewy and inedible. The risk you take with pork belly, though. Shrimp fried rice and Pork belly fried rice entrees: identical except for the protein. The shrimp was unfortunately very overcooked in this dish (but wasn't on our bun). The pork was again, hit-or-miss with what was edible. The meaty bits we did get were crisp and delish! The rice itself was amazing and the egg a perfect sauce when broken over top the dish. One of my favorite parts of our visit? When I cleared my rice into a takeout box, my plate had a cat on it. So cute! Love the lucky cat theme throughout. read more

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I ordered the lemongrass chicken noodle dish. It was delicious! I cannot recommend enough. The food took a minute to arrive, but it was worth the wait. read more

Kaizen - Lemongrass Lemongrass Teriyaki Chicken Noodle - Asian Fusion Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

We ate here for an early dinner and enjoyed it. We were dining with our small dog and love that they offer a dog friendly patio outback. Just check in at the front, and a staff member will escort you and your dog straight back to the patio. The patio was nicely shaded and had fans going. This helped with the evening heat and kept the bugs away. Service was quick and friendly. We decided upon a roasted pork belly steam bun ($3.50) to start and a roasted pork belly fried rice bowl ($18) along with a fried chicken rice bowl ($17). The bread of the bao bun was soft, and the pork belly slice with sauce was tasty. Both fried rice bowls were good, although, personally, I thought the pork belly in the fried rice bowl was a bit dry with hard bits of texture. Almost like it was cooked and then deep fried. I was lucky that pockets of pork belly fat helped to "rehydrate" the meat texture so to say. Nonetheless, the service was great, we enjoyed what was offered, and we loved sitting outside. Would recommend you give them a try. read more

Kaizen - Fried Chicken Rice Bowl ($17) - Asian Fusion Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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Amazing experience -- delicious food, great vibes, and exceptional service. Couldn't have asked for more! read more

Kaizen - Mushroom-Shoyu Noodle - Asian Fusion Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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The duck noodle soup is definitely something to write home about. One of the most unique menu items I've had in some time. Amazing flavor! The atmosphere was cozy and inviting. Service was a little slow but the great food made up for it. read more

Kaizen - Duck Noodle Soup - Asian Fusion Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Food was great. We had a bunch of appetizers to get going and they didn't disappoint. Shrimp steamed buns were excellent. Eggplant was great but be careful there are some peppers hidden in there and they are SPICEY. Wings were crazy good. Wouldn't have thought watermelon and tuna went to together. IT DOES!! Get it. Tomato salad was great so I'm told. Fried was was fantastic along with the drunken boneless. Mochi to finish it off. read more

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I've heard amazing reviews this about this place and I can't believe it took me years to finally try it. My husband and I walked in on a Friday night and were lucky enough to snag a table. The atmosphere is great and our server was wonderful. Everything on the menu looks fantastic and they have great looking specials. We both decided on the fried rice bowls. I got the fried bang bang shrimp and my husband got the wagyu steak. They were delicious and full of flavor! We were very happy with our experience here and can't wait to come back and try some other menu items. read more

Kaizen - Bang Bang Shrimp Fried Rice - Asian Fusion Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

I first visited Kaizen for a Christmas party and enjoyed the food so much. So, j decided to visit again and have access to their entire menu. My group was sat in the outside tent with a heater in place. It would have been an okay spot if the cold was able to be contained by keeping the door closed at all times. Sadly, that didn't happen. So, I wouldn't recommend sitting in the outside tent. I ordered the stir fried lemongrass chicken. And the wait for my food to arrive was ridiculous. They didn't just open and so, I expected the food to take less than 30 minutes. But it took longer. It would have been great if our waitress had informed us of the wait time ahead of time. Regardless, the dish was amazing. Not oily. Well seasoned. Easily digestable. There was a good amount of chicken in the dish and not just noodles. The noodles were not soggy as well. So, overall, a solid dish. I will revisit to try more of their dishes. Just do not come extremely starving unless you want to shrivel up before your meal arrives! read more

Kaizen - Stir fried Lemongrass chicken - Asian Fusion Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Arrived early for our lunch reservation. We were greeted with a smile and were seated right away. The server had a calm and welcoming demeanor. The walls had some movie posters from Asia and some fun wallpaper. There was 3 of us and we started with the wild boar lumpia. That was the bomb!!! Ate it so fast. We then shared a few of the steamed buns. They were too salty for me but I'm a little salt sensitive. My husband and son were not phased but the salt so no points deducted. We each had a fried rice dish. The flavors melded well together. Love the fried egg! Yum! Large portions. We were only able to eat half and took the other half home. We would definitely return. read more

Kaizen - Fried Bang Bang Shrimp Fried Rice - Asian Fusion Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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Great food, fantastic Korean very authentic. Good service. Food was not cheap but honestly worth it if you can afford it. Good buns, great fried rice. Vibes were normal, friendly service read more

Kaizen - Asian Fusion Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Woo! The pork belly fried rice was amazing! I didn't need a bao bun but got one anyways. I ate the whole plate, leaving no crumbs. Delicious. I went back to this restaurant twice during my trip. read more

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Such a unique Knoxville spot!!! I love kaizen! The food is so uniquely crafted!!! Really cool food and cocktails!!! The service is alright, and great ambiance on outside patio! read more

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Great tasting shrimp fried rice. Service was a tick slow. Overall very plant, hope to return again soon!

Inattentive service. Ordered ramen and got spaghetti noodles. Mapu tofu was listed as "very spicy" on the menu and came out barely spicy.

Kaizen is a hidden gem in the Old City neighborhood of Downtown Knoxville! If you love flavor-filled, Japanese food, Kaizen is the place to go! They have steamed buns (my favorite! Especially the Bang Bang Shrimp!), fried rice, and noodles. My friend especially love the Mushroom-Shoyu Noodle Soup with Wagyu. It's a great spot for special occasions and/or date nights because the environment and the service is great! Tip- look into making reservations because at peak times, like weekends, there's always a wait! But, the service is great and they get you in ASAP! read more

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Classic steam bun place that you have to check out. Service is great and indoor and outdoor seating ! read more

Kaizen - Fried Lion's Mane Mushrooms and petunia cocktail - Asian Fusion Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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So tasty, wasn't what my teen was expecting, was hoping for a ramen place but was pleasantly surprised by the tasty and fresh food. We enjoyed our lunch and will return. Chef's kiss. read more

Kaizen - Duck Noodle Soup - Asian Fusion Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

This place has a cool ambience, cool staff, and is super chill. I'd say the food can best be described as comfort food. It reminds me of what you might have at an intimate dinner party with a few close friends. Good flavors and portions. The bao buns are pretty small, bite sized. It's an Asian fusion restaurant but I wouldn't say super authentic. There is a decent variety of different dishes. I feel like although the portions are big, I was still hungry afterwards but maybe I'm just a monster. Desserts are ice cream mochi. read more

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The people working there are awesome. The vibes are great , the food was perfect, the drinks were also good. I'd come here again

This place is sooo good. No joke y'all, if you want some flavor and spice in your life, you need to get to this place pronto! We came in and had a menagerie of amazingly made food and a couple of drinks that were both stellar. Then I came back a second time and chowed down all the things I didn't order my first visit. And yes it was just as good, if not better than our virgin visit. And now I sit in Los Angeles California dreaming of an Asian "fusion" restaurant in Knoxville Tennessee. That's how good this place is... read more

Always great food here! Lots of choices for food and drinks, can be a bit overwhelming but the staff are great with suggestions read more

Kaizen - Pork belly friend rice - Asian Fusion Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

We had a great experience here today! Found out when we walked in that the fried rice was half price on Thursday! We tried the steamed buns: sausage, eggplant and duck. All were totally different and delicious! My pork belly fried rice was awesome and even better half price! Great service and fun atmosphere. read more

Kaizen - Pork belly fried rice - Asian Fusion Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

While it may have been the dishes I ordered and there might be other dishes that are more to my liking, I don't really see myself coming back here. Ordered the Tamari Glazed Potatoes, vegan style, as an appetizer to share. They're already gluten free as prepared and are made vegan by removing the citrus mayonnaise. These were practically inedible due to how salty they were. Even my husband, who almost considers salt to be a food group, couldn't finish them. Maybe it's the Mayo that makes this dish. We left 1/3 of them in the bowl as we couldn't finish them. I got the Mapo Doufu which was not marked as gluten free. I did not see any ingredients that appeared to be gluten containing. I asked the server if maybe it just wasn't marked gluten free when it should have been. She didn't know, but said she wouldn't think any of the ingredients would contain gluten either but maybe it was something in the fermentation of the beans process that had gluten in it. She said she could ask the kitchen for me. I told her that I'd like that, for the future so I'd know, but went ahead and ordered it. She never got back to me about that question. Turns out, the answer doesn't matter because this dish is not something I'd ever order again. It was rice without any flavor or seasoning with tofu on top with only chili oil on that, with fermented beans on top of that and some cilantro on the rice. The rice and tofu was really bland and tasteless. Then...I ate the fermented beans. No other word describes them other than awful. I am a huge fan of fermented foods and do my best to eat them as much as possible. I could only eat half the dish, and had to force myself to eat what I did. They had a slight tang, bitterness, saltiness and dryness happening all at the same time, and not in a way that complement each other. My husband got the Shoyu Noodles which I tried and those were decent. However, after adding tofu as a protein, it was $24 for a bowl of, basically, ramen. The restaurant itself reminds me of many a restaurant I used to frequent in San Francisco and has a quaint hipster-esque vibe to it. It was difficult to know who our server was as five different people came to our table during the meal which makes it hard to know who to give feedback to, so I gave none. The service was also a bit aloof. I appreciate that the menu notes vegan, vegetarian, gluten free. However, it seems that the people who created the menu and/or cooking the food are not that familiar with vegan food to know what makes a good vegan dish. read more

Kaizen - Mapo Doufu - Asian Fusion Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Always happy with the food here. Great portions and tastes great. Service is always friendly. read more

Kaizen - Red curry scallops And lychee vodka drink - Asian Fusion Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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The windows here were so dark I drove by thinking the place was closed, but it was open, and in fact had a nice space including an outdoor patio in the back which I would have sat at if I'd known about it up front. The menu had some intriguing things, including their interpretation of mapo tofu with a concentrated fermented bean sauce on top (albeit black soy beans rather than broad beans) and a fresh herbal garnish. My tamari-glazed potatoes were probably overkill, but they did deliver an ample umami note. I was a bit surprised they didn't really have much in the way of non-alcoholic beverages. I mean the alcoholic ones don't surprise me, but you'd think they'd do some quality tea or something. Regardless, the food was vegetarian-friendly and good and in Knoxville that's a win. read more

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The food is always delicious. The staff are courteous and professional. When the weather is agreeable their patio is a phenomenal location to enjoy a meal. Kaizen is a go to and never disappoints. read more

We almost obsessively gush over Kaizen to anyone and everyone who will listen. Accessibility: Kaizen is extremely accessible for wheelchair and mobility aid users. The bathrooms are a great size and you can even get onto their patio (part of which is gravel only) even in a chair. The entrance even has an automated push button for the door to be able to get inside! Amazing to see such an accessible building in the Old City. The food is freaking delicious. I have yet to have a single item at Kaizen that I haven't loved. Yes, I have favorites... but you really can't go wrong. Latest favorite has been the fried rice but instead of chicken, substitute it for fried tofu. SO stinking good. The servers and chef here are always willing to work with you through any dietary restrictions you may have. Oh! And they have amazing mocktails and non-alcoholic beer options. Our favorite spot! Please give it a try! read more

Kaizen - Fried Rich (substituted fried tofu for the fried chicken) - Asian Fusion Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Amazing food, service, and location. Consistent, too. The staff is so welcoming and kind.

Came for lunch. The rice dishes were half off. I had the bang bang shrimp and my husband had the pork belly. We also shared the fried chicken bun. Spicy and delicious. Everything was delicious. Service was great. Had plenty left over to take home. Definitely will be back. read more

Food was good and the drinks were good as well. The patio is cute although during our reservation for the patio the heating stopped working outside so we had to eat outside with no heating. They do warn you about weather when making reservations for the roof top. However, it was very cold that day and heating would have been great to have :) read more

Kaizen - Drink I got. Forgot to take a picture of food. - Asian Fusion Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

The customer service was great, but unfortunately I felt the food was overpriced and overrated. I had visited over the summer and was looking for a place to eat in the area. Seeing Kaizen on the map just reminded me that I really wished this place had good food. It's not worth the 2nd visit, and I normally give 2nd chances. For almost $30 I ordered a duck plate which was accompanied by mandarin oranges likely from a can, nothing done to them other than poured from the can. Sliced cucumbers, again nothing done to them... unseasoned, not pickled. Duck was dry, sauce wasn't worth using, and the buns were okay. Fried shrimp bao bun was tasty yet not enough to make up for the fact that I was given canned mandarins and unseasoned cucumbers that I send my children to school with for less than $1. The vibe is there and the location is nice minus the parking. Just a shame the food is a total and complete scam. Chef, please take pride in your work and update your menu. Elevated Asian food can be significantly better than this. read more

Kaizen - Asian Fusion Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Decided to check out Kaizen for a birthday lunch based on my sister's rave review. We took advantage of the Saturday lunch special- fried rice at half-price! I ordered the seared mushroom w/ green curry fried rice and a mushroom steamed bun. The soft, fluffy boa bun was delicious, especially with the sweet and savory beet "hoisin" sauce. Suggestion for Kaizen- a bun flight option would be a game-changer!! The fried rice portion was generous, though it did lean a bit too heavily towards the rice. My sister and I agreed that the cucumber kimchi seemed a bit out of place and would've been better without it. Still the dish was a winner, especially at half-price! The place had a cool, laid-back vibe and the outdoor patio looked like a great spot for a sunny day. If you're into a relaxed setting with some creative bites, Kaizen's worth checking out! read more

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I hav been here twice. Cute small location in the old district, they do have a bigger outside area in the back as well but too cold for it right now. The service is very nice and friendly, they seem to work extremely well, they are not worried if one takes your order and someone else brings the food etc they all just work together. The inside is supper cute and very clean , a bit of old school mixed with a little kitchy with fun wallpaper and some old movie posters . Sort of eclectic. Really a lot of fun. So the first trip I ordered the salad two different rice dishes and a bou bun , the mushroom one. Be my second visit I tried a different fried rice and other bun and the wild boar lumpia , it was all excellent, out of the three rices I tried, the mushroom and green curry, the pork belly and the fried chicken, the fried chicken was definitely my fav. The green curry was a bit too spicy for us so they graciously brought us some cooked mushrooms without the green curry. They were very nice about it. My husband said it was some of the best fried rice he has ever had. They have a lot of yummy sounding dishes but if I ordered everything that sounded good I would never be able to eat it all. So each time I go I have been trying one or two new things. I also tried the sesame salad, I really enjoyed the dressing quite a lot but I'm not a big arugula fan and that's mostly what the salad was. But the dressing was so good. Sorry I forget to take photos till after I have started eating a lot of the time. Also if you like cucumber you will love the vegan kimchi read more

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