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The Tomato Head

4.3 (984 reviews)
Closed • 11:00 am - 9:30 pm
Updated over 3 months ago
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The Tomato Head Photos

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THE TOMATO HEAD ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Hipster
Casual
Moderate noise
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - The Tomato Head

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Jonathan W.

Takes credit card Seated indoors Very quick and prompt service Walker brother mango ginger lime non alcoholic $7.25 Hummus and blue corn chips $6.25- hummus was tasty but bumpy likely because they kept the skin on the chick peas Griffin pizza ($20)- 9 inch. portabello mushroom, blue cheese, honey- very interesting. It tasted good but quite sweet because of the honey. I would skip this BFG ($17.50)- 9 inch pepperoni, banana pepper, tomatoes- pretty good flavor. It's like a regular pizza Oh boy ($13.25)- large. This is the best item I got. Chicken is toasted, Sun dried tomatoes. I would come back to get this.

Bear K.

Wonderful place to stop and have lunch while in the Market Square area. Maddie rocks! Thanks for taking good care of us! Try "The Lucy" sandwich with chips! You won't be disappointed.

Tomato Head sandwich (April 2025)
Jon L.

I first went here with a friend with several dietary restrictions and was impressed with the options available. I liked it so much I recommended my friends try Tomato Head. I love the freshness of the bread and vegetables. The tomato chipotle soup has a nice sweetness to it. I also enjoyed the house salad, though the mushroom sesame dressing was way too salty. The second time we went we had a server who didn't check up on us but checked on our neighboring tables several times. Also, I noticed quite a bit less ham on The Tomato Head sandwich (see the difference in photos if I can add them). While it's not too extreme, it's noticeable when you get a mouthful of sprouts, bread, and tomato and very little ham. The second experience gives me pause, but I still think this Tomato Head is a great place for a fresh lunch, especially due to its great vegan and gluten free options.

Turkey melt sandwich, squash curry soup, and strawberry mint refresher. The perfect lunch!!
Adriana F.

I've been meaning to write a review, as Tomato Head remains my favorite place for lunch in downtown Knoxville. Any time I meet friends, I always suggest this place and that's where we end up going. Last week was no exception when I met up with a girlfriend and we came to Tomato Head for another delicious lunch. I love the variety of vegan and vegetarian dishes available for my friend who don't eat meat. My go to will always be the turkey melt sandwich even though today I also added the squash curry soup to my lunch. Everything was amazing. Our waitress told me that the owner was here today and I expressed a desire to meet her. And lo and behold, she made time to come out and chat with us. Mahasti, I am so glad that you took a chance and opened this place up 35 years ago! You have truly revitalized Market Square and hats off to you for never giving up!!

Jill B.

The kids really liked their macaroni pizza. The salmon pesto pizza was pretty good but I guess a little fishy. I should stick with a margarita type pizza like I usually do. The poofy bread appetizer was pretty good, very garlicky but tasty. The service was good and we were with friends so the ambiance was fine for hanging out as a group. Overall it is a good spot to grab some pizza before ice skating though sometimes the wait is long.

Bar
Zach P.

Went in for an early lunch while waiting on Alpine to work on my ski gear. Since I was solo I just decided to relax at the bar, it was a sleepy Saturday January morning. I went with the bartenders pick of the Oh boy chicken sandwich. It came with blue corn tortilla chips as a side. They have a nice draft list and I settled on a crisp Schulz brau pilsner. The beer tasted a bit like the previous yeasty offering but I really didn't care, it was cold and I don't send back cold beer, that's just who I am. The service was fast, the food was timely and there were friendly hosts at the front greeting. I asked for a recommendation on a second beverage, and was offered a kombucha. It was pretty solid, not overly vinegary and I probably needed it, good call by the bartender Seattle. We chatted a bit about the trends in bartendering lately and she mentioned Sundays as a day their bar scene picked up more. So if you are looking for west Knoxville conversation that would probably be your shot. All in all I have been to Tomato head several times, it is a great upscale vibe with vegan and vegetarian options and health forward menu picks. They do bring the heat on their pizzas and had I brought a crew we would've probably gone that route. Check them out for lunch with a friend or date night. It's a granola scene that most Nashvillians would appreciate.

9" Cheese Pizza base topped with roasted tomato sauce and pesto sauce

Absolutely exceptional. I'm a very picky pizza eater, not many places blow me away, but the tomato head is phenomenal. We ordered it for pick up, eta was 25min, it was done before! I built my own pizza, she was a bit confused on what I wanted when I ordered it, but she understood completely! I can't be more happy with the perfect heaping amount of pesto and tomato sauce on top! They surely didn't skimp out and I loved it!! My partner says it's the best crust he's ever had! I personally enjoy the dough a lot but prefer a bit more of firmness and crisp to the dough while the tomato heads is a bit more on the soft side. Still amazing nonetheless Highly recommend and will be back soon!!

Small Greek salad with chicken

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23 days ago

Food was excellent. Service was great. Location was awesome. I would highly recommend this location.

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1 year ago

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Mahasti V.

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2 years ago

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5 months ago

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Mahasti V.

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3 months ago

Food is always great!! Salads are amazing. Pizzas are always good. Daughter loves the vegan cookies

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8 months ago

Always hit Tomato Head when in Knoxville. Great vegan options. Great food. Friendly service.

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Mahasti V.

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6 months ago

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9 months ago

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5 months ago

Ridiculously overpriced. We had a 3 topping 14" pizza that was 40 bucks. Pizza was pretty good but that's insane

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Mahasti V.

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9 months ago

Good food. The service was a little bit slow but the food was worth the wait. The pizzas, calzones and salads are all delicious.

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The Tomato Head Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - The Tomato Head

Do you have space for a rehearsal dinner on a Friday evening in April ? It would be about 30 adults and 10 kids.

Hi Karen, thanks for your inquiry. We don't have space for large groups at either restaurant on weekend nights. Regards, Mahasti

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Tern Club - Mai tai so good

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4.5(70 reviews)
0.2 mi

We were looking for a tiki bar in Knoxville, and this is what came up. It feels like it has some of…read morethe trappings of some of the metropolis tiki bars I've been to but in a smaller scale (that likely didn't require hundreds of thousands of dollars in building renovations). Drinks are heavily poured and true to their tiki origins, service is friendly, and the place feels really relaxing. PROS: -Good selection of drinks! Tiki drinks tend to be approachable to most people with their juice-forward design. They're also just pretty. Most of the drinks here run on the sweeter side, but there were a few drinks that looked like they'd run spirit-forward. I can't confirm as we didn't order them, but it gives people in your party some options. -Drinks are well-poured. If you're driving yourself, even one full cocktail is probably going to be pushing it. Definitely don't order some of their "Limit of...." cocktails in that case. But it's nice to get my money's worth. They taste very approachable, but they're heavily poured. -Every drink was nice to look at. They do a great job with garnishing; it was neat to watch as the server tends to garnish the drinks while the bartender makes the drink itself. We didn't receive any drinks in tiki mugs, but I also didn't see if they had tiki mugs either. -It's really nice to see that they attribute their recipes to where/when/who originally made the recipe. Most tiki drink recipes are "classic" recipes at this point, but it's really cool to see that they specifically listed out the 1930's bar that made the original drink recipe. -A good mocktail selection! While most of the mocktails kinda felt like "mixed juice concoctions", the fact that they had a whole page, had them reasonably priced, and still garnished them as if they were full cocktails was a nice surprise. As a DD, it felt like I was still having a great time and part of the social experience. -They have outdoor seating in front (I think?) and in back of the restaurant. It was too hot for that, but quite a few people were happily seated out there. That seems helpful as the restaurant itself doesn't have a ton of space. Expanding outdoors lets them seat a whole lot more people. -An extremely inebriated individual popped in, and while the bar turned them down for drinks, they handed them some water and let them use the restroom. They were extremely polite to someone who wasn't a "customer", and that was really nice to see. -Two individual unisex bathrooms. One of them has cute bird sounds that play while you're in there, and that was a really surprising touch. Both have free information and supplies for things adults may be doing after visiting here. CONS: -I wouldn't say this bar gives me "tiki bar" decor. They definitely serve tiki-style drinks, but the decor feels more "I love plants and leaves" than tiki. I still liked it...it's just not what I'm used to compared to most tiki bars. -Parking is a gigantic pain in the butt. We circled the area for a good 15 minutes to try to find a spot that wasn't in an extremely expensive parking lot. We ended up finding a street spot, but those max out at 2 hours. Plan at least a drink's price just to park to get into Tern Club. (Not the location's fault, but definitely be aware before you agree to meet up here.)

Okay, this place is quirky and it might not be for everybody but I thought it was fantastic. This…read moreis a modern take on the tiki bar. Lots of bamboo and tiki drinks think all sorts of different kinds of rum zombies, my ties, etc. Staff is very knowledgeable about what they're pouring. The only caveat I would give is that they make their drinks very strong and if you're not careful you're going to get a big buzz from these babies. While the cocktails might seem a little pricey, you're getting a lot for your money nice heavy pores of alcohol House made mixers and shrubs, knowledgeable staff and a really great atmosphere. When there's nice weather they have a small patio so you can sit outside and people watch which is great on the 100 block of gay Street you're always with you some interesting stuff there and you can watch the sunset and enjoy your drink. Like I said, this isn't for everybody but you should at least try it once

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Tern Club - The Pluto

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Peter Kern Library - YUMMO

Peter Kern Library

4.2(249 reviews)
0.1 mi
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Trying to find good things to say about this place isn't very hard. This was my first time in…read moreKnoxville and my first Speakeasy. The PKL is located inside The Oliver Hotel. It appears you can enter either from the interior door opposite The Oliver Royale Restaurant or from the outside. I never saw the exterior entrance but have heard there's no sign, just a red light above a door. I am not sure how the whole password thing works or where to get it.... I just know the person I was with had it. We sat at the bar and the ambiance is really intimate. I have read now after being home that I guess they hide drink recipes in some of the books? I am not sure if that is true or not. If you can get a seat at the bar, it's so fun. Trey was great, as were the ladies! Trey puts on a little show with each drink he crafts. The drinks are ridiculously good. I would not be able to choose a favorite. I have no clue what the bill damage was, but I can say that between the both of us, we had every drink on the menu. Now I need to find reasons to go back to Knoxville just to go to the Peter Kern Library!

Cute little hidden library bar with great drinks…read more The only issue we had were some rambunctious neighbors in a booth nearby, but staff was really good at keeping the peace. We got: -Ines (my fav) -Lumiere -Maimie Mannering (very booze forward) -Harry Morgan (the banana didn't really come through, but I could see where they were going with it!)

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Peter Kern Library
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PostModern Spirits

PostModern Spirits

4.3(45 reviews)
0.3 mi
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Boozy grapefruit slushy? YES. Just say yes. This cocktail bar distills their own booze right next…read moredoor (you can be a creepster and peek in!). They sell bottles of varying sizes at the bar and also at other places around town, including Total Wine. We love that they offer sampler flights with different liquors and also different size pours. They give you a tray with a sheet that describes the flavor profile for each offering. We also were given slushy samples and a customized gin sample, mixed with another shot to sip. We ordered slushies to enjoy on the patio and a flight with Hi Rye Whiskey, Ginferous Gin (favorite!), Uproot Gin, and Barrel Rested Cacoa Liqueur. I can't believe the differing flavors they can produce within the same type of booze. Masterful! The bartenders are friendly and so dang knowledgable. We purchased a bottle of Ginferous Gin and have kept the party going at home. Can't wait to go back! What a cool spot.

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PostModern Spirits
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The Vault - My knockout date for the night

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4.2(52 reviews)
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The Vault was our second stop on our cocktail hop night, and I'm so glad we found it!…read more First off, the interior is chef's kiss. The dark, glamorous aesthetic is stunning--perfect for date night or for impressing out-of-town guests. I loved the gold accents, layered textures, and thoughtful lighting. Everything worked together beautifully. We chose to sit at the bar to watch the mixologists work their magic. They were incredibly helpful in guiding us toward drinks that matched our preferences. I absolutely loved my cocktail--even if I can't recall the name--because it delivered the spicy kick they promised. We also ordered several shareable plates, all of which were delicious. We tried the Carnitas Tamales (shredded pork, ancho mole, fresh corn, masa, cilantro, yuzu arbequina oil), the Vegetable Empanadas (house-made pastry, wilted kale, roasted sweet potato, Oaxaca and cotija cheese, black bean purée, and adobo & chile-lime aioli), and a salad. I'd happily order any of them again. I did find myself wishing for a bit more heat, but I've learned that's hard to come by in Tennessee. At least the staff gave us a heads-up that the spice level is toned down. I'm already looking forward to coming back and exploring more of the menu. The vibe is fantastic--and while they have a nice outdoor space, the interior is so eye-catching I'm not sure I'd want to sit anywhere else.

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The Vault - A bottle vault.

A bottle vault.

The Vault - Tables in the vault

Tables in the vault

The Vault - Crispy Brussel sprouts.  Delicious

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Crispy Brussel sprouts. Delicious

Fiori - Lobster Ala Vodka

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3.6(50 reviews)
0.4 mi

I love the decorations & the cute theme is present throughout the whole restaurant. The drink menu…read moreis expansive and the drinks were good. The food is okay. I was disappointed that my food was warm, not hot when served. My sister got a lobster roll "extra stuffed," which did not appear to be extra-stuffed. I got the chicken carbonara and believe that I got a large portion for the price point. The service was a bit on the slower side, but I did not see as many waiters as I thought I would have for a Saturday evening. My expectations were high due to the price point and formality, and I was a bit let down. The vibes in here were fun. I think that if it was better staffed and the seafood portions were priced accordingly, we would have had a better experience and thought we got a better deal for the price.

You definitely are paying for the ambiance. The food itself isn't anything to right home about,…read moreespecially for the price. But I will applaud that the portions are decent sizes. I wasn't blown away and felt like the flavors were lackluster. The pasta was an alright red sauce, flavors could've been a bit more complex and boldly fresh. The Arancini tasted like a bland mushy hushpuppy in marinara. The best dish was the salmon, if I had to recommend anything! Super flaky with a crispy fish, paired nicely with the salad and potatoes. Service itself was good and the drinks were just okay. I like that they have many cocktail options to choose from, but my drink was honestly straight juice. As someone who's lightweight, I was shocked to find that the portions for drinks for the little amount of alcohol for $15 is a bit absurd (I got the st Richard ride). I'd only come once for the ambiance but it's pretty disappointing for what you pay. 6.5/10

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Fiori
Fiori - Some Appetizers

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The Tomato Head - pizza - Updated October 2026

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