consistently good. the owner is very kind and you can tell he really cares about the customers…read more they are opening a second location in farragut soon. very excited to have a closer spot!

Lovely! Greeted with a soft smile, this gentleman was…read morepatient with the 3 of us for lunch. Small shop PACKED with flavor! Red curry, garlic parmesean, grandpa's noodles, and of course the dumplings! Attendees: bring on the heat!, I wanna soup and dumplings no heat and I-don't-know-what-I-am-doing-here.The menu accommodated all of us! My only suggestion... diet coke served in a can, let's get that in a cup please.

This restaurant feels like new Japanese, a western twist. We had the crab cakes, which were…read moredelicious 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

You can find Kaizen at 127 S Central Ave Knoxville, TN 37902. This is in Knoxville's revitalized…read moreOld 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.

Still great consistent service and tasty food. Truly an asset to Knoxville dining. We visited again…read moretoday and we have zero complaints. Since moving into the bigger location it's easier to be seated quickly. The dining room is welcoming, open and super clean. Everyone on staff is eager to help even if they are not your specific waitress. **Tip take home a jar of your favorite sauce. They sell them!

The service was so fast and kind! Waitress brought us a sampling of sauces since this was our first…read moretime. Everyone loved their food. Two of my kids got fried rice and both the lunch and dinner portions were generous. My son got the phoritto and really liked it. I loved my House salad with shrimp. The dressing was perfect. My husband had some other dish with pork belly and he also liked his dish. Mango sticky rice was perfect! We will be back.

Still delicious! We loved noodles. Our favorites are pesto cavatappi, penne Rosa, and macaroni…read more Service is nice, you order up at the counter and sit down and they bring you your food. The ambiance is fine, we would come more if it was closer to our house.

No matter what this location can't seem to get my order right I very rarely go here for this reason…read morehowever tonight my daughter asked for Japanese pan noodles so I agreed to get this for her. When I got home she looked and saw they gave us Pad ti , which has peanuts in it. We have multiple people in our home with a peanut allergy. We would never order pad ti , when my husband drove all the way back over there they seemed shocked that the order was wrong but acted like it was no big deal. The person behind the counter didn't seem to understand that giving something with peanuts to someone with a peanut allergy is very dangerous. They didn't even offer to fix the issue . My husband paid for a second meal. Hopefully my daughter can eat this one .

Finally had an excuse to go out this way and give this place a try after a coworker recommended it…read morea few times. Had been craving pho for a while, and wanted to go before it got too warm outside. Inside is nice and spacious. Staff is all very friendly and welcoming. A very no fuss, no frills experience which is what I prefer. Food was delicious. I got a Vietnamese coffee, pork spring rolls, and pho. Everything was great. The hostess made sure I had a to go container to take what I didn't have room to finish home with me. It's a bit out of the way, but when I find myself in the area I'll definitely be back.

Service is very attentive and speedy Food is consistently…read moregood with big portion sizes Taro milk tea boba is the best I've ever tried.

Great food and lots of it. The service is always great and friendly!…read moreNice atmosphere and very clean.

Ordered my food to go. Order was simple and the receptionist was pleasant. Only issue I had was the…read morewait. It seems to take 45 minutes instead of 15-20 minutes quoted. Food was delicious!!!

We're novices when it comes to this kind of food, but thanks to a friendly server we felt right at…read morehome - and we're so glad we came! Delicious doesn't begin to describe it!

The food is great! I visit often with my colleagues for lunch. We do usually get a roll, and a meal…read morefor each of us. I chose to get the spicy fried shrimp bowl. I appreciate the freshness of each meal when ordered. The atmosphere is calm, cozy, and inviting. It's not loud, great for conversations, meetings, and times when you want to sit and talk with others. I did opt to get some hot green tea as it was a cooler day. The green tea was great as well! I enjoy the kettle that was served to the table. I don't have any complaints, I would suggest a bit less of clutter on the wall beside the bar. The wall had staff bags, tools, equipment, even ingredients to prepare for? If anything I don't think these items should be in the dining room. We'll return, just a helpful suggestion to better serve new guests.

I went out to dinner with my mom and some family friends this past Wed. There used to be a really…read moregood Chinese restaurant in Knoxville...honestly i don't remember its name or location but it doesn't exist anymore. My mom said Asia Kitchen is the best Chinese in the city now. Unfortunately if that is correct, then it makes me very sad. I have eaten at "Real" Chinese restaurants before and this is not close imo. I got Szechuan Beef...this is supposed to be a very spicy dish. My order was not spicy at all...not saying it was bland, but it didn't have the "kick" I was expecting. My mom shared a whole steamed fish with her friends. They did enjoy it, but it wasn't for me. I have decided to bump my rating up to four stars because of the wonton/egg drop soup. I didn't even realize this was a thing. We got one large serving and it was plenty for the table. Finally the reason i didn't give 5 stars was because of the table service. The others brought wine , but i ordered a Diet Coke when we were seated. Unfortunately it never arrived...our server acknowledged my order, but I guess she forgot during the dinner rush. I did have water so I didn't complain. Overall dinner was ok...it was very nice that we were allowed to take our time.

A robust menu with a lot to choose from. All of the standards plus more traditional dishes…read more Food was great and service was personable. We will return next time in the area.

I got the Vietnamese coffee and the huge bowl of pho. The coffee was strong, rich, and slightly…read moresweet with condensed milk--perfect little treat. The pho was the classic beef bowl with a flavorful broth, rice noodles, thin slices of beef. It also comes with bean sprouts, herbs, lime, and jalapeños on the side so you can make it your own. The perfect size to share with the kids and still take some home The service was fast and the ambiance was open and light, went with a friend, her daughter and my son and he loved it too! Everything tasted fresh and so satisfying. Definitely a new go-to spot.

A solid vegan and gluten free Pho experience. The broth was not the best I've ever tasted, but…read moreKnox is lacking in vegan pho choices, and our previous haunt changed their recipe, so I'll take it! Our server was very matter of fact and succinct, no new BFFs made here. I appreciated that the tofu spring rolls came out warm, usually that's not the case and added a nice flair to that appetizer. There were signs all over the place telling people to not let people let their kids run around because they are serving hot soup. One mother must not have seen the six or more signs, but she would have probably said her daughter was just jogging anyway, Will be back.

Wow. So delicious!…read more The crab Rangoon was so good! Creamy inside, crispy outside. The curry was perfect - flavor, temperature, texture, all amazing. The pad Thai was good too! The ambience and decor is nice, it's cozy and has pictures of tuk tuks on the walls. We waited a little while to sit, but they were nice and it was definitely worth the wait. We will be back for sure!

Had a good excuse to come here to have lunch with a former work colleague and I am glad I got to…read morego! Solid lunch vibes with a clean venue, friendly staff and everything inside looking good and buzzing with people. With the chill starting to fill the air I found the curry dish to be exactly what the doctor ordered. The spring rolls are also good and I had to keep myself from ordering a second order! Will definitely be back, there are plenty of options for those that are looking for a healthy (and not so healthy) take. Also, be bold and go full Thai hot - I went out with sweats and open sinuses but no regrets! ha