Emily, thanks, the duck soup. is amazing, good thing I got the lions mane to figure it out also amazing.
Todd Czarnecki
Amazing food. The buns were all great. We had pork belly and fried chicken fried rice bowls which were both outstanding. I got the feeling there was nothing bad on the menu. We ate outside with the dogs. Will be back whenever we are in town.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nicole Yacura
We gave Kaizen 3 tries and I don’t think we’ll be returning, unfortunately.
The atmosphere is excellent - very cute and a lovely patio that’s dog friendly, well lit, and heated in the winter.
The meat dishes aren’t bad according to my husband. Not amazing, not terrible. Just alright.
For me, as a vegetarian, I do appreciate the variety of options on their menu. However, I need to warn others and hope that the chef will see that all the mushroom related dishes are FAR too salty. The texture is great but it’s so salty it’s nearly inedible. It’s a shame because I absolutely love mushrooms.
Usually the service is decent but the last time we went, the waitress was non communicative and barely came by.
There’s so much potential here but the mark has been consistently missed, unfortunately.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 3
Earl Bandy
We stopped in for lunch and left impressed and full. The hot buns are fantastic as are the salads and fried rice. You won’t be disappointed!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Eben Fluto
STAY AWAY
Food is trash
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Tim Strang
Took 20 minutes for waiter to take my order. Kept seating and taking orders for the bar and ignored my table until I waved him down. Food tasted amazing thou! Full compliments to the chef!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 1
Cheryl Hild
Had a reservation for 7. Made over a week in advance. Had a table reserved that clearly sits 6 only. I called in advance and went early to see if the outside area would work. Only had two heaters working and would only give space in the dark side area with no heat in November. Ughh. Just kept telling me that they can't apologize for being a small restaurant. So inflexible and uncaring. So disappointing!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 1
Joel deynzer
I lived in Asia and my wife spent 6 months in Japan. This was some of the best fried rice we've ever eaten. Amazing!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mike Hickman
Best asian I ever had. Because I live in Maryville maybe? Drunken pork and noodles. Tried a Thai mini slider bun. Intriguing texture and amazing spice in mini patty OMG COULD A EATTEN A DOZEN! Mike Hzurddy H.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Samantha Dover
Pleasantly surprised that the food was cooked with passion and a beautiful depth of flavors. Affordable for that amount of quality and portions. Lovely date night achieved
The food, the vibe, and the staff were all great! We went for lunch, and we loved the ability to try lots of menu items. We tried the spicy chicken steamed bun, chicken & green onion yakitori, wild boar lumpia, coconut rice, cucumber kimchi, lemongrass noodles, and Thai tea (we left STUFFED with leftovers), and everything was incredible!! The staff were so kind, and they had great recommendations. The restaurant itself was such a cool place—we will definitely be back so many more times!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cucumber Kimchi
Stephanie
This was honestly one of the worst Asian meals I’ve had in Knoxville.
I ordered the Dan Dan Noodles, and the egg noodles were clearly undercooked — soft and mushy on the outside but raw and doughy in the middle, with that unmistakable raw flour taste. I cook often at home and make various types of Asian noodles myself, so I absolutely know the difference between properly cooked egg noodles and undercooked ones. When I politely mentioned this to the chef, he insisted the noodles were fine and said it was just my “preference.” That response was not only dismissive but frankly insulting to anyone who actually knows how to cook.
What made it worse is that we also ordered the Duck Noodle Soup — made with the same type of noodles — and those were cooked. That alone proves the Dan Dan noodles were not done properly. We also have young kids, and serving undercooked egg noodles poses a real food safety concern.
Everything else was overwhelmingly salty. The Mapo Tofu tasted like it came straight from a premade sauce jar, and the duck noodle soup was so salty we had to dilute it with water just to eat it.
If you’re looking for authentic, balanced, or even decently prepared Chinese or Asian food in Knoxville, I strongly recommend going elsewhere.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 3
Yamilet Martinez Mejia
Delicious!!! Amazing food!! We had the pork fried rice && duck soup
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
zachary keenen
Amazing food, amazing staff, they were very willing to make accomodations for food and drink. I was a little worried at first we may not get a table when asked if we had reservations, however the bar was empty at that time and they have a ton of patio seating here. I definitely think that the owner should add some more pictures of how nice the patio is and how many tables are out there. Also I think this place could be a runner up for Cintas best bathroom award.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tor Voorhees
Great spot with excellent food. Parking is a bit of a pain thanks to the city, but this place is worth a visit
Emily, thanks, the duck soup. is amazing, good thing I got the lions mane to figure it out also amazing.
Amazing food. The buns were all great. We had pork belly and fried chicken fried rice bowls which were both outstanding. I got the feeling there was nothing bad on the menu. We ate outside with the dogs. Will be back whenever we are in town.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We gave Kaizen 3 tries and I don’t think we’ll be returning, unfortunately.
The atmosphere is excellent - very cute and a lovely patio that’s dog friendly, well lit, and heated in the winter.
The meat dishes aren’t bad according to my husband. Not amazing, not terrible. Just alright.
For me, as a vegetarian, I do appreciate the variety of options on their menu. However, I need to warn others and hope that the chef will see that all the mushroom related dishes are FAR too salty. The texture is great but it’s so salty it’s nearly inedible. It’s a shame because I absolutely love mushrooms.
Usually the service is decent but the last time we went, the waitress was non communicative and barely came by.
There’s so much potential here but the mark has been consistently missed, unfortunately.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 3
We stopped in for lunch and left impressed and full. The hot buns are fantastic as are the salads and fried rice. You won’t be disappointed!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
STAY AWAY
Food is trash
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Took 20 minutes for waiter to take my order. Kept seating and taking orders for the bar and ignored my table until I waved him down. Food tasted amazing thou! Full compliments to the chef!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 1
Had a reservation for 7. Made over a week in advance. Had a table reserved that clearly sits 6 only. I called in advance and went early to see if the outside area would work. Only had two heaters working and would only give space in the dark side area with no heat in November. Ughh. Just kept telling me that they can't apologize for being a small restaurant. So inflexible and uncaring. So disappointing!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 1
I lived in Asia and my wife spent 6 months in Japan. This was some of the best fried rice we've ever eaten. Amazing!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best asian I ever had. Because I live in Maryville maybe? Drunken pork and noodles. Tried a Thai mini slider bun. Intriguing texture and amazing spice in mini patty OMG COULD A EATTEN A DOZEN! Mike Hzurddy H.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Pleasantly surprised that the food was cooked with passion and a beautiful depth of flavors. Affordable for that amount of quality and portions. Lovely date night achieved
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
The food, the vibe, and the staff were all great! We went for lunch, and we loved the ability to try lots of menu items. We tried the spicy chicken steamed bun, chicken & green onion yakitori, wild boar lumpia, coconut rice, cucumber kimchi, lemongrass noodles, and Thai tea (we left STUFFED with leftovers), and everything was incredible!! The staff were so kind, and they had great recommendations. The restaurant itself was such a cool place—we will definitely be back so many more times!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cucumber Kimchi
This was honestly one of the worst Asian meals I’ve had in Knoxville.
I ordered the Dan Dan Noodles, and the egg noodles were clearly undercooked — soft and mushy on the outside but raw and doughy in the middle, with that unmistakable raw flour taste. I cook often at home and make various types of Asian noodles myself, so I absolutely know the difference between properly cooked egg noodles and undercooked ones. When I politely mentioned this to the chef, he insisted the noodles were fine and said it was just my “preference.” That response was not only dismissive but frankly insulting to anyone who actually knows how to cook.
What made it worse is that we also ordered the Duck Noodle Soup — made with the same type of noodles — and those were cooked. That alone proves the Dan Dan noodles were not done properly. We also have young kids, and serving undercooked egg noodles poses a real food safety concern.
Everything else was overwhelmingly salty. The Mapo Tofu tasted like it came straight from a premade sauce jar, and the duck noodle soup was so salty we had to dilute it with water just to eat it.
If you’re looking for authentic, balanced, or even decently prepared Chinese or Asian food in Knoxville, I strongly recommend going elsewhere.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 3
Delicious!!! Amazing food!! We had the pork fried rice && duck soup
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing food, amazing staff, they were very willing to make accomodations for food and drink. I was a little worried at first we may not get a table when asked if we had reservations, however the bar was empty at that time and they have a ton of patio seating here. I definitely think that the owner should add some more pictures of how nice the patio is and how many tables are out there. Also I think this place could be a runner up for Cintas best bathroom award.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great spot with excellent food. Parking is a bit of a pain thanks to the city, but this place is worth a visit
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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