King Tut’s Grill

Atmosphere provided by the proprietor is excellent! The food is mediocre at best. The restaurant has the feel of a gritty dive bar. I do not recommend for the food but if you want to chill and shoot the breeze with your buddies there are worst places in Knoxville to spend your time.

Got take out and the salad consisted mostly of cheese and lettuce. The menu was dirty.
I know so many people who love this place but I think it was for the entertainment. I heard that changed since one of the owners is no longer there.

I went with a group of 8 for lunch. As others have noted, lunch is just one of the owners who cooks and serves our food. She is really, really sweet. Nothing seems pre-​made though so… she cooked for 8 at one time.
— The food was great! I really, really, really to the n’th degree miss middle eastern food. I had the Egyptian platter. Several at our table had falafel pitas, and chicken pockets. They all really liked their meal. I loved mine! The baba ganoush was reall good and garlicky. The tomato & cucumber salad was so refreshing. The falafel was great and didn’t have a ton of parsley like some places do… I just loved all of my food.
— …what i didn’t like was waiting 1.5hrs to eat. Seriously. She cooked all 8 dishes and served them all at once.
— It is dirty. I mean… I’ve eaten in worse places overseas many times, so it doesn’t freak me out. I know good food can come out of a dirty place… but if this kind of thing freaks you out, I would def suggest NOT going to the bathroom. 2 of the ppl in our party went… and its apparently kind of gross. Meh… the food was awesome.
— REAL TURKISH COFFEE!!! I can’t tell you how happy I was to have that! Super rich coffee with a sweet citusy note… omg… I just loved it so much.
So I encourage people who are open minded and have the time to go and check this place out. They are doing something in this little place that no one else is doing in Knoxville.

I really wanted to like this place, but the service was extremely slow and the food was just ok. The place was also kind of dirty.

This place is definitely off the beaten path, and it is worth going to. The place is very small. The décor is cheesy, filled with random bumper stickers and signs that are interesting and funny. There are several strobe lights. I hear that they have karaōke at night, but I didn’t witness it. We went for lunch. The food prices are fairly inexpensive. One person ordered the grilled fish that came with green beans and rice. It was good (I tasted it). I ordered the Egyptian combination plate, which was one of the most expensive things for $ 15.95. It came with hummus, baba ganoush, lots of pita bread, two grape leaves in a cucumber sauce, a falafel in some type of sauce, a dish made with fava beans, a tomato type salad, and another dish that I cannot remember the name of. The falafel was good, and it was in some type of paste that I really liked. It had a touch of sweetness. The hummus and baba ganoush were both good; although they were a bit oily. The fava bean dish was good. I liked the tomato salad, which was very peppery. All of the dishes were small bowls, except for the last one which I can’t remember the name of. It had spaghetti noodles and macaroni noodles with some ground beef in a sauce. It was good, but not as good as the rest of my food.
At lunch, there was only one person working, who is the owner. She was the waitress, the cook, and the dishwasher. Don’t go if you are in a hurry, but if you like quality food that is prepared to order, then this is the place for you.

It smelled so horrible that our group had to leave without eating.

My cousin had been here & insisted it was GREAT! Read some of the reviews, but trusted her… I called & made reservations for 11am on following Monday. I had my doubts when I saw the outside… and it looked dark inside (not sure where to park… behind building?)… it was 11am on Monday. They were CLOSED??? :(

Found a cockroach in my hummus… yummy. stay far away from this dirty place…

As a vegetarian, I am always looking for *variety*. The huge sampler, when specifically ordered vegetarian, is just amazing. It is also very expensive. The owners, a Coptic couple from Egypt, are gracious, though sometimes, Mo can get carried away!
Aside from the prices and sometimes too-​loud music, the only negatives are that the beverages only come in vat-​sized flower vases, some of the sayings on various of the decorations are mildly offensive, and of course, this tiny, family-​run business is in great need of cleaning and repair help. But don’t let the cramped, slightly scariness keep you away.

Love this place! Good food and lots of fun!

King Tut’s is a home business that should have stayed at home. This place is filthy and unwelcoming. My friends flower vase of water (they use flower vases like cups) had dried black moldy crust inside it. The menus are stained old school binders covered in spills and mysterious brown residue. The bathrooms are through the kitchen, which in itself has a sickly odor and unclean appearance. This place is TINY and cramped. The tiny room is full of junk… dusty, smelly, and unappetizing. Strobe lights flash incessantly upon the ceiling as disco bumps through the speakers at uncomfortably loud levels; polishing off the haze of terror that this place evokes.
Our waitress with sinister drawn on black eye brows was very rude. She became defensive and insulting when I asked for a new drink… (One of the many shiny green flies buzzing about had fallen into the water)… she acted as though it was offensive that I didn’t want fly water. My friend however simply refused to drink anything because she didn’t want to again enrage this drawn on eye browed egyptian girl.
THE FOOD IS HORRIBLE! The waitress insisted that we try the greek salad, she told of how it is unbelievably good. It is UNBELIEVABLY GROSS. This salad is a head of lettuce soaked in overly gratuitous amounts olive oil with two slices of tomato, two slices of onion, and three thin slices of a hard boiled egg on top, covered in questionably rancid tasting feta cheese. The Greek salad’s slimey consistency was only rivaled by its mediocre flavor.
Next came the sampler, again, a recommendation from the waitress. The portions were tiny on the overpriced sampler, and the food was DISGUSTING. The hummus was very unflavored and covered in oyster juice, which created a slimey rotten taste. The babaganoush wasn’t good at all, it again was covered in the spoiled oyster juice. The two grape leave wraps were the worst I have ever eaten, they tasted of dirty sock. Even the falafel was dry and unsavory. The sampler also came along with a side of spaghetti noodles and marinara mixed with lentil like beans… again, absolutely HORRIBLE TASTING! All the flavors were spoiled and off, this is the worst Egyptian food I’ve ever had.
This is the most disappointing restaurant that I have been to in a very very long time. The service was horrible, the food was gross, the atmosphere was unwelcoming and unclean, and the over all experience was appalling. We left this place after finding it impossible to tolerate the food, with an overpriced bill and still hungry.

Best feta in TN.
This restaurant is def. off the beaten path, but its worth it. The ONLY thing you need to order is the greek salad and the egyptian sampler plate. Everything else is superflous.
The drinks come in vases, there is more feta than there are lettuce leaves on the greek salad, and the sampler plate is more than enough to feed a family of five.
I’ve always had a good time coming to King Tuts, but to maximize your experience, I recommend you invite 20 pple and suddenly the restaurant gets turned into a karaōke/​dance bar. If you play your cards right, the owner will even do a magic show for you. :).
Pros:
FETA, FETA, FETA!
And everything else
Cons:
Parking (very small)
Location (if you’re not paying attention, you’ll miss it)

Um, this place is slightly terrifying. I was visiting from NYC in the summer and we went to this place hoping to find some authentic middle eastern food. I was quite confused because there was absolutely nothing authentic about the place minus the egyptian owner. First off it looks extremely dirty, which I was very surprised, as so many others gave it wonderful reviews. The food I will admit was tasty. But I was really skeptical in eating it because the place looked so darn dirty! And while we were paying we noticed a toilet hose on sale for 20 dollars. So, if you are interested in eating some Egyptian food and purchasing a toilet hose. this is your place. Maybe New Yorkers and Southerners have a different perspective of good.

Yikes! Off the beaten path & just so-​so Middle Eastern fare.
The «Greek» salad had a TON of lettuce & Feta but didn’t taste authentic.
The platter we ordered, which was a vegetarian sampler of sorts (babaganoush, hummus etc) was all right.
This place is just too far away, doesn’t feel clean and priced a little too high for my taste to ever return.

Lived here for a large portion of my life and always turned my nose up at the «eww egyptian food» thought. We went and got the greek salad and the sampler platter. I know that keeps coming up from everybody but it was great.
By the end of the night the disco ball was rolling the kids were on the wooden bar (not an alcohol bar) dancing. You owe it to your kids to go and the food is pretty great too.
Nothing like it in Knoxville for the whole experience.

There is just simply no place like this. Not only is it a restaurant but it’s a full on experience: a state of mind!
It’s a hole in the wall, and each time I’ve been there I’ve been one of only a few other customers. I don’t know how they stay in business!
The owner, Moe, is a character! He is very animated and enjoys entertaining. He’ll set up the disco lights, music, do magic tricks, etc. They have masks, costumes, and other props that they welcome people to use for karoake.
I’m not sure how sanitary this place is. It’s quite run down, and the little kitchen (which you can see if you go to the bathroom) looks a bit sketchy. However, I’ve never gotten sick after eating here!
The food is decent: Greek salad (which Moe loves to say is the «Second best in Knoxville») is quite good. The falafel is fine as is the sampler platter. They serve drinks in big vases!
Go for the experience. Moe tells the same jokes each time but they never get old!

King Tut’s is markedly awesome. Honestly, the food is never all that great, but the atmosphere is so incredibly good that you can’t help but go back!
Depending on how the mood strikes, you could be walking into a disco, a karaōke bar, a romantic escapade, or an egyptian restaurant. And, all are great options!
Mo, the owner, is a gracious host and it’s always a great time!
I’d definitely call ahead before going though. He can also spontaneously close if he’s bored or the mood strikes.
Enjoy!

Yes, you can brown bag
Yes, there are only 5 booths total
Yes, the Mocarena is played during all dining experiences
When «unique» was placed in the dictionary, King Tut’s was the prime example of its full capacity. Tut’s is only for a great times with friends, never a lone ranger type of place. Its the friends, Mo, and the huge yet oddly good food that only begins to paint a picture of a great night.
You wouldn’t regularly volunteer to wear a Hulk mask and play the bongo drums while the rest of your crew gives the hoola-​hoop a try, but at King Tut’s its the everyday.
The reviews, buzz, whispers, legends, and tall tales of King Tut’s can never truly capture its magic, so go. Enjoy.

I have been to King Tut’s four times, and each time has been completely different but equally awesome.
Depending on several factors, like the mood of the owner, the amount of people dining and the time of day, you can experience anything from karaōke (which Mo shows you how to do and then walks away, leaving you to plunder through boxes of mid-​90s karaōke cds) to a game of chess. (If you win the game, he gives you a free dessert. I haven’t seen anyone win yet.)
I think the food is pretty good, but I also don’t know anyone who goes here for the food. It’s about the experience. Try the greek salad. The sampler is also pretty great and the portions are quite large.
Overall, it’s a Knoxville experience not to be missed.

This place is truly unique. Everything that they have ever acquired I believe is on the walls of this place. When you ask for a water they bring the water out in flower vases. I know how I feel about that because all I can ever think of is, could there be flower fertilizing chemicals in these vases? Yes, it’s a little odd. One word, DIRTY. The greek salad is just ok, nothing special in my book and it is very large. The baba ganoush is not all that. I like it better at Mirage downtown.
If its your birthday they make you wear these huge head masks which are quite hilarious. If I remember right they also pulled out a strobe light to sing happy birthday. The couple who owns it is very nice. I am just not the biggest fan of this food.