Our server, Kimberly was awesome. Her satirical sense of humour was right up our alley. The food was excellent, especially the pancakes with blueberry melange. The atmosphere was a blend of Punk Rock meets The Macabre. - a kind of Iggy Pop kind of vibe. The biscuits are exquisite - big and flakey Cats-head type of biscuits that Grandma would be proud of. They pair well with the apple butter that is available on every table. The spicy grits can't be ignored either - not just heat, but amazing creole flavour. I liked this place, you never know what to expect when a restaurant gets hyped up but here, at least, the hype is well lived up to. read more

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Was I impressed by Aretha's? Not really, and here's why. I will say the concept of the restaurant is fun, and the customer service was great. However, the food wasn't much to write home about. I wouldn't necessarily say it was flavorless, but it definitely lacked flavor. On the plus side, everything was fresh and came out quickly. The environment was clean and inviting, which I also appreciated. read more

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The vibe is retro and that was great. There is an open floor with tables and chairs and. I believe they offer patio seating as well. There are cereal boxes all across the top of the walls all around. I had to ask if they were really cereals and I was told "yes, except 1". I remember some, but wow that is impressive decor. The tables have old school stickers as well. There is a bar if you wish to drink while visiting. Also, merchandise to purchase. We ordered the Mexican Omelette with potatoes, a side of potatoes, Slim Stack Pancakes and a Sod Buster Omelette with potatoes and an orange juice. Those pancakes though, holy cow! I got to try them and they are delicious. I enjoyed the Mexican Omelette although I didn't read the whole description and those jalapeños were brought, lol. We all enjoyed our meals. I did not try the biscuit because I was already plenty full, but now wish I would have. Even the washroom was cool. I went to wash my hands. Our server Kimberly was nice, attentive and offered up some great ideas as options. My only complaint was that the music was too loud. Can't wait to return to TN and try another option from the menu. read more

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What a great breakfast spot! While the name is a bit different the food was very good, filling and no complaints! The service was great and the waitress provide stellar recommendations. If you're looking for a laid back type of breakfast experience with a chill environment, look no further. read more

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food is good, very cute atmosphere and the staff is always nice and quick. Breakfast burrito is pretty solid and they have cocktails. Cute decorations too read more

Food was a banger. Huge portions and tasty. I actually split my meal. We had the short stack pancakes superherb. It's a cross between a pancake and cornbread. My only complaint is I did t like the syrup. Would like to have had something like Alaga. Bacon was very good with fresh eggs. Biscuit and gravy very good. My oldest said here coffee was fantastic. Cut little spot so many things to look at on the walls. Merch is on sale there. It's in a residential area as it is in a cute little old house. The service was great. I didn't not like the hostess. I thought she was a little rude. We sat at the bar and she was saying someone was about to be fired and I thought that was inappropriate. read more

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I went with a friend after a hike so kept it light. This is a popular place. The parking lot was full when we arrived and we were able to get one spot. There was a wait for larger groups however since there were two of us, we were able to sit at the bar area. The server got us our drinks pretty quickly. I had a chai tea with oat milk, which was really yummy. I ordered grits with cheese and fried potatoes. Bean that it was crowded that day. It didn't take us really long for us to get our meal, which was a good thing. I really enjoyed the potatoes and could've had a double helping. The grits were good. They probably didn't need the cheese just because of the consistency of it, but it was still good and flavorful. The servers were attentive, especially since it was so crowded. I would definitely try other locations just to try out other items on the menu in the future. Especially when I have more time to try out their lunch menu. read more

Aretha Frankenstein's - Grits and potatoes - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Where to start? First, I love unique restaurants, something different gets my attention and Aretha Frankenstein's is very unique and deserves your attention. I stopped in to take a couple college students to brunch. Having looked at their website I was excited to visit. When I arrived the parking lot was full with people jockeying for the next open spot. After parking I entered and was told the wait was 1 hour 45 minutes; so far two good signs. Fortunately I learned the people I'm meeting already had a reservation. When they arrived and we were seated the waitress quickly took our drink orders while we perused the menu. There was only one decision and that was to try their unique pancakes. The food order was taken and quickly followed by the delivery of a stack of three thick pancakes. I was worried they be tough or heavy, neither was true as they were light and fluffy. The taste was outstanding too. While eating I looked at the walls and ceiling full of wired decorations. When the check arrived I was surprised that meal was not expensive, very affordable. Atmosphere and Decorations A+. Service A+. Food A+. Price A+. If the owners are interested I would like to talk to them about expanding to other cities. read more

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This place was really enjoyable! Our server was kind and I really enjoyed looking at all the different old cereal boxes. My bf and I split the 2 stack of pancakes with the blueberry melange and the eggs and bacon breakfast with a side of gravy. The biscuit and gravy was a highlight for me. The gravy was flavorful and the biscuit had the perfect texture. I came here mostly because I saw those huge pancakes online and while they didn't disappoint, I'd put a disclaimer that even a short stack is a lot. We only ate one pancake between the two of us. Also, if anyone is wondering exactly what the blueberry melange is, it surprisingly tastes like blueberry buttercream. It was quite sweet so I didn't even add syrup. read more

Aretha Frankenstein's - All the good stuff - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Food was a little average. We got the eggs and sausage breakfast and a stack of pancakes and split. Everything was about diner quality with taste. Could use more seasoning on potatoes, eggs needs scrambled while cooking not cooked then chopped, maple syrup option for an upcharge. Service was all great all around. Couldn't give anything but positive remarks there Atmosphere super fun inside and would recommend place just because atmosphere worth checking out and service was good. But we all go out to eat for the food so I'd work on that. read more

Aretha Frankenstein's - Frankenstein decor - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

The space, the food, the service... Best place ive eating in a while! Portions are decent and for the price it was worth the 30 min wait. I was visiting my friend and she kept talking about this place. The menu is not big which ia perfect because that means everything will be good! I had the shrimp and grits and let me tell you that plate was loaded! I got a shrimp in every bite and they were seasoned perfectly! My friend got the breakfast burrito and we shared a stack of pancakes. Overall the food and the service made the wait worth it, I will be going back when I visit Tennessee. read more

We visited Aretha Frankenstein's for the first time after a particularly challenging morning. Our waitress Kimberly was especially attentive and able to spend a couple of moments holding space as we revealed some current medical stuff ( sometimes life is heavy and it's nice when strangers can offer kindness and empathy) My sibling was delighted with the decor. Good biscuits and gravy are something I can not really access on the west coast so that was fun. I was very tempted by the waffles but that will have to wait for a future business. read more

The interior is amazing, I could spend hours looking at all of the cereal boxes framed on the walls. Staff super friendly and attentive. Food amazing. The pancakes are the best. They are more of a griddle cake than actual pancake. That is a good thing though. They taste like a combination waffle and pancake. The biscuits are the best that I have had in the area. The bacon, egg and cheese biscuit sandwich was delicious. I just wish I could have eaten more of what I was served. My eyes were definitely larger than my stomach. We also had a breakfast burrito at the table and they said that was also delicious. read more

Aretha Frankenstein's - Short stack - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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Good food & extremely quick service! My husband is the pancake lover but I have to say they mastered the fluffy pancakes!! It was delicious read more

Aretha Frankenstein's - Slim stack chocolate chip pancakes & sob buster omlette - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Amazing food, fantastic service. Blueberry melange was so good. Coffee was absolutely awful. Need a new vendor.

Amazing food, great service, fantastic music and decor. Highly recommended, some of the best pancakes ever! read more

Aretha Frankenstein's - Pancakes! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

An authentic diner feel with a little twist of the old school horror era is a great concept! The decor here was absolutely everything to me. Even the bathroom was so picturesque that we just HAD to take the dreaded-gen-z-bathroom-selfie. The clock that was a drum was my favorite decoration along with a long boarding skeleton light that is not pictured here. So I'm from Orlando, *debatably* the food and drink capital of Florida. The alcoholic drinks at Aretha Frankenstein's were soooo cheap compared to what I'm used to seeing. I absolutely loved "The Pain Away"! It was a some sort of spin off of a Peach Bellini. The lattes were delicious also! I will say that I thought the food would be better. I ordered a spinach and feta egg white omelet that came with potatoes and a biscuit (I ordered a side of sausage gravy). I don't think the spinach was fresh spinach (which it's not advertised as fresh so I can't complain) but I definitely don't think they put feta in my omelet. When I opened up the omelet, the cheese was melted and resembled and tasted more like melted Swiss or provolone. Also there were chopped up green bell peppers and I absolutely loathe bell peppers (which is why I just ordered the spinach feta omelet). The sausage gravy was delicious though! I think the star of the show was the apple butter. I put that on some of my biscuit, and it was AMAZING! I know apple butter is an acquired taste, but if you like apple butter then you should definitely try the one here! My friend got a pancake which was extremely fluffy and also went well with the apple butter. If I ever come back, I would go the sweet breakfast route and not the savory because that was a flop for me. Service was a bit slow but they did say they had some call outs so it was understandable. The waitress was really nice :) read more

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The place was amazing. The ambiance was really fun. The server was attentive and made a recommendation. The food was great and the pancakes were out of this world. The biscuits were fluffy and the bacon was perfect. Thank you all for making this happen read more

Awesome place for breakfast near the airport. Service is great and so are the drinks.

The bartender took a couple minutes to get to me and the place seems to always be packed. However, the food came out quickly, the decorations were rad and the place wasn't too loud. "Don't" come on the weekend and park at the bank, try not to get towed! read more

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So from the moment you step in to this little local spot in downtown Knoxville, you feel like you have stepped back in time. The walls along the ceiling are lined with classic cereal boxes, some I had completely forgotten about. Our server, Sarah, was super sweet and extremely attentive! I had heard that the portions were large, so I ordered the Polish eggs with a side of spicy grits. My husband ordered the biscuits and gravy and a single pancake with the blueberry melange. The portions were definitely large, so we were glad we decided to share. The scrambled eggs had onion, Polish sausage, mushrooms, red pepper, and smothered with provolone cheese. The spicy grits were definitely spicy, so if spice isn't your thing, you should get the potatoes. My meal also came with a biscuit, which I tried with their homemade apple butter; it was delicious! The bowl of biscuits and gravy was huge. I think there were at least three biscuits with gravy, if not, four. The biscuits were soft and perfect, and the gravy was amazing. The pancake is not like a regular pancake. It is almost like a custard type consistency in the middle. It was so thick and amazing, and the blueberry melange was out of this world. You did not need syrup on the pancake with that melange on top! The prices are affordable, our service was great, and we will definitely pop back in for breakfast or brunch when we are back in the downtown Knoxville area. read more

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Went there for breakfast after seeing it and the long lines. Figuring it must be good, we stopped in and boy were we surprised. The place was fantastic and the food was great. The pics on the walls were great. The mugshots on the table added a special atmosphere and made the place exceptional. Definitely will be back. read more

Food and Service was Great . Best Biscuit Ever! Pancakes were incredible ! Just driving by seen Breakfast All Day and had to stop. Wasn't disappointed. read more

Aretha Frankenstein's - Scrabbled eggs with cheese & thick cut bacon - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

The service here was amazing! Its in an adorable retro monster themed brunch spot. On the weekends get here early because lines can get long for tables. Food was awesome as well! read more

Aretha Frankenstein's - Omelet and potatoes - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Very good food in a fun environment! Ordered the cheddar and bacon omelette. Ordered side of grits-- spicy grits tasted like made with Tabasco sauce-- we didn't care for it. Opted for biscuit with gravy which was quite good. The pancake looks like a layer of 6 inch cake. Served with the blueberry butter which was great! Service was good and friendly!! read more

Aretha Frankenstein's - Good coffee! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Quick and attentive service this is a cool place to visit for sure. Very interesting decor, so much to look at. The food was all great especially the homemade biscuits...literally the best pancakes I've ever had in the entire world. I could only eat half of one. Wow. This is definitely a place to check out; we got there early. I bet it gets packed. Worth a drive. I will be back when I'm in town. Wow those pancakes....yeah you can buy the mix there too read more

Server was sullen, barely spoke and only came back once at end of meal and place was not overly crowded. BLT--bacon was hard as a rock and my knife couldn't even cut through it. Bread was so soggy so sandwich was basically inedible. The stars are only for quirky ambience. Do not recommend. read more

This place was great! Good customer service and the food was delicious!! Can't wait for our next visit!! read more

Aretha Frankenstein's - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

I love that this unique place has landed in SoKno The environment is fun/funky and is friendly to the entire family! If you happen to try this place, BE SURE to ask for Ashley!! She was attentive, friendly, expedient, and efficient. The service and quality of food was parallel with one another. I highly recommend the pancakes and nachos. Their various versions of refried beans are peerless in this city! We'll definitely be back! read more

Aretha Frankenstein's - Short stack w/ Blueberry Butter!! Delicious - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

I saw this yesterday going to a new night shift job we decided to give it a try today (I really wanted pancakes not from chain restaurants). It was busy (good sign) and the inside seemed inviting, but there was a 25 minute wait (which is fine, but I was tired and hangry) so we went to a store and ordered pickup while browsing. He got a potato and egg omelet that came with a biscuit and a side and he chose more potatoes lol and I got the short stack straight up and a small biscuit and gravy. The car smelled so good going home lol we got home and DANG it was so good! We have leftovers since the portions were generous. That gravy is good southern gravy, which hit the spot. The pancakes were tasty and overall I am SO GLAD we got to go food. We definitely will be back read more

Aretha Frankenstein's - Small biscuit and sausage gravy - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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We were seated right away and took in the nostalgic, fun decor. Our drink order was taken and we enjoyed our coffees. My husband and I both ordered the eggs and bacon breakfasts. The eggs were my favorite, on which I added herbed gouda(amazing, creamy, melted goodness). The grits were slightly spicy but not overpowering. The bacon was delightfully crispy. The biscuit was not our favorite, as it was somewhat flat and hard on the outside. We also ordered a slim stack of pancakes to share. We were instead given (and charged for) a fat stack with 3 instead of our intended 2 pancakes. They were more of a cornmeal texture, which I didn't enjoy as much as a traditional batter. We will gladly come back, although won't be in a major rush for the trek across town. Enjoy! read more

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Great food, Awesome service! Great ambiance if you like busy brunch. The music is a bit loud If you're old. Recommend read more

We had a fantastic time!! The food (especially the pancake!!) was all delicious! This will definitely be a necessity next time I'm in the area read more

This place is all that has been said! The pancakes were so thick and fluffy. I had a "slim Stack and barely finished it. I order a side sausage to go with it and it was juicy, with a lot of seasoning. I was eyeing the omelet, but the waitress said that all the food was hearty portions, so I didn't indulge. At least I know of 3 things I want next time we come. The burritos looked so good. They also had 3 specialized refried beans you could order. I have never seen that and it impressed me. My grandsons taste buds are picky and their cheese quesadilla past the test. He said that the cheese was very good, he knows his cheese! The atmosphere was just fun! The tables were separated so you didn't feel as if you're packed. Also the had wide seats for this of us who need them. Service was very professional and knowledgeable. Even other employees went out of their way to talk to me as I was walking around taking pictures. Finally there was so much art and interesting things to see that it kept my 9 year old grand son interested and he didn't even need his phone to play games! Will be one of my favorite places! read more

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The food is tasty and the servers are amazing. The Belgium waffles are good, crispy on the outside (but not tough) and yummy on the inside. The eggs, bacon, home fries and biscuits and gravy are great as well. read more

It's a gothic looking place, I got their famous pancakes with berry compote butter! Yummy. I hope to go back soon

Waffles are amazingly fluffy and SO good. Omelettes are even better. The biscuits and potato's were a hit. Personally, I'm not huge on the spicy grits BUT that's just me so it doesn't affect my review. read more

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This place is awesome. Their breakfast is out of this world! Do yourself a favor and visit them this weekend. You'll be glad you did.

I visited Aretha for the first time on Labor Day morning. We arrived just before 9 AM and were seated immediately as a party of two. It started getting crowded after 9 AM, and by the time we were leaving, there were plenty of people waiting for a table. So, definitely get here early! The decor inside is cute, and the staff was very nice and friendly. I ordered a breakfast burrito with refried beans, cheese, mushrooms, and peppers, along with a biscuit and spicy grits. My husband ordered Polish eggs with roasted potatoes, a biscuit, and black coffee. My burrito was tasty, but the grits were disappointing. They had a strange tangy flavor from the hot sauce but lacked any other detectable flavor. They were also watery and not salty. I think I prefer cheesy grits or just plain old grits. The biscuit was very sweet and crumbly but not flaky as I would expect. It had a texture more like boxed angel food cake or something similarly cakey. I usually enjoy a slight sweetness in biscuits, but this was too overpowering. My husband's Polish eggs were not great either. The Polish sausage in them resembled a thicker hot dog rather than authentic Polish sausage. For real Polish sausage, I recommend visiting International Delicacies on Kingston Pike. They carry "Kielbasa Leśna - Forest Sausage" and "Kielbasa Weselna - Wedding Sausage," both imported from a Polish deli in Chicago. As someone who grew up in Poland and has family and friends across the country, I can assure you that Polish sausage does not taste like a hot dog. The mushrooms and peppers in the dish were tasty, and the eggs were well-cooked, but everything was smothered in a lot of shredded, melted cheese. I love cheese when it complements a dish, but covering everything with a blob of cheap shredded cheese is often a sign of a not-so-great meal. Lastly, my husband didn't enjoy his coffee. Overall, I probably wouldn't recommend this place. read more

Aretha Frankenstein's - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Our party of 4 arrived at 9am and there were plenty of tables open, we were seated quickly. We all ordered breakfast and it was good, nothing that made it outstanding. The inside was clean and the walls had boxes of old cereal framed out along the walls. There was a very old tv playing an old episode of something silly. Good breakfast place for the money. read more