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Aretha Frankenstein's

4.1 (148 reviews)
Closed • 7:30 am - 3:00 pm
Updated 1 week ago

Aretha Frankenstein's Photos

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ARETHA FRANKENSTEIN'S ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Hipster
Casual
Trendy
Dogs allowed

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Inside
Dexter A.

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.

Biscuits and gravy and eggs yummy the bacon was phenomenal
Valarie H.

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.

Grits and potatoes
Zaria D.

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.

Bill B.

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.

All the good stuff
Amanda K.

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.

Frankenstein decor
Jesse J.

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.

Short stack
Bob B.

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.

Slim stack chocolate chip pancakes & sob buster omlette
Natalia L.

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

Pancakes!
Christopher F.

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

Egg white omelette with a biscuit, potatoes, and sausage gravy
Corrina Q.

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 :)

Menu
Rylan T.

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!

Biscuits and gravy
Kelly B.

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.

Scrabbled eggs with cheese & thick cut bacon

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3 months ago

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1 month ago

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

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3 months ago

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1 year ago

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1 month ago

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7 days ago

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

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6 months ago

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11 months ago

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3 years ago

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8 months ago

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

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10 months ago

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.

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Ask the Community - Aretha Frankenstein's

Is it worth to go or not?

We have enjoyed our visits greatly. Your expectations are likely different than ours. We feel the food is good and it is an entertaining environment for adults. We don't recommend AF's for families with young or impatient children.

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71 South

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4.2
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We had a large group of about 12 women celebrating Galentines on Sunday a week later. We arrived…read morefor an early afternoon meal. Menus are online via a QR code. Service is friendly and attentive. My meal was delicious! I started with the cranberry faux-jito mocktail and loved it - just the right combo of sweetness and tang. The chargrilled portobello entree was honestly perfect. I love when the zucchini and yellow squash are cooked crisp-tender instead of mushy. That balsamic glaze was a nice topping bringing everything together. The sides of quinoa and mashed potatoes were a nice complement to the main dish. Getting to the door was a little tricky for me with some construction happening on the building but the sign on the door made it clear where to go. Nice place. Not rushed. Great food with lots of interesting options. Tasty drinks. Highly recommended!

Having eaten here in the past, we stopped in for a bite before our evening got underway. We were…read moreseated promptly, immediately realizing we'd be using their QR code menus (no other option) which we all agreed is not our favorite version. Our server handled our questions, took our order & promptly ignored us for some time before we had to remind her we ordered drinks. Ultimately, she's the reason for the 3 stars as one of us never did get the ranch as requested & it appeared that our server lost interest in following through w/us. The food itself was good so maybe the take-away here is "to go with to-go orders" if we give them another chance. As others mentioned, the setting itself is interesting (old church) & accommodates a good number of patrons so there's no waiting.

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Great little spot for a lox bialy and a latte…read more We got: -Potato blintz (not very flavorful but it went okay) -lox bialy (dill and scallion schmear, goood nova lox, red onion, cucumber, capers, tomato, sweet pepper relish and dill. served on an everything bialy. This was the star) -latte I'm deeply regretting my not grabbing a babka on the way out but it just gives me another excuse to head back!

As a Michelin guide restaurant, Potchke has earned the right to "mess around in the kitchen", as…read morethey say. However, I wonder about the hype. Haven't had pastrami in a while so I had to order the Pastrami Reuben and the presentation was great with how it was stacked! Between the sauce and the sauerkraut the flavors were all good and I enjoyed the taste of the pastrami when I found it, but the bread to meat ratio was so high I mostly tasted the burned crust of the bread and very few bites of pastrami. It was one slice of pastrami, not a thin slice but not what you hope for when you bite into true Jewish deli pastrami, which are normally bursting at the seems with meat. Marble rye is hard not to burn and they did a good job for the most part, but I tasted more crust than I did pastrami, and for $18 I wonder if this sandwich was more a charge for the hype. The blintzes were also smaller than one would expect of a blintz but I absolutely loved the compote on top.

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Chocolate babka
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4.4
(838 reviews)
1.5 mi
•$$

We found this place on a "must try" list and I'm so glad we made it happen. It's in a great area,…read morealways seems to have a line (don't worry, they're super fast) and is so cute. It's almost impossible to decide what to order because literally everything looks and sounds amazing -- and based on what we tried, you can't go wrong. The food was such a nice surprise -- it seemed like it would be *fine* but we were impressed. Great flavor, super fresh, oh, and huge portions. Drinks are excellent, you can't go wrong there either. I've tried the coffee, a mimosa, and a spritz on different occasions. So tasty.

The French Market in downtown Knoxville is one of those spots that instantly feels warm and…read moreinviting the moment you walk in. The cozy, café-style atmosphere makes it perfect for a relaxed brunch or a casual lunch with friends. It's charming without feeling pretentious -- just simple, welcoming, and full of great smells coming from the kitchen. The crêpes are the real star. Whether you go sweet or savory, they're thin, perfectly cooked, and generously filled. The savory buckwheat galettes are hearty and flavorful, while the sweet crêpes hit that perfect balance of light and indulgent. Pair one with a good coffee and you've got an easy, satisfying meal. If you're in Knoxville and want something a little different from the usual brunch spots, The French Market is absolutely worth a visit. It's a local gem that keeps you coming back.

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My dessert crepe: cherry cheesecake.
My dessert crepe: cherry cheesecake.
Cherry cheesecake and s'mores crepes at our favorite spot.
Cherry cheesecake and s'mores crepes at our favorite spot.
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Aretha Frankenstein's - breakfast_brunch - Updated July 2026

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