Was able to bring a party of 8 here at 7:30pm on a Sunday after graduation. Quality food and cocktails, something for everyone (even with diet restrictions). The place is clean and new too! Really enjoyed the guava habanero margarita and the shrimp tacos! read more

I don't like to leave reviews period. On the other hand, I like to read them when I'm making a decision on where to eat. The good: -the restaurant is beautiful and perfect for nice weather with a nice breeze coming through - there was no wait for a large party - shrimp taco was really good -salsa /chips good - our server was pretty good The bad: - out of three tacos, only one was good (the shrimp). The chicken was dry and the veggie chorizo was unappealing -husband got risotto. It literally tasted like nothing. I have no clue how that could happen -everyone else at our table kind of half-heartedly nodded when I asked how our their food was - got a blood orange margarita. Sounded great. Didn't taste great. I drank half of it - our server was pretty good. The girl that brought our food decided it would be easier for her to pass my plate down three people rather than walk around the table in a nearly empty restaurant to put it in front of me. I watched as she did this with every single person at our party. This included handing the plate to the customer in front of her. This burns me up. Please properly train your staff. - lastly, it was overpriced for what we got. This is the fourth time I've come here and I'm throwing in the towel. read more

It was such a disappointment. Although our server was nice, it felt like he hated being there. The food & beverages were not bad, but they were not great either. ( i probably would have been happier at taco bell ). $34 for a small pitcher of sangria that was FILLED with ice & had little flavor. We got the taco plate with different tacos. The birria tacos were the real crying shame. Whatever it was they gave us to dip our very flavorless taco in tasted like cooking oil. The ambience is lovely & the decor & lighting feels luxurious. Perhaps if you are just going for a glass of wine & appetizer it wouldn't be bad, but I could not recommend for a nice dinner out. read more

One of our go to places in Knoxville. One of the places we take family/friends when we have visitors. Great food and service! Highly recommend. read more

Babalu - Outside seating at Babalu - Latin American Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Our first time here. We were early on a Saturday and were seated exactly where we wanted immediately upon entering. The decor is a bit Art Deco modern with a huge poured concrete bar. My wife had a Cabernet and the pork taco on a flour tortilla (you get a choice). I had a Red Sangria and a jerk chicken taco on a corn tortilla. I thought the Sangria tasted fine, but $10 was a bit expensive for it. We shared the triple dips and chips (guac, salsa and black bean hummus). The chips were outstanding. They're thick and tasty. They definitely won't break dipping. And we liked all three of the dips. This could make a meal by itself. My jerk chicken had very little jerk. The tacos are small, and they're not overstuffed. Overall, we enjoyed the meal, and the experience. We never visited before, so we had no way to compare it to the what it used to be (according to other Yelpers). However, having lived our whole lives in Miami, I can say it's not authentic Latin cuisine. One thing I do agree with, Chivo (down the street) is better. read more

Friendly staff, good food, different types of Spanish/ Mexican dishes, queso was cold but server fixed quickly - over all good

This place USED to be delicious. If i went now it would be for the cute atmosphere but the food is eh. Like the guacamole is awful in comparison to what it was before. They used to have my favorite guacamole it was so fresh now it tastes like it comes out of a tube. Sad :( but cute atmosphere nonetheless! read more

It's my favorite restaurant in Knoxville. Food is awesome. Get the burger. The music is too loud though for lunch on a Thursday... maybe a Saturday night with a full restaurant the volume would be fine. And I'm not an old lady read more

Met a friend here for lunch and we really enjoyed the new remodel. The food was very good, but our server was just not into us. I happened to mention we were out celebrating a birthday and not a word back in response. I wasn't looking for a celebration at our table but at least a Happy Birthday to my friend would have been nice. read more

10/10 from the food to service to drinks and the atmosphere.. Elle, Aniza, and CJ are the best.

Suuuuper underwhelmed by this "new and improved" babalu. Just ordered guac to go that i had been excited to try all day and it was very runny and there was barely any of it as well. For $8 I could've walked down the block to chivo and gotten 3x as much for the same price and better quality. It's sad because Babalu's Guac used to be their star of the show. not the case anymore. read more

Babalu - To go Guacamole - Latin American Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

See all

So glad this placed openers back-up. Located downtown Knoxville, great place for social gathering. The menu has shrunk a little but still has variety. I posted pictures of the menu in this review. My critiques is that the guacamole isn't made table side anymore. Honestly not as good before it shutdown but still a game changer!! Very vegetarian friendly. Try the beyond meat burger or beyond meat chorizo tacos. Tacos are $6 a piece , Slightly overpriced. Drink menu is huge and good. Try the Gin and Tonic. I recommend and the CS is pretty good. read more

See all

My wife's boyfriend came into town and I wanted to impress him... needless to say, he let me hang around for the evening! Absolutely blown away at the level of service Peter provided us. Never had such an incredible meal perfectly paired with such exquisite cock tails. Can't recommend enough. read more

A great place to go with your girlfriends for a night out, or even a romantic date with your man. The vibe of this place is a romantic modern feel, we love that. The food was amazing and so were the cocktails. We had the appetizer of chips and guac- a huge portion of guac fed 3 girls, the chips with freshly baked & salty.. YUM. Blood orange and mojito margarita were 10/10. Babalu salad is pictured with a side of avocado. Just enough fresh food to fill you up & eat healthy enough to excuse yourself to ice cream afterwards can't wait to come back and try more on the menu. read more

See all

So my wife and I stopped in Babalu based on the recommendation of a local seller for an afternoon snack. I told the waitress that this was just a snack for us, but Christian (think the spelling is correct) still was extremely attentive to us and provided us with 1st class service. My wife and I enjoyed a Charcuterie Board together along with a glass of wine! We were so impressed by the Charcuterie Board and the service that we went back a second day during our stay in Knoxville. We did have a different waiter, but the Christian, the waitress from the day before remembered us and came over and chatted with us. Thank you for such a great experience! read more

The food was mediocre, the margaritas were terrible, and horribly overpriced. The whole experience was below average unfortunately. If you've ever been to Babalu in Memphis, this location was a huge let down. Go next door to Chivos instead! Much better!! read more

Service and food was great! Best chips and guacamole. Shrimp tacos were also very delicious.

LOVE everything about the new and improved Babalu. Fresh new take on food, beverages, and the atmosphere is wonderful. Not to mention the hospitality was incredible and staff very knowledgeable. I will for sure be back frequently for years to come! read more

Babalu - Paella!! - Latin American Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

See all

The French fries were fine until I took another bite and it must have been from a rotten potato because it was the most disgusting taste I have ever experienced. It moved me to tears it was so disgusting. It was my first experience eating here and I will never be able to come back because that was such a traumatic taste. If you have ever eaten a rotten fry, you would understand.... read more

Great food. Very nice atmosphere and friendly, courteous and helpful staff. Guacamole is great.

Honestly a little disappointed. Babalu used to be one of my favorite restaurants before they closed and reopened. The menu is completely different which is sad and the food and drinks were just not as good as they used to be. They were out of the one cocktail I really wanted to i settled with a sangria and they put so much ice in it and barely any drink so def not worth the 10 dollars. I got three tacos to try, the jerk chicken, shrimp, and a pork. I was really excited for the pork because it was birria style but it had barely any filling and just fell flat for me. I did enjoy the chicken and shrimp, however I wish the shrimp had been a little smaller. The tortillas seemed a little over cooked and kept breaking making them hard to eat. I did really like how they redecorated it and I think it's a beautiful restaurant just not the same quality as the old one. read more

Babalu - Tacos - Latin American Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

I didn't love the original Babalu, but when they remodeled and reopened it again, everything was different and for the better! It's the perfect place to get together with the girls or on the way to a show. The food is so good and it's on the lighter side so you don't feel weighed down after eating . I'm a huge fan of the chicken tacos! read more

The good: Shrimp taco was very good. The decor is very nice and everything appeared to be very clean. We were there for lunch and it was very slow. What we didn't like: The service was very slow and the attitude was unfriendly boarding on rude. I do not enjoy having someone act as if they were doing me a favor to take my money. The "background" music was quite loud and the play list included rap songs, one with obscene lyrics. This pretty much ruined the lunch for us. We really wanted to like the place because they serve Tapas, but guess we will need to look elsewhere. read more

Atmosphere was awesome. Food was decent other than the birria tacos. Would highly recommend the shrimp tacos and trio dip, but avoid the birria. Pork was dry and chewy with one flavor and the consume was basically a cup of burnt cooking oil and not edible. Service was average. read more

We came here for a date night dinner before seeing a show on Gay Street and had such an awesome experience! They offered two different wine flights, one on special that was red wines only and one offered daily that was a combination of whites and reds. I got the white/red combo flight and loved it! It had everything from a sparkling white to a deep red. My husband got a mojito margarita which was pretty average (much more like a mojito than a marg), and we also tried the strawberry margarita which we enjoyed a little bit more. For appetizers we got the charcuterie board and fried calamari. Both were delicious, and it was more than enough food for two people. The charcuterie board was easily enough for 4 people to share. For entrees, I was so full that I got only one shrimp taco (yum!), and he got the paella. He enjoyed it and felt it had a good mix of seafood and it was well prepared and very flavorful. My favorite part though was the third appetizer we got, the guacamole! I can't come to Babalu and NOT get guac. They used to prepare it tableside which they no longer do, but you can choose different add ins still which is fun. We chose bacon and sundried tomatoes which I highly recommend! It was so fresh and delicious. This is definitely one of my favorite Knoxville spots. Can't wait to go back! read more

See all

Excellent Spanish food. I mean, not as good as Barcelona, but great for Knoxville. We didn't have a reservation, so we sat at the bar. Service was fast and friendly. I don't get all the negativity in some reviews. read more

One of the coolest interiors that Knoxville restaurants have!! Yummy margaritas and highly recommend the mushroom pasta

Service - 9/10 Wait - 7.5/10 Food - 4/10 (Cold and all & all not that good) Appetizers - 5/10 (Sauces weren't good) Bathrooms - 6.5/10 Overall - 6/10 read more

Hadn't been here in a while and was pleased to see it was still tasty and fresh. The Cuban was very well made and the black bean burger was excellent. Side of grits was tepid and sitting around awhile but fingerling potatoes were nice. For some reason food took 35 minutes to get to the table when restaurant was empty. but was worth the wait. Prices are reasonable and we're coming back. Still more items to try. read more

Wonderful ambience, excellent service, delicious salads for my husband and I. I had the Spanish salad with grilled shrimp. My husband had peach burrata salad-fantastic! They even gave me a sample of the guacamole. So good! Definitely coming back when we visit next time. read more

The drinks were good. The Birria style pork tacos were really great. I will definitely get those again. The shrimp taco was very very tasty. The dip trio was excellent. All in all it was a very solid experience and we will be back. read more

Charcuterie board and chop salad were great. Pork tacos was also delicious. The add on chicken to my salad was the best tasting chicken and was not just an afterthought likey most other places. read more

Went there twice for lunch on a work trip. They have great sandwiches and side chop salad, that make a nice light lunch.

This is nothing like the location I've been to before. Flour tortillas, no booth side guac making. And the stuff to add the the guac costs extra. The chips were still really good, as were the drinks, but that's it. I got vegan chorizo tacos and it really tasted like something I would make at home. I would only come back for drinks. read more

Ok. This. Place. Smelllllssss so good. Foods amazing too. But just go for me and smell inside.

First time back since they reopened. Had a great experience before so we were looking forward to coming back. It was a huge disappointment. Service was extremely slow even though we were there around 3pm and only a handful of customers in the restaurant. We had to ask a different server for our check. Took a very long time for food to arrive at table. We had to send guacamole back because there was a hair in it. Fish taco was bland and fish was over cooked. Pork taco was so greasy and burnt on the one side. Chicken taco was also very bland and not warm. Polenta was extremely bland and also not very warm. We left half our food uneaten. Would not return. read more

Delicious food, friendly and efficient service, perfect location in downtown Knoxville!

We were really excited for the new Babalu to reopen, so we went one Saturday afternoon. We loved the food at the original Babalu, but the drink menu and the drinks were of poor quality. I had hoped for new high quality hand crafted cocktails... this didn't come to fruition. The cocktails were severely lacking. The server brought out tap water in a large glass container with sediment of some sort floating throughout. The menu was very limiting. I saw a nice juicy steak at the bar and tried to order that(the only dish on the menu I found appealing), but the server told me they only served the steak after 4pm and the one at the bar was for pictures, or a guest reviewer or something, either way I didn't get the steak. We had two appetizers, one was ok, the other... some kind of greasy fried cheese that was pretty unappealing. We decided to grab our check after the apps and one cocktail and move on down Gay street to another restaurant for our main course. I'm sad to say I see no reason to return to Babalu. read more

We wanted to see this after it re-opened. We were so excited to come try this again. We used to go all the time, even with the price increases because it used to be worth it. We went for my birthday this year, and were disappointed. They got rid of their fries in favor of these chips that were sooo vinegar-y. The vinegar powder was all you could taste. I ordered a Cuban sandwich, my go to when I used to come and it wasn't terribly disappointing minus the chips. My wife tried their beyond burger, and it didn't taste quite right. I'm sorry but if you're going to gouge us with the prices, to pay for your decor please make it worth it. read more

The food, service, and ambiance were great. The tables are spread out and there is ample room between guests. I highly recommend the restaurant. read more