Great little diner that has great food and wonderful service by Nick! Unfortunately we ate our food before I could think of taking a picture. My husband and I split the Western Omelette (with cheddar cheese instead of the American that's on the menu). Delicious and just the right amount of food for us. We also split a pancake and it was huge and fluffy. Our friend got the Popeye omelette, which was delicious she said. Her husband just ordered biscuits and gravy. He asked for a sample of the gravy before he ordered and Nick had no problem bringing it to him. He said it was delicious. The coffee wasn't the best we've ever had but the food definitely made up for it. read more

I keep not wanting to review this place because it's so delicious and we always worry that we won't be able to get a seat or a table but the crew at Colonel's café are amazing from the cooks behind the scene behind the counter to the ladies and gentleman waiting tables always a great experience. Food is amazing we've not had anything we didn't like and we've been there every other weekend for sure. Highly recommend the breakfast burrito had an omelette last time. Crew knows food! read more

See all

This is another place that I've had bookmarked for a long time but only recently tried. I only wish I had tried it sooner! We came for an early lunch on a weekday. There was plenty of seating at the in between breakfast and lunch time. The service was fast and friendly. I had a modified Greek salad (no cheese), hummus, pita, and colonels potatoes. Everything was incredibly fresh and flavorful. The hummus was unusual and very different from local favorites like Yassin's and Holy Land. It wasn't my favorite but I still enjoyed it. Their pita bread is some of the best in town. But the potatoes are incredible! I would go back just for them. read more

Met a friend there today . First pulled up parking lot is really small or they're really busy ( it's the second) , the inside is small but Cozy . The food came out fresh and hot . I myself had the Greek salad OMGit was great . My friend had breakfast that looked Tremendous.service was kind of slow on refills but it was crowded, we stayed talking for 90minutes and the place was crowded read more

The Mediterranean breakfast is our favorite, but not had anything here that I wouldn't try again. We've been fans for years! The people are awesome. Little hole in the wall that will surprise you! read more

Best breakfast in Knoxville!!! Amazing service and awesome food. It's our go to spot and skip the crowds.

What a gem ! This food is amazing. Definitely a must stop diner. The greek food is next level. The garlic sauce is amazing

Colonel's is by far the best diner I've ever been to. Such a homey environment and the food is amazing! I always order French toast and my boyfriend gets corned beef hash, but you truly can't go wrong with anything you choose from the menu. The staff is so lovely as well! They always make us feel welcome read more

Health Lovers Omelette with a side of potatoes & toast. What's inside? Fresh Spinach, onions, peppers, mushrooms, garlic, and feta cheese. The restaurant has the classic family owned cafe vibe. The servers are always nice and respectful. My rating: 5/5 read more

Colonel's Cafe - American Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

excellent food and service! I've had the fish of the day for breakfast twice. Grouper done the Greek way. Greek breakfast is good too. You won't be disappointed with cod quality, flavor, or price here. read more

This restaurant is basically an old twilight zone episode, and you'll think you walked into a rundown waffle house in Macon, Georgia, or worse. Except the service is better at Waffle House. And what do you do when you're sitting at your table, 10 feet away from your food, that you notice is ready, sitting up on the counter, waiting to be served but your server who is apparently taking care of all the dozen or so tables is handling a line of 8 chatty people paying their bill at the register. The kitchen keeps hitting the bell to pick up our order and serve it (ignored). Meanwhile our piping hot food continues to cool off, steam gone within a matter of minutes as our waitress cashier continues to take cash and help those in line pay their bill and chat a bit with each customer. (They push you to pay with cash, which takes even longer). The food looked pretty decent, but by the time it made its way to the table, it was barely warm. I really believe if we had walked into this restaurant when it was less busy, maybe better staffed, that we would have had a much more positive experience. Although this restaurant is decorated in sort of a post-apocalyptic, prison cafeteria, and chic design, the food isn't cheap. Call me crazy but hot food needs to be served hot. It just was such a frustrating experience watching this train wreck of a restaurant experience play out. I really do believe that my 2 star restaurant experience could have easily been a 4 star experience if somebody had just served us our hot food instead of discussing the weather with a line full of chatty friendly southern folk. So, for our restaurant experience today, I'm going to court martial the Coloniel and possibly put him in solitary confinement. read more

This Knoxville favorite is somewhat of a hidden gem. From the exterior, if it weren't for the very full parking lot, you probably wouldn't take much notice. That would be a mistake because the food here is definitely worth trying. The menu is a mix of home cooking, tried and true diner favorites (try the Turkey melt), and some unique daily specials from fried spaghetti casserole to catfish. The interior matches the exterior but, that'll be the last thing on your mind when your tastebuds make contact with anything on the menu. read more

I cannot believe I have been in Knoxville for over 15 years and never knew about this place. the bomb.com and I definitely will come back for more. Everybody felt like family and people from all walks of life came in and out of that door. This is a new place for me and hopefully my belly doesn't get to be as a result. read more

Sine the Crazy Egg and then the Egg and I were closed then the 30 people wait at the Gourmet Market didn't interest us we ended up with a not too long of a wait at the Colonel. We were seated, provided water and our waiter showed up for our order. Prices are cheap andy burrito waa fantastic. Hubs had the 2 2 2, he said the pancakes were the best he's ever had. Try it out, you'll like it read more

See all

Wonderful staff, food, and service. Would like them to stay open until 3pm in the afternoon.

Stopped in for a bite for lunch, and I'm glad I did. Great choices and great service. Food is fresh and cooked to order. Prices are very good for portion sizes. They offer military discount. read more

Great food and great service!! In town for just one night and stumbled upon this old school diner restaurant.

i love cafes like this. great service, home-y feel, and delicious food. i got the burrito and realized I wanted the pancakes too, luckily both were delicious. we also were able to get seated at a booth pretty quickly read more

The food was very good. Servers were friendly and funny. Had the bologna sandwich special and enjoyed it. Will go back.

Great food great service and a homey atmosphere. Love the place, hope to come back soon

Came here for a tinder lunch date and it was great! I ordered for us the: - Greek combo: spinach pie, hummus, stuffed grape leaves, pita bread - Fish of the day: grouper with broccoli and potato - Baklava The fish and spinach pie was our favorite. The fish wasn't dry nor bland. The spinach pie was crispy and had a balanced amount of stuffing. The hummus was on the liquid side but still good! It was quite addicting to consume with the pita bread. They give more than enough pita bread! The baklava was irresistible; it was not overly sweet and it was very flaky. Overall, the food speed was quick and my water was bottomless. Customer service was great too! read more

See all

This place is SO good. Price is amazing too. We were here for breakfast. We got the discovery (two eggs, French toast, bacon) and the pork tenderloin (two eggs, toast, potatoes). Everything was good. Small complaint: French toast could have been hotter in temperature. Coffee was great and hot!! Place was busy but somehow they keep up. Potatoes had capers in it - never had that before but it was so good!! Dessert we had fried apple pie with ice cream. I don't even know what ice cream I was having (it was an orange color) but trust me it was amazing. This place has been here for over 60 years so they know what they are doing! read more

Colonel's Cafe - Grilled pork tenderloin with eggs over easy and potatoes and toast ($7.99) - American Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

See all

The Captains Potatoes are the bomb! Nice staff and centrally located. A little hidden gem!

The Colonels Cafe was fantastic!!! The food was amazing. Cooked perfectly according to our order, served nice and hot. The "Colonel" was a super sweet lady who served us with a smile and lots of personality! I would recommend the Colonel Cafe all day long. We would come back any time! read more

HOLE in the wall for sure with great inexpensive food and service. I lived in Knoxville for 9 years and never visited this place. My wife and I love breakfast and enjoy finding interesting places to eat. Learned that this restaurant has been around for over 60 years. If your ever in Knoxville make this place a priority visit as it will not disappoint. Busy little place so arrive early if you can. read more

Colonel's Cafe - Eggs, meat and French toast just the way I like it. - American Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

See all

A hole in the wall for sure. The kind of place that brings back the words Reuben and Patty Melt to your lunch vocabulary. I came in for breakfast and I had to order the Mediterranean. Duh. The scrambled eggs are good and so is the toasted pita bread. Man, I love thier pita bread toasted. Oh but that feta, tomato, and cucumber salad. Oh wow!! These guys know their feta. So creamy. Just enough flaky. And it holds it's olive oil. (Seriously, there is a big debate over which country makes the best feta cheese. Look it up). I could come here just for this salad it's SO good. But then. There was the hummus. Blech. I did not care for this chunky paste at all. And then there was the colonel's potatoes. Uh oh. What happened here? I mean, I liked them and the capers but it was all around bland. What's with the parched out dryness in these potatoes? I think they could have used something creamy and some salt at least The italian woman in me needs to come back here for Luigi's ____ italian dish. I'm betting that any dish among the italian fare is the real winner. I know it when I see it. I'm betting the taste will be spot on too. To be continued. read more

See all

I've been going here now enough to consider myself a regular. There has not been anything that I have ordered that has let me down. Everyone is always nice there and everything comes out promptly and is always hot & fresh. The price is fair and I like the more casual atmosphere. I've brought 2-3 others with me and they were surprised how much they liked it. My favs so far are the garden omelet, gyro plate, biscuits & gravy and the baklava. And how could I forget the colonel's potatoes. If you are looking for another lunch place to put in your rotation then go and try it. read more

See all

We've been here twice now and have had the same comforting southern breakfast food. Coffee is strong that'll get you moving for the day. Staff is quick and the wait is short even if there's a long line. Prices are solid. Parking lot looks a little sketch when pulling into the gravel lot, kinda gotta park where ya can and make your own spot sometimes. Would highly recommend if your looking for a local dinner. This will be a place ya crave when ya can't have it that's for sure. read more

See all

We went to the colonels Cafe this morning. It had pretty good reviews so I gave it a try. It's a small place right next to the smoothie king on Kingston pike. I ordered the farmers omelet. Lots of vegetables. I could tell that this was a place that had a majority of repeat customers. Which is usually a good sign. The other thing I noticed was how well the staff worked with each other. Good food, great atmosphere. It's worth a try. read more

Awesome breakfast and lunch spot! I've been here before to try their lunch, but yesterday I went to try their breakfast for the first time and loved it! They have a great menu that's filled with many different options. Everything looked good, but I opted for the health lovers omelet with breakfast potatoes and toast. It was delicious! The omelet was wonderful and the breakfast potatoes were some of the best I've ever had. They were crispy and seasoned to perfection. I am so happy I have finally tried this place for breakfast and in my opinion it's one of the best family owned restaurants in Knoxville. The service was fast and friendly and seemed very well managed. Plus it's always nice to support local businesses. I can't wait to come back! read more

Came in this Sunday morning around 12. Said, 'good morning' to one of the waitresses. She blankly looked at me and said, 'what do you want to drink?' Not even a hi? Ok. Interior decor looks dated and tired. My wife requested a Popeye's omelette (spinach, mushrooms and swiss cheese) but with the eggs over-easy and the ingredients on the side. The waitress said, 'I'll see if he will do it that way.' Now, their menu states '2 eggs any style' so, maybe we simply asked for this item incorrectly...but, this was not a crazy request if they prepare 2 eggs any style and the omelettes are made with...wait for it...you guessed it.....2 eggs. Welp, turns out our request was just too damn much to ask of the lone short-order cook. We got up and left apologizing to the waitress. Plenty of other places to go for lunch with less hassle and far less obstinance. In fact, we went 2 blocks down to Gourmet's and had a great brunch. Not worth it. Sorry... read more

This place was phenomenal. Food was on point - quality, HOT, and everything was homemade and made to order. We were so impressed and will definitely be back when we're back in TN again. I wanted to try everything on the menu. The service was friendly, the environment was clean and cozy. I can't say enough good things. Go try it!! read more

See all

Never heard anyone speak of this place and not sure why. Hidden gem, treasure. "Hole in the wall" type but super good breakfast food! 1st time and not the last. We tried omeletes, fried potatoes, breakfast burrito, hashbrowns, biscuits and gravy and lots of it! And its very affordable. And very good! We are picky gravy people....hard to find a gravy that tastes like you would get at your grandma's. You get it here. Very small dining area...but it was packed out. People dressed to the nines after church there, youth from UT, old fellas...you name it, all sorts there. A well oiled machine putting oit good home cooking. No mass produced " Egg and whatever" type of places you see everywhere. If we'd had room we would have hit the pancakes too. Try this place...you wont be disappointed. read more

See all

Food is always amazing here. Service however, has went down hill significantly. Had to ask for a refill and was met with a grunt of sorts. Only one other table when I arrived. Updated: finally get a refill and it had the taste of vinegar in it. Never had this issue before. Not sure what happened. read more

Colonels had the Best pancakes I've ever had. Nice people and great service. I went on game day and they were never frustrated with all the people in there. read more

I take it back. It just took a couple of visits to find my niche. It is a great, local, little spot and the food is nice and homey.

Our favorite breakfast in Knoxville. Haven't ever had anything that wasn't perfect-o. Mediterranean Breakfast? The go to. Breakfast Burrito; exactly what most Burrito people are craving. Grilled in the outside / cheesy in the middle. Spinach Pie and hummus. Gracious. And those hash browns. The type of place you hope to stumble upon everywhere you travel. The family that runs Colonel's is warm, welcoming, hard working, and knows how to deliver the perfect Greek American Breakfast. read more

Heading from from Chattanooga, asked Yelp to find me a local owned diner for breakfast and gas stop. Found Colonel's as a top recommendation and decided to give it a shot. Just about a mile and some chance off I-40, sits in a building shared with a bakery next door. Greeted promptly and seated with appropriate social distance. The Cajun Scrambler seems to be a local favorite, but with 300 miles to drive, figured a safe bet was the breakfast burrito. Mine had bacon, egg, cheese, and jalapeño. Came with side of grits. The burrito was decent size, also grilled, to give a firm texture and almost crunchy outside. Inside, the eggs and fixings were terrific, and the grits hit the spot. Super, super kind folks, and great diner food you'd expect. Best breakfast I've had in years. read more

Colonel's Cafe - Breakfast burrito with bacon, egg, cheese, jalapeño. Side of grits. - American Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

I got carry out breakfast from here today, because a colleague was running there. Yummy! I had the Greek omelette with the house potatoes and an English muffin. Everything was really good. The potatoes had capers in them. Yay! The omelette had feta cheese. Scrumptious. This really hit the spot and the price was reasonable. I'll visit again and try more and I'm guessing this will become a five star favorite. read more

We were driving home and starving so we turned to yelp and once again not disappointed! I got hot chocolate and husband got coffee, both were steaming hot and great. We decided to share the greek omelet and got a side of bacon. The food was fantastic & served very quickly! We also ordered spinach pie and baklava to go - they look fantastic but will be a great treat for us when we stop at our hotel tonight!!! read more

Colonel's Cafe - American Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee