It's different from the places I've been, not a lot of options. The food was good, nothing really stood out to me. The buns that had were pretty good. I got the Dandan noodles and my friend got the mapo Dofu. We enjoy both dishes, but it wasn't anything that stood out to us. The service was kind of slow, but we didn't mind too much read more

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A really interesting restaurant that sells good portioned food with good tasse. A must try. read more

Kaizen - Asian Fusion Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

I think it can easily be said that 2020's highlight was Kaizen opening in the Old City. The patio is fantastic for safe outdoor eating, but the decor inside is a must see. Food is always spectacular and half price fried rice on Tuesday is what we need more of in 2021. read more

The food has a lot of flavor in the best way possible. There is a lot of variety and it's a very good menu. Everything was cooked well, the noodles the right texture, sauces on point, squishy baos. Our waiter was nice and gave good recommendations. Their cocktails were good but honestly the food pairs better with beer. Not my favorite for ordering a bunch of food and sharing but doable. The baos were easy to split and the dumplings too. The place really stands out in downtown Knoxville for its unique flavors. It's also cute inside. It seems like they do rotate things in and out as specials so I would definitely come back to see what they come up with. read more

Kaizen never disappoints! The atmosphere is a break from traditional restaurants. When I stopped in last night, I told myself I would try something new, but I always end up with my standard order- the dan dan noodles and two Nashville man buns. Every dish I have tried here is spectacular. read more

I love this place so much!!! The food is amazing. I really enjoy the vibe and drinks! I would recommend calling ahead to make a reservation. Place for sure books up fast on the weekend! Eat all the FOOD! If you go with a few people, I suggest you get a few things and share! yummy! read more

Visited on a whim for lunch while passing through Knoxville on the way west. Had a mixture of appetizers and entrees, and *everything* was superb. I lived in Japan for two years, so I know my izakaya food. The takoyaki here was the best I've had outside of Japan, and the steamed buns weren't far behind. Already planning a detour through Knoxville on the way home, just so I can go there again. Subarashii!!! read more

Kaizen was everything I had hoped for! The atmosphere is cozy and the staff are amazing. The steamed buns would be my number one recommendation. The cocktails were also great! read more

Absolutely wonderful food. I got the lemongrass noodleswhich has pork belly and shrimp. It was one of the best meals I've had in the seven years that I've lived here. It was spicy but complex, with curry, Thai chili and cashews. We also had two of the Japanese sticky buns- the Nashville & the pork belly. read more

Kaizen - Asian Fusion Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Have been following them on Instagram for months finally stopped in, so happy we did. Like a place you'd find in San Francisco. Price was great. The flavors amazing. Dessert was perfect. Dined outside, perfect night thank you! read more

We started with the Thai sausage, Nashville, and pork belly steamed buns, they were all delicious but the Thai really hit the spot. If you're looking for something fantastic and different, this is your spot. I had the shrimp fried rice with kimchi and it was amazing. My girlfriend had the lemongrass noodle and it was also dank. They have a good selection of wine and sake as well. Highly recommend! read more

Really interesting Asian fusion menu. I had the dry fry eggplant and it was terrific. Hubby had the duck and noodle special - scrumptious. Sitting out in the patio on such a lovely day on Union St....couldn't ask for more. Service was exceptional, too. Nicest waitress ever! read more

This place is amazing. Can't believe it took me so long to find it, but I'm so glad I did! Their food is great and every plate I try I'm surprised as to how good their whole menu is. 10/10 read more

Excellent ! Steamed buns are perfect. I always compare the ones I eat to the ones I ate in Las Vegas and they never surpass the ones I have had - these are close! Yum and worth the stop in just for those. I had the special - a potato cake with pineapple, egg, green onions and bacon. It was very good. Hubby had the crows nest - it was full of flavor and lots of great vegetables. I would recommend that for sure. Son had the dumplings - listed as an entree I wished I would have known there were only 4 small ones. He was good as he ordered the steamed pork bun! Yes ... I think I could live off those things! So, in short - stop and get a variety of flavors of pork buns and you won't be disappointed. read more

This place is worth a visit. The food is reasonably priced, delicious, and the service is always impeccable. You'll probably need a reservation for dinner service!! read more

The place is really small, however, when we went, it wasn't too busy. The jazz music was a little loud and intrusive but after a few minutes you don't really notice. It has a bar and a wide variety of American and Japanese alcohol, so if you're looking for a buzz it's a good place to go. The food is pretty good, but the serving sizes are pretty big. Also, if you get anything with duck, you will fill up quickly. Service is really quick and the servers are very polite. You will get chopsticks by default, but the servers understand if you want a fork or spoon. The atmosphere is a little dark, but it sets a nice mood. Really good for a romantic date. We got Crowsnest Noodles, Lemongrass Noodles, Nashville Buns, Porkbelly Buns, some dumplings, and takoyaki. It was all great food, and we had plenty of left overs and it was all pretty cheap. We spent about $74 (we are a family of 4) and thats pretty good for a fancy restaurant. We plan on going back soon, but maybe order a little less food read more

Whether you're a Knoxville local or just passing through, you would be a dumb dumb not to eat here. This restaurant is consistently great. The menu offers such a dynamic selection of delicious options, the interior aesthetics are YES PLEASE and the chef's specials are, you guessed it, better than anything your mom ever makes. I live and work near Kaizen, and I love that I can satisfyingly snack solo at the bar or at a table on the patio. It's also my favorite place to bring out of town friends when they visit. If I over-order, my leftovers always make for a yummy next-day lunch. Sometimes I forget my togo box; which is no ones fault but my own. When this personal lapse happens, I'm the opposite of upset because that just gives me an excuse to return, order again, and pay again and continue to support this epic spot. The staff is rad, too, and they have cute little cactuses about. I just love Kaizen. You will and do, too! read more

Awesomeness on a plate. Great atmosphere in the small restaurant. The food is top notch. Great flavors using high quality food. The steamed buns are some of the best I have ever had I recommend the Thai sausage. read more

I ordered the dry fry eggplant here as the starter. It was so salty that it was simply inedible and I thought it could have been just a simple mistake. So I called the server and mentioned to her that I did try to eat it but the salt was simply beyond acceptable for anybody. She refused to agree and tried to convince me that it is supposed to be - "savory' and tried to explain to me what savory meant. However I told her that I would order something else and still pay for this. So she mentioned the buns and said that the eggplant buns are great. I went with her suggestions and guess what she brought me out the same but fewer (4-5 pieces) of "dry fry eggplants" stuffed in a bun. I figured they either didnt like me being there or the place simply serves salty and bad food. I would seriously suggest that the owner put a poster out if they dont like people of certain color or ethnicity to eat at their restaurant. The servers clearly didnt want me to be around from the moment I entered the restaurant. Bad food and bad service!! read more

My son picked me up and said he wanted to treat me to lunch, so how could I complain about any free lunch? Had no idea what I was ordering, but waiter was helpful. I wanted to try everything. Started with steamed buns, shares some dumplings and I went with the Don don noodles (didnt see the extra spicey label) because its served cold and because I knew I could take anything home for leftovers. Loved everything. Definitely did not need that much food. Recommend sharing some steamed buns or dumplings with someone and ordering one of the amazing bowls or plates. Highly recommended and will return. read more

Amazing flavors and great service. Will definitely return again. Everything was over the top. Best Asian food this side of Asia

Not a fan, first warning sign was the decor and name suggesting a Japanese restaurant but basically their entire menu is Chinese or Chinese fusion. Other than the takoyaki and sake you'll struggle to find a Japanese dish on the entire menu. Takoyaki were good with bonito, scallions, and a Japanese style Mayo, But somehow their bonito flakes were bland. It's cured, dried fish but somehow they had very little flavor. You'd think that would be impossible. Bland is the theme here. Next Dan Dan noodles that came with no sauce on it and only a tiny to go cup of what they call "chili oil" which did not have even a slight hint of spicy to it. And for the giant portion of noodles I was only give maybe 2 tablespoons, this couldn't be less authentic. It's a Sichuan dish, it should be spicy and oily and further I doubt there was even a bit of Szechuan pepper in the whole dish. Seriously they need to google Dan Dan noodles. I'm not sure they have any idea how they are supposed to taste or they just decided white people wouldn't eat real Chinese or something. So I got cold sauceless noodles instead, they were fine and quite bland. Finally their steam buns are lazy knock offs, instead of actually making the whole filled dumpling they just serve it taco style with ingredients stuffed in at the last second unlike real Bao where they get to cook together and let the flavors mix. Forgettable knock off asian food with all the flavor taken out. Skip it. Unless you just want to try takoyaki because I don't think anyone else in East Tennessee even sells them. read more

What dreams are made of. The buns are heavenly. Get the Dan Dan's. They're chilled. Super gluten friendly.

I am a local and this is one of my favorite places to eat. If you have no taste buds and only want great service this isn't the place for you. If you value food good more than good service then this is the place for you. Basically, the food is incredible but the service is pretty bad. I've tried a lot of the menu and loved everything. read more

I have not been here since before the lock downs, but this place was always great! the staff was friendly and the food was always perfect !

We've been here three times and are huge fans! The food is unique and delicious. I've been craving the Tom Yum soup everyday since I had it. We will definitely be back - each time with friends in tow. read more

I had heard great things about Kaizen and was super excited when my husband chose it for dinner. Unfortunately, we both walked away underwhelmed. As others have mentioned, the buns were pretty good. The Thai sausage bun was our favorite. The downfall was with our entrees. My husband ordered the Pad Thai but the only resemblance it held to pad thai was that it contained noodles. There was zero flavor to this dish. Very disappointing especially considering the $17 price tag. I understand that this is fusion cuisine, but I expected the "fusion" to enhance the dish not make it worse. I ordered the daily special which contained cheesy ramen, duck, quail eggs, and tomatoes. This was much better than the Pad Thai in terms of flavor, however it was so rich that I could only eat a handful of bites before I was done. The service was fine and the atmosphere was okay (I appreciate that they have a patio), but we walked away disappointed and regretting having spent so much money on food we didn't even really like. There are much better Asian restaurants in Knoxville. read more

Really lovely looking menu and nice drinks. Portions small and grainy stuff in the Bok Choy made my teeth hurt. They were busy so they'd run out of the squash that was supposed to go in the dish, the waitress was nice. My companions got food that looked good but could have used better/fresher vegetables. read more

Had good food & the price was pretty reasonable & we went on a weekday so it was very quiet the are. But they have a patio where we all sat & enjoyed the food. read more

Kaizen is my favorite place downtown to eat lunch by myself. Love their little bar. Servers are extremely helpful and nice. They offered suggestions for menu items that are lower in carbs. Excellent and beautiful presentation. Thank you, Kaizen for a great experience every time. read more

So happy about this place. I really loved the curried bok choy and Thai fried rice. for two people, 3 dishes is just about right; if you are really hungry or want a larger dinner, make it 4. There's a nice little bar and this building features one of my all-time favorite downtown patios. All of the food was so fresh and prices are really excellent. I will be back many times. read more

SO GREAT!!! I've been here twice and everything about this little place is fabulous. We had the lemongrass noodles, steam buns, dumplings, potatoes and the pickled bean tofu dish, all of which were outstanding. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better I got a bite of tamari soaked ginger at the bottom of the potato dish. Nice atmosphere... sat outside the first time and inside the second time. The music is not too loud and The wait staff was friendly and super accommodating, picking up that my older dinner guests might not be hip to superspicey and placing the fresh hot sauce to the side of the lemongrass dish. And the Creme brûlée with Vietnamese coffee and lemon topping was the perfect finish. read more

High prices for the l small portions, and not particularly good food. I don't quite understand why the ratings are so high. The food was good but it wasn't good enough to justify the pricing. read more

Mom and pop place so sometimes the service is a little slow, but the food is great! Give this place a try!

I never do this but since these reviews are what drove me to the rest. in the first place, I felt obligated. My house cocktail was served in a champagne glass. There were like six ingredients but all I tasted or saw was the pear puree. Not a lot of room in the glass for anything else I suppose so I drank a 9$ jar of baby food. Not even a garnish on this glass? Just a little champagne glass filled with bland puree. The lady who is raving about air fried egg plant needs to get out more I suppose. It was literally a bowl of French fry looking crispy flavorless eggplant with no dipping sauce. wow. The buns or whatever is 2 for 5 is a small doughy snack smaller and less tasty than a slider at Chilis. We ordered the special because well its the special. I wish I had taken photos. It was like panang curry from stir fry café but watered down, twice the price, and only two stark white rubbery flavorless shrimp in the giant dilute bowl. Only Not Watsons has ever given me cause to smile in Market Square but regardless of these reviews, there is a plethora of fantastic Asian food to be had in Knoxville. Have you had the beef satay or the duck at Surin of Thailand. Go have the spicy noodles at Stir Fry café. Ive been eating it for over 20 years and it is craveable awesome. For that matter the twice cooked pork and hot and sour soup and shrimp with snowpeas dishes at Szechaun Garden in South Knox blow anything you are going to overpay to eat here out of the water.Further the cocktails at Surin are really something special. Like this place claims to make. They actually deliver. There are at least two other rest. I cant remember their name in west knox alone that put this food to shame. I want to say little Bangkok and lemongrass thai. Surin grows a lot of their herbs on site if you need to know more about how kickass they are. Please don't judge Knoxville by this place it is so far from the yummy stuff you could be eating. And you could actually hear the conversation at your table too as an added bonus. Youll wait in the cold to eat here but not because its so dang great but rather it has a tiny dining area. Sorry but it could have been so much more. read more

This place is incredible!! One of a kind!!! Great mix of Japanese and Korean and the waiters all know what they are talking about and are able to recommend great things! I had a ginger grapefruit sake beer which went well with the eggplant buns - a must have!! I am vegetarian so the fried rice was an easy choice. Spicy and delicious with plenty of flavor. Would definitely go back! read more

This might be my favorite restaurant in Knoxville. Service is good (and I have a kid), and the food is fucking awesome. My partner and I are kind of snobs when it comes to food, coming from Chicago, and the first time I took him here, he told me after "this might be the best Asian fusion". Maybe it was just an in the moment comment, because their food is actually delicious, but still thought I should add. All of the servers seem to be down to earth, not over the top (thank fucking god), and they know their shit. 10/10 would recommend and return read more

On my first visit, I brought my Constant Dining Companion and Bestie. Here's how our feast played out-- Sapporo on draft: slurrrrrrp! AAHHHHHHHHH! Steamed buns: one with crispy chicken, another with seared eggplant- yum! Dry-fried Eggplant: perfectly fiery and crisp outside, creamy and delicate inside, nothing else could ever compare! Dan Dan noodles: cold and spicy and bold and savory and tender (and just a bit too greasy). General Tso's Octopus (sounds like a lost Beatles song) fairly average, too-sweet sauce saved by the presence of baby octopi, though the portion is terribly small for the price. Veggie Gyoza with a miso-tofu dipping sauce-- the pickled veg coupled with the miso left a distinctly funky aftertaste (unfortunately reminiscent of dirty socks in old dishwater), and this was the one dish that wasn't top-notch in our bounty of Asian delights. Did I mention the Coconut Rice Pudding? A complete revelation in dessert experiences: not the traditional bowl of glop, this beauty is an Asian mise-en-plate dream: a thick square of dense-but-buttery rice pudding topped with a layer of coconut cream reduction and a gorgeous purple dollop of (what I think is) bean paste, all resting on a smudge of dark caramel. AAAWWWW-- the textures and flavors are subtle, sumptuous, and combine to make the perfect ending to an almost-perfect meal... our server almost caught me licking the plate. The only major problem at KI is the overwhelming, overpowering smell of the over-heated deep fryer. The former occupant (or several of the former occupants) had this exact problem, and better ventilation must be the answer. I would only go back when it's cooler outside to dine on the patio or to order take-out. My eyes and lungs can't tolerate the fog of greasy air, and I had to immediately throw everything I was wearing into the washer when I got home. But I'm still dreaming of that Dry-fried Eggplant and the heavenly Rice Pudding... read more

This place is amazing. Dan Dan Noodles are the best item on the menu, but I would recommend asking about any specials they might have. I have had several of their specials, and they have always had amazing flavor. If you want Asian cuisine downtown, this is the place to go. read more

A great Asian fusion restaurant. Best in Knoxville so far. Try the eggplant bun or any bun as a starter! All of their entree's are great. You should definitely try their ginger mixed cocktail! read more