I personally came for the hookah and it was very mediocre. Flavor wasn't great and the drag was hard. I didn't try the food so I won't comment. The seats weren't very comfortable ether. They had the theme I suppose. Service was good it was extremely slow so they were checking up frequently. read more

I've been here probably 4-5 times. The food is great and staff is always friendly and chill. The entertainment is very unique; maybe the only venue in town to have freely improvised jazz fusion. Cool lighting inside and very easy to go in and out read more

Kennedy was wonderful she made the experience a lot more pleasant she was quick and accurate on the meal. I would eat there again hope to get her as my waitress. read more

I can not recommend Mirage enough. Every food option is excellent, service is personable, and the atmosphere is either chill or exciting. The head bartender is a master mixologist with a wide variety of selection to drink from! read more

Service was decent. Food took over an hour to be ready and we had to ask for it. During that time no other food seemed coming out the kitchen. It was only an appetizer. Awful experience read more

First off, I always call this place Mirage. I think the name of it at night is Mirage and during the day it's Cairo Cafe. This place makes you feel like you are in a different city other than Knoxville. It was truly a cool experience with hookah smoking, belly dancers, and a front room filled with cushions where you sit on. I tried several of the appetizers however my favorite was the feta dip. It was wonderful. The hummus, baba ganoush, and the stuffed grape leaves were also quite good. I also tried the Kofta Kabob (ground beef). It was fantastic. The lamb chops are also a great choice! The service was lacking majorly. We only saw our server every 20 minutes or so. We would order a bottle of wine and they would be out and it would take her a while to get back to us on that. Overall I thought it was a unique experience unlike any other you will find in Knoxville. It will also make you feel like you are out of Knoxville which can be a great feeling! Try it out! read more

See all

We spent 20 min just to get the waiter to take our orders (a hookah and two drinks). We waited another half an hour and when we asked him about the drinks he said he forgot them (in the most nonchalant way possible). We got up and left after that. Never going back there again!! read more

Nice chill hang out spot. The small square charcoals made the hookah last a good time frame. The music was on point with the decor. Mackenzie was a great, nice and helpful waiter. I'll be coming back again. read more

Mirage Knoxville - Hookah, rainbow something (citrus and fruity) flavor. Hookah Real Fruit Hookah - Mediterranean Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

This was my first time visiting Mirage and the server helped himself to an unauthorized $50.00 tip! He also charged us extra fees and then abused our credit card information to find us on social media. The owner refused to offer us a refund of any kind. I strongly advise against visiting here, Mirage takes advantage of its customers. From the reviews, it seems that I wasn't the first. read more

Had the lamp chops they were delicious. Overall great experience, a little loud. Try the humus..

Slow service for drinks, food and overall service. The food and drinks were good. Hookah was good minus having to ask for new coals. Debatable on if would come here again just because the service was overall subpar with how busy it was read more

Service was a little slow for a small hookah lounge, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt because it was their "busy day" since it was Harry Potter night. Cons: slow service, very inconvenient seating (barely anywhere to sit or you sit in the floor which is so uncomfortable when you are smoking hookah and the hookah is placed on a table higher than you. Music was way too loud considering how closed off and small the place was and a lot of middle eastern music. NO WINDOWS so it's like you are sitting in a hotbox full of smoke. Pros: good hookah, good drinks, great prices! read more

We had a large group visit The Mirage to support a local dance group. VIP status. However, our table was never assigned a server. After an hour of sitting there we had to beg a server to help us. Then it took another hour+ to receive our food. I understand times are tough, that's not even the main problem we had. Infrequently, we would feel drips splashing on the table and on us. Then it started to come down more heavily. We collected a sample of what was dripping The response we got from staff sounded like it is a frequent problem. They did nothing for us! Who knows how long that was dripping in our food and drinks!! Management was no help. Mirage, you just lost a ton of customers and probably others from this review. read more

Mirage Knoxville - Water that dripped down from ceiling above into empty cup - Mediterranean Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

My boyfriend and I love coming here! The atmosphere is very versatile as you can go on a Friday/Saturday night for more of a social vibe with Indian music and belly dancers or Sunday for a more quiet and intimate feel. We absolutely loooove when R&B throwback music is played, and Kristin is always so attentive, helpful, and an overall an amazing bartender! I would highly recommend checking this place out. read more

Let's break it down Hookah: had the flavor we wanted so far that's better then most here in the area. The first bowl was pretty good though sadly the smoke was a little lacking...figured out later it's cause they only put one coal on it. The coal: quick light and therefore quick burning also no tongs with which to blow off the coal with.(minor annoyance) Second bowl: dirty hose caused it to taste like a licorice...gross. I switched the hose with our old one which led me to realize they don't clean their hookahs otherwise they would have been easy to switch...caked on resin is pretty gross and makes it hard to change the hoses. The service: at first not to bad a little slow considering we were the only two people in the establishment but it's hookah whatever ... However at 1030pm when I asked for a refill on the hookah I was informed that they closed at midnight as if I planned on spending 2 hours on a hookah when the first lasted about 45 minutes...I don't like pushy..I don't care how dead you are, customers come first. Plus side the coffee was good... Maybe will try again...But not if the same server is there. read more

Mirage Knoxville - Mediterranean Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

What a freakin joke. Get it together guys... Staff was extremely rude and very unprofessional this time. Consistency is key, but apparently that's why this place will not be around much longer with competing hookah bars that offer much more extraordinary customer service. read more

Update: checked my bank statement and I was charged DOUBLE my bill. DON'T bother with this place

Bad experience and instead of going into all details all I can say is CHECK YOUR bill and do not just sign from the tablet!! Get a bill you can actually read!!!! read more

The hookah itself was good and decently priced, and that's the only plus. The service was slow. Ridiculously slow. Very few patrons when we came in and a handful of staff standing around the bar, and yet we still spent 20 minutes waiting for two cocktails and 30 minutes waiting for one hookah. We had to flag down wait staff more than once, and only after I stood up to move the coals around did someone come over to do what I had already taken care of. The cocktails were mostly syrup and painfully sweet. Not sure the hookah makes up for poor service and bad drinks. read more

Very chill atmosphere, great if you've had a long day or are a little more introverted and don't want something loud and smoky. Servers are friendly and attentive without hovering. Decor is great and everything was very comfortable. Went on a Saturday night and the belly dance show was really cool! Enjoyed their hookah flavors too. Reasonably priced. Music wasn't so loud that I couldn't talk to my date. I would happily go again. read more

The cushy interior is very conducive to a relaxing night of jasmine and rose shisha. Bring a few friends and they'll keep the coals going for four hours if you so desire, and they'll be happy to split the $10 per hookah check at the end of the night. The Arabic television will keep you entranced while you lounge around, and the hummus and babaghanouj come garnished with olives with unlimited refills on pita bread. However, come here with a lot of patience. Sloooooow service and it wasn't even busy. 20 minutes for a glass of water. Why??? read more

1. Get there early to enjoy hookah without all the overwhelming cigarette smoke that takes over the place after 11pm. 2. Belly dancers are a LOT of fun to watch. But beware, if the restaurant tells you they're supposed to dance at 9-ish, it'd be safe to say they'll start around 9:30-10pm. 3. Their Hookah is very fairly priced and they have quite a nice selection, including the ability to combine flavors, but after trying it 2 times, I am convinced they skimp on the amount of goods inside each hookah. I've had to send mine back a couple times on different occasions and request more stuff (tobacco/fruit leaves etc--whatever they put in there that makes it taste good.) 4. The food is just ok. 5. The owner is very sweet and he ALWAYS seems to be around. He sits in the back smoking up a hookah storm. Either that or he's walking around taking pictures of the belly dancers and any other women bold enough to get up and dance with her. Hey--at least he believes in his product! read more

I want to give this place a higher rating so badly! The atmosphere was perfect and dynamic. Depending on what mood you're in or what company you have, you can sit on cushions on the floor, at the bar, at a booth, in a big squared off section, they have it all. They have a full bar (one of the only hookah lounges I've been to with this option). Although the drinks were a bit over priced. Food was fantastic. The hummus and warm pita chips were great, best I've had in a while. Service was adequate. No complaints, but nothing to write home about either. Lastly, the hookah. 1. Those quick light round coals are so bad for you. Give you a head ache and taste like shit. Plus, they burn out too quickly. Use coconut coals. (or at least have them available) 2. They use the smallest heads for the shisha. Giving you the absolute least bang for your buck. 3. The hookahs seem a bit dirty in general. 4. The hoses they use are also too small in diameter, making it difficult to pull on. There's a culture of stubbornness with many traditional hookah lounge. A refusal to break past what they're "used" to. Trust me guys, if you take some time to research what's out there and use the best shisha and coals available... your customers will thank you for it. read more

Edit 11/28/10 This place no longer has a good wine list... but my husband had soup and he said it was really good. This place is great to hang out in, its very very casual!... get a drink (they have some good wines which is hard to find in Knoxville) , have a hookah (I'm not a fan of the hookah there... I am very picky about hookah so I bring my own) , watch the bellydance show (if the dancer is good! can be a hit or miss!) .... I have ate there alot , since I worked as the bellydancer for awhile, but always ate the same thing... babaganosh .....I'm kinda into healthy eating so that leaves most all of the dishes out for me. my husband likes the soups but lately they've been to salty for him. Its a fun place check it out sometime with an open mind read more

Went here with friends on a Friday and was pleasantly surprised. The mirage cocktail is delicious, the hookah is good too. We didn't order any real food only fries and chips and salsa, so I don't have an opinion on the food. read more

Updating my review to 4 stars...been there a few more times and service has improved. One of our favorite things to do when people come visit. Large Space, Arabic Music Videos, Comfy Floor Pillows, Belly Dancers, Tastey Hummus and Even Tastier Hookah... I've visited this place around 3 or 4 times now, each time for Hookah ad drinks. Their prices are very reasonable(compared to places I used to go in Boston). The food is good, though I haven't had too many things. Turns out I'm a big Hookah fan, and I recommend the Melon for beginners (like me) and the Cherry for those wanting a nicer buzz. They will also mix any flavors you want, and my friends love a Caramel and Coffee mix. On Saturdays they have live belly dancing...most nights after 11 or so they crank the music up and everyone starts dancing a little, so if you're looking for a place to relax and have quiet conversation, try to get there around 9 or so before the place turns into a "club". I'd only give them 3 stars, because the service has been rather poor (at one point I had to literally get up and find our waitress because our Hookah coals had completely gone out) last couple of times we've been there, on both Hookah, drinks, and food. It's an understandable relaxed atmosphere, but when there's only a couple of people in the place not seeing your server for over 30 mins is a little silly. read more

I had a belly dance celebration in this restaurant. I arrive at the party around 7pm , and the time goes by...and NOBODY give me a menu! Ok I understand that I saw too much people for the party , but it was so disgusting that nobody ask me if I need something , after 1 hour , I ask few drinks for me and my friends (we are 5 in total) and the waitress only gave me 3 drinks and never come back. so I take the first step and go for my menu, then I see the prices and I think is a little expensive for the mini dishes. anyway....the good part is that I enjoy the beautiful night ..but I don't really like the attention there, definitely the restaurant needs more waitress read more

I'd give 'em 3 1/2 if I could. The hookah's great, lots of flavors, and insanely cheap. I've paid three times as much for hookah and not had nearly as good an experience. Haven't had the food yet, but the fianC says it's great. I'll definitely up the rating if that's the case next time I go. The service is spotty. One time we didn't know whether to sit down or wait to be seated, so we waited, and waited, and waited some more, until the owner got up from the bar where he'd been staring at us for a while (not joking) and asked us if we wanted a table... Just got back from there this evening, and wouldn't yet be home if the coals hadn't gone out on the hookah (though was time to be gettin' home anyway)... The atmosphere is okay. Belly dancer is a nice touch, though the one we saw tonight is obviously American, which I thought was a little bit of a downer. Decor is little shoddy, but aight. Let's just say, the place could stand for a little competition in the area. That'd bring it up a notch. read more

What an experience! Staff is super friendly! Highly recommend for a date or enjoying the company of friends in a beautiful environment! Will definitely be back ! Who would of guess such a place existed in downtown Knoxville! read more

Mirage Knoxville - Great ambience! - Mediterranean Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

In my opinion, even 1 star is too much for this place (unless we give stars based on the number of cushions they have; although customers seem to be attached to them). It really puzzles me what is so fascinating about their tasteless decor? The poem in one of the reviews says it all. It is a Mirage indeed, though, - a reversed one. The best food of my life happened in Egypt - needless to say, it did not have anything in common with Mirage's food-resembling stuff. All the kabob varieties were dry and burnt (I guess, my herd was alive when King Tut ruled Egypt). I had to work hard to find a piece of meat in the pile of "Kingsford charcoals". The potato salad tasted like a play dough. Naive me, I thought after a disappointment like this their coffee would cheer me up. Well, with the same success I could have gone to the nearest mud puddle and scooped up some water. And my friend's "juice" was least 50% was tap water (at best). You might be invited to their kitchen before the meal (probably they feel extremely proud about their cooking?). Or maybe they secretly take pictures of their customers with a dropped jaw? After visiting Mirage even McDonald's looked appealing!!! And PLEASE, visit a bathroom somewhere else before you have fun in Mirage. read more

The belly dancers are a must see here. I love Mirage, they have great drinks, great service, and are extremely clean. Will for sure return to this bar every time I'm back in Knoxville. read more

Well, they have hookahs after 9, I believe. I've actually not tried the hookahs there, but I like how all the smoking is off limits until a certain hour. Their selection of vegetarian entrees is zero, but their appetizers are very good, and since I don't eat much anyway I was happy. I will be back. read more

Cairo's is amazing! The food is delicious and uses locally farmed meats and veggies. The food takes a bit to come out but when it does it's fantastic! The Sultan meal and shesh kebab are two of my favorites. The belly dancing is great and kicks off the busy period on the weekend. Music can be loud but the atmosphere is friendly and the other customers are friendly. If you're new to Knoxville I highly recommend it. The hookahs are tasty. I'd recommend Peach Cooler or watermelon and mint. You can even mix your own flavors. Check it out. You won't regret it :-) read more

This place used to be my favorite hookah bar, but the service has been getting worse. The absolute worst part, however is they put MORE speakers in there. The music was already loud, and now even the 'quiet ' chill area is horribly loud to the point where it almost hurts your ears. Unless this changes I won't be going back. read more

Very relaxed environment. Attentive servers and very good selection of drinks, food, and hookah flavors.

Cairo Cafe/Mirage is definitely a stand-out in Knoxville. The interior's great for relaxing- wood paneling and dark red walls enclose a bar, table area, and (my favorite) a room with short tables surrounded by cushions. It's a bit smokey but less so than the bars that have cigarette smoking indoors. The food's pretty good, depending on what you get. The pita bread's fine, definitely not made in-house. The feta dip is ah-ma-zing, and the lamb chops are delicious. The tzatziki can be skipped. The service was also good- they split checks for large groups multiple times for us (not to mention putting up with large groups in the first place!). The belly dancers are varied. We saw one who was a good dancer but looked like she was trying to copy a video of belly dancing, and another who was actually trained in it. They didn't stay in one place and dance very much- maybe 1/4 a song in each side of the bar, moving around the bar for 2 songs at a time. & apparently you're supposed to tip them? That felt a little sketch to me, but it looked like the regulars were used to it. Saving the best for last: the hookahs rocked. They're better than anything I've had in much bigger cities. The jasmine, rose, and peach particularly were all very smooth and flavorful. Apricot was another favorite, although you felt it a little more. read more

Came with a large group. Autumn was fantastic. Good atmosphere, great drinks and holiday specials. Will definitely be coming back!!

This place is a good eat & smoke joint. The hookah is great and they have a good selection of drinks. What brings this to 3 stars is the service. It's really slow, and on the weekends when they have music bumpin' the waitresses can't hear you and they forget things. It's a tad annoying. read more

update March 2011- Having had the chance to go to other hookah bars since first trying Cairo, I've become jaded and disenchanted with Knoxville's offering. The main thing that irks me is how freaking terrible the sound system is that they blast far beyond what anyone can possibly endure. Blood curdling. The speakers are blown out and they sound like ice picks ramming into your skull. I've walked right out on more than one occasion just for that reason. Seriously. Walked in, looked for a seat, began to cringe thinking o crap now I'm almost commited to sitting even tho my ears are being raped, maybe it will stop, no, it's so horrible, o god, we have to leave right now, turn around, exit. Unless you are deaf and or don't mind screaming over the noise box that so indelicately accompanies the belly dancing, I recommend you find another venue. And just to clarify, I love belly dancing and belly dancing music. The smokes are good and the food is ok but nothing special (you can get the same flavor from Kroger). The pillows on the floor are nasty. It's so dark I guess they think we can't tell. Still, if they would turn the speakers down 400 notches and make the food from scratch with some fresh herbs and spices, this could be a great hang. Who doesn't love smoking some peach or apple tobacco with friends? So come on Cairo, get your act together. Invest in your music, clean up a bit, and make better hummus. Alas, I just can't stomach the mediocrity and jacked up decibels of Cairo. read more

This place is awesome! Such a good place to hangout with friends. Great selection of flavors!!! I really like the ambiance. The food was great and the service was excellent. Nice and helpful staff especially bartender Brittany . Very recommended! read more