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    Sami's Cafe

    4.4 (139 reviews)
    ModerateCafes, Wraps, American
    Closed 7:00 am - 2:00 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

    Sami's Cafe Photos

    Business Info

    SAMI'S CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

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    Biscuits and gravy
    Sara S.

    Really great food - made fresh, hot, and fast. Service was quick and friendly. Busy Tuesday morning but got right in. Would recommend!

    John M.

    A very nice, friendly breakfast place. I think that we were the only ones seated in our area that weren't personally connected with our server. Clearly a breakfast place with a great following. Though I couldn't eat here often, the food was simply delicious (though well beyond my diet). Service was very attentive and very friendly. This is not an area that we ourselves in often, but we'll keep this place in mind.

    Chili and Chicken Salad
    Janet G.

    Stopped in for lunch while in the area after seeing the reviews. The place was really crowded as we walked in and there was a sign that said to please seat yourself. No problem as we found a clean table in the middle right away. While the Daily Special for today (Monday) looked intriguing, the vegetables we wanted were the same in a dish I had already prepared for our dinner. Instead we both chose the Soup and 1/2 Sandwich. I ordered the vegetable soup and pimento cheese on wheat. My husband ordered the Chicken Salad on Wheat with chili. The portions were plentiful. I can't say that the soup was the best that I've ever had but it was good. What I can rave about though is the homemade pimento cheese and the wheat bread, which came toasted. The pimento cheese had a perfect ratio of cheese to pimento plus the perfect amount of mayo too. Two thumbs up!! (Only two because, well I only have two). The homemade chicken salad was just as delicious. It was made with dill pickles and the chicken was finely shredded. Unlike a lot of places it wasn't made with too much mayo. Great ratio of all of the ingredients. The chili, like the soup, was just good. Nothing to write home about, but not bad and definitely edible. We'd probably choose different options for that next time. There will definitely be a next time! We ordered iced tea and it was fresh brewed and delicious! Our server-I don't remember her name- put exactly the right amount of ice for me! I said I liked a lot of ice and she did it just right! The restaurant had nice decor that included some pics of Knoxville way back in time- maybe 1st half of the 20th century. They were really cool to look at. We highly recommend this restaurant!!

    Sami's Cafe
    Eugene M.

    Great! Loved it. The food and environment was very nice. Recommended to friends and family

    The Sampler .. yum !
    Boise P.

    Being new to the Knoxville area we pulled up a few breakfast options via yelp to be sure and hit during our stay, Sami's was one. Tucked into a strip mall this spot was easy to ID on arrival but I must warn you that at peak eat times parking can be daunting. We were fortunate to hit the place at 10:45 so getting seated quickly worked out well, you seat yourself here. Our waitstaff was a 10, she was attentive, timely and had a great sense of humor .. clearly a vet at her craft. We both opted for breakfast (lots of choices and options). I dove in and picked the Sami's Sampler, 1 patty sausage, 3 strips of bacon, crispy spuds (like these), eggs done right, grits and rye toast = Winner, winner chicken dinner ! Great food, hot, seasoned well and lots of it. Coffee was hot and kept coming without fail. You pay at the front so exiting is quick and seamless. Clean place, wide menu, reasonable pricing, great staff .. no complaints at this end, we will be back !! FYI - breakfast stops serving at 11 sadly so - do not be late !

    vegetable soup
    Kyle J.

    This places looked good on the reviews and it's an awesome little location. The staff was really nice but maybe needed a little more training. The service was Mediocre because the 2 waitresses that were working were also sitting at a table eating and on their phones while customers were sitting at their tables. We got there around 1245 for brunch. Brunch was not brunch it's just lunch because they stop serving the breakfast side at 11am. it's a brunch place? I don't know why you would have a brunch place and close at 2 if you don't just keep serving breakfast all day. I asked for coffee for my drink and was told since they close in an about an hour and there's not fresh coffee that they would not make more coffee. So we ordered Two salads, Philly cheesesteak, onion rings, And vegetable soup. Salads- Mediocre at best. not too much thought put into them lettuce cheese who can get that wrong. Philly cheesesteak- know if you like Philly cheesesteaks I would not recommend this place at all. It was just roast beef with sliced cheese some lettuce little bit onions tomato nothing special I wouldn't recommend. it was one of the worst Philly cheesesteaks I've ever had... No peppers, The taste was very bland, The sliced cheese didn't taste that good. Overall I had two bites of it and had them take it away. Onion rings- good onion rings weren't bad at all I ate those but I don't think it's too hard to mess up onion rings. Vegetable soup- The vegetable soup tasted like it was Campbell's straight out of a can didn't feel like it was fresh. Overall for this place I wouldn't recommend to anyone Because the food and the service was so mediocre. Awesome location though.

    the front of the restaurant
    Bear K.

    We had a great breakfast this morning. My wife enjoyed her chocolate chip pancakes and I had the cheese omelet and biscuit. Great service and nice ambiance!

    Outside
    Kelee M.

    While checking out at a few of the shops in the area, I was excited to see a new brunch spot. We stopped in to check the place out. It's in a great location! Super cute, quaint diner tucked away in the Franklin Square shopping center. We walked in and immediately noticed thee restaurant protocol is uncleared. I noticed half of the seating was roped off and we did not see a hostess to be seated. A 'Seat Yourself" sign would have been helpful. We walked to the back of the restaurant to order and were told we could sit anywhere. The restaurant was uncomfortably cold and not a welcoming atmosphere. The food is inexpensive and you definitely get what you pay for. My fries had a strange after taste. My sandwich was decent and the bread was pretty good.

    Front of menu
    Catrina B.

    I give Sami's a 5! Today is my Tuesday adventure day. I try to go to a new place I've never been to before to eat and go to a business I've never been as well. Sami's was a great find. The atmosphere was welcoming and very much a nice comfortable home style restaurant. It's not very big but not to small. It's nice and clean. Service was good. I had the daily lunch special which was country steak, with REAL mashed potatoes and fried okra. Food was great! So Tuesday's find was a place I will definitely return too. Go grab a bite of real home style food at a reasonable price!

    The beast omelette with bacon inside and an extra egg
    Bruce K.

    Sometimes you find a good place, and it becomes a place that you know that you're going to be coming back. This is one of those spots, especially for when my parents are in town. In my looks for good omelettes this place definitely gives you the vibe of a local diner where you can just ask for some additions or customize your order and the response you get is: "No problem." That's exactly what happened when I came here with my parents. Instead of getting a normal 3 egg omelette, I added an egg and blam! It was just that much better. I got the beast omelette with bacon inside as well as an extra egg added to it. It filled me up and it was just overall great. I mean, it's not like you really need much more. The service was semi attentive, as she was actually eating as well when we got done. When you're done you pretty much go to the counter and pay for your meal rather than waiting for the waiter to come back and pick up the check. If you're free on a Saturday morning, or any other day than Sunday, this place should be on your mind if you want a type of light (or heavy if you choose) brunch.

    Southern breakfast

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    13 years ago

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    11 years ago

    Great breakfast spot. Staff is really nice and helpful. We always enjoy their breakfast. It's delish.

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    12 years ago

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    10 years ago

    Great food. Met for lunch so was loud. I found $11 pricy for a BLT with fries and a drink.

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    16 years ago

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    16 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    15 years ago

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    10 years ago

    Eggs and sausage were just OK BUT.. The pancakes were the best I have ever eaten. GET THE PANCAKES!!!!!

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    11 years ago

    Delicious simple breakfast, the biscuits are amazing. Great, friendly service and cheap prices.

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    11 years ago

    Great service, good prices, great breakfast! And Sami is always there to make sure you enjoyed your meal!

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    11 years ago

    Really enjoyed breakfast there. Very small dining area. People waiting is usually a good sign and here it was no different. Waitstaff great.

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    10 years ago

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    10 years ago

    Great food. Breakfast was awesome! I would definitely eat there again when I am in Knoxville.

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    11 years ago

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    10 years ago

    Food was great and came in a timely manner. Service could have been better, we had to ask for everything except beverage refills.

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    15 years ago

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    Page 4 of 4

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    Parkside Grill - Chicken tenders appetizer

    Parkside Grill

    4.1(373 reviews)
    0.9 mi
    $$

    Great food and great service! Lesley was so sweet. We had a great experience here. Highly recommend.read more

    Have stayed in the area numerous times over the past year and it always seemed the parking lot was…read morefull. So we finally venture over to Parkside and what great place it is. We were greeted promptly and taken to our table. Within maybe a couple minutes our waiter Katie came by to check on us and get our beverage order. After looking over the extensive menu and enjoying the music tracks playing in the background we were finally ready to place our order. My wife ordered the won-ton tuna appetizer as her meal and I surprised myself by ordering the meatloaf special with green beans and onion rings. I know the meatloaf come with some onion straws. But I had a taste for actual onion rings and appetizer order plus the meatloaf dinner was going to be way too much. Meals arrive fairly quickly and I realize that there is a lot of meatloaf with a nice size bowl of green beans and my onion rings. Meatloaf was very tasty and still very warm. Green beans were perfectly seasoned and also very warm. Glad I didn't order the cheddar mashed potatoes as no way is all of this getting eaten tonight. However, the onion rings were HUGE and very good. You know how sometimes you order onion rings and either the onion pulls completely out or the batter falls apart? Well not these. They were very good and I am glad I substituted for them. My wife's tuna looked great and the won-tons were very crispy. The tuna was a little too peppery for her taste, but she was able to take a bunch of the pepper off. Overall, this is a great restaurant with moderate pricing that lets you leave full and not broke! Cant say enough though about Katie and next time we are back in town, I hope she is still there!

    Photos
    Parkside Grill - June 24, 2024

    June 24, 2024

    Parkside Grill
    Parkside Grill - Cheers!

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    Cheers!

    Cazzy's Corner Grill - Feta Dip, I'm addicted to this deliciousness!

    Cazzy's Corner Grill

    4.5(57 reviews)
    6.2 mi

    Cazzy's is snazzy! It's a solid place with a good menu, slightly more upscale Americana…read more I ordered the spicy pork bowl. I liked the sauce on the pork and the sunny side up egg brought a good amount of yolk into the dish. Everything mixed well with the sesame flavored cucumbers and jalapeños. The rice was pretty plain but paired with everything else it was fine. I think I'll try one of the salads or power bowls next time, as they come highly recommended! I also had a bite of the smoked salmon from the power bowl and a bite of the chicken piccata. I normally don't like chicken piccata but the lemon and caper flavor did not overpower and the angel hair pasta was very soft. A bit on the pricier side for a lunch but I enjoyed what I had at Cazzy's. I hear both locations are very consistent as well.

    First, this is a gastropub, not a diner. I had been performing handiman duties for most of the day…read moreand wanted a casual sitdown meal between projects, so I recommend Cazzy's listing be updated. Now, the experience. We did not have any drinks but the offerings cover the local, standard and top shelf tastes. The staff is even invited to events to learn about food and drink parings. Lunch was grab and eat. It was very quiet becasue we were well past the lunch rush and before the early dinners. I needed something more than a salad or bowl even though several were tempting. Not always a burger guy, but a bison burger will draw my attention. You don't see bison much in TN. Delicious. Juicy enough I needed an extra napkin. The second reason I chose the burger was for the carrot fries. I don't ever remember having them before or even seeing them. Their good, no reason they can't be a replacemnt to traditional fries and they don't "sag" as much as sweet potato fries. In my case, the kitchen put potato fries on the plate rather than carrot fries. Our server, Daniel noticed it and brought out a separate plate with proper side. Great service there. Another upgrade is that seasoning on the fries. There are several different ones and they differ byt the dish and fry. It was fun to compare the difference on the plate. So, cazzy's is not at diner but a fine gastropub.

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    Cazzy's Corner Grill
    Cazzy's Corner Grill - Cheeseburger Sliders

    Cheeseburger Sliders

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    Maple Street Biscuit Company - Sherrill Hill - The Squawking Goat- fried goat cheese & fried chicken on a biscuit with hot pepper jelly

    Maple Street Biscuit Company - Sherrill Hill

    4.2(446 reviews)
    0.9 mi
    $$

    Not a big breakfast fan but I had to find a casual place to meet someone for brunch. Maple Street…read morewas a good choice. I ordered The Farmer, a chicken biscuit with cheese, bacon, and apple butter. The biscuit was warm and fresh, the bacon was crispy, and the chicken patty was quite substantial. The poor thing was drowning in apple butter though, which made it too wet (and too sweet). Even scraping some of it off it was already too soggy. A tad less sauce and it would be perfectly balanced. The smashbrowns had a nice crisp and I enjoyed the kick of the pepper jam. Also, big fan of the cute coffee bar. I could taste the hints of maple in the coffee. If I have to eat out for breakfast, Maple Street seems to be a good choice. And yes, this location is on Kingston Pike not Maple Street.

    Oh boy! What a treat. My girl and I each enjoyed a wonderful breakfast bowl. Plenty of food to fill…read moreyou up, too. We sat at a high top table, and shared it with three gentlemen. Unfortunate for me though, I had to sit right under an air conditioning duct. I bet that the gentlemen were wishing that it was my girlfriend who had that seat. (I think you get the points.) Our meals were as fresh as can be, and tasty too. We had no problem cleaning our plates. It was fairly crowded when we got there. But if you don't mind sharing a table, you'll find a spot for sure. There's outside seating if you like. Quick Tip: Get there early, or get there late, cause if you get there during prime chow down, you'll be lucky to find a seat. Even the cold zone will be occupied. You may want to wear a bra....Just in case.

    Photos
    Maple Street Biscuit Company - Sherrill Hill - At Maple Street biscuits

    At Maple Street biscuits

    Maple Street Biscuit Company - Sherrill Hill
    Maple Street Biscuit Company - Sherrill Hill - Entrance

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    Entrance

    Abridged Beer - The "Abridged" burger.

    Abridged Beer

    4.1(118 reviews)
    1.1 mi
    $$

    A visit to Abridged HQ was the highlight of a recent overnight in Knoxville. It was so exceptional,…read morethat I felt compelled to share. From start to finish, everything was excellent - welcoming and professional staff, clean and inviting atmosphere, and fabulous food. Every dish we tried was outstanding, with pot roast nachos being truly unforgettable. The distinctive and perfectly prepared Abridged burger was a stand out, and the Oak Room salad was fresh, flavorful and beautifully put together, with a delicious homemade vinaigrette. Fried cornbread with honey butter and house jam is a must try. We finished with cookie butter creme brulee which was hands down the best creme brulee I've ever tasted. Wonderful experience from start to finish.

    Abridged is such a great spot with amazing food. They're always slammed so plan on a bit of a wait…read morebut it's worth it. We had a chef salad minus meat and egg (vegetarian daughter in tow), a kids cheese pizza and the abridged cheeseburger. All three items were terrific. The only slight criticism is that the pizza kitchen is separate from the main kitchen so the pizza arrived in 5 minutes along with the salad and then the burger came out 15 minutes later. No knock on the restaurant because all three dishes were terrific and cooked to order. The quality of the ingredients stands out as superior to most restaurants and you can tell they care in how they plate and prepare the dishes as well. We sat at a high top table in the bar and the server was polite and friendly.

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    Abridged Beer
    Abridged Beer - Ole Smoky Burger

    Ole Smoky Burger

    Abridged Beer - A refreshing home slice beer.

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    A refreshing home slice beer.

    Token Game Tavern - Sammiches

    Token Game Tavern

    4.3(124 reviews)
    0.6 mi
    $$

    Ummm, my bad. I'm sorry that I have failed to write this review for a while - but no longer…read more I love it here. It's definitely a nice getaway in Knoxville for those that like to game in a lively environment and enjoy time with friends and family. And on top of that, it's also great that this and the other parts of the same chain (Bit Burger, Space Bar) are near each other in the same area as well. Makes for a lot of great food service for what you can order (that will be similar at the other spots). The staff has always been (10+ visits) nice and responsive to any requests. The drinks are fun but I like to personally stick to some snacking. I have found the buffalo wraps and mini hot dogs to be the ticket. The pinball machines have a lot of variety and art to admire in them. There are also other board and video game options for those that don't like pinball. I know you'll see us there - so definitely say hi! SYOY!

    I love the Space Bar next door, so it's clear these people know how to create an experience. Token…read moreTavern is a blast from the past, including favorites from the 80's like pinball and Ninja Turtles. The food for me feels like an afterthought. The corn dogs were fine but likely frozen. The salsa with the chips felt canned. I didn't try the other food but did order a burger from next door Bit Burger with an extra service charge. I ordered the Mega Man, a burger with cheddar, caramelized onions and white BBQ sauce. I didn't taste much of the white sauce and thought the side potato salad was okay, but I did like that they make them smash burgers. As a boba fan I also ordered one of the poppin sodas so that was fun. Overall Token Tavern is a fun place to go with a group of geeks like myself!

    Photos
    Token Game Tavern
    Token Game Tavern - Buffalo Chicken Tacos
 Great portion and very filling

    Buffalo Chicken Tacos Great portion and very filling

    Token Game Tavern

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    Sami's Cafe - cafes - Updated September 2026

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