King Tut’s Grill, Knoxville’s only Egyptian restaurant, provides a dining experience like no other.
The first adventure is getting there. Located on Martin Mill Pike, it’s actually a relatively easy find from Chapman Highway. However, while driving down Martin Mill, one wonders if one might be driving into “Wrong Turn,” or some other bad horror movie. King Tut’s is nestled on the right side of the first stop light intersection on Martin Mill — in the middle of nowhere.
Intrigued by the icicle Christmas lights hanging on the building, the creaky screen door makes new customers wonder what’s to come.
The dining room is small: just four booths and a few small tables. But that doesn’t mean it’s not vibrant. The decorating could be described as a tacky, yet more interesting TGI Friday’s. There are metal plaques covering the walls with wisdom, interspersed with King Tut’s various awards from over the years. Strings of Christmas lights wind around the room, flashing to the music, which is mostly oldies and love songs. There are also small figurines throughout the room, hula dolls included, but words cannot describe the charm. It’s an experience in itself.
Next, the host, Mo, comes to the table, asks for drink orders and says he “has the best Greek salad” and highly recommends his Egyptian sampler. Now, the menus. Like every other aspect of the restaurant, the menus are eclectic. Words of wisdom intermingle with nightly specials and vegetarian options. The menu can be a little overwhelming, so Mo will be glad to make recommendations for hesitant first-timers.
So now, the ordering decision has been made. A Greek salad, an Egyptian sampler and the nightly special are coming right up. Next, drinks are distributed in clear and clear-green glass vases. It’s not likely refills will be needed.
Don’t get antsy; it will take awhile for the food to arrive as Mo and his wife are the only ones working at King Tut’s. Mo will be entertaining for the remainder of the wait. The degree to which he dispenses jokes and magic tricks depends on how many customers are there, the size of the group and how receptive he judges a group to be. Above all, he challenges everyone to a game of chess. If he wins, the customer buys desserts for everyone in the group; if the customer wins, he gives the group free desserts. No one seems brave enough to challenge him. If embarrassing, good fun is desired, karaoke is also available, and King Tut’s has pretty much every bad pop song ever made.
Back to the food. Always, always, always, the Greek salad is a necessity. It really is the best. A monstrous construction, it can be shared by two to four people, depending on what else is ordered. The mountain of lettuce, tomatoes, olives and eggs is shrouded in feta cheese. And this is not normal feta cheese. At first taste, one thinks, “What is this? It’s delicious. But it isn’t like any feta I’ve had.” But it is feta; it’s just the freshest, most addictive version ever experienced.
The Egyptian sampler offers a plethora of Middle Eastern appetizers. The typical, though delicious, inclusions are hummus, baba ganoush and falafel. Other items include spicy beans, a cucumber and tomato salad, rice wrapped in grape leaves and koshari. Koshari is the best of these lesser-known Middle Eastern dishes. It is a mixture of rice, macaroni noodles, lentils and chickpeas, topped with spicy tomato sauce.
Now for the main course. Each night, King Tut’s offers a different special, including chicken night, seafood night and pasta night. Chicken night is the best bet. Like most other dishes, this one should be shared. Each order includes three chicken breasts, each cooked in a different style or sauce.
There are plenty of vegetarian options in addition to the meat-based entrees. Black beans and rice and koshari (which are both vegan as well) are offered in a larger, single serving as an alternative to the shared entrée. Other individual options include gyros, falafel in a pita and even hamburgers.
After the first three courses, if there’s still room for dessert (it’s really too good to pass up) King Tut’s has seven different options. The first three are baklava, konafa and basboosa. The last four are traditional, American dishes, so for the greatest adventure, diners should opt for one of the first three. Just like the feta on the Greek salad, the baklava is the freshest possible. The phyllo dough, nuts and honey melt together with each bite.
King Tut’s is a special treat for Knoxvillians and UT students alike. The food is delicious, the host is amiable and the atmosphere is unlike any other.
According to the menu, the place gets glitzed up for romantic Saturday dinners, complete with white tablecloths. No alcohol is served at King Tut’s, but customers are permitted to bring their own.
5 out of 5 stars.
Style: Egyptian
Cost: $$
Location: 4132 Martin Mill Pike
