Nestled in the heart of downtown Knoxville, Yassin’s Falafel House offers a splash of cultural diversity with Middle Eastern and Mediterranean style cuisine.
Located at 706 Walnut St., the recently opened restaurant has quickly become a native hot spot. Just a short walk from campus, Yassin’s specializes in fresh, customizable falafels and falafel sandwiches in addition to hummus dip available on a scale of spiciness. On weekends, a Middle Eastern chicken kabob joins the menu. Everything is made in-store each morning and nothing kept for the next day.
With health in mind, the restaurant provides free fruit water to customers daily, including infusions such as oranges and strawberries. The drinks are also free of carbonation and added sugar. For those seeking something a little sweeter, Yassin’s Falafel House offers Mexican Coca-Cola’s and orange citrus drinks. However, even in these options, sugar content remains relatively low.
The restaurant was established earlier this year by Yassin Trou, who transformed the space from an office to an eatery. Last year, Trou briefly opened the restaurant for a “trial run” to test Knoxville’s market. Trou made the downtown business a permanent fixture in May.
“We did a soft opening last year, just to test the market, and it actually did very good,” Trou said.
Trou said he loves UT, making Knoxville, his favorite city, an ideal location for Yassin’s Falafel House.
“When I moved here, I saw there was no falafel place or fresh falafel place,” Trou said. “You have some places that sell falafels, but they do not specialize. The people here, they love the food and they deserve good food.”
Sarah Penny, an employee at Yassin’s Falafel House, said she enjoys working at the establishment.
“It’s cultural, it’s good, and it’s a neat place to come visit,” Penny said.
Dubbing the restaurant a “nice vegetarian option,” Knoxville resident Steve Greene visits frequently to order his favorite meal, the spicy falafel sandwich.
“I really like the food,” Greene said. “It’s delicious.”
Abdel Rahman Murphy, an employee of a nearby business, said he often stops by Yassin’s Falafel House for lunch meetings with friends.
“If we ever have a meeting and we don’t want to have to go through the hassle of parking somewhere … this is a really convenient location,” Murphy said.
Citing low prices and tasty food, Murphy recommended the restaurant to UT students.
“Falafels and Mediterranean cuisine like hummus and salad are really flavorful, healthy, something unique, but at the same time, it doesn’t break the bank,” Murphy said.
Yassin’s Falafel House also caters, and can occasionally be found serving food at UT’s International House. Trou said UT students are always welcome to stop by to eat, study or hold meetings in the conference room.
“They are welcome any time,” Trou said. “We love you guys. Go Vols.”
