Spice Hut — Restaurant in Lenoir City

I want to preface this review with this is probably the first time I've ever had actual Indian food. So I don't know what kind of flavors to expect. However, we went here for a reason due to all of the excellent reviews and we're glad we did.

When the wife and I go to new places that have new cuisine to us we like to order a few different menu items to just see what we like. So no we did not eat all of this food by a long shot. Also this place caters to spice loving people such as my wife and I. I think we went with a 7 out of 10 on all our dishes, but I think we'd go with an 8 or 9 next time.

We ordered the Samosas, Chili Garlic Naan, Lamb Curry, Chicken Tikka Masala, seekh Malai Kabab, and the Chili Chicken.

The samosas are the only item I have anything bad to say. Flavors were there, but unfortunately the peas inside were literally still frozen inside and I kept getting bursts of cold pea in every other bite. I'm sure this probably doesn't happen all of the time, but it did with us.

Chili Garlic Naan was excellent I wouldn't change anything about it. I will note that it had a beautiful spice that I was not expecting, but very welcomed.

The Chicken Tikki Masala was good had a nice little spice that built over time, but it was too sweet for me. This is where my lack of experience with Indian food comes into play it is probably supposed to taste that way I just don't know.

The Lamb curry was also good, but not necessarily my thing as well. The wife ordered that and she said it was really good.

The seekh Malai Kabab was a serious winner and was easily my wife's favorite by far. I also really enjoyed this one. I was expecting a stick with meat on it and we got this green bowl of chicken not knowing what to expect, but it was delicious. The flavors were reminding me of a type of pesto full of mint and cilantro.

The Chili Chicken is in the appetizer section for some reason, but don't let that fool you it is a huge full size portion of meat and vegetables and also became my favorite dish from this place. I loved the flavor and the spice in that dish.

Also pictured is the rice, nothing special basically used to soak up all of the great sauces with the dishes.

I wanted to give this place 5 stars so bad, but I can't get over the frozen peas in a fried food. I am still going to come back and eat here for sure and when I do I'll give them...

I'm sad to write a negative review of this place, because I was excited to like it. It's close to my house, appears to be family owned, and I like vegetarian Indian food.

The atmosphere was pretty bad. The place was nicely decorated, in a cool, casual kind of way. But it was downhill from there. It was a pretty hot day when we visited, and the AC in the place couldn't keep up; it didn't help that they had a door in the back hanging open throughout most of the time we were there. I'm not clear on the exact layout of the kitchen, but there was a lot of noise coming from it. Also, and maybe most importantly, a smoke detector was making the dead battery chirp the whole time, which was kind of maddening. The bench of the booth I sat in was wobbly.

Among the things we ordered was paneer tikka. I was told it would take 20 to 25 minutes to cook this item. I said that would be fine. Approximately 50 minutes later (!!), however, our waiter came to the table to say that they were out of that item and asked if there was something else we would like. He didn't bring a menu, etc., so at that point I explained that I'd like to leave as soon as possible. They quickly brought out most of our food.

At one point in our long wait, the wrong food was brought to our table -- in spite of having numbered tables. Not the end of the world for us, but I don't think I'd be keen on being the people who finally got it after it had been cooling off on a table full of strangers who were breathing on it, etc. for several minutes.

The food was pretty good. The chana masala was well done. Everything else was pretty good, with the exception of the butter naan, which was under leavened and not the best.

All in all, I really wanted to like this place, but I don't think I'll be back. I'd suggest that they close down for a few days to work out some of the kinks and put up the construction tools, etc. Then maybe do a soft reopening for friends and family so they can figure out how to pace things.

Update: My visit was last night. It's killing me that, instead of trying to make things right, or asking someone who was onsite recently if the door is being left open for an hour plus on a 95 degree day, we're doing damage control.

The bathroom wasn't part of my review because I didn't use it.

I hope y'all get better at running...

New: Mexicans cooking food now, not the Indian family who made it when they first opened. Food got me sick. No flavor. Won't go back.

My wife and I chose to try this new restaurant in Lenoir City. When we arrived, we were a little apprehensive that it was a part of a gas station store front. However, after we entered the location, we were welcomed by the smells of so many spices. We were shown our table and ordered our food. We thought that maybe the food was pre-made and sitting in a pot waiting to be dipped out for whomever ordered it. But this was NOT the case. They made the food fresh, including the Na'an. When the food arrived, it was presented on beautiful dining fair. After tasting my lamb curry, medium spiced (options are light, medium, and hot) I was so impressed with the multitude of flavors and spices. I have lived all around the world, and I have tried many different foods. But this was not made in some Americanized version to appease the masses. It was traditional and it was fantastic! We also ordered the appetizer samosa chat. That was a good choice because it has depth, flavor, and texture. Please, you have to try this place. The Knoxville area has very little to offer when it comes to traditional ethnic foods, until now. The food is made when you order it. The flavors and the smells offered by this location will make you happy to just be there. We met the owners, and they were very kind and welcoming. I know this is a long review, but it deserves the words and attention. I will be bragging on the Spice Hut for quite some time. I invite everyone to go and experience this new restaurant. You will not be disappointed. Where else can you see the chefs preparing your food, see the spices on the wall with their health benefits listed, and enjoy a real Indian cuisine? I think nowhere other than the Spice Hut. I am so happy it is close by, and that it is here now. We need more restaurants like this in this neck...