Yassin's Falafel House is back on its downtown corner, quietly reopening Monday in the ground-floor space of the Walnut Building after months away while the property was turned into a hotel. The return brings the restaurant's familiar menu and lunch crowd back to 706 Walnut Street, with staff confirming that the shop is serving its usual falafel, hummus and gyros. Regulars were already back at the counter within hours of the soft opening, a welcome sight for downtown businesses that depend on weekday traffic.
The downtown location reopened with a soft launch on Monday and is operating 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with a grand-opening celebration planned for a later date, as reported by the Knoxville News Sentinel. The paper noted that the restaurant posted on social media, writing, "the moment we6ve all been waiting for is finally here."
"The aesthetic has changed but the hours and menu are the same as before," owner Yassin Terou told the Knoxville News Sentinel. Terou also confirmed that the downtown spot rejoins the brand's other locations outside the city core, including outposts in Cedar Bluff and Alcoa.
Walnut Building Flip Left Room for Yassin's
The nine-story Walnut Building was converted into a 91-room Holiday Inn Express after nearly a year of work to turn former office space into hotel rooms, but the restaurant's lease and storefront were preserved in the redesign, according to Knox County. Developers said the project aimed to keep active street-level businesses in place while adding hotel inventory to downtown.
Temporary Home and Other Locations
While the renovation was underway, Yassin's temporarily operated inside Marble City Market at 333 W Depot Ave. The restaurant's own site lists that temporary location and matching 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. hours during construction, and Marble City Market confirms the stall's presence at the food hall.
The reopening marks a modest but visible win for downtown's lunch scene, restoring a quick, affordable option to the Walnut Street corridor. Owners say they will hold a fuller celebration when schedules align; in the meantime, the falafel is back where it started.
