32 Best Italian Restaurants in Knoxville

“I highly recommend Osteria Stella for anybody seeking an authentic Italian meal experience plus a romantic, dark atmosphere. The environment, service, food and drinks are all amazing. I cannot brag on the food quality and staff enough, it was truly a fantastic experience. We loved everything we were served and our server Matt was a rockstar. I loved getting to try their imported meats for an appetizer, and the house made gnocchi with pesto as my entree. Thank you guys so much for the memories. Check out Osteria Stella when you can!“

“While visiting the area we stumbled across this wonderful restaurant. The service was great, the food was sublime and the atmosphere, relaxed. For an Englishman in America it was gratifying to find an Italian restaurant that actually knew what it is to be an Italian restaurant. No fakery at this place. Truly authentic with fresh made pasta, delicious herbs, and the PEI mussels were the best I have had stateside. 100% recommend to all who meander their way to this city!“

“staff was friendly and helpful made some great suggestions for someone who has never been there. absolute banger, fresh ingredients, modern take on authentic Italian Pizza, margaritas are class with plenty of modern takes on the menu“

“Thank you for taking care of so many lunches and dinners for our daughter while she lived across the street!“

“We're visiting Knoxville and were looking for a nice Italian meal. This place didn't disappoint. We were greeted by friendly staff and got a few suggestions. We started with cheesy bread, perfection! The dough was good with a nice chewiness, lots of cheese and garlic. I had a ham calozone and it was cooked perfectly, that great dough, real ricotta cheese and seasoning, a nice robust marina on the side. My husband had the tortellini with meat sauce and garlic bread. The pasta was the perfect. We both had the recommended tiramasu, this is the star of the show. I have never tasted such wonderful food. We each had a fountain drink and all together was only $50. Service was phenomenal. I'm sad to go home because I know I have nothing close to the quality of this place. Absolutely phenomenal from start to finish. We'll be heading there again tomorrow for lunch so we can have it one more time before leaving Knoxville.“

“We traveled from Cookeville 7/2/2025 to try Altruda's. I did not catch our waiter's name but he had glasses and reddish hair. He was absolutely amazing. The atmosphere is cozy but also gives speak easy/old world style vibes. We requested strawberry daiquiris but they said they were out of strawberries. The salad was the absolute best. The rolls were very good, but they were drowning in butter. Now the entrees were just ok. We were kinda disappointed. The cannelloni had too much cheese. It was kinda like a cheese soup with some pasta. The manicotti was ok, it was also drowning in sauce. We also ordered cannoli and tiramisu. They were both really good. The price for 3 entrees, a sweet tea, a sprite, 2 desserts, plus a tip was under $100. The prices are reasonable. Overall we had a good experience and we had food left over for lunch today. The experience was nice and we will give Altruda's another try when we have the chance.“

“Great atmosphere and menu! First time visiting - excellent salad and building our own pizzas. Will return!“

“We just served our Holston Middle school staff Fazoli’s for their staff lunch and they did an amazing job! Food and service was excellent, this is definitely a go-to in the future for other lunches. Thank you!!“

“Everything we’ve ever ordered is flavorful and delicious: Filet, Sirloin, Chicken Bryan, Chicken Pollo Maria, Salmon, any of the pasta dishes. Then choose the $10 Take Home, get an entree to go for only $10–you’ll thank yourself when you’re enjoying more scrumptious food another day.“

“I am a regular for the soup and salad its my favorite but we also got the steak & shrimp carbonara and a few other things. The food is always hot, the salad & breadsticks is always plentyful. Our server Lauren was nice and very attentive.“

“We had great service. The food was fresh and the breadsticks were so good. Linda was our server and she was top notch. We didn't have to ask for anything. She was on top of it our entire visit.“

“The food at this restaurant is delicious and the staff is great!“

“Excellent food, every time. Service has always been great. This is one of our favorites in Knoxville.“

“Amazing local restaurant, a must try, you’ll love it! The ground steak parmigiana is AMAZING! So is the spaghetti and any pasta, but the lunch sandwiches are a real gem as well.“

“My family and I always love coming here! The food is yummy and the service is always great!“

“Great little Italian restaurant. The food was amazing. The ambiance is set for an intimate dinner with your favorite person or your entire family. I highly recommend.“

“Authentic Italian food with a big menu. The spaghetti and meatballs was so good I visited two nights in a row getting the spaghetti and meatballs! Hard to find a good Italian restaurant but this is it. Large dining room. No wait. Great service. Highly recommend.“

“We love place! The food is great and always consistent. I can't even say we like one thing over another, everything is AWESOME!“

“Best food and wonderful friendly service. Thank you Oscars for being simply awesome.“

“Excellent experience and food was on point!“

“We're visiting from Georgia for youth soccer vs. Knoxville. Rosati's is right next to our hotel. I'm admittedly a PIZZA SNOB and won't eat mass-produced big chain pizza... even if it's offered for free. Life is too short to eat bad pizza. I was pleasantly surprised by Rosati's!!! I ordered a 12" Thin Crust with sausage and mushroom. It was DELICIOUS. The Crust was slightly charred and crunchy. It had ample quality cheese, and the sauce was unique, not your basic plain red. It was actually seasoned well. I could taste basil and oregano. The tasty sausage was big chunk, which I prefer over crumbled. The owner checked on my take out order a couple of times and was very friendly. There are several tables for dine in. The atmosphere is cozy and clean. I highly recommend this pizzeria ☆☆☆☆☆“

“Absolutely love coming here, I'm here about once a week. Decided to leave a review today. Hayden,? I think that's how you pronounce his name was my server. He was awesome he rocked very knowledgeable about the menu. Would definitely ask for him again. Now that I said that I think a host needs to be friendly to everyone if it's your first time are like me somebody that's there on a regular basis. When I was asking her a question before I was seated she act like somebody stole her puppy or peed in her cheerios. I understand everybody's got problems but if you're that sad are miserable maybe you need to work in the back. Until whatever is going on in your life passes. Like I said I've been coming here for a while now once a week sometimes twice a week. Today was the first day I just wanted to turn around and leave. Felt very unwelcome until Hayden my server came over.“

“the food is always great and the service too.“

“Amazing service, food, and prices! We love this place. We’ll be back!“

“My friend and I went there today.A gentleman on his break eas very kind answering my 2 questions. We ended up getting the cheeseburgers deluxe with added fried onions. They were really good. My son and his wife takes me there sometimes to get pizza and ounion rings. They are the best. You will not be disappointed at this place ever.“

“Fantastic place! Absolutely the best bartenders and drinks in Knoxville! The small food menu is absolutely stellar! Can’t wait till my next trip!“

“This is the best NY style pizza in Knoxville and the best Grandma's style pizza in Knoxville. Service is usually always good, sometimes a little slow but nothing to really complain about. The pasta dishes are pretty good but we almost always order pizza and some salad. Parking can be a little difficult because there is only 1 handicap spot and we have someone who uses a walker.“

“Love the pizza and the stuff is so friendly an nice clean place but I live in Seymour so I got to drive a good distance to get the best pizza I wish they could open a Jet's Pizza in Seymour TN they would have my service every day for sure“

“I ordered GF Alfredo dish and it tasted really good. Cheese pizza looked great as well !Exception delivery service as it was 45 min ETA amd the drive arrived in about 10 minutes. I would definitely recommend. I love the fact they have GF options!! I'll try thr pizza next time.“

“Great Pizza and Great Staff. Ate again on 5/8/2024. pizza cooked and made perfect. ❤️🍕😋 Thanks!“

“I cannot recommend this place enough! The best marina I've ever had. Probably the best crust too. It's even better if you can eat fresh out of the oven it's even better! They are open till 3am or 4am.“

“With chain pizza restaurants I believe either you like their 'style' of pizza or you don't. In the past I've learned I don't like Marco's style as much as other chains but I do want to give them kudos today.

We were going to a friend's and they wanted to cater in Marco's from this location so we offered to pick it up on the way.

They were quick, they were friendly, it was super hot 🔥 and for as many item as we picked up reasonably priced.

If you live near this location and like it Marco's style I would recommend you order.“