Savelli's Italian Restaurant

Angie Witte

First visit and have to say very mixed review. Made reservations for dinner on a weekday night. Immediately seated when we arrived. Space is small and we felt cramped with three people at a table for four. Drapes hung between tables to give sense of privacy but feels like a lot of tables crammed into space. Restaurant was empty but we were sat next to a loud big family with yelling kids. Not their fault the family was a bit uncontrolled but maybe give people a little space if tables open. A few minutes later waitress and over and demanded our order. No hello. No any questions. No offers or suggestions. Cut her some slack as assumed like everyone they are short staffed. When we asked about a few options she answered our questions but other than dropping the food didn't check on us. Started with garlic bread (yummy) and salad. We had lasagna (solid choice), eggplant parmesan (good flavor but over breaded), and chicken piccata (dried out strips of chicken) which fell flat. Nice menu selection but taste feel short. BYOB was made clear before arrival. They do charge a small fee but does mean you have exactly what you want. Nothing overwhelmingly good or bad so giving three stars but think we will keep looking for our Italian option in Knox.

Danny Oakhurst

I stopped in randomly with a part of 4 recently. It was really busy and I could tell that most likely we would not be able to get seated. The owners daughter sat us. She was very accommodating getting us a table on a busy night. I ordered a fillet that was comparable and cooked to the way my favorite restaurants in Atlanta make them. My girlfriend who doesn’t drink had her drink filled at all times. Our waitress Jessica was so friendly. I’d highly recommend anyone who is visiting Knoxville looking for an old school Italian to stop here. We will be back with reservations to make easier on the staff.

Abigail Wilson

My boyfriend and I were having a Friday night date night. I chose the place because I have heard from multiple people the food was really good and the portions were huge. We were greeted just inside the front door by the owner. We were told that because we didn't have a reservation, we would have to sit outside. We were fine with this because it was small inside and it was a beautiful evening. Our server/the owner didn't introduce herself or give us her name. We had told the owner it was our first time dining with them. We mentioned this several times. I was very excited because I've been told it was such a good place to eat. She said that they were only doing the "Specialities Menu" due to lack of staff. The menu didn't have any prices on it. Later we found out that they had another menu that they were doing only to go orders through and it had all the prices. This would have been helpful because their Special menu didn't have any of the typical dishes you'd see at an Italian restaurant. The majority of the dishes were fish dishes. We started with an Appetizer (12.99) of Calamari. It was a very small plate. It tasted chewy and it wasn't a golden brown like the calamari I have had in the past. Second, I had the Mahi Mahi with Creamy Pesto Pasta. It was good and pretty well seasoned. The portion wasn't very big especially for how much it was priced. (32.99) !! I was still hungry after eating my meal. My boyfriend on the other hand ordered the Lobster Ravioli in Alfredo. While he was talking to the server, he made it known he wanted a big portion. He even passed up another menu option due to her describing the protein being a little too small. So he chose the lobster ravioli thinking he'd be satisfied. When this plate came to the table, there were only 5 sad raviolis in a cold Alfredo sauce. (18.99)!!! They were about an inch by inch square of ravioli. For both of our "special" menu options, we were not offered a salad or any bread. I would think paying that much, you'd receive something extra. The servers seemed to be frazzled. The restaurant is very small. 14 tables and 3 servers. It was just disappointing. For the price of the meal, the quality of the food was extraordinarily inadequate.

Peter Early

Some of the worst Italian food that I ever ate, my wife and I was rushed in and out also