I'll be altruistic and give Altruda's 5 stars for the overall experience. We had great service and…read moreI love how the tables are segmented off into different "rooms" which makes the ambiance more intimate and quieter. The meals came out with a family style salad, which included neat toppings such as beets. The rolls doused in cooked garlic might be some of my favorite bread from any restaurant. Our server was prompt and did a great job anticipating our needs. I ordered the veal canzanese, which is breaded veal in a red wine sauce with mushrooms, ham, and cheese. My mom ordered the same dish but with chicken. Literally could not tell the difference between the chicken and veal. While the sauce tasted fine it's not a good idea to dowse a breaded meat in sauce because they were extremely soggy. I probably wouldn't order the veal again. I enjoyed how the meat sauce for the spaghetti had parsley in it - made it taste different from other bolognese. However, the meatballs, though large, were dry and bland as all get out. Some of the driest meatballs I've had in a while. Altruda my word, I'll give them 5 stars for the overall experience. Service 5, ambiance 5, and food 3.5.

1/2 My fiancé and I…read morerandomly decided to try Altruda's for a date night, and I wanted to love it so badly because the atmosphere is absolutely a 10/10. The second you walk in, it feels like you've stepped into a little restaurant in Italy. It genuinely gave me Lady and the Tramp sharing spaghetti vibes. Cozy, romantic, intimate and completely my kind of atmosphere. Unfortunately, the food didn't live up to the setting for us. We both had water, so I can't speak to the wine or cocktail selection. My fiancé ordered the lasagna, and I ordered the rigatoni with basil. I'll admit I didn't realize the rigatoni was literally pasta with oil and basil no marinara, no cheese, just a LOT of basil. And when I say a lot...I mean a lot. Neither of us really enjoyed our entrées, although we did eat them halfway. The salad was a disappointment. The lettuce seemed old and was extremely limp, and the chickpeas were soggy and tasted like they had been sitting in the dressing for quite a while. Nothing tasted particularly fresh. Overall, I'd give Altruda's 2.5 stars. The atmosphere alone makes me want to love this place because it is SO my vibe, but ultimately I'm going to a restaurant for the food, and ours just didn't hit. Maybe we ordered the wrong things, but based on this visit, I loved where I was sitting a whole lot more than what I was eating.

Funny owner, great food and for a good price real authentic Italian, service was great ambiance was…read moreeven better.

Food: We have gone 5 times now and honestly cannot wait until our next visit. The food is real!…read moreHomemade, with authentic taste, texture and has been consistent. We have had spaghetti, meatballs, chicken parm, lasagna, baked ziti, manicotti, bruschetta, tortellini and salads and with absolutely no complaints, not one. All food has always been hit, fresh and delicious. Service: we have had every server and they each carry the owners idea of what a business should be, they are responsive, in tune and hustle. Service with heart, compassion and a smile. Price: For the portion size the price is on point.

Firstly, the reservation process was simple and effective. Three of us were greeted pleasantly,…read moreshown to our table with menus and informed Sarah would be over shortly. Sarah greeted us promptly, Introduced herself and came with still water already In hand. Throughout the meal the food was exquisite and very well executed. everything arrived on time and tasted delicious! Sarah is what really made the experience though. She was attentive but not too much to interrupt our flow of conversation, she was polite and, most importantly to me, she was conversational herself. Engaging us in conversation related to the food, and even joining our conversation in ordee to segue into asking if we'd like dessert ect. I loved it! 10/10 and would come again.

We arrived promptly for a reservation made one month prior. The staff did not have a designated…read moretable for us and required a conference to choose an available table. The table was toward the rear of the restaurant and offered a quieter setting. The downside was that the bartender was our server. Though pleasant, our server did not provide excellent service. We were surprised with her unfamiliarity of their whiskey offerings. I had a mozzarella and squash appetizer. It was an outstanding seasonal take on a mozzarella salad. My wife chose the roasted romaine salad which was good. We had a vastly different experience with our entrees. I chose the fusilli with a locally sourced bacon, egg and Pecorino Romano Fondue and Parmigiano-Reggiano. It was outstanding. Great flavors, textures, and pasta prepared al dente. My wife chose ziti, with crabmeat and cauliflower. Her pasta was overcooked and the crabmeat barely visible. This was a poor example for the restaurant to offer. Understanding that one person or plate may not typify their usual offerings, I do suggest trying Emilia. My appetizer and entrée were excellent. Our dinner with two cocktails for each came to $170.00 before gratuity.

Amazing staff and amazing service if you are looking for somewhere responsibly priced and still…read morehave that fancy atmosphere this is the perfect place!

Service was friendly and my water glass never was lower than a third full…read more The restaurant was dimly lit and was decorated nicely. My main complaint was with the portion sizes and prices. The meatball appetizer was three mini meatballs. I've seen meatballs on sub sandwiches bigger than these. The lasagna, was really without any sauce. It was a bolognese sauce. Also it lacked the stretchy cheese pull that one expects from a lasagna. The pasta dishes from what I tried was a little to al dente, there was too much chew in the pasta. That said for the prices that they charge to not offer a side salad or at least some bread with the meal is disappointing.

1. Ryan and William were amazing at the bar. William was our waiter and he did a fantastic job…read more 2. The food was top quality. 3. The drinks were over the top and William is an amazing bartender with deep knowledge on how to make drinks taste appropriately. 4. I've been coming to downtown Knoxville for a long time and never knew about the Kennedy, will make it a regular stop for me now.

Awful customer service. The restaurant's AC went out two days prior to my large party's…read morereservation. At no point was this communicated during their reservation confirmation call and in fact, the corporate manager, Monica Green, actually explicitly directed her staff NOT to tell diners of the AC not working (as told to me by an unnamed employee). You can imagine our surprise, and sweaty discomfort, as my group of 16 showed up for our reservation and the internal temperature of the restaurant easily exceeded 85 degrees, making dining there completely out of the question as the heat/ humidity was unbearable. What a slimy bait and switch tactic and talk about an unbelievably shortsighted business mindset. I organize dinners, meetings and events for a large company in the Eastern Tennessee area. Not only will this restaurant never make a dime from me or any of my colleagues, but we will tell everyone we know about this horrible experience and the deceitful tactics of management. We completely understand that the AC going out is out of management's control but intentionally not informing diners of the intolerable temperature was a calculated and deliberate choice. What a shame. Best of luck to you, Monica, you're going to need it if this is how you run a business.

My husband and I stopped in for dinner after having this restaurant on our list of places to try…read morefor quite a while, and we're so glad we did! My husband ordered the spaghetti and meatballs, and I chose the lasagna. Before our meal, they brought out bread with dipping oil. The bread was good, though I felt the dipping oil could have used a little more flavor. The lasagna was absolutely delicious and the portion was huge! I even had the leftovers the next day, and somehow it tasted even better. My husband loved his spaghetti and meatballs, and he was equally impressed with the generous serving size. Our server, Maya, was outstanding! She was attentive without being overbearing and made sure we had everything we needed throughout our meal. We also loved the atmosphere--it was warm, welcoming, and made for a great dining experience. We'll definitely be back!

Italian cuisine at its finest is found at Cappuccino's. You know Copper Cellar the best steakhouse…read morein Knoxville; sharing space on Kingston Pike with the finest Italian restaurant at the same location. The food is excellent and the atmosphere is a little quieter than the other said of the business that has the bar. The service is exquisite and your palate will be satisfied with excellent combinations of meat, vegetables, pasta, salads, and desserts.

Nice ambiance. Unfortunately someone had left an open to go box with some of the contents spilled…read moreout on the bench inside the front door. It was still there when we left. Our waitress was very nice and pleasant though she got my order wrong. The bread was over baked and dry so maybe it was sitting out. Otherwise everything was good. Food was tasty.

A second delivery, a second failure. They completely missed half of our holiday dinner, requiring a…read more10 mile round trip... hey, I said, give 'em a chance. Lots of time has passed, maybe it's all better. Well...at least they are consistent. Another Bravo chance, another massive miss. Ordered 4 items, got 3 and 2 were wrong. Eggplant parmigiana came with Chicken, Chicken items came with Shrimp, and the last entree just never showed up. But hey, you got a half cup of lobster bisque at no charge. I believe in second chances... but THIRD?

So much to say about Bella! We had all been looking forward to coming here since we were in town…read morevisiting family who are regulars and always rave about it. Located in downtown Maryville, there is plenty of parking available. Since we were a large group, we were seated upstairs, which I loved. The view overlooking the restaurant was good, and it felt more private with only one other table next to us. Our server, Jack, was one of the best servers I've ever had! If I ever owned a restaurant, I would hire him! He was friendly, knowledgeable, and very attentive and made the whole experience even better. Most of our group ordered the tableside pasta wheel and loved it. I had the penne allá vodka and couldn't get enough of it, while my husband really enjoyed their wide selection of bourbon. I can definitely see Bella becoming our go-to Italian spot whenever we're back as locals in Maryville!

We had Evan this time, and he was fantastic. He gave us some great recommendations, including the…read moreWatermelon Sugar cocktail. I was afraid it might be making its seasonal exit now that summer is over, so obviously I had to try it. Despite the name and the sugar rim, it was surprisingly not too sweet. I really hope this one sticks around for our next visit. Of course, I got the Greenway again because apparently I am incapable of learning to order anything else when I already know what I love. We also tried the Golden Daisy without the simple syrup, and it was boozy and delicious. We finally branched out on the food and tried the artichokes and Brussels sprouts. If you like your Brussels sprouts on the sweeter side, these are excellent. They are basically swimming in this delicious glaze. The artichokes were amazing too, and we immediately wished there had been more on the plate. The chili aioli they came with was so good that we ordered a side of it just for dipping our Parmesan fries and had a sauce flight situation going on. The Caesar salad and fries also made a pretty great girl-dinner. Then came the cheese wheel pasta. I tried to convince myself that maybe this time I should order something different, but I just can't stray. It is consistently, ridiculously good every single time. We added chicken this time, and I highly recommend the protein upgrade. I did feel a little bad for the guy making the pasta because we were in the middle of a serious conversation and probably did not give him the audience he deserved while he was performing the cheese-wheel magic. He was so gracious about it and even gave us some little cheese snacks straight from the wheel, which was a very appreciated bonus. We really wanted to try Evan's recommendation of the apple dessert, but at that point we had officially reached the "we physically cannot fit one more thing" stage of dinner. Maybe next time we'll come prepared to make better decisions. Or, more realistically, we'll order all the desserts and a Caesar salad and call it dinner. Another consistently great night at Bella.

The baked ziti is the best...creamy, cheesy, and perfectly baked. The traditional Neopolitan piza…read morehas a great hand-tossed crust with just the right amount of sweetness in the sauce, the wings are solid, and the cannolis are a must. The weekdays lunch menu pricing is a fantastic deal and servers make every visit warm and welcoming.

We on the way out of Knoxville but in need of food, namely Italian. Gavinos popped up in Yelp and…read morethe reviews along with the photos of the interior hooked us. We arrived on a Sunday evening and were promptly seated. Our waiter was friendly and attentive. We ordered a deep dish pizza with pepperoni and bolognese for entrees. For appetizers we ordered fried ravioli and garlic knots. Mysteriously, I am the only one in my family that appreciates a good garlic knot. The waiter voiced his approval of the order for the bread. He was right!! The garlic knots were great. They were light and fluffy and so delicious. The ravioli was good but not a stand out. The entrees were a mix. The pizza was outstanding. The pie was not heavy and the ingredients were top notch. The bolognese was another thing entirely. It was brought out soupy. We have had bolognese in a lot of places and they are different to a degree...not soupy like this. The pasta was out of a box. Once you have had homemade pasta, factory made pasta is easy to tell. Finally, Gavino's did not have cappuccino or any coffee at all!! We were surprised...we looked around at the wonderful Italian decor, the red and white plaid tablecloths, the full Italian dessert menu and could not believe the restaurant did not have some kind of coffee, Italian or otherwise! To our waiter's credit, he did offer to make some especially for us but that's not the point. An Italian joint should have some Italian coffee. We left without ordering dessert, which is a rarity. But the lack of coffee killed the vibe. We did bring the pizza home and we ate every slice of it over the next few days. So, go for the pizza and garlic knots and bring your cappuccino with you. ;)

Best meal we've had in ages. Excellent service. We had the mussels appetizer. Amazing. Perfectly…read moreseasoned with an excellent broth. Shrimp and grits main course blew my mind. The grits were creamy, shrimp and sausage perfectly cooked, sauce perfectly seasoned. Husband had the special: steak and shrimp with mashed potato and brussels. He raved the entire time. The bite he offered me was tender, perfectly seasoned, perfectly cooked. 100% recommend.

Honestly, this was an outstanding choice for my 1 night in Knoxville. It would absolutely be a…read moreregular spot for me if I lived in the area. The vibe is cute, kitschy, and comfortable all at the same time. I pulled up to a seat at the bar, and the bartender was immediately friendly and warm and had wonderful suggestions for me. I quickly chose a few oysters while I decided what I was going to have and then after her description of the shrimp and grits I said I must have it. She did not lie at all. It was probably one of the best shrimp and grits I've ever had in my entire life. The flavor was off the charts. There was wonderful texture inside the dish, which is really hard to do in this type of preparation and everything was cooked perfectly. By the way, the oysters were fresh, shucked properly, thank goodness, and served with anything I could need. This really is a wonderful spot. If you are in town and you have one night out and want something really good, this is it. If you live here, please go there for me. It was great.