Emilia

A group of friends and I just happened to come in late one Friday evening and we were so pleased with our experience! The atmosphere was perfect for a relaxed and intimate evening with the exposed brick walls and dim lights. We all ordered house wine, and were quite please with it, and a large plate of mussels to start! My partner and I shared the gnocchi, mushroom pasta, and eggplant. It was filling but was the perfect amount of food for the two of us. The desserts looked great but we decided to skip them. We had a great time as a group, but this would be a fantastic place for a fancier date night!

Not sure if portions are different when you eat in verses take out but yikes for the price of what we got I would NOT RECOMMEND Emilia. Insane prices for small portions. It would made since if the food was incredible but even that was a tall ask. Food was decent and quite honestly I would go somewhere else. Brussel sprouts were burned and lack of flavor. The mozzarella appetizer came with 4 slices of mozzarella....4 slices for $14!?!? The squash that was paired with the mozzarella was okay, but it looked and tasted like someone got these from a grocery store and fluff it up on the presentation. The bolognese was the best thing we tried but personally it looked like a kid size take out for $22. All in all disappointed for food I was looking forward to eating.

The atmosphere and service here is top notch. The focaccia with the butter-oil spread is phenomenal, and the butterscotch dessert is rich, sweet, and delightful. I got the Pork Milanese. It was delightfully crisp and well fried, but that's about it. The bolonese it was served on top of was sharp and acidic, but very one-note, and I don't think the ratio of cheese on top was quite right to the dish and pile of arugula on it. The squeeze of lemon helped, but salt would have helped more. The broccolini was fine, but also low in flavor; I feel like its description in the menu needs tweaked based on what was served. That said, the prices are very reasonable. Even though I wasn't blown away by the food, I didn't feel disappointed at their price point. My husband had the salmon, which I had a bite of and loved more than my own dish while other friends had a couple pasta dishes they loved. Ask your waiter what they recommend; everything ours said was good turned out great.

Update from August 2023: It’s been a few months we came in and it’s gone down the hill so much… the place is turning into a joke. The food was mediocre to say the least, under seasoned, over cooked and just off balance. In addition, the sommelier basically told me that the wine that they served didn’t turn (and it did!!). When we told them we were not happy with the quality of food, etc. they got defensive and didn’t adjust our bill even a little bit. We’ll never go back there, the place is getting embarrassing. Excellent :) The food and service are so close to perfection, I was super happy! The appetizers: octopus and mozzarella, were very tasty and very different (mozzarella seasoned with parm ham and honey, and octopus on a bed of a slightly spicy purée). My polenta with meatballs was balanced and seasoned to perfection; I have zero criticism on this dish. The pasta was OK, but could use a touch of more salt and pepper, compared to the meatballs it was a little off. The side dishes: Brussel sprouts and beets were a bit under seasoned; I’d add more salt and really work on some crispness of the beets and their flavor (olives? blue cheese? vinegar? Anything to help the beets shine!). The desserts were very tasty too: tiramisu was fluffy and panna cotta very light although I didn’t care for the fruits and the “fried” coconut flakes (this dish is the purer the better!). We finished the evening with excellent espresso. Our waitress was discreet yet very attentive and kind; she advised well on wine and selection of dishes. AND they’re not that crazy expensive. We paid $170 for way too much food for two people LOL. This is one of the few places in Knoxville I actually am excited to go back to :)

First time here. Hubby and I had a date weekend and picked a couple restaurants to eat. This place had amazing service, very attentive waitress and other various staff who took care of us. The food was absolutely delicious was very authentic Italian. I had the scallops and risotto and it was to die. My husband had the orecchiette which was amazing as well! The baked focaccia bread with the oil and butter was so good! The drinks were delicious as well.

Nobody greeted us when we walked in. We stood at the hostess stand for about five minutes as several staff came and went without acknowledging us, including someone who appeared to be a manager. The person who appeared to be the manager on duty was extremely tense and uptight, so much so that the entire staff seemed to be on pins and needles. They were doing their best but were clearly stressed and unhappy. The food was good and the service was not bad, although the mood was heavy. We tipped 20% because our the food was tasty and our servers were efficient and competent, just stressed. When folks are dining out and intentionally seeking a higher end place to dine, they want to feel good and at least, welcome to be there. Keeping it consistent, nobody acknowledged us on our way out of the restaurant either. Disappointing!

The bartender who took my to go order was delightful, so was the food and the serving staff. However, while waiting outside the building for my to go order Keith, the manager on duty, confronted me to “not to ruin the experience for the other guests on the patio” as I was waiting patiently for my to go order (out of southern courtesy, outside the establishment). Food and service great, management was another story.

Not sure if portions are different when you eat in verses take out but yikes for the price of what we got I would NOT RECOMMEND Emilia. Insane prices for small portions. It would made since if the food was incredible but even that was a tall ask. Food was decent and quite honestly I would go somewhere else. Brussel sprouts were burned and lack of flavor. The mozzarella appetizer came with 4 slices of mozzarella....4 slices for $14!?!? The squash that was paired with the mozzarella was okay, but it looked and tasted like someone got these from a grocery store and fluff it up on the presentation. The bolognese was the best thing we tried but personally it looked like a kid size take out for $22. All in all disappointed for food I was looking forward to eating.

The atmosphere and service here is top notch. The focaccia with the butter-oil spread is phenomenal, and the butterscotch dessert is rich, sweet, and delightful. I got the Pork Milanese. It was delightfully crisp and well fried, but that's about it. The bolonese it was served on top of was sharp and acidic, but very one-note, and I don't think the ratio of cheese on top was quite right to the dish and pile of arugula on it. The squeeze of lemon helped, but salt would have helped more. The broccolini was fine, but also low in flavor; I feel like its description in the menu needs tweaked based on what was served. That said, the prices are very reasonable. Even though I wasn't blown away by the food, I didn't feel disappointed at their price point. My husband had the salmon, which I had a bite of and loved more than my own dish while other friends had a couple pasta dishes they loved. Ask your waiter what they recommend; everything ours said was good turned out great.