Savelli's Italian Restaurant

Off the beaten path, this place is very small to the point where it was uncomfortable, my chair was touching the persons chair behind me so I couldn't move it at all. Pricing is on the high side and the Specials Pricing was outrageous and portions are very small for pricing also the dinners do not come with a salad or soup as with most Italian restaurants, and no bread basket just 1 small slice of garlic bread with your dinner. The marinara sauce tasted similar to tomato paste from a can, very bitter hardly any seasoning. The alfredo sauce very a little bland as well I had to salt it for flavor and I rarely salt my food when out to dinner. The waitress was very good and her service as well and she was also helpful in making recommendations. more

Sneaky tip: We bought a groupon to try Savelli's. We went for lunch today. Pricey. Good thing we had a groupon. Sneaky tip: I was figuring tip, turned the check over (two-sided) and realized they had added a 20% tip. I questioned the tip and waitress told me they added it to all ""coupon customers"". First, it was not mentioned on the coupon. Second, 20% was too much, because the service was lousy. With only 2 other occupied tables in the place, she was nowhere to be found when needed something. The food? pretty good. Will we go back? no way. more

I'm not sure how the people below had such a bad experience--every negative part is something I have never seen in Savelli's. Every time I go in there I have a friendly, warm visit, without exception. And the restaurant fills up quickly, so book your reservation early. The hostess and our waitress were both friendly and professional, and have been every time I've been there. The service is excellent through out, and the food was outstanding; now I realize why I never have a doggie bag from there: I eat all of the substantial meal! For dessert, try the strawberry, chocolate cheesecake thing they do--it's stupendous! Last night they had a violinist and his music went perfectly with the evening's repast. And you really should question one bad review out of so many great ones. Overall, I go regularly and have yet to have a problem or poor service. I'll continue going there every chance I get! more

The bread was great. The end. more

My daughter and friend chose Savelli's to celebrate my daughter's 26th birthday... We had 7 pm reservations... I arrived before my daughter and her friend at 7 pm and was greeted by no one... No hostess at the front door... Only 2 couples waiting before me, with one couple also waiting on a hostess to greet them... When the hostess/waitress showed up, she told the couple in front of me that she would seat them as soon as she could... She totally ignored me... I noticed a few empty tables and wondered why she had not seated anyone waiting at those tables... I also noticed that the hostess/waitress was the only person waiting on the entire room (at least a dozen tables)... At around 7:25 pm my daughter and her friend arrived and because we demanded to be seated (having made reservations), the hostess/waitress seated us... She gave us menus and then we never saw her again... We chose what we wanted for dinner and wondered why she never came back... Finally, my daughter walked up to the counter and ordered our meals... Within a reasonable time, a young man (very polite) came with our meals...The food was marginal, and not the food I remember eating there in the past... The food was overcooked, over seasoned and very salty... We ate... Never saw the waitress or waiter again... We were ready to leave and no one had brought the bill... Again, my daughter got up and went to the food counter and asked for the bill to be brought to us... I put my credit card in the bill folder... After a good bit of time, no one came to pick up the ticket and my card... Again, my daughter gets up and takes the bill to the counter... We continue to visit among ourselves for quite a while... We decide its time to leave and I notice my credit card has not been returned... I get up to go find it... The restaurant staff is grouped together behind the food counter having a gab session... They have my credit card and bill taped on the wall and say they lost track of whose it was... Couldn't believe it... Worst restaurant experience I have ever had in the over 30 years that I have lived in Knoxville... Do NOT patronize this restaurant... They do not deserve your business... The next day I noticed on my online banking that the restaurant had charged me incorrectly... I had signed a bill for $24.59 + $5 tip and had been charged $54.59... I called the restaurant and spoke with the waitress (Kat or Cat) who seated us... I explained that the bill might be incorrect... She said that she had mixed up 2 bills the night before... She then reviewed what we ordered and I agreed with her on the amount of $54.59... I explained to her what a bad experience we had had the previous night... She told me that they were short staffed and had many people coming with groupons that they didn't have room to seat... I told her that should not have affected us because we made reservations and did not use a groupon... She offered to mail me a check for $10 because the service had been so bad... I gave her my address and she said that she would mail the check on the following Monday... I called back a few minutes later realizing that it would be a good idea for her to also mail me a copy of the correct receipt ($54.59)... A lady named Liz answered... I identified myself and she immediately lit into me telling me that I owed them $30... She yelled at me... Was accusatory... Told me that I needed to drive up there to pay them the $30 that I owed them... Would not let me speak... I finally told her that I had agreed on the amount that I had been charged ($54.59) and just wanted a corrected receipt mailed to me with the $10 off that Kat said she would mail to me... She continued to berate me... She sounded drunk... like a crazy person... Couldn't believe it! This restaurant should not be in business... I finally had to hang up on Liz because of her abusive language toward me... Can't wait for my next Italian meal at Naples, Altrudas or Bravos! Bon appetit! more

Lucky for me, my wife bought a Groupon and we gave this place a try. what a wonderful find. (Groupon was seamless and saved us some $$). simply outstanding food. we travel all over the world with Italian being the default ""go-to"" cuisine - hence lots to compare too. Wonderful owner/hostess. exquisite food in an off-the-beaten-path setting. go to this restaurant and have a fine time! more

The crazy room, the tremendous food, the great service! I felt like I was back in Italy. I enjoyed a Greek salad, which was delicious. Then I had spinach ravioli with walnuts and gorgonzola and a creamy pesto sauce! Unbelievable how great it tasted! The service was wonderful! And we did not have reservations. We only waited about 10 minutes. I'll definitely go back! more

You want a romantic little Italian bistro in an unassuming building to impress your lover that you are THE cool, and now you've found it. You might even get one of the four parking spots in front. This is it. Then order the calzone. OK, you're from the South. Order the fried calzone to split with your lover My fav is to add the Italian sausage. You'll take enough home to lunch on the next day. And, don't forget to bring a bottle of her favorite red wine from home. Your waiter will bring you a bottle opener and 2 wine glasses. You can open, pour and toast to how beautiful her eyes are tonight. Then the giant calzone will arrive with its delicious marinara sauce. Time to refill the glasses. The calzone end is a little bready-good thing, cause she digs it. Cut it off and it oozes hot cheese spilling out feted with chunks of Italian sausage. You share it all, which is suggestive of sharing later on in the date, and the next day. Savelli's is one of of my favorite restaurants in the world, because it is all about romance and sharing. Unpretentious and economical. My perfect meal for sharing--under $20 plus tip. more

love the environment of this place! its a small restaurant thats ""off the beaten path""! the food is great. the server actually seems concerned about whether or not you enjoy your meal. this is a byob place if you want a glass of wine with your dinner and the prices are reasonable. i would suggest checking this place out, dont let the neighborhood or location change your mind!! more

Amazing alfredo sauce. Also, if you have an appetite try the sampler! Sooo much food! As far a something sweet- the banana fosters bread pudding or the chocolate ecstasy cake! more

My wife and I have eaten at Savelli's on different occasions and selected this restaurant for our anniversary dinner. Reservations were made and upon our arrival Melanie seated us and we were off to an excellent evening. The service was professional, courteous, and genuine. Our wine was quickly opened and the first round (appetizers) were wonderful, the seafood bisque was the best of anywhere we have eaten(being Outer Banks fans, that is saying a lot). The main course of chicken Marsala was unbelievable and the lemon mascarpone dessert was rich and refreshing at the same time. Melanie's service was excellent and she worked with the other employees controlling the very busy restaurant meeting the needs of its various Christmas parties and other customers. We had a very wonderful experience for under $50. Highly recommend this restaurant. more

Seriously craving that antipasto salad... that was amazing. more

We took out of town guests to Savellis for Valentines day. What a mistake. Atmosphere was OK. Service was OK. Food was bad. Our friend's husband and I ordered the ""meat"" plate. Everything was piled on the plate like a college cafeteria. Everything pretty much tasted the same. Not really bad, just very poorly presented and rather bland. My wife and her friend had the eggplant parmesan and pasta. Eggplant was borderline inedible. $5/glass pour fee for wine was too pricey for the decor and service. We won't be back. more

Being a Savelli's employee I would first like to say that I love my job and all the people I work with. I think of everyone there as family. With that said I want to thank all the loyal supporters of Savelli's. I would also like to appologize for anyone's inconvenience during the coupon fiasco. Anyone who has been to Savelli's knows how tiny we are, which is part of its charm, and it is very hard to accommodate everyone on a busy evening, although we sure try. I hope everyone will continue to enjoy Savelli's unique atmosphere and home-cooked Italian food (not frozen :) ) more

I would first like to start off by saying I guess I'm the ""chubby"" waitress says the person who starts off their comment with ""rude staff"". I've worked at Savelli's for 4 years while putting myself through college, I take pride in my job and you can ask our regulars about my service and they would agree. I would also like to mention that myself and the only other server that night were trying our very best to keep everyone happy. I'm sure you also don't know that we are the hostess, busser, cashier, to-go, make salads, desserts, soups, and answer the continuously ringing phone-which on a normal night would be fine, but this was a ridiculously busy night and the ""chubby"" waitress was busting her ass trying to keep everyone happy and make the best of it. I would also like to point out that all the people you believe we were letting cut in front of you had reservations and we were on at least an hour wait that evening. I can personally say if I do not have time to get to the door I'll at least acknowledge you and say I'll be with you shortly and encourage my co-workers to do the same. Also, if this was me that you are quoting I can honestly say I never said to anyone ever ""you should have made a reservation as others had"" that's a complete lie! I am so offended and shocked that you would personally insult me and make fun of me because of my size and the fact that I talk loud (in a loud restaurant) because I am hard of hearing all because you were mad that you couldn't get a table exactly when you wanted at a busy restaurant! Also, everyone in the restaurant was not aggravated I had lots of happy customers and notes thanking me for my service! Savelli's is a small restaurant, we have 15 tables inside, we can only accomodate so many and several people understand this for which I am very grateful! more

Wow! I was just about to write a review about my horrible experience with this restaurant and saw that LIndseyt had the EXACT same experience with the restaurant being closed, asking for the offer to be extended, and the being hung up on. It's as if I had written the review myself. Except that she called me sweetie before hanging up as if I was a teenager. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS WOMAN? We have been there once before and the food was nothing spectacular. I will NEVER recommend someone to go here after the experience I had with this owner. more

I was excited when I saw 1/2 off depot had a deal for Savelli's because I've always wanted to try it. We tried getting a reservation but it was booked up and we also stopped by and they were closed for a private event. I called to see if they would extend the deal and the owner was super rude. I tried to get a reservation but she kept cutting me off and then hung up on me. I just wanted to see if they would extend the offer and if they wouldn't then that was fine, but I didn't even get the chance. I have never talked to a more rude person in my entire life especially in a business that is based on happy customers. Apparently she was rude when my mom tried calling too. We will not be going to Savelli's nor will we EVER recommend it to anyone else. Maybe she should consider learning some manners and treating people with a little respect especially when you own a business that's based on customer satisfaction!!! more

My wife and I have always like Savelli's! We were super excited to see it on 1/2 off depot. We tried and tried to get reservations, but they were packed. We even tried stopping in and they were way to busy. I tried to talk to the owner about the situation and she was extra rude. I told her that I felt like she was being rude. She didn't apologize and kept being rude. I asked her if she would honor the certificates after they had expired and she started yelling. She told me that I wasn't the only person in Knoxville and I told her I was fully aware I'm not special. I'm a very blunt person and it takes a lot to offend me, but I was definitely offended by this person. She really needs to take a class in customer satisfaction and manors. It's sad to say but my wife and I and both of our families will never visit Saveli's again due to the owner!!!! more

My wife got a voucher from groupon. It was 25 dollar voucher we went to Sevellis for lunch I order the shrimp alfredo and it was tiny. I t was smaller than an appetizer portion. I f I would have paid full price it would have 16 dollars. Posted on their front door it states ""please let the server know if you have a voucher before ordering. My wife and I were very upset and I ask Elizabeth Sevelli about the small portion and she saide "" It measures out to exactly 6 ounces. No apology. On Oct. 21 ordered from them again through a delivery service and the same thing happened again very small portions and 2 pieces of bread for 2 people.Ms. Sevelli portions measures out her food. We paid almost 40 dollars for nothing. Next we will go to Olive Garden. more

This place deserves to go out of business for the way they treat their customers. I was there the evening of Oct 13 and was left standing for exactly 1 hour and 10 minutes before I finally gave up and left! The servers never once looked towards their waiting customers and completely ignored everyone until they were ready to call out a name. It took me 15 minutes before I finally had to step out and get a servers attention to be put on the waiting list. After another 45 minutes of waiting and seeing other customers be seated that were waiting far less time than myself, I went over to a table were the ""chubby"" waitress was clearing off the table and politely stated that I had been waiting for 45 minutes and this hateful waitress snapped back in a very loud and stern voice that maybe I should have made a reservation as others had! I was absoultely shocked that instead of being nice and apologizing for the slow service, she instead told me off for no reason! When I got back to the cramped front door waiting area another customer stated that he couldn't believe how loud she talked to me and how rude she was. Everyone in the place was aggrivated by the slow service and many couples left after asking me how long I had been waiting. People coming in were having to ask other customers how to get a table as the staff was completely ignoring everyone arriving!! After 1hr and 10 minutes I got in my car and left and went to a fast food restaurant were I ordered and then gave the server/stranger behind the counter my $20 paid gift certificate for free. There are too many restaurants in Knoxville to have to go to a place like this and be treated like dirt! I will never return and will always discourage others to now do the same. more