Having moved to Knoxville from an area with numerous family-run Italian restuarants, Savelli's is a little treasure around here. It's often jammed with customers, but we've never had the feeling we were cramped and have eaten there many times - driving a long way to get there :).
The food is typical of Italian family recipes, nothing delicate about it, with plenty of bold flavor. The tiramisu is homemade (in NJ and shipped in) and it's as good as any we've ever tasted.
It's also nice to be able to bring your own wine.
Overall, IMHO Savelli's is close to the best Italian in town (for fish Italian -style, Cantinella's Bistro on Middlebrook is world-class).
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