Savelli's Italian Restaurant

Write a Review865-521-9085

OPEN NOW - Closes at 9:30pm

What a great little place with great food !! My girlfriend and I had been told about this place by a co-worker. You can bring your own bottle of wine. It was really busy on the night we went but the Waitress/host found a table after only about 5 min. I ordered the Baked Zita. She got the Lasonga..both were exceptional !! Small place but great atmosphere !! Will be coming back to this place more often !!

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!

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.

atmosphere funky (reminds me of small crowded family places in Little Italy / Manhattan), staff friendly, food fine, BYOB