Firstly, the reservation process was simple and effective. Three of us were greeted pleasantly, shown 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. read more

We couldn't get a reservation anywhere on downtown during grad day except this place. It is a cozy little place. We wanted black squid ink pasta but they didn't have it. But they got Buccatini. Woohoo! Beet salad - we are a fan beets anything so it was good. Brussels sprouts- flavor was good but overcooked and mushy. PEI mussel - was really good. Highly recommended Pulpo (grilled octopus) - a tad overcooked but not too bad. Focaccia bread w/ Ricotta cheese - yummy. The only sad part was when our waiter took the Ricotta away before we can scraped off every little bit of cheese from the container without us realizing it. Pasta carbonara- barely any pancetta but yummy. Pasta bolognese- I am not a fan of bolognese. Gnocchi- soft and fluffy pillows but sauce is alright. Desserts: Pistachio gelato- homemade and delicious Tiramisu- ok but I personally prefer ones with more espresso and alcohol. read more

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I was looking forward to trying Emilia after it was highly recommended by my hotel. Before heading over, I checked the restaurant's website, which stated they were open until 9:30 p.m. I arrived at approximately 8:23 p.m., only to be told they were already closed and that they actually close at 8:30. If your hours have changed, your website should be updated to reflect the correct closing time. It's frustrating for both visitors and local customers to make the trip based on the information you provide, only to be turned away. Accurate business hours are a basic courtesy and show respect for your customers' time. Unfortunately, this experience left a disappointing first impression. read more

Emilia - Shows the hours that they're supposed to be open that they're not - Italian Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

We went to Emilia's for my husband's birthday. We truly loved the vibes, it was pretty chill and calm. The serví was fine; our appetizers got out at the same time as our food, which we didn't love but it was good. I don't know if it was us or the time of the day (pretty late) but we found the food "ok"; I wouldn't say we were amazed by it, but it was good. I had to order a side of the bolognese sauce to add more flavor to my pasta. My husband orders the lobster risotto, and it didn't have much lobster. Overall, it was good. If we go again, o don't think we would order the same plates. read more

Emilia - Lobster Risotto - Italian Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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The food was excellent and the service from the waitstaff was outstanding. Unfortunately, the experience was negatively impacted by the hostess. We asked if two additional guests could be accommodated, and despite the restaurant being visibly half empty with several open tables available, the hostess made no effort to find a solution and was not welcoming or helpful. It's a shame because the kitchen and service team did a great job. Management should pay more attention to the guest experience at the front door. read more

Emilia is wonderful. The service is so terrific. The style of Italian cooking is homey and comforting. We started with the Artichoke Fritti which were kind of like artichoke hush puppies. We shared a delicious charred Romaine which was a satisfying Caesar. My gnocchi Amatriciana was a bowl of warm cozy comfort as was my husband's Orrechiette Bolognese. As if we weren't stuffed enough our server John suggested the butterscotch budini and it was the perfect end to the meal. Highly recommend. We will be going back when we travel this way again. read more

8/10 - Emilia Refined Italian in the heart of downtown. Quality ingredients and polished service without being stuffy. read more

My wife and I went to Emilia for dinner last night. From start to finish we were blown away by the service, by the quality of the food and the overall atmosphere. Our server, Bryant, went above and beyond to connect with us and understand our likes and dislikes. Do not miss out on this place. We'll be back soon with other friends and family to share Emilia with them. read more

The positives: The Campanella Con Fungi with pine nuts was spectacular!!! Cute location. Our server, Abby, wonderful! The "just okay": The Cavatelli Ai Fruitti Di Mare. Usually this dish has a nice helping of pasta to go with the seafood. We struggled to find the pasta. Just add more pasta to the dish and serve it with bread. What Italian restaurant does not serve bread with pasta? The olive appetizer was also "just okay". I was expecting a variety of olives. Nope, just warm green olives. The Italian Old Fashion also fell into the "just okay" category. Don't buy the grilled octopus appetizer!!!!! It was one very small tentacle. Absolutely NOT worth the price. If not for the pasta dish with mushrooms and pine nuts, I would have given the restaurant a 3 star rating. Will we go back? Tentative read more

Very cute restaurant in Marker Square. The food was really good. We ordered the focaccia bread but had to send it back, it tasted old and was very dry. Our waitress was very nice about it. They had a gluten free pasta (which was why we were there) for my daughter who has celiac. It was excellent! read more

Emilia - Chicken and grilled broccoli - Italian Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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Highly satisfied with my experience here. The service was great and the food tasted amazing l it's been a while since I've had Italian food this good! read more

Emilia - Italian Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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Emilia is fantastic. I only wish I'd been able to come here more during my two weeks in Knoxville, but I'm glad I got to eat here at least once! I really enjoyed their malfalde with broccolini and mushrooms, in a light creamy vegan sauce. Definitely don't skip the focaccia, which was excellent. This was my favorite meal in Knoxville! read more

Emilia - Malfalde with Broccolini and Mushrooms - Italian Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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The wait and bar staff were delightful and the service was meticulous. The atmosphere is cozy, dim, and comfortable. While it was a good experience overall, the food was a bit of a letdown. The beef and fish entrees were underwhelming, and the tiramisu was also disappointing. This place puts a high emphasis on service and professionalism. I will return, make different selections, and revise my review. The octopus appetizer was perfection. read more

Outrageous prices for small portions. The food was okay, slightly better than the average Italian spot. Brussel sprouts were burned, clearly not cooked using oil as they were very dry and virtually flavorless. The mozzarella appetizer came with 4 slices of mozzarella. The squash was pretty good, but it felt like I just got sliced cheese from the grocery store and they dressed it up a little. The bolognese was the best thing we tried read more

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Overall a solid 4/5 venue for dinner +1 - venue and vibe - fits the vibe with other places in market square +1 - location and parking - pretty easy to do in market square +0.5 - staff and service - overall had good attentiveness, but a miss on food coming colder +0.75 - food and drink - meals were great but just came out cold from sitting too long +0.75 - cleanliness - venue portion was good, restroom was decent for high traffic Will be back to try again sometime, especially for the dessert treats! read more

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Things were quiet at Emilia's when we pulled in at 7:30 on a Wednesday night. We were seated quickly and waters were delivered. Service was good. We started with an order of focaccia (cut into strips) which was excellent. The bread was served with cheese and olive oil. On the entree front, while tasty and non-traditional, the bolognese was on the salty side. The polenta and meatballs were fair with the meatballs being the stars. The brocollini and the wedge salad were both good. The butterscotch budino, while advertised as vegan, does contain dairy in both the whipped cream topping and the budino itself. On that last note, I want to recognize our server who, when learning of the presence of dairy went above and beyond to ensure that if any other dishes contained dairy, we were notified of its presence and our options. Would I return? Maybe, but it wouldn't be on my priority list. read more

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Wonderful place! Atmosphere is very pleasant. Food was creative and delicious. We celebrated a special day here and it was above our expectations. Service was great too. read more

Emilia - Scallops and asparagus risotto and meatballs with polenta plus roasted beets (beets were paired with pistachios , yum!) - Italian Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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From Ny and Italian I am an Italian food snob. Pasta here was good. Burrata was not. My hubs enjoyed it though. I'm like the biggest mozzarella fan so of course I'm picky over that or Burrata :P service was good and I loved my mocktail in a martini glass :P really cute place and it was our perfect last night on vacation dinner. My hubs also really loved his steak. read more

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Last week, our party of four met at Emilia for a fun dinner. I had visited once before and had enjoyed the food. However, this visit was a much better experience - maybe it was the company we shared our dinner with. :-) We started with the artichoke fritti and the bread. These were so good and enjoyed by all. For our entrees, I chose the Campanelle con Funghi E Pinoli, and I loved it. Perfectly cooked pasta with a light, delightful sauce. The other three members of our party all chose the Gnocchi, and they were equally happy. Service was excellent, with our wine glasses and water kept full throughout the evening. Dinner in Market Square is always nice, where you can walk around the square aftewards. read more

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Walking in with no reservation and being seated within five minutes was a great surprise! The place has a touch of Italian elegance with a country feel! Matt, the owner, greeted us and was very friendly in his conversation. Our server Killian did a great job taking care of us and answering all of our questions. The experience we had from the moment we walked in the front door was an overall great dining experience. We will be going back.!! read more

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Attention to detail, food, atmosphere. Everything was a 10/10. We were treated like special guests. Service was impeccable.

Second time here and just as good! I tried the carbonara and it was very good, waitress understood my allergy and I felt confident in their service. Overall fast service and very cute interior inside as well. Highly recommend going here. read more

Emilia - Gluten free Penne Carbonara - Italian Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

I would not recommend this restaurant the manager Keith was very inconsiderate, rude and arrogant. The food is meh. Pasta is undercooked and meatballs are too salty. Skip this place and go to The Tomato Head next door instead if you want real food. read more

We didn't have a reservation but luckily were able to get in. We ordered bread to start that came with ricotta Cheese with olive oil. Very good! We all ordered pasta dishes and it didn't take awhile but you can taste it's all very fresh. I ordered the fusilli carbonara which comes with the egg in the middle and you mix it. Very good. The bacon in it was tasty. My friend had gotten the bolognese and that was delicious. We all enjoyed our food. Service was a bit slow even though it wasn't busy in there. I waited awhile just to get a water refilled. I was impressed by the food which is why i gave 4 stars but it doesn't feeL welcoming there or we weren't thanked by the host when we left even though the stand is right in front of the door. I'd give 2 stars for service. read more

Emilia - Fusilli carbonara - Italian Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Always love Emilia!! One of my favorites! Everything is always so good!! Service is also stellar! Very attentive and friendly!!

Food quality is excellent here! Gluten free pasta choice. Please note it will be challenge if you are dairy free. I ordered the bolognese and it was very flavorful. My husband got the carbonara and added chicken. He loved it and rated his 5/5. Our friend ordered the gnocchi and enjoyed it but his portion was noticeably small. Customer service was excellent. Reservations are a must. We were able to grab patio seating. Quality and taste 5/5. 4/5 overall for portion sizes. read more

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I've been wanting to try this restaurant for quite some time now and finally got around to making a reservation for a date night. We opted for a late-night dinner around 9pm and we started our evening off with their red wine bottle special, accompanied by the Warm Castelvetrano Olives, the Artichoke Fritti, the Warm Housemade Focaccia, and the Eggplant Parmigiana. I want to point out, that the general manager/sommelier is fantastic and the wine was delicious. Additionally, the olives, artichoke fritti, and the eggplant were exceptional and I would gladly eat all of them again. The focaccia was fairly decent, with the ricotta that it came with being the highlight of the dish, but I probably would not order it again. For our entrees, we both ordered the Camarillo Ai Frutti Di Mare, featuring mussels, jumbo shrimp, and fish. The flavor of this dish was phenomenal, but the shrimp and fish were both overwhelmingly overcooked, to the point that the fish texture tasted like overcooked chicken. The environment in this place is quite nice, and like previously mentioned, the general manager/sommelier provided exceptional service, however, our server was inattentive, and our entrees were quite disappointing. We ordered the tiramisu and vanilla bean panna cotta for dessert and both were delicious. Overall, the experience wasn't unenjoyable, but we most likely would opt for other dining options around town for future dinners. read more

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Emilia is the top restaurant in the square! Choose Emilia and you will thank me (we have tried Oliver and the Honey one plus other 2 can't remember name now) Second time eating here while visiting Knoxville and it always goes above and beyond it totally surpasses all high expectations with the execution and deliciousness of the food. Plus service is second to none, we sat at the bar counter the family and i were just wow with ambience/service/ delicious drinks and even though is such a busy place the timing of the meals are impeccable. read more

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I've walked past "Emilia" multiple times and I've always wanted to try it. After realizing this is one of the two places in Knoxville that offers gnocchi I became excited as I was finally going to get a chance to stop in and eat here. They don't offer to-go orders over the phone. Instead they ask that you walk in and place a to-go order at the bar which is totally fine. Since I was ordering to-go I was dressed very casually (yoga pants and tennis shoes to be exact). Everyone else there was dressed in business attire, but the employees never once treated me any differently. The manager spoke and was very kind. The bartender was great! Very friendly and attentive. Unfortunately the food is where I was disappointed. The red sauce the gnocchi was in was very flavorful and delicious, but the gnocchi itself seemed as if it had the taste of freezer burn. The bread and butter was pretty good. I felt the rosemary flavor was very heavy, but that's a personal preference. Ultimately I felt like a $20 pasta dish with such a small amount of potato gnocchi that tasted of freezer burn was extremely underwhelming and disappointing. I want to give this place another go in the future and try something else on their menu as maybe they had an off day. I'll make sure to update my review whenever I venture back there. read more

Emilia - Gnocchi - Italian Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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Recent health inspection horrible!! Employees don't wash hands, meat is left out for hours, and serving undercooked chicken. Watch out! Link for health dept report below: https://inspections.myhealthdepartment.com/tennessee/inspection/?inspectionID=D99AC296-B187-49A9-9437-99A22DDC1A6A read more

Great restaurant very consistent service staff great food and in the market. Must go there

Emilia. Wow. Let's talk about a restaurant that I would highly recommend to any pasta lover. Centrally located in heart of Market Square in downtown Knoxville, Emilia has ample indoor seating and just two tables out on their patio. I had the wonderful luck of securing one of those tables at 5:30 pm on a Friday evening. For those that are looking to dine on their patio - they don't take reservations for the space, its down to pure luck and timing. Each of their patio tables is covered by a large umbrella that provides shade from the setting sun. As I came here shortly after arriving in Knoxville, I just ordered a San Pellegrino - while it' not listed on the menu it is available for $4 (500 ml - medium glass bottle). In terms of food, I ordered the Spanish Octopus as my starter. The presentation was a little different from what I am normally served. It was already cut into bite sized pieces and served with arugula and a bean puree while paired nicely with the saltiness of the octopus. For my entree, I got the Fusilli Carbonara and wow did that deliver from both the flavor and texture fronts. It is topped with a poached egg that creates a beautiful visual when the yolk is broken. The pasta is cooked more on the al dente side which creates a lovely bite. I did find the bacon to be on the tougher side so I left most of that on my plate. While you might find other reviewers mention that the portion was on the small side, I found that when paired with an appetizer and a side, it was a perfect size. In addition to my entree, I got a side of the beets and while they were delicious, I don't think they were that notable or breathtaking. It was well cooked and seasoned. They topped them with some roast pistachios which I thought was nice since it provided some textural relief from the natural mushiness of cooked beets. Overall, Emilia was a wonderful experience and I would encourage you to visit if you are in the area. read more

Emilia - Spanish Octopus - Italian Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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Started with the pulled mozzarella. While delicious, I think they slightly missed the mark as burratta would have been a better choice with the accompaniments. The bucatini carbonara was perfection. The Cardedu orange wine was a fabulous accompaniment. It gave just the right acidic balance for this dish. I had the fusilli carbonara and it was perfection! My husband had gnocchi frutti de mares and it was an 8/10. Only an 8 because it needed more gnocchi. Flavor was great! Our server Becca was awesome! read more

Emilia - Italian Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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HUGE s/o to the bartenders Parker & Vincent!! Gave great service and recommendations for places to hit while I'm in town visiting. They were great! read more

Took my team here for a celebration and everything was perfect- the service, the food, the cocktails. Would give it 6 stars if I could! The scallops and salmon were favorites, and that squash risotto too! So nice to have so many vegetables on the menu. Thanks Emilia! read more

We had a decent birthday dinner here but there was a few things that made it not-so-great. The whole restaurant smelled like a backed up toilet. It made eating a bit gross. We almost left actually. I was also pretty turned off by the fact our server was wearing a crop top. When she stood next to the table for our orders or checking in on us her bare stomach was in our face. Not professional at all. I'm not excited about staring at your bear stomach when you're taking my order. The food was good, but not over the top spectacular. It was reallu authentic though and food came quick. My Fiance' loved his gnocchi and my carbonera was good (although the 6 tiny pieces of bacon felt like it was lacking in quantity there), but the overly casual environment and smelly restaurant experience means I'm doubting we'll be back. read more

Emilia - Carbonera - Italian Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

As and Italian I am very picky about my Italian restaurants. I though Emilia was pretty good! With a few tweaks it could be great. We started off with a very interesting mozzarella appetizer with apples, walnuts, prosciutto and butternut squash. I would have never paired these ingredients but it worked! It tasted like fall on a plate. Then we moved onto our entrees. I wasn't a huge fan of my frutti di mare pasta. It was mostly a very chunky, spicy sauce with very little pasta and seafood. The pasta was cooked well, but the dish needed a lot less sauce. Then we moved onto dessert and I was really impressed. I got the chocolate sorbetto. It was super creamy and not too sweet. It was accompanied by delicious cherries and a chocolate bar. The dessert and appetizer saved the meal!! read more

Arrived without reservations but were seated at the bar. Servers were great and everyone liked their meal. They made special drinks for us and service was excellent. We had blackened fish and bolognese. Very good. An exceptional evening. read more

The food was ok - but the worst part was the service... the entire time I felt like I was a burden. I asked the host if there was space at the bar - he said there was one spot. I said "great I'll take it!" However, there was no space at the bar. Two folks were getting up, so I slid in. Apparently this was a problem. The manager (I presume) came over and whispered something and the bartender said "no, he just sat here". The bartender was so grumpy the entire time - never smiled, never said her name, and so bothered by every interaction. I've never felt so awkward at a restaurant in my life. All the staff look like their nearest family member just died and they are barely hanging on. One of my worst experiences at a restaurant ever. .5 out of 10. It says a lot that this business is unclaimed and they don't respond to their reviews. read more

I'm updating my review, since I returned after a 2 year hiatus from a poor experience. This visit, the service was great and the food was wonderful. We had a few great antipasti items. The warm focaccia bread served with ricotta is very good. The roasted beets with pistachios were my wife's favorite. The show stopper for me was the house pulled burrata served over sweet potatoes. Simply amazing. For the main pasta dishes, we had fuscilli carbonara and orchiette with ragu alla bolognese. Both were very good and the pasta was perfectly prepared. We were full, so we skipped dessert. Overall, this was a wry nice return to Emilia read more

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