After hearing good things around town about this joint, I was excited to visit and enjoy a nice meal. Sadly, my visit was disappointing. My mistake was saying the patio would be fine to eat in. The waitress sat me at a table in the very back corner of the patio, and it was equal parts cold and uncomfortable with the awkward patio furniture. The bread brought to our table was bland and frankly, cold. I thought the main meal would at least taste more interesting, but I was wrong once again. I ordered the ricotta-bacon-vegetable pasta dish. It looked very tasty, and came out warm. Sadly, it was soaked in so much oil and the bacon flavor was so overpowering I could not eat it. My friend ordered the fried pork meal with capers, and it was almost tasty, but the odd aftertaste ruined the whole meal. Although service was friendly, I could not see myself coming back to Il Primo in the future. Honestly, the bland food is not worth the prices. read more

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Great food and service. Will definitely stop back when back in that area. The servers recommend appetizers and meal were spot on

My wife and I came last night on an unusually busy night. We were underquotes on the time by quite a bit. Why five stars? They went above and beyond to make it right with us, even though we had barely complained. We love Il Primo (here and Ooltewah), but this really solidified our love for this restaurant. Anyone can handle a great situation, but the way they handled this bad situation let us know how they feel about their customers. This right here is how you run a restaurant. Thank you guys, and we'll see you again soon. read more

Just a quick update. Haven't been able to visit in some time. Was remembered at the bar, read into that what you will, and made to feel special yet again. Emily is the gold standard for bartenders/servers! Good people, good food, good times. read more

The food here is so delicious! I love getting the homemade noodles and desserts. The chocolate cheese cake may be the best dessert I've ever had in my life! Our babysitter got sick and so we ended up bringing all 5 of our children here for my husbands birthday. We were the only prime there with kids and they still treated us so well. The service here was great, the food was perfect, and the music is rad. read more

Our go to place in Ooltewah for good Italian food. Always a good meal and good service.

Love love love only complaint is that we wish they had better chairs for heavier people (over300lbs) but other than that everything is wonderful read more

This is our 2nd trip to IL Primo. The food is excellent and the staff is very friendly. I was very happy to see the burrata still on the menu! The atmosphere is also nice to have drinks with friends. read more

IL Primo - Burrata, blistered tomatoes, garlic crostini - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Chattanooga, Tennessee

A variety of options that are all delicious! The bread is my absolute favorite. The environment is perfect for a night out or a special occasion. read more

My wife and I dined here for our 6 month anniversary. This was, without a doubt, one of best experiences we've had at any restaurant! Jake, the manager, and Dalton our server went above and beyond with great food recommendations, and even Prosecco and tiramisu on the house. Jake took 10 minutes out of his busy night to chat with my wife and I about living in Chattanooga. We will be back! read more

Just ordinary... I have many friends who like it.. We enjoy good Italian fare but IL Primo is Not anything special..

It's hard to impress my picky husband, but they did it! The arrabiatta sauce was good, not too spicy and a dallop of goat cheese perfected it! The Burrata that we started with was phenomenal! Thank you for a delicious meal! read more

IL Primo - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Chattanooga, Tennessee

Craving a comforting Italian meal? Perfect place. Delicious. Only downside was how loud the atmosphere was. If you have sensitive ears just be prepared. read more

My wife and I found this "Gem" of authentic Italian cuisine in Chattanooga. Well worth a visit. I had the pan seared halibut (on point, in temperature and texture, never mind the flavor) and Dana had the mushroom ravioli (homemade), soft and so rich in flavor that they tasted like beef. I highly recommend Il Primo. Prices were reasonable for the value. Our waitress Susie was great. read more

IL Primo - Pan fried halibut, mushroom stuffed raviolis and beets with melted mozzarella. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Chattanooga, Tennessee

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I can say it is my favorite Italian restaurant in the area. I had a wonderful dinner with my Iranian friends. We had a very good birthday celebration for our beautiful Iranian friend who turned 75. Restaurant provided free desert for her birthday. Dinner was good but the portion of the food was small for the amount of money it was. But the taste was good. Everybody's meal was tasty. We tried a couple of desserts and they were special like cannolis were taste of liqueur. I will visit this place many many times read more

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My wife and I sat at the bar which is full service. Solid drink selection and great service. I have the shrimp Alfredo which was delicious and my wife enjoyed her chicken Marsala. read more

I try to be adventurous when I go out to eat, but when you find something as incredible as the chicken piccata here..... I just can't order any other entree no matter how many times we go and I say Ill try something new!!!! So.... I order my regular and then sample everyone else's, it's the best of both worlds! If you have room, we rarely do, order a dessert ( if you're like us and enjoyed dinner too much to eat any more)...... still order it and take it home, it's worth it!!! read more

Absolutely the best meal and service in Chattanooga! I had 2 cocktails, salad, and a pick 3 charcuterie plate for $38! Paulette is the best server! Highly recommend. read more

IL Primo - Heaven is a place on earth. All this. $14 wow!! - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Chattanooga, Tennessee

Be prepared to wait, we did so for around 45 minutes to an hour. We opted to sit at the bar and eat, which was to be honest very loud and crowded. We visited with a few friends that were at a table and found it to be a lot more quiet and more conducive to chatting. Your mileage may vary. The food was exceptional. If you're looking for good draft beer this is not your place. They only had four or five on tap, however the cocktails looked wonderful and the food was exceptional well worth the time although I'm not sure it's worth the wait :-). read more

IL Primo - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Chattanooga, Tennessee

Went with my family on a Saturday nigh but got there around 630pm so at that time we got the last table without wait time but after us we noticed people waiting but the restaurant has large seating area. I noticed there is the option of opening the entire front windows as they were covered by clear plastic. Given that the weather was nice it would have been nice if that area was opened and allow some ventilation given the current COVID status. The tables where spread some but based on number of people in attendance more ventilation would have been great. Got us does not matter as much since already vaccinated. Waiter was very nice and informative. Appetizers and salads came out quickly but main entrees were slow to come out. I have to comment on the complimentary bread like I did at the other location. Waitress had told us the bread is baked fresh but what is disappointing is it come out cold but this location not as cold as the Ooltewah location. Still, nothing special about it. The orzo cheese balls wheee great. Crispy crust and nice soft cheesy inside. They were on a spaghetti sauce. The apple walnut Gorgonzola salat was great. I recommend the side of spaghetti as their sauce is great. The large $10 and small $5. The appearance of the large is small as it is rolled piled up but when you spend it on the plate it is actually significantly more! Ricotta Cavatelli had bacon so I subbed chicken since we do not eat pork. I did not realize how much Brussels sprouts are in it. You better like that stuff otherwise you may not like that dish. I moved some to my wife plate which she enjoyed with her salad. Chicken piccata is always a safe choice with a side of spaghetti The penne with 4 cheeses is full of cheese and my son added chicken to it Assis was very tasty and full of flavors. Pricing is very reasonable for the potions except a $9 up charge for subbing chicken for bacon is little steep. Mag be $5 mote reasonable since subbing not adding but subbing a meat. Overall great time just need to ventilate more since they do have a whole side of the building that can be open and do better with the complimentary bread to get closer to my 5 starts rating. We plan to return in the future!! read more

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Go here if you want to be abused by narcissistic staff (Josh) for 1) inquiring about a reservation you confirmed existed with the hostess upon arrival, 2) sitting for a while at the bar with party of three, 3) being informed the table was almost ready by the same hostess, 4) not having been seated 45 minutes later, and 5) inquiring what is going on to the owner/host. Josh blew us away with his rude, dismissive demeanor. I reacted by telling him calmly he is ruining our evening. He laughed in my face. A truly wretched sense of poor service and self centered ridicule of customers permeates this place like the stench of rotten cabbage emanating from one particular bad dude. Stay away. read more

Fantastic meal and very affordably priced. The chicken Marsala was fantastic and my daughter absolutely loved the special braised pork shank with a wonderfully delicious risotto. We will be back on next trip to Chatt!! read more

This place was excellent the food is amazing and be sure to ask them about all of their specials. I would highly recommend the North Shore location since you have other great places around you and an excellent atmosphere. I had the special which was a lamb or beef shank over a corn cream purée. The meat was fall off the bone tender and the meal was excellent. My wife had the mushroom stuffed ravioli and she said it was amazing. We will definitely be going back soon. If you like this place and you finished your meal and you're looking for change in scenery,, check out the Tremont Tavern just across the street. read more

I would classify this as a great meeting or date place. Good Italian dishes with some class. I was with a 7 person party and think we had some variation of 7 different dishes. Everyone loved them. For me, the Lobster Ravioli was excellent. Comes with a cream sauce but you can modify depending on your diet and preference. This is not a big place and was formerly a small grocery store. Service was great, but you could wait for a seat depending on your timing. They do not do reservations. I think in warmer days they may be able expand to some areas outside. Overall, a place I will return to read more

So I don't normally write a review, but I would absolutely not recommend this restaurant for dinner. I wa visiting from out of town, and my brother and I arrived early and had a drink at the bar and the female bartender was wonderful. But after waiting 40 minutes after our reservation time, we realized the owner Josh had given our table away. When we approached him about this he laughed and shrugged us off. Apparently he feels he is above providing customer service to his patrons. I am a president of a very large multinational company and not a complainer. But I have NEVER been treated so rudely by a restaurant, let alone from the owner. If the other owner of Il Primo see's this, I would look for a new owner to work the front door. If I can give this restaurant zero stars I would. read more

Impressed with the extra steps the staff took to accommodate our party of 10 while maintaining Covid restrictions. We were served complementary appetizers for waiting an extra 30 mins to be seated after our reservation time. The kitchen closed 20 mins after we were seated which was disappointing. Food is absolutely delicious with large portion sizes and a great drink selection. Something for every price range without sacrificing the "fancy" feel. One of my favorite restaurants in the Chattanooga area. read more

So happy to have finally made it here! The food was excellent the service was amazing. The bar menu good variety. The pasta, the sauces,the variety of dishes yum. Fresh taste , good spices, server was able to give descriptions of all the dishes. This will be a regular spot. read more

This was the first time I had ever been to Il Primo before. I thought that it would be just like any other Italian restaurant. I was so wrong. This was the best restaurant I have ever been to before. Not only did they have amazing food but they also had amazing staff! They were so nice and they were able to adapt to my families allergies and needs. Overall this is an amazing establishment and I know that I will be coming back! read more

Il Primo has nice decor and a nice vibe when you walk in. Call ahead seating is a plus (although there was a delay/error, but the manager brought us a complementary appetizer). Minestrone meatball soup was delicious! Simple Italian dishes to enjoy in a lively atmosphere. House and blood orange salads were good. read more

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Went out Friday night for a date night with the hubs. There was a 45 minute wait. Caroline was the hostess and I wanted to compliment her as she was really good at her job. I've been to a few restaurants recently where you can tell people hate their jobs. It was so refreshing to see someone so cheerful. Food was great and our waiter Dalton was excellent as well. Great experience! read more

Wait was reasonable but hot waiting in open air, then we were not given choice of inside or outside. Very hot that night and and uncomfortable outside. Waitress started off like it was going to be best service ever then quickly deteriorated, did not offer drink refills until meal was finished and after we finished eating became quite chatty with customers at the next table. Past out table 2 times before bringing the check. All in all we were very disappointed with service but mushroom ravioli and the Bolognese were very good. Food gets a 4 and service didn't really score. read more

This place has truly delicious food. I went with my aunt who used to live in Italy and she loved it too. We tried a couple of different dishes and they were just divine. First of all, I ordered the scallop risotto. IT. WAS. SO. GOOD. I could literally could eat it every day forever. So so good. She ordered the Rigatoni al' Arrabbiata with Sausage. It was also quite good. I wish it had a little more spice though. In addition, we tried the polenta and broccoli side dishes. The polenta was to die for. The broccoli was way too salty and I didn't eat any of it at all. The food was great. I will say that the service we received, though kind, Was not fast. Also, it was SO LOUD in the restaurant that we couldn't really have a conversation. read more

This restaurant is very busy, popular and our thoughts are that it would be even better experience to have a much larger building it's standing room while waiting and we felt like we were in the way. They created top notch dinners and excellent Service! We truly loved the wine choices and amazing unique sauces paired with our meals, taste like the food was made with care! My husband had the Salmon and I had Chicken Marsala with side of roasted beats-we friend each other's dinner-both are delicious and cooked perfectly delicious! We visit from Salt Lake City-short vacation visiting friends and we each enjoyed this restaurant! read more

Lasagna was fabulous! Risotto was amazing ! This place is a hidden gem! Service was great! Bailey was a great server and was very attentive.

During this coronavirus season, Il Primo has done an amazing job of adapting and has nailed their to go service. I've ordered several times and sometimes as many as 6 entrees, and there have been no mistakes and everything is always ready and delivered to my car quickly. My favorites are the chicken carbonara (Wednesday night special) and burrata appetizer. The limoncello drink is my favorite. read more

I promise not all of my restaurant reviews will be five stars; I am just trying to mark my favorites to support the places my family and I really LOVE. This is probably our family favorite for a couple of reasons. First, it's easy to have a healthy gluten free option. I can substitute zoodles (zucchini noodles) or spaghetti squash for any pasta. The various sauces here hold up to it well since there's usually plenty of fat (often olive oil) to cary the flavor of the sauces. Second, the menu is incredibly well conceived and the flavors are just explosive. There's a lobster risotto that's the best seafood risotto either my wife or I have ever had. There's a great Arrabiata sauce that's served with a soft sharp cheese and a red sauce that with a little extra red pepper is among my favorite anywhere. The fish dishes are tiny but well prepared; the vegetable dishes (broccolini or beets with goat cheese) are all excellent. We like the bar because of the knowledgeable mixologists and they've obviously trained the wait staff as well. There are lots of great options. About the only things we don't like are the parking which is touch and go, and the wait since they don't take reservations, but we generally eat early enough that it's not a problem. Good flavor; healthy options; excellent menu; excellent chefs; great service. I love this place. read more

Great atmosphere and the sangria was delicious! We had the Burrata appetizer it was delicious. Everyone in our group thoroughly enjoyed their meal. Can't wait to stop in next time I'm in town! read more

Every time I have come to Primo I have really enjoyed it. The manager, Josh, is always really kind and actually cares that our experience was exemplary. Friday nights they have brought in live music, which has added a cool atmosphere to the evening. I've come in on a Friday and on a Tuesday and the experience was the same both times. Servers were kind and attentive while not being in your face. Wait times were respectable and the restaurant was clean. Make sure that you get the Tiramisu for dessert - it's excellent! They have great wine selections and is one of the best places in Chattanooga for good wine service. I would definitely add Il Primo to one of my go-to Nooga restaurants and has to be the better restaurant on the north side of the river. read more

IL Primo - Lagavulin, neat. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Chattanooga, Tennessee

I loved this restaurant. They have great food, and usually really good service too! However, the manager is NOT willing to tell crappy patrons that they should give other people their space. (HINT: THE PANDEMIC/ COVID TIMES...????!!!??!!) Here's what happens on Monday Nights/Sangria Night: a group of older men, 40-75ish, will show up between 4pm-6pm and choose to socialize with each other... STANDING... in large crowds of about 8 people. This happens AT the bar... why are they standing? There is a huge, family style table with a lot of space RIGHT BEHIND THE BAR STOOLS. There are several other tables they *could sit at... but instead, they stand. And LOUDLY socialize, jeering, cheering, punching each other in the arms like it's a frat house. Seems like they're missing the old days. Which is cool... until you'd like to spend your Monday evening at a nice, mid-scale bar, enjoying wine and dinner. I'd love to know how many of their REGULAR patrons actually want to eat food with a football crowd behind them, yelling and carrying on like teenagers. Let me just repeat- FRAT HOUSE VIBES. We have tried multiple times to ignore, correct, and persevere through these types... and instead, the entire team of dickhead dudes would rather ignore courtesy, wear their private school polos, and act like fools. It would be nice if management cared at all, but I get it- they are focused on the food. I wish I could be too, because I come here to enjoy good food... but instead get blasted by frat house, wannabe old men- who are wishing their glory days were now and not FAR, FAR gone. Wish things could improve, but it seems like their focus is on horribly behaved old men and their tips, rather than actual locals who are here to enjoy and boost the vibes & food. Oh, and tip over 20%.... I WILL STOP RECOMMENDING THIS PLACE TO MY FRIENDS OR ANYONE I CARE ABOUT. read more

I do not normally avail myself of the opportunity to review a restaurant, but after several experiences at Il Primo, I would like to share. First off, based on general quality of food over several experiences, I would be more inclined to offer a higher rating of 3.5-4 stars. However, my partner and I were looking forward to the Frito Misto, which tonight we discovered had been removed from the menu. Overall, the food was good tonight, too. We had a meats tray, courtesy of the chef, which was truly lovely, and ordered the fried raviolis, 4 to our party of five. My partner and her mother had a pretty decent pork dish prepared with piccata sauce. The kids split portions of equally decent orecchiette and caesar salad, at the very least competently prepared. Part of the reason I sampled so thoroughly of our other diners' dishes was that the portion of chicken in the chicken marsala was comedically small. I have fairly normal hands, and each cut of chicken breast, numbering two, was smaller than the palm of my hand, swimming in marsala sauce that was too sweet. My Brussels sprouts with bacon, by contrast, were mounded on their dish and, yet, sadly, too charred. I am rarely so judgey of food, but I was let down in my meal. As I sat surveying the comparative portions and weighing overall quality of execution and experience, the host, a man by the name of Josh, came over to greet the table. He hugged my partner, whom he does not know well, and whom he also does not know has issues with strangers and acquaintances touching her - a thing she is, as a rule, too nice to say anything about. The host's behavior, this not being the first time, seemed presumptuous, overly familiar, and an increasingly dreaded component of the otherwise agreeable level of bonhomie in the establishment. Our server was very good, as was the personal attentiveness of the chef himself, Oscar. Being seated next to the expo area, near the kitchen, should be an honor, but in this case, the flow and overflow of expo felt awkward. So, in order to rank the establishment fairly, since Primo is often good, but never great, I offer the following: a more complete breakdown of ranking for this one evening: Food: Variety and selection: 3.0 stars Portioning - inconsistent: 2.5 stars Quality of food - inconsistent: 2.5 stars Experience Atmosphere (unoriginal, trend-following, expo flow): 2.5 stars Customer Service (good, with key a exception): 2.5 stars Price - overpriced: 2.0 stars Average: 2.5 stars The server was, as far as I can tell, faultless in her execution. Hers was not white glove silent service, but then, this isn't that kind of place. Not a Michelin contender, nor ranked on that scale. She knew her menu, her specials, and suggestive-sold without overselling, was reasonably attentive, and professional without being stiff. Chef was genial, even warm, but he and/or his crew stumbled in few points of execution. The host, however, overdid his job and overstepped some boundaries, making this a decisive experience for me and my partner, in that we are likely to not return: at best a mediocre experience. read more