Great restaurant experience by is because of the food and hospitality. I would highly recommend this place to anyone.

My wife got sick from dinner. The the multi cheese ziti was not good. So greasy and mushy. She only ate less than half. Took 40 minutes to get our food and the place was not crazy busy. Also took 15 minutes to get our bill paid. We've been there in the past and the food and service was good. Not anymore. read more

We had dinner last nice and the service by Amanda was spot on and loved my Chicken Marsala. To the Chef, keep up the great work in the kitchen. read more

Came here for a dinner date w my husband. The ambiance was 5/5. We ordered the burrata to start. I thought it was just OK. My husband had the Butternut Squash Ravioli and I thought it was quite tasty. I had the Ricotta Cavetelli and thought it was OK overall. I wasn't impressed with their customer service but it wasn't a bad experience either. Side note I did go into the ladies restroom as I was leaving and there was no hook for me to put my purse or my coat. Minor, but a nice to have especially at such a nice restaurant. read more

Great service and such good food. My friend and I were in town for a little vacation and it was such a cute spot for dinner! We loved the meatball entree as well as the chicken Marsala. Highly recommend! read more

They are back open!!! They are doing wonderful job with social distancing. The staff greater us as friends who hadn't seen each other in months! The service was spot on! The spaghetti squash and bolognese sauce. The portions are hearty. The start you off with bread and olive oil with spices. Trust me when I say leave the gun, get the pistachio cannoli. Yep you're welcome! read more

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Ever find a Italian place so delicious you never want to stop eating? This is that for me. I really appreciate that they make their own pasta AND sauce! Unfortunately that means some days the meal won't be exactly the same as you remember it, but it will absolutely still be delicious. The food is a great reason to visit. Four stars cause the seating was uncomfortable and the staff weren't dressed professional, but we ate quick and kept our heads down. I look forward to eating here again. They offer a great menu with lots of variety. Highly recommend any pasta dish. read more

IL Primo - Italian Near Me - Ooltewah, Tennessee

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We've never been to IL Primo and only heard great things about the restaurant. Long shot on a Friday afternoon, we called to make a reservation for that night. Not only were they polite, they accommodated our 7:00pm reservation. We were warmly greeted and quickly sat at our table when we arrived. We were told about the specials and even received some recommendations. Service was great along with the food. We love this place and we will be back often. We highly recommend this place to everyone. read more

Stopped in for an after dinner drink @ 9:35 on a Saturday night. Sat down at the bar and were sharply and rudely asked "Can I help you?"...with a look like she just smelled a pungent fart. I said we're just here for a drink. She replied that they closed 30 minutes ago. As I type this, Yelp says they close in 20 minutes. Of course another guy at the bar had a full/fresh beer. I said ok and we got up to leave. As we walked out, another staff member asked if she could help us. I said no, we wanted a drink but were rudely told you're closed. She brightly said y'all can have a drink! I said too late... Great to have fine dining in Ooltewah. Too bad some on the staff don't understand the concept. Wrote this enjoying a great martini at the bar at 1885. read more

IL Primo - Closed 30 minutes ago with 8 people drinking at the bar? - Italian Near Me - Ooltewah, Tennessee

Had friends visiting from Nashville who are huge fans of Italian cuisine so we thought we would try IL Primo. We are certainly glad that we did because this restaurant made me look like a hero of the food world! There were 6 of us and we got lucky because the place was extremely busy, but we were seated immediately. Server was very knowledgeable of the extensive wine list and of course the menu. One of our guest had the sword fish and she said it was one of the best fish dishes she has ever had. I had the Pappardelle & Beef Ragú, Cremini Mushrooms for $17 and it was absolutely incredible! Highly recommend it to anyone who visits but was told told that is only on their winter menu. Six guests and six extremely happy people when we left. Only knock II had is that I wish their beer selection was a little better but with this quality of food, I can give them a pass! We will definitely be regulars from here on out! Me read more

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Heads up, make sure you ask the price before ordering the special! The red snapper was fairly good but nothing special. We were shocked when the bill came and we were charged $38 a plate. Our bad, lesson learned. Nice ambiance and service otherwise. read more

Real Italian food! Real good Italian food! Great prices, great service, great bar! There were six of us, four of us had different dishes (two gad the same), we also had to appetizers and the wonderful complementary bread with spiced olive oil, and two of us had drinks from the bar. I can tell you everything was fantastic! read more

Stopped here while visiting relatives nearby. It lived up to the great reviews it had. It was 5:45 on a Friday evening and the place was already full. Still we were seated in half the time they projected. Our server was attentive and efficient. The place is very open and light with lots of big windows. Parking is a little challenging as it is located on a village square. The food was delicious. We started with the salad special and agreed it was the best caprese salad we have ever had. Our pasta dishes were lovely as well. The only negative might be it is a little noisy due to the high metal ceilings so not an intimate setting. We will definitely return the next time we are in town. read more

We went to a wedding this fall where IL Primo catered the event and it was very very good....so naturally we had to try it ourselves. We arrived at opening at 5:00 and were well greeted by all. Had the fired ravioli which the waiter recommended.....excellent. Very nice pinot wine for me. Wife had a traditional pasta dish, daughter the lasagna, and I had the evening's special slow cooked pork knuckle over rizoto. Excellent! We very much recommend this place. Great atmosphere, nice parking, very nice staff. We will be back!!! read more

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Of course I recommend it, excellent service, delicious food, very good atmosphere, the customer service is great, it's my favorite place in Cambridge read more

We made another visit to IL Primo last night, and it was absolutely amazing. The food, the atmosphere, and the excellent service will always keep us coming back for more. Thanks again Courtney and Dakota for making our "anniversary" so special! read more

Consistently good food, outdoor seating is nice if you can get it. Great wine list. Service is always good as well.

So being from NY I was sceptical about people telling us this was the best Italian food. So for us it's about a 6 out of 10. Stick to the specials they aren't so generic Italian. Staff is wonderful and it has nice ambiance. The staff being in jeans and a tee takes away from the ambience however. We do enjoy going here but it's not what locals say it is. read more

IL Primo - Italian Near Me - Ooltewah, Tennessee

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Highly recommend this restaurant. The best lasagna I've eaten at a restaurant. Great service. The atmosphere is open, warm and inviting. Definitely will be going back. A real gem! read more

The wife and I love this place! The food was so tremendous! The wife had the pappardelle with shrimp. I had the rigatoni and sausage, plus few draft Peroni. You grab a table in Marisa's area....you are golden! She cool as hell and does not bother you a million times. She knows when you need her. The atmosphere is always great. read more

Chicken Marsala was outstanding, likely the best one I have ever had. Sauce had a taste of sweetness that made it incredible. Mushroom ravioli was extremely good as well. Make sure you order bread, has pesto flavor and was delicious. Definitely recommend! read more

Solid Italian with a true taste and experience of Italy. We had right on time curbside pickup service and an easy time placing our order online. The bread was not the greatest and I must do a little bit of critique here, similar to judging a Mexican restaurant by its chips and salsa. The mushroom ravioli was tasty and the Ricotta Cavatelli was good, but lacked a little bit of flavor and sauce. Finally I highly recommend the Burrata and was served very nicely to go in 3 separate containers. Check out the daily specials! read more

We didn't particularly care for the food. It didn't have much flavor very bland. I know it gets great reviews and I'm not sure how maybe it's the restaurant. It is a cute little romantic restaurant but the food I thought wasn't very good. There's other nice Italian restaurants. read more

A classy and comfortable interior that makes you feel welcome. We had reservations and were glad of that as the place is extremely popular and was fully booked. For an appetizer, we started with the Baked Feta & Spicy Marinara, Garlic Crostini. The heat was medium and not excessively spice and we had no trouble quickly finishing it off. We next all had Caesar Salads that had a fresh lemon hint. For my entree I went with that night's special: osso bucco. It had plenty of meat and was like a nice pot roast in flavor and tenderness. It was served on a generous bed of risotto that was delicious. Service was friendly, but getting drink refills was a bit of a challenge. read more

Food is excellent and you can make your reservations for dinner at any time you like and they have a patio area and they are dog friendly too! The atmosphere is great and they treat you like a part of the family Fast considering the fact that they are always busy. read more

I really love the food at IL Primo. I am disappointed in the attention and bar service. The restaurant has been one of our favorites, the waitstaff was friendly, polite just not the personal service that we've had in the past. Our drinks we mixed and served in a offhand manner, the food was very slow to arrive at the bar and we were not asked if we wanted additional drinks or even offered water. Yes, we could have told someone but no one seemed in charge. I believe we'll take a break until after prom season. It didn't seem that busy but there were prom groups moving in and out. read more

IL Primo - Italian Near Me - Ooltewah, Tennessee

We had the toasted ravioli, pork scallopini, and chicken picata. Two thumbs up! I dont enjoy most restaurants because I can make a pretty good dinner on my own. This is not most restaurants, it's well executed. Their bolognese tastes like what one would hope. The caper butter sauce is quite competent. Are the prep chefs imported from the old country? For me a do-over. read more

We had a wonderful meal and experience. Il Primo is by far my favorite Italian restaurant in Chattanooga for quality, quantity and price. We started with the pick 5 meat and cheese board and we way over shot it. We were not expecting the portion size but we were pleasantly surprised. (For two people I would definitely recommend the pick 3 option since they don't skimp). Then our dinners respectively were wonderful. I don't like "tomato Italian" as I call it where everything seems to be spaghetti or lasagna but there were several authentic options. We finished up with dessert cocktails. I had the tiramisu martini and 10/10 would recommend. Overall service and food was amazing. Will be going back read more

IL Primo - Pick 5 Meat and Cheese~ $21. We did the seasonal cheese and Gorgonzola. Then prosciutto, pepperoni and the seasonal meat. - Italian Near Me - Ooltewah, Tennessee

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The service was excellent! Quick and friendly. The salads were amazing although I didn't think the entrees were as good. They were good but not amazing. read more

Il primo is a beautiful restaurant in Cambridge square. It's a fairly large Restaurant with over 20 tables Im sure. They have a large wine selection and wonderful cocktails to choose from. I wanted to like IL Primo but our experience left us wanting more. My fiancé and i love Cambridge square, and with all the wonderful restaurants, we are making it a goal to try all of them. We came to Il primo on a Friday night. I had booked reservations prior on open table for 7pm. We arrived a few minutes earlier and was immediately seated. We sat for a good 5-10 minutes before we were greeted by our server. It was Friday and dinner time so i understood they were busy, but a simple hello, and I'll be right with you would have been sufficient. Regardless, the service throughout the night didn't get much better. Our server was very nice don't get me wrong, but he was off. He missed several pieces of our order, and after ordering appetizer and receiving our appetizer, he never came back to get our dinner order. I had to waive him down to ask if we could order. Now for our meal. For dinner, i started off with a sangria to drink, and oh my word, it was my favorite part of the meal. I could have had 10 of them :) Appetizer- we started off with the "bruschetta." Very toasted crostini with charred tomatoes and a delicious piece of Mozzarella made up the dish. I wished that this came with a balsamic glaze or something but overall it was fairly good. For our main meal, i had the orecchiette bolognese and my fiancé has the pork scallopini. My fiancé raved about the pork, but my pasta was just mediocre in my opinion. The pasta was cooked to a perfect al dente, but the Bolognese sauce could have been more flavorful. I had a few bites with added chili flakes, and took the rest home so i could add siracha to it. Overall, a cute restaurant. I think we just came on an off night. We will be back again to try more menu item, and for that yummy sangria :) read more

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Ate here a year ago with my parents but forgot to leave a review. I generally don't like Italian food, but we were given a gift card so I tried it. Excellent food! Also excellent service. Our server was a sweetheart. Changed my mind about Italian food! read more

Stopped in with my wife for a few drinks and dinner. It was a crowded Saturday night so we were forced to sit at the bar as they were full. No worries though. The place was packed. This is always a good sign. I was surprised the restaurant was as large and spacious as it was. Love the location in the upscale Cambridge Square in Ooltewah. We started out with a few sangrias which were a little on the sweet side but good. Wait staff were friendly and professional. I ordered the pork scaloppini and my wife had the grilled mahi mahi. Sides were roasted broccoli and Brussel sprouts with bacon. Our food came fairly quickly even though they were busy. Both entrees were good size and we shared a few bites of each other's dinner as always. The fish was nice and fresh, meaty, and wood fire grilled. The flavor was really good although I could have used a little more spice. My pork was nice and tender and cooked to perfection. Veggies on the side were also good. The Brussel sprouts especially. Overall, we were happy with the food and service all at a fair price. We will add this to the list of good restaurants in the area that we will certainly visit again. Always great to leave full, happy, and satisfied. read more

IL Primo - Pork scalopini - Italian Near Me - Ooltewah, Tennessee

Food is always so fresh and delicious. Nightly specials that change up frequently. Great fish selections as well. Best and most consistent restaurant in town. read more

Well, our first visit about a year or so ago was extremely disappointing. We decided to give it one more try last night as we had family from out of town here to celebrate our grandson's birthday. We didn't have a reservation but got seated immediately. Everything started out pretty good, we ordered appetizers and they were just okay. Dinner arrived and it was not at all what we expected. My daughter got the special of lobster risotto. It was a moderate portion served with no garnish and no flavor at all. The waiter didn't offer to grate some extra Parmesan cheese to boost the flavor. $33.00. My son-in-law ordered shrimp alfredo. The noodles were cooked but the sauce was actually watery and diluted. He asked for additional sauce with the hopes of thickening up and adding some flavor. It arrived just as he was finishing up the plate. He poured some of the garlic oil and added pepper to enhance the flavor as it was virtually tasteless. Again, no offer of additional grated cheese. I ordered the Faroe Island salmon. It was cooked nicely it again, the sauce was tasteless and bland. No herbs to create a pop of flavor. The best part was the nice supply of bread and garlic dipping oil. We were hugely disappointed and popped with a bill of $155.00 with no cocktails or wine. Pretty pricey for mediocre food. The tables are too small for all the extra dishes. I had a side of polenta that arrived on a rather large extra plate, yet the table was overflowing with dishes that didn't get removed when they were empty. It was a constant shuffle to make things fit. Another thing was the wait staff's attire. Baggy black jeans and dirty black shoes are not what I expect in a finer dining restaurant. The waiters looked like they just came in from the farm. The long aprons also do not lend to a pleasant, elevated dining experience. Disappointed twice now so we will not be back nor will we recommend this place to others. Attention to detail is paramount and Il Primo fell woefully short. read more

Nice friendly restauraunt with table cloths. The veal piccata was delightful. Reasonably priced too.

Nice food and ambience! loved the Ravioli starter and my Entree Jonah Crab pasta. read more

Food is always amazing here. I love the space and the decor. No complaints about the service either. I think my only critique is it can be a little loud because of the concrete floors. Hands down one of my favorite spots in Ooltewah! read more

Never disappoints when we come here... my wife loves the Lemoncello and I'm a sucker for Peroni draft. Espresso Martini's post meal. Blistered tomatoes & burrata is my favorite appy and meatballs is my go to meal. However, between my wife and I, we haven't had a bad pasta dish or entree yet! read more

Fine dining in Ooltewah! Observant staff & seems to be under quality management, they want you to enjoy your experience. IF you don't think this is some of the best Italian food around, I don't know what to tell you. I try & take all out of town guests here to show we do it right in Ooltewah! read more

I've been coming here regularly for the past few months and, every time, the experience is exceptional. The servers are very attentive, the food is delicious, and the drinks are strong yet well balanced. Mikayla is an excellent bartender. Even with a fully populated bar, she is able to take orders (drink/food) very shortly after you sit, and continues to check in with you at appropriate intervals, refilling water as needed. Delwin was very attentive and had an extensive knowledge of the menu. I went with my extended family for a birthday, and many of them commented on his good service. Devyn is an amazing server. I've only had him once, but it was enough to remember his name. He is attentive and personable, and will go out of his way to give (appropriate) compliments. He knows the menu very well, and can recommend items for you based on your tastes. Excellent food, exceptional service. I highly recommend. read more