Highest-rated Italian Restaurants in Knoxville by Diners

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Highest-rated Italian restaurants in Knoxville by diners

It's no surprise that, in most countries, traditional national cuisine is the most popular, according to a 2024 report by Statista. But Italian food isn't just top-rated in Italy—it ranks as the second-most popular cuisine in Germany and France and takes the bronze spot in the U.K., Mexico, and India as well.

Of course, it's also among Americans' favorites—and there's lots to love about it. Just thinking about dishes like chicken Parmesan and spaghetti and meatballs is enough to get your mouth watering, even though many of these world-famous dishes are actually Italian American creations more so than true Italian fare. Traditional Italian food embraces an assortment of sumptuous recipes that aren't dependent on fried breadcrumbs and red sauce—think frittatas and focaccia, or carpaccio and panna cotta.

Italian immigrants have been weaving their cuisine into the fabric of the American food landscape for generations since they arrived in the United States nearly 150 years ago. And the cuisine, like the culture it hails from, tends to give off warm and fuzzy "family" feelings. For many people, the quintessential local Italian American restaurant—complete with its red-and-white checkered tablecloths, pour bottles of olive oil, Parmesan cheese shakers, cute little jars of red pepper flakes, and wicker baskets of oven-fresh bread—brings back memories of special life moments, like first dates and milestone birthdays.

Luckily, today you don't need to be in a major metropolis like New York or Los Angeles or an area with a large Italian or Italian American community to score top-notch buon cibo. You can find excellent Italian offerings in almost every city from coast to coast. To celebrate all things mozzarella and marinara, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated Italian restaurants in Knoxville based on diners' reviews on Yelp as of January 2025.

Read on to see if your favorite is among the top-rated or to find a new spot in your neighborhood.

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#26. Olive Garden Italian Restaurant

- Rating: 3.0/5 (72 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 10923 Parkside Drive Knoxville, Tennessee
- Categories: Italian, Salad, Soup
- Read more on Yelp

#25. Louis Original

- Rating: 3.2/5 (126 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4661 North Broadway St. Knoxville, Tennessee
- Categories: Pizza, Italian
- Read more on Yelp

#24. Olive Garden Italian Restaurant

- Rating: 3.2/5 (114 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 7206 Kingston Pike Knoxville, Tennessee
- Categories: Italian, Salad, Soup
- Read more on Yelp

#23. Wild Boar Tavern

- Rating: 3.3/5 (98 reviews)
- Address: 950 East Emory Road Knoxville, Tennessee
- Categories: Italian
- Read more on Yelp

#22. Savelli's Italian Restaurant

- Rating: 3.3/5 (191 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3055 Sutherland Ave. Knoxville, Tennessee
- Categories: Italian
- Read more on Yelp

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#21. Gondolier Italian Restaurant & Pizza

- Rating: 3.4/5 (34 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 7644 Mountain Grove Drive Knoxville, Tennessee
- Categories: Italian, Pizza
- Read more on Yelp

#20. Bravo! Italian Kitchen

- Rating: 3.5/5 (232 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 106 Major Reynolds Place Knoxville, Tennessee
- Categories: Italian, Cocktail Bars, Pizza
- Read more on Yelp

#19. Gondolier Italian and Pizza

- Rating: 3.6/5 (82 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 6951 Maynardville Pike Knoxville, Tennessee
- Categories: Italian
- Read more on Yelp

#18. Carrabba's Italian Grill

- Rating: 3.7/5 (201 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 324 North Peters Road Knoxville, Tennessee
- Categories: Italian, Seafood
- Read more on Yelp

#17. Rosati's Pizza

- Rating: 3.7/5 (154 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 234 Brookview Centre Way Ste 109 Knoxville, Tennessee
- Categories: Pizza, Italian, fast food
- Read more on Yelp

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#16. Fazoli's

- Rating: 3.7/5 (55 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 9515 Kingston Pike Knoxville, Tennessee
- Categories: Italian, fast food, Pizza
- Read more on Yelp

#15. Little Joe's Pizza

- Rating: 3.8/5 (79 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 13100 Kingston Pike Knoxville, Tennessee
- Categories: Pizza, Italian
- Read more on Yelp

#14. Gavino's Pizzeria & Restaurant

- Rating: 3.8/5 (216 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 5211 Kingston Pike Knoxville, Tennessee
- Categories: Italian, Pizza
- Read more on Yelp

#13. Bella Roma Pizza

- Rating: 3.9/5 (76 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 7817 Oak Ridge Hwy Knoxville, Tennessee
- Categories: Italian
- Read more on Yelp

#12. Pizza Palace

- Rating: 3.9/5 (221 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3132 East Magnolia Ave. Knoxville, Tennessee
- Categories: Pizza, Greek, Italian
- Read more on Yelp

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#11. Altruda's

- Rating: 3.9/5 (243 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 125 North Peters Road Knoxville, Tennessee
- Categories: Italian
- Read more on Yelp

#10. Sergeant pepperonis

- Rating: 4.0/5 (102 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4618 Kingston Pike Knoxville, Tennessee
- Categories: Pizza, Italian, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

#9. Osteria Stella

- Rating: 4.0/5 (104 reviews)
- Address: 108 West Jackson Ave. Knoxville, Tennessee
- Categories: Italian, Wine Bars
- Read more on Yelp

#8. Pizza Inn

- Rating: 4.0/5 (75 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 5420 Clinton Hwy Knoxville, Tennessee
- Categories: Pizza, Italian, Buffets
- Read more on Yelp

#7. Cappuccino's

- Rating: 4.0/5 (64 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 7316 Kingston Pike Knoxville, Tennessee
- Categories: Italian
- Read more on Yelp

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#6. Emilia

- Rating: 4.0/5 (338 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 16 Market Sq Knoxville, Tennessee
- Categories: Italian
- Read more on Yelp

#5. Brother Wolf

- Rating: 4.1/5 (41 reviews)
- Address: 108 West Jackson Ave. Knoxville, Tennessee
- Categories: Cocktail Bars, Wine Bars, Italian
- Read more on Yelp

#4. Penne For Your Thoughts

- Rating: 4.6/5 (48 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 9430 South Northshore Drive Ste 104 Knoxville, Tennessee
- Categories: Food Trucks, New American, Italian
- Read more on Yelp

#3. Forno Grill

- Rating: 4.6/5 (95 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 743 North Campbell Station Road Knoxville, Tennessee
- Categories: Italian
- Read more on Yelp