Altruda’s

I’ve eaten here many times over the years. I love the dark, cozy ambiance. Very independent, authentic, old world feel to the place. The chef is always very accommodating as my daughter has many food allergies. Most of the dishes are fantastic — some are prepared a little different than what I am used to, but still good. And if you like garlic, try the garlic rolls served with garlic butter drenched in garlic — with some more garlic. You can smell them when you are parking!

Best Italian in Knoxville.
I almost gave it four stars because they do not have draft beer, and that always lowers my opinion of a restaurant, but this is a rare instance where the food is so fantastic that I somehow am unable to fixate on the lack of draft beers as I would in just about any other restaurant.
*This is one of the few establishments where I have never lamented an inadequate serving size.

First time here. We had been meaning to go here for a while and finally took the plunge. I give a firm ⁴⁄₅ and will come back again.
Apps: Didn’t get one this time but the Garlic rolls were really good!
Sala: I thought the salad was alright. Comes with most of the dinner meals.
Meal: The Pollo Florentine (Boneless breast of chicken, sauteed in garlic butter, spinach, and white wine sauce baked with parmesan cheese) is really good. I got the Snapper al Limone (Red snapper filet dipped in egg batter and sauteed in butter, lemon, and white wine) and really enjoyed it.
Dessert: The Cannoli alla Romana (Pastry shell filled with ricotta, cream cheese and chocolate chips) made it a good meal a great one. Be sure to get it, big enough for 2.

Yet another time where having to give only one averaged star rating is unfair, so let me break down 3 stars to what it seems several other reviewers have also said:
— 5 stars for service. Our server was just perfect, couldn’t ask for better.
— 5 stars for dessert. Neck and neck competition with Savellis for the best Tiramisu in town, IMO. Would go back just for this.
— 4 stars for garlic rolls. If you’re going to eat bread, might as well go all out and eat it dripping in oil/​butter and lots of garlic. Found myself wanting maybe a bit of herbs there, too.
— 3.75 stars for the wine list. I found a bottle that paired well enough and enjoyed it, but only saw maybe 1 – 2 more choices I would consider for the price.
— 3.75 stars for atmosphere. It’s clearly a family restaurant and the dark interior is nice when you want to forget the world outside for a while. Unless you’re a designer of some sort, it’s unlikely the inside will bother you during your meal.
So with all these good enough stars, what’s left? Well, the rest of the food, sadly.
— 1 star for the food. In reading other reviews and responses, it seems there is a line in the sand perhaps, that some people maybe have made a tradition of coming here and enjoy the dining experience as a whole, which I can understand, and the attentive owners are quick to remind those that don’t like the cuisine that many surely must like it because these are old recipes and they’ve been in business for a long time here. What seems to make it special for some just makes it dated to others. Maybe there’s enough of a loyal following that my opinion doesn’t matter, and it’s just a difference of opinion. That happens sometimes.
The food was just plain old plain to me. Bland, even. When I think Italian, I think fresh tomatoes and herbs, balsamic vinegars, rich cheeses, spicy sauces, in short — flavor, and lots of it. All of the non-​dessert food was just really short on flavor. Boyfriend’s meal had great texture, but the flavor? I’m not sure if I could have picked it out if blindfolded from a microwave entrée from a grocery store. If I can’t tell the difference in a $ 2 entrée and a $ 20 entrée, that is a problem. In 2015, with cooking shows everywhere and the average palette being expanded to include aged balsamic vinegars and even Kroger has a large fancy cheese section in the store, your average diner off the street now has higher expectations and greater ability to cook the same things at home. I just want to reiterate that I say this only hoping to help push the kitchen to produce more interesting food and help your business, and I know it stings to read reviews that aren’t stellar, but hopefully this criticism is constructive and I wish you all the best in the future.

Had a great Italian dinner here. Menu is extensive and very high quality. I had the veal scallopine al limon. Rich but tasty. Salad bowl served family style was excellent. Topped of dinner with a canoli. They make the filling from scratch.

Good by not great.
I found the menu to be a little odd. I can’t really put my finger on why, but it seemed like the overall selection of Italian dishes was a little bit uninspiring.
The dishes were all pretty large portions. I noticed many of them were swimming in olive oil at the bottom of the plate. The bread served ahead of the meal was as well. My meal, pasta Anthony which was basically rigatoni, diced ham and olive oil again was serviceable but did not leaving me wanting to come back.
The restaurant itself has a bit of an old world charm. Service was very attentive and good, accommodating our big party quite well.

Major disappointment! Have raved about his placed to out of towners and went to dinner. Nothing was up to its past standards Rolls were substandard as was the salad. Food and appetizers were served cold. What a horrid and expensive mistake. Having loved this place in the past, this was my last visit!

I would never come back… Old atmosphere, food tastes like I could make it at home. Prices are extremely high for what you get. The salad is made of ice burg, the rolls were the best part, but were submerged in butter and were a little soggy. I have had some pretty good Italian and this is not one of them… I really wish it was because I love Italian and was looking for a new place to try! If you feel like some average Italian, skip this place and go to Olive Garden instead.

Wow, I didn’t think it was possible to find real authentic Italian cuisine in Knoxville of all places but I did. I had the veal a limone and it was delicious. The pasta was piping hot and obviously home made. Coming from Boston I know what the real deal is and this place has it. As soon as you walk in the door you feel like family. The owner is very engaged in his restaurant and does everything possible to ensure that your experience is nothing short of excellent. I believe this place has been here for more than 25 years which is no easy task in today’s world. There is a reason and you owe it to yourself to find out. Oh did I mention the Tiramasu? YUM! Enjoy and manga (thats eat in Italian)!!

Visited with family, after the recommendation of my dad’s co-​worker.
OLD SCHOOL BABY!!!
I Loved this place!
Our dinner party included my parents, aunt, grandmother and niece and nephew.
So to say the least we had a varied crowd of tastes.
We made a reservation and I highly recommend you do the same.
Place was packed when we arrived at 6:50pm on a Friday Night.
Lobby area was not full, but busy. We had our table at 7pm on the spot.
From the Apps. to the Dinner our server was spectacular.
She was always checking water, clearing plates, right on target with service.
For the Appetizer we had the Calamari and the Fried Mushrooms.
Both done to perfection and served in a timely manner.
My dinner, I had the Chicken and Eggplant at the recommendation of my server.
I rarely ask for recommendations on dinner but the menu was pretty extensive with
most of the Italian dishes that I like so I threw my order to chance.
Our server knew the menu and was very knowledgeable with her recommendation and even felt like she went over board with what she was telling us. I said no that is exactly what I wanted was info across the menu. Again great job on service.
For me the Chicken and Eggplant was a great option and it tasted perfect and was a very generous portion, as our whole party enjoyed everything that we ordered.
The sauce (Sunday Gravy) is what really had the entire table talking. It was a very good sauce that was with all the dishes that we ordered.
Our whole party was happy and enjoyed all our meals.
This restaurant has been in the Knoxville area for some time and you can tell that it’s remained Old School and true to itself. It’s pretty large inside and can easily accommodate large groups of diner’s. Most of the restaurant is sectioned off into individual dinning area’s.
Most of the clientele was Older Couples, and Families, and larger parties. So I am thinking they have a lot of regular diners that keep coming back year after year. It strikes me as a place that families go to over several generations.
Our family will be back for sure!
This is not a chain place so don’t expect it to be.
It’s Mom and Pop all the way which is exactly the type of dinner with my family we were looking for.
For dessert I had the homemade cannoli! Which was TOP NOTCH.
When you are looking something that serves traditional Italian family food, give Altruda’s a try!

I have been dining at Altruda’s since the mid-90’s during my college days. Now, our family makes it a MUST to eat there whenever we are in Knoxville. My children always talk about the rolls, food is great, always excellent service and relaxing atmosphere. Feels like a family-​run restaurant that you cannot find at a «corporate chain establishment».

I have never given a review; however this restaurant impelled me to do so. We ordered the calamari and it came out over fried and tastless. My dish was disgusting. It tasted like frozen chicken which had been heated in the microwave and mixed with store bought sauce. Finally, the price reflected a top quality restaurant but the food didn’t match up. If you would like average italian, I recommend going elsewhere and paying less.

We have been eating at Altruda’s since moving to Knoxville in 2005. It is the best Italian restaurant in town. The staff is kind and caring and Paul is what makes it happen, day in and day out. He knows his regular customers by name and greets them.
My wife’s favorite is the Red Snapper Parmigian (aka Parmigiana). I tend to go with Spaghetti and meat sauce though I’ve gotten a Parmigian once or two.
Altruda’s salads are wonderful as are the desserts. The garlic knots (small rolls in olive oil and fresh garlic) are a wonderful compliment to the meal.
My suggestion is to like Alturda’s on Facebook and keep an eye out for the daily dine-​in specials and then treat yourself or your family to a wonderful dine-​in experience.

This place is awesome. The service was second to none. The food was delicious. The ambiance was perfect. We shared the appetizer sampler which had fried artichokes, best mozzarella sticks I’ve ever had and fried artichoke hearts… Yum. I had the combination spaghetti for my entrée and it was wonderful. I am a huge fan of their red sauce. My friend tried it and didn’t like it but to each their own. Everyone loved their meals and I will definitely be back!
By the way, I have never left a Unilocal review before but I had to because this dinner was great.

Got take out while here with my buddies in Knoxville. As usual with my group of friends, we way over ordered and got just about a little of everything! One of the stars was my sausage dish with eggplant and pasta. Some of the other dishes included a veal scallopini, a veal parmigiana, some tortellini, a whole bunch of salads, a side of Fettuccine Alfredo with ham and peas, and their famous garlic dinner rolls!
We all totally understand that take home food is just not the same as eating in the restaurant. However, the quality of the food that we ate at the house was still very delicious as I have always remembered.
Of course, this delicious food paired with great wines doesn’t hurt the experience either. I believe the universal favorite of the night was the sausage dish that I got, followed by the veal parmigiana. All had really good flavors and I guess we were just so damn hungry that it didn’t matter! The wine dulled any imperfections that we could possibly find in the food.
This is a solid choice for Italian food while in Knoxville.

Would give 3.5 stars if I could.
First the service and atmosphere were very good. Attentive manager worked with wife’s gluten allergy.
Menu had a lot of choices. The salad bowl was fine and the bread soaked (literally) in garlic butter were indulgent.
Unfortunately, the entrees were just ok. I prefer lighter and less cooked marinara and Altruda’s sauce was heavily cooked and a bit lacking in salt and seasonings. No bad, just a bit bland.
I would go back if in the area but this place is just okay.

Wow! Some of you reviewers seem to be big time Olive Garden fans. No, not even that refined– palate wise. Bet you would 5 star beefaroni or any canned pasta. My wife has eaten here 30 – 40 times before we met and we’ve eaten here together another 10 or so.
This restaurant is consistent in both service and food. Recipes are unique and have been passed down for years. Paul is the owner and has prob 30 yrs of experience. Salad and garlic rolls are unique and excellent. Hard to hold off till the main course arrives. Whoever said the salad was iceberg lettuce needs a course in vegetable identification plus and must have missed the onions, garbanzos, beets, and all the cheese. All the entrees we have had were excellent and we’ve had most.
If you don’t like garlic, you’re not gonna like the rolls. I’ve learned to never trust a vegetarian or someone who dislikes garlic

Not good — I had really high hopes for this place since I heard great reviews from coworker. We went Sunday night — the place was empty. They sat a couple in the booth right next to us so we heard their whole conversation. The décor of the place was dark and old.
The bottomless salad is just iceberg lettuce but the dressing is good and the rolls are just yeast dinner rolls soaked in butter and garlic. I ordered the baked ziti and my husband ordered the lasagna. It was tasteless and bland. I could have made something better at home. For a $ 40.00 meal I am very disappointed and wont got there ever again!

LOVE there Garlic Bread Rolls! They bring them out soaked in melted butter with fresh crushed garlic all over the top of the rolls… amazing goodness… it’s like eating little baby cherubs!

This restaurant has been in business for at least 18+ years. The décor is very intimate and suits the restaurant well. I ordered the lasagna and started with the salad and bread. The salad is something else. Fresh and tasty with lettuce, onions, garbanzo beans and grated cheese among other great ingredients. The rolls were hot, toasty and covered very nicely in garlic butter. After many rolls and several helpings of salad, my lasagna arrived. Hot, fresh, covered in delicious melted cheese– it is the best lasagna I have eaten in a long time! The price is certainly worth it.
Will I return? Oh most certainly! I still want to try the Veal!
Incredible food!