Puleos Grille

I was back from travel and had my children for the day; we started driving and deciding where to eat when we drove past Puleo’s. We were warmly greeted by Janice and our, more than capable, server was Taylor. Obviously, the children wanted the brunch as it had been about a year since we last had brunch here. Other than the excellent person carving the meat, whose name I did not catch, the buffet was a let down. Even my children commented later that they were disappointed in the food and felt as if they wasted my money (I assured them that it was not wasted as I spend extra time with them). The food seemed to just sit there from 1000(?) and we arrived at about 1225. What should have been a nice presentation looked «picked over». Food options appeared to have decreased and the sauces and au jus have a film formed over them. Then I was told that my loyalty card with 366 points was no longer valid. It’s as though they quit caring. I’m not entirely certain I will return.

My wife and I stopped here without a single thought. We just happened to drive past and didn’t really want to go home and just whipped in. Also, to be perfectly honest, the name came across to me as a Mexican style restaurant. –lol yes I read the Italian, Seafood & Steaks — sorry
First, we were seated without any waiting. The place wasn’t overly crowded. The noise level was fine — I just don’t like noisy restaurants.
Our server came to the table pretty fast and told us about the specials and took our drink order. We ordered Fried Green tomatoes for an appetizer. This is a longtime favorite of mine so I have high expectations. These really didn’t hit my this is «really good» spot. I did like the light breading. The tomatoes, we had, a couple were not mature and were hard. The breading didn’t have much of a flavor. The dish came with gravy, a light, and dark. I had never seen that before but to each its own.
My wife ordered the wedge salad with shrimp and I ordered the filet miGnon (the «Queen»), which seemed like no more than 6oz. (it was small) with a side of asparagus. First, the asparagus was cooked spot on — slightly crunchy and had some flavor. The steak, all though much smaller then I would have like, was cooked to slightly less than medium, which is my personal preference — so it was perfect. The steak wasn’t tough so it was at least Choice but I don’t think it was a Prime cut, and had some decent flavor.
All in all, I was very satisfied with my steak and meal overall.
Our server was very attentive and came by enough to ensure we were taken care of without being annoying.
Overall impression — we were very surprised and delighted to have a decent meal. I did think it was slightly over priced (referring to the steak) but overall we really enjoyed it and will come back.

Staff was all warming and welcoming. Waiter was on point. Establishment is dim, intimate and romantic. I ordered the sirloin steak with mashed potatoes, salad and then crème brule cheesecake to take back to the hotel. All of it was amazing. Would definitely eat here again.

Almost too many options and the atmosphere is a little odd. The portion sizes are HUGE so you can definitely split a meal with someone but they’re grossly huge. The fish tacos came with about 4 pieces of fried fish in them each so it was almost too big to be able to eat. However, the food was still pretty good.

On return visit to Pulio’s on Cedar Bluff the manager greeted us at the door and opened it for us. I still savoured the memory of the nice, juicy prime rib I had on New Year’s eve. This time I decided to try the specials and chose Shrimp Scampi over linquini. I was duly awarded. It came piping hot, a good sign, but the shrimps and large scallops weren’t over-​cooked, with good hint of garlic but not overpowering. The spinach and tomatoes or was it red pepper made good compliment. It has been a while I had Shrimp Scampi this good. My wife’s lobster ravioli came perfect too, strong fresh clean lobster taste greeted my palate when I was offer a piece.
Our only complain was the side veggies were over-​boiled and soggy. But it means I can hurry and chow down the veggies before I concentrate on the delicious entrée. The bread was also just fresh dinner rolls not artisan bread. But then we were not paying fine-​dinning price so I am ok with it. Getting almost everything as good as fine-​dinning but at reasonable price made it easy to forget the bread and veggie. This place is probably under new management (see manager at the door) and a lady host came by and checked on us; she seemed like the new owner. Whatever her team did, it was good. Also a big source of my only complaint last time was the too-​bright, glaring overhead lamp that lit up every table were obviously dialed down with smaller wattage for better ambience. I had wore a baseball cap when I walked in thinking I would need it to block out the glare, no need this time. Great food and now improved ambience, we shall return happily.

This was our first time at Puelos. We are out of Towners looking for a good place to eat. Since the weather was bad we weren’t sure where to go most places were closed. Lucky for us Puelos was open. We weren’t sure if this was a good local spot but we tried… wow!!! We were impressed. They were short staffed due to the weather but it didn’t stop them. The service was perfect, the management was more than accommodating and the food was AMAZING! If your in town don’t miss a chance to eat at Puelos.

Chris, Derek, Alyssa, Rose thank you for a wonderful week of fabulous food and drinks I will be back since I barely made it half way through the menu.
The menu has many options from steaks to see food and some of the best pasta options I have tasted in like forever the management is wonderful.
I highly recommend the place

Disappointed with Thanksgiving buffet. Food did not rise to standards we usually experience.
From the soggy Chinese noodles in the cabbage salad, to Canned corn, and lack of any quality meats, this meal was overpriced for what was served. Cracker Barrell would have been better.

Menu of burgers, steak, chicken, some seafood, but not as large a variety of Italian dishes as I expected. Great for groups of people, however if you’re looking for strictly Italian, I would recommend elsewhere. The lasagna, calamari and Caesar salad were good, but not spectacular. The wine selection left something to be desired, and the service was good but nothing to write home about.

I am writing this as we pull out of the parking lot. My only advice is find the closet Golden Corral and go there. The food is comparable but at least at the Corral you get what you pay for. My only positive note is the server was prompt and friendly.

This has to be, hands down, the worst experience I’ve had at a restaurant.
We arrived on a Saturday night, 5:45pm, to an empty restaurant. That’s usually a bad sign, but seeing as there was a big game downtown tonight, we chalked it up to that.
The décor is dated. Brown with cream booths covered in strange pimento loaf seat covers. The music was awful. They were playing all mid nineties alternative, and no, it wasn’t charming. It made the entire restaurant feel like nothing had changed at all in the many years since it had opened.
Our server was slow and inattentive, taking an unacceptable amount of time to come to our table each time we needed a refill on our waters or any other needs we had.
The food was bad. Just so so bad. We got the chicken fingers to split, which is usually a safe bet. My girlfriend also got a baked potato, which was covered in an exorbitant amount of sour cream, and the bacon on top of that tasted like pure vinegar. The chicken was tough and chewy (think cartilage) and had a strange velvet texture.
And after we split the food, our bill was still $ 30. $ 30 for disgusting food, awful service, terrible atmosphere and hearing Matchbox 20 play for 15 minutes at a time.
Whatever you do, avoid this hell trap. You will stare into the void that is your wallet, screaming to the being you once believed was God, asking why this could happen. How could you be so naïve? You will question every moral principle you were taught as a child, and fully embrace the nihilistic numb that covers you as you walk out the door with leftovers you know you won’t ever eat.

We came here on a Saturday afternoon for lunch as a group of six. I called ahead to ensure we could be seated and was assured by the hostess there would be no wait.
We were seated at a large round top in the middle of the restaurant, which was mostly empty (might have been the upcoming holiday week and/​or the weather). The lunch menu is vast with loads of options for everyone and there’s also a GF menu. Since Puleo’s is an Italian joint, I quickly settled on the spaghetti and meatballs with a side of broccoli. Hubby had the chicken with gravy and grits. Everyone else had fish and chips or the grouper po boy.
I got a basic house salad with ranch, which was good. My spaghetti with meat sauce and meatballs was GIANT. After eating, it looked like I had barely touched it and it resulted in at least two days of leftovers. For $ 7.99, that’s a great value. The meatball lacked flavor and the texture was a bit tough. I really enjoyed the meat sauce on the spaghetti. The broccoli was just fine too.
Our waitress was quick with drink refills and very pleasant.

We definitely like Puleos. However we came for the Sunday and brunch and I was disappointed by a few things.
First the selection was good. Plenty of selection on the breakfast food. They did have a roast beef selection with the knife to carve the meat along with the pork station. They had a nice salad bar, and some good country food including shrimp and grits (which is my favorite)
However, there was a room dedicated to the food and there was no staff to be seen. At first I figured they were just running to get more food, so I didn’t get any of the carving station food, waiting for staff to return. But on the second visit to the food there was still no staff attending to the food. I can say it is the first time that I have actually carved my own meat for a brunch.
Some of the dishes that were sitting out seemed as though they had not been touched since they had been sat out. Nothing wrong with the food itself, but it would be nice if they could devote someone to stir things around a bit every once in awhile considering the price for the brunch itself.
Overall the food was delicious, and I will return. Just a little disappointed with the Sunday Brunch.

A little late on this review, but hey it takes time to write these reviews! I came here with friends on a Monday night. And I guess at the beginning when I heard about this restaurant I thought it was a mexican type of grille, but in fact it was italian-​ish/​pasta/​steak? Honestly, I have no idea what their category would be because the menu was so all over the place. It seemed like if you wanted anything, most likely this restaurant had it.
Walking in, it seems like any other american chain. You know, the stone wall outside, and inside it looked italian, except they serve you american food? So confusing, I know. Our server was nice, but one thing that kind of got me wondering was that he always kept asking if we wanted our water refilled. I don’t usually get asked this, but it seemed like every time that we were low on water, he asked if we wanted it refilled. I mean, I know that there’s a drought in California, but I think that problem is isolated to that state. Anyways, other than that our server was nice and helpful.
What did I eat out of this massive menu? I ordered the Prime Rib Au Jus. Thoughts? Meh. Nothing special, it was good. But, the price was a little eye opening. It was about $ 21? Where I felt as if the dish didn’t quite feel like it was worth that price. It just didn’t hit the spot with me. The chocolate cake was amazing however (as you can see the pic). I wish it wasn’t the cream in the middle and it was ice cream, but hey you can’t have everything right?
All in all, I enjoyed it. It was alright. Not bad, not amazing.

Came here for dinner. We had the boursin burger and the Ahi tuna dinner. What can I say, this place has amazing food! We started with an appetizer, the shrimp and crab dip. It didn’t stand a chance, it tasted great! The boursin burger was tasty, and came topped with jalepenos and mushrooms. The Ahi tuna steak was to-​die for. It was mouth-​wateringly tender. You must try the Ahi!

Can’t believe there were only three other parties. It was wonderful should be full. Waitress and manager very helpful and attentive. My wife and I both had seafood. She usually doesn’t like it but loved her seafood sampler and I my Seafood platter. Herb butter is great with the Salmon. Cole slaw is more like a salad and is very nice. Fresh bread comes with the meal. Desserts looked good but neither of us had room. Have to come back.

Awesome food! Great service! Lenore was our server and very attentive. The salmon is the best I have ever had. The basil in the Caprese Salad is grown in their own garden. Delicious!
Everything was very fresh and was as wonderful to look at as it was to eat! We will be back!

One of my parents’ favorite restaurants in Knoxville — good food, great portions (enough leftovers for another meal), reasonable prices, and friendly service. And I finally got to see for myself a couple weeks ago and I agree :) Menu has your typical standard fare w/​a wide selection of American food (beef, chicken, seafood, pasta, pizza, burgers, sandwiches, salads).
HOUSE SALAD — $ 3.50 with meal
Nothing special but veggies were fresh and overall a good salad. Shared w/​my dad and portion was just right.
MAPLE GLAZED PORK CHOP — $ 13.99
Tender center cut boneless pork chop, hickory grilled w/​an apple maple coulis, and served w/​whipped sweet potatoes and kale greens. Loved the grilled flavor, everything was good, and enough food for two meals. I’d order it again in a heartbeat.
CITRUS GRILLED CHICKEN — $ 10.99
Boneless marinated hickory grilled chicken breast served w/​mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli & carrots. Loved the chicken and again, enough food for two meals.
If you’re looking for consistent good food in the Knoxville area, this is your place.
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My first couple visits were great — however the food for our third recent visit was just ok (2÷16÷15).
PULEO’S SEAFOOD SAMPLER PLATTER — $ 19.99
Should’ve known better than to order a seafood platter from a non-​seafood restaurant AND in TN no less … guess I trusted the Unilocal reviews that were raving about it. Oh well. The plus side — plenty of food. Fried shrimp, fried whitefish, Maryland crabcake and fries. Yep everything fried. A few of the fried fish pieces had good amount of fish but most were more fried than fish. Crabcake was mostly stuffing with little if any crab. Definitely should’ve gotten the Maple Glazed Pork Chop instead.
PRIME RIB AU JUS — $ 19.99 (Queen)
Meat was good but lots of fat too. Dad enjoyed and that’s all that matters :) Included salad (portion enough for the three of us to share) and any side (Dad got the baked potato).
CITRUS GRILLED CHICKEN — $ 12.99
Last time it was so good — this time the chicken was burnt too dry. Mashed potatoes just ok.
HOT CARAMEL APPLE PIE AND ICE CREAM — $ 4.99
Guess I was expecting an iron skillet apple pie but reality hit when the pie arrived cold. Sent it back and knew they were just going to nuke it and we were right based on the warm but now soggy crust. Pie didn’t taste fresh :(Yep probably should’ve ordered the Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse Cake.

Came with a large group of 9 people. Most loved the food. The best thing is they have a wide range of selections on the menu so all can find something you like.
The name is misleading. Sounds like Mexican food but more American with a touch of Italian.
Turkey and dressing was great, prime rib above ave, overall very good.

This was my first dance with Southern food, so I don’t have much to compare it to. However, I found this place really charming, we had great service and we enjoyed our meals. What else can you ask for?
First off, this area in Knoxville is not walking friendly. We originally picked Puelo’s because it showed it was 0.2 miles from our hotel but little did we know, that there are no crosswalks, no sidewalks and not even a Walk/Don’t Walk sign to know when to cross. We narrowly escaped death when trying to cross the road, but luckily the dinner was worth the brush with death.
The description says Southern/​Italian, but the name sounded Mexican to me, so we weren’t really sure what we were in for. We asked our server what was recommended and she made a few suggestions. I ordered the shrimp and grits-​my husband ordered the pork chop and we also ordered the fried green tomatoes as an appetizer.
I normally hate tomatoes because of the squishy part in the middle, but these were cooked to perfection with no squishy remnants left behind. The batter was quite delicious, as was the country gravy. There was another darker type of gravy that came with it that my husband preferred, so we were both satisfied. We had fried green tomatoes 2 other times during our small trip and I really appreciated the batter of these particular tomatoes. It was just the right amount.
The shrimp and grits were divine. The only kind of grits I’d ever had was at Cracker Barrel and my family from the South always warned me that those weren’t real grits. These grits were more of the consistency of mashed potatoes and were very creamy. I actually liked the sausage in the meal more and could have probably done without the shrimp. (Is that sacrilegious to say? I’m not sure.) I only had a small bite of my husband’s but his pork chop was moist and cooked to perfection.
I do agree with a few other reviews that the prices were a bit high, but since we were on our way to meet up with my brother, we considered this our one fancy «date» meal and didn’t groan at the price too much.