Emilia

We came to celebrate my husband’s birthday. Our server, Patrick, was great. Very attentive and offered great recommendations. The atmosphere was chill/relaxed as we came right when they reopened at 5PM. Unfortunately, we found a gnat in my husband’s beer and a hair in his pasta. Still did enjoy the food overall.

Easy drinks, great food. The Gnocchi Amatriciana was heaven-sent. We had a gracious and entertaining server. However, the lighting was a smidge too dim and the music too low. The air was also a bit smoky. That said, we will return here for future meals.

Great service, attentive but not in the way. The Orecchiette pasta was stacked together like bowls, the Ragu alla Bolognese was salty and hot with garlic. The vest dish was the Pollo ‘Al Mattone, which had great flavor, crispy skin and a tasty broth. Oh yeah... Pricey too.

Emilia’s, Thank you! Dinner was sublime! We were immediately & professionally greeted with kindness and sat by the hostess. The Artichoke Fritti, Arugula Salad & Sea Scallops w/ Risotto were cooked to perfection. Exquisite. Our dessert was 100% on point. We had the Butterscotch Budino, which we washed down with a beautiful, freshly made Latte. The Butterscotch was the star of this dessert (which is a rarity to find) and it rendered me absolutely speechless. Right now, a small smile comes across my face just thinking about this wondrous dessert. Utterly delicious. I know I’ll probably be thinking about this remarkable Butterscotch dessert throughout this upcoming week and probably until I visit Emilia’s again soon. Yes, must be very, very soon. Krista was our server and the service she provided from beginning to end was nothing short of perfection, as well. She timely, quitely & subtly (without any interruption) serviced our every need. After ordering our appetizers, entrees and a bottle of Moscato wine, we didn’t need for anything. Fantastically done, Krista. It was a very pleasant and wonderful evening! Cheers to Emilia’s!

I lived in Italy for 8 years, and now that I'm back home in Knoxville, this is the only Italian restaurant that I enjoy. Best polenta and meatballs that I've ever had! Staff are wonderful and attentive. A must!

I absolutely love Emilia’s! The vibe is always perfect, and the food is so fresh and delicious! Seriously some of the best chicken I’ve EVER had. Also, the lemon drop martini was perfection! Davy was our server and I have to say, she’s been the best we’ve ever had here. Go ask for her!

My wife and I eat here every year for our anniversary. The food and service is always amazing. The menu options rotate so we’re never bored with the choices but there’s always staples to choose from too. Very accommodating for dietary restrictions as well!

Nice atmosphere, very cool place great wait staff. Only complaint is that my dish had virtually no sauce on it and therefore had no taste. I had to order more sauce which took a little bit to get and they charged me for it which was disappointing. Also parking is tough and not close in this area allow for that as well.

Arrived without reservations but were seated at the bar. Servers were great and everyone liked their meal. They made special drinks for us and service was excellent. We had blackened fish and bolognese. Very good. An exceptional evening.

Things were quiet at Emilia's when we pulled in at 7:30 on a Wednesday night. We were seated quickly and waters were delivered. Service was good. We started with an order of focaccia (cut into strips) which was excellent. The bread was served with cheese and olive oil. On the entree front, while tasty and non-traditional, the bolognese was on the salty side. The polenta and meatballs were fair with the meatballs being the stars. The brocollini and the wedge salad were both good. The butterscotch budino, while advertised as vegan, does contain dairy in both the whipped cream topping and the budino itself. On that last note, I want to recognize our server who, when learning of the presence of dairy went above and beyond to ensure that if any other dishes contained dairy, we were notified of its presence and our options. Would I return? Maybe, but it wouldn't be on my priority list.

Food was cold - all 5 diners at table experienced Asked for bread and didn't come out until end of meal Wasn't offered fresh Parmesan Service was standard No table cloths Nothing special

Second time here and just as good! I tried the carbonara and it was very good, waitress understood my allergy and I felt confident in their service. Overall fast service and very cute interior inside as well. Highly recommend going here.

Emilia is fantastic. I only wish I'd been able to come here more during my two weeks in Knoxville, but I'm glad I got to eat here at least once! I really enjoyed their malfalde with broccolini and mushrooms, in a light creamy vegan sauce. Definitely don't skip the focaccia, which was excellent. This was my favorite meal in Knoxville!

From Ny and Italian I am an Italian food snob. Pasta here was good. Burrata was not. My hubs enjoyed it though. I'm like the biggest mozzarella fan so of course I'm picky over that or Burrata :P service was good and I loved my mocktail in a martini glass :P really cute place and it was our perfect last night on vacation dinner. My hubs also really loved his steak.

Outrageous prices for small portions. The food was okay, slightly better than the average Italian spot. Brussel sprouts were burned, clearly not cooked using oil as they were very dry and virtually flavorless. The mozzarella appetizer came with 4 slices of mozzarella. The squash was pretty good, but it felt like I just got sliced cheese from the grocery store and they dressed it up a little. The bolognese was the best thing we tried

I adored this place! It's a small, cute little restaurant with a friendly atmosphere. My friend and I sat at the bar. The bartender was so friendly, a joy to talk to, and the service he provided was great. My friend has celiac and he went above and beyond to make sure his allergy was accommodated. The food was phenomenal! We shared the bolognese and you couldn't even tell it was gluten free pasta. The sauce was incredible. The only way I can describe it is if you had a little old Italian grandma that was making food for the whole family on Sunday. Highly recommend giving this place a try

Overall a solid 4/5 venue for dinner +1 - venue and vibe - fits the vibe with other places in market square +1 - location and parking - pretty easy to do in market square +0.5 - staff and service - overall had good attentiveness, but a miss on food coming colder +0.75 - food and drink - meals were great but just came out cold from sitting too long +0.75 - cleanliness - venue portion was good, restroom was decent for high traffic Will be back to try again sometime, especially for the dessert treats!

Walking in with no reservation and being seated within five minutes was a great surprise! The place has a touch of Italian elegance with a country feel! Matt, the owner, greeted us and was very friendly in his conversation. Our server Killian did a great job taking care of us and answering all of our questions. The experience we had from the moment we walked in the front door was an overall great dining experience. We will be going back.!!

Emilia is the top restaurant in the square! Choose Emilia and you will thank me (we have tried Oliver and the Honey one plus other 2 can't remember name now) Second time eating here while visiting Knoxville and it always goes above and beyond it totally surpasses all high expectations with the execution and deliciousness of the food. Plus service is second to none, we sat at the bar counter the family and i were just wow with ambience/service/ delicious drinks and even though is such a busy place the timing of the meals are impeccable.

My birthday dinner was delicious! Orange wine, scallops with risotto, and pistachio gelato. Wait staff was attentive. Great ambience!

Absolutely incredible food!! Cannot recommend enough. Best Gnocchi I've had, and the chicken dish was out of this world!

Last week, our party of four met at Emilia for a fun dinner. I had visited once before and had enjoyed the food. However, this visit was a much better experience - maybe it was the company we shared our dinner with. :-) We started with the artichoke fritti and the bread. These were so good and enjoyed by all. For our entrees, I chose the Campanelle con Funghi E Pinoli, and I loved it. Perfectly cooked pasta with a light, delightful sauce. The other three members of our party all chose the Gnocchi, and they were equally happy. Service was excellent, with our wine glasses and water kept full throughout the evening. Dinner in Market Square is always nice, where you can walk around the square aftewards.

I've been wanting to try this restaurant for quite some time now and finally got around to making a reservation for a date night. We opted for a late-night dinner around 9pm and we started our evening off with their red wine bottle special, accompanied by the Warm Castelvetrano Olives, the Artichoke Fritti, the Warm Housemade Focaccia, and the Eggplant Parmigiana. I want to point out, that the general manager/sommelier is fantastic and the wine was delicious. Additionally, the olives, artichoke fritti, and the eggplant were exceptional and I would gladly eat all of them again. The focaccia was fairly decent, with the ricotta that it came with being the highlight of the dish, but I probably would not order it again. For our entrees, we both ordered the Camarillo Ai Frutti Di Mare, featuring mussels, jumbo shrimp, and fish. The flavor of this dish was phenomenal, but the shrimp and fish were both overwhelmingly overcooked, to the point that the fish texture tasted like overcooked chicken. The environment in this place is quite nice, and like previously mentioned, the general manager/sommelier provided exceptional service, however, our server was inattentive, and our entrees were quite disappointing. We ordered the tiramisu and vanilla bean panna cotta for dessert and both were delicious. Overall, the experience wasn't unenjoyable, but we most likely would opt for other dining options around town for future dinners.

I went for my birthday meal and they didn't bring my side of focaccia until halfway through the final course. The service was pretty slow and my food came out cold. Other than that the food tasted decent and the wine was good. I wouldn't go back and would suggest going to Osteria Stella right down the road instead of here. The prices are similar but the service is definitely better at Osteria than here.

The food was ok - but the worst part was the service... the entire time I felt like I was a burden. I asked the host if there was space at the bar - he said there was one spot. I said "great I'll take it!" However, there was no space at the bar. Two folks were getting up, so I slid in. Apparently this was a problem. The manager (I presume) came over and whispered something and the bartender said "no, he just sat here". The bartender was so grumpy the entire time - never smiled, never said her name, and so bothered by every interaction. I've never felt so awkward at a restaurant in my life. All the staff look like their nearest family member just died and they are barely hanging on. One of my worst experiences at a restaurant ever. .5 out of 10. It says a lot that this business is unclaimed and they don't respond to their reviews.

I've walked past "Emilia" multiple times and I've always wanted to try it. After realizing this is one of the two places in Knoxville that offers gnocchi I became excited as I was finally going to get a chance to stop in and eat here. They don't offer to-go orders over the phone. Instead they ask that you walk in and place a to-go order at the bar which is totally fine. Since I was ordering to-go I was dressed very casually (yoga pants and tennis shoes to be exact). Everyone else there was dressed in business attire, but the employees never once treated me any differently. The manager spoke and was very kind. The bartender was great! Very friendly and attentive. Unfortunately the food is where I was disappointed. The red sauce the gnocchi was in was very flavorful and delicious, but the gnocchi itself seemed as if it had the taste of freezer burn. The bread and butter was pretty good. I felt the rosemary flavor was very heavy, but that's a personal preference. Ultimately I felt like a $20 pasta dish with such a small amount of potato gnocchi that tasted of freezer burn was extremely underwhelming and disappointing. I want to give this place another go in the future and try something else on their menu as maybe they had an off day. I'll make sure to update my review whenever I venture back there.

Good food and good service. Food was amazing. Definitely will visit again. The fisherman stew with the mussels was amazing.

We didn't have a reservation but luckily were able to get in. We ordered bread to start that came with ricotta Cheese with olive oil. Very good! We all ordered pasta dishes and it didn't take awhile but you can taste it's all very fresh. I ordered the fusilli carbonara which comes with the egg in the middle and you mix it. Very good. The bacon in it was tasty. My friend had gotten the bolognese and that was delicious. We all enjoyed our food. Service was a bit slow even though it wasn't busy in there. I waited awhile just to get a water refilled. I was impressed by the food which is why i gave 4 stars but it doesn't feeL welcoming there or we weren't thanked by the host when we left even though the stand is right in front of the door. I'd give 2 stars for service.

Food quality is excellent here! Gluten free pasta choice. Please note it will be challenge if you are dairy free. I ordered the bolognese and it was very flavorful. My husband got the carbonara and added chicken. He loved it and rated his 5/5. Our friend ordered the gnocchi and enjoyed it but his portion was noticeably small. Customer service was excellent. Reservations are a must. We were able to grab patio seating. Quality and taste 5/5. 4/5 overall for portion sizes.

First time here. I have to say the curb appeal was poor. The inside was lovely and comfortable. We were a bit early but it filled up with a wait. We had the burrata appetizer with artichokes which was wonderful. For dinner we had the polenta and meatballs and the pork Milanese. Both were very good. Probably the best polenta I've had in a long time. They had one of our favorite desserts butterscotch budino. Absolutely fabulous. Also had margaritas, very tasty. Our waitress was a lovely young woman, very friendly. Clean simple clean inside. Would definitely come back

The ambiance was nice but casual considering it's a nicer restaurant. Food was delicious, service was good, a little slow and left us with our main course set at the table without any silverware. But I overcooked that since the overall experience, service and food were good

Started with the pulled mozzarella. While delicious, I think they slightly missed the mark as burratta would have been a better choice with the accompaniments. The bucatini carbonara was perfection. The Cardedu orange wine was a fabulous accompaniment. It gave just the right acidic balance for this dish. I had the fusilli carbonara and it was perfection! My husband had gnocchi frutti de mares and it was an 8/10. Only an 8 because it needed more gnocchi. Flavor was great! Our server Becca was awesome!

Emilia. Wow. Let's talk about a restaurant that I would highly recommend to any pasta lover. Centrally located in heart of Market Square in downtown Knoxville, Emilia has ample indoor seating and just two tables out on their patio. I had the wonderful luck of securing one of those tables at 5:30 pm on a Friday evening. For those that are looking to dine on their patio - they don't take reservations for the space, its down to pure luck and timing. Each of their patio tables is covered by a large umbrella that provides shade from the setting sun. As I came here shortly after arriving in Knoxville, I just ordered a San Pellegrino - while it' not listed on the menu it is available for $4 (500 ml - medium glass bottle). In terms of food, I ordered the Spanish Octopus as my starter. The presentation was a little different from what I am normally served. It was already cut into bite sized pieces and served with arugula and a bean puree while paired nicely with the saltiness of the octopus. For my entree, I got the Fusilli Carbonara and wow did that deliver from both the flavor and texture fronts. It is topped with a poached egg that creates a beautiful visual when the yolk is broken. The pasta is cooked more on the al dente side which creates a lovely bite. I did find the bacon to be on the tougher side so I left most of that on my plate. While you might find other reviewers mention that the portion was on the small side, I found that when paired with an appetizer and a side, it was a perfect size. In addition to my entree, I got a side of the beets and while they were delicious, I don't think they were that notable or breathtaking. It was well cooked and seasoned. They topped them with some roast pistachios which I thought was nice since it provided some textural relief from the natural mushiness of cooked beets. Overall, Emilia was a wonderful experience and I would encourage you to visit if you are in the area.

Passing through Knoxville and went downtown for dinner. Probably the busiest night of the season with seasonal parade and ice skating, the place was packed. Asked at Emilia and needed a reservation. Put us on a wait list and got seats at the bar in 20 minutes! Started with mussels which were great. We then split the scallops with squash risotta. It was plenty and had a great autumn flavor. Finished with a pannacotta. Great service (bartender swore she knew us from Cleveland. LOL).

As and Italian I am very picky about my Italian restaurants. I though Emilia was pretty good! With a few tweaks it could be great. We started off with a very interesting mozzarella appetizer with apples, walnuts, prosciutto and butternut squash. I would have never paired these ingredients but it worked! It tasted like fall on a plate. Then we moved onto our entrees. I wasn't a huge fan of my frutti di mare pasta. It was mostly a very chunky, spicy sauce with very little pasta and seafood. The pasta was cooked well, but the dish needed a lot less sauce. Then we moved onto dessert and I was really impressed. I got the chocolate sorbetto. It was super creamy and not too sweet. It was accompanied by delicious cherries and a chocolate bar. The dessert and appetizer saved the meal!!

Loved the vibe. Really beautiful decor, so my style! Service was slow and a bit inattentive. Now, I didn't pick the restaurant so being Italian, naturally gluten-free and dairy free was difficult to accommodate. Campanile Fungi was very salty but still flavorful. When I mentioned it to my waiter I was surprised they didn't offer to remedy in any way only "let the chef know". The rest of the table loved their food. The bar staff was very friendly and made a wonderful NA (non-alcoholic) cocktail for me while we waited for our table.

Emilia did a great job with our large party! All of the food was so delish. Don't miss the olives, bolognese, the chilled red carafe of wine, and the butterscotch budino! Great spot!

I wish this review could be good. I want to support local restaurants, especially ones who focus on locally sourced ingredients... but this was one of the worst meals we've ever had. My husband and I went here as a date night option and were excited to try an Italian restaurant known for their in house pasta, but everything we ate was terrible. The mussels weren't purged so we had undercooked, cold, and muddy mussels. I have never asked to have food taken away but the smell of it and texture was so off putting it made me sick to my stomach. We got the bolognese dish and the fried pork dish hoping those would be the safest options after the appetizer issue, but it got worse. The bolognese was awful. Chef boyardee had better flavor than this dish. It was thin, lacked any resemblance of a bolognese, and the meat was gritty. The pasta wasn't cooked all the way and although they promoted the pasta being made in house, it tasted like it was from a box. My husband got the pork and that whole dish didn't make sense. It had no seasoning, the breading was more of an asian take on the dish, and the sauce reminded us of a buffalo sauce. Not Italian inspired whatsoever. We got the mussels taken off of our bill, but after tip the whole meal was $88 and this was not worth that at all. Such a shame.

I was really looking forward to Emilia given the reputation of the chef and they source ham and bacon from Benton's. They also make their pasta in house. I started off at the bar (friendly staff - professional friendly) since I was dining solo. I ordered the octopus and was happy since it was wonderful, not sous vide like other places - terrific combo of Cannelini bean puree, ham etc. Portion was much smaller than I expected frankly. The carbonara was fantastic- I love the poached egg style on top that I mixed myself. I have not seen it served this way. I didn't get a sense of the pasta being home made though it was not boxed. Very good - smaller portion than experienced in other restaurants. So, one star off primarily for the small portions - I know this isn't a huge portion type pf restaurant but it was less than most upscale. (Plates for pasta is wide to make it look larger but it's shallow).

Lovely dinner with a lovely service! In addition to the delicious food, thank you to our server John for making our experience even more enjoyable! P.S. Portions are small

Although the cuisine was delectable, the service was uninspiring. Upon being seated at the bar, we were presented with menus. No greeting. No offer to get us a drink. The bartender came back several minutes later to take our order. Again, not taking a drink order, just our food order. Our dishes were presented and the female bartender did not check in to see if we needed anything further. Our plates were cleared and then we were quickly presented with a check. She did not offer us dessert. She did not say good night or thank you for coming. It was a lackluster experience despite the food being quite good. My daughters recognized how rude the service was as well. It was a good learning experience for them on how not to act in a hospitality position. I will likely not return because of the poor service.

Emilia is such a quaint and cozy place. It's perfect for an intimate dinner or date night. They are one of the better Italian places I have tried in Knoxville! I would recommend it to anyone looking for great food. We ordered the Fusilli and Campanelle con Funghi y Pinoli! Both were excellent! I really enjoyed the campanelle the pine nuts were an excellent added touch.

The food was great and the service was impeccable. We ordered the Focaccia, Grilled Romaine Heart, and the Gnocchi, everything was great.

Service was marvelous! Food delicious. I had the mushroom pasta dish and added chicken. My server. Abby was wonderful! The place had a relaxing feel when I was there. Didn't feel tables were stacked close to one another. Would recommend! I would go again if I was local, for sure

Picked on whim on a Friday night in very short notice. Used an online service to secure the reservation with ease and had no problems being seated when arriving a couple of minutes early. The atmosphere is pleasant with nice lighting that is dark but not too dark. The taste of the entrees complimented their appearance prior to diving in! Will certainly return!

Fabulous atmosphere, delicious food. Had a wonderful meal before seeing Cats. The butterscotch budino is to die for

I'll say this up front. I don't crave pasta often and Italian cuisine isn't my favorite. With that being said, this spot was really delicious! It's adorable and cozy. A perfect spot for a nicer dinner or special occasion meal. My party of 3 ordered two pasta dishes and the pork Milanese, along with the artichoke appetizer, roasted beets, roasted carrots and focaccia. Everything was great- gnocchi was so pillowy and light, ragu was flavorful. Pork Milanese was good but a tad salty and I wish there would've been a little more sauce. Skip the focaccia, it was over toasted and really tore up the roof of our mouths. The beets were served cool, would've loved them to be warm. Carrots were so good! For dessert, skip the tiramisu. It's not the best I've had. The butterscotch pudding was INCREDIBLE. Overall, would recommend if you're looking for a nicer spot for a special meal or some great pasta.

We had a decent birthday dinner here but there was a few things that made it not-so-great. The whole restaurant smelled like a backed up toilet. It made eating a bit gross. We almost left actually. I was also pretty turned off by the fact our server was wearing a crop top. When she stood next to the table for our orders or checking in on us her bare stomach was in our face. Not professional at all. I'm not excited about staring at your bear stomach when you're taking my order. The food was good, but not over the top spectacular. It was reallu authentic though and food came quick. My Fiance' loved his gnocchi and my carbonera was good (although the 6 tiny pieces of bacon felt like it was lacking in quantity there), but the overly casual environment and smelly restaurant experience means I'm doubting we'll be back.

Here's another place I thought I had reviewed some time back but I guess not. I had a good impression of it the first time and this recent visit was also very positive. We were a group of five so we got to taste a lot; we had all of the pastas except one, one meat entree (pork) and one appetizer (artichokes). Oh...and several desserts of course. All were quite tasty. I liked best the fusilli carbonara, but I admit I'm a sucker for carbonara of any variety. The risotto impressed me the least; it just didn't seem to be as savory and complex as some better ones I've had. But all were quite good. The biggest let-down was the fried artichokes, which were breaded a bit much, it seemed, making it more like "artichoke-flavored fried bread." Still tasty but not with the pure wonder of having just artichoke. The desserts were wonderful. Also we had some good pre-dinner drinks and a nice bottle of chianti (I wasn't the wine orderer so all I know is that it was a very dry and tasty chianti). I had a really interesting cocktail-- "Ode to Kimball House," I believe it was called. At first I found it very odd, the best way to describe it is like a cross between a very dirty martini and a gimlet. The more I sipped, the more I liked it, so my compliments to the creator of that one. Of all the menu items, that's the one I'm sure to have if we go back soon! Good service, good food, good drinks. One of the top 3 or 4 Italian places in the Knox area, I'd say. Sorry, once again I neglected to take pics!!!

The service, food, and atmosphere was wonderful! The carbonara was very good, and the waitress was very knowledgeable on the wines! Would definitely visit here again on my next visit to Knoxville

Nothing interesting. Service is slow. Family of 4 went, on Mother's Day, & all ordered drinks, two apps & 4 entrees. We didn't think it was worth the money, even for a special occasion.

Cute restaurant. Their mussels were good but that was it. The Ragu alla bolognese was sub par I could have made a better one in 20 minutes. The noodles were not cooked all the way through and it was extremely underwhelming especially for the price. The mushroom pasta was good. I ordered a Negroni and they gave me the most sorry cocktail drink I've ever seen. I would have ordered a beer if I knew they were going to fill the glass halfway and fill that half with ice. The managers were also weird when we asked for bread? Made it work cause I had a hot ass date but overall this place kinda sucked and I will definitely try any another Italian spot next time. PS - I'm a real Paisano so if your going to listen to a review listen this one

Love the Patio dining Beautiful Food is outstanding as I never tried the restaurant before People outside were friendly even bought me a drink

I'm updating my review, since I returned after a 2 year hiatus from a poor experience. This visit, the service was great and the food was wonderful. We had a few great antipasti items. The warm focaccia bread served with ricotta is very good. The roasted beets with pistachios were my wife's favorite. The show stopper for me was the house pulled burrata served over sweet potatoes. Simply amazing. For the main pasta dishes, we had fuscilli carbonara and orchiette with ragu alla bolognese. Both were very good and the pasta was perfectly prepared. We were full, so we skipped dessert. Overall, this was a wry nice return to Emilia

Great experience! We ended up ordering a bunch of stuff and splitting it. The artichoke fritters were light and fluffy and the sauce it came with was a nice compliment. Olives were yummy, if you like to eat plain olives . The focaccia was very disappointing, dry and hard to eat. Would not recommend especially with all the better options on the menu. I had red wine on draft..... it was okay.... Would not get it again. We split the brussel sprouts (yum), the beets with pistachio butter (be still my heart), and the duck confit risotto. Yum yum and yum!! For dessert I got the Panna cotta which was absolutely divine! My friend got the dark chocolate gelato (that's not the band but I can't remember what it is......) it was very rich and if you like cocoa power, you'd like it! Great atmosphere, great food, great time!

This restaurant was recommended by the hotel and we were really looking forward to it. My family and I all thought that the flavors were not spot on. The food was rich (more oils than typical for the dishes served). Please don't get me wrong about that. I'm not averse to rich food, but it should be rich where appropriate. There are many restaurants on the square and it turns out that most of them are top notch (even the taco joint). The bar is set really high because of this and this probably added to our disappointment. The service was good-- 4 stars. The food about 2.5 stars. My recollection is that there were not enough wines served by the glass.

I've been wanting to go here for years - and was so excited when a group of friends mentioned going after hearing nothing but good things about the place. Emilia's is worth the hype. Wonderful atmosphere, tasty food, great portions, and refreshing beer. All the main ingredients for a great Friday night! I got the Fusilli Carbonara - it was incredible: a dash of pepper and a little smokey (probably the type of bacon). Had a few beers on tap - and I got a refreshing Highland IPA; it tasted great. Finally, would highly recommend getting the Warm Paysan Focaccia for the table - their bread is delicious!