Osteria Stella

I can’t say enough amazing things about our experience at Osteria Stella. It was our anniversary, and they went above and beyond to give us a special experience. The food was very tasty, drinks were perfection, our server Bella was a peach, the entire staff made sure we were well taken care of, and the atmosphere really made our night one for the books. An incredibly special gem in the city!

I have a list of places to try in Knoxville, and Osteria Stella was at the top of that list. It was wonderful! My mother and I went yesterday-Sunday, July 27th. We got parked right across the street and entered what was one of the most beautiful, cozy and romantic places to eat, I have seen. Dark luxurious finishes throughout with an added unique floral touch. Masculine meets feminine all working in harmony together. Mismatched (but coordinating) plates and sliver ware made you feel like you were at some long time Italian eatery. It is romantic but I could also see myself eating there alone and enjoying it. We had service from a wonderful young lady named Jaid. She helped us make some decisions and her recommendations were perfect for us. The entire meal, start to finish, was spaced perfectly and the food was wonderful! The Osso buco dish we had was just fall apart tender and flavorful and our cocktails were perfect. The food is done with the utmost care, you can tell. The quality of flavor means they have a chef (or two) in the kitchen who are paying attention to the quality. The size of the portions was also quite generous. We had a starter, a salad, two mains, and three desserts (while the tiramisu was wonderful, the cannoli were incredible) and cocktails. All of it was priced well. We have paid far more for less (in flavor and service) at other places. Osteria Stella will always be a place I will think about and hope to return to someday. Thank you!

Osteria Stella is an absolute gem!The food was simply divine – every dish we tried was bursting with fresh, high-quality ingredients.Aside from the cocktails, they also have a fantastic wine selection that perfectly complements their menu.

Our server and host were very accommodating and so knowledgeable on the menu and drinks. When you walk in, you feel as though you have traveled to Milan or Venice. The atmosphere is fine dining without being stuffy, giving it a nice relaxed casual feel. The attention to detail with the menu was amazing! Everything on the plate was intentional, not to mention the silver and fine china that was replaced with each course. We started with the homemade focaccia and oil along with the beef carpaccio. Both were so well done and then we moved to the salad course. The salad was smoked mozzarella with butternut squash, sliced apple, walnuts, and aragula drizzled with balsamic. Next was the pasta course. Christy opted for the corn carbonara while I indulged in the gnocchi with crispy potato skins and carmelized onion. The meat course was memorable as Christy chose the halibut, which is butchered in house, with cauliflower and broccolini. This included fish meatballs which were to die for. I chose the breaded veal chop with fingerling potatoes and radicchio salad. This was easily the best veal I have ever tasted. As we were celebrating our 7th anniversary, the staff left us a nice card they had all signed and we were given Prosecco to start. We also had a green apple Bellini to drink along with an orange creamsicle Italiano cocktail. Christy did have the chocolate cannoli with orange simple syrup, and noted it was the best she had ever eaten. You can go anywhere and have a good meal. Here, you get an experience and the meal is the perfect compliment to that. Parking is pay parking directly across the street and is easily accessible. Make sure to make a reservation and get down to Osteria Stella! You won’t regret it or ever forget it!

Simply exquisite. The food was exceptional, and felt as if each course was handcrafted exclusively for us. The staff is friendly and extremely knowledge on both the food and drink menus, happily providing recommendations based on your input. The atmosphere is divine - it's quiet (with the exception of good soft music), dark, and romantic. I can't wait for my next experience here.

Tonight was OK, but my gnocchi had no seasoning whatsoever. Heard of salt? Why restaurants in Knoxville serve decent appetizers and then completely screw up their entrees? It used to be my favorite place but it’s getting lower on a very short list. Food in this town just sucks, nobody cares. It was a great experience :) We came in for an anniversary dinner. Their staff is very polite and well trained; they originally wanted to seat us at a small table but adjusted it upon request. The food is very good: home made, flavorful, and fresh. I was a bit taken aback by their pasta; I know it’s home made but it didn’t flood me with the flavor and it’s slightly tougher than I personally like. I wished they explained that the veil chop was arrived without sides ;) it wasn’t clear to me. The wine selection is great and they have a good sommelier who advises well. The deserts weren’t amazing: not enough coffee flavor in their tiramisu for me. And because they were going back and forth on the deserts (communication problems in the kitchen) and we waited quite a bit, they took care of them, which was nice. The espresso was light, much lighter than I like. Next time I’ll ask for extra strong :) because we’re definitely going back to try more of that food!

If you enjoy authentic Italian food (been to Italy) you will enjoy this place with a nice selection of Italian dishes and desserts. It's a small first-class restaurant that knows how to do it. If you're on a budget, I would skip this place and wait for only a special occasion because you'll spend some $ here but it's worth it. The attentive staff (including Parker) are professional and make you feel like you're the only person in the restaurant.

From the gorgeous ambience, to the absolutely delicious cuisine, our dinner at Osteria Stella was Perfect. Matt, our server could not have been any nicer or more attentive. The lasagna was phenomenal. It is by far the best lasagna I have ever had. The beet salad was delicious and the lemon sorbet was just the right finish to an exceptional meal. My mom absolutely loved her Cosmopolitan, lasagna and chocolate sorbet topped with espresso. What an absolutely wonderful evening we had!! Thank You!!

This meal was INCREDIBLE!!!! Always have the best meal and service there! It's a very cool vibe, dark and classy! The menu is always changing which I LOVE! Pasta is so fresh and incredible

Overhyped. High key mad I drive all the way downtown to try this place. The service was great and the place is a dim light setting which is pretty. The food though? Not good. Overly salty. Over priced. Luke warm. Not much variety in the menu. I went with my family and we ordered a bunch of food and nothing stood out to us that would make us come back here. The sauces in the pastas are kind of unusual as well. Not great flavor. The osso bucco was tender but everything just lacked FLAVOR but definitely not SALT.

Its decor and feel are welcoming, cozy, and romantic. It's the perfect place for a special occasion. Our server provided outstanding service with his complete knowledge of the menu and insightful suggestions. We were attended to well, but not too much. All of the food we had was excellent. Everything was prepared perfectly and well-seasoned to taste. We had a relaxing meal, paced just right, and never felt hurried.

Without a doubt, the best meal I've had since moving to TN. Our Server, Bella, was terrific. She provided great food and wine pairings and was very attentive without being intrusive. Great food, great service and a romantic atmosphere make for a great date night. The liveliness of the attached Brother Wolf spilled over for just the right amount of background noise.

First let's start by saying - beautiful ambience, they nailed it! Just LOVED the decor, the bar next door - absolute brilliance, showcases their desire to standout. Food - the appetizers and salads were delightful. The lemon fresh lettuce salad was a hit! We were a large group and so shared the starters and they were fantastic. Our server was attentive and knowledgeable and kind. The entrees though - underwhelming sadly. The swordfish was a beautiful piece of fish, grilled so beautifully- but was taking a bath in an overly heavy butter caper sauce that lacked flavor and was oily, we were not able to enjoy it. I think the concept of the dish was/is clever and maybe it was an off night. Another colleague ordered Risi bisi pasta with ricotta and it really didn't impress at all. It was so hyped up but lacked flavor. I was struggling to understand what the flavor profile was aiming to be... Couple folks ordered the lasagna and it was the saving grace at the table. It was tasty though all our dishes were lukewarm when they came out and I was puzzled about that because the server gave us instructions that we place our entire course at one time as the kitchen needs it to prepare it timely manner. Oh well. In the end - I would go there again, but just for the cocktails wine and starters. It's such a lovely vibe though. But tad hyped up and reading some of the other reviews I know we weren't the only folks who had this experience. (I do think maybe we had an off night and maybe it was a new chef or something because several of the other reviews appear awesome so I'd definitely give it another try!)

My husband and I dined here for the first time last night and had a fantastic experience! The ambience, service, and food are top notch. The atmosphere is cozy and intimate- the perfect date night spot! We started with a couple of cocktails and they were delicious. Our waiter was wonderful and gave great menu suggestions. He recommended the arancini for an appetizer and it did not disappoint. We ordered the gnocchi and steak for our entrées and both were fantastic. The gnocchi was decadent and had the perfect balance of flavors. My husband loved his steak as well. I was really impressed with how quickly our food arrived considering how busy they were. If we hadn't been so full we would have ordered dessert! It was a perfect evening and we look forward to dining here again!

Osteria Stella is an elegant and intimate Italian joint located in the heart of the Old City. We had a romantic dinner here on our last night in Knoxville and it was the perfect way to end our visit. The food was delicious and their lasagna was our favorite! The service was exceptional and we received amazing hospitality from their sommelier who helped us select the perfect bottle of wine to accompany our amazing meal. Pro tip is to head over early and have pre-dinner drinks at their sister aperitif bar, Brother Wolf located next door that is walk in only.

This is my first review i've ever written. That's how good this place was... I felt compelled to leave a positive note. Coming in from out of state we've been exploring different restaurants but I had yet to have good pasta. We decided to check this restaurant out. First impression the decor and vibe of this restaurant is amazing! VERY comfortable and very welcoming staff! Excellent menu choices. Quick service. The food is OUTSTANDING. Probably one of the best restaurants i've had in a long time. I had the Gnocchi which was outstanding. Every course we had was beyond amazing. To top it off the dessert (Affogato) was AMAZING!!! Waitress / manager made the experience even better. Lots of laughs! Will definitely be back! 10/10

Knowledgable, attentive staff; delicious food, and menu that seasonally changes so there is always something new to try! The ambiance is cozy and stunning.

We've dined multiple times at Osteria Stella in the past and have always had good experiences, but I have to come on and brag about the incredible dinner we had last night specifically. Two things to note: I am a wheelchair user and we were celebrating a birthday. We used their online reservation system, Resy, and noted the above mentioned things: it was a birthday celebration and that I was a wheelchair user. From the second we came in, everyone who greeted us from the host to our server, to the bartender, all said, "Happy Birthday." Everything felt so special! Being a wheelchair user, I let them know when making the reservation that I was fine being sat at a regular table, but that I was also able to transfer from my wheelchair to a booth if one was available--their velvet booths make your dining experience feel so fancy, intimate, and special! They gave me a choice when we came in and I, of course, chose the booth! We started dinner with the Focaccia Osteria Stella that comes with marinated olives and the Panzanella di Verdure Grigliate. Both starters were absolutely delicious; I could buy their foccacia by the loaf. My spouse loved their Faux|groni, a non-alcoholic Negroni mocktail. For our entrees, we had the Gnocchi con Lardo e Spinaci and Bucatini con Granchio e Asparagi. Both were mouth-watering good. We love that Osteria Stella changes up their menu and puts new twists on things regularly. The food was truly so good. We were stuffed by the time the option for dessert came around but our sweet server brought out a sweet treat with a candle for our celebration. The gelato was delicious and had little white chocolate pieces--it was SO good! We truly can't rave enough about how much we enjoyed our dinner at Osteria Stella and can't recommend it enough for your next special occasion, date night, or just a great spot for some good food! Thank you to the staff, our host and server especially, for such a beautiful, memorable birthday dinner.

My go to! The perfect date night, special occasion, and girls night spot. Osteria is intimate, elegant, and intentional. All of their dishes are delicious, specifically their pastas - my personal favorite is their lasagna. I love that they have seasonal menus that they curate every few months. Their service is always 10/10, including their in-house sommelier. Which reminds me...their wine list is exclusive, extensive, and elegant. Same goes to their cocktail menu. Their espresso martini is my absolute favorite. Osteria is connected to their bar, Brotherwolf. Brotherwolf is the perfect vibey bar to have an end to your night cocktail. I will say on the weekends Brotherwolf is packed and mainly taken over by college students/ a younger crowd. Osteria Stella (and Brotherwolf) do a phenomenal job at making you feel special, keeping you interested, and sending you home happy and full. I will continue to keep Osteria Stella as one of my go to places in Knoxville.

Let me start by saying this review is paradoxical, which perfectly describes our experience at Osteria Stella. We decided to arrive at Brother Wolf an hour before our reservation because I was excited about Miracle in the old city. In tow were my husband & in-laws, as I suggested this was THE PLACE to go for our Christmas get together. Our cocktails were served in fun and festive tiki mugs and were tasty. Our reservation time came & went & we were informed that our table was not ready. No problem, as they brought us focaccia bread to snack on while we waited. Once we were eventually sat at a table in Osteria Stella, we shared a terrific bottle of wine, appetizer, entrees, a side dish & desserts. We all had a wonderful time. OR SO I THOUGHT. Four days after our visit, I received an email from Casey Clarke, (Principle Server & Sommelier), letting us know that we were not invited back because of the disrespectful behavior we had shown the staff. I made the reservations, so I assume that is why I received the email. We were bewildered. What were our transgressions we wondered & you're probably wondering, too. We tried to relive the evening: *Did we complain about the food? Send plates back to the kitchen? Demand to have free drinks or refuse the $125 bottle of wine we ordered? NO. We enjoyed the food & ate all of it. The wine was terrific. *Did we complain about the prices? Refuse to pay our bill? Dine & Dash? NO. We spent well over $400 between the bar and restaurant, paid promptly and left a generous gratuity. *Did we touch anyone inappropriately? Curse the staff out? Yell at our server? Complain to the manager? Annoy other guests? NO. We departed in good spirits & wished everyone a merry Christmas as we left. I complimented them & said what a terrific time we had. I believe I even threw out phrases like " best meal ever". We later learned that apparently, we were unknowingly disrespectful to our server & did not pay enough attention to her spiel. Additionally, I inadvertently belittled her by admiring her glasses. She was hurt. Also, as it turns out, our voices sound "mocking", which is news to me. It wasn't so much what we said, as it was our mocking tone that was condescending. No one gave us any indication while we were there that anyone had taken any issue with our party. I'm still flabbergasted. It reminds me of the soup nazi from Seinfeld, except he turned Elaine away BEFORE taking her money. Osteria Stella took our money & allowed us to tip the very servers that later accused us of being horrible people. It's difficult not to feel personally offended. As for the restaurant itself, it is small & intimate with homey, warm decor. The meatballs were pleasant. The much-touted lasagna was quite flavorful, but small & a tad bit dry. Our wine was lovely, albeit over-priced. Scallops were fine, but forgettable. Dessert was good. The most standout dish we had was the focaccia bread, which was also recommended by another reviewer. The sommelier that came to our table was capable & friendly with a warm smile. If I had to summarize, the portions are quite small with a nice flavor, but carry a high price tag. I've read about the exceptional service, however that was not our experience for obvious reasons. The real tragedy here is we had a nice time despite whatever weirdness was going on with our hypersensitive server that we were oblivious to while we were there. The response from their end, (the reservationist was the person that eventually called us back after we called several times for an explanation), seemed inadequate & fairly flippant given the serious tone of their original email. After originally passing the matter off to other staff (his email was, verbatim: "I was not there.They will call you tomorrow to discuss this."), owner Aaron Thompson did email me a week later with nothing really to say other than he supported his staff. While that is a commendable principle, in this case the staff was in the wrong. Please don't brag about being an inclusive, family-owned business when you treat members of your community the way we have been treated. We love our hometown & try to support small Knoxville businesses, which is why we were at Brother Wolf & Osteria Stella in the first place. For them to tell my almost 80-year-old father-in-law (who has lived in Knoxville his entire life, and certainly has contributed to this community) that he is not welcome back in their restaurant is shameful indeed. I've read all the press about the restaurant and perhaps it is more important to the owners to be highlighted and/or mentioned in a national magazine than it is to actually get to know & serve people that live in their 'neighborhood'. We were dismissed from their potential customer base easily & without fanfare. Given the disingenuousness of everyone we dealt with at Osteria & how this misunderstanding grew out of control, I could never recommend it to anyone.

Went to try something new. The only good thing was the drinks. Rowdy patrons, mushy pasta, gross salty sauce honestly I could have made better at home. $105 later I left hungry and disappointed. Save your money go ANYWHERE else.

Our first trip here was during the soft opening - which was met with a lot of missteps (i know they were just trying to figure out out). We had put off our return for a while and recently came back for a visit - and LOVED it! Everything with the exception of two minor things (risotto needed a tad longer to cook, steak was medium & not medium rare), the rest was perfect. Our server and supporting staff was awesome - friendly, and kept everything moving nicely. The Gnocchi pasta and fish were amazing, would recommend them both. The cannoli dessert was awesome too! Will be back - check it out, it's doing great! #datenight

The ambiance was really nice. We got a private booth that was decorated well. However, the clam linguine was small in portion, the noodles were not cooked and only 4 pieces of claim..

We reallllyy wanted this to be our new favorite date spot. Alas, not meant to be. We had a stellar experience the week prior at their connected bar, Brother Wolf, and immediately booked a reservation for an Italian feast the next week. We were impressed with the email follow-up by the biz confirming the reservation and providing parking info. We were greeted warmly upon arrival and were seated immediately. Our server Olivia was fabulous. In fact, our food experience would have been more of a 3/3.5-ish but the great service from beginning to end (the hosts, the man refilling waters/bussing tables, and Olivia) definitely elevated our time inside. Also amazing, the atmosphere. Fun chandeliers and classy wall decor in the small, dimly-lit space. When I say dim, I mean dark. We needed our phone flashlights to read the menu. It did add a more romantic feel to the night. We started with a cocktail and a glass of wine. Olivia brought out three wine samples to try and allowed us to sip before picking. So helpful! Note that the food menu rotates seasonally with a few staple entrees that remain. We ordered: -focaccia bread and olive/oil app: phenomenal. great dipping oil, paired with perfectly baked and seasoned bread. -the current salad for Summer 2023: (Insalata con Ortaggi Misti): tasty. The crouton crumble and blueberries were perfect with the refreshing lemon herb dressing and crispy greens. -Pappardelle al Ragú Bianco: these wide and hearty noodles were delish. I just wish they had all been cooked through. I love al dente, but some of the thicker noodles were a bit hard to chew through and it was a small portion for the price. The sauce was unexpected with more of a shredded beef texture instead of a ground beef. I liked the crispy sage on top and that there was a beefy sauce to dip my leftover bread into. I really wish there had been a vegetable of some kind included in this dish. -Lasagne alla Bolognese; I see people rave about this dish, but we were honestly incredibly disappointed. It was a small square of lukewarm lasagna that had hardly any meat, barely any sauce inside, and no sauce whatsoever on the outside. I didn't feel that my papparadelle dish was worth $22 so the lasagna was definitely not worth that same amount in our opinion. Overall, the service was great and the atmosphere is lovely. We will definitely head back to Brother Wolf, but do not feel like the cost is worth the quantity and quality we experienced at Osteria.

If you plan to dine here, start off with drinks at their sister bar Brother Wolf (maybe their Brothers Bar). It's right next door. Very cool place with Italian flare, we sat in the booth in the back! The waitress was phenomenal, she knew the menu and offered some good wine pairings for the food. I started off with an Old Fashioned with Rye, very good, it came from the Brother Wolf. Started off with some Antipastti, Pampanella di Pancetta Di Maiale, bam that was so good! That's Pork Belly with honey shaved apples! Then some Beef & Veal meatballs and Arancini! For Secondi I had Cotoletta all a Milanese (Veal Chop), breaded very light and tasted amazing. Sides we got Caroline di Bruxelles, everyone said they were good, I couldn't tell you.... Moving on to the Patate Fritte, they were great. Save room for Dolci, I didn't. Great date night, remember to start at Brother Wolf's and then dine at Osteria Stella. Cheers!

KNOXVILLE NEEDS MORE ITALIAN PLACES.. If this were in Chicago I'd give it a solid 2.8 star based upon customer experience, decorations & plates. I'll leave it at.... "Don't judge a book by its cover." Provide respect for all customers because you never know who they are, where they come from. Don't assume/provide less for someone who is younger than your average customer or not a regular. Manager with the beard and glasses: Thanks for the new plate of lasagna considering your cook gave me a crispy/stale/cold piece that came out like 3 minutes after I ordered it.. anyone who is authentic knows how lasagna should be presented... very disappointing when I'm paying $22 for a square piece of un-authentic lasagna... For the record, I'm not a Karen but I do enjoy a solid plate of Italian food & this was a very disappointing experience.. wish I could've tried more on the menu including food + drinks but didn't feel the interest to spend my money there based upon my experience.

Me being the Italian food lover that I am, I have been wanting to come to Osteria Stella for so long. I have to say that they did not disappoint! Lemme tell you why, friends. My drink tonight was a traditional Negroni which I found our is served from Brother Wolf, the bar next door. It was my first time having a Negroni and I love how gin forward it is while also going down easy. I also ordered a Negroni Sbagliato due to the TikTok trend and For our appetizers, we had the soup of the day, focaccia & garlic confit, and mussels. The soup had a very savory & thick broth while the beans and kale were very fresh. The focaccia & garlic confit are a must try. As someone who doesn't like bread, I loved the fresh made focaccia and it's crispy edges while staying soft inside. The mussels are not your typical garlic forward wine sauce mussels, these mussels have a very rich wine flavor that isn't too strong or too lite. For our entrees, we had the lasagna bolognese and Italian sausage polenta. The Italian sausage you could just tell that it was freshly made and it isn't bombarded with spices which paired really well with the tomato and polenta purée. Now the STAR of the whole night is the spinach lasagna bolognese. The cheese and edges are crispy, the insides are soft and delicate, while overall being a very lite dish. The choice to use spinach instead of pasta takes away all the heaviness and makes it a very delectable dish. If you don't come for anything else, you MUST come for the spinach lasagna. Lastly, for our dessert we had the Bunet! A heavy chocolate dish that represents flan served with a cookie. The Bunet is delicate like rich chocolate on top of a dark chocolate brownie. The cookie looks like one of the hardest cookies you'll ever eat, but ends up falling apart in your mouth. We also found out that the cookie is a gluten free option which makes it even more amazing with its texture. Sorry for the long review, but I have been dying to come here and they did not disappoint at all. The food was delicious, but the services was even better. Shout out to our server Olivia who we will definitely recommend and personally request every time now. She was fun, energetic, and very helpful when navigating the menu. Anyways, enough from me... time for you to come try it.

Perfect for family Christmas Eve dinner. Fancy, but not overbearing. Impeccable service. Nice that they have some standards on menu, but changes daily! Excellent wine by the glass list. Will keep coming back!

This restaurant is fantastic. Truly a great gem in downtown Knoxville. Our server, Jade, was quite inhospitable, but other than that, this place is perfect. The breakdown: The food is stellar. Almost everything is made in house, including all the pastas, and it is obvious that they care about that they are doing. We had appetizers all the way through desserts, and everything was great. Don't skip over the salads. We almost didn't get salads, and they were amazing. The cocktail list is amazing. I only made it through two cocktails before we switched to wine, and I'm anxious to get back to try some more. You can also pop into Brother Wolf, the bar attached to this, and try all the cocktails as well. The atmosphere is fantastic. It's dark and brooding, but in a good way. The tables are intimate and a good size. They don't try to pack you in like cattle, but it is definitely a small place. Make reservations as early as possible as they can fill up quickly. The flatware is also something different; like you're in your italian grandmother's house. Very home-y. The service was just okay. Our waitress, Jade, made us feel like we were a burden even being there. On top of having little knowledge of the restaurant's offerings, she made it a point to let us know 3 times throughout the meal that the table would be turning quickly, and basically told us when we would need to leave. She was snarky in every way, and it definitely put a stain on the whole experience. A little backstory, I have grown up in restaurants. My parents used to own one, and I spent many, many years as a server. I make it a point to be as gracious as possible because I have been in their position. However, you definitely don't give the customer the impression that you don't want them there. Especially, customers who are going to tip you and who are about to spend hundreds of dollars on dinner, which we did. We had multiple cocktails, wines, courses, and desserts, and we wanted to experience everything we could. I will say, every other person that came to our table was fantastic; they knew the food and they were excited about it all. I'm assuming we just got unlucky in that respect. All-in-all, great restaurant! I will return at some point, and I'll be specific on where we sit.

I was taken here for my birthday dinner a few weeks ago. There are some tables that have a more intimate setting, unfortunately we did not get seated at one of those tables and instead was seated at a table that was within two feet of other couples on each side of us. The food was good but not memorable. If we go back we will ask if we can reserve one of the more private tables.

Wowza! If you are looking for a place that will make your taste buds dance then this is the place for you. I went here with some friends a few months ago and I was very impressed by the presentation, the waiter's ability to recommend dishes, and the complexity of flavors in each dish. The Somalia came over and answered all our questions and recommended a great red wine that was in our price range. The waiter gave vivid descriptions of each of the dishes and was able to pair our courses very well. I'm salivating just writing this! I can't wait to come back!

I lived in Northern Italy for a few years and can say that this is some of the best Italian food I've had in the States. We had: Pane dell'osteria Stella Arancino Rigatoni al Ragù di Agnello Radiatori al Pesto di Rucola e Salsiccia Tagliata Rucola e Grana Our server, Luke, was a delightful person and we felt very taken care of. He was knowledgeable, friendly, quick but not overbearing. He even had some knowledge of Italian culture & cuisine! I was very skeptical of this place, just because I'm very picky when it comes to Italian food; however, I was truly blown away. I cannot wait to come back! Mille grazie ragazzi!

Staff and ambiance were very nice but the food is not worth making a second trip. First, the portions were too small. Pasta is cheap to make so I wasn't happy paying high prices for such small portion sizes. No complimentary bread was offered. The appetizer we paid for came with a small amount of bread and four olives. It was ok but nothing to write home about. The pasta sauce in my husband's linguini dish was way too salty and the noodles were undercooked. He also stated the sauce had a strong flour taste. The sauce in my gnocchi dish was also too salty and had a strong onion taste. I love salt. I can pour it into my mouth so when I say these dishes were way too salty they were. If they want to be a high end Italian restaurant, they have more work to do. I wish I could post a more positive review but this restaurant didn't give me much to work with.

We finally made it to Osteria Stella after reading the reviews and going through the process of making reservations etc. On the positive side, the service was great..the wait staff from bartender to restaurant staff was a 5 star. Also the ambiance was very nice. However, the food was just ok...nothing seemed to stand out. We had mussels, salad, and main courses. The salad was probably the best out of the three. I had the haibut...and husband had the lasagna. We just felt underwhelmed and it just wasn't that tasty...or great enough for us to return... The four star is mostly for the wait staff and ambiance. I would probably give the food a 3.

This place is very romantic and date night-esque but I came with a co-worker. We were sat in a small booth and out server was over to grab water and get our drink order. We inquired about the menu and he told us that even though the pastas are basic - they are all made in house and very good. He suggested a couple and they ended up being what we got. We also ordered some bread and olive oil. The plates they have are very cute. And he was right - everything was great. The pasta was perfectly cooked and the cacio e Pepe was the perfect creamy and peppery. The tomato sauce pasta we got was also very good and the sauce was flavored well. Again, two very basics but made so delicious. I cannot wait to come again!

Eight friends dined at Stella Osteria after "Pirates of Penzance." The experience was unexceptional and expensive. We were there for hours! The waitress was quite pleasant, but service was terribly slow. Explanation: The kitchen is small. The non-tomato lasagna was rather dry and really not tasty. Not our first visit, but the last.

Felt like I was back in Italy. Incredible service and outstanding food. You must get the Focaccia and Olives and the Burrata con Verdure di Stagione both delicious! For entree, had the lasagna bolognese and pasta with shrimp and clams. And of course tiramisu. Drinks were great too

This review comes with a warning that this offering isn't in my sweet spot. There were a lot of positives in our experience at Osteria Stella but I can't help but thinking they haven't reached their full potential. For starters the atmosphere is wonderful. Charming old world decor and opportunities for privacy that scream fine dining. The staff are extremely well trained and the sommelier was very professional. She was very helpful in deciding how to navigate the menu. When ordering you need to carefully consider where to share and skip or you will certainly not be able to finish or try what you have your eye on. Sadly, we couldn't sample the dessert which sounded very enticing. The drink menu is unapologetically Italian. A choice by the owners that I respect for their vision. If you like Negroni, you will find something you enjoy. I find all the specialty drinks unsatisfying and would recommend wine if your flavor profile doesn't favor this very specific style. We very much enjoyed the focaccia and loved the addition of olives and garlic confit. Don't pass spreading these soft cloves on the bread. This may be the oddest post for a carnivore of epic proportions, but the contorni was the best course by far. The insalata used crisp and flavorful greens and the lemon herb dressing was the perfectly balanced. I can't believe I am saying this, but the grilled zucchini was the star of the night. DO NOT miss this. It was seasoned and cooked to perfection. I had the bucatini because I been searching for the simple pleasure of cacio y pepe since a trip to Rome decades ago. I was fairly warned that this dish was very salty and I should have listened. It is completely over the top and it did negatively impact my view of the cuisine. My wife very much enjoyed the carrot puree ravioli. It was not to my preference in both texture and flavor profile (soft with a slightly sweet cream sauce). But she very much enjoyed it. We shared the pounded chicken thigh secondi and thought it was excellently prepared and enjoyable but not enough to persist in my memory.

The food was absolutely AMAZING as were the drinks! Brad provided phenomenal service and recommendations! The atmosphere was incredible!

Service was GREAT - food was terrible and way overpriced for what it is. Kale insalata was huge pieces of kale that did not have an even amount of dressing. Gnocchi tastes like straight GRASS - terrible. Lasagna was just okay. Would not recommend.

Amazing!! We had our first visit Friday evening and Osteria Stella DID NOT disappoint! We are new to the area and are LOVING the food scene out here. Knoxville is reminiscent of what our home (west coast) used to be. Our server, Chris was fantastic. At one point, he asked a pan handler to leave the patio where we were dining. He heroically smoothed over what might have a potentially soured an otherwise perfect evening. It was a little chilly that evening and he made that sure everyone on the patio was comfortable. Chris's knowledge of the menu was superb. His suggestions were excellent and when we asked about wine pairings, he called over the sommelier who gave EXCELLENT recommendations. Everything was VERY, VERY good. The food was delicious and delightful. The Tiramisu was by far the creaminest I have ever had. Our dining experience was definitely worth it. I have seen some of the other reviews.. if you want a DINING experience, this is THE place for you. If want to eat to the point to where you need to loosen your belt and take an antacid, the Olive Garden might be a better choice. I highly recommend this establishment, 5 stars easily!

On a Tuesday night we wait 15 mins beyond our reservation time to sit in a booth made for 2 (There are 4 of us). Service is slow. The appetizers are a complete joke, $10 for 2oz of grilled lamb, laughable at best. The noisy cramped location is pretentious and accommodates the gullible. Food is sub par at best. Not worth half the money. No toilets in this location, you have to go through the freak show next door to use one of two. I wouldn't recommend this place to my worst enemy.

The first thing to know about this place is that the ambience is perfect ! It's such a beautiful little place with a lot of charm! 10/10 on ambience! My boyfriend and I split an appetizer salad and it had baby spinach salad with strawberries and a soft mozzarella cheese ball in the middle. We really enjoyed that. My son had a kids portion of spaghetti and meatballs and he scarfed it down with the quickness so we gave that a 10/10 as well! For main entree, my boyfriend had the veal and I had the lasagna. The menu said spinach noodles with the lasagna, which made me a little nervous but I was surprisingly pleased with the way it tasted. The veal was good but it did not come with a sauce only lemon wedges so it was somewhat plain but the breading was delicious and it was perfectly cooked! We also had a side of Brussels which were very good and crispy! For dessert we had tiramisu, it was served in a rocks glass and was delicious! Lastly, our server Jade was fantastic! She had a great southern flair and a cute Tennessee draw that we loved . She was super attentive and took good care of us! We would give this place a 4/5 and we would def return again! Thanks Jade for a great dining experience on our way through Knoxville!

Food was good but not enough of it for the money. You didn't even get a salad, without paying extra, or bread! Service was good but the server was very rushed and abrupt. No tablecloths, place mats or salt and pepper even. You had to go to the pit next door to go to the rest room. Very loud acoustics. Altogether, not worth it.

Great food! The ambiance is okay and the service is good. Order the truffle potatoes!

Good place but won't return. Looking back on this experience, I wish I would have researched more about the place ahead of time and reset my expectations. I had heard Osteria Stella was hard to get into - and that you have to make a reservation weeks in advance. I don't know what I want to have for dinner tonight much less a few weeks from now (ha!). However - a couple of friends had some extra room in their reservation (a couple backed out) - so I was spontaneously able to go with my partner one Friday night. Great wine selection. We tried to order an appetizer to start, and we were told that due to limited kitchen capacity the server needed to put the entire order in at the same time. That seemed odd to me since every other kitchen in the US had figured out how to take an appetizer order before an entrée order. Place was a little pricey. Which is fine, I don't mind paying a premium for a good meal. However, the portion sizes were small. I got the risotto con pollo e funghi (risotto with chicken and mushrooms) and nearly laughed out loud over the minuscule pieces of chicken. It tasted decent, but nothing spectacular. My partner got the Lasagna. We were both still hungry after the meal. The way the menu is structured I assume they want you to order something off the Primi section and the Secondi section plus an antipasti or the like - which would be about $60. My final thought as I walked out was this place must be making BANK. I mean pasta is inexpensive to make. Yes, I get that they make it in house and import ingredients and on and on - but if pasta wasn't cheap to produce you couldn't get it for a dollar a pound at the grocery store. I realize that I'm not their ideal client. When I think of a "good" (i.e., expensive) meal I think of a nice steak dinner. If I want to pay $30-60 a plate plus alcohol for dinner, I'll go to a steakhouse - not for risotto. Again, fine place. Good food. Just not for me, especially with other places like Emilia so close by.

Was looking forward to coming back here after a great prior experience. We made reservations, had to put a card down to book it- got text alerts that there was only a 15 minute grace period. Arrived early, waited well over 35 minutes after our scheduled reservation and we were never seated. The hostess kept saying just 5 more minutes. We ended up going somewhere else.

I wanted to love this restaurant, but I would be lying if I gave it more than 2 stars. Pros: Amazing atmosphere and wait staff, cool eclectic dishware. Nice wine selection. Cons: The food was just not good. Meatballs were okay, but tiny, and serving three for two people drives me insane. Foccacia was hard and felt stale, served with oil and literally one tiny garlic clove. Chicken was cooked to perfection, super juicy, but was incredibly bland and flavorless. Apparently entrees aren't served with sides, which I didn't realize, so I didn't order one. Overall, it wasn't an experience that would lead me to recommend or revisit.

We quibbled over 4 or 5 stars for this place and decided on 5. The negatives that we had were far too small and trifling to remove a full star (once again I find myself wishing we could give 4.5). We found the evening in its entirety was delightful. The food was exquisite, from our first plates (especially the arancino. We've had it often at another Italian place we like much, and there was a clear difference of the two; frankly at the other place they are simpler but quantity is bigger. Here, they were exquisite with a more varied/refined taste, albeit smaller amount). The mozarella dish we thought was ok, although honestly neither of us are great fans of that cheese...we ordered it for the winter squash and greens and they were very tasty. We had gnocchi for our pasta and loved it...very tender, mouth-melting texture. Then finished with a delightful swordfish cooked just perfectly. Add to this some very tasty cocktails (I love negronis, so having variations of that great drink were really fun), a wonderful dessert (cannoli) and espresso...perfect evening! So why would I even consider 4 stars: let me mention my petty issues. One...the espresso had no lemon peel. I know that's not "mandatory" but in my world, it would be!!! Another....I never like it when places charge for bread (other than having some basic bread available then charging for special, or more). Especially with the DELICIOUS sauces; my bad for NOT ordering the bread....I recommend you do, and I sure will next time. Prices are high but well worth it for the exquisite fine tastes. Can't wait to go back with a larger group to try more dishes.

We went for girls night out on the very important game day, when there's less people dinning. Thanks to my friend who booked here many weeks ago. We stayed on the bar side and the ambience was just great. We got Hugo spritz first and it's so light and refreshing. Then we moved to our dining table, it was so well set for just three of us. We then got La Danza and omg it is definitely one of my favorite drinks in town. One of the flavor, which to me is like plum, is just perfect and fabulous. For the "Antipasti", we got Polpette (meatballs) and Pane Osteria Stella (bread and olive oil with garlic confit). We all loved the Pane Osteria Stella. For the "Primi", we got Radiatori al Pesto di Rucola con Salsiccia (pesto swirl pasta), Rigatoni di Ragu di Agnello (lamb rigatoni) and Risotto coi Gamberi (shrimp risotto) to share. My friends really loved the risotto, and I particularly loved the pesto. Didn't have much room for dessert but would love to try their tiramisu next time. The UT/Alabama game ended during our dinner, and the restaurant all of a sudden changed their cozy jazz music to happy country music to celebrate, it was so thoughtful and cute. Highly recommend this hotel since it will leave you an unforgettable experience.

The menu is beyond the usual Italian fare. Service was excellent. Unfortunately the items we ordered did not stand up to expectations. Everything was a little bland. Cannolis were like rock hard.

Great Italian option for special occasions for most due to the high price point, but it is worth the cost. The environment was very romantic for our anniversary and the service was incredible.

Authentic Northern Italian They focus on simple high quality ingredients. Letting the natural flavors shine bright without all the extra addtions. A must try.

Welcome the aperitivo culture and Italian culinary experience! Located in Downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, you can find Brother Wolf & Osteria Stella The city's premier power couple of hospitality, Jessica "Rabbit" King & Aaron Thompson Chef Consultant Amalia Brusati, a Milan native, and Chef de Cuisine Salvador Sanchez Available to pair with their simple, delicious dishes is an extensive selection of native Italian wines representing all 20 wine regions, carefully curated by Thompson himself Our experience was elegantly guided by our friend Matt Turner Polpette MEATBALLS, TOMATO SAUCE, PARMIGIANO REGGIANO Bucatini all' Amatriciana GUANCIALE, TOMATO SAUCE, PECORINO ROMANO Rigatoni Cacio e Pepe PECORINO ROMANO, BLACK PEPPER Tiramisu LADY FINGERS, MASCARPONE, MARSALA, ESPRESSO, COCOA #osteriastella #brotherwolf #italian #wine #pasta #knoxville #realestate #foodie

1st time here and we were not disappointed. The food and service were great. It was my husband's 65th birthday and it was great.

Enjoyed a sneak peek at this latest addition to the Old City restaurant scene. With adjoining bar Brother Wolf, Osteria Stella takes over the space formerly occupied by Rebel Kitchen. The space is completely transformed with a chic mix of decor, lots of soft florals, yet edgy and fun. While it was pretty and eye catching, it lacks some softness that could absorb some sound - it was packed and rather loud. There are three private booths tucked in the corners. And the outdoor seating looks directly out of Southern Europe! Great attention to details with touch-adjustable table lamps, a fun mix of silver flatware, bold yet fun table menus (no QR codes here) and an eclectic yet cohesive mix of glassware and tableware. The drink menu is massive, with cocktails, wine, beer, aperitif and digestif options - easily 5x as many options as food! Note that Brother Wolf has its own drink/food menu, being a little more casual and social. And the food! Delicious nod to all things authentically Italian. We were greeted table side by Amelia? who carefully explained a few dishes on the menu, helping us to select a variety of great tastes. Being the soft opening, we felt comfortable giving feedback as there were some opportunities to balance dishes, but overall, the plates were tasty, eye-appealing and right-sized. Our favorites were the Spritz (I can't recall which one - there's 3 on the drink menu and they all looked good!), the potato and octopus appetizer, the swordfish entree and the panna cotta dessert (the texture was silky smooth!). Our server Matt did an excellent job, answering questions and retrieving info when he didn't have it. We look forward to their regular hours (start mid July 2021) and hope to see the small menu refresh seasonally.

Met up with a friend for dinner as it's half way between for both of us. I had to pay $10 to park, but it was worth it. There is a lot right across the street. We sat outside on the patio, very cute and it was a beautiful evening. Our server Kyle was very friendly, knowledgeable about the cocktail and food menus and made excellent recommendations. I had the Hugo cocktail and my friend had a frozen strawberry And Prosecco cocktail. They were so good and refreshing we each had two! I ordered the gnocchi with sage butter. It was the perfect portion and the flavors were spot on. House made gnocchi was excellent consistency. We even ordered dessert! I had the Tiramisu and my friend Heidi mocha almond cannoli. Yum!! Nice location, lots of foot traffic walking by the patio.