Jane C.
Yelp
When a tour guide heard we liked Italian food, they said we had to check out Tony's, and called it "Chattanooga's best pasta spot, bar none". With such a hearty stamp of approval, we made sure to pay them a visit this afternoon and found our guide's appraisal to be entirely correct.
Inside, the restaurant is somehow spacious yet cozy. My husband and I were seated by a window with a delightful garden view and remarked how much this felt like a romantic date. If the vibe wasn't already happy, the arrival of our generously sized bread certainly made things joyful. The bread at Tony's has softened cloves of garlic hidden in its soft pockets, and it's served with a dish of olive oil that has shreds of parmesan swimming in it - game changer!
We ordered a fried calamari to start, which was delightful - crispy, well seasoned, and a good mixture of both rings and leg pieces. My husband seemed to enjoy his Caesar salad with chicken just fine, but the true star of the show was my bowl of pasta. I ordered the angel hair with bolognese, which turned out to be a massively generous serving. The sauce, too, was a meaty delight, with a spicy kick that made me think it had some sausage hidden in it. Either way, it was so delicious that I unashamedly asked for a to-go container for the few spoonfuls left in my bowl.
A few things to note -
- The restaurant is nestled in the very center of the Bluff Arts collective. It took us a few wrong turns before we could find it. Walk down the driveway adjacent to Rembrandt's Coffee House and you'll see it at the end of the road.
- There are a few parking spaces adjacent to the restaurant, but those are snatched up quickly, especially on weekends. That said, there's usually plenty of free street parking in the area.
- No reservations. Seating is first come, first served, so be prepared to wait. We arrived as soon as they opened and found tables around us filling up quickly. That said, there's ample dining both indoors and outdoors, so that hopefully helps with wait times.