Il Primo Cambridge Square — Restaurant in Chattanooga

I came into town to visit my parents for mother's day and my dad's 60th birthday. I researched a ton of restaurants and decided to book here as they love Italian food, the reviews seemed good and they make mostly everything from scratch. Overall, it was decent but there were many areas they could improve upon. Firstly the tables on the patio are too small for 3 people to enjoy our meal comfortably. We were constantly clearing and stacking dishes, rotating and shifting things to make room. We felt rushed from the moment we sat down even though it was not busy yet as I made a reservation at 5pm. Our first course came out in like 3 minutes and I gave my entree order just to get the menus out of the way but it was a mistake because then everything was rushed. There was a birthday card on the table, I made notations in the opentable reservation about the special occasion and we mentioned it to our server Jack- it was not a business lunch and there was no reason to rush us. After I felt the pressure, I decided to go to the bathroom and find our server to request that he slow down the courses and bring our pasta course separately from our entrees because of the small table and the fact we eat slowly. He said he'd try to slow them down, which gave me the impression they had already fired our entrees. I went back to the table and we continued eating our apps and literally 3 minutes later our fish special shows up by a food runner. Our table was completely full, I had just asked to slow it down, I requested the pasta course next and the dish in his hand looked not good. The fish was all broken apart and in pieces. I told him we weren't nearly ready for entrees yet, i looked at my watch and it was 5:15. We literally sat down just after 5pm. I was getting pretty frustrated at this point. Do they not course properly at this restaurant? Anyway, we continued on and it got a bit better and our server apologized and tried to fix the timing. It was fine from there out.

The food: Lobster bisque-good flavor and consistency, but could use more lobster Burrata-ok. Basic, crostini's were a bit stale and hard. Definitely over baked or from the day before. Hurt my teeth to eat them. It was just warm tomatoes, burrata, 1 basil leaf and stale crostini. Nothing else. Also, the bread ratio was off as there were like 6-8 of the thinnest possible sliced baguette for a giant plate of tomatoes. Would have loved more crostini, some greens, maybe some vinegar, sea salt, jam.... something to bring the dish together. Mushroom rav-pretty good. Slightly undercooked as the ravioli had a bite to it that was more than al dente. Seemed like the pasta was rolled a bit too thick. It wasn't hot enough in the middle. Halibut- small filet, nice sear but overcooked. Wasn't really impressed with the set up over cauliflower. Polenta was good, creamy and flavorful. Scallops- again, nice sear but overcooked. Pea risotto was ok. Needed a depth of flavor, perhaps some cream, parm or butter to finish. Needed more seasoning and the arborio rice was a bit under cooked. Strawberry dessert special-not great. Pastry was super soggy underneath as if it wasn't prebaked beforehand. It was just all kind of mush. Luckily it was free otherwise I would have said something. Had to ask for silverware several times, sharing plates were hit or miss dirty, i didn't get my itemized bill and had to ask the host to see it because the server was swamped. toilet in bathroom was broken and I couldn't flush. Overall, they seemed understaffed perhaps or maybe lots of new employees? Ambience was nice, it was clean, location was great. However, disappointing...

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Il Primo Cambridge Square in Collegedale, TN, for the first time, and it was a delightful experience. The ambiance of the restaurant is charming and inviting, with a warm and cozy atmosphere that makes you feel right at home. The decor combines modern elegance with classic Italian touches, creating a perfect setting for a memorable meal.

We started our meal with the Baked Feta & Spicy Marinara, accompanied by garlic crostini. The housemade marinara sauce, with a dash of chilli powder, was rich and flavorful, perfectly complementing the sheep's milk feta cheese that was baked to a beautiful golden brown. The torn basil leaves added a sweet aroma, enhancing the overall experience of this delicious appetizer.

For the entrée, I chose the Chicken Marsala, which was absolutely divine. The Springer Mountain Farms Chicken Breast was lightly breaded and pan-fried to perfection. The dish was then deglazed with fine marsala wine and garnished with mushrooms before being placed in a broiling oven. The result was a beautifully caramelized dish with deep, rich flavours. The garnish of parsley added a fresh touch. I paired this with a side of spaghetti topped with their exceptional housemade marinara sauce. The combination of mirepoix, garlic, fresh thyme, oregano, parsley, San Marzano tomatoes, and carrot made the marinara sauce truly stand out.

To complement the meal, I enjoyed a glass of Bonanza Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine was a perfect match, its robust flavours enhancing the richness of the Chicken Marsala.

Our server, Jacob, provided outstanding service throughout the evening. He was attentive, knowledgeable, and made excellent recommendations. His friendly demeanour and professionalism added to the overall positive experience.

We were celebrating a friend's birthday, and Jacob made sure it was special. The restaurant staff even surprised us with a complimentary dessert, which was a lovely gesture.

Overall, my experience at Il Primo Cambridge Square was fantastic. The food was exquisite, the ambiance was delightful, and the service was impeccable. I would highly recommend this restaurant and will definitely return for another memorable...

When we moved to Ooltewah there was basically a McDonald’s and a Hardee’s and a handful of Mexican restaurants. I’m glad that restaurants like Il Primo have opened up here.

We hadn’t planned on going out so we didn’t have reservations and the place was packed (on a Tuesday!). Our wait was exactly 16 minutes which gave us enough time to overhear a conversation involving a doctor from Tel Aviv by way of New Jersey talking about how Jesus was Jewish and it was all very interesting but I digress.

We both got salads (apple/spinach and Caesar) and shared some Prosecco (half price tonight!) They serve bread with olive oil which has garlic and parsley and a few red pepper flakes. I will never get restaurant math because there were two of us and they served us three pieces of bread - but it was good and had just enough bite, mostly from the garlic I believe.

We both ordered entrees from the specials. I had the redfish with potatoes and green beans. The potatoes away from the fish on the plate weren’t particularly hot (or really even warm) but the fish was well-seasoned and had a perfect buttery texture, was served at just the right temperature and the veggies close to the fish were also a good temperature.

My wife had the lobster risotto. It was quite flavorful and creamy - with perhaps a little bit too much risotto for the amount of lobster (or rather, not enough lobster for the risotto) but indulgent nonetheless. The risotto itself was perhaps a little more toothy than we prefer but with a dish this tasty it would be difficult to find much to complain about.

The service was pleasant and attentive. I asked the waitress about vegan options (we are not) and she, being vegan, was delighted to tell us about the offerings and modifications available which, though limited, were satisfactory.

It was a pleasant meal, a little on the expensive side, but worth it for a treat, a special occasion or a Tuesday night...