Tony's Pasta Shop & Trattoria — Restaurant in Chattanooga

So time to update, 10 months since our last visit here. This time our server was well, dysfunctional in his hygiene practices. His clothing, his oder. Not mention after taking our order he walked over another table and apologized for forgetting to put in there. After 18 minutes of them waiting. So not off to a great start. As we wait for our order we are taking note of obvious proof that housekeeping staff quite months ago. I recall the decor from last time and that hasn't changed. And now the food, we ordered different dishes this time around. So my beef ravioli was so far beyond salty that it was completely inedible. By far the worst dish this year. And that says alot. After 10 minutes of not touching my food and it as far away as possible from the server finally came by. Plate removed, I declined to order anything else as I no longer trust the establishment. Compared to last time, they have dropped from 4 stars to one in just 10 months. No as my wife continues to eat her overly oiled dish. Swimming in olive oil. I just sit here. 20 minutes after the plate was returned and not even a management follow up. I guess that explains the quick degrade of standards. Shame really, will now we know that this is not a repeat visit for our future.

Well here we are in Chattanooga Tennessee. Of course my adventure starts here at Tony's. On first arrival we got seated in the smallest table I have every seen. Not sure if both my drink and my plate will fit. My server was sporting his combat boots. Fitting for a finer dining experience. Menu choices are plentiful, prices also in reason for the offerings. So a traditional Lasagna. As any Italian will and should be judged by his or her Ragu. As for the decor since I have time to kill while we wait for our course to arrive. Comfortable and simplistic. No odd, outdated or unnecessary distractions on the walls. Although some light background music would be helpful in mellowing out the loud patrons seated behind me. So portions are reasonable. But plating is less finer dining and more cafeteria. However, flavors are on point. Pasta, sauce, and overall dish was delicious. As for the gluten free pasta, cooked well, sauce ( sundried tomatoes and artichoke) just fell short. Not really any flavor to it. Worth the stop, yes. Will I again, not likely but who knows. So many more great finds out...

We went to Tony's once in October 2024 on a Tuesday night.

Most important tip--bring a sweater or jacket. All the tables in the first floor dining room had an AC vent directly above them, and the AC REALLY works. I shivered every time the AC came on and shivered until it went off. I was wearing jeans and short sleeved shirt.

In order of quality, the bread was best, the caprese salad was second, the wine was third, the shrimp scampi was fourth, the cake was fifth, and the coffee was dead last. I would go back for the bread and olive oil alone. Alas, the pasta was only ok. It did not taste special at all. In fact, everyone's pasta was judged slightly worse than Olive Garden.

The cake was terrible. Stale. Hard. Unfit to eat. Only to terrible coffee forced it off the bottom of the list.

The service was fine--2024 fine. You know, the kind of service if you are having a dinner at home and your teenager is trying to talk you into letting her go to Europe with her boyfriend over the summer, so she pretends to be a waiter one night to butter you up. Or you are going to your cousin's restaurant, and since you are family, the service is just less than.

The prices are not outlandish, so the value was fine for the price.

I could see a sliver of the Tennessee river out of the window in the distance. However, most of the seats would not have this view.

The parking was very limited. I'm not sure where you would park on a busy night. Outside Tony's there is a metal art structure that you can stand inside. If you do so, and stand on the medallion in the center then talk, your voice is amplified like under a solid dome. However, you are only under a metal sculpture! It was a unique experience that you have to try to believe.

I would recommend Tony's, but not for the pasta, the dessert, nor the coffee. Get the bread, some wine, and an appetizer or two, then...

Planned a surprise birthday dinner party for my wife. She loves in house made pasta I selected Tony’s because they serve in house made pasta and bc of location. Happy that it was within walking distance from our hotel. They DO NOT take reservations and will only seat you if your entire party is present. We had 9 people. It was prom night so that made our wait for a table over 1 hour. I will say that there is a place to stand, have a drink and enjoy your company. About the drinks, we decided to grab a beer only to discover the beer cooler was down and the kept the beer in a cooler by the cash registers. We discovered after getting our beer that some were cold and the beer in bottles were warm. The cooler the beer was in, all the ice had melted and the beer was in ice water… so you will want to pay attention to that.

Once seated our waitress named Davis was very pleasant and professional. She took care of our table of 9 very efficiently. She had a great personality and was very attentive.

They serve in house made bread. Regular and bread made with garlic cloves in it. Served with a bowl of some sort of dipping sauce, I thought it was olive oil and onion but not sure. Either way it was delicious. Our entrees came out quickly and were delicious. I got the chicken parm and I will say that I was a little bit disappointed with my spaghetti, made in house, seem over cooked and stuck together in a blob. The chicken was cooked perfectly and was delicious. The birthday girl got the vegetable lasagna and felt like it was under seasoned and lacked flavor. We had also ordered some fettuccine Alfredo which they thought was really good. Overall it was a good meal with great service. The atmosphere was great and we had a very good evening. Thanks for a good dining experience...