It seldom happens that a name really does describe a restaurant. Certainly Taco Bell tells you what to expect and McDonald’s has come to be an icon, but Best Italian in Gatlinburg, Tennessee not only tells you what to expect but it also lives up to its name. For over 30 years Best Italian has been providing both pizza and Italian cuisine to locals and visitors alike in Gatlinburg. Their pizza is astounding, their Italian cuisine is incredible and their garlic knots are breath taking. Make sure to include Best Italian in your next trip to the Smokies.
New York style pizza in the Smokies, thin crust, big, and made to order, only at Best Italian. Their pizza is different and they have some toppings you don’t see in the chain stores: Pesto, feta cheese, artichoke hearts and more. Their pesto pizza is a green monstrosity with a whole different kind of pizza goodness. The Brazilian Béchamel is a white sauce pizza that will leave your mouth watering even after you are done. Or just order the size you want and keep adding toppings until you have the perfect made-to-order pie. Or try the same thing with their pizza dough used as a calzone. The calzone is enormous. Pizza at Best Italian is simply the… Best.
Loads of pasta. If their pizza is the best then their Italian cuisine is even better. Traditional Italian fare mixed with something special here and there. They carry all the favorites you might be looking for: spaghetti, fettuccine alfredo, eggplant parmigiana. But they have some signatures dishes that you shouldn’t miss. Chef Paul’s seafood medley is wonderful, enough seafood to sink a shrimp boat and a wine sauce that is simply decadent. And their wilted spinach side dish is beyond compare. Spinach wilted and served with fresh tomatoes. The Italian cuisine at Best Italian ranks up there with posh restaurants you would find in some of the greatest ‘foodie’ cities in the world.
Garlic knots! This is the basic side that comes with every meal. These little balls of heaven melt in your mouth and they are served almost floating in a garlic oil mixture and covered in parmesan cheese and bits of garlic. One recommendation is to always try and get the last one. When you get the last one, break it in half and let it soak in the garlic oil before you eat it. Best Italian is one of the little known eateries in Gatlinburg but it is out of this world. They are located in the Elks Plaza shopping center between traffic lights 8 and 9. Best Italian, their name really says it all.
My husband and I arrived in Gatlinburg tonight for our 3 year anniversary. We were told to eat at this restaurant. When we go out of town we like to eat at local restaurants to support the local economy.
We ordered garlic rolls for an appetizer and I ordered the Chicken Florentine and added mushrooms which came with a salad. My husband ordered a pizza and a salad.
When our salad came we were disgusted! The lettuce was wilted and had brown spots on it. We brought it to the waiters attention and he stated he would let the kitchen staff know. When the waiter returned my husband asked what the kitchen staff said and the waiter stated that when the lettuce was cut this morning that someone failed to ice down the lettuce.
Then our waiter brought out the “oh so famous” garlic rolls they were nothing to brag about but at least they weren't moldy or anything.
At this point we were really hoping that the entrees were going to make up for everything. That was not the case.
My husband ate one piece of a 16″ pizza and stated that it was nothing special. The major problem was with my Chicken Florentine!
The dish had no flavor and lacked salt. The chicken was overcooked and had been seared on one side ONLY and appeared to be microwaved. I asked my husband to try a bite and he was completely disgusted! In my opinion it takes a lot to mess up Italian food, but that dish was just horrible.
When the waiter returned to ask how everything was, my husband asked if he wanted an honest opinion, in which he shook his head yes. My husband told the waiter that he was not trying to be a jerk but that the dish was just all wrong. The chicken was only cooked on one side, the mushrooms were undercooked/almost raw, the sauce had no flavor due to the lack of salt, and the prosciutto (we were not able to determine if it was actual prosciutto or just deli ham) was cut too think. Overall just a really BAD dish!
At this point we were not mad about the meal just disappointed.
The waiter stated that he was sorry and took the dish to the back. Shortly after that a woman (a white female with brown shoulder length curly hair and glasses) that appeared to be the manager, approached our table with a condescending look upon her face. She asked what the problem was with our food.
We stated that it just wasn't good and lacked flavor. She asked what could have made the meal better. My husband stated, in a respectful manner, that maybe a more experienced line cook would help and adding salt to the dish would also help. She proceeded to state, in a very irritated and disrespectful manner, that the line cook had been working for the restaurant for 12 years and they have never had a complaint. When we started to respond the manager turned around and walked off mid-conversation. I responded out loud, “Are you serious right now..you are just going to walk away from us while we are speaking to you!”
At this point my husband and I were furious! My husband got up, followed her and told her that he has been in the business for years and that was just bad pasta. She stated, in an elevated voice, that he did not know what he was talking about and that he stilled owed her money for the pizza. He also inquired about the brown lettuce, in which she didn't respond. He told her to take the bill where it belongs, to the table.
I paid the waiter the amount on the bill and then proceeded over to where the manager was standing behind the bar.
I told her that there was no reason for her to walk away from our table as she did, and that we were only giving her our opinion. She snapped back still as rude as ever, well your husband was going on and on and putting down our recipes that have been around from years. I told her that it was our opinion and that she didn't have to agree with us but there was no reason for her to act so incredibly rude to us. She just kept on ranting and not truly listening to what I was saying so I just left.
I read you response the you previous visit to the B.A., I would have to agree with this article. I to recently went to the restaurant to eat with my daughter. We try to go weekly, we absolutely love the food. But, the women that she is talking about “COOKIE”, is the rudest person I have ever encountered in my life. The waitress have over charged our meal by $14.00. She apologized and said she must had hit a wrong key. She had hand me my copy to sign of the first amount and my card. She returned back to the table and said I ran it again and changed it. I asked her where is the void ticket, that she credited my account back? She said, there was not one??? I told her there would have to show credit.So, the manager came over brown hair,glasses and curly with a bad chip on her shoulder.She said she watched her do the void and it would be credited when she ran the amounts tonight. I told her it was ran twice. She called me a lier!!!Not a response I was expecting…I told her when I got home and checked my account I would give her a call if it was doubled charged. Of course I was right it was.When I called her back so was more irate with me. I asked how long she has been there as a manager? She responded Ten years, and she was right and there was nothing that could be done.She gave me a number to call if I had a problem with her.If you are asking my advise the women has been in the business as a manager to long. I am a General Manager of a Corp.Your customer relations is horrible. You will not loose business due to the food, but the management….She challenges the customer. I work in this area and we meet all kinds of different people from different areas of the world.Sometimes we have to please the need so we stay in business, these are hard times and it is for sure not a time to push customers away.Please do something with your management team….
Had the pizza two nights ago and it was the best. We are going to order pasta tonight
It’s too bad that you all had such a bad experience. Honestly, this is the best food in Gatlinburg. It’s so sad that you all weren’t able to experience this.