alleia restaurant

awesome italian. i have at there several times and every time its great! highly recommend it!

best bruschetta ever!. this was a specialty item and i am soooo glad i had it. the bread was perfectly toasted on both sides; topped with a yummy, just fatty enough, prosciutto, wild blueberries, goat cheese, and a drizzle of a balsamic vinegar sauce ... wow - just typing this review is making my mouth water - how i wish i could have that dish again!

and then - finished it off w/their basil gelato! as i was full from my yummy bruschetta, i took this to go. i was in town visiting so kept it in freezer and tried it the next morning -- yummy. placed it in a freezer/ice chest for my travel home and had it the next day as a 'drink' (let it melt but kept it cold) and i must say - that was wonderful!! sure wish i had some right now.

hubby had the salami pizza and enjoyed same.

wish they had a restaurant in my area of florida - but if i go back to chattanooga, i'll be eating there again!

great! we had appetizers and wine. the arancini and pancetta wrapped figs were perfect. i would for sure come back if in he area!

everything an italian/mediterranean restaurant should be. this is real italian. not olive garden italian (though nothing wrong with olive garden). it's fantastic

run don't walk.... first of all this restaurant is sexy! as long as you don't have to sit the too brightly lit back dining room. i've been many times and the food and staff delivers every time. fresh perfectly cooked dishes. attentive, attractive staff. great for a date or group. good wine list. in the stylish but somewhat pretentious southside.

biggest farce. it looks nice up front. i was seated in the back room, which resembled a buffet pizza shop from west virginia. my plate was a lukewarm duck breast, and anywhere else, i think it could have been good--they seem to mock upscale by being artsy, but in any other atmosphere, this business would go under.

amazed at what some people are saying.... you are probably going to read many of reviews that go on and on about the decor and ambiance that this restaurant has gone well above and beyond what any chattanooga restaurant has ever thought of achieving. it's really great and i will leave it at that....on to the food

we decided on alleia for our valentine's celebration (celebrated on feb 13 to avoid over booking and lines). our reservation was for the second seating at 7:15, which we were promptly seated upon our arrival. we were seated towards the rear of the restaurant just in front of the kitchen, which is open and can be viewed with some obscruity by guest. i thought this was a great table as it also gave us a view of the large wax waterfall (just have to go there to see it) our waitress greeted us with a smile and continued to have this smile throughout the service. we opted for the fried rhode island calamari for an appetizer ($12). it was served simply with a few slices of lemon. the batter was airy and crisp much like a tempura. the calamari itself was very tender and good; however it lacked some seasoning. a dash of salt would have made all the difference in the world. as there is no salt or pepper at the table i did request some pepper. overall i found it to be in the range or "ok" to "good" and with a $12 price tag i probably won't be getting it again.

for my main course i ordered the wood-fired pork shoulder ($19). this appears to be a "man favorite" and was highly reccomended by our waitress. my lovely date decided on the ricotta ravioli.

my dish was served with braised purple cabbage. (side note: i think i read in here someone challeging the validity of cabbage for an italian restaurant. i would assume that the savoy varity is selected for thier dishes as it originates from italy of all places) in addition to cabbage it is also served with new potatoes and grilled apples (seasonal) summer menu may subsitute with grilled peaches.

my pork was presented beautifully with a stunning glaze. the pork shoulder itself would and could rival just about every cut of a meat in a steakhouse. the wood grilling adds a melt in your mouth tenderness. the natural juices of the meat along with wood grilling and glaze adds a superb depth of flavor. the pork along with the cabbage, potatoes, and apples has a rustic nature that speaks to the heart of what a winter meal should consist of.

the ravioli was served in a vodka sauce that was very good. the freshness of the tomato along with the prominant vodka flavor was combined nicely to make a well prepared and thought out sauce. the ravioli was a bit al dente for both our likings; however was still very good and would be ordered again in the future

cons: while i enjoyed my meal and would certainly return there is always room for improvement in any fine dining establishment. #1 the chairs in the dining room have got to go or be improved upon. their artistic and industrial looks leaves comfort to be desired for. the chair's metal reminds me of something you would see in a jail. also keep in mind that there is an oven operating at over 700 degrees so obviously the dining area will be a bit chill other wise you will be sweating like the guy in back cooking pizza. cold air against metal makes cold chairs accompany that with zero comfort you might find yourself twisting and adjusting to get comfortable.

#2 i had a few minutes to view the kitchen and expediting. there was a couple points where i was watching dishes remain in the window much too long that would certainly kill some dishes. i noticed that a few time the person expediting was actually turning around talking to guest, etc. if you are talking to guest there is no way you can focus on what needs to be done in the kitchen or what needs to go immediately. let someone else worry about guest

#3 in this day in age an establisment's web page is crutial to it's vitality. i understand that the web page is still being constructed and i have no doubt that it will be outstanding. at the very least the menu should be updated when the season changes. it is very off putting to people that don't understand why apples are served instead of peaches, etc, etc. this restaurant is far too advanced to lack in that small area. minor things like this may some people think that the restaurant will lack consistency.

overall this place is nothing like what some will make it out to be. "sauce and pasta from a can" c'mon, get real. if you cannot tell the difference between alleia and chef boyardee then you probably don't need to be eating there. it's not overrated, but a simply inspired cuisine that may not be for all that are used to jazzed up food that is drowned in some sodium or sugar stricken sauce. this is real food, that is real good!

ah-ma-zing!! we started out with the beef carpaccio, and although it was good, we instantly regretted it when we saw the plate of calamari delivered to a near by table. i really enjoyed the jonas crab spaghetti and had to refrain from licking the cream off the plate. my husband enjoyed the perfectly seasoned smoked and braised pork shoulder so much that i almost found myself jealous... until dessert. we split a dessert sampler, my favorite was the orange blossom penne cotta with lemon honey and basil gelatto. my husband loved the tiramisu that was almost drowning in coffee liquor, and that was a good thing. the plate also came with a sliver of the flourless chocolate cake with a side of cinnamon gelatto, tasty but way to rich! overall, great atmosphere, service, classy and upscale without being snobby! worth every penny!

loved it!! such a cute place!! very cool decor and the service was phenomenal. food was good too!! loved the grilled salad and pizza.

exceptional experience. my husband and i dined here a few nights ago to celebrate our anniversary. i studied abroad in italy in college, so i was eager to try the authentic italian fare served here. let me just say that everything my husband and i tried, was to die for. i had a fig, gorgonzola and prosciutto pizza, and i'm pretty sure it changed my life. i would try to make it at home, but there's no way i could duplicate that straight-from-napoli crust. my husband tried the pasta bolognese, and it was also exceptional. please don't leave without trying dessert, either. we couldn't decide, so we sampled peach gelato, panna cotta and tiramisu. all were fantastic. all in all, we live more than two hours away, and i would absolutely make a whole trip just to eat here again.

food is fantastic! been twice in past few weeks and both times did not disappoint. hand dipped ricotta bruschetta with local honey is fabulous! calamari is fun and delicious and the pizzas are excellent. you have to try this place!

i recently ate at alleia restaurant. i called four days in advance to ensure i had reservations for a party of six. when my party arrived we were promptly seated in the back dining room. the back dinning room was so dark it was difficult to read the menu, and the waitress had to pull out a flashlight to help one person in the party read their menu, while another used the light of his mobile phone to review the menu. i ordered the quail breasts. they were good but lacked seasoning. the presentation of the dish was totally lost due to it being so dark. all of the colors were washed out in the super low lighting making it difficult to visually distinguish my quail breasts from the roasted tomatoes. due to the lack of lighting the arugula took on the appearance of an indistinguishable black mass. we walked through the main dinning area to get to the back room, and the lighting there was at a much better level. if i go back i will demand the much more appropriately lit main dinning room.

note to owner: your wait staff shouldn't have to carry flashlights to assist customers in reading the menu, nor should customers have to use the light of their mobile phones to order. your back dinning area it too dark!

i like the ambiance better.... i liked the ambiance better than the food. beautiful restaurant, okay food.

pizza was probably the worst i've ever had. angel hair pasta with gulf shrimp was great. the ravioli tasted like it came from a can - not that it was terrible...just nothing special. small portions. very slow service. took a very long time to get drinks for our party of six. the atmosphere was impressive.

great bar. delish. sit at the bar, share a dinner. very fun place.

overrated!!!. what a letdown! we had been told by a few people, including the five stars from urbanspoon, that this restaurant was great -- not so... first, we were seated at a metal table in a booth overlooking the kitchen and a long empty table. i'm not sure why we weren't seated up front in the romantic part of the restaurant, which looked more romantic. my husband and i both had pasta dishes -- his tasted like hamburger helper and mine was like chef boyardee ravioli. so very disappointed!!! we both were looking forward to a wonderful italian dinner, but could have had better at olive garden. the server was really fantastic, which made the food and atmosphere bearable. the photos of alleia are a bit of a letdown as well. we were visiting chattanooga and ate at some great places -- this one is biggest disappointment.