7 Old-School Italian Pasta Houses in Tennessee That Refuse to Change

Tennessee might not be the first place you think of when craving authentic Italian food, but scattered across the state are family-owned pasta houses that have been serving the same beloved recipes for decades. These restaurants have watched the world change around them while keeping their kitchens, menus, and traditions wonderfully frozen in time.

Step inside any of these establishments and you’ll find red-checkered tablecloths, family photos on the walls, and the same dishes grandparents ordered on their first dates still prepared exactly the same way today.

1. Coletta’s Italian Restaurant, Memphis

Walking into Coletta’s feels like stepping through a time portal straight to the roaring twenties. This Memphis landmark has been family-owned for over a century, making it one of the oldest Italian restaurants in the entire South. The Coletta family brought their recipes from Sicily and never saw a reason to mess with perfection.

Their barbecue pizza might sound unusual, but it’s been a signature dish since the beginning, blending Southern flavors with Italian tradition in a way only Memphis could pull off. The restaurant still uses many of the original recipes, with sauces simmered the old-fashioned way and pasta made fresh daily.

Generations of Memphis families have celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, and regular Tuesday nights at the same wooden booths their grandparents once sat in.

2. Pete and Sam’s, Memphis

Right after World War II ended, two friends named Pete and Sam decided Memphis needed real Italian cooking. They opened their doors in 1948 and the menu they created that first year hasn’t changed much since. Walk in today and you’ll still find the same red sauce recipes their families brought from the old country.

The restaurant doesn’t believe in trendy updates or modern fusion experiments. Their spaghetti and meatballs taste exactly like they did when your great-grandparents might have eaten here on a date night. The portions are generous, the prices are fair, and the atmosphere feels comfortably stuck in a simpler era.

The waitstaff includes people who’ve worked here for decades, remembering orders and family stories. That kind of consistency is rare these days, making Pete and Sam’s a true treasure.

3. Coco’s Italian Market, Restaurant & Catering, Nashville

Before Nashville became Music City USA’s hottest food destination, Coco’s was already serving authentic Italian fare to locals who knew where to find the real deal. This combination market and restaurant lets you shop for Italian groceries before sitting down to eat, just like in the old neighborhood markets of New York and Boston.

Coco’s refuses to follow Nashville’s trendy restaurant scene, sticking instead to the classics that made them successful for nearly six decades. Their lasagna is layered the traditional way, their meatballs are hand-rolled daily, and their marinara simmers for hours using the original family recipe.

The dining room hasn’t been remodeled to look modern or Instagram-worthy because it doesn’t need to be. Customers come for food that tastes like home, not for fancy plating or creative twists on tradition.

4. Dino’s Grill, Memphis

Dino opened his grill in 1973 with a simple philosophy: cook Italian food the way his mother taught him and never cut corners. That approach worked then and still works now, even as Memphis’s food scene has exploded with new concepts and celebrity chefs. Dino’s keeps things straightforward with a menu that focuses on doing a few things exceptionally well rather than trying to be everything to everyone.

The restaurant’s atmosphere is casual and welcoming, the kind of place where you can show up in jeans and feel completely comfortable. Their pasta dishes come in huge portions that often provide lunch for the next day, and the garlic bread arrives hot and buttery at every table.

Some restaurants chase trends, but Dino’s has spent fifty years proving that sticking to your roots pays off in customer loyalty and consistent quality.

5. Altruda’s, Knoxville

When the Altruda family opened their Knoxville restaurant in 1988, they brought recipes that had been passed down through four generations. While thirty-five years might seem young compared to century-old establishments, Altruda’s has remained remarkably unchanged since opening day.

Their approach to Italian cooking emphasizes fresh ingredients prepared simply, letting quality speak for itself without unnecessary complications. The pasta is made in-house, the sauces are built from scratch each morning, and the bread comes from a local bakery using the Altruda family’s own recipe.

In a city where restaurants come and go with alarming frequency, Altruda’s stability and consistency have built a devoted following. They’ve watched Knoxville grow and change while keeping their own traditions carefully preserved.

6. Tony’s Pasta Shop & Trattoria, Chattanooga

Tony’s operates as both a pasta shop and a sit-down restaurant, giving Chattanooga residents the best of both worlds. You can grab fresh pasta and sauce to cook at home or settle into the trattoria for a meal prepared in their kitchen. This dual approach connects customers to the food-making process, showing them exactly how their pasta gets made rather than hiding everything behind kitchen doors.

The trattoria side keeps things simple and authentic, focusing on regional Italian dishes prepared the traditional way without modern shortcuts or trendy ingredients. Tony’s believes Italian food doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive to be delicious, and their menu proves that point with every dish.

Their prices remain reasonable because they’re not trying to be a fancy destination restaurant. Instead, they want to be the neighborhood spot where families gather regularly. That humble approach has earned them a special place in Chattanooga’s dining scene.

7. Amerigo Italian Restaurant, Memphis

Amerigo takes a slightly more upscale approach than some Memphis Italian spots, but their commitment to traditional preparation methods and classic recipes remains absolutely firm. The restaurant’s name honors Amerigo Vespucci, the Italian explorer, connecting their food to Italy’s rich history of discovery and adventure. Their menu reads like a tour through Italy’s greatest hits, from Northern risottos to Southern seafood pastas.

When you order fettuccine alfredo, you get the real Roman version, not some creative chef’s reimagining. Their wine list focuses on Italian varietals, and their desserts include traditional tiramisu and panna cotta made the proper way.

Amerigo proves that staying traditional doesn’t mean staying stuck in the past.