11 Tennessee Italian Restaurants That Serve Spaghetti Worth Remembering

Tennessee is home to Italian restaurants that serve spaghetti so memorable it keeps diners coming back. These eateries offer classic pasta dishes crafted with rich sauces, perfectly cooked noodles, and fresh ingredients that bring out authentic flavors.

Many of the restaurants pair traditional Italian recipes with a warm, inviting atmosphere, creating a dining experience that feels both comforting and special. Guests can enjoy hearty portions, flavorful meatballs, and a variety of toppings that elevate every plate of spaghetti.

Family-friendly spots, intimate trattorias, and lively local favourites all contribute to a vibrant Italian dining scene across the state. Each restaurant leaves a lasting impression, turning a simple pasta meal into a satisfying culinary memory that diners won’t soon forget.

1. Pelato – 1300 3rd Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208

In Germantown, Pelato feels like a friend’s living room that just happens to smell like slow-simmered tomatoes and garlic. You walk in from the brick-lined streets and hear vinyl spinning something soulful while the open kitchen hums.

The spaghetti here catches the light like silk, with a pomodoro that tastes sun warmed and clean, supported by a whisper of butter and torn basil.

Servers move like guides, not salespeople, and they happily tell you how the pasta water seasons the sauce. The room holds exposed brick, copper pans, and soft lamplight that fits Nashville’s mellow evenings.

Sit near the window and you can watch neighbors drift by, dogs in tow, as you linger over a final twirl.

Pelato’s vibe is approachable but quietly confident, a place where conversation sets the tempo. If meatballs call your name, they arrive tender and peppery, nudging the spaghetti into heartier territory.

What lingers most is balance, the way acidity and sweetness find each other and stay. Step back onto 3rd Avenue with that tomato perfume clinging to your jacket, feeling content.

2. Luogo – 211 12th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203

Luogo sits in the Gulch with polished edges and a relaxed pulse, where spaghetti arrives glossy and aromatic under a snowfall of Pecorino. The kitchen leans modern, but the flavors nod to tradition, brightened by fruity olive oil and a pepper bite that sneaks in.

You can sense the confidence in each twirl, neither overworked nor shy.

Inside, the room floats between date night and business casual, with warm wood and comfortable spacing that makes conversation easy. The hum of 12th Avenue South adds a city rhythm outside, while inside the playlist paces your meal.

Ask about the origins of the tomatoes and someone will happily geek out with you.

What you remember is precision without stiffness. The spaghetti clings just right, sauce emulsified until it feels almost creamy despite its simplicity.

A side of garlicky greens or a crisp salad lets that core flavor stand out even more. Step back into the Gulch lights with a small smile, carrying the quiet satisfaction of a dish that knows exactly what it is.

3. Iggy’s – 609 Merritt Ave #101, Nashville, TN 37203

Iggy’s brings Wedgewood-Houston a hug in pasta form, the sort of place where the staff remembers if you like extra basil. The spaghetti here leans hearty, with a marinara that tastes like a Sunday pot bubbling from noon.

Meatballs arrive soft as pillows, their fennel and parsley lifting each bite without shouting.

The room is cozy and a little playful, with art on the walls nodding to the creative neighborhood. Sit by the counter for a view of pans flashing with olive oil as orders fly.

Conversation bounces between tables, and you feel gently swept into the current.

There is comfort in the ritual of a generous bowl, parmesan grated at the last moment, and bread that invites sauce chasing. You can wander Merritt Avenue afterward, passing studios and warehouses turned galleries.

It is easy to imagine making this a weekly promise to yourself. Iggy’s spaghetti is not fussy, just deeply satisfying, the kind that quiets a long day and leaves you steady.

4. Salento Italia – 329 Donelson Pike #303, Nashville, TN 37214

Salento Italia in Donelson feels like a purposeful pause between the airport bustle and a quiet evening at home. The spaghetti shines with a garden-bright tomato base, the kind that suggests ripe fruit and a steady hand.

Fresh basil threads through the aroma, and every forkful lands with gentle acidity and warmth.

Inside, you catch the comfort of a family-run spot, with soft laughter and framed photos that tell a story. The space is bright during the day and softly golden at night, a reliable backdrop for catch-ups or unhurried solo meals.

Servers speak with easy familiarity, happy to share recommendations.

Portions lean generous because hospitality lives at the heart of this kitchen. The sauce hugs the pasta rather than drowning it, and the final drizzle of olive oil brings a peppery lift.

Afterward, step onto Donelson Pike and feel the day slow. Salento’s spaghetti is a reminder that simple, cared-for food can reset your mood and tether you right where you are.

5. Pasta Galifi – 480 Long Hollow Pike Suite C, Goodlettsville, TN 37072

Pasta Galifi in Goodlettsville looks like a place that dreams up noodles for a living, because it does. You can watch extruded spaghetti ribbon from gleaming machines, then land in a pan where tomatoes and aromatics have been waiting.

The sauce finishes with pasta water and a quick toss that sends steam spiraling upward.

There is a gentle clatter of bowls and bright conversation, the kind that sparkles without getting loud. Wooden racks and sacks of flour lend a workshop vibe, while the dining room stays homey.

If you love process, pull up near the pass and watch the team move like practiced musicians.

The spaghetti tastes focused and grain forward, the wheat singing through a clean, balanced sauce. Sometimes a dot of chili heat appears, enough to wake up the palate.

Step outside to Long Hollow Pike and smell the fields on a breezy day. Pasta Galifi’s bowl leaves you both grounded and delighted, convinced that attention to craft still matters.

6. Antonucci’s Authentic Italian – 309 Hardin Alley, Spring Hill, TN 37174

Tucked along Hardin Alley in Spring Hill, Antonucci’s glows under string lights like a secret you are happy to share. Inside, the spaghetti carries a deeper, slow-cooked personality, with tomatoes that have softened into sweetness and a hint of oregano.

The sauce has that gentle sheen that comes from time, patience, and a finishing swirl of butter.

Take a patio seat when the weather behaves, and the alley becomes your theater. Laughter lifts over clinking glasses, while servers float by with practiced calm.

The interior is snug and layered with family photos, softly telling histories across the walls.

What stands out is hospitality that feels steady and sincere. The noodles land al dente with confidence, perfect for catching each echo of garlic and herb.

Walk out onto Main Street nearby and watch the small-town rhythm reassert itself. This is spaghetti that travels with you for days, a kindly memory that resurfaces when you least expect it, reminding you there is depth in familiar comforts.

7. Sorelles Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria – 161 N Main St, Eagleville, TN 37060

On Eagleville’s North Main Street, Sorelles feels like the heartbeat of a small town that knows how to gather. The spaghetti arrives generous and welcoming, with a tomato sauce that tastes bright and honest, like a pantry built on good choices.

You can sense the hand of someone who cares from the way herbs are balanced and acidity is tamed.

Inside, the mood is cheerful and loafers-on-the-floor comfortable. Families slide into booths, while solo diners read and twirl contentedly.

The staff moves with the easy confidence of people who see neighbors every day.

Order garlic knots if you want an excuse to keep the sauce on the table longer. The noodles sit just firm enough to guide each bite, making every forkful feel complete.

Step back out and you are right in the middle of Main Street’s steady pace. Sorelles proves that classic spaghetti, when done with heart, can be the highlight of any week, no matter how busy or quiet it has been.

8. PennePazze Nashville – 3826 Charlotte Ave, Nashville, TN 37209

PennePazze on Charlotte Avenue has an urban energy that makes lunch feel like a mini vacation. The open kitchen works in swift choreography, pans flicking as spaghetti gets dressed in silky emulsions.

One forkful and you notice how the grain of the pasta keeps its voice, even as cheese or pepper joins the choir.

There is tile, greenery, and sunlight pooling across terrazzo, a space that encourages lingering without slowing the line. You can sit at the counter and watch sauces come together like tiny pieces of theater.

The team is upbeat, sharing quick tips about favorites or seasonal twists.

When the plate lands, it is clean and bright, full of texture and balance. A pop of cracked pepper, a last kiss of olive oil, and you are happily engaged.

Outside, Charlotte Avenue pulses with locals running errands and grabbing coffee. PennePazze’s spaghetti captures that forward motion while still offering a small pocket of calm in the middle of the day.

9. Chrysalis Modern Italian – 9040 Carothers Pkwy Suite A201, Franklin, TN 37067

In Franklin’s Cool Springs corridor, Chrysalis Modern Italian is equal parts calm and polished. The spaghetti catches roasted tomato confit, which deepens sweetness without losing brightness, and basil that lands like a confident final chord.

Each strand is carefully sauced, glistening but never heavy.

The dining room carries a soft, contemporary ease, with muted tones and gentle lighting that feels like an exhale after work. Glass and wood brush against each other elegantly, while servers move with precise warmth.

Sit near the window and watch the business district glow into evening.

There is a quiet luxury in a plate that tastes as edited as this one. If you want a counterpoint, a crisp green salad keeps the focus where it belongs.

When you step back onto Carothers Parkway, the air feels cooler, your shoulders a bit lighter. Chrysalis gives you that rare combination of focus and comfort, the kind of spaghetti that makes a weekday feel celebratory without trying too hard.

10. Mangia Nashville – 701 Craighead St, Berry Hill, TN 37204

Mangia Nashville in Berry Hill feels like a party that figured out how to be cozy. Communal tables encourage shared moments, and spaghetti arrives family style, steaming and fragrant.

The sauce sings with tomato brightness and a hint of sweetness, clinging to each strand like it was meant to be there all along.

Music seeps into the experience, fitting for a neighborhood full of studios. Servers bring an easy, joyful pace, happy to celebrate anything you care to toast.

The bistro lighting makes every photo look warmer than it should, which matches how you feel inside.

There is generosity in the plating and generosity in the spirit. A sprinkle of fresh herbs at the finish keeps the flavors lifted, never heavy.

Step out to Craighead Street and hear the echo of laughter behind you. Mangia turns spaghetti into a celebration of belonging, the type of meal that looks simple but builds a memory that does not quickly fade.

11. Stevarinos Italian Eatery – 238 S Cedar Ave, S Pittsburg, TN 37380

In South Pittsburg, Stevarinos wears two hats with ease, equal parts Italian eatery and welcoming pub. The spaghetti is straightforward in the best way, a generous bowl of marinara-slicked noodles that hits every comfort note.

Sit by the window to watch the cadence of Cedar Avenue while you twirl.

Brick walls and the gleam of taps add a pubby warmth, and conversation flows easily between tables. Locals greet each other by name, and you quickly feel included.

The service keeps things moving without rushing, which suits the easygoing downtown atmosphere.

What makes this bowl memorable is its balance and spirit. The sauce tastes like ripe tomatoes seasoned by someone with a steady hand, and the pasta arrives with pleasant bite.

After dinner, stroll the small-town streets and enjoy the neon glow. Stevarinos proves that a well-made classic can shine anywhere, especially when it is served with genuine small-town hospitality that lingers long after the last bite.