Classico Italian Restaurant - Second Look?

Since Classico Italian Restaurant was OK for lunch...and they serve breakfast as well, we decided to drop by and check it out. Can you spell 'disappointing'?! We love a good breakfast and this didn't come close to measuring up...


The first problem was service. There were 3 other tables occupied when we arrived and 2 of them were getting ready to leave. There were 2 'waitresses', plus another young woman whose purpose we never did ascertain. For 20 minutes we sat there...waiting to be noticed. Finally, the manager/cook came out of the back and, as she passed by our table she asked us how we liked our breakfast. We told her that we had yet to be waited on... She berated one of the waitresses, who then took our order.


My breakfast is shown above... It's the basic breakfast with 2 eggs over easy, hash browns, (a) sausage patty and toast. The eggs were OK, the toast was a bit dry, (white bread instead of the Rye that I'd ordered), the hash browns were just a bit too crispy and the sausage patty had been cooked and probably recooked. It was hard and black all the way through. I was also a little startled that I only got one patty...although the low price for breakfast may provide the answer to that issue.


Laurie ordered a waffle with bacon on the side. The waffle was pictured as coming with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Now, I ask you, just how appetizing does her waffle look!? The frozen strawberries had apparently been hacked off a block of fruit...and, to paraphrase an old commercial, "Where's the Whipped Cream?!" We were so stunned when Laurie's breakfast was placed in front of her, that we had to call the waitress back over to ask for more whipped cream. We were told that this was all she could get from the can...and that they were out of whipped cream. This fit right in with the rest of our experience...and, oh yes, they had run out of orange juice.


One waitress could best be described as being either condescending or annoyed...we weren't sure which. The other waitress brought food to one table and then did nothing until we were almost done with 'breakfast' and then she began clearing a table that had been vacated 20 minutes earlier.


Paula and Gary, friends from Tellico Village, were sitting at a nearby table. They know that I blog about restaurants and they were counting the minutes that we sat there without being served. As they left, they told us that their experience was much like ours and they couldn't wait to see my blog about our breakfast!


When we visited this restaurant the first time, the service was very solid. Maybe it was just the breakfast crew that had the problem...although even with good service, the food was far below standard. Our next adventure at Classico Italian Pizza & Pasta will involve dinner. We want that experience to be a positive one. A good Italian Restaurant would be a real plus for the area! So, there will be a "Third Look" at this venue. The restaurant is located just off Loudon County Road 444 in Tellico Village at 318 Lakeside Plaza in Loudon. Phone: 865-958-9316.