Café Vicolo a little hard to find but worth the effort
I’d thought I was aware of pretty much every restaurant in downtown Knoxville, but while poking around on downtownknoxville.org recently, I realized that site has a comprehensive and up-to-date list of eateries. There were several places on that list I hadn’t heard of, one of which was Café Vicolo, which opened last September.
Based on its Gay Street address, I realized it was in the space formerly occupied by Empire Pizza, set back off the street a bit and accessible primarily through a courtyard-style alley. The Grub Spouse was unavailable to join me on the day I visited, so I asked a friend to meet me at that location for a workday lunch.
Café Vicolo is primarily a sandwichy kind of place, but they will start your day off with breakfast, should you so desire. Options include a made-to-order egg sandwich, egg pie of the day (it was ham and cheese on the day I visited), avocado toast (millennial alert!), seasonal fruit and a yogurt parfait.
My friend and I, however, decided to divide and conquer the sandwich listings, which are divided into hot and cold creations. On the hot side, you can get sandwiches featuring pot roast, corned beef, boneless country rib or chimichuri portobella mushrooms.
My guest ordered the meatball sandwich ($8.50), which features house-made, three-meat meatballs (made from a family recipe) placed on a toasted filocino roll and topped with local tomato basil sauce. All sandwiches are served with a choice of apple slaw, potato or orzo pasta salad. My friend went with the orzo pasta.
On the cold side, sandwich options include roasted turkey, chicken salad and caprese, but I went with the Italian sub ($9). Here, the filocino roll is topped with capicola, salami, prosciutto, lettuce, tomato, onion and provolone cheese. Side choices are the same as above, and in this case, I decided to try the potato salad. I also got a bowl of the soup of the day, cheddar ale, for $6.
Other cafe offerings include Vienna coffee, freshly baked pastries, and charcuterie and cheese boards.
With only two employees covering the counter and the kitchen, the pace of service was on the sluggish side, even for a lunch hour. However, the employees we interacted with were friendly and helpful, and our food wait wasn’t unreasonably long.
And the payoff was worth it. The meatball sandwich was fantastic, from the savory seasonings of the meat to the slightly crispy toasted roll. The small side of orzo pasta was decent enough as well.
Meanwhile, the untoasted version of the roll on my sub was wonderfully fresh. I also thought the portion size was ideal — enough to be a filling meal but not so much that you can’t take it on in one sitting. The blend of Italian meats was satisfying, and the tomato and lettuce were a refreshing addition to the stack.
On the plus side, the cheddar ale soup was superb — a substantial bowl full of thick, creamy cheesy goodness, accented by subtle ale flavor. On the negative side, the pasty-white potato salad was virtually without flavor. This was one recipe that could stand some tinkering, in my opinion.
On balance, however, I was pleasantly surprised by what Café Vicolo had to offer, considering I had zero expectations going in. The prices are not unreasonable, and what guests receive in turn make this newish downtown dining spot well worth the extra effort it takes to find the front door.
Café Vicolo
Food: 4 (out of five)
Service: 3.75
Atmosphere: 3.75
Overall: 4
Address: 625 Gay St., Suite 140
Phone: 865-249-6314
Hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays
No alcohol service
Bottom line: This semi-hidden downtown eatery offers affordable and accessible breakfast, lunch and dinner fare that’s a notch or two above the everyday.