Cafe Vicolo

This place was amazing. Freash food and great service.i would definitely recommend this place.

My girlfriend & I stopped by at about 10:30am for breakfast/brunch & we had nothing negative to say about it. It was empty when we walked in but the lady was super warm & welcoming. The menu had a sufficient selection of breakfast, sandwich, & snack items as well as a coffee menu & pastry menu, all of which were fairly priced. The pastry menu noted that items were limited based on availability.

We each ended up ordering a chorizo burrito for $6.50 a piece. From what we could tell it also had egg, cheese & potatoes. It came with sour cream, green chile sauce, & a (poblano?) pepper. Overall, everything tasted super fresh & was very filling for $6.50. The tables were neat, as you could draw on them with chalk if you wanted to!

Pros: Quiet, comfortable environment. Good selection of cafmenu items which are all fairly priced if you're looking for a quick snack or coffee.
Cons: Pastry items "subject to availability."

My friend raves about this restaurant. I found it average.
I ordered the pot roast sandwich.
I am Celiac so had to eliminate the bread. The portion was small, as was the side salad. Not a good value for $9.00. If I could eat the thick crusty bread, I would of been
more fulfilled. The atmosphere is nice, and the place is very clean and the staff is very friendly.

Tucked away off of Gay Street in a cute, quiet alley, I was drawn to Cafe Vicolo by the delicious smell of baked goods. As we had just had a big sugary breakfast, we only purchased drinks, but there was a varied (albeit pared down due to COVID) selection of snacks and to-go food items available. What really wow-ed us was the warm and friendly service provided by the owner, Phil. As first-timers he graciously offered us a tempting red velvet cupcake and he answered all of our questions about Knoxville. We can't wait to return to this charming cafe and try one of their sandwiches or treats!

I met my wife at this beautiful cafe. Phil and his crew did our rehearsal dinner there, and it was the best food ever. They went above and beyond to make it a special night for us, and we will never forget how much fun we all had. I can't say enough good things about this place and the people there. Best cafe in the world!

I order breakfast from here fairly often. They have breakfast all day, which is a definite score, especially in the downtown area.
They make an amazing avocado toast with house made bread. SO good with generous avocado and high quality tomatoes.
As a bonus for those eating low carb, you can order it without the amazing bread and you can add eggs or meat to your dish.
Reasonable prices.
Cute decor.
Plenty of things to tempt one in the bakery area and deli case.
They now serve beer.
The service is super friendly.
The only negative is that the food can often take a while to get done.

Café Vicolo adds a really nice alternative to the lunch scene in downtown Knoxville. The food is really good quality at a fair price.

I've tried several things in the last week and a half. Service is not the fastest in the world, but it is pleasant and they're obviously putting a lot of thought and effort into producing really good food.

First thing I had there was a roasted chicken salad sandwich. The bread was just perfectly grilled - so good and crisp on the outside! It was the perfect complement to the divine chicken salad. No sweet pickles here, thank goodness! The chunks of roasted chicken are big and flavorful even before getting dressed with mayo and vegetables. This is not your average chicken salad, and I highly recommend it.

The sandwich comes with a side and a half of pickle. I chose cole slaw that day, and I was underwhelmed. It's not bad, but it's not as good as the slaw I make at home. (Still waiting for a restaurant to make cole slaw as good as mine -- I wish I could get it outside the house.) The pickle, though, is just divine -- very spicy and tart, definitely a hot dill! I cut mine in half to make spears. Saved one spear for a late afternoon snack!

After that first visit, I texted Dear Husband about it, and as soon as he got off work, he ran there that afternoon to get espresso and a cupcake. I got half of the dessert -- it was a lemon cupcake with cream cheese frosting and toasted coconut sprinkles. Oh, my goodness!!!! So good!!!

Next trip was for a banana strawberry muffin which was very good with my morning coffee.

Earlier this week, I went in to try a turkey sandwich, but I go out for lunch early and the turkey wasn't ready yet. No problem; ordered the pot roast "sandwich" to go. Oh.My.Heck. You guys! First of all, it's a heck of a pot roast! Secondly, it ain't a sammitch you can pick up with your hands! This is a chance to use the pretty utensils that Café Vicolo packs for your lunch box -- eat the pot roast like Sunday dinner, and do not stick to just eating the beef off the top! Dig down and get some of that divine bread, because it has soaked up a lot of juice and is just *wonderful*!!! So moist and tasty!

It's also huge, so I ate half and saved half for the next day. The high-quality to-go containers are safe for the microwave, so warming up leftovers on Thursday was a breeze.

I tried the potato salad with this second lunch, and it's a good start -- nice size chunks of potatoes and celery, no sweet pickle, but it's dressed with mayo, I think. I added a squirt of hot brown mustard, and that fixed it right up.

Then this morning, I got an egg sandwich with bacon. IMHO, it's the best [affordable, non-brunch, everyday] breakfast sandwich in downtown Knoxville! The bun is a miracle, grilled to crisp just before serving; the egg is perfect; the havarti cheese is mild and gooey, and the bacon is thick and chewy. Altogether, it's just the best breakfast sandwich around -- much better than the sad biscuits a few doors up Gay Street. Highly, *highly* recommend!

Definitely worth stopping in for a quick, tasty, and reasonably priced lunch. I got the turkey croissant. Thick cut peppered turkey, a generous portion of fresh avocado, and tender pork belly were the stars of the show. The croissant disintegrated about halfway through but that's ok.

I used to work in the same building as Cafe Vicolo, and the thing that I love best is the food. Egg sandwiches (I usually got mine with the delicious pork belly bacon), hot lunchtime sandwiches, and gods, the pastries are to die for. Muffins, cupcakes, cannoli, strudel, everything a growing boy could want. Oh, and strawberry whoopie pies! And sometimes mini pies, like apple or pumpkin. It's all great, served to eat in the cafe or to go.

The extra bestest thing I love is the owners and staff. I'm new to Knoxville, so I was blown away by how welcome I felt here every day. I'm an introvert so I don't just go talking to anybody, but these awesome people took the time to get to know me, have conversations about shared interests, the whole thing. I have never felt more comfortable in any dining establishment.

It might not be easy to find in its little alley location, but if you're downtown during the week, check this place out. They're amazing.

One of the best kept "secrets" in Downtown Knoxville!
Passionate & friendly owners & staff w/ the best breakfast & lunch specials as well as a great grab n go section.
Their pastries, muffins & cupcakes are SO Good!