Rafael's Italian Restaurant - Covington

I have eaten at Rafael's in Hixson for years and have always been pleased with the quality of the food and the value.  The House Special personal pizza and the Italian Cheese Steak sandwiches are generally what I order and have yet to be disappointed.  The fries are not the greatest, but that's not enough to make me stay away.

I'd never tried Rafael's before this week, when I saw that it ranked high on US in the Hixson area. I thought I'd give it a whirl and write a full review on our experience, so here it is:<br/ <br/ Atmosphere: I do like the outside of this building, it looks homey. The inside doesn't give off a strong Italian ambience and basically is your typical dining area. Plastic forks and styrofoam plates. I'll give them 2.5 Forks in this category!!.<br/ <br/ Cleanliness: I didn't notice any cleanliness issues here. Everything looked tidy and the Health Score was in the 90s. 4.5 Forks!!!!.<br/ <br/ Service: This is a difficult category to assess at these type restaurants due to the fact that it is self serve. You walk up to a counter to order, you get your own drink, get your own food when they call your number and dispose of your own trash. Obviously, I do not tip in these type of situations. The girl at the counter was friendly, so I guess I can give them 2.5 Forks!!.<br/ <br/ Quality of Food: We had the Gyro and the Chicken Cacciatore and both were basically good. I'd like to try other entrees. Overall, I feel like it was a solid 3 Forks!!!<br/ <br/ Value of Food: Fair prices for this type of establishments. Three Forks!!!<br/ <br/ Final Score: 3.1, Good<br/ <br/ As another reviewer mentioned, this appears to be a replica of Gondolier's chain. Nothing fantastic, but it gets the job done. I would eat here again.

Seriously amazing food amazingly fast. The price is right and you can feel good helping out a local business. 10/10

Don't know about authentic, but.... I have to take issue with a previous poster who claims that this restaurant is authentic authentic what? Italian? They offer a host of cuisines from Italian to Greek to Mexican and American none of it necessarily authentic, but all of it gets the job done. <br/ <br/ If you've been to Gondelier on Lee Highway, then you've been to Rafael's in Hixson. Basically the same menu, same ingredients, same 2 for 1 pizzas (delicious). Good customer service, clean restaurant, and a variety of food at a decent price. Yum.

Top Notch. 2 for 1 price pan pizza. Chose different toppings for each. Both were very good. Italian menu with low pricing. Fast food restaurant atmosphere and service, but the taste and price make up for it. or 8 of 10.