DINING

Chattanooga Restaurants - Where to eat in Chattanooga

Check out the diverse Chattanooga restaurants and local watering holes that will tempt you with delectable delights of every food origin - from BBQ to Mexican street food to an old-fashioned hamburger to fried chicken to many more. Satisfy your appetite in fine dining, casual dining or kid-friendly Chattanooga restaurants. In the evening, there are a variety of venues that provide entertainment and live music . No matter what you're looking for, we can help you find where to eat in Chattanooga .

Over the past couple of years, the number of Chattanooga restaurants have exploded. There is a variety of fine-dining establishments including Alleia , Public House , and TerraMae and so much more. But don't forget the tried-and-true favorites like Big River Grille , Easy Bistro , Boathouse , Taco Mamacita , 212 Market and our Four Star restaurant, St. John's - to name a few.

Check out our list of local restaurants that you can only find in Chattanooga. Or locally sourced restaurants that provide local fruits, vegetables, meats, milk, eggs, cheeses, breads and more.

Try something new with Eat.Sip.Walk an easy 0.7 mile walking tour of 5-6 restaurants in Chattanooga's Southside, or pedal around to some of the city's best spots with Chattanooga Pints and Pedals or Chattanooga Brew Choo .

Chattanooga has come a long way since its days as America's dirtiest city. But there's a certain kind of smoke we welcome on our horizon…the hickory smoke rising from our local barbecue pits. Chattanooga ‘Q comes in many shapes and sizes, a veritable melting pot of barbecue styles.

Generally speaking we like slaw on our pulled pork sandwiches and our sauces are a cross between Kansas City style (sweet and thick) and Piedmont (tangy with a bit of zip), often spiked with Tennessee whiskey. But the beauty of Scenic City barbecue is you can get just about any style you please, from Texas beef brisket to North Carolina's trademark vinegar sauce. Here are some highlights.

Sugar's Ribs
Sugar's signature ribs – which are crunchy outside and fall-of-the-bone inside – are the result of the restaurant's patented wood-fired grill, an invention of owner Lawton Haygood. But the secret just might be in the sauce. Just for good measure they offer six, ranging from a vinegary Carolina Red to a thicker Tennessee Sweet & Goopy. But the brave will want to try Hot Lips, a sauce with a slow, lingering burn from jalapenos, habaneros, garlic and onions roasted on aforementioned grill. Another highlight is its beautiful views and quirky décor, including a multi-level deck overlooking the restaurant's pet goats.

Sticky Fingers Smokehouse
Sticky Fingers technically isn't local, but we claim it since the downtown location was one of the first outside of Charleston and the original owners have Chattanooga ties. After 20 years and 16 locations, you know Sticky Fingers is doing something right. Perhaps it's the fall-off-the-bone delicious ribs, the smoked chicken wings or the classic pulled pork. Or maybe it's the five house-made sauces: Memphis Original, Carolina Classic, Tennessee Whiskey, Carolina Sweet and Habanero hot. Either way you can get your Sticky Fingers fix either downtown or out by Hamilton Place Mall. Should you fall in love with one of their specialty sauces, don't despair. They're sold online and grocery or specialty stores across the country.

Shuford's Smokehouse Barbecue and Catering
Housed in a converted gas station, Shuford's is a bona fide Southern BBQ experience. Inside the gray board-and-batten building, Roll Tide paraphernalia covers the wooden walls mixed with a few of Chattanooga's famous faces like Dennis Haskins. The mismatched tables and chairs in the 500-square-foot dining room are always chock-full thanks to hand-pulled pork and a top secret house-made sauce. But the pork, chicken, turkey and ribs are smoked without rub or sauce, allowing the hickory smoke to cure it for a rich, earthy flavor. If you're headed to Signal Mountain, stop by Shuford's for a taste of authentic Chattanooga ‘Q.

Rib & Loin
For more than 25 years, Rib and Loin has been serving up some of Chattanooga's best BBQ, earning “Best of the Best” awards from the Chattanooga Times Free Press many years in a row. Locals Paul Plumlee and Yogi Center started Rib and Loin in 1989, transitioning from the deli business to smoking mouthwatering chicken, ribs, pork and beef seven days a week for up to 14 hours. Feel free to pig out at either location – Brainerd or Hixson – and expect traditional trimmings and desserts like fried okra, green beans, coleslaw and trademark banana pudding. Insider tip: try the baked potato stuffed with your choice of barbecue pork, chicken or beef.

Famous Dave's
Okay, so we can't claim Famous Dave's. But after 685 barbecue awards, we welcomed him to town. After all, each cut of meat is smoked in house starting around 4am every day. And his wide variety of barbecue specialties were developed from Dave's unending passion for smoked meat, taking him on a cross country quest to barbecue meccas like Memphis, St. Louis and Kansas City. The first Famous Dave's opened in Wisconsin in 1995 and people have been licking their fingers ever since. Some sides to try are the Wilbur baked beans and firecracker green beans. And save room for dessert, which runs the gamut from banana pudding to a hot fudge Kahlua brownie sundae.

JC's Family BBQ
Located just three miles north of Harrison Bay State Park, JC's has a little something for everyone, from a grilled chicken salad to hickory smoked, hand-cut ribeye steak. Of course barbecue is their specialty with fall-off-the-bone ribs, generous portions of pulled pork and smoky BBQ chicken. Their daily specials are not to be missed, including all you can eat hand-breaded catfish and ribs (on Fridays and Saturdays respectively. Like any great Southern BBQ joint, the food is served in a cozy log cabin atmosphere and there's plenty of homemade cobbler to top off your meal.

Moe's Original BBQ
Moe's Original BBQ was founded by three Alabama boys: Mike Fernandez from Tuscaloosa, Ben Gilbert from Athens, and Jeff Kennedy from Huntsville. After meeting at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, they instantly became friends and had a mutual interest in all things Southern: BBQ, blues, college football, and whisky.In 1988, Mike hooked up with Moses Day in Tuscaloosa and began learning to fire roast meats. When Moses fired up his backyard barrel pit, everyone in T-Town knew where to go. The boys were lucky to learn from Moses and his distinct style makes up Moe's original flavor of BBQ.

Big River Grille & Brewing Works/Downtown

  • 222 Broad Street
  • Chattanooga, TN 37402

Boathouse Rotisserie & Raw Bar

  • 1459 Riverside Drive
  • Chattanooga, TN 37406

Come for the View! Come back for the food! The vista is provided by the Signal and Lookout Mountains, reflecting off the Tennessee River. The Boathouse features a perfect environment and a well rounded menu with interesting fresh ideas from the raw bar, the oyster pots and the wood fired rotisserie. Enjoy the view on the spectacular 2000 square foot deck with misters to escape the heat and heaters for wintertime comfort. The "foods from the Gulf" menu includes made to order Guacamole, El Scorcho Seafood Stew, Po-Boy sandwiches made with huge Shrimp, Rotisserie Chicken, and "you don't have to go to Texas" Brisket. The locals know the best way to wash it all down is with a Lawton Rita - a simple combination of premium Blanco Tequila, triple sec, and a squeeze of lime. Beer aficionados also clamor for the artful beer cooling system, delivering golden brews at 32 degrees.

 


 

Athena Inn
  • (423) 510-0800
  • 2201 Park Dr
  • Chattanooga, TN 37421
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