Cafe on the Corner on Lookout Mountain changes its menu based on seasonal, locally sourced food. The restaurant serves lunch and dinner daily and brunch on Sundays.American contemporary is a wide-open category that includes everything from shrimp and waffles to Champagne Sunday brunch and organic offerings. In Chattanooga, such eateries range from inexpensive fare to high-brow fine dining.
Aretha Frankenstein's
518 Tremont St.
265-7685
Breakfast all day plus lunch and dinner specials. Even food star Rachael Ray made a trip to the North Shore for Aretha's waffles. $
Aris' Harbor Light
9718 Hixson Pike, Soddy-Daisy
843-2800
Dine inside or out at this family-owned restaurant on the river, or pull your boat up to the dock. Try the Buffalo shrimp. Steaks and Greek specialties add bold tastes to the menu. $$
Bald Headed Bistro
201 Keith St. SW, Cleveland, Tenn.
472-6000
The menu, describing the restaurant as "Jackson Hole Come to the South," offers a wide range of items from Chicken Provence to North American Elk Tenderloin and includes items such as a wood-fired oven pepperoni pizza and a chicken salad melt. Small portion dishes also available. $$$
Beyond the Garden Gate Tea Room at Mountain Oaks
9508 Church St., Ooltewah
423-238-2929
Enjoy traditional afternoon tea, complete with scones, desserts and finger sandwiches in a historic mansion. Lunch served Tuesdays through Fridays and selected Saturdays. Groups welcome. $$
Big River Grille and Brewing Works
222 Broad St., 267-2739, and 2020 Hamilton Place Blvd., 553-7723
Located in a historic trolley barn, the pub brews its beer in-house. The food is made fresh from scratch daily. Pasta, seafood, sandwiches, build-your-own pizzas. $$
Big Table
118 Cross St.
634-0772
A small place with big flavor. Offers soup or casserole of the day at lunch, along with gourmet entrees and specials at dinner. $$
Blacksmith's
809 Market St.
702-5461
Relocated to Market Street after a year in St. Elmo. The menu offers $5 Small Plates or Big Plates starting at $12.95. Kobe burger is among the favorites. $$
Bluegrass Grill
55 East Main St.
752-4020
Great breakfasts served all day, but don't miss out on made-from-scratch soups, salads and sandwiches, or one of the famous potato dishes. Closes at 2 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. $
The Blue Plate Diner
191 Chestnut St.
648-6767
Diner food has gone uptown at this eatery overlooking Chattanooga Green and the Tennessee River. Dishes are homemade using locally grown ingredients. Don't miss the Famous Fried Chicken Wrap. $
Boathouse Rotisserie and Raw Bar
1459 Riverside Drive
622-0122
The view of the Tennessee River is outdone only by the food. Raw oysters, blue crab claws, clams on the half-shell and Cajun U-Peel Shrimp found in the oyster bar. The dining room features rotisserie brisket and smoked rib-eye. $$
Broad Street Grill
1201 Broad St. (at The Chattanoogan)
424-3700
Steaks are a dinner specialty; the Champagne Sunday Brunch is a favorite with locals. $$$
Cafe on the Corner
826 Scenic Highway
825-5005
A casual sophistication of flavors meets the palate at this eatery on Lookout Mountain. Try the shrimp and grits, Black 'n' Bleu Burger or an 8-ounce filet mignon. $$
Cafe 7
1400 Patten Road, Lookout Mountain, Ga.
706-820-2531
Located inside Rock City (must pay regular admission price to enter), the new cafe offers a combination of nouveau Southern dishes such as shrimp and grits and frog legs along with traditional items such as fried chicken and fried green tomatoes. $$
Canyon Grill
Georgia Highways 189 and 136, Lookout Mountain
706-398-9510
Enjoy scenic views of Cloudland Canyon on your drive to this restaurant. Try the Slash-N-Burn Catfish, or their upscale presentations of duck, pork tenderloin, steak or shrimp. Bring your own beer or wine. Hours: 5-9 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday. $$
Fork and Pie Bar's menu is crafted around pot-pie-inspired entrees and desserts.Chato Brasserie
200 Manufacturers Road
305-1352
Upscale food in a casual setting. A Chef's Table features personalized tasting menus and wine pairings. Dinners are offered in small, medium or large plates. $$
Chop House
2011 Gunbarrel Road
892-1222
Premium aged steaks and chops, seafood, prime rib, chicken. $$
Daved's Deli
7639 Middle Valley Road
842-9088
If nothing else, get the Reuben. But the deli has other meats and cheeses (try the smoked cheddar), sandwiches and salads, plus some great baklava. $
Elemental
313 Manufacturers Road
648-9160
Focused on meat, vegetables and other products from local farmers. Try the pumpkin bisque and boiled peanut hummus appetizers or go straight to sandwiches such as roasted vegetables with pimiento cheese and sorghum-glazed bacon. $$
Epicurean
4301 Ringgold Road, East Ridge
622-4139
Fresh vegetables with prime rib, lasagna, grilled pork chops, steak or lobster. In business for more than 35 years. $$
Food Works
205-C Manufacturers Road
752-7487
American food with global influences. Every dish in the house is a specialty in this restored section of the old Signal Knitting Mill on Chattanooga's North Shore. Check out The Chop or shrimp and grits. $$
Fork and Pie Bar
811 Market St.
485-3257
Riffing on the traditional pot pie, Fork and Pie dresses them up with Tuscan chicken, barbecue, Mexican flavors and spinach. Of course, it also serves the familiar chicken and veggie pot pies. You also can get dessert pies such as apple, blueberry, pecan and others. $$
Fresh to Order
1919 Gunbarrel Road
826-5000
Call it F2O for short. The menu includes grilled pizzas, appetizers such as Blackened Lime Shrimp and panini-bread sandwiches stuffed with chicken, BLT, pork, bourbon filet or vegetables. Larger plates with the same items and salads also are available. $$
Gin Gin's
1879 Taft Highway
825-4540
Part of the restaurant family that includes Silver Jalapeno, Gin Gin's takes a basic menu of small plates, sandwiches and salads, couples that with Southern staples and does them all very well. Bring your own alcoholic beverage, though. $$
Green Thumb Vegetarian Restaurant
428 Market St.
634-9925
Vegetarian and vegan dishes available, including soups, salads and hot meals. $
Hennen's
193 Chestnut St.
634-5160
A stylish restaurant with excellent menu and wine list. Cedar-plank salmon and filet are top choices. $$$
J Alexander's
2215 Hamilton Place Blvd.
855-5559
Prime rib, Carolina crab cakes, rib-eye, pasta, seafood. $$
Jefferson's Wings, Burgers and Oysters
618 Georgia Ave.
710-1560
Standard pub fare such as sandwiches, burgers, chicken fingers, wings and nachos, but the large menu also affords fresh oysters (raw or baked) and peel-and-eat shrimp. Don't forget to try the fried pickles. $
Logan's Roadhouse
2119 Gunbarrel Road, 499-4339, 504-A Northgate Mall, 875-4443; and 3592 Cummings Highway, 821-2948.
Hand-cut steaks, Southwestern chicken, ribs. $$
One-Eleven
111 LaFayette Square, LaFayette, Ga.
706-996-8783
Southern-influenced fine dining entrees such as Sweet Tea Glazed Salmon and Shrimp and Cheese Grits served in preserved former hardware store and auto dealership. Fetching appetizers and desserts round out the menu. $$
TerraMae Appalachian Bistro's menu is inspired by flavors from Maine to Tennessee and Georgia.Ovation Club
311 Broad St.
826-2370
This VIP dining area inside the Carmike Majestic 12 Theater downtown takes "dinner and a show" to a new level. Try the Caribbean jerk shrimp, Caprese salad, crab cakes, chicken or shrimp wraps. Moviegoers also can order dessert and popcorn. $$
Public House
1110 Market St.
266-3366
Comfort food climbs to a gourmet level in a modern-casual setting. Fresh fish, high-quality steaks, fresh side dishes, burgers and sandwiches are among the offerings. $$
St. John's Restaurant
1278 Market St.
266-4400
Gourmet fare inside a renovated former hotel features some entrees uncommon to the Chattanooga market, such as grilled buffalo strip loin and seared Arctic char. Menu changes weekly. Local produce featured. Bar open earlier and later than dining room. $$$
Siren's Steak and Seafood Market
801 Signal Mountain Road
710-2263
Limited-seating available in the seafood market, where fresh, daily-delivered seafood such as Alaskan king crab legs and peel-and-eat shrimp may be purchased. Or select from Angus steaks, plus unusual choices such as alligator tail meat, ground bison, Kobe beef, whole rabbit and sausages. $
Silver Jalapeno
1110 Market St.
785-7578
Warehouse Row eatery offers 11 main dishes, nine side orders and daily specials. Quesadilla Salad and a vegetarian burger are options for nonmeat eaters. Fish tacos are one of the most popular items. $
Sluggo's North Vegetarian Cafe
501 Cherokee Blvd.
752-5224
A vegetarian restaurant frequented by meat lovers, who delight in items such as the Thai chili bowl or black bean burrito. There also are daily specials and homemade desserts. $
TerraMáe Appalachian Bistro
120-A E. 10th St.
710-2925
Using the Appalachian Mountains as its culinary territory, from Maine to Tennessee and Georgia, TerraMáe's "unfamiliar" fare includes lunch items such as White Bean and Rosemary Ham Soup with Cracklin' Cornbread and a Pickled Shrimp Salad, while dinner choices feature Country Ham Wrapped Scallops, Pot Roast and Season Ravioli. $$$
212 Market
212 Market St.
265-1212
Tennessee's only certified "green" restaurant with an award-winning wine list and gourmet menu of pastas, seafood and steak. Daily specials. $$$
Whole Foods Grocery Deli
301 Manufacturers Road
702-7300
From tofu to tabouli, this deli is a vegetarian's dream. Many of the dishes are organic. All meats are hormone-free, and eggs are free-range. Check out the massive buffet and daily soups. Smoothies are among the best in town. $$