Chattanooga's restaurant scene has exploded in recent years and, thanks to widespread coverage from food celebrities including Rachael Ray, Ming Tsai and Alton Brown as well as feature stories in regional publications, the Scenic City has become a dining destination. People come from near and far simply because they've heard about the diversity of restaurants they at which they can dine.
Candace Davis, marketing and public relations manager for the Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau, says she's also seeing a strong trend in people who want to experience the city's food culture.
"I hear from people more and more that they read an article about a certain restaurant in an Atlanta magazine or Zagat or Nashville Scene," she says. "People want to visit the places they read about. Chattanooga has many award-winning restaurants that offer menus boasting fresh ingredients derived from urban and local farms and local purveyors who provide the freshest fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, breads and more."
With more than 345,000 residents in Hamilton County, Davis says there's always room for more restaurants.
"People like to go out and eat in our city and have the options of great food," she says. "I think that potential owners of new restaurants can see that investing in the restaurant scene in Chattanooga really works. I believe that over the next few years, as the city continues to grow, our dining options will grow as well."
Here's a list of the newest restaurants, those that have opened in the past year, as well as several soon to come:
Coming soon
Restaurateurs Miguel Morales, Charlie Loomis and Dustin Choate opened 1885 Grille in St. Elmo two years ago and have been quite successful, so they are planning to open a second eatery in June, The Feed Co. Table & Tavern in June in the Craftworks building on West Main Street. It will offer a menu of Southern-based, locally sourced items. "We feel like it's becoming an incredible destination in Chattanooga with local restaurants, coffee shops, galleries and a farmer's market," Morales says. "In the future, we see it as a place where people can come and park, then walk and find any kind of food they want." Also scheduled to open this spring: Puckett's Grocery & Restaurant, downtown at the South end of the Market Street Bridge. Southside Social, located near Finley Stadium.
World of Beer offers more than 500 types of bottled beer and 60 rotating taps.Southside
Bella Vita, 1400 Cowart St. Opened January 2015.
Clyde's on Main, 122 West Main St. Opened August 2014.
Chattanooga Brewery, 1804 Chestnut St. Opened April 2014.
Downtown
Taqueria Jalisco, Cherry Street at Miller Plaza. Opened May 2014.
World of Beer, 412 Market St. Opened August 2014.
El Macho Taco, 811 Market St. Opened April 2014.
Mrs. B's Reggae Café, 3103 Broad St. Opened April 2014.
Penn Station East Coast Subs, 411 Broad St. Opened September 2014.
Chicken Salad Chick, 629 Market St. Opened January 2014.
The North Shore
Root Kitchen and Wine Bar, 313 Manufacturers Road. Opened August 2014.
Il Primo, 1100 Hixson Pike. Opened May 2014.
Beast + Barrel, 16 Frazier Ave. Opened April 2014.
Taconooga, 207 Frazier Ave. Opened March 2014.
Northgate
Northgate Mall has a new owner, CBL and Associates, and with the change in ownership comes a focus on attracting new restaurants. To date, the newest addition is Old Chicago Pizza, which opened at the mall in January 2015, offering deep-dish and thin-crust specialty and build-your-own pizzas, along with 36 on tap and 58 bottled craft beers. "We hope to announce more new restaurants coming to Northgate later this year," said Catherine Wells, CBL marketing director. "Other restaurants are taking note at the success Old Chicago is experiencing."
Hamilton Place area
Chicken Salad Chick, 1820 Gunbarrel Road. Opened July 2014.
Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, 2107 Gunbarrel Road. Opened May 2014.
Contact Anne Braly at abraly@timesfreepress.com.