Among the handful of restaurants Lee Epstein has opened in Southeast Tennessee during the past two decades, his newest eatery has proven the most difficult to remodel and complete.
But by mid-July — more than a year after Epstein was forced to shut down the City Cafe Diner on M.L. King Boulevard — a new and bigger City Cafe is getting ready to open next month at 511 Broad St. to bring back its signature cakes and 24-hour meal service to downtown Chattanooga.
“We’ve had some setbacks with contractors, and the platform for the air conditioning on the roof had to be redesigned and reinspected, so it’s taken longer than we originally thought, but we hope to open in July,” Epstein said in a telephone interview. “This is the hardest restaurant I’ve done yet to get open, but we’re hoping we’ll do well at this site.”
(READ MORE: Restaurant Scene: Riverport Grille opening on Broad Street)