UPDATE: View our 2019 list of restaurants open on Thanksgiving here
Where will you sit down to a Thanksgiving meal Thursday? At home or are you planning to let someone else do the cooking?
It's not too late to take the family out. Several restaurants are opening their doors Thursday, Nov. 22, for a Thanksgiving meal without the mess and stress.
-Beast + Barrel Gastro Smokehouse, 16 Frazier Ave. Thursday's buffet includes assorted cheeses, soups, salads, a chef-manned carving station with turkey, ham, salmon or herb-crusted prime rib and a full spread of homemade desserts.
Cost: $39.95 adults, free for children 10 and younger. Hours: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Reservations: 423-805-4599.
-Bluff View Art District, 411 E. Second St. The culinary arts come alive for this annual Thanksgiving brunch in Bluff View. This year's buffet includes traditional offerings such as turkey and dressing, prime rib and sour cream-mashed potatoes and green bean casserole.
Diners will find the unexpected, too, such as Asian salad with chicken and udon noodles, shrimp with bow-tie pasta, challah French toast and assorted quiches. A wide assortment of breads, pastries and house-made desserts also will be served.
Price: $36.95 adults, $19.95 children 12 and younger. Prices do not include tax, gratuity or alcohol. A full bar is available, but soft drinks, tea, coffee and orange juice are included. Hours: 11 a.m-4 p.m. Reservations: 423-265-5033, ext. 4.
-Bridgeman's Chophouse, inside the Read House, 107 W. M.L. King Blvd. If you haven't seen the newly renovated Read House, here's an opportunity to do so while enjoying a delicious Thanksgiving meal. The Thanksgiving Prix Fixe meal begins with a choice of roasted carrot and ginger soup or a salad of mixed greens with apples, pears, dried cranberries and cashews. Oven roasted turkey is served with mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cornbread dressing, herb gravy and citrus cranberry-walnut relish. Or, choose the honey and citrus-glazed ham as your entree, served with roasted Brussel sprouts, orrechiette macaroni and cheese.
Cost: $40 per adult, $17.50 children ages 6-11. Hours: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Reservations: 423-643-1240.
-The Chattanoogan, 1201 Broad St. This buffet spreads across the ballroom to include numerous salads and other cold items from greens to cheeses, seafood, veggies and dips. Entrees and sides include the traditional turkey and ham, but this year will also feature made-to-order turkey tacos.
Sides include dressing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, butternut squash ravioli and sweet potato casserole. For dessert, take a spin around the pie a la mode station and pick up a slice of white chocolate pumpkin pie - one of several choices - topped with a scoop of Clumpies vanilla ice cream.
Cost is $45 for adults, $22 children ages 5-12, free for younger children. Buffet hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Reservations: 423-424-3700.
-City Cafe Diner, 901 Carter St. and 7641 Lee Highway in Chattanooga, 919 25th St. in Cleveland, Tennessee. Open 24 hours every day, of course the three City Cafe restaurants will be waiting for Turkey Day diners. City Cafe has three specials on the menu Thursday: roast turkey with cornbread dressing, turkey gravy and cranberry sauce for $17.95; spiral ham with cornbread dressing and glazed fruit sauce or Yankee pot roast with potato pancakes, both $14.95.
Each special is served with a cup of soup (cream of turkey, chicken noodle or vegetable) or salad, two sides from among 12 choices and your choice of either apple, pumpkin or pecan pie.
Then there is always the diner's massive menu from which to choose. It offers more than 50 choices of entrees and small plates. For more information: 423-634-9191.
-FoodWorks, 205 Manufacturers Road. A feast of soups and salads, breads, roasted turkey and other meats, mouthwatering sides and a treasure of homemade desserts will be served Thursday. There will be three seatings for the Thanksgiving buffet: 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m. - at a cost of $35 per adult, $15 for children under 12. Reservations: 423-752-7487.
-Herman's Soul Food, 3821 Brainerd Road. The Brainerd restaurant will offer a special meat-and-three menu with lots of choices ranging in price from $12.99 to $15.99. Hours: noon-5 p.m. Reservations: 423-624-5715.
-Puckett's Grocery & Restaurant, 2 W. Aquarium Way. Puckett's Thanksgiving Day meal is a buffet with an array of beloved dishes such as turkey, spiral ham, green beans, mashed potatoes, cornbread dressing and yeast rolls, says Makenzy Davis, Puckett's spokeswoman. For dessert? Pumpkin and pecan pies, along with seasonal cobblers.
Cost: $26.99 adults, $13.99 for kids 12 and younger. Hours: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Reservations: 423-708-8505.
-Ruth's Chris, 2321 Lifestyle Way. The steakhouse will serve a full Thanksgiving meal on Turkey Day, complete with side dishes diners have come to love such as sweet potato casserole and spinach souffle. If you want a change of pace from turkey, the restaurant will be offering its regular menu filled with steaks of all kinds, seafood, chicken and pork.
The Thanksgiving menu is a fixed-price, four-course affair that includes your choice of salad or Louisiana seafood gumbo; hand-carved turkey with cornbread-herb stuffing; and one side from among four choices. Finish the meal with a delicious dessert duo of pumpkin cheesecake with vanilla ice cream.
The Thanksgiving Prix Fixe menu is priced at $39.95 adults, $12.95 children. Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Reservations: 423-602-5900.
-Sticky Fingers, 2031 Hamilton Place Blvd. Known for its barbecue, Sticky Fingers will change course just a bit for Turkey Day, offering a buffet with turkey, ham and all the trimmings. Sticky Fingers will also offer its regular menu. Hours: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Information: 423-899-7427.
-Terminal Brewhouse, 1464 Market St. While the popular brew house will not be serving a special Thanksgiving menu, it will be open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. So if you want to celebrate Turkey Day with a burger, pizza or other tavern fare alongside a good craft beer, here's the place to find them. Information: 423-752-8090.
Compiled by Anne Braly at abraly@timesfreepress.com and Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com.