Great places to eat in Chattanooga

[gulfgirl]

Wow! THANK YOU! Dasmarian, once again you have come through and everyone else that has put in their tips! I have lived in Sarasota for 35 years and spent most of my working life in tourism (restaurant, vacation rentals and real estate) Would you say your tourist time is summer, fall and spring and also, do your locals support these restaurants year round?? I'm trying to make a trip up there soon---my plan if all goes well is to move up next summer--July or August.

[dasmarian]

No worries GG. I get on spurts here . . . apparently I'm on one now. And anyway, if you might be a neighbor, it would be nice to have a friend off the bat . . . and when you see a couple running after their dog down the street yelling "Scout, Scout . . . come back here!" you'll know who we are. This is quite the common occurrence.

I can't say alot about tourist time, I guess summer when kids are out is the biggest season. I think Tridad works downtown maybe he can chime in. That being said, there are year-round tourist activities. Most of the fun stuff is outdoors here, so really logic would indicate that this is when the most people would be out and about.

Near the mall there are a lot of middle of the road and "middle of the road +" restaurants that are constantly busy. The eastern suburbs of Chattanooga have really grown and will continue to grow in the future, so if you are looking for a position which has a lot of traffic, I'd look out by the Hamilton Place Mall. Downtown is for us romantics and unfortunately it isn't quite as *consistently* busy as near the river of commerce that is I75. However, the majority of independents are downtown and some, like Hennen's, seem to remain constantly busy.

BTW my mother lives in Sarasota, I was just there a couple months ago for a visit. Small world, eh?

[gulfgirl]

Very small world--not sure what we can post here regarding info but when I take a run up there would love to take you and your spouse out for lunch and pick your brain! Or if you are in Sarasota between now and June of 2010, let me know--I'll take you to lunch here!

[jwkilgore]

I agree with dasmarian. I work downtown, and live somewhat near the Hamilton Place Mall. Downtown sees more tourist traffic, and is definitely busier during the summer months when the fountains are flowing and the tourists' kids are out of school. There are free outdoor concerts in Miller Plaza every Friday night which brings crowds of people, and the trendier restaurants in the riverfront area are almost always full in the evenings. The weather here in August is MUCH more pleasant than it is in FL. But tourists do visit year-round, and spring and fall are beautiful with flowers blooming or leaves changing.

Dasmarian's list is good. For web sites go to Hennen's, Alleia, and St. John's. For other independent restaurants, check out Niko's Southside Grill or 212 Market. Good restaurants attached to upscale hotels include Broad St. Grille (attached to The Chattanoogan, one of the best downtown hotels) and Porter's Steakhouse (attached to the historic Sheraton Read House). Both hotels are adjacent to the downtown convention center and the restaurants see lots of local downtown traffic, but they are obviously subject to the whims of the tourism industry. If you're interested in regional chains check out Big River Grill and Brewery, Sticky Fingers (both also have locations at Hamilton Place Mall) and Blue Water Grille. There are many more good restaurants downtown, but these are the ones I'm familiar with.

For more regular year-round traffic check out the Hamilton Place Mall area. It's the largest mall development in the region. Not just the mall, the surrounding area is stuffed with almost every store imaginable; from Walmart to upscale boutiques. Traffic is horrendous during the month of December, but that's a good thing if you work there. Good places to check out include The Acropolis (independent Greek place), The Chop House (excellent steaks), Bonefish Grill, Carrabas, Sticky Fingers, and Big River. Again, way too many restaurants to name them all. Good luck!

Edit: Keep in mind that this list is in answer to gulfgirl's request for good places to work, and I tried to keep within her parameters. This isn't necessarily the list of places where I would take out-of-town visitors for a taste of the local flavor.

[dasmarian]

Thanks Gulfgirl, mighty kind of you. If you are going to be in the area send me a pm and we'll give you a tour of SH and grab a bite.

[chorvathjr]

I was in Chattanooga this past weekend for an Alstom interview. I went to Hennen's at the guidance of the desk at the Holiday Inn Express. It was absolutely one of the best meals I have ever eaten. Really have to recommend Hennen's

[dasmarian]

Our fav in Chattanooga too. Top notch service, food, and wine. We have gotten to be acquaintances with Michael Hennen (we overindulge there a bit too frequently I'm afraid), who is the manager, and he is absolutely dedicated to Hennen's being the best dining experience in town. We love that place.

Better than Ruth's Chris at half the cost.