10 Places Where Locals Love to Eat in Chattanooga

Public House Chattanooga offers traditional Southern fare made with locally sourced ingredients and seasonal dishes with wine pairings, all available in a relaxed setting. The restaurant is committed to sustainable relationships with local farmers and emphasizing the best in seasonal produce, which is a staple of quality Southern cooking.

They maintain a robust blend of traditional classics like fried chicken, along with constantly changing current specialties from local fishmongers, butchers, farmers, and dairy farms. You can find Public House located right in downtown.

The FEED Co. Table and Tavern is the place to go for an industrial surrounding offering comfort food with a gourmet touch and a specialty craft cocktail bar. The restaurant's interior was designed by award-winning local architects and seeks to pay tribute to the former occupant of the building, the historic Seed-Feed Supply Co. The overall environment tempers a sense of cozy elegance with rustic surroundings.

The restaurant offers separate menus for brunch, lunch, and dinner and features touches like grass-fed sloppy joes, Tremont burgers, and locally sourced chicken breast. It's located right in the heart of downtown Chattanooga.

1885 Grill specializes in high-quality steaks and seafood with traditional Southern sides, the best of local surf and turf. It's located in the St. Elmo neighborhood of Chattanooga and has a mission to not only offer outstanding food, but also to provide a welcoming place where people go to get away from the chaos of their life for a while.

The menu includes Southern staples like chicken and waffles and shrimp and grits, and it also offers unique takes like Scottish salmon, vegetarian mushroom and grits, and others. Weekly and daily specials are available and change all the time.

Scottie's On The River is a local seafood staple offering a wide range of traditional and craft seafood dishes, from crab cakes to lobster tail, in a casual dining atmosphere. The restaurant isn't entirely seafood, as you'll also find center-cut filet mignon and a variety of sandwiches. For those with dietary restrictions, gluten-free and vegetarian options are available.

Menu highlights include firecracker shrimp, maple-chipotle onion rings, crab-stuffed mushrooms, fried lobster tail, and classic fish and chips. It's located right in downtown on the riverfront.

State of Confusion is a brasserie and restaurant known for its wood-fired meats, seafood boils, and ceviche made from scratch and served up in exposed brick and industrial surroundings. The owners and chefs have traveled the world to sample unique cultural cuisine from all over and developed their menu from such diverse cultures as Peruvian, Argentine, and more, all now available right in the heart of Chattanooga's Southside neighborhood.

At this restaurant, you can try everything from Sicilian avocado toast to fried beef tacos, pan-seared chicken to Peruvian paella, and many other dishes in the fusion tradition.

Maple Street Biscuit Company offers comfort food with a modern twist and sustainable ingredients, like biscuits made fresh with artisanal flour and all-natural, never-frozen chicken.

Whether you're coming for the biscuits with sausage gravy or you're a vegetarian looking to try out the shitake mushroom gravy, you're sure to find something to spark your senses in this down-home establishment. Even their jams and jellies are house-made. The main location is on Broad Street, just a few minutes from the Moccasin Bend National Archaeological District.

Bluegrass Grill offers a traditional diner experience focused on Southern-style breakfasts, soup, and sandwiches offered up in a welcoming, casual setting. The establishment is family-owned and -operated and brings that sense of "welcome home" to the table for everyone who visits. The food is all made fresh to order, and the bread is baked in-house daily.

A range of options is available on the menu, from classic Southern fare to options for those with dietary restrictions, including vegan and gluten-free menus. Menu highlights include corned beef hash, Alderwood-smoked salmon frittata, and a dish of home fries with black beans, green onions, and salsa with Swiss cheese or tofu. The restaurant is right in the heart of downtown on Main Street.

Main Street Meats combines French New Orleans fusion with an active butcher shop and serves up fresh dishes for lunch and dinner with a complete cocktail menu. The restaurant is housed in the building that served as world's first Coca-Cola bottling plant.

Today, the location exemplifies a return to the age-old tradition of the Southern neighborhood butcher shop and combines that with a nationally-recognized wine and cocktail menu and classic French food fused with the flavor of New Orleans. Its raw bar features seafood drawn from all 3 North American coasts. It's right in downtown on Main Street.

St. John's Restaurant offers seasonal and upscale dining in a vintage setting that's outfitted with modern decor to provide a unique and relaxed experience. The restaurant is located in a historic hotel building constructed at the turn of the 20th century.

The menu features such succulent staples as lamb with cornbread grits, seared duck breast with confit, and Wagyu beef flat-iron. Vegan options, such as a plate of autumn vegetables and vegan cashew cheesecake, are available for those with dietary restrictions. It's located on Market Street in downtown.