Great places to eat in Chattanooga (school, income, live)

[ChattanoogaSucks]

McDonalds in Soddy Daisy and also Taco Bell all locations.

What's your favorite chattanooga restaurant ?

Also we have a big mall with eat places in it.

thanks.

[bballjunkie]

We were at the Big River Bar and Grille downtown last weekend and enjoyed it.

[dasmarian]

Wow ChattanoogaSucks, you are definitely a quality contributor and clearly knowledgeable when it comes to the under $10.00 meal scene. I have eaten at neither of the places you've mentioned, but let me know when you're working and maybe I'll stop by.

[gulfgirl]

Too funny! Well, yes I would love to know some of the better places to eat in Chattanooga---sorry Mickie D's I do not consider truly a restaurant--Dasmarian you seem to have a handle on the area and since I previously posted about looking for work in the restaurant biz while going to school in Chatt, maybe you could give me some names of places that have great food and do great business!

[etta]

This OP is an idiot. That is all that comes to mind.

[dasmarian]

Gulfgirl,

Downtown for higher server income I'd suggest Hennen's, Alleia, St. John's, or St. John's Meeting Place. In Bluff View (essentially downtown) are a couple others that do a high tourism trade . . . Tony's and Back Inn Cafe. Another just outside downtown is The Boathouse, which is super popular with the Baby Boomer set and is always busy. These are probably the busiest high-end establishments but is in no way a complete list of downtown restaurants.

[lolou]

I'd like to add Terra Nostra (northshore) to this list. We just ate there on Tuesday for the first time - it's a tapas restaurant. Excellent food, pretty good service, and very reasonable prices.

[jkmewright]

Lolou, how does the whole tapas thing work? I have been wanting to go there... Thanks

[lolou]

I think tapas are good for a larger group - basically, the dishes are all pretty small (think appetizer-sized dishes). The idea is to order a bunch of dishes and then share them among the group. You get to sample a whole bunch of food without committing to just one thing.

[dasmarian]

We love Terra Nostra, its one of our favorite places to eat in the Noog, although I think it is sadly under-visted (which is why I didn't mention it above as a good place for a server). Never very crowded but oh so good. We always have a wonderful intimate dinner there, and behind Hennen's it is one of our favorite places to take out of town visitors because it is consistently delicious with an amazing offering of international delicacies. For a reasonably sized dinner you might order roughly 3 items (per person). They bring them to you as they are prepared, so if you want to space your meal, enjoy different wines, you can order one or two at a time. You can share if you are so inclined but it isn't necessarily a place for big groups. I believe it is an excellent choice for a nice dinner date. It is not cheap though, just be aware.

I'd recommend their Moroccan crepe and Spring lamb. . . both make my mouth water thinking of them. They also have a nice olive platter . . . but I digress. Everything they have is good, fresh, and the large menu is surprising considering the quality of the food.