36 Best Southern Restaurants near East Ridge

“Love the newly remodeled Cracker Barrel in East Ridge! Great service and good food!“

“I always prefer the “made from scratch” & “Mom and Pop” type places instead of the big name restaurants. I happen to be looking at a Chattanooga magazine at my daughter‘s house while visiting last week and ran across a little feature on the Bluegrass Grill. Knowing I would be taking one of my daughters to lunch for her birthday while visiting, this sounded like the perfect place to try. And by golly, it certainly was the perfect place! Both of my daughters and I really enjoyed the Eggs Benedict and were pretty picky about our hollandaise sauce. My three grandsons enjoyed their pancakes and French toast and one took a chance at the jalapeño bacon and loved it. My daughters have lived in the area for several years but neither had been there before. I know they will be back and so will I during future visits! And reading the story behind the grill. What a blessing your history has been to so many people! Thank you for your compassion and your heart’s mission. That made the visit to the Bluegrass Grill even more special! God Bless you all!“

“Late lunch here and the food was fantastic! Hubby and I both had the Puckett’s BBQ-brisket for me and pork for him. Very tender meat and delicious side-smoked baked beans and potato salad. Friendly server who checked on us regularly. Definitely recommend“

“the food is amazing, though a bit sad they change the menu weekly...guess I'll try something new the next time I eat here and there WILL ne a next time“

“This is hands down the best restaurant we have ever ate at!! Been here three times this week and we are going back tonight to eat one more time before we leave hopefully Julius is working when we get there cause he was the best waiter I have ever had!“

“I had the veggie sandwich and the maple bacon brussel sprouts back in 2021 and I remembered how good it was to come back here in 2024 and order the exact same thing. Still amazing! And Brian is a great server.“

“Home cooking at a great price. Love their breakfast special…… its no less than a legendary restaurant loved by Chattanoogas locals.“

“This great hidden bar is a real gem! Located at the Kinely hotel behind a hidden door, the cocktails here are great and are done with a lot of care and precision that is felt and tasted! Intimate and laid back atmosphere, highly recommended!“

“First time visiting and we will return!! Food was fantastic- had the Kickin Kay Lynn and broccoli salad. Also the little cookies are so good! All the staff were very friendly, food came out quickly and you get a lot of food for the money - so it’s a great value! Thank you for a great lunch.“

“Had lunch there today. Fantastic. John and Tyler took care of us in the bar area. Great menu great service. We have a GF kid and they went out of the way to take care of that for us. It’s hard to find a place that actually takes that serious. Usually within an hour we have issues. They actually did what they said they would. Highly recommend.“

“This was my first visit. I was pleasantly surprised. I’ll be back.“

“They have a delicious cheese burger they are huge and taste great the service I’ve seen better.“

“The staff are great and so friendly. We so enjoyed our meal, food was great.“

“Dinner was wonderful and they made it very special. Our server was amazing. We got to try new food that was spectacular. The server recommended so many good items from the menu. We will certainly be back for more!“

“The food was exceptional but the experience was top notch bc of our server Ray. She was very friendly, very knowledgeable of the food, went above and beyond for us and her fellow servers to help when things got busy. Best service we’ve had in a long time. Overall, one of my favorite spots we have eaten at in Chattanooga. Highly recommend and ask for Ray!“

“Smoked meat done right. I’ve tried almost everything they make and it’s all been excellent.“

“Mary’s plate lunches are the best! No cans in her kitchen. Homemade desserts are delicious. And the grill is manned by Christopher and they will melt in your mouth YUMBO! The staff is attentive to your needs and they love the customers. No wonder they have been and stayed in business since 1918. Family owned and now run by the 4th generation. I’ve even seen the 5th and 6th generation helping when they are “in the weeds”. You owe it to yourself to eat there.“

“We had planned a trip to the Lodge Museum and store. I honestly didn't know about Big Bad Breakfast when we pulled in. Lucky for us, because we were hungry. We certainly weren't hungry when we left. I had the cathead biscuit. I'm so glad that I did. I thought it was wonderful. The chicken was super crisp and flavorful. The biscuit was easily the top of my list of best biscuits EVER. Now, I will warn you if you like soft bottom biscuits. This one wasn't. It was crisp, with a perfect cust like texture on the bottom. Just the way I like them. I'm just sorry there isn't a Big Bad Breakfast closer to home.“

“Great food, beer selection and patio space with a killer view of Chattanooga!“

“Great experience in fort Oglethorpe Georgia!!“

“Today my mom and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at Southern Star. We both had your food bar, and it was filled with healthy as well as good, old fashioned comfort food. My husband loves chicken and dressing, your special today, as well as cornbread, so I bought him a portion to go. When I got home, I warmed it up for him, and of course, he loved it too! I was glad that I grabbed some of your baked goods, and so far, we have devoured the HUGE ginger snap cookie!!! It takes me back…thank you all for being so kind and attentive, especially Donna and another sweet lady but I failed to get her name. Thank you all for this great experience!“

“Love the food and atmosphere. It’s like coming home to grandma‘s house and having a big hug. However, I hate the changes in the newly remodeled restaurants I have been in also, the side/vegetable portions have become so small they often look more like a child’s portion, leaving me having to order more or add on a child’s plate of vegetables. Oh yes, in the bathrooms are universally, dirty, smelly, and disgusting no matter how far or near I travel. I should know I eat 2 to 3 times a week at Cracker Barrel.“

“This is my very first bad review I am writing and I don't never give a bad review at all about my food and the night shift manager Erin and the cook. We had ordered their Cajun Grilled Chicken Sandwich and we got our sandwiches the Chicken was over cooked and really dried and we made a complaint to the night shift manager Erin and all she wanted to give us was a mashed potatoe and gravy to make up for the Cajun Grilled Chicken Sandwich and all she gave was 10% discount for our sandwiches being over cooked and very dry and burnt in spots. The cook should have not sent those sandwiches out the window like that and we not be going back to that Champy's in East Ridge at all. The mashed potatoes and gravy was insulting to us when the night shift manager could have gave us a bigger discount on our sandwiches instead of a small 10% discount or at least have the cook remake it the right way. I wished I would have taken a picture of the Cajun Grilled Chicken.
Our waitress was awesome, she had a great personality.“

“Awesome place to eat. Delicious food and exceptional service.“

“Will definitely be back. Very friendly people with great food. I ordered a double bacon cheeseburger and the lady behind the register warned me that the double comes with 4 patties, this was a deliciously huge burger. You got to try it.“

“Super welcoming, great energy and the food is amazing! The food was hot and fresh and the cocktails were even better! The staff was super friendly and attentive. Great music and great atmosphere. Highly recommend!“

“My husband brought this home last night, and I was very impressed! Chicken, potato wedges, and rolls were amazing! You should definitely give them a try!“

“Hi Choo Choo management and staff……. I’m from Massachusetts and today I had my first Tennessee barbecue from your establishment…….I don’t need to try barbecue anywhere else in Tennessee….. I had the pork ribs…… it was absolutely amazing……if I die today I die a happy man…….thank you for your expertise…… keep up the good work……. Simply amazing……..please share with your staff“

“The best fried chicken! Clients raved about this place and I finally had a chance to visit! We were seated immediately and service by Ann was amazing! She was friendly, attentive, and customer focused! Absolutely delicious fried chicken and frickles! You have to indulge yourself!“

“Excellent restaurant, great food and wide variety, friendly staff with quick service. Cheddars is my favorite go to place to eat“

“After several calls to Rock City Garden (no direct number to cafe), I wanted to check on this location for an anniversary lunch. I was given restaurant hours which included Monday’s. I was reluctantly transferred to cafe for other questions. Interestingly, the chef answered my call responding cafe was closed on Monday’s. Only light hor-d’oeuvre’s served on Monday’s which Rock City Gardens (how convenient when selling $50+ park passes) failed to disclose. The chef was strange up with help (5*’s); not so much with RCG’s. So Beware what’s lurking behind a phone call! Wish there was a way to Cafe 7 without going through a garden, particularly Rock City Garden.“

“Emma L. was our server tonight. We were watching the Bama/ TN game. She was extremely entertaining, along with the staff. She didn't make me feel bad that Bama lost. I give her 5 stars. Sophie H., Allie V., Arissa K., Katelyn G. were also extremely awesome. They make the Lee hwy Champy's a place i look forward to coming to.“

“Exceptional biscuit and the pepper jelly was AMAZING!!! I got the squawking goat biscuit and wish I could ate two! Also with I coulda taken some of the pepper jelly home with me! Well worth a stop if you’re visiting Chattanooga or just driving through like me. Also a great spot to hang for a while with a coffee bar and lots of seating to socialize or work.“

“Lilly was a sweetheart and brought my food to my car due to handicap issues...that's real customer service. My breakfast was fantastic. I have enough for tomorrow's breakfast. I purchased the five biscuit and two potato cakes. Gravy was super smooth and delisoso!“

“We come here quite often cuz I love their steak pasta, it’s always really good. Today we had Abbi for the first time as our sever and she was awesome! It’s always a hit or miss if we get rolls, even when we ask for them, but she made sure to bring us some and even offered another basket fresh out of the oven. She also checked on us a few times and was very friendly in general. Definitely had to leave a review this time cuz she was awesome!“

“Great service. Food great as usual.“