Edited 11/16/20 – Due to Covid, be careful when dining out! I can’t vouch for how well the restaurants below are handling virus precautions but make sure to still support your favorite restaurants by ordering take out or delivery! Don’t get sick but don’t let these local businesses die out. I removed a few that I could tell were gone but didn’t add any new ones that may have sprung up, so let me know if there’s something new in town I should add.
Let’s get back to our series on Chattanooga’s Local Restaurants. This time, we’ll look at the restaurants in East Brainerd and out towards Ooltewah and Collegedale. East Brainerd is the area around Hamilton Place Mall, so you won’t find a ton of non-chain restaurants here, but let’s see what we can find.
Check out my other posts on locally-owned restaurants downtown, in North Chattanooga, East Ridge & Brainerd Rd, and Lookout Mountain to Fort Oglethorpe.
EAST BRAINERD
First, let’s get off at the East Brainerd Rd exit and head down the road. But before we get to the real food, I need to point out that the Baskin Robbins at that exit has added some sort of Nestle Toll House component and is advertising build-your-own ice cream cookie sandwiches, so I may need to investigate…
EAST BRAINERD ROAD
GREG’S SANDWICH WORKS & FOOD TRUCK–Well, I lied–let’s start with this sandwich spot in the other direction, before where Brainerd Rd turns into Lee Highway. Greg & his team serve up sandwiches, wraps, loaded hot dogs, potatoes, and salads. I’m not sure if it’s a storefront and the food truck goes elsewhere, or if it’s just a food truck in the parking lot, however.
HIBACHI EXPRESS–This hibachi place has little to no seating (best take it to go) and is located on the corner of East Brainerd and Gunbarrel.
BONES’ SMOKEHOUSE–Bones’ moved from way down East Brainerd to this spot in an old Igle’s location across from the Post Office. They pride themselves on authentic southern pit-smoked BBQ with all the fixing for your dinner or event. NOTE: Bones’ Smokehouse was destroyed in a tornado spring of 2020, but there is still hope that they will rebuild or relocate!
LUPI’S PIZZA–East Brainerd outposts of the popular downtown/St. Elmo restaurants can be found in a little strip next to a Tasty Donut, across from the Food City.
CHOO CHOO BBQ–You can also find a Choo Choo BBQ on East Brainerd, for great meat and fixings. Like the other locations, this is more of a walk-up/drive-through than a sit-down restaurant.
PLAZA DEL SOL–You can find this festive Mexican restaurant a little past Graysville Rd, serving all the typical dishes.
HONG KONG CHINESE–This is kind of a typical Chinese restaurant, located in the strip next to the Publix.
LOLA BEANS COFFEE–I probably shouldn’t get into all the coffee shops around but this one is new and really good! And I think they *do* sell some food! And they are super friendly. It’s a drive-through location only.
GUNBARREL ROAD
KABOB-STER–You can get falafel, shwarma wraps, and all manner of kabobs with tzatziki sauce, hummus, and other tasty Mediterranean sides. In a strip at the East Brainerd end of Gunbarrel with a small amount of seating inside.
FORBIDDEN CITY–This mega buffet serves every kind of Chinese dish plus sushi, plus probably a lot of other things. It’s definitely the spot for those who want to try a wide variety of things!
ACROPOLIS GRILL–You can get upscale Greek and Mediterranian food at this Chattanooga staple. Also, purchase whole cakes or buy by the slice.
CHATTANOOGA SALAD COMPANY–Operated by the Ankar’s folks, this healthy spot is only open until 5 pm daily (3 pm Sundays) so it’s mostly for lunch and snacks. Offering sandwiches, wraps, fresh-to-order salads, and 1/2 off smoothies from 2-4 every day!
PIER 88 BOILING SEAFOOD & BAR–This looks to be a small chain, serving Louisiana-style seafood, like low-country boils with shrimp, crawfish, corn, and potatoes. It’s unique for this area, so it’s worth checking out!
LEE HIGHWAY
MIKADO THAI ESAN (now called IPHO, I think)-Housed in an old Pizza Hut, this Vietnamese restaurant offers a wide array of yummy-looking dishes (that you can luckily order by number if you can’t pronounce it.)
TACO ROC–Taco Roc is amazing for authentic Mexican tacos. This was the only place I’ve had a cactus taco, and it was really good!
DOSA HUT–I think this might have taken the place of the Curry Pot, a well-loved restaurant in my circle of friends. Still serving North & South Indian cuisine, I hope the Dosa Hut lives up to its predecessor.
RAIN THAI BISTRO–I feel that Rain used to be a lot nicer than it is now, or maybe we’ve just all gotten used to Thai food and it doesn’t feel so special anymore. But it seems to have gotten more casual and the prices have gone down. It’s still very good, and you can still sit on the floor in the rain room.
CHAMPY’S–This is the Lee Highway version of downtown’s Champy’s fried chicken and a larger one at that. It looks like a piece of Louisiana plunked down in the parking lot.
KACEY HOME COOKING–I think this place has been here forever, serving up southern staples on a buffet line.
CHOPSTIX–For modern Vietnamese and Korean cuisine, try Chopstix on Lee. They also have boba tea!
PLANT POWER CAFE–There’s another vegan cafe on Lee worth trying out. It looks like there are lots of options, from veggie noodles to meat replacement options like oatburger sliders and black bean patties.
MOLCAJETE MEXICAN RESTAURANT–This does look like a small chain from Alabama, but this Mexican restaurant looks worth a cruise through their large menu of authentic dishes.
SEOUL KOREAN & VIETNAMESE–In the shopping complex near Pin Strikes at the intersection of Lee Highway and 153, you’ll find what I think its the original Korean & Vietnamese restaurant in Chattanooga. I know when I visited it was several years ago!
TACOS EL CUNAO–This fun spot looks like a great place to try some authentic Mexican food.
MISC
FAT BOY’S ROADSIDE EATS–I wasn’t sure where to put this one–it’s buried near my neighborhood on Standifer Gap. This small roadside stand features BIG eats with burgers, burritos, loaded and fried appetizers and more. They also cater.
OOLTEWAH
COUCH’S BBQ–This pit BBQ restaurant has been serving their smoked meats since 1946!
CHINA ROSE CHINESE RESTAURANT–This spot serves all your Chinese favorites for takeout or eating in. The website is charmingly old-fashioned! Make sure to turn down your speakers.
THAI CHILI ASIAN BISTRO–Perhaps a little less basic, the Thai Chili serves yummy curry and noodle dishes. The reviews are all very favorable!
THAI SPICE OOLTEWAH–Thai Spice is a more modern take on the above takeaway restaurant, and more suited for dining in.
WINE DOWN OOLTEWAH–Now *this* place has my attention! Featuring a selection of wines and cocktails (at a reasonable price, too!), you can also find a full menu to complement your alcohol.
SOUTHERN BURGER CO–The focus here is on good burgers and craft beer. They offer specialty bison and chorizo burgers and you can build any variation you like with any patty, be it ground beef, veggie, bison, chicken, or turkey. Plus I like that they have grilled veggies as a side and a 50/50 option to combine any of the fried sides.
LUPI’S PIZZA OOLTEWAH–Another outpost of the popular Lupi’s Pizza! I feel like Lupi’s, Mojo’s, Champy’s, and Clumpies Ice Cream are “our” Chattanoogan chains–we love them so much, we have them in every neighborhood.
BEYOND THE GARDEN GATE TEA ROOM–This quaint and classic tearoom in the Mountain Oak Wedding Chapel is a fun and girly getaway for lunches and special-occasion dinners.
COUNTRYSIDE CAFE–Farther out in Ooltewah towards Cleveland, you’ll find the long-standing Countryside Cafe, offering up homestyle cooking plus pie and cake! They’ve won “Best of the Best” awards for years, so you know they’ve got to be good.
KEVIN BROWN BURGERS–Across the street from Countryside, you’ll find this diner-like joint serving staples like burgers or brisket chili. I see a lot of cookies on their Facebook, so that may also be an option!
COLLEGEDALE
LOS POTROS–I may have missed this one in East Ridge, but there is a second location in Ooltewah/Collegedale (it’s so hard to know where one city ends and the other begins!) Get your basic Mexican favorites here!
CHINA KITCHEN–Another Chinese standby, the China kitchen is open for dining in or taking out.
4 CORNERS CAFE–This café looks wonderful, with a full breakfast menu, smoothies, hot & cold coffee drinks, hot tea, boba tea, panini sandwiches, salads, and gelato. GELATO. Hooray!
AJI PERUVIAN RESTAURANT–I think this may be the only Peruvian restaurant in Chattanooga, and I’ve heard it’s really good! “Aji” means pepper in Peru, and they import several varieties for their dishes of rotisserie chicken, salads, sandwiches, and seafood.
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