Highest-rated Southern restaurants in Chattanooga by diners

When you travel below the Mason-Dixon Line, you'll find some of the most mouthwatering, comforting cuisine in the U.S.: Southern food.

Southern dishes are a vital part of American cuisine, from hushpuppies to ham hocks and beignets to barbecue. It's impossible to define a classic Southern meal, but a solid one starts with the sharp savory flavor of pimento cheese dip, followed by the delicious crunchiness of fried chicken or a spicy Louisiana 茅touff茅e, culminating with a sugary slice of chess pie that's best washed down with a tall glass of sweet tea.

What's unique about Southern fare is that multiple ethnic and cultural groups have influenced it. Spanish staples, such as potatoes and cocoa, are in many Southern dishes; the Acadians, who traveled to Louisiana from Nova Scotia and later became Louisiana Creoles, contributed their seafood to many Southern meals; African ingredients鈥攐kra, sorghum (an ancient grain), and black-eyed peas鈥攂ecame a part of the cuisine through the forced labor of enslaved people; French cooking methods, like braising and saut茅ing, are used for many Southern recipes; and Native Americans introduced corn to Southern recipes, yielding dishes like succotash and grits.

The Southern culinary scene is an explosion of cultures. To find out where you can sample some Southern offerings, compiled a list of the highest-rated Southern restaurants in the Chattanooga area using data from as of May 2, 2025. Businesses were selected using Yelp's ranking system, which calculates an adjusted rating value that takes into account the number of ratings as well as the rating score itself. Only restaurants with at least 20 reviews tagged as "southern" on Yelp within a 10-kilometer radius of Chattanooga were included. As a result, some restaurants featured may serve other food items.

Read on to find the perfect spot to get a taste of the South near you.

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#17. Sticky Fingers Rib House

- Rating: 3.5/5 (674 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 420 Broad St. Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Categories: Barbecue, American, Southern
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#16. Champy's Famous Fried Chicken

- Rating: 3.6/5 (125 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 6515 Ringgold Road Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Categories: Chicken Shop, Southern, Beer Bar
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#15. Puckett's Restaurant

- Rating: 3.8/5 (480 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2 West Aquarium Way Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Categories: Southern, Breakfast & Brunch, Barbecue
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#14. Choo Choo Bar-B-Que

- Rating: 3.9/5 (58 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 7910 East Brainerd Road Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Categories: Barbecue, Southern, Hot Dogs
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#13. Big Bad Breakfast - Chattanooga

- Rating: 4.0/5 (86 reviews)
- Address: 313 Manufacturers Road UNIT 119 Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, Southern, New American
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#12. Bea's Restaurant

- Rating: 4.0/5 (164 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4500 Dodds Ave. Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Categories: Southern, American
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#11. Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar

- Rating: 4.0/5 (1087 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1110 Market St. Ste 121 Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, Southern, American
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#10. Champy's Famous Fried Chicken

- Rating: 4.1/5 (378 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 6925 Lee Hwy Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Categories: Southern, Chicken Shop, Beer Bar
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#9. Wally's Restaurant

- Rating: 4.1/5 (49 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1600 McCallie Ave. Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Categories: Southern, American
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#8. Southern Star

- Rating: 4.2/5 (85 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1300 Broad St. Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Categories: Southern
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#7. Basecamp Bar & Restaurant

- Rating: 4.3/5 (184 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 346 Frazier Ave. Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Categories: Bars, Southern, Salad
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#6. Champy's Famous Fried Chicken

- Rating: 4.3/5 (1011 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 526 East Ml King Blvd. Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Categories: Southern, Chicken Wings, Beer Bar
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#5. Easy Bistro

- Rating: 4.4/5 (119 reviews)
- Address: 801 Chestnut St. Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Categories: New American, Southern
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#4. Public House

- Rating: 4.5/5 (975 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1110 Market St. Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Categories: New American, Southern
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#3. Company Chattanooga

- Rating: 4.5/5 (28 reviews)
- Address: 1409 Market St. Kinley Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Categories: Southern, Bars, Tapas/Small Plates
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#2. Bluegrass Grill

- Rating: 4.5/5 (467 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 55 East Main St. Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Categories: Southern, Sandwiches, Breakfast & Brunch
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#1. Old Man Rivers Table and Tavern

- Rating: 4.9/5 (64 reviews)
- Address: 118 Cross St. Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Categories: Southern, Cocktail Bars, Seafood
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