Eat in St. Elmo, Chattanooga

Little Coyote ★ 4.7

Little Coyote smokes Texas-style brisket for tacos on house tortillas in St. Elmo, Chattanooga's only Bib Gourmand in the 2025 Michelin American South guide.

OrderSmoked brisket with house-made tortillas and pinto beans.

TipSaturday and Sunday open at 11:30 for full-day service; weekdays are dinner only from 16:00. Same Niel family as Easy Bistro.

The Purple Daisy Picnic Cafe ★ 4.2

The Purple Daisy Picnic Cafe plates barbecue and picnic fare at the base of Lookout Mountain in St. Elmo, Chattanooga, next to the Incline Railway.

OrderThe BBQ plate, or the Rainbow sandwich if you want the local cult order.

TipClosed Sunday. Order at the counter and take the side garden; it is the natural lunch stop after riding the Incline down.

Tacos El Tote ★ 4.5

Tacos El Tote parks its truck at 5601 St Elmo Avenue in Chattanooga, handing out birria tacos with consomme, street corn and breakfast burritos.

TryBirria tacos with consomme

TipWeekdays 09:00 to 19:00 and closed weekends, the reverse of most trucks; the birria quesadilla with broth is the cold-day order.

Mad Knight Brewing Company ★ 4.0

Mad Knight Brewing Company pours small-batch beer from a basement taproom on Tennessee Avenue in St. Elmo, Chattanooga's take on the neighbourhood nano.

TipIt sits on the same Tennessee Avenue strip as Little Coyote, a block south; look for the downstairs entrance and check social feeds before a special trip.

Tacos El Tote ★ 4.5

Tacos El Tote hands birria tacos and street corn out of a St Elmo Avenue truck window in Chattanooga at prices a sit-down room cannot touch.

TryBirria tacos with consomme

TipWeekdays 09:00 to 19:00 and closed weekends, the reverse of most trucks; the birria quesadilla with broth is the cold-day order.

Tacos El Tote ★ 4.5

Tacos El Tote parks at the far south end of St Elmo Avenue in Chattanooga, a weekday-only truck whose birria rewards the detour past the Incline.

Why locals goIt sits beyond the St Elmo restaurant strip and closes weekends, so visitors rarely cross its path.

TipWeekdays 09:00 to 19:00 and closed weekends, the reverse of most trucks; the birria quesadilla with broth is the cold-day order.

Mad Knight Brewing Company ★ 4.0

Mad Knight Brewing Company brews in a basement under Tennessee Avenue in St. Elmo, the Chattanooga taproom you find only by knowing it is there.

Why locals goA downstairs door on a residential-scaled block, limited hours, and no kitchen to advertise it.

TipIt sits on the same Tennessee Avenue strip as Little Coyote, a block south; look for the downstairs entrance and check social feeds before a special trip.