Cocktails, wine bars and dives: drinking in Chattanooga for grown-ups.
Cocktail bars, wine bars, dive bars and gastropubs: drinking in Chattanooga for grown-ups.
The Bitter Alibi stacks three storeys of dive-bar comfort in an old house on Houston Street in Chattanooga, cocktails and late plates until midnight.
DrinkHouse cocktails and cheap pours
FoodKitchen until late
TipThe third floor hosts the Dilemma cocktail bar, Thursday to Sunday from 18:00; the porch is the best seat in the house.
Whiskey Thief keeps 100 whiskeys behind Chattanooga's first rooftop cocktail lounge, on top of the Edwin Hotel with Walnut Street Bridge views.
DrinkTennessee whiskey flights
FoodRooftop small plates
TipThe roof opens at 14:00 on Saturday and Sunday and at 16:00 the rest of the week; for a daytime meal, brunch is downstairs at Whitebird.
Pickle Barrel has poured from a century-old flatiron wedge on Market Street since 1982, Chattanooga's definitive late-night dive with a roof deck.
DrinkRotating craft drafts
FoodBurgers and fried pickles to close
TipStrictly 21 and over at all times. The wedge-shaped roof deck is the best people-watching perch downtown.
Westbound Honky-Tonk brings line dancing and country bands to Station Street in Chattanooga's Southside on weekends, boots-on and loud on purpose.
DrinkLongnecks and whiskey shots
FoodNone; eat on Station Street first
TipFree line-dancing lessons Thursday at 20:00; Friday and Saturday it runs to 03:00, among the latest closes in the city.
JJ's Bohemia anchors Chattanooga's MLK corridor with indie, punk and hip-hop shows in a 150-capacity room where touring acts meet local bands.
DrinkCheap cans between sets
FoodNone
TipCheck the calendar first; most nights are ticketed shows with doors around 20:00 and the room sells out for touring acts.
Alan Gold's Discotheque has run drag shows and dance floors on McCallie Avenue since the 1980s, Chattanooga's long-serving LGBTQ+ nightlife institution.
DrinkWell drinks before the midnight show
FoodNone
TipThursday to Saturday only, 20:00 to 02:45; drag showtimes post on the club's events page, and the floor peaks after midnight.
Matilda Midnight serves astrology-and-tarot cocktails beneath a twinkling artificial night sky inside the Dwell Hotel in downtown Chattanooga.
DrinkTarot-inspired house cocktails
FoodBar snacks
TipRevived at the start of 2026 after a pause; nightly 16:00 to midnight, and the velvet front room suits small groups.
Gate 11 Distillery pours its own gin, rum and whiskey at the Chattanooga Choo Choo terminal, a family micro-distillery with indoor and garden bars.
DrinkGin cocktails on the award-winning flagship
FoodNone; the Choo Choo complex feeds you
TipThe flagship gin made the Beverage Tasting Institute's world-best list in April 2026; daytime tastings become cocktails after dark.
Chattanooga Whiskey pours Tennessee High Malt in the Experimental Distillery bar on Market Street, the city's first distillery in over a century.
DrinkTennessee High Malt flight
FoodNone
TipHour-long tours with six pours book out on Tock; the bar serves without a tour if you just want a flight before dinner.
Paloma Bar de Tapas runs a tenth-floor rooftop bar on the Westin Chattanooga, Spanish drinks and tapas floating above the downtown Pine Street grid.
DrinkGin tonicas, Spanish-style
FoodTapas and conservas
TipClosed Sunday; happy hour runs 16:00 to 19:00 on weekdays and the terrace rail tables go first in fair weather.
JMac's Vino & Vinyl plays records and pours deep wine flights in a mid-century room on Georgia Avenue, downtown Chattanooga's original listening bar.
DrinkBy-the-glass wine flights
FoodCharcuterie boards
TipLive music Saturdays and open-mic nights midweek; closed Sunday and Monday, and seats are few, so arrive at 17:00 open.
Hi-Fi Clyde's works as Southside Chattanooga's big-room bar on West Main Street, live stages, murals, long bar and games, open to 01:00 on weekends.
DrinkPitchers with the game on
FoodTex-Mex-leaning kitchen to 22:00
TipFriday and Saturday the bar pours to 01:00; weeknights it winds down at 23:00, and the kitchen holds to 22:00 every night.
STIR carves 300-pound ice blocks for cocktails beside its raw bar at the Chattanooga Choo Choo, more than 350 bottles behind the Market Street bar.
DrinkBarrel-aged cocktail over hand-carved ice
FoodFull seafood kitchen
TipWeekend brunch runs 10:00 to 14:30. The bar stays open to midnight nightly and to 01:00 Friday and Saturday, rare for a Chattanooga seafood room.
The Rosecomb is the neighbourhood bar Chattanooga's Riverview didn't know it needed, cocktails, unusual wines and Appalachian plates in a cottage.
DrinkCraft cocktails and Tennessee beers
FoodKitchen to 22:00
TipMonday is industry night with 30 percent off for bar and restaurant staff; Wednesday is burger and pint night.
1 hour
Learn how to make a cocktail from a professional bartender in Chattanooga. Enjoy a fun and interactive experience with a small group.
Guided tour · 3 hours
Discover the flavors of Chattanooga on a guided food tour of the downtown district. Savor the flavors of the city as you enjoy a variety of dishes at up to four curate...
Guided tour · 3 hours
Discover the flavors of Chattanooga on a food-focused walking tour. Visit four different restaurants and meet the proprietors behind them, all while tasting tapas-size...