Cocktail barMusic venue bar$mlkTicketed shows most nights; doors typically 20:00, sets from 21:00
JJ's Bohemia anchors Chattanooga's MLK corridor with indie, punk and hip-hop shows in a 150-capacity room where touring acts meet local bands.
Signature drink: Cheap cans between sets
Food: None
Tip: Check the calendar first; most nights are ticketed shows with doors around 20:00 and the room sells out for touring acts.
Cocktail barDance club$mccallieThu-Sat 20:00-02:45
Alan Gold's Discotheque has run drag shows and dance floors on McCallie Avenue since the 1980s, Chattanooga's long-serving LGBTQ+ nightlife institution.
Signature drink: Well drinks before the midnight show
Food: None
Tip: Thursday to Saturday only, 20:00 to 02:45; drag showtimes post on the club's events page, and the floor peaks after midnight.
Cocktail barHotel cocktail bar$$downtownDaily 16:00-24:00
Matilda Midnight serves astrology-and-tarot cocktails beneath a twinkling artificial night sky inside the Dwell Hotel in downtown Chattanooga.
Signature drink: Tarot-inspired house cocktails
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: Revived at the start of 2026 after a pause; nightly 16:00 to midnight, and the velvet front room suits small groups.
Cocktail barDistillery bar$$southsideDaytime tours and tastings; evening cocktails at the indoor and outdoor bars
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.
Signature drink: Gin cocktails on the award-winning flagship
Food: None; the Choo Choo complex feeds you
Tip: The flagship gin made the Beverage Tasting Institute's world-best list in April 2026; daytime tastings become cocktails after dark.
Cocktail barDistillery bar$$southsideDaily 11:00-20:00; guided tours by reservation
Chattanooga Whiskey pours Tennessee High Malt in the Experimental Distillery bar on Market Street, the city's first distillery in over a century.
Signature drink: Tennessee High Malt flight
Food: None
Tip: Hour-long tours with six pours book out on Tock; the bar serves without a tour if you just want a flight before dinner.
SpanishRooftop bar$$$downtownMon-Thu 16:00-23:00; Fri-Sat 16:00-24:00; closed Sunday
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.
Signature drink: Gin tonicas, Spanish-style
Food: Tapas and conservas
Tip: Closed Sunday; happy hour runs 16:00 to 19:00 on weekdays and the terrace rail tables go first in fair weather.