Southern$$mlkSun-Thu 10:30-22:00; Fri-Sat 10:30-24:00
Champy's Famous Fried Chicken is Chattanooga's juke-joint-styled bird specialist on MLK Boulevard, frying to order with Delta tamales and cold beer.
Order: Quarter dark fried chicken, hot tamales, banana pudding.
Tip: Friday and Saturday the kitchen runs to midnight. Expect a wait after Lookouts games; the banana pudding travels well.
Pizzeria$$downtownDaily 11:00-22:00
Community Pie covers three pizza styles, Neapolitan, New York and Detroit, under one downtown Chattanooga roof at 850 Market Street, gelato included.
Order: A Detroit-style square, then a scoop of house gelato for dessert.
Tip: Open 11:00 to 22:00 every day; the all-weather patio seats walk-ins when the dining room is on a wait.
Korean$$south-broadMon-Fri 11:00-21:00; Sat 12:00-21:00; Sun 12:00-20:00
Han Mi cooks Korean family recipes on Broad Street south of downtown Chattanooga, a storefront that grew out of the Korean Underground supper series.
Order: Dak-galbi, then the pork cutlet if the table is hungry.
Tip: Chef Panda's menu is compact and sells through; arrive before the 12:00 rush on Saturdays when service starts at noon.
Pizzeria$$north-shoreSun-Thu 11:00-21:00; Fri-Sat 11:00-22:00
Fiamma Pizza Company works a wood-fired oven on North Market Street in Chattanooga, with Neapolitan technique learned under Roberto Caporuscio.
Order: The Salsiccia Pepe pizza, blistered from the wood oven.
Tip: North Shore's most serious pizza crust; go at 11:00 opening or after 20:00 to skip the family rush on weekends.
American$$north-shoreSun-Wed 11:00-21:00; Thu-Sat 11:00-22:00
Universal Joint fills a converted gas station on Lookout Street in North Shore Chattanooga with burgers, tacos, draft beer and a wraparound patio.
Order: A smash-style burger and whatever local draft is pouring.
Tip: Wednesday trivia and Thursday Mario Kart nights pack the bar; the garage doors open the whole room in good weather.
Burgers$$north-shoreMon 15:00-23:00; Tue-Wed 11:00-23:00; Thu-Sat 11:00-24:00; Sun 11:00-23:00; kitchen to 22:00 (23:00 Thu-Sat)
Tremont Tavern has hand-crafted burgers and a deep beer list on Hixson Pike in Chattanooga since 2006, a neighbourhood pub that takes its patties seriously.
Order: The house burger, medium, with a rotating Tennessee draft.
Tip: Kitchen runs to 22:00 most nights and 23:00 Thursday to Saturday; Monday opens at 15:00, not lunch.