Universal Joint is an american restaurant in North Shore, Chattanooga.
Editorially verified August 18, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Must 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.
Address: 532 Lookout Street, Chattanooga, TN 37403
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.
Taco Mamacita builds made-from-scratch fresh-mex tacos and margaritas on North Market Street in Chattanooga's North Shore, a block off Coolidge Park.
Order: Two tacos and a handcrafted margarita on the patio.
Tip: Open daily to 22:00, and 23:00 on Friday and Saturday; the Monen family group also runs Milk & Honey two doors down.
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.
Taco Mamacita builds made-from-scratch fresh-mex tacos and margaritas on North Market Street in Chattanooga's North Shore, a block off Coolidge Park.
Order: Two tacos and a handcrafted margarita on the patio.
Tip: Open daily to 22:00, and 23:00 on Friday and Saturday; the Monen family group also runs Milk & Honey two doors down.
Lupi's Pizza Pies has hand-tossed New York-style pizza on Broad Street in Chattanooga since 1996, Dorris Shober's homegrown answer to the chains.
Order: A hand-tossed large with local toppings and craft beer.
Tip: Closed Mondays downtown. The dough and sauce are made daily; expect a proper rise, not a cracker crust.
White Duck Taco Shop serves globally-topped tacos counter-style on McCallie Avenue in Chattanooga, opened June 2025 with a huge outdoor patio and full bar.
Order: Two or three off-format tacos; the list changes often.
Tip: Owners Adam Lutz and Nelson Taylor spent six years building the site; a house brewery, Totality, is being added on the campus.
Uncle Larry's Restaurant fries whiting, tilapia and catfish to order on MLK Boulevard in Chattanooga, Larry Torrence's family fish house since 2013.
Order: The whiting sandwich, lemon-pepper style, with hot sauce.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The MLK original is tiny; Brainerd Road and East Brainerd locations take the overflow.
Wally's Restaurant has served Chattanooga meat-and-three plates on McCallie Avenue since 1937, from drive-in burgers to today's homecooked vegetables.
Order: Meat-and-three with whatever vegetables came in that morning.
Tip: Breakfast from 06:00 on weekdays; Saturday closes at noon and Sunday is dark. Cash-friendly, counter-fast service.
