Old favorites, new taste sensations
Big River Grille & Brewing Works has been a staple in local Chattanooga dining for over 20 years now. The restaurant and brewery started downtown at the Broad Street location and has since expanded to Hamilton Place and even Florida’s DisneyWorld. So—what makes Big River Grille & Brewing Works such a success?
To begin with, Big River serves that good-feeling comfort food we all love. Eclectic–American cuisine is what we call it, but it’s so much more than that. Nearly everything that comes on your plate is made in-house, from scratch. The menu’s got everything from seafood to pizza, salads to enchiladas—and it’s all fantastic.
And the food is only half of it. The brewery crafts a variety of excellent local beers right there in the restaurant. A beer at Big River is as fresh as it gets. Big River keeps six home brews on tap at all times. They also rotate two-to-four seasonal or small batch beers, depending on the time of year. Of course, if you just want your go-to American beer, Big River always has plenty available. The brewery occasionally throws a tapping party whenever a particularly good new beer is tapped. The last tapping party happened in late October, and celebrated a new pumpkin ale…and the next tapping party is scheduled for December 4.
A restaurant’s environment is almost as important as its food, and Big River delivers on both counts. The music that plays overhead is that feel-good rock n’ roll from all eras. The entire restaurant is well lit, but the lighting is low enough to keep the mood relaxed. The ceiling goes up, up, up, and the dining areas are huge. Big River is essentially broken down into three sections: dining, billiards, and south bar. Within these sections, you can easily find some privacy or nestle yourself in the crowd. If you look around during the dinner rush, you’re bound to see people aged anywhere from 18 to 80. And, depending on the season, the ratio of tourists to locals hovers around 1:1. This is the best part about Big River—its wide-reaching accessibility. There’s something for everyone to enjoy here.
To keep the myriad restaurant-goers on their toes, Big River constantly tweaks its menu. Twice every year, Big River reinvigorates the old menu with new ideas, and the time for a new menu is now. The local favorites are still there: the delicious Cajun fish tacos and the flame-grilled meatloaf.
But now we’ve got access to a new Maker’s Mark bourbon-glazed salmon and fresh Black Angus burgers. Then there’s the whole new “Hot Off the Grill” section that offers filet medallions, top sirloins, and cold smoked sockeye salmon. To top it all off, Big River’s created sauces like the whiskey gorgonzola cream sauce and the charred habanero tomato salsa.
With the combination of classic and new available at Big River, you can’t go wrong. Come in any day of the week and have yourself a homemade brew and that American comfort food you love.
Big River Grille & Brewing Works
A Chattanooga tradition for great food and locally brewed beer.
Downtown
222 Broad St., (423) 267-2739
Hamilton Place
2020 Hamilton Pl Blvd., (423) 553-7723