When I moved to Chattanooga, people often told me about a place I had to try for lunch. I procrastinated and then found out it was closed. Then, by some miracle, it was open once again, and something told me to hurry up and eat there in case it closed again.
I finally did. I’m talking about the iconic Zarzour’s Café. Although owner Joe “Dixie” Fuller isn’t at the diner every day, photos of him and his beloved wife Shannon still hang on the walls.
Shannon died in 2022 after battling lung cancer and Joe was going to sell the place and retire. The diner was closed for one week in October 2023. But the buyer pulled out of the deal and Joe brought back his original crew and reopened.
I had heard and read so many good things about this place. I finally decided to take the leap and find out what everyone was talking about. Outside the menu displays their special for the day and other tasty options.
When I walked in, I was surprised at how small it was inside. Every table was full with long time regular customers talking about today’s news, what’s going on with family and gossip.
Joe’s original crew was busy. Mary was taking orders and working in the back kitchen, Hayley was serving folks, and Chris was slinging burgers and managing the flat-top grill. Mary is the longest member of the Zarzour family. She’s been cooking and serving folks for more than 25 years.
I took a seat at the bar counter. Hayley was quick to ask me if I had any questions and to go over the menu with me. It was that obvious that I was a newbie here. I was the new kid at the counter.
Chicken pot pie was the special of the day offered up with one or two sides, but I already knew what I wanted to try and ordered a cheeseburger, and fries.
“You want that all the way,” Hayley asked explaining, all the way meant with lettuce, onions, tomatoes, pickles and mayonnaise.
“Hold the pickles and tomato,” I replied and started to look at the photos and the quirky license plates on the wall. It felt like being in a house, well technically it was part of the family’s house back in the day.
Zarzour’s has been in the Fuller family for 107 years. It was once the home and business of Joe’s great-great-grandfather, Abe Zarzour, his wife and five children. Family photos are still hanging on the wall including a big one of Shannon and Joe. The Café is the oldest eating establishment in the Scenic City.
One customer asked Hayley how Joe was doing. “He’s okay,” she said. “He doesn’t come in every day. He is just hanging out in his Airstream RV.”
Joe still pops in every now and then to dish up his family’s chili using the family’s secret recipe. He also makes homemade ice cream. You’ll need to follow the Café’s Facebook for those specials. You can tell that Shannon was, and Joe continues to be the heart and soul of the diner.
Chris drops a meat patty on the flat-top grill, and it sizzles. Smoke billows upward. The grill is small, but it packs a century of seasoning into the food that is cooked on it. The hamburger aroma wafts in the air and lingers in your hair and clothing, but you wear it proudly, like it was a bottle of $100 perfume.
Mary steps into the dining area from the back kitchen, cell phone in hand, “Hulk Hogan died,” she said.
“I knew there would be a third,” I said. “When it comes to celebrities it always seems to happen in threes.”
Mary said one of her relatives said the same thing and now she’d have to call him and admit he was right. The customer behind me starts talking to his friend about the death of Malcolm Jamal Warner, Ozzy Osbourne and now Hulk Hogan.”
Suddenly, I was one of the regulars, conversing with the crew and feeling like it was my hundredth time at the diner. The crew at Zarzour’s Café sets you at ease with their welcoming nature, southern charm and sassiness and their made from scratch southern classic foods.
The burger was perfect. The onions were cut so thinly you could see right through them. The bun was toasted on the grill and the fries – classic crinkle cut!
“Hey hon, want some ketchup and salt,” Hayley asked.
“Yes, thank you,” I said while snapping a photo of the burger.
The soft, pillowy bun, the crispy lettuce, perfectly melted American cheese, the onions, and the hidden mustard drizzled under the burger patty – a magical blend of flavors.
I will not procrastinate in returning, especially when Joe brings in his specially made ice cream flavors and when they have chicken and dumplings, or chili, or pork tenderloin, or spicy beef and macaroni and so on.
This place is older than Arnold’s Diner from the Happy Days TV series. The bold and intentional menu items bring back some of that same nostalgic feeling, even down to their method of payment. Be ready to bring cash. Checks and cash are the only currency their antique register will accept.
The Café is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. It’s closed on Saturdays and Sundays.
Zarzour’s Café
- 1627 Rossville Ave., Chattanooga
- (423) 266-0424
- Facebook: facebook.com/zarzourscafe/
- $$ - $$$