Bantam & Biddy — Restaurant in Chattanooga

UPDATE: Can no longer recommend this place. Knocking down from 5 stars to 2. Came back in May 16 2021 and because of our good experience last August planned to meet family for breakfast on Sunday morning before we all left town. This time was terrible. No table service like last time, only 2 people working the counter taking orders and neither seemed to know what they were doing. We were the only people (8 of us) there for at least 30-45 minutes. We ordered 5 lattes and 8 water. They brought empty glasses to the table and set them in front of us but no water. It took 20+ minutes for them to start bringing the lattes to the table. My husband's was cold when he took his first sip. We then asked if they were going to bring us a pitcher of water, they said no, it is self serve. We were not told that when he set the glasses on the table. We ordered our food at the counter. 2 yogurt parfait, an omelet dish, chicken and waffles, biscuits and gravy, 3 chicken fingers and 2 sides of fried okra and jalapenos. I didn't try anyone else's food but my chicken fingers were dry and/or rubbery, batter seemed off, had to ask for the wasabi honey that is supposed to come with it. The fried okra and jalapenos had the same batter, not up to par with what we had last fall and the amount served was much less than what we got last time. Husband's biscuits and gravy looked ok but were just maybe room temp and he said one of the biscuits wasn't cooked. Very disappointing this time and embarrassing because we told the family how great the food was. Hard to mess up yogurt and eggs but they did charge for 3 yogurt instead of the 2 ordered. They told us they credited it back but then as we were leaving, followed us outside and said they had not and we would have to come back in and they would void the entire order and re-ring it to correct it. Not worth waiting for all that as slow as they were.

Aug 2020 Food is excellent! Chicken tenders with wasabi honey for dipping, fried okra and jalapenos. Batter is super crispy. Husband had cheddar biscuits and sausage gravy. Biscuits are huge. Good selection of drinks also, recommend the Midnight Bramble and the Blueberry Lemon Drop martini. Great...

Had my first experience at BANTAM & BIDDY today, and I'm happy to report it was a good one.

This restaurant does several things right in a rather "innovative" way, and that really put them on my good side --

First off, they serve breakfast 'till 3pm. Unprecedented, but definitely a necessity for us late-risers who cherish the first meal of the day.

And although their juice machine was out-of-order, I was pleased to see that they offer fresh-squeezed O.J. "on-tap" (AGAIN, totally unheard of, but mind-blowingly nice to see.)

I ordered the french toast, and it was absolutely scrumptious with every mouthful, sprinkled as it was with powdered sugar and fresh blueberries.

And, SPEAKING of FRESH: Everything at Bantam & Biddy is made-to-order with no preservatives.

(Gluten-free is also an option for most menu items.)

I washed my meal down with the house coffee (also self-serv / on-tap) and a hearty blend it was -- just right for getting the day started.

Service was also excellent, and my waitress checked on me frequently in a genuine manner to see if I needed anything. All of the staff, actually, were very helpful and courteous, even helping me get onto their wi-fi.

The restaurant is also very "Earth-friendly" and I was happy to see that they use paper straws for their soft drink offerings.

Lastly, the restaurant is an easy walking distance to Cooper's Alley if you would like to eat outside.

• ONE small SUGGESTION: The overhead music, while made up of excellent selections, is entirely TOO LOUD.

(When I walked in the door it was like entering a nightclub. The waitress even had to shout at me to take my order.

I rest my case.)

Other than that, a very positive experience. I will definitely be back to try their...

Nearly the entire menu is gluten-free. What? YES!

This may not seem like a big deal, but this was the first time I’ve had a restaurant waffle in YEARS. And it was good! Now, the chicken is on a whole new level. It’s crispy, well spiced, and juicy. I honestly can’t believe their breaded fried chicken is so good while being gluten-free.

The meatloaf was very good and had a nice sauce, their salad was heavy on the dressing but tasty, the mac & cheese was bland but fine, the cornbread was a bit sweet but it’s hard to find legit southern cornbread at any restaurant unfortunately. The highlight was definitely the collards, they were gorgeous! Not bitter at all and took me back in time.

I can’t imagine eating here ever again without getting the chicken or collards. They’re both excellent! I can’t wait to come back and try some of their other menu items. They were completely out of cakes, cookies and sweets. The owner or manager, I’m not sure which, said they recently sold out. That’s honestly an impressive problem to have when everything is gluten-free. I hope they have some available next time because it sounds like their sweets are very popular.

I waited a day to post this review because often times I’ll feel ill within a few hours. I’m happy to report I had absolutely zero problems after eating here. I’m so excited to have a gluten-free restaurant that makes an effort to provide excellent service, an adorable atmosphere, and delicious food…can’t wait...