Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar — Restaurant in Chattanooga

We went out last night for a celebration dinner for our daughter. She wanted fried green tomatoes, so we landed on Tupelo honey since they had that appetizer.

We got there about 545 on Sunday night. The front of the restaurant really is beautiful and has a southern feel to it. I think the wall of old window sashes that divide the seating area from the kitchen and expo line is very beautiful.

We were seated directly across from the expo line just on the other side of that window wall. Our server showed up and we immediately ordered 3 appetizers for our dinner party. The server said that he thought they were out of one of the appetizers and he'd check and get back to us. Instead a food runner brought out the other two and no mention was made of the third again that evening. While we were waiting on these, we ordered drinks. We had to ask for them twice more and the server told us he was waiting on the bar to make them. There were only about 4 other parties there at 6pm, so it seemed odd to have to wait that long for 3 beers. When he dropped off our drinks, we ordered food. There was no mention of specials or of what else might not be available that evening. My daughter ordered Barbacoa with sides. My wife ordered Mahi Mahi and I ordered meatloaf. He took our order then came back to tell us there was no barbacoa. This was very frustrating because it's featured at least twice on the menu that I noticed yet he didn't bother to tell us on the front end that it was unavailable. My daughter changed her order to the meatloaf and we ordered a second round of drinks since we'd already been there almost 15 minutes after ordering our meals.

We had finished our appetizers and were nearly done with a second round of drinks when we saw our food come up on the expo line. All three entrees were there together and we watched several food runners and our own server pick up the ticket, look at it. The first person to finally pick it up simply slid it further down the line and out of the way of the other meals in the window. All told, our food sat in the window for about 15 minutes while staff ignored it. A server eventually brought it out. Our drinks were all empty and we'd not seen our server this whole time but our table...we'd seen him but he never stopped to check on us, is stacked with empty glasses and dishes from the appetizers. The food runner drops the meals and leaves without picking up any dishes. Again, the restaurant is nearly empty. There are maybe 6 or 7 parties at this time. Servers are all talking to each other and hanging out. No one is rushed. Nothing seems hectic. So our food comes out. The orders are right. My collards are delicious and the rosemary potatoes are very good as well. My wife was happy with her fish. The meatloaf was exceptionally salty. I noticed but didn't say anything until my daughter noticed the same thing. While we're eating another server come in the expo line right beside our table and dumps a huge bucket of something metal into another bucket. The noise is deafening and the whole restaurant goes silent. She laughs and looks at her manager to say, "I told you it would be really loud".

All told, this was a 100% mediocre experience for our family. We spent about $150 dollars and came away feeling like we could have had the same experience at any chain restaurant on any random exit off the freeway. The food was edible but nothing special. Servers were apathetic and service was lackluster at best.

All said, go here to eat if nothing else is open, but if you have other options, I'd suggest you go there. Public House is another restaurant in the same shopping area that serves a similar, but a bit more upscale, menu for about the same price point. I've never once had any thing other than an excellent experience there. Last Sunday was my second "meh" experience at Tupelo Honey. Now that I've been there for lunch and dinner, I likely won't wast my time to spend my money...

Wanted to test out a different kind of cuisine. I wanted to experience the meal, the atmosphere, the beverages.... all of it.

I actually made a reservation for outdoor dining. Our waitress was a gem with a great personality.

Most of the dishes my husband and I tried to me" were bland" No traditional salt/pepper on the tables.

The winner entrée were the shrimp and grits. Visually, the food looked beautiful and amazing. Plating was 👏

Selected fried green tomatoes on a bed of grits w/ goat cheese and some sauce(forgot the name of it) Fried pickles Cut up fried potatoes with selected cheese and sauce drizzled on them ( proper name-Potato Cracklins) These were our appetizers

Main entrées Shrimp and grits: seasoned well and delicious. 2-piece fried chicken(breast/wing) w/ macaroni and cheese We had 2 of the signature drinks. Lavendar and one with pineapple. They are an aquired sparkling taste (not a fan) they used the paper straws with them. cute logo on the front of the mason jar.

Fried green tomatoes the best thing about them was the breading. The actual tomatoes themselves had 0 seasoning on them, and tasted water washed. I dipped it on the seasoning that came with it but, ultimately these were a No for me. 2 pieces of chicken were good. Selection was white meat or dark meat. I chose the breast and wing. It was moist The breading had a spicy/hot sauce drizzled on it almost baked/fried on. Crispy skin Mac and cheese was over baked and dry. I wanted to love it, but I couldn't-my husband tore it up!

Parking was across the street for us in an underground garage. We spent about 2 n half hours at the restaurant, and parking was 4 dollars, which we paid as we exited the garage. Dinner for 2 with 3 appetizers and 2 entrées ran...

I've been to multiple locations in Georgia and North Carolina, but this was my first time in Chattanooga. The fresh (warm, buttery, and flaky) biscuits with honey and homemade (not-to-sweet) blueberry jam are always a big hit! I could just them all day long. The food is normally excellent and I'm definitely not a picky eater.

I ordered the Shakshuka and the waiter upsold me into adding shrimp. I was really excited about the dish, because it isn't something you find on a menu very often, but unfortunately I was really disappointed. The food was luke warm and bland, which I didn't think would be possible for a dish with so many ingredients. I couldn't eat even half of it before I just decided to have a granola bar back in the car. When I got my bill, I was shocked to see that it was $8 to add (about) 6 cold and unflavorful shrimp to my meal. I wasn't expecting them for free, but that price is ridiculous considering the meal itself was already $11!

Two other members of my party had eggs & bacon, which they really enjoyed. The sweet potato pancakes were a big hit with everyone who tried them. They were sweet, but not overly so, and not too fluffy/dense. This is definitely another dish I could binge on! The final member of our party had many (too many) communication errors with the server. 15 minutes after everyone else had their food, she ended up with a grilled cheese and tomato soup combo (not on the menu). She wasn't a fan of the soup, but I found it to be okay.

I won't make specific comments about the service, because I believe in bad days and mistakes, but it definitely was an overall negative and awkward experience for all of us. I would eat here again, but I would probably go out of my way not to have the...