The Terminal Brewhouse -- Chattanooga, TN

We travel to Chattanooga from time to time for weekend get-a-ways.  It's a short enough drive from Athens and it's a nice change of scenery.  We went to The Terminal the first time on a hotel clerk's recommendation, but after our first meal there we went back the following night.  It's one of our favorite places.  Whenever we go to Chattanooga, we eat there at least once (usually more).

Second floor view of seating and catwalks.

The Terminal Brewhouse, at the corner of Market and E 14th, is locally owned and operated according to their website.  They are located at the end of the free trolley/bus service that runs in downtown Chattanooga, so they are super convenient.  The menu is unique and fun, with great food items and house brewed beers.  It gets crowded fast, but it's worth the wait.  If the weather is nice, we suggest sitting outside on the grass-floor, vine covered deck area.  The building itself is as unique as the food and has an interesting story.  It gets noisy, so it loses some atmosphere points there, but the fun you'll have inside is worth the clatter.  Did I mention the food and beer?

Vines hanging from the deck's pergola.

Russell:  The Terminal is the home of The Soup!  I do not like soup aside from baked potato soup and The Soup.  I have a thing about a lot of ingredients suspended in a whole -- like vegetable soups, casseroles, etc.  Irrational, I know.  The Soup is different.  The Soup is genius.  If I could snuggle with The Soup late at night, I would and I think Mariah would totally understand.  The Soup is the perfect example of why the name Sexual Gastronomy makes sense.  Eating The Soup can be summed up in one prolonged, guttural, grunt of satisfaction.  Seriously, it's awesome.  Put it in your mouth and swallow it.  DO IT!

You want this in your mouth!

The Soup is made of spicy sausage, house brewed maibock beer, and three cheeses.  It's a hearty mix full of flavor and cheesy goodness.  The sausage is just spicy enough without being overwhelming.  And the beer undertones compliment the other main ingredients well.  Just writing about it makes my mouth water and my mind begins to figure out when we can go back to Chattanooga.  I suddenly find myself planning a trip just to get this soup.  I have no problem with that.



The other food I've had at The Terminal was excellent as well.  The Rugged Individualist is a fantastic pepperoni pizza.  Fresh tasting and delicious.  Blue Cheese Bacon Burger? Yes, please.  The Carnivore stuffed sandwich?  Don't mind if I do.  Good fries, good nachos, good beer.  I've had the oatmeal stout, the Belgian white, and the maibock if I recall correctly.  All were excellent.  I can't think of anything negative to say about anything really, but the nachos were my least favorite.  The nachos listed on the menu are a bit different from the version we got unless they are just listing it differently now.  The nachos we had were interesting with a maple smoked flavor; not typical, but good.  After a while (you get a ton) I did get tired of the taste, however.

Happy beer face!

Mariah:  WOrds.