Aretha Frankensteins

Food was good. Pancake was very good. But we were told 20 – 30 minute wait and ended up waiting an hour to sit (this was for a party of 2). A couple who came in at least 20 minutes after us was seated ahead of us. When we asked the host why this had happened he said «sorry, I had it written down that way. Sometimes I’m dyslexic with the wait list». Ummmmm, ok? We didn’t complain but waited another 10 – 15 minutes to sit. Another 40 minutes to get our food. Another couple who had arrived WELL after us, and was seated after us was almost finished with their breakfast before we got ours.
I give credit where credit is due, and the female bartender was very sweet and a good server.
But I am also in the service industry (have been for almost 18 years in almost every capacity) and was VERY disappointed with the way our wait was handled.
Wouldn’t return.

Where to start with this amazing place. We go out of our to stop here whenever we are driving through, and we never regret it. We plan our trip to make sure we’ll pull through at the right time. A very special place. Atmosphere is rock n roll cool. Over 70 will probably think that head banging music and breakfast don’t go together. But they so do! The food is simply the best. The fluffier tastiest pancakes I’ve ever seen. The biscuits and gravy start with crazy fluffy biscuits and then add on spicy gravy with lean sausage. To die for good. The shrimp and grits — also spicy — are very unique and wonderful. I could go on. A must stop place for breakfast!

The décor, the service, the coffee, the music but especially those pancakes! All legit– all perfect! I had the slim stack and there was nothing slim about it– thick, delicious, buttery pancakes unlike anything I have had ever, and Mandy is quite the gem. Four thumbs up!

I’ve heard so many great things about this place and how it was the best pancakes you will ever have so I finally decided to give it a try. Me and a friend waited about 45 minutes for a table which I wasn’t too upset about if the pancakes were as good as I was hoping, sadly I was disappointed. When we were finally seated in the restaurant, which can only seat about 30 people, it was very hipster and cute. The servers was nice but after all the hype I expected it to be amazing, in truth the pancakes although cool looking are not that special.

Pancakes easily in top three of all pancakes I’ve ever had. Extra thick… but chewy and moist… not dry and cake like (yuck). These were stellar… added blueberries and the short stack was easily a meal by itself. Delicious!!!

Fun, unique, off the beaten path coffee, booze, or pancakes. Do yourself a favor and try them all.
Outdoor seating is quaint. Indoor devote is quirky. Loved it!

YESSSSSSS.
So so good and worth the wait. Eclectic ambiance and delicious food! You wouldn’t believe the size of these biscuits; mom calls them cat heads.
I had the Mexican omelette, B had bacon and eggs. All of it was fantastic!
We will definitely be back here on out next trip to Chatt town.

The wait was ridiculously long, but glad we did it. Food, service and atmosphere were spot on. SO MUCH FOOD!
The entire family enjoyed it, and we would love to come back and eat here again.

This was by far some of the most delicious food that I’ve ever had!!! We had to wait an hour and half so my boyfriend and I walked around Chattanooga for about 45 mins of that time. We walked over some cool bridge, windowed shopped, and saw some of the sights of Chattanooga. All the reviews had so much to say about the pancakes so of course we had to try them! The blueberry pancake was to die for! So fresh and fluffy! I also loved their fried potatoes! We will forever be a fan of Aretha Frankenstein!!!

When you are near Chattanooga, you must stop here for breakfast. It is off the beaten path and you will think you are lost
In some neighborhood, and then you see this small older looking house with people waiting outside. We had to wait over an hour, but it is definitely worth the wait. They only have about 6 tables and a bar to eat at. The slim stack is two pancakes and they are about an inch thick. DELICIOUS! I actually had a single pancake. Eggs, and Bacon. My wife had the slim stack with chocolate chips. Very cool atmosphere. Don’t come if you are in a hurry.

5 stars for the pancakes because, well, they’re legendary. Having read reviews about wait times, we opted to go on a Tuesday at 1:30 and it was pretty slow and we were able to sit right down. Despite coming at an off time, the food did take awhile. The potatoes that came with my husband’s tuna melt were off the chain good. The tuna melt (I don’t even like tunafish) was delicious. I ordered the shrimp and grits based on rave Unilocal reviews and was completely underwhelmed. It was super hot (temperature wise) I could barely eat it. Way too many peppers and onions and melted cheese and bacon?! grits were good, but other than that, was not impressed. Again, pancakes are the thing here and the punk rock vibe. If you’re up for the adventure, get the pancakes. So good.

Thank you for the stellar suggestion, Unilocal!
I was a little envious when I saw the fluffiest pancakes I have ever seen delivered to a neighboring table. (inner monologue: Damn, should’ve got the pancakes)
Then my shrimp and grits arrived. (inner monologue: I am an ordering genius!) Holy crap they were good. And spicy. Good spicy, but spicy. (inner monologue: water. need water!)
4 stars instead of 5 because they were not very forthcoming with the coffee/​water refills. They were not particularly busy during our visit, so this was less excusable.

Best breakfast food in Chattanooga. The omelettes, potatoes, pancakes, and biscuits are amazing!
Unique vibe won’t appeal to everyone. This is essentially a small bar that serves breakfast. On a nice day the outdoor seating is great as well.
Be prepared to wait for one of the few seats and for your food to be made fresh.
And if you go early in the AM, you’ll likely see a bunch of night shift folks drinking and smoking.
I love this joint.

Best shrimp and grits of my life!!!
Awesome biscuits!!!
This place is well worth the wait, come on a day when you are not on a time restraint.
Tiny place, only 5 tables But the food is phenomenal

Literally the coolest and best place to get brunch ever. Quirky, a little punk rock, amazing food, large portions, friendly service, great prices! One pancake is enough to serve an army. Frisbee sized and about an inch thick. I was full but proceeded to my bacon, egg and cheese on a homemade biscuit. For $ 5 it was the size of two of my fists! Oohhhh try the biscuits and gravy small portion. That gravy is perfect and has a little kick to it. You won’t be disappointed. Keep in mind there are a lot of bad reviews here about how «slow» they are. It’s a small place that’s packed to the brim. Everything made from scratch. This isn’t fast food so plan accordingly.
When in Chattanooga stop at Aretha Frankensteins!

My husband and I are die hard horror movie fans and when anything has the name and allure of a classic Hollywood monster we total suckers. I saw Richard R.‘s (
) review on this place and even before I finished reading it I knew we had to visit.
Quite honestly we ended up at Aretha Frankenstein’s rather serendipitously. We had driven to Chattanooga on a day trip and were looking for a place to eat. I had completely forgotten about Richard R.‘s review because I was too busy throwing a temper tantrum after my husband refused to let me visit the Sephora at the Hamilton Place Mall. It was until he said something about Frankenstein that Richards review came back to mind. Immediately I looked it up on Unilocal and we navigated our way over.
Initially I thought that our map was mistaken because we ended up in a very picturesque residential area. There was no oversized sign out front distinguishing the restaurant from the other homes and the large stonewall, though beautiful, restricts your street view. After circling the block we finally spotted the umbrellas of the outdoor tables and upon closer inspection noticed the sign.
We must have just missed the lunch crowd because it was rather empty. We took a seat inside, since we were told they wouldn’t be serving outside due to the weather, which was fine by us.
Now, let me start off by saying that there is nothing «scary» about this place and honestly it’s all in the name, but nonetheless we ended up having a great time.
The restaurant is small and it looks like it used to be more of a bar. When you walk in you immediately notice the old fashion dark wooden bar at the center. On the ceiling you will find framed photos off cereal box covers from times past. They had Rainbow Brite, Batman, The Joker and bunch of other characters that have been used to sell kids cereal, very nostalgic. There are two large and what look to be wroth iron chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and all around the walls are different posters of old punk bands, «morbidish» art work and of course Frankenstein. It’s almost like a mini museum.
When it comes to the menu it’s small but to the point. My husband insisted that I have the shrimp and grits. He opted for the Philly cheese steak sandwich. I like grits but I’ve always had them oatmeal style, with milk, brown sugar and a little bit of butter, not to mention that I’ve always had them for breakfast. I really wasn’t sure what to expect and though I’d seen pictures and the reviews I was still skeptical and anxious about what was to come.
When our meals came out, I like saw mine and secretly thought «OMG, this looks like vomit after a hard night of partying» oh yeah how’s that for appetizing. Luckily, it didn’t taste at all like they looked. The grits, like tofu, take on the flavors of whatever it’s cooked in. The dish had plenty of medium sized shrimp, Ortega chili, grits, grits and more grits all mixed with Tabasco sauce, which gave it a definite kick. The shrimp were well cooked and had a nice sweetness to them, which was perfectly off set by the Ortega chili and kicked up a notch by the underlying flavor of the Tabasco sauce… score!!! It was pretty tasty and I wouldn’t mind going back for more.
My husband’s Philly cheese steak sandwich was nice and sizable. He gives it a solid 3.5 stars on it’s own. The bread was warm, toasty on the outside and nice and soft on the inside. The meat was nicely seasoned and the green peppers were cooked but with just enough firmness to give you something to bite into, and finally enough cheese to get stringy when pulled apart but not so much that it overwhelmed all the other ingredients and bulged up at the back of your throat in a knot.
I can say our visit was a success. We absolutely love the feel and the décor; even better the food was better than expected.

Since before I knew Unilocal existed, this restaurant has been on my list of places to visit.
I was first introduced to Aretha Frankensteins 10 years ago by Rachel Ray and her travel show ‘$ 40 A Day’. Ironically, I’ve been known to drive more than 17 hours for a Maine lobster roll and 5 hours by plane for In N Out burgers, but have failed to drive 95 minutes from my home to check out this famous Chattanooga eatery!
HOW ARETHA FRANKENSTEIN GOT ITS NAME
Urban Legend says the owner of Aretha’s is a UGA grad who was at a frat party one Halloween. A wreath was mounted on one of the walls with Frankenstein buttons, to which he took one and pinned it to his person. Not sure if it was because the party was loud or maybe he was inebriated, but all night he was misunderstood. When other party goers would ask where he got the pin, he would reply at ‘the wreath of Frankenstein’. Well, seems everyone thought he was saying Aretha Frankenstein and the name stuck in his head for years until deciding on a crazy name for a unique coffee/​breakfast shop. This is the story told to me by the manager. Fun, but I’m not so sure it’s believable… lol.
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THE SCENE
Bad timing and bad navigation directions were the story of our weekend. Chattanooga seemed to give my phones built in GPS system fits all weekend. We literally drove into a snowstorm on Friday. During our short visit from Atlanta many of the local businesses got a late start opening the next day (Saturday morning). Even the Tennessee Aquarium delayed their opening by 2 hours. Although slightly delayed, A/​F did manage to open.
We read this is a popular place with really long wait times. So when we called & they said they «weren’t busy», we rushed to get there. It was truly an adventure because navigation brought us to the top of Beck Avenue and Money Tree Lane. The downhill slope from here to A/​F was steep and covered in snow and ice. So we erred on the side of caution, parked our car and walked down this two block stretch of land. Must have been comical to any neighbors watching as we scooted inch by inch (like an old elderly couple) trying not to fall. Yes, I wanted to eat here that badly!
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SERVICE
After making it to the safety of Aretha’s wrap around porch, we soon discovered «not busy» by their standards was still a full house with about a 10 minute wait. Once seated it was obvious that a large part of the wait is due to sloooooow kitchen service. It is printed right on the menu that it is not uncommon to wait 30 minutes for your food during busy times.
I am certain a turtle crossing a street covered in thick peanut butter and molasses would have made it to the other side before our server brought our food to the table. Don’t get me wrong, we LOVED our server. He was a really nice guy, but the times between being seated, taking our order and the food arriving were excruciatingly long. The bar seats about 6 people and tables seat another 18. Outside seating is also available, but today it was covered in snow.
Side Note: I hear the pancakes take 20 minutes to cook.
DECOR
Crazy man, simply crazy! Kinda spooky, but extremely cool. ANYONE with a quirky personality or a flair for the unusual will consider this place eye candy. It’s like eating @ museum of weird art. We loved it!
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THE FOOD
You’ve read those reviews that start off by saying «I really wanted to love this place» right? Well, I’ll try not to use that phrase, but I will say it most certainly did not live up to 10 years of anticipation.
* SHRIMP & GRITS (2 stars) | $ 10.25
Most unusual flavor ever! The grits are bathed in what I can only describe as Tabasco sauce, making them spicy and not very appealing. They also melt white cheese over the top. Huh? I am definitely not a fan.
* SPINACH & FETA OMELETTE (3 stars) | $ 8.50
As omelettes go, this was nicely cooked and fluffy, but lacked any seasoning. It took lots of salt and pepper to bring it to taste.
* PANCAKE (5++ stars) | $ 3.25 (single) GET THESE!!!
Life doesn’t get much better than this! These bad boys are stoopid good! Cooked by the hands of angels and perfect in every way. So great are these pancakes that Aretha’s sells the dry mixture in-​store, at locate grocers and online @
($ 5.99).
LOVES: Pancakes, décor
DISLIKES: Slow service, shrimp & grits
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FINAL THOUGHTS
I hold on to the belief that Aretha’s is worthy of many visits and hope another visit in the near future will yield a better tasting meal. The pancakes are AH-​MAZING! They are so good I was tempted to give this place 5 stars for the pancakes and décor alone. But the rest of our meal, not so much. They get a hall pass from me on the long waits because of their tiny set-​up and for being slightly short staffed because of the bad weather. I’ll definitely be back. I want them to get it right! I waited too long for this to be a fail so for now, 3 stars.

Don’t know what the buzz on this place is about. We went for breakfast and were completely disappointed.
The place was gross. It wasn’t busy but tables were dirty and had not been cleaned; flies, flies and more flies. Only one group of medical folks still drinking after a long night shift.
Service was slow. The food was very mediocre. Even the highly touted pancakes. My son had steak and eggs and it was awful. He said it tasted funny so I tried it. The meat was rotten! I took one bite and almost threw up.
Will never go back here again.

I, like many reviews before me, want to give Aretha’s a bad review… But I just can’t because the food is too good. Yes the wait for a table is usually extremely disorganized and sometimes the staff is a bit disgruntled, but nothing beats the inch thick blueberry pancakes with a big blueberry beer on the patio. I think that is one of the biggest selling points for this spot, their awesome outdoor seating.
I also think I may have tried everything on the menu at least once and haven’t been disappointed. But they are famed for their pancakes so do yourself a favor and get at least one to share with the table. They also have delicious apple butter you can put on those mountain high biscuits, don’t miss out on asking your server for a bottle! The super Dave scramble is also a legit choice.
Honestly, if you can get a table you probably won’t be disappointed.

I wanted to hate this place. I wanted to hate this place so much. I hate waiting. I hate waiting even more when I see empty tables, bar stools, outside tables all available. Why I am waiting??? I don’t get it!
I wanted to hate this place and write a bad review.
But…
The servers are super-​friendly, all of them.
The pancakes are outrageously good, get them.
The place is fun and cool and hip.
Everything on the menu rocks.
Great beer selection for breakfast…
There is definitely something wrong in how they do their seating, staffing or whatever, but nonetheless I make it a point to come here whenever I am in Chattanooga. I love Aretha Frankenstein’s.
I am still tempted to write a bad review, but only so I wont have to wait when I come back again.