The Bitter Alibi

Great late night spot. Great atmosphere with a solid selection of late night bites and a solid beer list.

Met friends here for brunch. None of us had been before and after reviewing the menu online, we were all excited. Server was fantastic! She gave us a run down of her favourites and even shared her own favorite substitutions. Being of Asian descent, I was intrigued by the Seoul Train. I have to admit I was a little disappointed. There really was nothing Korean about it. I expected more seasoning in the pork… spicy is how the Koreans like their pork. The sambal (chilli sauce) is actually more of a Thai/​Vietnamese sauce. Maybe change the name to Asian rather than Korean. That said, the pork was very tender and well peppered, like a pork roast. Everyone else loved their dishes, and I will definitely try those.

I’ve since talked to the owner of the restaurant, and although my opinion on the food stands, he was very attentive to my concerns and has worked with me to help clear the air on a lot of the problems I had.
The service of this place, is absolutely refreshing and wonderful.

We’ve eaten here twice now for breakfast/​brunch and are completely smitten with the food and cocktails. The coffee is dark, bitter, and strong. The staff is always nice and on point. The atmosphere is just a bit divey but clean and nicely done. It is small, but we’ve never had trouble getting a seat. We can’t wait to go back!

Pretty cool atmosphere. We are downstairs on a curved wood table. College town brunch for sure.
I had the cheat day. It was pretty good. I saw a few breakfast sandwiches that looked very good. My daughter got a cheese biscuit and a sausage. It was really good. Over all a great experience. I love these small places that have atmosphere. Good visit for sure. Try it out

I love this place! My best bud and I decided to go here for a late breakfast and we couldn’t believe that the food was so good. I ordered The Arnold and she The Seoul Train. We split it and ate every bite. I’m a coffee snob and theirs was excellent. The vibe was hip but we middle-​aged women felt comfy and cool. I highly recommend… the service was friendly and attentive.

Top 5 Brunches of My Life! This hipster haven has won my heart and soul. Being busy on a blustery cold Sunday morning didn’t stop the swarms of people from this little spot. Needing a hangover cure, we had no idea what we were in for and came upon the welcoming/​smiling Bitter Alibi staff ready to list their favorites and combos of their favorites to share. We ordered a few items to fix our savory&sweet taste buds [see photos of heaven attached]. We left daydreaming about the the Seoul Train, Cheat Day, and an edited version of The Arnold [subbed the bacon for spinach for a veg. friendly BA version of eggs benedict]. Thanks again to the chefs/​staff, we hope to come back soon!

I have been waiting to try this place for quite a while. Being that it is on a bit of an incline I haven’t been able to go due to my foot surgery, but today I felt able enough to make the trek.
Met a friend for brunch around noon and the place was hopping. Put our name on the list and Matt saw that I was a bit handicapped and made sure we got a table on the main floor. Very nice. As we waited for our table out on the little porch, I saw a couple of people drinking Bloody Mary’s. Oh… that had me sold and I knew what I was ordering first.
Very cool interior. Small but mapped out well. Love the bench seating on the one wall. Dark woods, very glossy, and very cozy.
I looked over the menu and saw that they had 2 types of BM. One with vodka and one with tequila. Our wonderful server offered us samples so we could see which one we preferred. I went with the Bacon Bloody Mary with vodka. It had just the right amount of spice in it. Was topped with these house made pickles that I could eat a whole bowl of.
As we looked over the menu, it was hard to choose. Not because it’s a huge menu but because everything sounded delish. I pulled out my phone and we compared pics on Unilocal with the menu descriptions. My friend went with the Seoul Train and I had the breakfast burrito with house made chorizo and a side of chorizo sausage. Chorizo sausage? I’ve never heard of that but let me tell you what — it’s so freaking good!
We also saw this French Toast thingy, called The Cheat Day and decided to order that to share for dessert. Our server was very helpful in us choosing what we wanted and was so friendly. Wish she could have just sat and had brunch with us. Very delightful.
We decided to have another drink, I chose an Irish Coffee since it was pretty cold out. I also got an extra shot of Bailey’s in it, cuz, you know, it was cold out. Loved it but would suggest maybe a dollop of whipped cream on it. My friend got the Zee Russian, with vodka, Baileys, cold brew coffee, on ice. It was yummy!!!
Our food came out and it looked so beautiful! My friend’s dish was so colorful and that soft boiled egg with the yolk running out was divine.
My burrito was super super good, with potatoes, scrambled eggs and that chorizo. It wasn’t spicy, but had a really nice flavor to it. Not like any chorizo I’ve had before. As I mentioned before, the chorizo gravy was the bomb!!!
Then came our «dessert,» The Cheat Day French Toast. It was really pretty and very tasty. Not too sweet, the perfect end to our meal. If I could change anything it would be to just give it 30 – 60 seconds longer on the grill. But the taste was really good.
This is a great brunch spot in a town with not a lot of brunch options. Thank you BA for being you!

Okay, this is going to get weird…
I feel a sexual attraction to this place. Really. I mean, I don’t remember a time where I’ve gone to BA and not left satisfied. See what I did there? No, I didn’t mean an actual sexual attraction, that’s pretty weird — it’s a metaphor, guy. I think.
Anyway, this is my favorite place in the city aside from my own house. The patrons there would call it my house, but alas.
Jason and Matt started this bad boy about a year and a half ago now, and it’s become a city staple. If you’re reading this and you don’t live in Chattanooga, then you’re going to want to come here. It’s where the locals hang out.
Nelson keeps a really great draft list and bottled collection going, that may just be the best listing in town. That, or you can just grab a Rolling Rock tallboy for $ 2.50 at any time. A little birdie tells me they’re opening up a cocktail lounge on the third floor in February, but shhh!
Oh, and the brunch! Sorry for getting to the alcohol first, but ya know ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ The brunch here is the best in town, and they serve it week-​round, with the exception of Tuesday. Get a chorizo burrito and some gravy on the side. Slap your momma, good! They’ve also recently started a late night menu that is not to be messed with. Pork belly ramen, if you’re nasty.
All in all, these guys are family. They turned a bar into a restaurant, and now a restaurant into a bar/​restaurant/​cocktail lounge. It’s the hottest ticket in town. I met my roommate through here. I met my best friends through here. I’ve even met some exceptionally beautiful women, and men, and well, sometimes Jaime brings her dog, and Milton is pretty beautiful.
Keep up with them on Facebook and Twitter because these guys love throwing parties and supporting local business and charities.
Just go, and tell ‘em Sasha sent you. That’ll do wonders for my ego, and they told me I could maybe get a percentage when they go public. Who knows.

Love this place ! The food and services was great! … My boyfriend and I were looking for a quick breakfast spot on our way from Philadelphia to Florida. This place was recommended by a local. We had a hard time finding the restaurant since we are not from Tennessee. Once we walked in we were greeted immediately. The restaurants atmosphere was great between the music, lighting, and artwork have it a great touch. The menu was small with great options. We both had the Korean Seoul Train it was AMAZING!!! The pork was cooked perfect and the salsa had the right amount of spice. I defiantly recommended this place and it’s a must try for anyone who visiting Chattanooga.

YUM! We’ve been 4 times and left every time with big smiles. El Burrito is so incredible… You must smother it with Chorizo gravy. The Cheat Day is superb. Korean Cubano — oh man! I could go on… just try everything!

Quick service, friendly staff!
Visiting Chatt while on business and very glad to have found this gem. Small place with a hipster feel and awesome food to back it up.
Can’t wait to be back!

Overall, I like. Yes, it’s hipster. But cool space. Nice people. Good service. Food prepared with care. I was not impressed with the Cumberbatch. I was so looking forward to the chorizo gravy and cheese biscuit when I saw it on here. But really not a lot of flavor — and chorizo has a lot of flavor! Same for biscuit. No salt and pepper shakers (I guess in the entire restaurant). When you ask for some, you get a mix of salt and pepper in a little sauce cup. Egg was poached nicely. Other items on the menu looked good. Every restaurant has something on the menu a person is not going to like, so I can’t hold one entrée against them.
I ate in the main dining area, which filled up when I was there. Afterwards, I had to visit the bar downstairs, which must be a great place to have a beer. You can slap the «Drink Like a Champion Today» sign before you enter from the street. I laughed. Our version of Notre Dame’s famous «Play Like a Champion Today» sign, of course.
Matt, a fellow Hixson High alum, is one of the owners and is very detail oriented and does a good job wherever he is.

Wonderful Sunday brunch, lively-​friendly-​smiley atmosphere. The co-​owner Matt is a gem with a very accommodating persona. We will definitely make the Bitter Alibi one of our regular spots for brunch and other social activities.

Very happy to have brunch one morning, and a post symphony concert hang another night. Service was tight, food was good, atmosphere was great. I need to go back for the coffee!

If you don’t have anything to do for awhile this might be a good place to go. My wife and I went on a Sunday morning and waited and then the food was average at best. I cannot recommend

Perfectly cooked egg, fantastic décor, and stout coffee. All I could ever desire in a brunch.

Great restaurant! Was visiting from out of town and stumbled across this place while searching for a brunch spot. Great staff, food came out quickly and tasted amazing. Ordered a few things but can only remember two items: the fluffanutter and the Seoul train. BOTH ARE A MUST TRY. Would definitely go to again if I were to be in town.

This place had an eclectic menu and the food didn’t disappoint. Everyone at our table thoroughly enjoyed their food. If you like strong coffee this is the place for you. I would love to come back and try some of the other items that looked amazing, but I had no more room in my tummy this time. I would give this place 5 stars, but the lighting in the restaurant was way to bright for the tables close to the windows in the morning. A small shade could fix the issue easily.

I had no idea they had breakfast here but I am glad I found out. I had The Cumberbatch which was essentially biscuits and (chorizo) gravy with a perfectly poached egg on top and Kim had the El Burrito with sausage. Everything was very good. The service was a little slow to get started but after that, everything was friendly and efficient. The rest of the menu (and our neighbors dishes) looked equally as good as ours. They have a nice selection of get-​drunk-​in-​the-​morning options… lots of beer at 10:00 am on the tables.
This will definitely be in the brunch rotation from here on out!