Universal Joint

This place never ceases to amaze me with the slow service. Sit for an hour and the wait staff may
once or twice.

Lunch was good. Fun to sit outside in February. Great vibe on a Saturday afternoon. Young people drinking beer. Lots of dogs, a few kids, good music. Great place to not be in a hurry and people watch. Prices were reasonable

My wife and I came in the night of the last Avett Brothers concert. It was also a Saturday in the Fall, so Tennessee football was on the tv, and there was a big crowd there to watch. Initially things were going well, until the servers and bartenders got overwhelmed. It was at that point that things took a severe turn. All of a sudden most of the patrons started getting irritated with wait times for both food and drink, and by 6 PM the bartender gave an announcement for last call. Are you kidding me, last call at 6 PM? We had ordered food probably 30 minutes before that and were still waiting for it so we stuck around. The food took over an hour, at the point where we were ready to leave or be late for the show, so we ate quickly and asked for the check. We were pleased to see that the bartenders neglected to charge for 4 of our beers, not out of kindness, but rather because they were too busy and forgot. I can only imagine all the money this place is losing with service like that.

The service was great! They came right out to take our order and with out having to ask they brought water for my sisters dog. They were so nice and I love how everything is set up.
I love that they kept some of what the building originally was. It give the place so much culture and spunk.
The food is amazing! If you have not been you have to stop by!

We found this place since it was one of the only restaurants opened on Sunday. The place looks like it was an old body shop about 20 years ago and converted into a restaurant with its rustic feel and tin décor, which was great and unique. Has an open floor plan and opens into the patio seating. The food was good, but expected a little more variety in the menu. Would visit again if it were one of the only restaurants open. :)

All around mediocre– service, waiter, speed, food, atmosphere. Very salty Bloody Mary. Wouldn’t return, there are plenty of better places in Chattanooga.

I’ve yet to have a bad experience here yet. The staff are always super friendly. Today I brought my dog and sat outside on the patio area with my sister. Our waitress brought me my beer and brought out a bucket of water for my pup without me even asking. Brownie points!

the hip atmosphere is what makes this place a definite go!!! it is über dog friendly also and the outside area is awesome! they have tons of beer selections and the food is decent.
it is a super cool place to hang out with friends for a friday after work feel.
it has a college vibe to it, but no biggie, just makes it hipper!!!
i will be back asap!

Fantastic warm weather joint!

Alison was very knowledgeable of the menu items and very helpful in assisting in ordering selection. She also has impeccable style which was just an added bonus to her flawless service. The food was awesome and fresh. We ate outside and was very comfortable and relaxing. I will give then 4.5 out of five. Price point for three drinks and two burgers was under $ 50.00. I will be back and recommend this to anyone who lives here or passing through.

I am visiting Chattanooga from out of town and ended up here for dinner. Had the pulled pork nachos which were very good and filling. Great atmosphere with outside dining that made for a very enjoyable meal.

My rating of three stars is for atmosphere alone. I was hoping by now that service would have improved. Each of the three times I have been in, there has been two servers and one bus boy to take care of the inside and out. It has resulted in long waits, incorrect orders, or orders not being placed. The food is mediocre. I would recommend going in on a Wednesday night for trivia and beer specials.

Eat here often and it has been good each and every time now… Love the burgers! My favorite is the Bacon-​Blue and the Tater Tots are the best around! Our latest gathering here was for dinner before a show next door at Soldier’s and Sailor’s Memorial and while the place can fill up quick the service is good and the food comes fast.

Unique comfort food with great beer in an old service station gone restaurant.
They have the best bbq nachos I’ve ever had, hands down. The brisket is so tender and the sauce is a perfect blend of sweet but not too goopy. They’re drizzled in queso too with beans, jalapeños plus other veggies.
The beer selection is good. They always have 10 – 12 crafts and a good selection at that. They also have a full bar and cheap domestics.

Brisket nachos and beer. Yum. Only complaint is that the staff sucks (minus BJ who is awesome). Great for cornhole and sports… Chilly weather will cut the outdoor seating down and it will probably be mostly indoor until it warms up again, but loved it during the summer/​fall/​spring months.
Great for groups.

A converted gas station into a restaurant. How cool is that. They opened in August of 2013. People used to use the front of the building as a parking lot during River Bend. That was a couple years now you can’t. Their parking lot is now for outside seating.
Inside you will find a Chevy Bel Air door and several other features. For one thing they kept the two service station pull up doors where they will pull cars in to change oil and so forth.
menu items ordered: Southern chicken salad sandwich, tator tots and sweet tea. The sandwich was great just what you expect out of chicken salad and it was definitely better than store bought. The tator tots are the best anywhere around. They cooked so perfectly well. They are crisp on the outside a cooked just right. I highly recommend them for your side instead of French fries. The sweet tea is southern style just the way I like it.
So, here’s your chance to eat at renovated service station into converted restaurant and be sure to get their tator tots.

Great egg rolls. I started my night of feeding with some spicy egg rolls. They are filled with a cream cheese based filling with grapes. The grapes add a sweetness that is really addicting. I know I felt that feeling tonight as I pondered where to go for dinner. So the place was hopping with a age mixed crowd. The food is pretty den good so it made my list of best restaurants.

Liked the open patio and corn hole was nice.
Service was solid. 4 stars
I had the signature bloody mary and wasn’t that impressed with it. 2 ½ stars
Also tried the brisket nachos after being told it was the best thing on the menu. It was decent. really could have been great tho. But not balanced at all. Everything was salty and intense. The only fresh ingredients were red onion and corn. it’s a bummer they don’t put fresh tomato on in the middle of tomato season. Tomato, lettuce and a wider plate would have really helped this dish. 3 stars
Their menu looks pretty tasty, so might be 4 stars after a couple more tries.

Ok, final answer, contestant?
Alas, no.
Today — my day off. Doggus on hand, wanting to go to the closest (and one of the prettiest) patios in my ‘hood, heck, why not go for that great queso and salsa (cliché Cinco de Mayo girl here).
Wait for it.
They were out of tortilla chips.
Sorry?
Yes, you read that right.
That’s pretty much like TMac being out of chicken; just sayin’. Heck, even us being out of tortilla chips too because I probably sell our queso and chips and salsa to — no exaggeration– 85% of my tables (it is really good).
Not my server’s fault and Lindsey was sweet. But man.
Resto mgrs. get orders daily, though not always on weekends — and there are always grocery stores nearby in a pinch — but your queso is one of the most popular items (and you sell lots of nachos too) and … somehow you have NO CHIPS on this particular day?
C’mon.
#ripefforts

I came here around 4 p.m. to finish out the work day with some beer, and it was fairly empty. I asked to make sure it was OK if I worked, and they were cool with it (some places are not friendly to laptop hobos so I always ask to make sure I’m not being rude). There aren’t really a lot of outlets, but I had seven hours of battery life so I holed up at a small table near the back and kept ordering beer to make sure I wasn’t freeloading. They have free wi-​fi, but I found it very slow so I used my own.
They have a really great beer selection, and in addition to what’s on their menu they have a rotating draft list. Their food menu had a good variety of items, although I only saw a couple vegetarian options. After I finished up working I ordered the black bean burger and it was so-​so. It was a little too soft for my liking (TWSS), but flavorful and not too spicy. I asked for fries and got tots instead, but I didn’t mind because they had a good crunch and the perfect amount of salt.
The vibe here was cool and the servers were all really friendly. One guy came over to see what I was drinking and chatted with me for a bit about different beers.
The only downside, besides a lack of vegetarian options, would be the non-​existent parking. They’re working on being able to use one of Unum’s lots in the evening, but currently it’s just street parking. I walked here so it wasn’t a huge deal, but my husband came to meet me at 5 p.m. and had to circle the place four times before he found a spot a block away. I imagine it would be nearly impossible to park anywhere close if you come after 6 p.m. or on a Friday/​Saturday night.
Universal Joint gets four stars for a great beer selection, a laid-​back vibe, good service and being cool with laptops. If they could add parking and more vegetarian options they’d be a five-​star place for sure.