aretha frankensteins

as much as people talk about this place i feel like it was once something much better than it is now. location is awful, parking is awful, it's tiny, slow, the wait staff realizes the wait and does nothing to make it any better.

our food was reallygoodthough. i'm not sure what the mass appeal of aretha frankensteins is, the pancakes were the best pancakes i have ever tasted, but my omelet was standard. are the world's best pancakes really worth a 2 hour wait? i had a positive experience, but i can see how it could have been a nightmare. so i would say if you have a wide open morning, want a great breakfast, and don't mind hipsters not caring if you have a table or food, it's worth a visit.

quinticenial hole in the wall

if there is a restaurant that defines the term hole in the wall this is it. it is off the beaten path, has very little seating/parking, has a unique vibe and the food is amazing. we ordered a fat stack of blueberry pancakes and added blueberries on top and powdered sugar, an omelet, bacon, 2 orange juices, coffee and a latte. first things first. it takes a lot to impress me with blueberry pancakes. it is my favorite thing to eat for breakfast and when i travel i always look forgoodplaces that serve them. these rank among the best i have ever had. they didn’t even need syrup or whipped cream. they were thick, fluffy, sweet and just all around amazing. i split 3 pancakes with my two kids and we couldn’t eat half of it they are so big and thick. the pancakes alone are worth coming for. the bacon was crisp and everything i was looking for. coffee was good. my wife thought the omelet was just alright. she also thought the latte was good. biscuits were verygoodand grits are very spicy. the decor is very off beat and interesting. adds a lot to the experience. there is very limited seating and parking so probably not the best place for a group larger than 4. our bill was $30 before tip. this is the kind of place i would plan my trip around and we will definitely be back when we come through.

the food is superb (foodie quality) and is an experience. it's located in a neighborhood, so you are not sure you are in the right place when looking for it. it has an amazing stone fence on the entrance, and you walk in to small steampunk place with walls covered with horrors (ie. manicans in gas masks) and ceiling covered in historic cereal boxes from your childhood. very exlectic. the employees have loads of tattoos and body rings. they make sure you know they are not a fast food restaurant...and that is because it will take over 30 min to make your breakfast after you order. they seem proud of this fact. it's all cooked from scratch. they are known for their panels which are fluffy and over 1/2in thick...probably closer to 2/3 in. they are not only big but probably the best pancake i have ever had. 1 pancake is enough, especially of you get a side dish such ad a protein. they are also known for their breakfast burritos. you pick four ingredients for a standard but can add more. i liked the bacon, onion, cheese and refried beans. it comes with cajun grits or potatoes and i chose the cajun grits which was amazing! they were not hot spicy but rather a cert balanced cajun seasoning. their coffee machine broke the day before so they had no coffee so i can't review the coffee. don't come here if you are in a hurry but come here if you are looking forgoodfood and am experience that will give you stories to tell afterwards.

reallygoodbreakfast. i had the breakfast burrito. not many places east of the mississippi can pull it off but they did! kids had huge pancakes. all of it is really good. cool deco. the wait for a table is always a problem, though. if it weren't for that, i'd say 5 stars.

really? how in the hell are you supposed to park at a restaurant that has no parking? everywhere is private parking. they have zero parking, how does this work? why do we have to circle around over and over again just to eat at a damn restaurant. the service sucks. everyone is a hipster. let's try really hard to not crack a smile at our guests cause that's what we do. they take forever with your food. i've worked in the food industry all my life and waiting 45min to an hr regardless of the food bring fresh or not is unacceptable. the more customers they have the ruder they are and the longer your food will take so don't go when they're busy. i mean, you won't have a place to park anyways. it doesn't matter howgoodfood is, the service needs to match it!

by far the best service we've ever experienced anywhere. david was absolutely amazing. coming from 2 people who have worked in the restaurant business for years, david went above and beyond to make us out of towners feel right at home. we come to aretha's every time we come through chattanooga and have never been slightly disappointed. we love this place and the area so much were actually considering moving from atlanta to chattanooga. highly recommend this place to every single one of our friends whenever they are in the area. food is amazing. service is fantastic. down to earth. genuinegoodpeople with the secret to great food. highly recommend the pancakes with apple butter! blew my mind and taste buds!


-----06 dec, 2013-----

we love david!. by far the best service we've ever experienced anywhere. david was absolutely amazing. coming from 2 people who have worked in the restaurant business for years, david went above and beyond to make us out of towners feel right at home. we come to aretha's every time we come through chattanooga and have never been slightly disappointed. we love this place and the area so much were actually considering moving from atlanta to chattanooga. highly recommend this place to every single one of our friends whenever they are in the area. food is amazing. service is fantastic. down to earth. genuinegoodpeople with the secret to great food. highly recommend the pancakes with apple butter! blew my mind and taste buds!

plan to spend at least 2-3 hours. plan for rude host. plan for mediocre food. but if your litmus test ofgoodfood is just "a lot", you will probably like it.

good stuff. very friendly, helpful, patient staff that displayed a nice attitude. drinks were well prepared, along with the food. very well done. the seating is nicely set up with a wrap around porch that will hold the patrons that spill out of the small but cozy dining area that includes a bar andgoodbeer selection. it's located in a nice, comfortable neighborhood not too far from the interstate and downtown, so it's easy accessed if traveling through the area and is far enough away, so you feel like you tucked away.

note, there will be a wait, as others have expressed in their reviews. it will not be a 15-20 minute wait, it will be more like an hour or more. the reason behind this, as far as i can tell, is that the staff is small and the kitchen is too. lots of customers + small staff + small kitchen +careful preparation = long wait time. my best advice, if you have time to wait, grab an alcoholic drink (good selection of beers and mixed drinks), sit outside and enjoy your wait. if you are in a hurry or are very hungry and can't standing waiting, it's going to a be a long, frustrating wait.

btw, i had the blueberry pancakes, which were great!

i was so looking forward to eating here! so very disappointed. over 2 hour wait and never got seated. very disorganized and took parties out of order. don't care howgoodthe food would have been they obviously don't care about customer service

this place was sogoodprobably the best breakfast i've ever had. service was great however i could see how it could be slow its a hipster kind of place so everyone is super laid back but so nice and amazing!

what a waste of time. i felt like i showed up at some strangers house and asked for food and although they fed me they were pissed off about it. i dont see how a place with about 4 tables can call itself a restaurant. they also werent very friendly and the food was only ok. save yourself the annoyance and go buy a box of their pankcake mix from the grocery store. they taste asgoodat home and it is much more pleasurable.

good food, horrible service-not agoodmix. aretha frankenstein's was my first stop when i arrived in chattanooga. i was really looking forward to dining here because of how reputable they are amongst tourists and locals. i've heard the pancakes and waffles here a must order and that the storefront is an adorable light blue colored house. luckily, when i came by, it wasn't busy and i didn't have to wait in line like i've read-must've missed the lunch rush. anyways, the inside of the restaurant is pretty crammed and tight-there are four small tables, followed by the bar seating. i won't go into depth about the service (blog post will be up soon-check it out for more detail), but i will say that it was horrible-was never greeted, and my server had a bad attitude the entire time i was there-i felt as if i was being a huge burden on him, but he had no problem chit chatting with the customers next to me. any who, i loved the shrimp and grits here! for under $10, which is nearly impossible to beat in terms of the price, there were 5 succulent pieces of shrimp, on a bed of creamy grits with cheese, bacon and red+green bell peppers. also, it's supposed to come with a biscuit, but because my server failed to mention that biscuits were sold out (when it's only 11am or so), i was given buttered toast. as great as my meal was, it was easily ruined by the horrendous service i've received (and by the looks of the review, it seems to be a common issue). i hope they make some serious changes with their service soon-i might make another trip back to see if it's gotten any better but for now, there's nothing making me want to come back :(

i wish i could say something positive, but that wasn't my phone experience.

i was in chattanooga on business. i had my wife and kids with on this particular day. i had heardgoodthings about their
breakfast, so i looked up the website for directions. the site clearly states: no reservations. we decided to give it a shot. when we pull up, we see the locals outside with their coffee and laptops. when i walk in the door, i notice 2 empty tables, so take my coat of and hang it on the chair. at this point, a waitress comes over and the conversation is this:
her- you cannot sit there.
me- why not?
her- are you going on the list?
me- i didn't think that you took reservations.
her- we don't but you have to come in and put your name on the list for a table.
me- that sounds like a reservation...

anyway, i left and went somewhere else.

later, i called.to place a takeout order because our friends had told us howgoodthe pancakes were. i was informed that they were too busy and could not do takeout.

i was taught the 2 strike rule. that was it for them. in business, the goal is to build relationships. i wanted to like this place, but didn't get the chance.

love this place for the atmosphere and the breakfast is incredible. the pancakes are huge and the omelets are great. also love the fact that you can get a beer at 6:30 in the morning! found this place a few years ago via a local hotel clerk, while asking aboutgoodbreakfast spots. we fell in love at first bite and even though me and my wife are from out of town and not frequent visitors, we make it a point to drive up and visit at least twice a year. and to date i have not had a bad experience to make me want to stop. ignore the bad reviews - go try this place it is great.

won't be back. this place is a disaster. i am honestly now sure how it stays in business. it seemed to me that if you weren't "one of them" meaning a thrift store shopping, north chatt. living, micro brew especial, bicycle riding, skinny jean, ray-ban wayfarers, and tom's wearing kind of person they didn't care for you or your business. a quick trip for a bite to eat turned into be one of the worst events i've ever had at a restaurant. there were 4 of us and it took us 10-15 minutes to be acknowledged let alone to be sat while there was only a handful of people there, most of which were up on the porch using the free wi-fi and drinking beer, so tables were plentiful to say the least. i ordered a beer and another person with me order chocolate milk and it took 30 minutes just to get that. then there was the food, which wasn't bad but it wasn't anything to write home about either. to make a long story short, i usually tip 20-25% and i left a nickel for the waiter and won't be back again... you want agoodbreakfast? go to longhorn on market street or even waffle house is better and the service is night and day compared to frankenstein’s.