champy's famous fried chicken

lunch. just triedchampy'stoday for the first time. i had read the reviews first ,so i had to get chicken and tamales. could not believe i would enjoy the tamales as much as i did. very good. chicken was as well. i will be back. staff is very friendly too. would love to see more sides , but that's ok. keep up the good work champy's

awesome cheekun!. we heard all the buzz from friends, family and here about how greatchampy'swas and had to try it. everyone is right!

we were surprised how busy it was for a late saturday afternoon (about 4:30). the place was packed! however we were quickly seated and our orders taken. i had to try the fried livers (if a place can get those right they get everything right), my wife got the 2 piece white meat plate, and an appetizer of pickled fried green tomatoes.

the tomatoes weren't exactly to our liking as the pickling is a sort of bread-and-butter sweet version, which neither of us loves, but neither of us considered when we ordered. they weren't unpalatable, just not expected, but they were prepared nicely with the crust being crunchy.

the fried chicken and livers were both fantastic, and my wife actually got 3 pieces instead of 2. the server told her just keep the extra chicken no charge. it was a mountain of food. the sides were also great (there is a bit of an upcharge for changing your sides from the usual beans and cole slaw) and our drinks stayed topped off.

champy's is not just a great meal for a good price, it's worth a special trip.

can't miss favorite with out-of-town guests. two relatives (the good kind) called early in the morning and wanted to meet in chattanooga for lunch. they'd been here several times before and we'd made the rounds of several restaurants that are my favorites. nikki's for shrimp, tremont tavern for burgers, 212 for fancy-pants sit-down, brewhaus for brats and kraut, and public house for upscale meat-and-three, andchampy'sfor chicken

before i could finish asking where to meet the answer was a loud "champy's" for fried chicken. even better they were buying!

i had the 3 piece chicken with no-slaw or beans but double fries. j. and m. had wings, a three-piece, slaw, beans, and an order of tamales.

while i hadn't tried the tamales since my first visit, they were better this time. spicier! the chicken breasts were huge, the sides generous, and fries were hot from the fryer.

service was excellent. the server was friendly, unobtrusive yet checked on us at least four times with more water for me, and moved fast and efficiently.champy'shas the consistently best servers of any place in town. i've never encountered anything but smiles. this is one place where i happily tip 25% or more.

as billvol said, this is the diamond in a sea of fugazi joints for chattanooga food.


-----16 jul, 2013-----

another good meal at champy's. while i avoid arriving at most restaurants between noon and 1 pm we decided to take a chance at getting a table atchampy'sfor lunch at 12:05pm. the place was already packed. we grabbed a table inside as someone was leaving. immediately a server came by and said she'd be back to clean the table. two minutes later she was there. cleaned off table, wiped it down, took our drink orders, and was back in less than two minutes with drinks. took our chicken orders, advised it would be about 5 minutes. in less than five minutes we had our food.

white meat chicken with fries, baked beans, slaw. delicious.

i rarely repeat visits to restaurants this quickly, but this was my fifth visit tochampy'sin two months. it's hard to beat for service, value, and well-prepared food. clients like it, it's affordable, and some of the best service anywhere.

i always plan on trying something else besides the fried chicken, but the chicken is just so good i change my mind and get the fried chicken again and i'm happy.

good work, champy's!


-----30 apr, 2013-----

good chicken, great service, smiling faces. my first trip to champy's. i arrived early and set in bar area waiting for my lunch companion. friendly server with suggestions for appetizers.

we split an order of mississippi-style tamales. ok, but need more spices for my taste. not heat, just up the level of spices.

then the chicken arrived. crispy-fried breast and wing. juicy, flavorful, and large. better than anywhere in chattanooga (with the possible exception of lamar's). i substituted fries for the baked beans. fries were hot, crispy, and delicious. even after they got cold during lunch (my friend and i are talkers) they were good.

i must comment on the quality of the servers. all were friendly, polite, and personable without the all-too-common fake smiles and condescension found elsewhere.

and the servers work! never had to hunt for a server to refill glasses or take away the finished plates. best wait staff i've seen in a long time.

congratulations to the chattanooga champy's. good food, great service, smiling faces. other restaurants could learn from you.

disappointing. we visitedchampy'son sunday night, february 16, 2014. our server, christy, was the only bright spot in our visit. we sat down a few minutes after seven, ordering sweet tea for my wife and yuengling for me. we decided to try the fried green tomato appetizer, and for our main course order breast and wing for me and three wings for my wife. the drinks were served quickly, and i noticed i slightly musty taste to my beer. before i could think about it too much the fried green tomatoes were served.
the fried tomatoes, were good (really reminiscent of the fried wurzburg pickles served at the brewhaus), but thechampy'ssauce was nothing special.
and then we waited about 30 minutes for the mains. a long 30 minutes, the wait staff were obviously busy, refilling ice teas and taking garbage out, so it wasn't an inefficient wait staff. finally the main dishes arrived, and at the same time my second glass of yuengling. the musty taste was if anything more pronounced. so it wasn't a dirty glass, more likely a moldy tap.
the chicken pieces were huge, and piping hot; that was the positive. the chicken was very greasy, my wife described it as, "slimy." it was over seasoned, and cooked fully through in deep fat , hence the piping hot. it compares poorly against hair of the dog's fried chicken, bilo's fried chicken, heck even kfc has a better less greasy taste. the beans and cole slaw served with it was at best pedestrian , but were the best things on the plate.
we both ate a wing, and politely asked for a take away box for the other two wings and breasts along with the check. i mentioned the moldy tap to our server as we left.
driving away, i was looking forward to getting home for and alka seltzer, and a serious tooth brushing session. about half way back to red bank the smell of that left over chicken was turning my stomach, i ended up ditching it in a gas station trash can.

champy's weekly fix.champy'sis the best chicken in the southeast. we have to go at least once a week to get ourchampy'sfix. btw...the grilled chicken salad is extremely satisfying. i love the hot sauces - some great choices - specially, cholula's chipolte!

fried chicken done right !!. went for lunch, had the tamales and a three piece chicken plate with delicous baked beans and slaw. this chicken was probably the best fried chicken i've eaten in my 44 yrs. sorry to my mother, grandmothers and even my wife and bea's restaurant, butchampy'sgets my vote. the tamales were delicous as well. i'm 6'2 250 lbs and i couldn't finish my lunch, not even close. took enough home for dinner ! can't wait to go back for wings and a forty !!

juicy chicken, excellent service!.champy'shas a fantastic laid-back atmosphere and no-nonsense chicken. portion sizes are huge, exhibited by plates piled high with chicken and sides. i was here during the nba finals, and though the game went past their normal hours, katie and shay continued serving great meals to the bitter end. a must-visit for natives and travelers alike.

wow!. i cannot say enough about this place! we were driving home to nashville from atlanta a few weeks ago and stumbled uponchampy'swhile searching the internet for a place to eat. we all ordered the fried chicken i almost died and went to heaven with my first bite. our server shelby was great and upon her recommendation, ordered the tamales and key lime pie. we are now trying to plan our next trip around getting back to eat some more haha! great food, great service! we will definitely be back!

surprisingly delicious.champy'schicken is better than most grandmas can fry, and we were served huge portions for very reasonable prices. tamales were served in corn husks and were excellent. fried pickles were yummy, too!

great price. great food..champy'shas great food at a great price. the appetizers and entrees are delicious. looking for amazing fried chicken? this is your stop!

these folks know chicken. my wife and i decided to visitchampy'sfor the first time on friday, 06/01/2012. i must say, it was very confusing when it came to figuring out how to get a seat around that place. there was no hostess on duty, so i had to add my name to the list at the bar. for what was to come, the 10-15 minutes wait was a very small price to pay. once seated, our server was nothing short of perfect. the place was packed, but the way she was able to multitask and keep all of her tables taken care of was truly something only the best servers could have done. bravo!!! everything atchampy'sis cooked to order. no worries here about your food dying in the pass waiting to be picked up by a server. they might as well had brought the vat of grease to me and wife with a pair of tongs and said, "here, pick out your chicken." it was fresh and smokin' hot! the plus.......not greasy at all! the seasoned coating is tasty and well balanced in flavor. the sides are not all that, butchampy'sis not in business for their sides (they are simply filler). the star of the show is the chicken....and it is some damn good chicken if i may say so myself. next up from the menu when we visit again is chicken on a stick (portions of fried boneless chicken breast, skewered with fried potatoes and onion)....a bessie smith strut favorite. remember: let food be fun!

great fried chicken!!. we are recent transplants from northern illinois and we've been looking for great fried chicken. read some reviews ofchampy'sand we tried it last night. had the 2 piece white meat with beans and slaw. delicious!! chicken was perfectly cooked - crispy on the outside and moist and tender on the inside. sides were good too. the service was excellent. also loved the funky atmosphere. we will be regulars!

amazing!.champy'sis by far the best fried chicken in chattanooga. their fried pickles are the bomb.

so damn good. i live three blocks from champy's, so it's a wonder i ever cook at all. everything i've tried atchampy'shas been piping hot, fresh, and delicious. the fried chicken, the catfish, the tamales, and the sides are all sooooo good. the chicken is always juicy and crispy, not greasy -- same goes for the catfish. their wings are really smokey, which isn't really my things, but they're perfectly cooked and nicely spicy.

i've never been on a fowl-and-forty's night, but i've heard they're an epic tradition!

their servers are friendly (in a mostly-sincere way) and attentive. even when it's jam-packed, i've gotten prompt service. they know the menu and give great suggestions to folks who have a hard time deciding.

here i am, sitting at the inside bar of champys on a boring thursday night, and the only thing on is sportscenter. yet the place is full...everyone from families to frat boys. no particular draw except for the food and service, yet there's a house full of people who all walked in past the new expansion. yes...expansion! an 8x8 hole and west side patio equals more space, liquor license, and drive through pick-up. sure i'm biased, but everytime i'm home, mad dog, katie, paige, mo, chels, haley, and everyone are on the agenda.


-----17 dec, 2010-----

champy's is one of the best, and not just for chicken, restaurants in chattanooga. the food, atmosphere, and service are excellent. it's rare enough to find quality in any of those three areas, butchampy'sexcels in each. what more, i'm as comfortable bringing business clients here as i am hanging out to watch football. all of the servers are great, but one young woman with deep brown eyes just rocks. just no other word to describe her. just like there is no other word to describe the successor to t-bones as the place to be in town.