urban stack

ehh.. i've been to urban stack twice now, my visits several months apart. i love taco mama and have been pleasantly surprised with community pie, but the third of the monen's establishments just doesn't do it for me. there are good aspects, sure: the atmosphere is really neat (though loud), the management is obviously a part of the team effort (something i always appreciate), and the whiskey menu is impressive if that's your thing. for me, though, the burgers are just lacking. i've now tried the jive turkey and the mushroom melt - both were fine, neither impressive. oddly enough, as another reviewer commented, the sweet potato fries may be the best item on the menu. the first time i went, service was excellent. this last time, it was definitely lacking. i'm a server myself, so i'm both extremely observant and incredibly understanding of the many things that can go wrong on any given night. the restaurant was decently crowded when we were there, and i could see our server taking care of at least one other table. other servers were certainly pitching in with running food, etc. our server was nice enough, but.... awkward, for lack of a better term. he might have been new, or else really forgetful. i'm hoping he is just new. the beer i ordered was never brought, despite seeing him make multiple trips around our section. i finally had to discretely ask, as my food was delivered, if it was still on the way. he seemed completely clueless and had to make two more trips to ask both what it was and which size i wanted. *cringe*. i wasn't particularly annoyed that he forgot my beer (although i'm sure others would be), more so just felt really awkward about having to ask when he clearly forgot - despite writing it down. when our food arrived, it was 'auctioned off.' again, not a huge deal, but we were only a table of 5 and he personally delivered the food (with another runner). i would like to think he'd remember who had what. one entree was missing, was brought out about 2 minutes later by a manager, and was wrong. very wrong. burger-instead-of-lettuce-wrap-wrong. cringe again. all in all i enjoyed my experience because of my company, but my so-so burger and one pint of beer weren't worth the $16 i spent after tip. i don't think i'll be back.

really good burger. i had the "good day, sunshine" burger, upgraded with the kobe beef. outstanding burger. the gouda creamed corn is delicious. also, they have a great beer selection, including many local brews. we went to urban stack twice on a recent visit to chattanooga, and sat on the patio both times, so i can't say much about the inside of the restaurant. but the patio was very pleasant. i'd like to go back to chattanooga - heck, i'd like to move to chattanooga - and when i do i'll definitely go back to the urban stack.

by the way, is it just me, or does it appear that someone went through the urban stack reviews and marked all of the negative reviews "helpful" and all of the positive reviews "unhelpful"?

great burgers!. some of the best, most inventive burgers in the city...or the region, for that matter. but besides their namesake, urban stack also does all the small things well. homemade pickles. chipotle ketchup on each table. simple beet salad. delicious pimento cheese appetizer (a nice nod to our southern roots). worth a trip to the southside...at least once a week!

nice place, fast pace, quality. first visit to the stack and i was very impressed with the warm welcome, quick seating (just in time, 10 minutes later and a small wait) and very friendly and capable server.
great choice of “themed” burgers, fantastic niedlov’s roll and fresh half cured pickles. i don’t eat burgers too often but this will be my fix when i do. next time out, taco mama’s, i hear the quality is very good.

mediocre at best. the thinnest milk shake i have ever seen. my turkey burger was seasoned oddly and the so called "blue cheese" dressing/sauce on the burger could have been anything it was so tasteless. this is marked as a moderately expensive restaurant. over $10 for a burger and a coke, doesn't seem moderate to me. the building is great but the noise level is uncomfortable. our server was very nice but i don't think it made up for the food.

ozzie in chat. great burgers
nice staff

in 2010, urban stack burger lounge inhabited chattanooga’s old southern railway baggage building down on the southside, with owners mike and taylor monen looking to remodel this building with leed-certified criteria. i inhabited urban stack for lunch last saturday.

yum yum!. urban stack is a great place for a unique burger and onion rings! lots of creative choices on the menu, and not too expensive. please note that sides are alacarte.

best burger in town. sursly.

nice building, poor value. this was my third time to go, my first bringing my entire family -- hubby, and two kids under 12. i've decided, after this last visit, we won't be heading back to urban stack again. bottom line, we love the building and how it was refurbished, but service and value are insulting.
it started with a dud of a waitress. she was unfriendly and, is it possible, snooty? do they train them to be snooty? because as we were there, we noticed most of the staff was more interested in talking to each other than waiting tables. at one point, we had to wave our hands back and forth like an airline landing crew to get anyone's attention. and when one of them broke off from the pack they seemed irritated we would call them to a table that wasn't theirs.
but the worst part of the visit was the value (and it's really sad when your kids notice this without you discussing it). hubby ordered chili for $8 which came in a mortifyingly small bowl with no sides. i ordered a veggie burger made out of beans and sweet potatoes for $8 which came with no sides. (call me crazy, but it's made out of vegetables.. why was it sooooo expensive, even the same price as the real hamburgers) and with no sides? it was mooshy and served with "mango" mayo. i don't think a single mango touched that mayo.
my son ordered mack and cheese. it was watery and tasteless --- and he noticed. "mom, this doesn't taste so good. it taste like nothing."
so for $60 or more plus tip later, we left disappointed and sad.
i could be such a great place. we were looking for a dining experience, but got so so food, high prices, and poor service. i won't be able to drag my family back there.

the gourmet burger is excellent!

a good burger. good burger. excellent chipotle ketchup. good selection of local beers on tap. sever was very polite and knowledgable on the menu. like other people have said it was a little cold inside.

lunchtime. lunch at urban stack was wonderful. we had the best waitress; jennifer was the helpful with the menu, great service and a great smile. very refreshing, will be a returning customer. the service was fast, burger great, and prices excellent. i know most people would post negative comments about the wait staff, i must say urban stack may just have the best staff in chattanooga. great job urban stack.

loved this place! we took my son who has a lot of food allergies (so msny that we keep a laminated list on us at all times) & the staff was incredibly accommodating. everything on their menu looks good and we were not disappointed. the hercules is awesome. servers and managers were friendly and timely.

love it. i love this place! the potato chip nachos are like nothing i've ever had. haven't had a bad burger yet, and the cocktails are ridiculously delicious.


-----23 feb, 2011-----

the incredible and creative burger. what i look for in a good restaurant is a place that takes the ordinary and turns it into extraordinary. this is a difficult thing to do with the burger since it's the last thing that needs to be reinvented. but urban stack has managed to accomplish the extraordinary all the way around.

first of all, the menu is filled with so many good options that i had trouble deciding what to order. i ended up going with the lamb burger and loved it, and i tasted the kobe beef burger which may have been even better. the apps and sides were great (not the same old thing, which i loved). the ambiance was impeccable, and the drinks were unbelievable... i never knew i could like bourbon!

this place has its own unique twist. i personally liked it better than l.a.'s famous counter (where i saw david spade dining), richard blais's flip and shaun doty's yeah burger. and even though i'm an out-of-towner, i've been craving more.

i can tell you one thing... if i were one of those neighboring restaurants, i'd be getting nervous right about now.