Omg! The portions are huge! The plate is twice the size, with helpings to match. Two country steaks, REAL mashed potatoes, and steamed veggies, and salad! For 12.95? What? Crazy! No wait time, staff friendly and helpful.
(5)
Jt P.
Good food, open for 24 hours! We were on business and there was not much open around. The hotel suggested City Cafe Diner. Nice location right on the corner, but connected to a sleezy looking hotel. Parking lot is very small as well. The place was busy at midnight when we arrived. The server was very nice and accommodating. The food took a little long to get finished, but was pretty good. Not to best I have had, but good. The only downside was the cake, that they displayed in a big rotating shelf up front... it looked so good, but did not live up to the hype I was hoping for.
(4)
Steven L.
This place is too busy in the morning. I stopped in here for breakfast today. It's hard to find parking too if you want to come here. Now, they do have WiFi. I was here to try out their breakfast for the first time. There aren't that many breakfast joints down town to choose from. I got two eggs sunny side up. Biscuit, grits, country ham and coffee. They brought me my eggs and one if them was busted already. They should correct that before delivering to their customers. I ate it anyway because it took so long to get my order. Don't come here to hang out using their free WiFi. The managers will come around looking at you nonverbal communication is they want you to eat and go.
(3)
Marsha L.
Quick issue that could have gone horribly wrong. Gary Haworth the General Manager stepped in and made the experience AMAZING! He really went above and beyond in more ways than one! Thank you and the food was so yummy! Omg! You must try it when in CHATTANOOGA! I had the Alfredo that had a real non Prego taste. Like someone's old Italian Grandma was making it!
(5)
Chris J.
Emermous amount of food and very good! Ordered cheese omelette with side of bacon and home fries. Bacon was literally 8 pieces of bacon was normal order which i could not eat. My wife and daughters farmers omelette was absolutely fit for 2 and both could not even eat close to half. Quality of food was great, very freah everything.
(5)
Derek A.
If you have time and are VERY hungry, you may wish to try this place. Located as part of the Days Inn, this is an unpretentious establishment. After a short wait (there were plenty seats but serving staff were slow to react to arriving guests) servers were relatively quick to take drink order. There is an extensive menu and at reasonable prices, all the more valued when you see the portions! Quantity rather than high quality, it's cheap and cheerful. Be sure to leave some room for desert from the extensive and 'naughty' menu. Again, a very large portion supplied with a box to take remains home!!!
(3)
Chuck M.
Chef salad was excellent and huge! Thank goodness i had dressing on the side since i still have a nice salad to take home for dinner. Sorry I didn't get a snapshot before I dug in. Next time. They have a great selection of cakes for dessert and this is their gluten free chocolate which I couldn't resist.
(5)
Scott J.
You can't allow yourself to miss this restaurant. It is something special. Don't be fooled by its simple diner appearance and name. The menu is incredible. One great unique dish after another. Great tasting, good prices. They have 101 different deserts. Every 30 min 24 hours a day they make a new 5 layer cake; in the style of gourmet cakes little seen since the 50s. Spent a week in Chattanooga and found this place the day before I leave. Going to eat all of my remaining meals there!
(5)
Mikey P.
Quite literally the BEST fries I've had in my life. But they lose their texture when you re-heat them (I tried to stock up). Their portions are HUGE! Share one app and entree and you will still have extras. I ate here three times in the weekend I was there. the desserts. The options. The affordable prices. It was a GREAT experience.
(5)
Kim S.
I think I loved this place. It was just like the diners I grew up with in NJ. The cakes were SKY HIGH!!! I did not, however, try one. I did try the Neopolitan which was super YUMMY. It was completely packed at 10:30 pm!!! Folks clamoring to get in. Food was good---there is SO MUCH on this menu, I don't really know how they manage to do so much.
(4)
Stephie Z.
This place is straight out of the 80s, but I sort of dig it. The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the slight smell of cigarette smoke that I smelled the whole time I was there. I'm not sure if it was a patron or the place, but It bothered my sensitive nose. The food was decent, the service was great. I ordered a chicken fajita omelet ( chicken, onions, jalapenos, green bell peppers) with a side of grits. I asked for light cheese, but the omelet was still chock full of the stuff. I'm not sure it that was because the waitress for got to let the kitchen know or that was the lightened cheese version. Either way I had to pull some of it out. Other than being overly cheesy, the omelet was ok. Nothing to write home about, but it filled my hunger. The grits were standard issue and pretty meh. The waitress was friendly and did a good job. I thought the owner was super nice and his pink shirt and pig tie were the sunshine to my rainy morning. City Cafe has tons of great looking desserts, but sadly I had none. Next time I'm in town I might stop and grab a piece since the owner said all were handmade by their staff at another location.
(3)
Stacy S.
This is one of my regular stops. Good food, good service, and generous portions in a Mel's Diner type of atmosphere make this place worth checking out.
(4)
Becca G.
Great service. Delicious food. Even better desserts. I would seriously advise popping in just for the desserts alone.
It's a diner, so align your expectations accordingly. Within the diner category, it's a fine specimen! The food is fresh, hot, and well cooked. The sandwiches and burgers are great. Have been several time in the last decade during visits to Chattanooga. On my visit today I tried the Athenian omelet - gyro, feta, and tomato. Wow it was yummy. I did not know the potatoes were laced with peppers and onions - neither of which I like-- so I skipped them. Those who enjoy those ingredients would likely be thrilled. And the dessert... Oh my. Split a piece of Million Dollar Cake with my friend -- and after we had our fill, we each took some home as well, all from the same piece. Rich and delicious. And shout out to Lacey our server. She was attentive and friendly and made our visit very enjoyable.
(4)
Brent R.
Came here in a large party after a wedding. A good portion of the group had been partying all night before we arrived, but the waiter handled it like a pro. He was both engaging and funny, took care of everything, and really made the experience memorable. Some of the requests from the group were completely ridiculous, but he came through like a champion. The food was pretty good, regardless of the fact that they had a very wide array of items on the menu. I had a Monte Carlo sandwich, which I had never had before, and it was interesting and delicious. I didn't hear any complains about any of the food -- even from the guy who ordered a Belgian waffle with ice cream on top of it (which is an actual item on the menu). Although I did not try any of the cakes, the sight of them in the display case was shocking. They have a very impressive assortment of cakes available, including one that is like a sampler that includes a bunch of different types of their cakes all in one. At the end of the day this is a great place, highly recommended!!
(5)
Whitney B.
Forget Waffle House, forget Denny's, forget all those other 24/7 chains and go to City Cafe Diner. Think all of those places x 100 and this is what you will get. We were hungry, and it was Thanksgiving night, so this was pretty much our only bet, and a fine one it was. Is this a 4 star food and service worthy restaurant? Nope. But I'd choose this place over a Denny's any day. The menu is a little overwhelming. They pretty much have ev-ry-thng. I mean, hello, they have an eggplant parm sandwich (which the bf got). First off, the food portions are huge. And for the prices, well worth it. So the bf got the ep parm and I got the chicken philly. He was a little scared from the amount of cheese they put on his sandwich, probably about a pound. My philly was mighty tasty. It was nothing fancy, but the chicken was plentiful and with good spices, the cheese was nice, and the bread was good. But, 3 people could have easily eaten my sandwich. The service was a little bambyish, but whatever. If you are drunk, eat here. If you are broke, eat here. If you are driving through town and it is an odd hour and you don't want fast food, eat here. And for the kind of place it is, the desserts looked amazing. But be prepared. Just walking through the door will probably cost you 10 pounds.
(4)
Chain B.
The omelets were good and the desserts are awesome.
(4)
Derrick M.
Pleasantly surprised. When I pulled in to Chattanooga and found almost everywhere stopped serving food past 10. This gem was suggested to me by a bartender. Great food, value and great service. Very happy. I hear the cake is amazing. Honestly, after half of a sandwich I was too full to even try it. Wish I would have : )
(4)
Courtney C.
As far as diners go, this one is great. The food is good and cheap and the service is fast and friendly. I appreciate the fact that City Cafe Diner has a true diner atmosphere. This is the perfect place to go if you're in a hurry and need a quick bite to eat.
(4)
Rick A.
The cakes are delicious... If they are fresh. I purchased half of a cake, because I didn't need a while cake, and half a cake still cost $35.00. It was a four layer Italian Creme cake. The bottom two layers were stale and nasty - like they were about 2 weeks older than the top half of the cake. What's up with that! I feel really ripped off for paying $35 for half a stale cake.
(1)
Eliza R.
I lived in downtown Chattanooga for 3 years as a college student, and this is the next best place after the Yellow Deli for cheap, delicious, late-night food. First of all, it's a diner, so don't expect anything fancy in terms of food quality or atmosphere. That said, the food is GREAT for what it is and the atmosphere is really fun (give the juke box a whirl if you're so inclinded)! I have been there countless times, and the service is always incredibly friendly and quick. My ex and I used to go late on Friday night after drinking at bars, and this super chill guy named Richard always served us - we went so often, he knew us by name and knew our orders by heart! The menu is massive and contains nearly every type of food you might be craving: breakfast, sandwiches, wraps, soups, salad, wings, and full-on meals varying in ethnicity from Greek to Mexican. The portions are as big as the menu, so you will likely need a to-go box. Make sure you leave room for the rotating selection of mouth-watering cakes and pies, all of which are immense servings (big surprise). My favorites are the cheesecake (both plain and lemon) and carrot cake!
(4)
Teresa S.
Don't go here to eat if you're on a diet. I have three words for you. Cake, cake and pie!! Menu is quite diverse and staff was friendly and helpful.
(3)
Arthur H.
Went here for a couple days close to my hotel. Food was decent prices reasonable for area waitress one day was not too bright but all in all I would go again if I was close not a out of your way type place.
(3)
Christin K.
This is a very strong 3 stars so don't be scared away. City Cafe is a reliable place to eat late at night- 24 hours. It's a good spot to hit up after a night of hanging out or when everything else is closed. But you don't feel terrible about going there like I sometimes do about Waffle house. I'd compare it to the Majestic in Atlanta at times. It's a little cramped at its peak hours but it's always interesting for people watching. You know when an adult is trying to feed a baby and pretends the spoon is an airplane and it goes everywhere except for the baby's mouth for like 4 minutes straight? Well you can see partially inebriated people do that here to themselves. It's pretty entertaining. The food and menu is similar to many Greek 24 hour Diner. Burgers, breakfast foods, cakes, pasta. I had a burger and added an egg. It was big and juicy and came with a lot of fries. Our waitress was pretty friendly and attentive. She even brought me 3 kinds of hot sauce. That's very sweet. You pay for the check at the counter. Also there seems to be a bar in the back in a separate room. I think the other city cafe is like this too. Overall, very large portions of greasy diner food and laid back.
(3)
elvis p.
I would definitely not put this in the same class as the great Southern Greek diners I used to see across the deep South when I was a kid, but it's OK for what it is, which is to provide a big menu 24/7. Their more high-end stuff (the seafood and pasta dishes) would feed a horse-you won't be shortchanged on the portions). The execution is pretty bland, though. Recommended for getting yourself filled up at 3 in the morning.
(2)
Dean D.
This place is open 24/7 and has an enormous menu. Typical NY style Diner with the huge menu that has everything from breakfast meals, Greek Gyro's, seafood dishes, Italian plates to outstanding deserts. The breakfast omelets are especially good and one plate is more than enough for two. Breakfast and a beer? What a concept...Breakfast of champions! We got in to Chattanooga fairly late and decided we needed some food after our long ride from Memphis. We were staying at the Holiday Inn Express down the street and decided to try the City Cafe. I had the turkey club sandwich which was very good. They have about 5 different club sandwiches. My daughter tried the fried chicken club which I actually preferred over my turkey. The fries are addictive; the deserts are incredible. We each had a cannoli for desert and all I can say is "heaven on earth". The Chocolate Eclairs looked outstanding. They were about a foot long, maybe next time. If you're trying to lose weight, I don't recommend this place. One last thing...we had chicken wings for an appetizer. They were meaty and had a good taste but not hot enough. When I ask for the hottest sauce you've got, I want to sweat as I eat. They also didn't include any ranch or blue cheese dressing. That's a given, isn't it?
(4)
Andrea O.
This place was across the street from our hotel and thank goodness for that! The food was delicious (despite the fact that the encyclopedic style menu was scary) - we stuck to the Diner type fair and every single thing was awesome. The cakes and desserts were legendary - one of the best Napoleon's I have ever had! It was really crowded every time we were there but they do a great job with that! The employees were super friendly and just added to the love we were feeling in Chattanooga! Can't wait to visit again when we are back for Hooch '14!
(5)
Cristina C.
I didn't have high expectations for this place, and it's a good thing because it failed to meet them. This diner is attached to the Days Inn we were staying at so, tired and grumpy from a long drive, we decided to walk 20 feet from our room to City Cafe Diner. It's an 80s time warp. Think black marble meets neon signs. I half expected Tootie, Natalie and the rest of the "Facts of Life" gang to saunter up and have milkshakes with us. Yes, this is snarky, but I love the 80s so I thought "This place can't be that bad." Then we were handed the menu. It was freaking huge. They attempt everything from standard diner fair (burgers) to dishes that should never, under any circumstances, appear on a diner menu (calamari and salmon). Being as it was my first night in town, I decided it might be logical to avoid food poisoning and ordered an open-faced roast beef sandwich. When the plate came out, I burst into laughter. The portion was HUGE and the broccoli spears were genetic mutants as big as corn on the cob. What appeared to be an entire roast beef was carved out in front of me over four slices of bread, slathered in a few cups of brown gravy. The meat was OK and the potatoes tasted garlicky, but the gravy killed it. It had a bizarre, stale taste to it, and it was unfortunate because it was everywhere. I took a few bites before I determined I wasn't hungry anymore. My friend, sadly, ordered the exact same dish so I guess we will never know if anything else here is edible. Watching the waitress take away my plate with 4 lbs. of food, I couldn't help but feel guilty over the dozens of starving people in the world that wasted food could have fed. As you go to the cashier to pay, you will pass a glass case with the biggest, most amazing desserts you've ever seen. It's a shame you'll be so ready to pop that they no longer look enticing. If you're staying at Days Inn, it's a good place to visit when you're too tired to bother. Just hold your nose while chewing and maybe you'll avoid tasting the gargantuan portion of lousy food.
(2)
Andy H.
Cool place open 24/7. Service was friendly. You get a flashback feeling when you walk in the door. The baked goods look amazing but I am watching it so did not try. This place works for me.
(4)
Dennis J.
This is a great diner, and you can tell it looked like it was copied from Atlanta's landmark diners. The place was clean, and the food was better than the Landmarks diners here. I stayed at the Days Inn which shared the same building so it was definitely convenient.
(4)
Diana B.
The food is just ok. But, the service is very friendly, the prices are reasonable and the place is clean so that earns them 3 stars. They say the owner is Greek so I tried the spinach pie. It was good (although I have had better) but the Greek salad that accompanied it was brown in spots. What really disappointed me was dessert. So many people raved about it so I had to try the Seven Sins chocolate cake. It was barely ok, tasted a little frozen. I guess when you go to a diner like this you need to stick to breakfast.
(3)
A N.
I went there because I heard their dessert was amazing. We are breakfast here and got dessert to go. The breakfast was awful and the service was worse! I had the pecan waffle and bacon. The waffle was burnt and they managed to cook the flavor out of the bacon, which I didn't know you could do! It tasted like hard grease. I got a piece of the coconut cream cake to go, and it was definitely way better than my breakfast, but nothing to write home about. The service was ok at best once we were seated, but nobody greeted us when we entered or when we went back to the counter to pay after eating. The lady only stuck her hand out for the check. You can tell they don't appreciate the customers, and I don't appreciate the poor service. I will not be returning!
(1)
David D.
Very good food and lots of it. Good prices too. No wonder it is so busy.
(4)
Lola D.
Had lunch there and shared a crab cake sandwich with my friend. I'm glad cuz I would not be able to eat all if it. The crab cake good and bigger portion. My friend ordered two desserts to go and I had a taste ( gluten free chocolate cake) which was good that I knew I'd have to come back. I stopped there this afternoon and ordered three types of desserts to bring back to the staff where I'm staying. Lime pie, strawberry cake and the gluten free choc cake. All were great. Glad I don't live here. I'd be stopping here often.
(4)
Will M.
This place has the worst. service. ever. Not really 24 hour delivery. Very inconsistent food quality. Buyer beware!
(1)
Darvey K.
Feel good food 24/7/365 with great breakfast, melts, and desserts.
(5)
Andrew T.
Food was pretty good but it took 3 times to get my order right. Kids orders weren't right either. Nice people though.
(2)
Zeb M.
If you look up "diner" in an encyclopedia, there should be a picture of City Cafe next to it because it perfectly exemplifies one. I always laugh at their menu because it more closely resembles a book - it's pretty big in size and has almost every platter and sandwich known to man.
(4)
LM P.
My cousin brought me to City Cafe during on of my visits to Chat Town. It's a small retro-style restaurant attached to the dowtown Days Inn that reminds me of 90210's Peach Pit. We had arrived in Chattanooga late and everyone was starving, but everyone wanted something different. City Cafe was the perfect place for us because they pretty much offer anything you could want. From pancakes to tacos and from hamburgers to spaghetti, you want it, they got it. Perfect for some hungry late-night eaters. They also have a huge selection of desserts. The display-o-cakes as I like to call it, offers cakes like red velvet to banana split slices that are seriously the size of your head. We always make it a point to eat at City Cafe when we are in the Chattanooga area and are down to eat whatever.
(4)
Jenn T.
We were in town for a cheer competition and this restaurant was recommended to us as a "can't miss". We arrived at 8:00 pm to a bustling diner. After several minutes of not being greeted at all, an older surly gentleman took down our name, told us it would be about 30 minutes, and led us to their waiting room (which is the hotel lobby of the Days Inn that's attached). At 8:35 we were taken to our table. We ordered our food and it was not brought to our table until 9:55 pm! And that was after we had to ask several times where our food was! It was just terrible service. The waitress never apologized for the extreme wait that we had, nor did she offer to send over a manager or offer to discount the bill at all. Once we got our check we had to wait in an obnoxious line up front to pay. This is the same line that people use to order and pay for their to go orders, and the same gentleman (very rude as well) who packages up the million slices of cake that people order also takes people's payments. It was a horrendous experience and I would certainly not recommend this restaurant to anyone in the downtown Chattanooga area. There are many other options out there!
(1)
Nancy P.
For perspective - I 've been traveling through VA, SC, and TN quite a bit over the last few months. As a solo traveler, I frequently treat lunch as my largest meal, so I look for decent food at reasonable prices that is NOT fast food. I ordered 2 meals to go to cover 2 days, including dessert and 2 large milks. Overall excellent rating due to taste, amount of food, speed of service and friendliness of staff. Ordered Southern friend chicken with mashed potatoes and got 1 each of leg, thigh, breast, wing and easily 3-4 servings of potatoes. Chicken very moist with batter dip I love. Potatoes were real potatoes. Other dish was spanikopita w/ Greek salad. Salad was very fresh. The cakes (chocolate and carrot) were huge. I love dessert and I usually can finish at least 3/4 of a slice, but finished maybe 1/2 of 1 slice, they were that large. 1 slice could easily be shared by 4 women. Very, very moist and very flavorful. Would highly recommend. Note on the service - very friendly and kept their cool - I went in at busiest time of lunch (around 12:15). I must admit I did see their patience tested a little bit by some rude folks. *I have no affiliation with this diner. Just happened to stumble upon it because it was close to my hotel.*
(5)
Adrien R.
This place is amazing! I was working in Chattanooga for a week last winter, and myself and two co-workers ate here several times. They have an enormous menu, and everything we tried was good, came in over-sized portions and was fairly priced. We were working outdoors and I remember eating so much food to stay warm, including a piece of their cake each night, which was the size of my head. One night, we ordered food to our hotel room and it was snowing really bad. The delivery driver brought the wrong order, but came back with free drinks and dessert.
(5)
Charlie P.
Walked here from the convention center 01/11/08 during the World of Wheels auto show. It was about 2pm, so wasn't very busy. Service was terribly slow, like we were invisible. We were there almost an hour and a half. My BLT wasn't bad, my wife had a so-so chicken quesadilla. We walked across the street to checkout of the Sheraton, and before we got to the car, she was violently ill. Eat at your own risk.....
I was a little skeptical about this place when we first saw it but we decided to go in anyways and I'm glad we did. It was the best food I ate the entire trip. Good prices and huge portions. We had leftovers that we ate on the night after we ate there and it was just as good as when we first got it.
(5)
Matthew D.
The food was awesome and the portions were enormous. No complaints about the food. The service was awful. The waitress never checked on me and I had to wait 15 minutes for a check. Went back later with some other folks and service was great. I just had a bad waitress.
(4)
Mady J.
I took my friends from Maryland to City Cafe Diner while searching a good spot for lunch in Chattanoooga. This filled the bill. The cafe offers a menu with many options, the portions are quite ample, and the desserts are fabulous. Good value for your dining dollar. The staff is very courteous and most accommodating.
(4)
Bailey P.
Went here for breakfast twice during our stay. It was alright. The service was decent, but not great. The staff was friendly, but certainly in no hurry. My options are very limited due to my veg diet, but I had English muffins and their home fries, which they left the butter off of. It was a decent breakfast.
(3)
Aya S.
Okay. Food was good the first time when I ate with a friend. Food was good. Went to the bar, it was fine. The next day, I was dressed up in a dressy outfit (I am here on a convention) and was told there was a 20 minute wait. However, they were serving others much more quickly and saying there was availability (even with single person eaters). So, yeah. I am not pleased with this. Sorry.
(1)
Dan S.
Within walking distance of several downtown hotels is a genuine "Greek Diner". If you don't know what this is KEEP WALKING. If you DO know what a GREEK DINER is, stop on in - you will not be disappointed. Good food, LOTS of it - if you leave hungry it's your own fault. Service is quick and accurate - have no clue what some posters experienced, but our server was FANTASTIC!
(4)
Anson M.
After waiting 30 minutes to get seated, we ordered a garden salad and a cup of oatmeal. 45 minutes later still no food. In the mean time, people around us, who were seated and ordered after us, had received their food entirely. Awful service and extremely slow. We told management of the problem and they offered no apology or repair of the problem. Based on the lack of concern and service we left. I would not recommend this place to anyone!!!!
(1)
Shannon T.
Ttis is a decent diner with great deserts. It reminds me a lot of the Marietta Diner, in fact one of the owners of Marietta Diner later told me they sell the deserts to them and to several other diners in the southeast. Kit is situated a little oddly as it is the restaurant for a Days Inn, and it is rather small inside but the service and food were excellent.
(4)
David H.
Very good diner! The cakes are awesome, but all of there food is right on. Not 5 star dining, but really good food!
(4)
Melissa W.
This review is for service only...since we were never actually served. We went in last night (July 4th) to a fairly busy diner. We just wanted dessert, as this is an amazing place for it. The boyfriend and I had just finished watching fireworks...and it was our 5 year anniversary and we wanted something sweet to top the night off. We were seated fairly quickly...and our server got our drink order. I ordered a diet coke and a water...as i tend to drink fast...and the boyfriend ordered a root beer. The server kind of half listened...and didn't hear the diet coke order...but since we were sitting right next to the drink station...I spoke up to make sure I got the diet coke as well. She delivered the drinks and asked us for our order...we told her we would like dessert...and she sent us up to look at the cakes and other treats. Often when I have been here in the past the server would go up with us...to name off the different types of dessert and to get our order. No such luck this time...but being in the service industry...I understood...so no biggie. We returned to our table...and...nothing. Our server passed our table no less than 25 times...we tried to get her attention ...we waved..we tried eye contact...we did everything short of tripping her...and it was as if she was intentionally ignoring us. Our drinks were empty...we waited probably a total of 45 minutes before throwing down some ones on the table to cover the sodas and walking out. Sadly I take my sister and brother here with my mom about every other weekend...and am considering not returning to this location...
(1)
Jeff C.
LOVE this place! the food is oh so delicious!
(4)
David R.
The salad made with chunks of lettuce and over spiced chicken left some room for admiration. The amiable manager was a man who barked instead of offer help forthe clients. Will I come back? Never. Never ever.
(1)
Max P.
Drunk and hungry? Come on down. Huge portions.
(3)
Daniel T.
Its one of the best diners I have eaten at and I have eaten at quite a few. The food is a lot better than most diners. Remember this is a diner and not a 5 star restaurant. They have a big selection of food to choose from. They also have a lot of desserts. I would recommend it.
(4)
Matt V.
This place was highly recommended to me so I had high expectations. The decor was what I expected for a trashy diner, so no problem there. However, the service was HORRIBLE. We waited forever to be seated, have our orders taken, then to be given our checks. One of my utter pet peeves is a cold salad in a hot bowl, which was the case. The lettuce was wilted and disgusting. There was more core of the lettuce than actual edible parts. The corn beef sandwich was alright besides the greasy soaked bread. My friend gave me his water because the waiter rarely came around to fill our drinks. On top of all this, the waiter screwed up our checks. The one positive thing I can say is the manager. He is extremely focused on customer service and quickly corrected the checks and even comped the salad. He filled my water and I would dare to say he did more than our actual waiter. On a side note, the food portions are outrageous and unnecessary. All in all, I do not recommend this place and will probably not return if I can help it.
(1)
Amy T.
Visiting Chattanooga for the weekend, we were in search of a good breakfast place that was actually open on Sunday (in the Bible belt, God forbid!). We *Yelped* and found City Cafe Diner. We had a party of 6, so there was a bit of a wait in order to sit together. This is a super small place, mind you, so the "waiting area" was the hotel lobby of the adjoining Days Inn. Our four-year-olds enjoyed running through the hotel lobby like a pair of wild banshees... The menu is huge, like a typical diner, but I went with a Western Omelet, except it didn't come with cheese. Gotta pay $1.00 extra for a sprinkling of cheddar. The omelet came with a biscuit or toast, and what was supposed to be home fries. They were neither home, nor fried. They resembled a half-baked potato that had been sliced and attempted to have been pan fried. It was sort of like what you'd have if you ordered a baked potato was undercooked and then scraped the potato part out of the skin...a big mess. It just didn't work. The omelet, however, with the $1.00 cheese was very good, fully loaded with veggies that were tender crisp. The biscuit was good too. My son enjoyed his Mickey Mouse pancakes. I don't remember what hubby ordered, but he ate it all so it couldn't have been that bad. Service was good, and my coffee was always filled. If they just fixed those darn potatoes, or did something else with them entirely, it would have been a great meal.
(3)
Kyle B.
I met a friend over here for lunch the other day... Not a very big place... we arrived just in time as we were seated immediately, but those arriving after us had to wait. The waitress brings us a menu... scratch that, a book that serves as their menu. If you want it, this place has got it! The prices are relatively inexpensive and the food is pretty good. I had a hamburger and my friend had some sort of a salad. Both items were made quickly. My burger was nice and hot and well presented. Her salad looked fresh and crisp. We both enjoyed the meal and unfortunately did not have any room for the huge cakes and pies that they have on display here. I will have to come back here one day just for the desserts! The restaurant itself is a little unassuming place built into a Days Inn. Don't judge the place based on that... the food really is quite good, especially for the low prices. We had good, attentive service... never having to wait for anything (drink refills, extras that we asked for, the check, etc). You owe it to yourself to stop by here for at least one meal... I've had breakfast here too, but that was a long time ago and not a part of this review (but it too, was good!).
(4)
Debbie W.
We went there for dessert at our waiters advice. The selection was huge , the cakes and pies were huge. But they liked better than they tasted. I threw most of mine away. It tasted like crisco and cool whip and enough crumbled butterfinger to call it a butterfinger pie. Disappointing
(3)
J P.
Our server wouldn't even get us coffee until a huge table of 9-10 people decided on and ordered their food even though they had long had all their drinks. She was quick to remind me they were there first. Then, she doesn't write anything down just takes the order to memory. We didn't get half of the things we ordered and my girlfriends's food came out... get a load of this... over ten minutes after mine. She was told they were "darkening her home fries". Her home fries came out as undercooked, mushy and unseasoned as mine did, we had both requested our home fries to be extra well done. Unseasoned food, terrible service. Surprised I for some reason feel they deserve all two stars. Very disappointed because I love diners.
(2)
Larry V.
Stop by very time in am in Chattanooga (either location) eat and order additional take outs for the next couple of days. You have got to try one or more of the cakes - I have never had better.
(4)
Kay N.
Huge portions... great service! Chicken fried steak came with 2... okra was very good.
(5)
Dev S.
Terrible food, even worse delivery service. Ordered a late night delivery meal last week and the food was cold and stale. Called back to express my dissatisfaction about the delivery and was put on an indefinite hold. If you have the need for a late night meal, please please skip this place and go to the nearest gas station instead.
(1)
Danielle S.
The service here is horrible, I wish I could give it no stars at all. I tried to call in my order so that I could pick my food up & go, but soon as the manager answered the phone he told me that he would get back to me when he could. Obviously that was a clue for me & I waited 10 minutes & he never came back to the phone. I figured they were busy & decided to go inside & get my order. Instead of saying how may I help you, he said what do you want? It took everything in me not to turn around & walk out. The lady before me said she waited 10 minutes on a salad. Smh this place has atrocious management. The club I ordered was just thrown together, & the broccoli & cheddar soup was awful. The soup hardly had any broccoli at all. I use to tell tourist to stop by there to get good food, but never again.
(1)
Katie S.
I'd like to initially say that my rating is including the cake. The cake is AMAZING and there is quite a large selection. The food is alright but can be pricey, especially considering my college budget. However, sometimes my friends and I splurge after partying on Friday night.
(4)
Emily H.
LOVE their food but terrible service! The "greeters" never greet you, I almost feel like I am inconveniencing them just walking in. The managers are also rude as hell! I took my parents to the "City Cafe" because they live out of town and I wanted to take them to a place where the locals go. Half way through our meal we were told by the manager that we were too loud. Apparently seeing people happy and enjoying themselves was too much for this man to handle. I also recently placed a to go order and the girl put me on hold during the middle of my order with out asking me to hold, and surprisingly, got my order wrong. This places only saving grace is how good the food is! So if you are looking for great food but lowered self confidence and you like to be treated like shit, this place is for you!
(2)
Jonathan M.
Very unassuming location attached to a hotel. When I walked in the door I was totally baffled at all the delicious looking cakes and pies. I came in with a large group of 15+ people and we were seated rather quickly. I ordered the four bridges sandwich and it was a huge portion with lots of fries. The staff and manager were friendly and assisted in anyway they could. I just wish the menu was not so large and a bit more organized. Great 24/7 diner!!!
(4)
Chris S.
We hadn't been here in a couple years. Now we remember why. The breakfast was the worst, the service no better. I can't fathom why people return to this place.
(1)
Carrie Neal W.
I just re-read my original review and had to laugh. Oh, the first days in a new town! OK, so the 4 stars does stand. Now, I can say the following - don't love the grits (too runny), eggs are decent (but my scrambled are better), bacon is just the right crispy (my preference), waffles are solid (I prefer over pancakes) and staff is still great (crucial, right?). But I write this update for one reason: brownie cheesecake. Lawd. I rarely eat dessert (I'm the girl with that container of ice cream that had a few spoonfuls taken, then it ices over and gets forgotten) but last night the boy and I had a pizza dinner so, of course, it had to be followed by dessert and coffee. Duh. He comes here often, I've always wanted to try one of their mouth-watering looking desserts in the case, and was so happy I did! Anything you get is capital-H huge, and should definitely be shared (really, do share, no matter how big a sweet tooth you have) and there are almost too many choices. Cake, pie, cheesecake (plus cookies, brownies and muffins, oh my!) so after looking at the dessert menu, I picked one of each of the big three and let him decide. He picked none of my three choices. But that brownie cheesecake he did pick....a huge slice of brownie on top, plain cheesecake on bottom, with a little swirl of caramel on top and just the right combo of brownie-ness to contrast with the cheese-ness. For a not super sweet girl (ha) I would get this again. Did I mention he comes here often? Well, I'm in.
(4)
D P.
This review is simply based on the customer service... We did not dine here. We were attempting to have breakfast at another restaurant but their wait was over an hour. We are from out of town so we are unaware of the waits at local spots. Since it is Labor Day we decided to call City Cafe to see if there was a wait and how long before we drove over. First call was weird. I asked the lady if there was a wait.. She said "he is not here" an abruptly hung up. Clearly she mis heard me but why she hung up so quick was just weird. I called back an a man answered. Again I asked " hello, I'm checking to see if you currently have a wait".... His response was "of course we do" with extreme sarcasm as if I was so dumb to not know they would have a wait at a place I've never been to! Go figure. Glad they didn't get my business
(1)
Kelsey J.
Great for the type of restaurant it is! Has every thing you can probably imagine to order from, Italian to Greek, to American. They also have the best desserts! Decent service.
(4)
J J.
This is mostly unhealthy comfort food. Very large menu of a typical direr. Large portions. Very friendly and efficient staff. Had a NY cheesecake for desert (being from the NY area, what was I thinking) i was a mistake.
(3)
Craig V.
Huh...I should have read the reviews beforehand. But hey I was just off the road, hungry, had to use the restroom, and this place caught my eye. Like others posted, this place is a time warp. Decor stuck in the 80's and music stuck in the 50's. Also, the menu is a novel. That aside it was morning and I wanted breakfast....so I ordered the hobo platter. You know the standard sausage gravy over eggs over potatoes. It wasn't the most appealing thing to look at and the only thing less appealing was the flavor, because there was none. I doused it with salt, pepper, and hot sauce and it made it o.k. The waitress was good to start then faltered. ...as I finished and was waiting for my check, I noticed she just sat down and began eating her own food. There goes my check and to go coffee. I'd give it 2.5 stars but I don't have that option so ill give it 2. If you're hungry and don't give a hoot this place will suffice. If you'd like something good...look elsewhere.
(2)
Carla P.
Service was very efficient, food was typical, filling diner style, and good, but we were placed in a booth in the back that was eye level with a shelf that passed through into the kitchen. It was filthy. Hadn't been cleaned in too long. My husband made the mistake of touching it and filth went flying. Yuck! This made me wonder .... When do they clean this 24 hour place?
(3)
Bruce R.
I realize it is Christmas but they were not capable of making a simple grilled cheese, bacon and tomato on toast. First sandwich came out mangled and inedible. I sent it back. I NEVER send food back but this was inedible. 2nd sandwich comes and cheese was never melted and sandwich never was on the grill. This sandwich is called The Happy Waitress special. NOT. I'm giving 2 stars only because they didn't charge us for food. It wasn't the waitresses fault so I still gave her a nice tip.
(2)
Matt M.
Flying into Chattanooga from Los Angeles was a long trip. Exhausted with a little bit of jet lag and having no real food in my stomach for about 8 hours, I was dying for a meal. However, it was about 1am so there wasn't a whole lot of options. Thankfully, the City Cafe Diner was within walking distance. The place seemed a little sketchy when I walked in based on the clientele that was eating there, but I was hungry and had to eat! The menu was a typical diner menu, but one of the things I first noticed were the prices. Dirt Cheap!!! Maybe it's because I'm used to overpriced places on the west coast, but the size of my portions for the price simply could not be beaten. Late food, cheap prices, two thumbs up!
(4)
Katarina O.
I have issue with eating sub par food. I'm out here for a weekend trip and we decided to order some late night eats. We go the create your own sampler with the ribs, calamari, jalapeño poppers and hot wings. Where do I begin! The ribs tasted old. Almost as if they had been made a day or two before and just reheated with some sauce tossed over them. The calamari tasted like it had been dusted in plain flour and fried. There was no seasoning and no dipping sauce provided. The jalapeño poppers tasted stale. The wings appeared to be fresh but the hot sauce was not noteworthy. Ultimately this was a total waste of my money.
(1)
Helen A.
So much food really good if your hungry.. great breafast.. Wait staff very helpful...
(4)
Greg D.
Good prices and a huge selection. Food was average but good enough.
(3)
Bill E.
Always enjoy a good lunch time salad when I'm I'm town. The desserts are outstanding as well.
(4)
Raquel C.
Just came to chatanooga from the airport around midnight and my husband and i were staying at the sheraton, right across the street. Food was really good but the veggie burger(too simple, just 2 morning star parties and honey bread from supermarket). Really big portions. As a whole it was perfect after being hungry from the airport. Breakfasts are pretty good here!!
(3)
Luis R.
Love this place!! The location is great and convenient in downtown. The parking is difficult as it is small and has limited areas. Well worth the trouble. The atmosphere takes you back to better days when juke boxes were what you looked forward to. The food is amazing. Great taste and am shocked everytime that I go as I love to try new things here and have not found many things I dont like. The portions are more than generous and are well spaced. The value os is unique to this place, it is very inexpensive and is a great place to eat well with a low budget. The desserts are also one of the best I have seen and had. The slices of the cakes are huge and allow you to enjoy them and share. This place is one of the few restaurants that I can count on to be open and have good food. I came out of the way just to come here and will do it many times more. Worth the hour and a half trip just to come here.
(5)
Aimee J.
This restaurant is attached to the Days Inn motel. The food is just so-so and the waiting area is strange. We got ushered back to the Days Inn lobby through a door at one end of the restaurant. The hostess was especially grumpy and looked like she had a splitting headache. Maybe she did. Our waitress was very nice, but the food was very slow. When our breakfast food finally arrived it was room temperature. My son's food took so long we were nearly finished (and ready to leave) by the time it arrived. After I complained to the manager he did take it off our bill. The menu is very extensive and it's open 24 hours. I bet it's a fun place to go very late at night after the bar scene. Otherwise I would skip it next time I'm in Chattanooga.
(2)
Cheryl R.
North of ml king blvd there isn't much in the way of breakfast. After wandering for an hour we finally ended up here. The first thing we noticed is that this is one of those jack of all trades restaurants. They don't specialize in anything so everything is mediocre. The food was okay but my eggs were over cooked on the outside and raw on the inside (it was an omelette). The other half had a breakfast burrito and the wrap was so old and stale it was crumbling apart as he tried to pick it up. As far as service goes, we got a vibe of "we don't give a shit". The waitress took her sweet time with everything. And it wasn't just our server. We watched a party of 3 come in and get sat at a table and ignored for a good 5 minutes before anyone even acknowledged their presence. Overall there are better places to eat around here you just have to look harder (found a great place the next day)
(1)
Brett N.
quick and cheap. typical diner structure with a million options.
(3)
Jesse H.
Delivery guy is awesome but the person who takes the orders was rude and forgot half our order and made us pay even more than the original crazy amount.
(1)
Michael B.
City Cafe is pretty much what you think it is...a New York/Jersey style restaurant with a jillion things on the menu and it's all available 24/7. That part is good. Took the family here for breakfast and were seated promptly. We went for breakfast but the menu was extensive. The burgers coming out looked good as did the fries. There was a cake carousel up front as well as pastries that looked pretty good. Just like a North East diner....I ordered up ham and eggs (poached) with hash browns, the boy had a waffle with and egg and Mom had a greek omelette with hash browns. Everything had the potential of being just fine...even great, but there were a few things that made City Cafe a little sub par. First of all, they need to turn up the heat a little on the griddle and waffle iron. Nothing was crispy and nicely browned. The waffle was like rubber, the hash browns were fresh boiled potatoes but again, no color or crispiness. The ham on my plate was not a nice ham steak but a couple of slices of sandwich ham. The eggs were fine. So, in the end this place is okay and I'm sure they do a lot of biz because they are open around the clock and that may make for some inconsistent chefs. Three or four things would improve this place to top notch. Cook that food to a nice color and crispiness and do it quick and bring it quick. Those bathrooms and glass windows and doors out front should be spotless.
(2)
Alex C.
Large menu and somewhat greasy but quick and they can deliver to the hotel
(2)
Lori B.
You'd have to be one picky eater to not find something you like on their menu since it seems like it is about 100 pages long. We ate their multiple times when we stayed in Chattanooga because it was not only delicious and close to the hotel, but also a great bang for the buck and you get tons of food. You also have to see their beautiful cakes and pies which they not only showcase in glass but also on a video screen. I'm not a cake eater and they looked tempting to me. Whether you are just craving a burger, a full meal or one of their Greek specialties like moussaka you can't go wrong.
(4)
Cindy C.
Great price and casual dining right in downtown. Nice enough for lady traveler to eat alone but they also deliver if you want to stay in. Try chicken Francaise.
(4)
Ananda Z.
What an unpretentious diner with fabulous breakfast food! They've got your regular eggs and bacon and ham, some fabulous pecan pancakes or waffles, and classic southern thigns like grits, or (for my husband) the uniquely southern super-salty country ham. He was in heaven. Service isn't great, but the cakes look fabulous, and the prices are reasonable, and its a pretty fun place for the genre.
(4)
Michelle C.
This place was awesome. The food was fantastic. Choices a-plenty on the menu. I ordered the 16oz chopped steak with grilled onions and it was quite good. I had a piece of their chocolate cake - 4 layers, and just the right amount of chocolate frosting in between the layers. Our service was slow, but we were breaking in a newbie, so we cut her some slack. We visit Chattanooga fairly regularly these days, and we will be going back to City Cafe Diner again!
(4)
Brad H.
We drove past this house of neon last evening on our way back to our hotel. First impressions mean nothing. When I asked our Chattanoogan Hotel valet where he eats breakfast, this diner was his immediate referral. Any morning trip through or visit around downtown Chattanooga, TN deserves a cheap belly full of good coffee and great diner food. Nowhere south of our favorite diners between 6th Ave and Broadway, between the Central Park South and 53rd, could come close to what this Brooklyn native has built adjacent to a cheap hotel. The boys had their eggs and bacon. Gin had her carbs in pancakes, with what bacon survived a 4 year old's grip. And this papa enjoyed his Jalapeño hell-hole omelet. No joke. 354 items on the menu and I'm a sucker for such a descriptive item. Frankly, there was little fire in the hole, so to speak. It just tasted good. Service was fine. The neon and black laquer decor plus flat-screen TVs featuring nothing but homemade cakes....ah, NYC, we do miss you...but you have a southern sister open 24/7/365 right here.
(5)
Javier O.
I should have known better to go to a dinner located next to a Days Inn. I left there with a bigger stomach ache than when I went in. The plate was hot, the potatoes cold, the sausage links were harder than my Dog's treats and the scrambled eggs were crunchy. Luckily the waiter was nice and attentive to my needs, other wise my tip for this place would have been to fire the chef. There has to be wrong with a place that can not put together a properly cooked breakfast. Especially when the platter special bears the name of your diner. Will management please taste the food and get a grip before your food kills somebody?
(1)
Sabrina J.
We had a very nice breakfast here. Chorizo omelet, egg sandwich with home fries. Also had chocolate chip pancakes. Good food, fast and service was good. Huge portions with reasonable prices.
(4)
Christian E.
Open 24/7. Good food. Friendly service. GENEROUS proportions. What else could you ask for?
(4)
Matt T.
Dinner and breakfast here while staying in the attached Days Inn. I guess this is typical of a GREEK DINER: large, large? Brobdingnagian portions of really fried food prepared from low-quality ingredients. The menu is extensive and includes some greek offerings (souvlaki, etc.) I asked for brown rice and got a puzzled, "um... it's kinda a dirty rice." Damn, I'm a snob... Mammoth slices of cake and pie. One guy was taking a selfie with a menu next to it for scale. Two stars are for the service. Our waiters were really sweet and accommodating.
(2)
Randal M.
The cannoli is the bomb. Huge portions of cheesecake. Wow! The food is good diner food. Nothing fancy. Good value. The spinach soup was the best part of the meal, besides the dessert of course.
(4)
Michelle H.
Best dessert selection I've ever seen. The biggest, tallest, yummiest cakes on the planet. Food is good, a little greasy. Portions too big. Only negative is the space...very tight always crammed. But then again, I can see why!
(4)
Latrica G.
Never again! This was the worst experience ever! We were visiting Chattanooga for the weekend and after near 2 hour waits at 3 restaurants, we decided to just stick out the wait here. Bad decision! I don't even know where to start... This place is attached to the Days Inn which is probably the only reason they're still open! When we first walked in there was a horrible odor of cigarette smoke. I look at the cake display and there's a cake sitting out on top of the muffins and no one is around. I didn't know if it was a real cake or not until I saw them put it back in the cake display. That was the first turn off as there's no telling how long it had been sitting out, nor who may have touched it! Secondly, the hostess was RUDE! She takes our name down and asks us to follow her and we go through a windowless door only to find at least twelve other parties waiting in the Days Inn lobby! So we wait at least 30-45mins and get seated. Our waitress was nice. The water was nasty. The place looks very old and unattractive so I didn't trust ordering anything else to drink. I ordered a ham and cheese omelette with cheese grits and a biscuit. The grits was undercooked! As soon as I cut a piece of omelette some brown something comes running out. I opt to just cut that piece off and as I continue trying to eat my ham begins to turn into bologna. The biscuit was a miss. My husband usually eats anything but for the first time he even pushed his food away. Needless to say we won't be returning to this place!
(1)
Russ G.
Just plain awful. But to give them some credit, it was the worst night to go in. This was several months ago, the lady and I were headed to Nashville for the weekend when snow hit, hard, so we stopped in Chattanooga for the night. We were starving and nothing was open, a few places were serving but cutting off early, some were just doing limited menus but closing soon. City Cafe was the only place actually open and willing to serve food, so we braved the weather and drove there. It's attached to a hotel, so patrons there were looking to eat too, as was most of the town including a ladies basketball team and a half dozen coaches, a group of Shriners, and just assorted families with kids. Things didn't look well, but the hostess took our name, said we could wait in the hotel lobby, and it'd be about 45 minutes. Fine. 45 minutes came and went, and a few parties who came in after us got seated. We inquired and were told they had called ahead, which was bullshit, but whatever. 1 hour and 20 minutes after we first came in I got pissed and got loud, the hostess hushed me quickly, asked our name, said wait just one minute, and she'd fit us in. She also told us she had called our name, more bullshit, and my lady got in her face to call her a liar. She shrivelled up and seated us. The place was jammed packed from wall to wall and there seemed to be zero wait staff. Oh boy. Now came the real wait. Our server was a kid about 17, no restaurant experience at all, and was painfully slow. He strolled over after we'd been seated for a few minutes and looked like he'd been beaten over the head. We ordered drinks and waited for quite a good bit, then asked for bread or crackers or anything to hold us until we could order. A bread basket came out after a bit and we dove in, only to realize it was stale, hard, and dry as a bone. Now we really needed drinks, but they were still MIA. A manager came by to ask how we were doing, we replied 'thirsty', he went and got us cokes. Wow, was it that hard? The kid showed back and we ordered an appetizer and our entrees all at once, figuring we may never see any of it. He disappeared again for quite some time then arrived with my entree, then left again. I had got some sort of surf and turf, a big piece of steak, fish, baked potato, and a side salad, the salad wasn't there of course, the steak was charred beyond recognition, the fish was gamey as hell, and the potato tasted like chalk. I was hungry though so I dug in, after wiping the three pounds of onions off the meat that weren't listed on the menu. My lady snagged a bite and waited patiently, about 10 minutes later her entree came out, in the same rough shape. We ate enough to fill and quickly got up, our appetizer never showed but the check sure seemed to come out fast, and with the app on it, the prices wrong, and an extra charge for the bread. Once again the manager happened to be within earshot when I said "fuck this" and came over, he corrected it, apologized, and sent us to the cashier, where a good 14 people were standing waiting to pay, the cashier answering the phone between payments to take call in orders. The same manager finally took the phone off the hook so we could all pay and leave. Ideally it looked like a decent place, and if it was maybe dead during a weird hour I could be persuaded to try again if I was in town, but I don't see that happening with all the other quality places to eat nearby.
(1)
Atlanta F.
I love it, always consistent and you know what to expect.
(4)
Raquel C.
Just came to chatanooga from the airport around midnight and my husband and i were staying at the sheraton, right across the street. Food was really good but the veggie burger(too simple, just 2 morning star parties and honey bread from supermarket). Really big portions. As a whole it was perfect after being hungry from the airport. Breakfasts are pretty good here!!
(3)
Jenn T.
We were in town for a cheer competition and this restaurant was recommended to us as a "can't miss". We arrived at 8:00 pm to a bustling diner. After several minutes of not being greeted at all, an older surly gentleman took down our name, told us it would be about 30 minutes, and led us to their waiting room (which is the hotel lobby of the Days Inn that's attached). At 8:35 we were taken to our table. We ordered our food and it was not brought to our table until 9:55 pm! And that was after we had to ask several times where our food was! It was just terrible service. The waitress never apologized for the extreme wait that we had, nor did she offer to send over a manager or offer to discount the bill at all. Once we got our check we had to wait in an obnoxious line up front to pay. This is the same line that people use to order and pay for their to go orders, and the same gentleman (very rude as well) who packages up the million slices of cake that people order also takes people's payments. It was a horrendous experience and I would certainly not recommend this restaurant to anyone in the downtown Chattanooga area. There are many other options out there!
(1)
Nancy P.
For perspective - I 've been traveling through VA, SC, and TN quite a bit over the last few months. As a solo traveler, I frequently treat lunch as my largest meal, so I look for decent food at reasonable prices that is NOT fast food. I ordered 2 meals to go to cover 2 days, including dessert and 2 large milks. Overall excellent rating due to taste, amount of food, speed of service and friendliness of staff. Ordered Southern friend chicken with mashed potatoes and got 1 each of leg, thigh, breast, wing and easily 3-4 servings of potatoes. Chicken very moist with batter dip I love. Potatoes were real potatoes. Other dish was spanikopita w/ Greek salad. Salad was very fresh. The cakes (chocolate and carrot) were huge. I love dessert and I usually can finish at least 3/4 of a slice, but finished maybe 1/2 of 1 slice, they were that large. 1 slice could easily be shared by 4 women. Very, very moist and very flavorful. Would highly recommend. Note on the service - very friendly and kept their cool - I went in at busiest time of lunch (around 12:15). I must admit I did see their patience tested a little bit by some rude folks. *I have no affiliation with this diner. Just happened to stumble upon it because it was close to my hotel.*
(5)
Adrien R.
This place is amazing! I was working in Chattanooga for a week last winter, and myself and two co-workers ate here several times. They have an enormous menu, and everything we tried was good, came in over-sized portions and was fairly priced. We were working outdoors and I remember eating so much food to stay warm, including a piece of their cake each night, which was the size of my head. One night, we ordered food to our hotel room and it was snowing really bad. The delivery driver brought the wrong order, but came back with free drinks and dessert.
(5)
Charlie P.
Walked here from the convention center 01/11/08 during the World of Wheels auto show. It was about 2pm, so wasn't very busy. Service was terribly slow, like we were invisible. We were there almost an hour and a half. My BLT wasn't bad, my wife had a so-so chicken quesadilla. We walked across the street to checkout of the Sheraton, and before we got to the car, she was violently ill. Eat at your own risk.....
(1)
Shannon T.
Ttis is a decent diner with great deserts. It reminds me a lot of the Marietta Diner, in fact one of the owners of Marietta Diner later told me they sell the deserts to them and to several other diners in the southeast. Kit is situated a little oddly as it is the restaurant for a Days Inn, and it is rather small inside but the service and food were excellent.
(4)
Javier O.
I should have known better to go to a dinner located next to a Days Inn. I left there with a bigger stomach ache than when I went in. The plate was hot, the potatoes cold, the sausage links were harder than my Dog's treats and the scrambled eggs were crunchy. Luckily the waiter was nice and attentive to my needs, other wise my tip for this place would have been to fire the chef. There has to be wrong with a place that can not put together a properly cooked breakfast. Especially when the platter special bears the name of your diner. Will management please taste the food and get a grip before your food kills somebody?
(1)
Melissa W.
This review is for service only...since we were never actually served. We went in last night (July 4th) to a fairly busy diner. We just wanted dessert, as this is an amazing place for it. The boyfriend and I had just finished watching fireworks...and it was our 5 year anniversary and we wanted something sweet to top the night off. We were seated fairly quickly...and our server got our drink order. I ordered a diet coke and a water...as i tend to drink fast...and the boyfriend ordered a root beer. The server kind of half listened...and didn't hear the diet coke order...but since we were sitting right next to the drink station...I spoke up to make sure I got the diet coke as well. She delivered the drinks and asked us for our order...we told her we would like dessert...and she sent us up to look at the cakes and other treats. Often when I have been here in the past the server would go up with us...to name off the different types of dessert and to get our order. No such luck this time...but being in the service industry...I understood...so no biggie. We returned to our table...and...nothing. Our server passed our table no less than 25 times...we tried to get her attention ...we waved..we tried eye contact...we did everything short of tripping her...and it was as if she was intentionally ignoring us. Our drinks were empty...we waited probably a total of 45 minutes before throwing down some ones on the table to cover the sodas and walking out. Sadly I take my sister and brother here with my mom about every other weekend...and am considering not returning to this location...
(1)
Jeff C.
LOVE this place! the food is oh so delicious!
(4)
David R.
The salad made with chunks of lettuce and over spiced chicken left some room for admiration. The amiable manager was a man who barked instead of offer help forthe clients. Will I come back? Never. Never ever.
(1)
Max P.
Drunk and hungry? Come on down. Huge portions.
(3)
Daniel T.
Its one of the best diners I have eaten at and I have eaten at quite a few. The food is a lot better than most diners. Remember this is a diner and not a 5 star restaurant. They have a big selection of food to choose from. They also have a lot of desserts. I would recommend it.
(4)
Brad H.
We drove past this house of neon last evening on our way back to our hotel. First impressions mean nothing. When I asked our Chattanoogan Hotel valet where he eats breakfast, this diner was his immediate referral. Any morning trip through or visit around downtown Chattanooga, TN deserves a cheap belly full of good coffee and great diner food. Nowhere south of our favorite diners between 6th Ave and Broadway, between the Central Park South and 53rd, could come close to what this Brooklyn native has built adjacent to a cheap hotel. The boys had their eggs and bacon. Gin had her carbs in pancakes, with what bacon survived a 4 year old's grip. And this papa enjoyed his Jalapeño hell-hole omelet. No joke. 354 items on the menu and I'm a sucker for such a descriptive item. Frankly, there was little fire in the hole, so to speak. It just tasted good. Service was fine. The neon and black laquer decor plus flat-screen TVs featuring nothing but homemade cakes....ah, NYC, we do miss you...but you have a southern sister open 24/7/365 right here.
(5)
Russ G.
Just plain awful. But to give them some credit, it was the worst night to go in. This was several months ago, the lady and I were headed to Nashville for the weekend when snow hit, hard, so we stopped in Chattanooga for the night. We were starving and nothing was open, a few places were serving but cutting off early, some were just doing limited menus but closing soon. City Cafe was the only place actually open and willing to serve food, so we braved the weather and drove there. It's attached to a hotel, so patrons there were looking to eat too, as was most of the town including a ladies basketball team and a half dozen coaches, a group of Shriners, and just assorted families with kids. Things didn't look well, but the hostess took our name, said we could wait in the hotel lobby, and it'd be about 45 minutes. Fine. 45 minutes came and went, and a few parties who came in after us got seated. We inquired and were told they had called ahead, which was bullshit, but whatever. 1 hour and 20 minutes after we first came in I got pissed and got loud, the hostess hushed me quickly, asked our name, said wait just one minute, and she'd fit us in. She also told us she had called our name, more bullshit, and my lady got in her face to call her a liar. She shrivelled up and seated us. The place was jammed packed from wall to wall and there seemed to be zero wait staff. Oh boy. Now came the real wait. Our server was a kid about 17, no restaurant experience at all, and was painfully slow. He strolled over after we'd been seated for a few minutes and looked like he'd been beaten over the head. We ordered drinks and waited for quite a good bit, then asked for bread or crackers or anything to hold us until we could order. A bread basket came out after a bit and we dove in, only to realize it was stale, hard, and dry as a bone. Now we really needed drinks, but they were still MIA. A manager came by to ask how we were doing, we replied 'thirsty', he went and got us cokes. Wow, was it that hard? The kid showed back and we ordered an appetizer and our entrees all at once, figuring we may never see any of it. He disappeared again for quite some time then arrived with my entree, then left again. I had got some sort of surf and turf, a big piece of steak, fish, baked potato, and a side salad, the salad wasn't there of course, the steak was charred beyond recognition, the fish was gamey as hell, and the potato tasted like chalk. I was hungry though so I dug in, after wiping the three pounds of onions off the meat that weren't listed on the menu. My lady snagged a bite and waited patiently, about 10 minutes later her entree came out, in the same rough shape. We ate enough to fill and quickly got up, our appetizer never showed but the check sure seemed to come out fast, and with the app on it, the prices wrong, and an extra charge for the bread. Once again the manager happened to be within earshot when I said "fuck this" and came over, he corrected it, apologized, and sent us to the cashier, where a good 14 people were standing waiting to pay, the cashier answering the phone between payments to take call in orders. The same manager finally took the phone off the hook so we could all pay and leave. Ideally it looked like a decent place, and if it was maybe dead during a weird hour I could be persuaded to try again if I was in town, but I don't see that happening with all the other quality places to eat nearby.
(1)
Atlanta F.
I love it, always consistent and you know what to expect.
(4)
Michael B.
City Cafe is pretty much what you think it is...a New York/Jersey style restaurant with a jillion things on the menu and it's all available 24/7. That part is good. Took the family here for breakfast and were seated promptly. We went for breakfast but the menu was extensive. The burgers coming out looked good as did the fries. There was a cake carousel up front as well as pastries that looked pretty good. Just like a North East diner....I ordered up ham and eggs (poached) with hash browns, the boy had a waffle with and egg and Mom had a greek omelette with hash browns. Everything had the potential of being just fine...even great, but there were a few things that made City Cafe a little sub par. First of all, they need to turn up the heat a little on the griddle and waffle iron. Nothing was crispy and nicely browned. The waffle was like rubber, the hash browns were fresh boiled potatoes but again, no color or crispiness. The ham on my plate was not a nice ham steak but a couple of slices of sandwich ham. The eggs were fine. So, in the end this place is okay and I'm sure they do a lot of biz because they are open around the clock and that may make for some inconsistent chefs. Three or four things would improve this place to top notch. Cook that food to a nice color and crispiness and do it quick and bring it quick. Those bathrooms and glass windows and doors out front should be spotless.
(2)
Alex C.
Large menu and somewhat greasy but quick and they can deliver to the hotel
(2)
Lori B.
You'd have to be one picky eater to not find something you like on their menu since it seems like it is about 100 pages long. We ate their multiple times when we stayed in Chattanooga because it was not only delicious and close to the hotel, but also a great bang for the buck and you get tons of food. You also have to see their beautiful cakes and pies which they not only showcase in glass but also on a video screen. I'm not a cake eater and they looked tempting to me. Whether you are just craving a burger, a full meal or one of their Greek specialties like moussaka you can't go wrong.
(4)
Cindy C.
Great price and casual dining right in downtown. Nice enough for lady traveler to eat alone but they also deliver if you want to stay in. Try chicken Francaise.
(4)
Ananda Z.
What an unpretentious diner with fabulous breakfast food! They've got your regular eggs and bacon and ham, some fabulous pecan pancakes or waffles, and classic southern thigns like grits, or (for my husband) the uniquely southern super-salty country ham. He was in heaven. Service isn't great, but the cakes look fabulous, and the prices are reasonable, and its a pretty fun place for the genre.
(4)
Michelle C.
This place was awesome. The food was fantastic. Choices a-plenty on the menu. I ordered the 16oz chopped steak with grilled onions and it was quite good. I had a piece of their chocolate cake - 4 layers, and just the right amount of chocolate frosting in between the layers. Our service was slow, but we were breaking in a newbie, so we cut her some slack. We visit Chattanooga fairly regularly these days, and we will be going back to City Cafe Diner again!
(4)
Matt M.
Flying into Chattanooga from Los Angeles was a long trip. Exhausted with a little bit of jet lag and having no real food in my stomach for about 8 hours, I was dying for a meal. However, it was about 1am so there wasn't a whole lot of options. Thankfully, the City Cafe Diner was within walking distance. The place seemed a little sketchy when I walked in based on the clientele that was eating there, but I was hungry and had to eat! The menu was a typical diner menu, but one of the things I first noticed were the prices. Dirt Cheap!!! Maybe it's because I'm used to overpriced places on the west coast, but the size of my portions for the price simply could not be beaten. Late food, cheap prices, two thumbs up!
(4)
Katarina O.
I have issue with eating sub par food. I'm out here for a weekend trip and we decided to order some late night eats. We go the create your own sampler with the ribs, calamari, jalapeño poppers and hot wings. Where do I begin! The ribs tasted old. Almost as if they had been made a day or two before and just reheated with some sauce tossed over them. The calamari tasted like it had been dusted in plain flour and fried. There was no seasoning and no dipping sauce provided. The jalapeño poppers tasted stale. The wings appeared to be fresh but the hot sauce was not noteworthy. Ultimately this was a total waste of my money.
(1)
Helen A.
So much food really good if your hungry.. great breafast.. Wait staff very helpful...
(4)
Greg D.
Good prices and a huge selection. Food was average but good enough.
(3)
Bill E.
Always enjoy a good lunch time salad when I'm I'm town. The desserts are outstanding as well.
(4)
Marsha L.
Quick issue that could have gone horribly wrong. Gary Haworth the General Manager stepped in and made the experience AMAZING! He really went above and beyond in more ways than one! Thank you and the food was so yummy! Omg! You must try it when in CHATTANOOGA! I had the Alfredo that had a real non Prego taste. Like someone's old Italian Grandma was making it!
It's a diner, so align your expectations accordingly. Within the diner category, it's a fine specimen! The food is fresh, hot, and well cooked. The sandwiches and burgers are great. Have been several time in the last decade during visits to Chattanooga. On my visit today I tried the Athenian omelet - gyro, feta, and tomato. Wow it was yummy. I did not know the potatoes were laced with peppers and onions - neither of which I like-- so I skipped them. Those who enjoy those ingredients would likely be thrilled. And the dessert... Oh my. Split a piece of Million Dollar Cake with my friend -- and after we had our fill, we each took some home as well, all from the same piece. Rich and delicious. And shout out to Lacey our server. She was attentive and friendly and made our visit very enjoyable.
(4)
Brent R.
Came here in a large party after a wedding. A good portion of the group had been partying all night before we arrived, but the waiter handled it like a pro. He was both engaging and funny, took care of everything, and really made the experience memorable. Some of the requests from the group were completely ridiculous, but he came through like a champion. The food was pretty good, regardless of the fact that they had a very wide array of items on the menu. I had a Monte Carlo sandwich, which I had never had before, and it was interesting and delicious. I didn't hear any complains about any of the food -- even from the guy who ordered a Belgian waffle with ice cream on top of it (which is an actual item on the menu). Although I did not try any of the cakes, the sight of them in the display case was shocking. They have a very impressive assortment of cakes available, including one that is like a sampler that includes a bunch of different types of their cakes all in one. At the end of the day this is a great place, highly recommended!!
(5)
Donna W.
Omg! The portions are huge! The plate is twice the size, with helpings to match. Two country steaks, REAL mashed potatoes, and steamed veggies, and salad! For 12.95? What? Crazy! No wait time, staff friendly and helpful.
(5)
Jt P.
Good food, open for 24 hours! We were on business and there was not much open around. The hotel suggested City Cafe Diner. Nice location right on the corner, but connected to a sleezy looking hotel. Parking lot is very small as well. The place was busy at midnight when we arrived. The server was very nice and accommodating. The food took a little long to get finished, but was pretty good. Not to best I have had, but good. The only downside was the cake, that they displayed in a big rotating shelf up front... it looked so good, but did not live up to the hype I was hoping for.
(4)
Steven L.
This place is too busy in the morning. I stopped in here for breakfast today. It's hard to find parking too if you want to come here. Now, they do have WiFi. I was here to try out their breakfast for the first time. There aren't that many breakfast joints down town to choose from. I got two eggs sunny side up. Biscuit, grits, country ham and coffee. They brought me my eggs and one if them was busted already. They should correct that before delivering to their customers. I ate it anyway because it took so long to get my order. Don't come here to hang out using their free WiFi. The managers will come around looking at you nonverbal communication is they want you to eat and go.
(3)
Chris J.
Emermous amount of food and very good! Ordered cheese omelette with side of bacon and home fries. Bacon was literally 8 pieces of bacon was normal order which i could not eat. My wife and daughters farmers omelette was absolutely fit for 2 and both could not even eat close to half. Quality of food was great, very freah everything.
(5)
Derek A.
If you have time and are VERY hungry, you may wish to try this place. Located as part of the Days Inn, this is an unpretentious establishment. After a short wait (there were plenty seats but serving staff were slow to react to arriving guests) servers were relatively quick to take drink order. There is an extensive menu and at reasonable prices, all the more valued when you see the portions! Quantity rather than high quality, it's cheap and cheerful. Be sure to leave some room for desert from the extensive and 'naughty' menu. Again, a very large portion supplied with a box to take remains home!!!
(3)
Chuck M.
Chef salad was excellent and huge! Thank goodness i had dressing on the side since i still have a nice salad to take home for dinner. Sorry I didn't get a snapshot before I dug in. Next time. They have a great selection of cakes for dessert and this is their gluten free chocolate which I couldn't resist.
(5)
Sabrina J.
We had a very nice breakfast here. Chorizo omelet, egg sandwich with home fries. Also had chocolate chip pancakes. Good food, fast and service was good. Huge portions with reasonable prices.
(4)
Christian E.
Open 24/7. Good food. Friendly service. GENEROUS proportions. What else could you ask for?
(4)
Latrica G.
Never again! This was the worst experience ever! We were visiting Chattanooga for the weekend and after near 2 hour waits at 3 restaurants, we decided to just stick out the wait here. Bad decision! I don't even know where to start... This place is attached to the Days Inn which is probably the only reason they're still open! When we first walked in there was a horrible odor of cigarette smoke. I look at the cake display and there's a cake sitting out on top of the muffins and no one is around. I didn't know if it was a real cake or not until I saw them put it back in the cake display. That was the first turn off as there's no telling how long it had been sitting out, nor who may have touched it! Secondly, the hostess was RUDE! She takes our name down and asks us to follow her and we go through a windowless door only to find at least twelve other parties waiting in the Days Inn lobby! So we wait at least 30-45mins and get seated. Our waitress was nice. The water was nasty. The place looks very old and unattractive so I didn't trust ordering anything else to drink. I ordered a ham and cheese omelette with cheese grits and a biscuit. The grits was undercooked! As soon as I cut a piece of omelette some brown something comes running out. I opt to just cut that piece off and as I continue trying to eat my ham begins to turn into bologna. The biscuit was a miss. My husband usually eats anything but for the first time he even pushed his food away. Needless to say we won't be returning to this place!
(1)
Emily H.
LOVE their food but terrible service! The "greeters" never greet you, I almost feel like I am inconveniencing them just walking in. The managers are also rude as hell! I took my parents to the "City Cafe" because they live out of town and I wanted to take them to a place where the locals go. Half way through our meal we were told by the manager that we were too loud. Apparently seeing people happy and enjoying themselves was too much for this man to handle. I also recently placed a to go order and the girl put me on hold during the middle of my order with out asking me to hold, and surprisingly, got my order wrong. This places only saving grace is how good the food is! So if you are looking for great food but lowered self confidence and you like to be treated like shit, this place is for you!
(2)
Jonathan M.
Very unassuming location attached to a hotel. When I walked in the door I was totally baffled at all the delicious looking cakes and pies. I came in with a large group of 15+ people and we were seated rather quickly. I ordered the four bridges sandwich and it was a huge portion with lots of fries. The staff and manager were friendly and assisted in anyway they could. I just wish the menu was not so large and a bit more organized. Great 24/7 diner!!!
(4)
Chris S.
We hadn't been here in a couple years. Now we remember why. The breakfast was the worst, the service no better. I can't fathom why people return to this place.
(1)
Carrie Neal W.
I just re-read my original review and had to laugh. Oh, the first days in a new town! OK, so the 4 stars does stand. Now, I can say the following - don't love the grits (too runny), eggs are decent (but my scrambled are better), bacon is just the right crispy (my preference), waffles are solid (I prefer over pancakes) and staff is still great (crucial, right?). But I write this update for one reason: brownie cheesecake. Lawd. I rarely eat dessert (I'm the girl with that container of ice cream that had a few spoonfuls taken, then it ices over and gets forgotten) but last night the boy and I had a pizza dinner so, of course, it had to be followed by dessert and coffee. Duh. He comes here often, I've always wanted to try one of their mouth-watering looking desserts in the case, and was so happy I did! Anything you get is capital-H huge, and should definitely be shared (really, do share, no matter how big a sweet tooth you have) and there are almost too many choices. Cake, pie, cheesecake (plus cookies, brownies and muffins, oh my!) so after looking at the dessert menu, I picked one of each of the big three and let him decide. He picked none of my three choices. But that brownie cheesecake he did pick....a huge slice of brownie on top, plain cheesecake on bottom, with a little swirl of caramel on top and just the right combo of brownie-ness to contrast with the cheese-ness. For a not super sweet girl (ha) I would get this again. Did I mention he comes here often? Well, I'm in.
I was a little skeptical about this place when we first saw it but we decided to go in anyways and I'm glad we did. It was the best food I ate the entire trip. Good prices and huge portions. We had leftovers that we ate on the night after we ate there and it was just as good as when we first got it.
(5)
Matthew D.
The food was awesome and the portions were enormous. No complaints about the food. The service was awful. The waitress never checked on me and I had to wait 15 minutes for a check. Went back later with some other folks and service was great. I just had a bad waitress.
(4)
Matt T.
Dinner and breakfast here while staying in the attached Days Inn. I guess this is typical of a GREEK DINER: large, large? Brobdingnagian portions of really fried food prepared from low-quality ingredients. The menu is extensive and includes some greek offerings (souvlaki, etc.) I asked for brown rice and got a puzzled, "um... it's kinda a dirty rice." Damn, I'm a snob... Mammoth slices of cake and pie. One guy was taking a selfie with a menu next to it for scale. Two stars are for the service. Our waiters were really sweet and accommodating.
(2)
Randal M.
The cannoli is the bomb. Huge portions of cheesecake. Wow! The food is good diner food. Nothing fancy. Good value. The spinach soup was the best part of the meal, besides the dessert of course.
(4)
Michelle H.
Best dessert selection I've ever seen. The biggest, tallest, yummiest cakes on the planet. Food is good, a little greasy. Portions too big. Only negative is the space...very tight always crammed. But then again, I can see why!
(4)
Mady J.
I took my friends from Maryland to City Cafe Diner while searching a good spot for lunch in Chattanoooga. This filled the bill. The cafe offers a menu with many options, the portions are quite ample, and the desserts are fabulous. Good value for your dining dollar. The staff is very courteous and most accommodating.
(4)
Bailey P.
Went here for breakfast twice during our stay. It was alright. The service was decent, but not great. The staff was friendly, but certainly in no hurry. My options are very limited due to my veg diet, but I had English muffins and their home fries, which they left the butter off of. It was a decent breakfast.
(3)
Aya S.
Okay. Food was good the first time when I ate with a friend. Food was good. Went to the bar, it was fine. The next day, I was dressed up in a dressy outfit (I am here on a convention) and was told there was a 20 minute wait. However, they were serving others much more quickly and saying there was availability (even with single person eaters). So, yeah. I am not pleased with this. Sorry.
(1)
Dan S.
Within walking distance of several downtown hotels is a genuine "Greek Diner". If you don't know what this is KEEP WALKING. If you DO know what a GREEK DINER is, stop on in - you will not be disappointed. Good food, LOTS of it - if you leave hungry it's your own fault. Service is quick and accurate - have no clue what some posters experienced, but our server was FANTASTIC!
(4)
Anson M.
After waiting 30 minutes to get seated, we ordered a garden salad and a cup of oatmeal. 45 minutes later still no food. In the mean time, people around us, who were seated and ordered after us, had received their food entirely. Awful service and extremely slow. We told management of the problem and they offered no apology or repair of the problem. Based on the lack of concern and service we left. I would not recommend this place to anyone!!!!
(1)
D P.
This review is simply based on the customer service... We did not dine here. We were attempting to have breakfast at another restaurant but their wait was over an hour. We are from out of town so we are unaware of the waits at local spots. Since it is Labor Day we decided to call City Cafe to see if there was a wait and how long before we drove over. First call was weird. I asked the lady if there was a wait.. She said "he is not here" an abruptly hung up. Clearly she mis heard me but why she hung up so quick was just weird. I called back an a man answered. Again I asked " hello, I'm checking to see if you currently have a wait".... His response was "of course we do" with extreme sarcasm as if I was so dumb to not know they would have a wait at a place I've never been to! Go figure. Glad they didn't get my business
(1)
Kelsey J.
Great for the type of restaurant it is! Has every thing you can probably imagine to order from, Italian to Greek, to American. They also have the best desserts! Decent service.
(4)
J J.
This is mostly unhealthy comfort food. Very large menu of a typical direr. Large portions. Very friendly and efficient staff. Had a NY cheesecake for desert (being from the NY area, what was I thinking) i was a mistake.
(3)
Craig V.
Huh...I should have read the reviews beforehand. But hey I was just off the road, hungry, had to use the restroom, and this place caught my eye. Like others posted, this place is a time warp. Decor stuck in the 80's and music stuck in the 50's. Also, the menu is a novel. That aside it was morning and I wanted breakfast....so I ordered the hobo platter. You know the standard sausage gravy over eggs over potatoes. It wasn't the most appealing thing to look at and the only thing less appealing was the flavor, because there was none. I doused it with salt, pepper, and hot sauce and it made it o.k. The waitress was good to start then faltered. ...as I finished and was waiting for my check, I noticed she just sat down and began eating her own food. There goes my check and to go coffee. I'd give it 2.5 stars but I don't have that option so ill give it 2. If you're hungry and don't give a hoot this place will suffice. If you'd like something good...look elsewhere.
(2)
Carla P.
Service was very efficient, food was typical, filling diner style, and good, but we were placed in a booth in the back that was eye level with a shelf that passed through into the kitchen. It was filthy. Hadn't been cleaned in too long. My husband made the mistake of touching it and filth went flying. Yuck! This made me wonder .... When do they clean this 24 hour place?
(3)
Bruce R.
I realize it is Christmas but they were not capable of making a simple grilled cheese, bacon and tomato on toast. First sandwich came out mangled and inedible. I sent it back. I NEVER send food back but this was inedible. 2nd sandwich comes and cheese was never melted and sandwich never was on the grill. This sandwich is called The Happy Waitress special. NOT. I'm giving 2 stars only because they didn't charge us for food. It wasn't the waitresses fault so I still gave her a nice tip.
(2)
Debbie W.
We went there for dessert at our waiters advice. The selection was huge , the cakes and pies were huge. But they liked better than they tasted. I threw most of mine away. It tasted like crisco and cool whip and enough crumbled butterfinger to call it a butterfinger pie. Disappointing
(3)
J P.
Our server wouldn't even get us coffee until a huge table of 9-10 people decided on and ordered their food even though they had long had all their drinks. She was quick to remind me they were there first. Then, she doesn't write anything down just takes the order to memory. We didn't get half of the things we ordered and my girlfriends's food came out... get a load of this... over ten minutes after mine. She was told they were "darkening her home fries". Her home fries came out as undercooked, mushy and unseasoned as mine did, we had both requested our home fries to be extra well done. Unseasoned food, terrible service. Surprised I for some reason feel they deserve all two stars. Very disappointed because I love diners.
(2)
Larry V.
Stop by very time in am in Chattanooga (either location) eat and order additional take outs for the next couple of days. You have got to try one or more of the cakes - I have never had better.
(4)
Kay N.
Huge portions... great service! Chicken fried steak came with 2... okra was very good.
(5)
Dev S.
Terrible food, even worse delivery service. Ordered a late night delivery meal last week and the food was cold and stale. Called back to express my dissatisfaction about the delivery and was put on an indefinite hold. If you have the need for a late night meal, please please skip this place and go to the nearest gas station instead.
(1)
Danielle S.
The service here is horrible, I wish I could give it no stars at all. I tried to call in my order so that I could pick my food up & go, but soon as the manager answered the phone he told me that he would get back to me when he could. Obviously that was a clue for me & I waited 10 minutes & he never came back to the phone. I figured they were busy & decided to go inside & get my order. Instead of saying how may I help you, he said what do you want? It took everything in me not to turn around & walk out. The lady before me said she waited 10 minutes on a salad. Smh this place has atrocious management. The club I ordered was just thrown together, & the broccoli & cheddar soup was awful. The soup hardly had any broccoli at all. I use to tell tourist to stop by there to get good food, but never again.
(1)
Katie S.
I'd like to initially say that my rating is including the cake. The cake is AMAZING and there is quite a large selection. The food is alright but can be pricey, especially considering my college budget. However, sometimes my friends and I splurge after partying on Friday night.
(4)
Scott J.
You can't allow yourself to miss this restaurant. It is something special. Don't be fooled by its simple diner appearance and name. The menu is incredible. One great unique dish after another. Great tasting, good prices. They have 101 different deserts. Every 30 min 24 hours a day they make a new 5 layer cake; in the style of gourmet cakes little seen since the 50s. Spent a week in Chattanooga and found this place the day before I leave. Going to eat all of my remaining meals there!
(5)
Mikey P.
Quite literally the BEST fries I've had in my life. But they lose their texture when you re-heat them (I tried to stock up). Their portions are HUGE! Share one app and entree and you will still have extras. I ate here three times in the weekend I was there. the desserts. The options. The affordable prices. It was a GREAT experience.
(5)
Kim S.
I think I loved this place. It was just like the diners I grew up with in NJ. The cakes were SKY HIGH!!! I did not, however, try one. I did try the Neopolitan which was super YUMMY. It was completely packed at 10:30 pm!!! Folks clamoring to get in. Food was good---there is SO MUCH on this menu, I don't really know how they manage to do so much.
(4)
Stephie Z.
This place is straight out of the 80s, but I sort of dig it. The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the slight smell of cigarette smoke that I smelled the whole time I was there. I'm not sure if it was a patron or the place, but It bothered my sensitive nose. The food was decent, the service was great. I ordered a chicken fajita omelet ( chicken, onions, jalapenos, green bell peppers) with a side of grits. I asked for light cheese, but the omelet was still chock full of the stuff. I'm not sure it that was because the waitress for got to let the kitchen know or that was the lightened cheese version. Either way I had to pull some of it out. Other than being overly cheesy, the omelet was ok. Nothing to write home about, but it filled my hunger. The grits were standard issue and pretty meh. The waitress was friendly and did a good job. I thought the owner was super nice and his pink shirt and pig tie were the sunshine to my rainy morning. City Cafe has tons of great looking desserts, but sadly I had none. Next time I'm in town I might stop and grab a piece since the owner said all were handmade by their staff at another location.
(3)
Stacy S.
This is one of my regular stops. Good food, good service, and generous portions in a Mel's Diner type of atmosphere make this place worth checking out.
(4)
Luis R.
Love this place!! The location is great and convenient in downtown. The parking is difficult as it is small and has limited areas. Well worth the trouble. The atmosphere takes you back to better days when juke boxes were what you looked forward to. The food is amazing. Great taste and am shocked everytime that I go as I love to try new things here and have not found many things I dont like. The portions are more than generous and are well spaced. The value os is unique to this place, it is very inexpensive and is a great place to eat well with a low budget. The desserts are also one of the best I have seen and had. The slices of the cakes are huge and allow you to enjoy them and share. This place is one of the few restaurants that I can count on to be open and have good food. I came out of the way just to come here and will do it many times more. Worth the hour and a half trip just to come here.
(5)
Aimee J.
This restaurant is attached to the Days Inn motel. The food is just so-so and the waiting area is strange. We got ushered back to the Days Inn lobby through a door at one end of the restaurant. The hostess was especially grumpy and looked like she had a splitting headache. Maybe she did. Our waitress was very nice, but the food was very slow. When our breakfast food finally arrived it was room temperature. My son's food took so long we were nearly finished (and ready to leave) by the time it arrived. After I complained to the manager he did take it off our bill. The menu is very extensive and it's open 24 hours. I bet it's a fun place to go very late at night after the bar scene. Otherwise I would skip it next time I'm in Chattanooga.
(2)
Cheryl R.
North of ml king blvd there isn't much in the way of breakfast. After wandering for an hour we finally ended up here. The first thing we noticed is that this is one of those jack of all trades restaurants. They don't specialize in anything so everything is mediocre. The food was okay but my eggs were over cooked on the outside and raw on the inside (it was an omelette). The other half had a breakfast burrito and the wrap was so old and stale it was crumbling apart as he tried to pick it up. As far as service goes, we got a vibe of "we don't give a shit". The waitress took her sweet time with everything. And it wasn't just our server. We watched a party of 3 come in and get sat at a table and ignored for a good 5 minutes before anyone even acknowledged their presence. Overall there are better places to eat around here you just have to look harder (found a great place the next day)
(1)
Brett N.
quick and cheap. typical diner structure with a million options.
(3)
Jesse H.
Delivery guy is awesome but the person who takes the orders was rude and forgot half our order and made us pay even more than the original crazy amount.
(1)
Christin K.
This is a very strong 3 stars so don't be scared away. City Cafe is a reliable place to eat late at night- 24 hours. It's a good spot to hit up after a night of hanging out or when everything else is closed. But you don't feel terrible about going there like I sometimes do about Waffle house. I'd compare it to the Majestic in Atlanta at times. It's a little cramped at its peak hours but it's always interesting for people watching. You know when an adult is trying to feed a baby and pretends the spoon is an airplane and it goes everywhere except for the baby's mouth for like 4 minutes straight? Well you can see partially inebriated people do that here to themselves. It's pretty entertaining. The food and menu is similar to many Greek 24 hour Diner. Burgers, breakfast foods, cakes, pasta. I had a burger and added an egg. It was big and juicy and came with a lot of fries. Our waitress was pretty friendly and attentive. She even brought me 3 kinds of hot sauce. That's very sweet. You pay for the check at the counter. Also there seems to be a bar in the back in a separate room. I think the other city cafe is like this too. Overall, very large portions of greasy diner food and laid back.
(3)
elvis p.
I would definitely not put this in the same class as the great Southern Greek diners I used to see across the deep South when I was a kid, but it's OK for what it is, which is to provide a big menu 24/7. Their more high-end stuff (the seafood and pasta dishes) would feed a horse-you won't be shortchanged on the portions). The execution is pretty bland, though. Recommended for getting yourself filled up at 3 in the morning.
(2)
Dean D.
This place is open 24/7 and has an enormous menu. Typical NY style Diner with the huge menu that has everything from breakfast meals, Greek Gyro's, seafood dishes, Italian plates to outstanding deserts. The breakfast omelets are especially good and one plate is more than enough for two. Breakfast and a beer? What a concept...Breakfast of champions! We got in to Chattanooga fairly late and decided we needed some food after our long ride from Memphis. We were staying at the Holiday Inn Express down the street and decided to try the City Cafe. I had the turkey club sandwich which was very good. They have about 5 different club sandwiches. My daughter tried the fried chicken club which I actually preferred over my turkey. The fries are addictive; the deserts are incredible. We each had a cannoli for desert and all I can say is "heaven on earth". The Chocolate Eclairs looked outstanding. They were about a foot long, maybe next time. If you're trying to lose weight, I don't recommend this place. One last thing...we had chicken wings for an appetizer. They were meaty and had a good taste but not hot enough. When I ask for the hottest sauce you've got, I want to sweat as I eat. They also didn't include any ranch or blue cheese dressing. That's a given, isn't it?
(4)
Andrea O.
This place was across the street from our hotel and thank goodness for that! The food was delicious (despite the fact that the encyclopedic style menu was scary) - we stuck to the Diner type fair and every single thing was awesome. The cakes and desserts were legendary - one of the best Napoleon's I have ever had! It was really crowded every time we were there but they do a great job with that! The employees were super friendly and just added to the love we were feeling in Chattanooga! Can't wait to visit again when we are back for Hooch '14!
(5)
Whitney B.
Forget Waffle House, forget Denny's, forget all those other 24/7 chains and go to City Cafe Diner. Think all of those places x 100 and this is what you will get. We were hungry, and it was Thanksgiving night, so this was pretty much our only bet, and a fine one it was. Is this a 4 star food and service worthy restaurant? Nope. But I'd choose this place over a Denny's any day. The menu is a little overwhelming. They pretty much have ev-ry-thng. I mean, hello, they have an eggplant parm sandwich (which the bf got). First off, the food portions are huge. And for the prices, well worth it. So the bf got the ep parm and I got the chicken philly. He was a little scared from the amount of cheese they put on his sandwich, probably about a pound. My philly was mighty tasty. It was nothing fancy, but the chicken was plentiful and with good spices, the cheese was nice, and the bread was good. But, 3 people could have easily eaten my sandwich. The service was a little bambyish, but whatever. If you are drunk, eat here. If you are broke, eat here. If you are driving through town and it is an odd hour and you don't want fast food, eat here. And for the kind of place it is, the desserts looked amazing. But be prepared. Just walking through the door will probably cost you 10 pounds.
(4)
Chain B.
The omelets were good and the desserts are awesome.
(4)
Derrick M.
Pleasantly surprised. When I pulled in to Chattanooga and found almost everywhere stopped serving food past 10. This gem was suggested to me by a bartender. Great food, value and great service. Very happy. I hear the cake is amazing. Honestly, after half of a sandwich I was too full to even try it. Wish I would have : )
(4)
Courtney C.
As far as diners go, this one is great. The food is good and cheap and the service is fast and friendly. I appreciate the fact that City Cafe Diner has a true diner atmosphere. This is the perfect place to go if you're in a hurry and need a quick bite to eat.
(4)
Rick A.
The cakes are delicious... If they are fresh. I purchased half of a cake, because I didn't need a while cake, and half a cake still cost $35.00. It was a four layer Italian Creme cake. The bottom two layers were stale and nasty - like they were about 2 weeks older than the top half of the cake. What's up with that! I feel really ripped off for paying $35 for half a stale cake.
(1)
Eliza R.
I lived in downtown Chattanooga for 3 years as a college student, and this is the next best place after the Yellow Deli for cheap, delicious, late-night food. First of all, it's a diner, so don't expect anything fancy in terms of food quality or atmosphere. That said, the food is GREAT for what it is and the atmosphere is really fun (give the juke box a whirl if you're so inclinded)! I have been there countless times, and the service is always incredibly friendly and quick. My ex and I used to go late on Friday night after drinking at bars, and this super chill guy named Richard always served us - we went so often, he knew us by name and knew our orders by heart! The menu is massive and contains nearly every type of food you might be craving: breakfast, sandwiches, wraps, soups, salad, wings, and full-on meals varying in ethnicity from Greek to Mexican. The portions are as big as the menu, so you will likely need a to-go box. Make sure you leave room for the rotating selection of mouth-watering cakes and pies, all of which are immense servings (big surprise). My favorites are the cheesecake (both plain and lemon) and carrot cake!
(4)
Teresa S.
Don't go here to eat if you're on a diet. I have three words for you. Cake, cake and pie!! Menu is quite diverse and staff was friendly and helpful.
(3)
Arthur H.
Went here for a couple days close to my hotel. Food was decent prices reasonable for area waitress one day was not too bright but all in all I would go again if I was close not a out of your way type place.
(3)
David H.
Very good diner! The cakes are awesome, but all of there food is right on. Not 5 star dining, but really good food!
(4)
Cristina C.
I didn't have high expectations for this place, and it's a good thing because it failed to meet them. This diner is attached to the Days Inn we were staying at so, tired and grumpy from a long drive, we decided to walk 20 feet from our room to City Cafe Diner. It's an 80s time warp. Think black marble meets neon signs. I half expected Tootie, Natalie and the rest of the "Facts of Life" gang to saunter up and have milkshakes with us. Yes, this is snarky, but I love the 80s so I thought "This place can't be that bad." Then we were handed the menu. It was freaking huge. They attempt everything from standard diner fair (burgers) to dishes that should never, under any circumstances, appear on a diner menu (calamari and salmon). Being as it was my first night in town, I decided it might be logical to avoid food poisoning and ordered an open-faced roast beef sandwich. When the plate came out, I burst into laughter. The portion was HUGE and the broccoli spears were genetic mutants as big as corn on the cob. What appeared to be an entire roast beef was carved out in front of me over four slices of bread, slathered in a few cups of brown gravy. The meat was OK and the potatoes tasted garlicky, but the gravy killed it. It had a bizarre, stale taste to it, and it was unfortunate because it was everywhere. I took a few bites before I determined I wasn't hungry anymore. My friend, sadly, ordered the exact same dish so I guess we will never know if anything else here is edible. Watching the waitress take away my plate with 4 lbs. of food, I couldn't help but feel guilty over the dozens of starving people in the world that wasted food could have fed. As you go to the cashier to pay, you will pass a glass case with the biggest, most amazing desserts you've ever seen. It's a shame you'll be so ready to pop that they no longer look enticing. If you're staying at Days Inn, it's a good place to visit when you're too tired to bother. Just hold your nose while chewing and maybe you'll avoid tasting the gargantuan portion of lousy food.
(2)
Andy H.
Cool place open 24/7. Service was friendly. You get a flashback feeling when you walk in the door. The baked goods look amazing but I am watching it so did not try. This place works for me.
(4)
Dennis J.
This is a great diner, and you can tell it looked like it was copied from Atlanta's landmark diners. The place was clean, and the food was better than the Landmarks diners here. I stayed at the Days Inn which shared the same building so it was definitely convenient.
(4)
Diana B.
The food is just ok. But, the service is very friendly, the prices are reasonable and the place is clean so that earns them 3 stars. They say the owner is Greek so I tried the spinach pie. It was good (although I have had better) but the Greek salad that accompanied it was brown in spots. What really disappointed me was dessert. So many people raved about it so I had to try the Seven Sins chocolate cake. It was barely ok, tasted a little frozen. I guess when you go to a diner like this you need to stick to breakfast.
(3)
Matt V.
This place was highly recommended to me so I had high expectations. The decor was what I expected for a trashy diner, so no problem there. However, the service was HORRIBLE. We waited forever to be seated, have our orders taken, then to be given our checks. One of my utter pet peeves is a cold salad in a hot bowl, which was the case. The lettuce was wilted and disgusting. There was more core of the lettuce than actual edible parts. The corn beef sandwich was alright besides the greasy soaked bread. My friend gave me his water because the waiter rarely came around to fill our drinks. On top of all this, the waiter screwed up our checks. The one positive thing I can say is the manager. He is extremely focused on customer service and quickly corrected the checks and even comped the salad. He filled my water and I would dare to say he did more than our actual waiter. On a side note, the food portions are outrageous and unnecessary. All in all, I do not recommend this place and will probably not return if I can help it.
(1)
Amy T.
Visiting Chattanooga for the weekend, we were in search of a good breakfast place that was actually open on Sunday (in the Bible belt, God forbid!). We *Yelped* and found City Cafe Diner. We had a party of 6, so there was a bit of a wait in order to sit together. This is a super small place, mind you, so the "waiting area" was the hotel lobby of the adjoining Days Inn. Our four-year-olds enjoyed running through the hotel lobby like a pair of wild banshees... The menu is huge, like a typical diner, but I went with a Western Omelet, except it didn't come with cheese. Gotta pay $1.00 extra for a sprinkling of cheddar. The omelet came with a biscuit or toast, and what was supposed to be home fries. They were neither home, nor fried. They resembled a half-baked potato that had been sliced and attempted to have been pan fried. It was sort of like what you'd have if you ordered a baked potato was undercooked and then scraped the potato part out of the skin...a big mess. It just didn't work. The omelet, however, with the $1.00 cheese was very good, fully loaded with veggies that were tender crisp. The biscuit was good too. My son enjoyed his Mickey Mouse pancakes. I don't remember what hubby ordered, but he ate it all so it couldn't have been that bad. Service was good, and my coffee was always filled. If they just fixed those darn potatoes, or did something else with them entirely, it would have been a great meal.
(3)
Kyle B.
I met a friend over here for lunch the other day... Not a very big place... we arrived just in time as we were seated immediately, but those arriving after us had to wait. The waitress brings us a menu... scratch that, a book that serves as their menu. If you want it, this place has got it! The prices are relatively inexpensive and the food is pretty good. I had a hamburger and my friend had some sort of a salad. Both items were made quickly. My burger was nice and hot and well presented. Her salad looked fresh and crisp. We both enjoyed the meal and unfortunately did not have any room for the huge cakes and pies that they have on display here. I will have to come back here one day just for the desserts! The restaurant itself is a little unassuming place built into a Days Inn. Don't judge the place based on that... the food really is quite good, especially for the low prices. We had good, attentive service... never having to wait for anything (drink refills, extras that we asked for, the check, etc). You owe it to yourself to stop by here for at least one meal... I've had breakfast here too, but that was a long time ago and not a part of this review (but it too, was good!).
(4)
A N.
I went there because I heard their dessert was amazing. We are breakfast here and got dessert to go. The breakfast was awful and the service was worse! I had the pecan waffle and bacon. The waffle was burnt and they managed to cook the flavor out of the bacon, which I didn't know you could do! It tasted like hard grease. I got a piece of the coconut cream cake to go, and it was definitely way better than my breakfast, but nothing to write home about. The service was ok at best once we were seated, but nobody greeted us when we entered or when we went back to the counter to pay after eating. The lady only stuck her hand out for the check. You can tell they don't appreciate the customers, and I don't appreciate the poor service. I will not be returning!
(1)
David D.
Very good food and lots of it. Good prices too. No wonder it is so busy.
(4)
Lola D.
Had lunch there and shared a crab cake sandwich with my friend. I'm glad cuz I would not be able to eat all if it. The crab cake good and bigger portion. My friend ordered two desserts to go and I had a taste ( gluten free chocolate cake) which was good that I knew I'd have to come back. I stopped there this afternoon and ordered three types of desserts to bring back to the staff where I'm staying. Lime pie, strawberry cake and the gluten free choc cake. All were great. Glad I don't live here. I'd be stopping here often.
(4)
Will M.
This place has the worst. service. ever. Not really 24 hour delivery. Very inconsistent food quality. Buyer beware!
(1)
Darvey K.
Feel good food 24/7/365 with great breakfast, melts, and desserts.
(5)
Andrew T.
Food was pretty good but it took 3 times to get my order right. Kids orders weren't right either. Nice people though.
(2)
Zeb M.
If you look up "diner" in an encyclopedia, there should be a picture of City Cafe next to it because it perfectly exemplifies one. I always laugh at their menu because it more closely resembles a book - it's pretty big in size and has almost every platter and sandwich known to man.
(4)
LM P.
My cousin brought me to City Cafe during on of my visits to Chat Town. It's a small retro-style restaurant attached to the dowtown Days Inn that reminds me of 90210's Peach Pit. We had arrived in Chattanooga late and everyone was starving, but everyone wanted something different. City Cafe was the perfect place for us because they pretty much offer anything you could want. From pancakes to tacos and from hamburgers to spaghetti, you want it, they got it. Perfect for some hungry late-night eaters. They also have a huge selection of desserts. The display-o-cakes as I like to call it, offers cakes like red velvet to banana split slices that are seriously the size of your head. We always make it a point to eat at City Cafe when we are in the Chattanooga area and are down to eat whatever.
(4)
Becca G.
Great service. Delicious food. Even better desserts. I would seriously advise popping in just for the desserts alone.
It's a diner, so align your expectations accordingly. Within the diner category, it's a fine specimen! The food is fresh, hot, and well cooked. The sandwiches and burgers are great. Have been several time in the last decade during visits to Chattanooga. On my visit today I tried the Athenian omelet - gyro, feta, and tomato. Wow it was yummy. I did not know the potatoes were laced with peppers and onions - neither of which I like-- so I skipped them. Those who enjoy those ingredients would likely be thrilled. And the dessert... Oh my. Split a piece of Million Dollar Cake with my friend -- and after we had our fill, we each took some home as well, all from the same piece. Rich and delicious. And shout out to Lacey our server. She was attentive and friendly and made our visit very enjoyable.
(4)
Brent R.
Came here in a large party after a wedding. A good portion of the group had been partying all night before we arrived, but the waiter handled it like a pro. He was both engaging and funny, took care of everything, and really made the experience memorable. Some of the requests from the group were completely ridiculous, but he came through like a champion. The food was pretty good, regardless of the fact that they had a very wide array of items on the menu. I had a Monte Carlo sandwich, which I had never had before, and it was interesting and delicious. I didn't hear any complains about any of the food -- even from the guy who ordered a Belgian waffle with ice cream on top of it (which is an actual item on the menu). Although I did not try any of the cakes, the sight of them in the display case was shocking. They have a very impressive assortment of cakes available, including one that is like a sampler that includes a bunch of different types of their cakes all in one. At the end of the day this is a great place, highly recommended!!
(5)
Donna W.
Omg! The portions are huge! The plate is twice the size, with helpings to match. Two country steaks, REAL mashed potatoes, and steamed veggies, and salad! For 12.95? What? Crazy! No wait time, staff friendly and helpful.
(5)
Jt P.
Good food, open for 24 hours! We were on business and there was not much open around. The hotel suggested City Cafe Diner. Nice location right on the corner, but connected to a sleezy looking hotel. Parking lot is very small as well. The place was busy at midnight when we arrived. The server was very nice and accommodating. The food took a little long to get finished, but was pretty good. Not to best I have had, but good. The only downside was the cake, that they displayed in a big rotating shelf up front... it looked so good, but did not live up to the hype I was hoping for.
(4)
Steven L.
This place is too busy in the morning. I stopped in here for breakfast today. It's hard to find parking too if you want to come here. Now, they do have WiFi. I was here to try out their breakfast for the first time. There aren't that many breakfast joints down town to choose from. I got two eggs sunny side up. Biscuit, grits, country ham and coffee. They brought me my eggs and one if them was busted already. They should correct that before delivering to their customers. I ate it anyway because it took so long to get my order. Don't come here to hang out using their free WiFi. The managers will come around looking at you nonverbal communication is they want you to eat and go.
(3)
Marsha L.
Quick issue that could have gone horribly wrong. Gary Haworth the General Manager stepped in and made the experience AMAZING! He really went above and beyond in more ways than one! Thank you and the food was so yummy! Omg! You must try it when in CHATTANOOGA! I had the Alfredo that had a real non Prego taste. Like someone's old Italian Grandma was making it!
(5)
Chris J.
Emermous amount of food and very good! Ordered cheese omelette with side of bacon and home fries. Bacon was literally 8 pieces of bacon was normal order which i could not eat. My wife and daughters farmers omelette was absolutely fit for 2 and both could not even eat close to half. Quality of food was great, very freah everything.
(5)
Derek A.
If you have time and are VERY hungry, you may wish to try this place. Located as part of the Days Inn, this is an unpretentious establishment. After a short wait (there were plenty seats but serving staff were slow to react to arriving guests) servers were relatively quick to take drink order. There is an extensive menu and at reasonable prices, all the more valued when you see the portions! Quantity rather than high quality, it's cheap and cheerful. Be sure to leave some room for desert from the extensive and 'naughty' menu. Again, a very large portion supplied with a box to take remains home!!!
(3)
Chuck M.
Chef salad was excellent and huge! Thank goodness i had dressing on the side since i still have a nice salad to take home for dinner. Sorry I didn't get a snapshot before I dug in. Next time. They have a great selection of cakes for dessert and this is their gluten free chocolate which I couldn't resist.
(5)
Sabrina J.
We had a very nice breakfast here. Chorizo omelet, egg sandwich with home fries. Also had chocolate chip pancakes. Good food, fast and service was good. Huge portions with reasonable prices.
(4)
Christian E.
Open 24/7. Good food. Friendly service. GENEROUS proportions. What else could you ask for?
(4)
Latrica G.
Never again! This was the worst experience ever! We were visiting Chattanooga for the weekend and after near 2 hour waits at 3 restaurants, we decided to just stick out the wait here. Bad decision! I don't even know where to start... This place is attached to the Days Inn which is probably the only reason they're still open! When we first walked in there was a horrible odor of cigarette smoke. I look at the cake display and there's a cake sitting out on top of the muffins and no one is around. I didn't know if it was a real cake or not until I saw them put it back in the cake display. That was the first turn off as there's no telling how long it had been sitting out, nor who may have touched it! Secondly, the hostess was RUDE! She takes our name down and asks us to follow her and we go through a windowless door only to find at least twelve other parties waiting in the Days Inn lobby! So we wait at least 30-45mins and get seated. Our waitress was nice. The water was nasty. The place looks very old and unattractive so I didn't trust ordering anything else to drink. I ordered a ham and cheese omelette with cheese grits and a biscuit. The grits was undercooked! As soon as I cut a piece of omelette some brown something comes running out. I opt to just cut that piece off and as I continue trying to eat my ham begins to turn into bologna. The biscuit was a miss. My husband usually eats anything but for the first time he even pushed his food away. Needless to say we won't be returning to this place!
(1)
Emily H.
LOVE their food but terrible service! The "greeters" never greet you, I almost feel like I am inconveniencing them just walking in. The managers are also rude as hell! I took my parents to the "City Cafe" because they live out of town and I wanted to take them to a place where the locals go. Half way through our meal we were told by the manager that we were too loud. Apparently seeing people happy and enjoying themselves was too much for this man to handle. I also recently placed a to go order and the girl put me on hold during the middle of my order with out asking me to hold, and surprisingly, got my order wrong. This places only saving grace is how good the food is! So if you are looking for great food but lowered self confidence and you like to be treated like shit, this place is for you!
(2)
Chris S.
We hadn't been here in a couple years. Now we remember why. The breakfast was the worst, the service no better. I can't fathom why people return to this place.
(1)
Jonathan M.
Very unassuming location attached to a hotel. When I walked in the door I was totally baffled at all the delicious looking cakes and pies. I came in with a large group of 15+ people and we were seated rather quickly. I ordered the four bridges sandwich and it was a huge portion with lots of fries. The staff and manager were friendly and assisted in anyway they could. I just wish the menu was not so large and a bit more organized. Great 24/7 diner!!!
(4)
Carrie Neal W.
I just re-read my original review and had to laugh. Oh, the first days in a new town! OK, so the 4 stars does stand. Now, I can say the following - don't love the grits (too runny), eggs are decent (but my scrambled are better), bacon is just the right crispy (my preference), waffles are solid (I prefer over pancakes) and staff is still great (crucial, right?). But I write this update for one reason: brownie cheesecake. Lawd. I rarely eat dessert (I'm the girl with that container of ice cream that had a few spoonfuls taken, then it ices over and gets forgotten) but last night the boy and I had a pizza dinner so, of course, it had to be followed by dessert and coffee. Duh. He comes here often, I've always wanted to try one of their mouth-watering looking desserts in the case, and was so happy I did! Anything you get is capital-H huge, and should definitely be shared (really, do share, no matter how big a sweet tooth you have) and there are almost too many choices. Cake, pie, cheesecake (plus cookies, brownies and muffins, oh my!) so after looking at the dessert menu, I picked one of each of the big three and let him decide. He picked none of my three choices. But that brownie cheesecake he did pick....a huge slice of brownie on top, plain cheesecake on bottom, with a little swirl of caramel on top and just the right combo of brownie-ness to contrast with the cheese-ness. For a not super sweet girl (ha) I would get this again. Did I mention he comes here often? Well, I'm in.
I was a little skeptical about this place when we first saw it but we decided to go in anyways and I'm glad we did. It was the best food I ate the entire trip. Good prices and huge portions. We had leftovers that we ate on the night after we ate there and it was just as good as when we first got it.
(5)
Matthew D.
The food was awesome and the portions were enormous. No complaints about the food. The service was awful. The waitress never checked on me and I had to wait 15 minutes for a check. Went back later with some other folks and service was great. I just had a bad waitress.
(4)
Matt T.
Dinner and breakfast here while staying in the attached Days Inn. I guess this is typical of a GREEK DINER: large, large? Brobdingnagian portions of really fried food prepared from low-quality ingredients. The menu is extensive and includes some greek offerings (souvlaki, etc.) I asked for brown rice and got a puzzled, "um... it's kinda a dirty rice." Damn, I'm a snob... Mammoth slices of cake and pie. One guy was taking a selfie with a menu next to it for scale. Two stars are for the service. Our waiters were really sweet and accommodating.
(2)
Randal M.
The cannoli is the bomb. Huge portions of cheesecake. Wow! The food is good diner food. Nothing fancy. Good value. The spinach soup was the best part of the meal, besides the dessert of course.
(4)
Michelle H.
Best dessert selection I've ever seen. The biggest, tallest, yummiest cakes on the planet. Food is good, a little greasy. Portions too big. Only negative is the space...very tight always crammed. But then again, I can see why!
(4)
Mady J.
I took my friends from Maryland to City Cafe Diner while searching a good spot for lunch in Chattanoooga. This filled the bill. The cafe offers a menu with many options, the portions are quite ample, and the desserts are fabulous. Good value for your dining dollar. The staff is very courteous and most accommodating.
(4)
Bailey P.
Went here for breakfast twice during our stay. It was alright. The service was decent, but not great. The staff was friendly, but certainly in no hurry. My options are very limited due to my veg diet, but I had English muffins and their home fries, which they left the butter off of. It was a decent breakfast.
(3)
Aya S.
Okay. Food was good the first time when I ate with a friend. Food was good. Went to the bar, it was fine. The next day, I was dressed up in a dressy outfit (I am here on a convention) and was told there was a 20 minute wait. However, they were serving others much more quickly and saying there was availability (even with single person eaters). So, yeah. I am not pleased with this. Sorry.
(1)
Dan S.
Within walking distance of several downtown hotels is a genuine "Greek Diner". If you don't know what this is KEEP WALKING. If you DO know what a GREEK DINER is, stop on in - you will not be disappointed. Good food, LOTS of it - if you leave hungry it's your own fault. Service is quick and accurate - have no clue what some posters experienced, but our server was FANTASTIC!
(4)
Anson M.
After waiting 30 minutes to get seated, we ordered a garden salad and a cup of oatmeal. 45 minutes later still no food. In the mean time, people around us, who were seated and ordered after us, had received their food entirely. Awful service and extremely slow. We told management of the problem and they offered no apology or repair of the problem. Based on the lack of concern and service we left. I would not recommend this place to anyone!!!!
(1)
D P.
This review is simply based on the customer service... We did not dine here. We were attempting to have breakfast at another restaurant but their wait was over an hour. We are from out of town so we are unaware of the waits at local spots. Since it is Labor Day we decided to call City Cafe to see if there was a wait and how long before we drove over. First call was weird. I asked the lady if there was a wait.. She said "he is not here" an abruptly hung up. Clearly she mis heard me but why she hung up so quick was just weird. I called back an a man answered. Again I asked " hello, I'm checking to see if you currently have a wait".... His response was "of course we do" with extreme sarcasm as if I was so dumb to not know they would have a wait at a place I've never been to! Go figure. Glad they didn't get my business
(1)
Kelsey J.
Great for the type of restaurant it is! Has every thing you can probably imagine to order from, Italian to Greek, to American. They also have the best desserts! Decent service.
(4)
J J.
This is mostly unhealthy comfort food. Very large menu of a typical direr. Large portions. Very friendly and efficient staff. Had a NY cheesecake for desert (being from the NY area, what was I thinking) i was a mistake.
(3)
Craig V.
Huh...I should have read the reviews beforehand. But hey I was just off the road, hungry, had to use the restroom, and this place caught my eye. Like others posted, this place is a time warp. Decor stuck in the 80's and music stuck in the 50's. Also, the menu is a novel. That aside it was morning and I wanted breakfast....so I ordered the hobo platter. You know the standard sausage gravy over eggs over potatoes. It wasn't the most appealing thing to look at and the only thing less appealing was the flavor, because there was none. I doused it with salt, pepper, and hot sauce and it made it o.k. The waitress was good to start then faltered. ...as I finished and was waiting for my check, I noticed she just sat down and began eating her own food. There goes my check and to go coffee. I'd give it 2.5 stars but I don't have that option so ill give it 2. If you're hungry and don't give a hoot this place will suffice. If you'd like something good...look elsewhere.
(2)
Carla P.
Service was very efficient, food was typical, filling diner style, and good, but we were placed in a booth in the back that was eye level with a shelf that passed through into the kitchen. It was filthy. Hadn't been cleaned in too long. My husband made the mistake of touching it and filth went flying. Yuck! This made me wonder .... When do they clean this 24 hour place?
(3)
Bruce R.
I realize it is Christmas but they were not capable of making a simple grilled cheese, bacon and tomato on toast. First sandwich came out mangled and inedible. I sent it back. I NEVER send food back but this was inedible. 2nd sandwich comes and cheese was never melted and sandwich never was on the grill. This sandwich is called The Happy Waitress special. NOT. I'm giving 2 stars only because they didn't charge us for food. It wasn't the waitresses fault so I still gave her a nice tip.
(2)
Debbie W.
We went there for dessert at our waiters advice. The selection was huge , the cakes and pies were huge. But they liked better than they tasted. I threw most of mine away. It tasted like crisco and cool whip and enough crumbled butterfinger to call it a butterfinger pie. Disappointing
(3)
J P.
Our server wouldn't even get us coffee until a huge table of 9-10 people decided on and ordered their food even though they had long had all their drinks. She was quick to remind me they were there first. Then, she doesn't write anything down just takes the order to memory. We didn't get half of the things we ordered and my girlfriends's food came out... get a load of this... over ten minutes after mine. She was told they were "darkening her home fries". Her home fries came out as undercooked, mushy and unseasoned as mine did, we had both requested our home fries to be extra well done. Unseasoned food, terrible service. Surprised I for some reason feel they deserve all two stars. Very disappointed because I love diners.
(2)
Larry V.
Stop by very time in am in Chattanooga (either location) eat and order additional take outs for the next couple of days. You have got to try one or more of the cakes - I have never had better.
(4)
Kay N.
Huge portions... great service! Chicken fried steak came with 2... okra was very good.
(5)
Dev S.
Terrible food, even worse delivery service. Ordered a late night delivery meal last week and the food was cold and stale. Called back to express my dissatisfaction about the delivery and was put on an indefinite hold. If you have the need for a late night meal, please please skip this place and go to the nearest gas station instead.
(1)
Danielle S.
The service here is horrible, I wish I could give it no stars at all. I tried to call in my order so that I could pick my food up & go, but soon as the manager answered the phone he told me that he would get back to me when he could. Obviously that was a clue for me & I waited 10 minutes & he never came back to the phone. I figured they were busy & decided to go inside & get my order. Instead of saying how may I help you, he said what do you want? It took everything in me not to turn around & walk out. The lady before me said she waited 10 minutes on a salad. Smh this place has atrocious management. The club I ordered was just thrown together, & the broccoli & cheddar soup was awful. The soup hardly had any broccoli at all. I use to tell tourist to stop by there to get good food, but never again.
(1)
Katie S.
I'd like to initially say that my rating is including the cake. The cake is AMAZING and there is quite a large selection. The food is alright but can be pricey, especially considering my college budget. However, sometimes my friends and I splurge after partying on Friday night.
(4)
Scott J.
You can't allow yourself to miss this restaurant. It is something special. Don't be fooled by its simple diner appearance and name. The menu is incredible. One great unique dish after another. Great tasting, good prices. They have 101 different deserts. Every 30 min 24 hours a day they make a new 5 layer cake; in the style of gourmet cakes little seen since the 50s. Spent a week in Chattanooga and found this place the day before I leave. Going to eat all of my remaining meals there!
(5)
Mikey P.
Quite literally the BEST fries I've had in my life. But they lose their texture when you re-heat them (I tried to stock up). Their portions are HUGE! Share one app and entree and you will still have extras. I ate here three times in the weekend I was there. the desserts. The options. The affordable prices. It was a GREAT experience.
(5)
Kim S.
I think I loved this place. It was just like the diners I grew up with in NJ. The cakes were SKY HIGH!!! I did not, however, try one. I did try the Neopolitan which was super YUMMY. It was completely packed at 10:30 pm!!! Folks clamoring to get in. Food was good---there is SO MUCH on this menu, I don't really know how they manage to do so much.
(4)
Stephie Z.
This place is straight out of the 80s, but I sort of dig it. The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the slight smell of cigarette smoke that I smelled the whole time I was there. I'm not sure if it was a patron or the place, but It bothered my sensitive nose. The food was decent, the service was great. I ordered a chicken fajita omelet ( chicken, onions, jalapenos, green bell peppers) with a side of grits. I asked for light cheese, but the omelet was still chock full of the stuff. I'm not sure it that was because the waitress for got to let the kitchen know or that was the lightened cheese version. Either way I had to pull some of it out. Other than being overly cheesy, the omelet was ok. Nothing to write home about, but it filled my hunger. The grits were standard issue and pretty meh. The waitress was friendly and did a good job. I thought the owner was super nice and his pink shirt and pig tie were the sunshine to my rainy morning. City Cafe has tons of great looking desserts, but sadly I had none. Next time I'm in town I might stop and grab a piece since the owner said all were handmade by their staff at another location.
(3)
Stacy S.
This is one of my regular stops. Good food, good service, and generous portions in a Mel's Diner type of atmosphere make this place worth checking out.
(4)
Luis R.
Love this place!! The location is great and convenient in downtown. The parking is difficult as it is small and has limited areas. Well worth the trouble. The atmosphere takes you back to better days when juke boxes were what you looked forward to. The food is amazing. Great taste and am shocked everytime that I go as I love to try new things here and have not found many things I dont like. The portions are more than generous and are well spaced. The value os is unique to this place, it is very inexpensive and is a great place to eat well with a low budget. The desserts are also one of the best I have seen and had. The slices of the cakes are huge and allow you to enjoy them and share. This place is one of the few restaurants that I can count on to be open and have good food. I came out of the way just to come here and will do it many times more. Worth the hour and a half trip just to come here.
(5)
Aimee J.
This restaurant is attached to the Days Inn motel. The food is just so-so and the waiting area is strange. We got ushered back to the Days Inn lobby through a door at one end of the restaurant. The hostess was especially grumpy and looked like she had a splitting headache. Maybe she did. Our waitress was very nice, but the food was very slow. When our breakfast food finally arrived it was room temperature. My son's food took so long we were nearly finished (and ready to leave) by the time it arrived. After I complained to the manager he did take it off our bill. The menu is very extensive and it's open 24 hours. I bet it's a fun place to go very late at night after the bar scene. Otherwise I would skip it next time I'm in Chattanooga.
(2)
Cheryl R.
North of ml king blvd there isn't much in the way of breakfast. After wandering for an hour we finally ended up here. The first thing we noticed is that this is one of those jack of all trades restaurants. They don't specialize in anything so everything is mediocre. The food was okay but my eggs were over cooked on the outside and raw on the inside (it was an omelette). The other half had a breakfast burrito and the wrap was so old and stale it was crumbling apart as he tried to pick it up. As far as service goes, we got a vibe of "we don't give a shit". The waitress took her sweet time with everything. And it wasn't just our server. We watched a party of 3 come in and get sat at a table and ignored for a good 5 minutes before anyone even acknowledged their presence. Overall there are better places to eat around here you just have to look harder (found a great place the next day)
(1)
Brett N.
quick and cheap. typical diner structure with a million options.
(3)
Jesse H.
Delivery guy is awesome but the person who takes the orders was rude and forgot half our order and made us pay even more than the original crazy amount.
(1)
Christin K.
This is a very strong 3 stars so don't be scared away. City Cafe is a reliable place to eat late at night- 24 hours. It's a good spot to hit up after a night of hanging out or when everything else is closed. But you don't feel terrible about going there like I sometimes do about Waffle house. I'd compare it to the Majestic in Atlanta at times. It's a little cramped at its peak hours but it's always interesting for people watching. You know when an adult is trying to feed a baby and pretends the spoon is an airplane and it goes everywhere except for the baby's mouth for like 4 minutes straight? Well you can see partially inebriated people do that here to themselves. It's pretty entertaining. The food and menu is similar to many Greek 24 hour Diner. Burgers, breakfast foods, cakes, pasta. I had a burger and added an egg. It was big and juicy and came with a lot of fries. Our waitress was pretty friendly and attentive. She even brought me 3 kinds of hot sauce. That's very sweet. You pay for the check at the counter. Also there seems to be a bar in the back in a separate room. I think the other city cafe is like this too. Overall, very large portions of greasy diner food and laid back.
(3)
elvis p.
I would definitely not put this in the same class as the great Southern Greek diners I used to see across the deep South when I was a kid, but it's OK for what it is, which is to provide a big menu 24/7. Their more high-end stuff (the seafood and pasta dishes) would feed a horse-you won't be shortchanged on the portions). The execution is pretty bland, though. Recommended for getting yourself filled up at 3 in the morning.
(2)
Dean D.
This place is open 24/7 and has an enormous menu. Typical NY style Diner with the huge menu that has everything from breakfast meals, Greek Gyro's, seafood dishes, Italian plates to outstanding deserts. The breakfast omelets are especially good and one plate is more than enough for two. Breakfast and a beer? What a concept...Breakfast of champions! We got in to Chattanooga fairly late and decided we needed some food after our long ride from Memphis. We were staying at the Holiday Inn Express down the street and decided to try the City Cafe. I had the turkey club sandwich which was very good. They have about 5 different club sandwiches. My daughter tried the fried chicken club which I actually preferred over my turkey. The fries are addictive; the deserts are incredible. We each had a cannoli for desert and all I can say is "heaven on earth". The Chocolate Eclairs looked outstanding. They were about a foot long, maybe next time. If you're trying to lose weight, I don't recommend this place. One last thing...we had chicken wings for an appetizer. They were meaty and had a good taste but not hot enough. When I ask for the hottest sauce you've got, I want to sweat as I eat. They also didn't include any ranch or blue cheese dressing. That's a given, isn't it?
(4)
Andrea O.
This place was across the street from our hotel and thank goodness for that! The food was delicious (despite the fact that the encyclopedic style menu was scary) - we stuck to the Diner type fair and every single thing was awesome. The cakes and desserts were legendary - one of the best Napoleon's I have ever had! It was really crowded every time we were there but they do a great job with that! The employees were super friendly and just added to the love we were feeling in Chattanooga! Can't wait to visit again when we are back for Hooch '14!
(5)
Whitney B.
Forget Waffle House, forget Denny's, forget all those other 24/7 chains and go to City Cafe Diner. Think all of those places x 100 and this is what you will get. We were hungry, and it was Thanksgiving night, so this was pretty much our only bet, and a fine one it was. Is this a 4 star food and service worthy restaurant? Nope. But I'd choose this place over a Denny's any day. The menu is a little overwhelming. They pretty much have ev-ry-thng. I mean, hello, they have an eggplant parm sandwich (which the bf got). First off, the food portions are huge. And for the prices, well worth it. So the bf got the ep parm and I got the chicken philly. He was a little scared from the amount of cheese they put on his sandwich, probably about a pound. My philly was mighty tasty. It was nothing fancy, but the chicken was plentiful and with good spices, the cheese was nice, and the bread was good. But, 3 people could have easily eaten my sandwich. The service was a little bambyish, but whatever. If you are drunk, eat here. If you are broke, eat here. If you are driving through town and it is an odd hour and you don't want fast food, eat here. And for the kind of place it is, the desserts looked amazing. But be prepared. Just walking through the door will probably cost you 10 pounds.
(4)
Chain B.
The omelets were good and the desserts are awesome.
(4)
Derrick M.
Pleasantly surprised. When I pulled in to Chattanooga and found almost everywhere stopped serving food past 10. This gem was suggested to me by a bartender. Great food, value and great service. Very happy. I hear the cake is amazing. Honestly, after half of a sandwich I was too full to even try it. Wish I would have : )
(4)
Courtney C.
As far as diners go, this one is great. The food is good and cheap and the service is fast and friendly. I appreciate the fact that City Cafe Diner has a true diner atmosphere. This is the perfect place to go if you're in a hurry and need a quick bite to eat.
(4)
Rick A.
The cakes are delicious... If they are fresh. I purchased half of a cake, because I didn't need a while cake, and half a cake still cost $35.00. It was a four layer Italian Creme cake. The bottom two layers were stale and nasty - like they were about 2 weeks older than the top half of the cake. What's up with that! I feel really ripped off for paying $35 for half a stale cake.
(1)
Teresa S.
Don't go here to eat if you're on a diet. I have three words for you. Cake, cake and pie!! Menu is quite diverse and staff was friendly and helpful.
(3)
Eliza R.
I lived in downtown Chattanooga for 3 years as a college student, and this is the next best place after the Yellow Deli for cheap, delicious, late-night food. First of all, it's a diner, so don't expect anything fancy in terms of food quality or atmosphere. That said, the food is GREAT for what it is and the atmosphere is really fun (give the juke box a whirl if you're so inclinded)! I have been there countless times, and the service is always incredibly friendly and quick. My ex and I used to go late on Friday night after drinking at bars, and this super chill guy named Richard always served us - we went so often, he knew us by name and knew our orders by heart! The menu is massive and contains nearly every type of food you might be craving: breakfast, sandwiches, wraps, soups, salad, wings, and full-on meals varying in ethnicity from Greek to Mexican. The portions are as big as the menu, so you will likely need a to-go box. Make sure you leave room for the rotating selection of mouth-watering cakes and pies, all of which are immense servings (big surprise). My favorites are the cheesecake (both plain and lemon) and carrot cake!
(4)
Arthur H.
Went here for a couple days close to my hotel. Food was decent prices reasonable for area waitress one day was not too bright but all in all I would go again if I was close not a out of your way type place.
(3)
Shannon T.
Ttis is a decent diner with great deserts. It reminds me a lot of the Marietta Diner, in fact one of the owners of Marietta Diner later told me they sell the deserts to them and to several other diners in the southeast. Kit is situated a little oddly as it is the restaurant for a Days Inn, and it is rather small inside but the service and food were excellent.
(4)
Cristina C.
I didn't have high expectations for this place, and it's a good thing because it failed to meet them. This diner is attached to the Days Inn we were staying at so, tired and grumpy from a long drive, we decided to walk 20 feet from our room to City Cafe Diner. It's an 80s time warp. Think black marble meets neon signs. I half expected Tootie, Natalie and the rest of the "Facts of Life" gang to saunter up and have milkshakes with us. Yes, this is snarky, but I love the 80s so I thought "This place can't be that bad." Then we were handed the menu. It was freaking huge. They attempt everything from standard diner fair (burgers) to dishes that should never, under any circumstances, appear on a diner menu (calamari and salmon). Being as it was my first night in town, I decided it might be logical to avoid food poisoning and ordered an open-faced roast beef sandwich. When the plate came out, I burst into laughter. The portion was HUGE and the broccoli spears were genetic mutants as big as corn on the cob. What appeared to be an entire roast beef was carved out in front of me over four slices of bread, slathered in a few cups of brown gravy. The meat was OK and the potatoes tasted garlicky, but the gravy killed it. It had a bizarre, stale taste to it, and it was unfortunate because it was everywhere. I took a few bites before I determined I wasn't hungry anymore. My friend, sadly, ordered the exact same dish so I guess we will never know if anything else here is edible. Watching the waitress take away my plate with 4 lbs. of food, I couldn't help but feel guilty over the dozens of starving people in the world that wasted food could have fed. As you go to the cashier to pay, you will pass a glass case with the biggest, most amazing desserts you've ever seen. It's a shame you'll be so ready to pop that they no longer look enticing. If you're staying at Days Inn, it's a good place to visit when you're too tired to bother. Just hold your nose while chewing and maybe you'll avoid tasting the gargantuan portion of lousy food.
(2)
Andy H.
Cool place open 24/7. Service was friendly. You get a flashback feeling when you walk in the door. The baked goods look amazing but I am watching it so did not try. This place works for me.
(4)
Dennis J.
This is a great diner, and you can tell it looked like it was copied from Atlanta's landmark diners. The place was clean, and the food was better than the Landmarks diners here. I stayed at the Days Inn which shared the same building so it was definitely convenient.
(4)
Diana B.
The food is just ok. But, the service is very friendly, the prices are reasonable and the place is clean so that earns them 3 stars. They say the owner is Greek so I tried the spinach pie. It was good (although I have had better) but the Greek salad that accompanied it was brown in spots. What really disappointed me was dessert. So many people raved about it so I had to try the Seven Sins chocolate cake. It was barely ok, tasted a little frozen. I guess when you go to a diner like this you need to stick to breakfast.
(3)
Matt V.
This place was highly recommended to me so I had high expectations. The decor was what I expected for a trashy diner, so no problem there. However, the service was HORRIBLE. We waited forever to be seated, have our orders taken, then to be given our checks. One of my utter pet peeves is a cold salad in a hot bowl, which was the case. The lettuce was wilted and disgusting. There was more core of the lettuce than actual edible parts. The corn beef sandwich was alright besides the greasy soaked bread. My friend gave me his water because the waiter rarely came around to fill our drinks. On top of all this, the waiter screwed up our checks. The one positive thing I can say is the manager. He is extremely focused on customer service and quickly corrected the checks and even comped the salad. He filled my water and I would dare to say he did more than our actual waiter. On a side note, the food portions are outrageous and unnecessary. All in all, I do not recommend this place and will probably not return if I can help it.
(1)
Amy T.
Visiting Chattanooga for the weekend, we were in search of a good breakfast place that was actually open on Sunday (in the Bible belt, God forbid!). We *Yelped* and found City Cafe Diner. We had a party of 6, so there was a bit of a wait in order to sit together. This is a super small place, mind you, so the "waiting area" was the hotel lobby of the adjoining Days Inn. Our four-year-olds enjoyed running through the hotel lobby like a pair of wild banshees... The menu is huge, like a typical diner, but I went with a Western Omelet, except it didn't come with cheese. Gotta pay $1.00 extra for a sprinkling of cheddar. The omelet came with a biscuit or toast, and what was supposed to be home fries. They were neither home, nor fried. They resembled a half-baked potato that had been sliced and attempted to have been pan fried. It was sort of like what you'd have if you ordered a baked potato was undercooked and then scraped the potato part out of the skin...a big mess. It just didn't work. The omelet, however, with the $1.00 cheese was very good, fully loaded with veggies that were tender crisp. The biscuit was good too. My son enjoyed his Mickey Mouse pancakes. I don't remember what hubby ordered, but he ate it all so it couldn't have been that bad. Service was good, and my coffee was always filled. If they just fixed those darn potatoes, or did something else with them entirely, it would have been a great meal.
(3)
A N.
I went there because I heard their dessert was amazing. We are breakfast here and got dessert to go. The breakfast was awful and the service was worse! I had the pecan waffle and bacon. The waffle was burnt and they managed to cook the flavor out of the bacon, which I didn't know you could do! It tasted like hard grease. I got a piece of the coconut cream cake to go, and it was definitely way better than my breakfast, but nothing to write home about. The service was ok at best once we were seated, but nobody greeted us when we entered or when we went back to the counter to pay after eating. The lady only stuck her hand out for the check. You can tell they don't appreciate the customers, and I don't appreciate the poor service. I will not be returning!
(1)
Kyle B.
I met a friend over here for lunch the other day... Not a very big place... we arrived just in time as we were seated immediately, but those arriving after us had to wait. The waitress brings us a menu... scratch that, a book that serves as their menu. If you want it, this place has got it! The prices are relatively inexpensive and the food is pretty good. I had a hamburger and my friend had some sort of a salad. Both items were made quickly. My burger was nice and hot and well presented. Her salad looked fresh and crisp. We both enjoyed the meal and unfortunately did not have any room for the huge cakes and pies that they have on display here. I will have to come back here one day just for the desserts! The restaurant itself is a little unassuming place built into a Days Inn. Don't judge the place based on that... the food really is quite good, especially for the low prices. We had good, attentive service... never having to wait for anything (drink refills, extras that we asked for, the check, etc). You owe it to yourself to stop by here for at least one meal... I've had breakfast here too, but that was a long time ago and not a part of this review (but it too, was good!).
(4)
David D.
Very good food and lots of it. Good prices too. No wonder it is so busy.
(4)
Lola D.
Had lunch there and shared a crab cake sandwich with my friend. I'm glad cuz I would not be able to eat all if it. The crab cake good and bigger portion. My friend ordered two desserts to go and I had a taste ( gluten free chocolate cake) which was good that I knew I'd have to come back. I stopped there this afternoon and ordered three types of desserts to bring back to the staff where I'm staying. Lime pie, strawberry cake and the gluten free choc cake. All were great. Glad I don't live here. I'd be stopping here often.
(4)
Will M.
This place has the worst. service. ever. Not really 24 hour delivery. Very inconsistent food quality. Buyer beware!
(1)
Darvey K.
Feel good food 24/7/365 with great breakfast, melts, and desserts.
(5)
Andrew T.
Food was pretty good but it took 3 times to get my order right. Kids orders weren't right either. Nice people though.
(2)
Zeb M.
If you look up "diner" in an encyclopedia, there should be a picture of City Cafe next to it because it perfectly exemplifies one. I always laugh at their menu because it more closely resembles a book - it's pretty big in size and has almost every platter and sandwich known to man.
(4)
LM P.
My cousin brought me to City Cafe during on of my visits to Chat Town. It's a small retro-style restaurant attached to the dowtown Days Inn that reminds me of 90210's Peach Pit. We had arrived in Chattanooga late and everyone was starving, but everyone wanted something different. City Cafe was the perfect place for us because they pretty much offer anything you could want. From pancakes to tacos and from hamburgers to spaghetti, you want it, they got it. Perfect for some hungry late-night eaters. They also have a huge selection of desserts. The display-o-cakes as I like to call it, offers cakes like red velvet to banana split slices that are seriously the size of your head. We always make it a point to eat at City Cafe when we are in the Chattanooga area and are down to eat whatever.
(4)
Becca G.
Great service. Delicious food. Even better desserts. I would seriously advise popping in just for the desserts alone.
(4)
Matt M.
Flying into Chattanooga from Los Angeles was a long trip. Exhausted with a little bit of jet lag and having no real food in my stomach for about 8 hours, I was dying for a meal. However, it was about 1am so there wasn't a whole lot of options. Thankfully, the City Cafe Diner was within walking distance. The place seemed a little sketchy when I walked in based on the clientele that was eating there, but I was hungry and had to eat! The menu was a typical diner menu, but one of the things I first noticed were the prices. Dirt Cheap!!! Maybe it's because I'm used to overpriced places on the west coast, but the size of my portions for the price simply could not be beaten. Late food, cheap prices, two thumbs up!
(4)
Katarina O.
I have issue with eating sub par food. I'm out here for a weekend trip and we decided to order some late night eats. We go the create your own sampler with the ribs, calamari, jalapeño poppers and hot wings. Where do I begin! The ribs tasted old. Almost as if they had been made a day or two before and just reheated with some sauce tossed over them. The calamari tasted like it had been dusted in plain flour and fried. There was no seasoning and no dipping sauce provided. The jalapeño poppers tasted stale. The wings appeared to be fresh but the hot sauce was not noteworthy. Ultimately this was a total waste of my money.
(1)
Helen A.
So much food really good if your hungry.. great breafast.. Wait staff very helpful...
(4)
Greg D.
Good prices and a huge selection. Food was average but good enough.
(3)
Bill E.
Always enjoy a good lunch time salad when I'm I'm town. The desserts are outstanding as well.
(4)
Raquel C.
Just came to chatanooga from the airport around midnight and my husband and i were staying at the sheraton, right across the street. Food was really good but the veggie burger(too simple, just 2 morning star parties and honey bread from supermarket). Really big portions. As a whole it was perfect after being hungry from the airport. Breakfasts are pretty good here!!
(3)
Jenn T.
We were in town for a cheer competition and this restaurant was recommended to us as a "can't miss". We arrived at 8:00 pm to a bustling diner. After several minutes of not being greeted at all, an older surly gentleman took down our name, told us it would be about 30 minutes, and led us to their waiting room (which is the hotel lobby of the Days Inn that's attached). At 8:35 we were taken to our table. We ordered our food and it was not brought to our table until 9:55 pm! And that was after we had to ask several times where our food was! It was just terrible service. The waitress never apologized for the extreme wait that we had, nor did she offer to send over a manager or offer to discount the bill at all. Once we got our check we had to wait in an obnoxious line up front to pay. This is the same line that people use to order and pay for their to go orders, and the same gentleman (very rude as well) who packages up the million slices of cake that people order also takes people's payments. It was a horrendous experience and I would certainly not recommend this restaurant to anyone in the downtown Chattanooga area. There are many other options out there!
(1)
Nancy P.
For perspective - I 've been traveling through VA, SC, and TN quite a bit over the last few months. As a solo traveler, I frequently treat lunch as my largest meal, so I look for decent food at reasonable prices that is NOT fast food. I ordered 2 meals to go to cover 2 days, including dessert and 2 large milks. Overall excellent rating due to taste, amount of food, speed of service and friendliness of staff. Ordered Southern friend chicken with mashed potatoes and got 1 each of leg, thigh, breast, wing and easily 3-4 servings of potatoes. Chicken very moist with batter dip I love. Potatoes were real potatoes. Other dish was spanikopita w/ Greek salad. Salad was very fresh. The cakes (chocolate and carrot) were huge. I love dessert and I usually can finish at least 3/4 of a slice, but finished maybe 1/2 of 1 slice, they were that large. 1 slice could easily be shared by 4 women. Very, very moist and very flavorful. Would highly recommend. Note on the service - very friendly and kept their cool - I went in at busiest time of lunch (around 12:15). I must admit I did see their patience tested a little bit by some rude folks. *I have no affiliation with this diner. Just happened to stumble upon it because it was close to my hotel.*
(5)
Adrien R.
This place is amazing! I was working in Chattanooga for a week last winter, and myself and two co-workers ate here several times. They have an enormous menu, and everything we tried was good, came in over-sized portions and was fairly priced. We were working outdoors and I remember eating so much food to stay warm, including a piece of their cake each night, which was the size of my head. One night, we ordered food to our hotel room and it was snowing really bad. The delivery driver brought the wrong order, but came back with free drinks and dessert.
(5)
Charlie P.
Walked here from the convention center 01/11/08 during the World of Wheels auto show. It was about 2pm, so wasn't very busy. Service was terribly slow, like we were invisible. We were there almost an hour and a half. My BLT wasn't bad, my wife had a so-so chicken quesadilla. We walked across the street to checkout of the Sheraton, and before we got to the car, she was violently ill. Eat at your own risk.....
(1)
Melissa W.
This review is for service only...since we were never actually served. We went in last night (July 4th) to a fairly busy diner. We just wanted dessert, as this is an amazing place for it. The boyfriend and I had just finished watching fireworks...and it was our 5 year anniversary and we wanted something sweet to top the night off. We were seated fairly quickly...and our server got our drink order. I ordered a diet coke and a water...as i tend to drink fast...and the boyfriend ordered a root beer. The server kind of half listened...and didn't hear the diet coke order...but since we were sitting right next to the drink station...I spoke up to make sure I got the diet coke as well. She delivered the drinks and asked us for our order...we told her we would like dessert...and she sent us up to look at the cakes and other treats. Often when I have been here in the past the server would go up with us...to name off the different types of dessert and to get our order. No such luck this time...but being in the service industry...I understood...so no biggie. We returned to our table...and...nothing. Our server passed our table no less than 25 times...we tried to get her attention ...we waved..we tried eye contact...we did everything short of tripping her...and it was as if she was intentionally ignoring us. Our drinks were empty...we waited probably a total of 45 minutes before throwing down some ones on the table to cover the sodas and walking out. Sadly I take my sister and brother here with my mom about every other weekend...and am considering not returning to this location...
(1)
Jeff C.
LOVE this place! the food is oh so delicious!
(4)
David R.
The salad made with chunks of lettuce and over spiced chicken left some room for admiration. The amiable manager was a man who barked instead of offer help forthe clients. Will I come back? Never. Never ever.
(1)
Max P.
Drunk and hungry? Come on down. Huge portions.
(3)
Daniel T.
Its one of the best diners I have eaten at and I have eaten at quite a few. The food is a lot better than most diners. Remember this is a diner and not a 5 star restaurant. They have a big selection of food to choose from. They also have a lot of desserts. I would recommend it.
(4)
Brad H.
We drove past this house of neon last evening on our way back to our hotel. First impressions mean nothing. When I asked our Chattanoogan Hotel valet where he eats breakfast, this diner was his immediate referral. Any morning trip through or visit around downtown Chattanooga, TN deserves a cheap belly full of good coffee and great diner food. Nowhere south of our favorite diners between 6th Ave and Broadway, between the Central Park South and 53rd, could come close to what this Brooklyn native has built adjacent to a cheap hotel. The boys had their eggs and bacon. Gin had her carbs in pancakes, with what bacon survived a 4 year old's grip. And this papa enjoyed his Jalapeño hell-hole omelet. No joke. 354 items on the menu and I'm a sucker for such a descriptive item. Frankly, there was little fire in the hole, so to speak. It just tasted good. Service was fine. The neon and black laquer decor plus flat-screen TVs featuring nothing but homemade cakes....ah, NYC, we do miss you...but you have a southern sister open 24/7/365 right here.
(5)
David H.
Very good diner! The cakes are awesome, but all of there food is right on. Not 5 star dining, but really good food!
(4)
Javier O.
I should have known better to go to a dinner located next to a Days Inn. I left there with a bigger stomach ache than when I went in. The plate was hot, the potatoes cold, the sausage links were harder than my Dog's treats and the scrambled eggs were crunchy. Luckily the waiter was nice and attentive to my needs, other wise my tip for this place would have been to fire the chef. There has to be wrong with a place that can not put together a properly cooked breakfast. Especially when the platter special bears the name of your diner. Will management please taste the food and get a grip before your food kills somebody?
(1)
Michael B.
City Cafe is pretty much what you think it is...a New York/Jersey style restaurant with a jillion things on the menu and it's all available 24/7. That part is good. Took the family here for breakfast and were seated promptly. We went for breakfast but the menu was extensive. The burgers coming out looked good as did the fries. There was a cake carousel up front as well as pastries that looked pretty good. Just like a North East diner....I ordered up ham and eggs (poached) with hash browns, the boy had a waffle with and egg and Mom had a greek omelette with hash browns. Everything had the potential of being just fine...even great, but there were a few things that made City Cafe a little sub par. First of all, they need to turn up the heat a little on the griddle and waffle iron. Nothing was crispy and nicely browned. The waffle was like rubber, the hash browns were fresh boiled potatoes but again, no color or crispiness. The ham on my plate was not a nice ham steak but a couple of slices of sandwich ham. The eggs were fine. So, in the end this place is okay and I'm sure they do a lot of biz because they are open around the clock and that may make for some inconsistent chefs. Three or four things would improve this place to top notch. Cook that food to a nice color and crispiness and do it quick and bring it quick. Those bathrooms and glass windows and doors out front should be spotless.
(2)
Alex C.
Large menu and somewhat greasy but quick and they can deliver to the hotel
(2)
Lori B.
You'd have to be one picky eater to not find something you like on their menu since it seems like it is about 100 pages long. We ate their multiple times when we stayed in Chattanooga because it was not only delicious and close to the hotel, but also a great bang for the buck and you get tons of food. You also have to see their beautiful cakes and pies which they not only showcase in glass but also on a video screen. I'm not a cake eater and they looked tempting to me. Whether you are just craving a burger, a full meal or one of their Greek specialties like moussaka you can't go wrong.
(4)
Cindy C.
Great price and casual dining right in downtown. Nice enough for lady traveler to eat alone but they also deliver if you want to stay in. Try chicken Francaise.
(4)
Russ G.
Just plain awful. But to give them some credit, it was the worst night to go in. This was several months ago, the lady and I were headed to Nashville for the weekend when snow hit, hard, so we stopped in Chattanooga for the night. We were starving and nothing was open, a few places were serving but cutting off early, some were just doing limited menus but closing soon. City Cafe was the only place actually open and willing to serve food, so we braved the weather and drove there. It's attached to a hotel, so patrons there were looking to eat too, as was most of the town including a ladies basketball team and a half dozen coaches, a group of Shriners, and just assorted families with kids. Things didn't look well, but the hostess took our name, said we could wait in the hotel lobby, and it'd be about 45 minutes. Fine. 45 minutes came and went, and a few parties who came in after us got seated. We inquired and were told they had called ahead, which was bullshit, but whatever. 1 hour and 20 minutes after we first came in I got pissed and got loud, the hostess hushed me quickly, asked our name, said wait just one minute, and she'd fit us in. She also told us she had called our name, more bullshit, and my lady got in her face to call her a liar. She shrivelled up and seated us. The place was jammed packed from wall to wall and there seemed to be zero wait staff. Oh boy. Now came the real wait. Our server was a kid about 17, no restaurant experience at all, and was painfully slow. He strolled over after we'd been seated for a few minutes and looked like he'd been beaten over the head. We ordered drinks and waited for quite a good bit, then asked for bread or crackers or anything to hold us until we could order. A bread basket came out after a bit and we dove in, only to realize it was stale, hard, and dry as a bone. Now we really needed drinks, but they were still MIA. A manager came by to ask how we were doing, we replied 'thirsty', he went and got us cokes. Wow, was it that hard? The kid showed back and we ordered an appetizer and our entrees all at once, figuring we may never see any of it. He disappeared again for quite some time then arrived with my entree, then left again. I had got some sort of surf and turf, a big piece of steak, fish, baked potato, and a side salad, the salad wasn't there of course, the steak was charred beyond recognition, the fish was gamey as hell, and the potato tasted like chalk. I was hungry though so I dug in, after wiping the three pounds of onions off the meat that weren't listed on the menu. My lady snagged a bite and waited patiently, about 10 minutes later her entree came out, in the same rough shape. We ate enough to fill and quickly got up, our appetizer never showed but the check sure seemed to come out fast, and with the app on it, the prices wrong, and an extra charge for the bread. Once again the manager happened to be within earshot when I said "fuck this" and came over, he corrected it, apologized, and sent us to the cashier, where a good 14 people were standing waiting to pay, the cashier answering the phone between payments to take call in orders. The same manager finally took the phone off the hook so we could all pay and leave. Ideally it looked like a decent place, and if it was maybe dead during a weird hour I could be persuaded to try again if I was in town, but I don't see that happening with all the other quality places to eat nearby.
(1)
Atlanta F.
I love it, always consistent and you know what to expect.
(4)
Ananda Z.
What an unpretentious diner with fabulous breakfast food! They've got your regular eggs and bacon and ham, some fabulous pecan pancakes or waffles, and classic southern thigns like grits, or (for my husband) the uniquely southern super-salty country ham. He was in heaven. Service isn't great, but the cakes look fabulous, and the prices are reasonable, and its a pretty fun place for the genre.
(4)
Michelle C.
This place was awesome. The food was fantastic. Choices a-plenty on the menu. I ordered the 16oz chopped steak with grilled onions and it was quite good. I had a piece of their chocolate cake - 4 layers, and just the right amount of chocolate frosting in between the layers. Our service was slow, but we were breaking in a newbie, so we cut her some slack. We visit Chattanooga fairly regularly these days, and we will be going back to City Cafe Diner again!
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Specialities
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Breakfast Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Donna W.
Omg! The portions are huge! The plate is twice the size, with helpings to match. Two country steaks, REAL mashed potatoes, and steamed veggies, and salad! For 12.95? What? Crazy! No wait time, staff friendly and helpful.
(5)Jt P.
Good food, open for 24 hours! We were on business and there was not much open around. The hotel suggested City Cafe Diner. Nice location right on the corner, but connected to a sleezy looking hotel. Parking lot is very small as well. The place was busy at midnight when we arrived. The server was very nice and accommodating. The food took a little long to get finished, but was pretty good. Not to best I have had, but good. The only downside was the cake, that they displayed in a big rotating shelf up front... it looked so good, but did not live up to the hype I was hoping for.
(4)Steven L.
This place is too busy in the morning. I stopped in here for breakfast today. It's hard to find parking too if you want to come here. Now, they do have WiFi. I was here to try out their breakfast for the first time. There aren't that many breakfast joints down town to choose from. I got two eggs sunny side up. Biscuit, grits, country ham and coffee. They brought me my eggs and one if them was busted already. They should correct that before delivering to their customers. I ate it anyway because it took so long to get my order. Don't come here to hang out using their free WiFi. The managers will come around looking at you nonverbal communication is they want you to eat and go.
(3)Marsha L.
Quick issue that could have gone horribly wrong. Gary Haworth the General Manager stepped in and made the experience AMAZING! He really went above and beyond in more ways than one! Thank you and the food was so yummy! Omg! You must try it when in CHATTANOOGA! I had the Alfredo that had a real non Prego taste. Like someone's old Italian Grandma was making it!
(5)Chris J.
Emermous amount of food and very good! Ordered cheese omelette with side of bacon and home fries. Bacon was literally 8 pieces of bacon was normal order which i could not eat. My wife and daughters farmers omelette was absolutely fit for 2 and both could not even eat close to half. Quality of food was great, very freah everything.
(5)Derek A.
If you have time and are VERY hungry, you may wish to try this place. Located as part of the Days Inn, this is an unpretentious establishment. After a short wait (there were plenty seats but serving staff were slow to react to arriving guests) servers were relatively quick to take drink order. There is an extensive menu and at reasonable prices, all the more valued when you see the portions! Quantity rather than high quality, it's cheap and cheerful. Be sure to leave some room for desert from the extensive and 'naughty' menu. Again, a very large portion supplied with a box to take remains home!!!
(3)Chuck M.
Chef salad was excellent and huge! Thank goodness i had dressing on the side since i still have a nice salad to take home for dinner. Sorry I didn't get a snapshot before I dug in. Next time. They have a great selection of cakes for dessert and this is their gluten free chocolate which I couldn't resist.
(5)Scott J.
You can't allow yourself to miss this restaurant. It is something special. Don't be fooled by its simple diner appearance and name. The menu is incredible. One great unique dish after another. Great tasting, good prices. They have 101 different deserts. Every 30 min 24 hours a day they make a new 5 layer cake; in the style of gourmet cakes little seen since the 50s. Spent a week in Chattanooga and found this place the day before I leave. Going to eat all of my remaining meals there!
(5)Mikey P.
Quite literally the BEST fries I've had in my life. But they lose their texture when you re-heat them (I tried to stock up). Their portions are HUGE! Share one app and entree and you will still have extras. I ate here three times in the weekend I was there. the desserts. The options. The affordable prices. It was a GREAT experience.
(5)Kim S.
I think I loved this place. It was just like the diners I grew up with in NJ. The cakes were SKY HIGH!!! I did not, however, try one. I did try the Neopolitan which was super YUMMY. It was completely packed at 10:30 pm!!! Folks clamoring to get in. Food was good---there is SO MUCH on this menu, I don't really know how they manage to do so much.
(4)Stephie Z.
This place is straight out of the 80s, but I sort of dig it. The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the slight smell of cigarette smoke that I smelled the whole time I was there. I'm not sure if it was a patron or the place, but It bothered my sensitive nose. The food was decent, the service was great. I ordered a chicken fajita omelet ( chicken, onions, jalapenos, green bell peppers) with a side of grits. I asked for light cheese, but the omelet was still chock full of the stuff. I'm not sure it that was because the waitress for got to let the kitchen know or that was the lightened cheese version. Either way I had to pull some of it out. Other than being overly cheesy, the omelet was ok. Nothing to write home about, but it filled my hunger. The grits were standard issue and pretty meh. The waitress was friendly and did a good job. I thought the owner was super nice and his pink shirt and pig tie were the sunshine to my rainy morning. City Cafe has tons of great looking desserts, but sadly I had none. Next time I'm in town I might stop and grab a piece since the owner said all were handmade by their staff at another location.
(3)Stacy S.
This is one of my regular stops. Good food, good service, and generous portions in a Mel's Diner type of atmosphere make this place worth checking out.
(4)Becca G.
Great service. Delicious food. Even better desserts. I would seriously advise popping in just for the desserts alone.
(4)Harold C.
This place will go on my list as one of my favorite diners. I usually don't eat at diners but there are a few that are amazing all the way around. City Café Diner is the truth. The restaurant was packed everyday and I could see why. I ordered a bacon cheeseburger and the amount of bacon is unbelievable...The burger was perfectly cooked! The desserts are simply amazing! You think NY cheesecake is amazing!?! Try City Café Diner. Everything is huge which makes up for the price. I told the owner it was the country NY! Now to the bad...The owner was nasty to some of the patrons. He stopped take out orders because they were backed up due to one cash register that the employees' complain about. He was very rude to one of my church members when they were trying to help him out with a name of my cousin to be seated. Other than that, everyone was very kind!
(5)Jennifer P.
It's a diner, so align your expectations accordingly. Within the diner category, it's a fine specimen! The food is fresh, hot, and well cooked. The sandwiches and burgers are great. Have been several time in the last decade during visits to Chattanooga. On my visit today I tried the Athenian omelet - gyro, feta, and tomato. Wow it was yummy. I did not know the potatoes were laced with peppers and onions - neither of which I like-- so I skipped them. Those who enjoy those ingredients would likely be thrilled. And the dessert... Oh my. Split a piece of Million Dollar Cake with my friend -- and after we had our fill, we each took some home as well, all from the same piece. Rich and delicious. And shout out to Lacey our server. She was attentive and friendly and made our visit very enjoyable.
(4)Brent R.
Came here in a large party after a wedding. A good portion of the group had been partying all night before we arrived, but the waiter handled it like a pro. He was both engaging and funny, took care of everything, and really made the experience memorable. Some of the requests from the group were completely ridiculous, but he came through like a champion. The food was pretty good, regardless of the fact that they had a very wide array of items on the menu. I had a Monte Carlo sandwich, which I had never had before, and it was interesting and delicious. I didn't hear any complains about any of the food -- even from the guy who ordered a Belgian waffle with ice cream on top of it (which is an actual item on the menu). Although I did not try any of the cakes, the sight of them in the display case was shocking. They have a very impressive assortment of cakes available, including one that is like a sampler that includes a bunch of different types of their cakes all in one. At the end of the day this is a great place, highly recommended!!
(5)Whitney B.
Forget Waffle House, forget Denny's, forget all those other 24/7 chains and go to City Cafe Diner. Think all of those places x 100 and this is what you will get. We were hungry, and it was Thanksgiving night, so this was pretty much our only bet, and a fine one it was. Is this a 4 star food and service worthy restaurant? Nope. But I'd choose this place over a Denny's any day. The menu is a little overwhelming. They pretty much have ev-ry-thng. I mean, hello, they have an eggplant parm sandwich (which the bf got). First off, the food portions are huge. And for the prices, well worth it. So the bf got the ep parm and I got the chicken philly. He was a little scared from the amount of cheese they put on his sandwich, probably about a pound. My philly was mighty tasty. It was nothing fancy, but the chicken was plentiful and with good spices, the cheese was nice, and the bread was good. But, 3 people could have easily eaten my sandwich. The service was a little bambyish, but whatever. If you are drunk, eat here. If you are broke, eat here. If you are driving through town and it is an odd hour and you don't want fast food, eat here. And for the kind of place it is, the desserts looked amazing. But be prepared. Just walking through the door will probably cost you 10 pounds.
(4)Chain B.
The omelets were good and the desserts are awesome.
(4)Derrick M.
Pleasantly surprised. When I pulled in to Chattanooga and found almost everywhere stopped serving food past 10. This gem was suggested to me by a bartender. Great food, value and great service. Very happy. I hear the cake is amazing. Honestly, after half of a sandwich I was too full to even try it. Wish I would have : )
(4)Courtney C.
As far as diners go, this one is great. The food is good and cheap and the service is fast and friendly. I appreciate the fact that City Cafe Diner has a true diner atmosphere. This is the perfect place to go if you're in a hurry and need a quick bite to eat.
(4)Rick A.
The cakes are delicious... If they are fresh. I purchased half of a cake, because I didn't need a while cake, and half a cake still cost $35.00. It was a four layer Italian Creme cake. The bottom two layers were stale and nasty - like they were about 2 weeks older than the top half of the cake. What's up with that! I feel really ripped off for paying $35 for half a stale cake.
(1)Eliza R.
I lived in downtown Chattanooga for 3 years as a college student, and this is the next best place after the Yellow Deli for cheap, delicious, late-night food. First of all, it's a diner, so don't expect anything fancy in terms of food quality or atmosphere. That said, the food is GREAT for what it is and the atmosphere is really fun (give the juke box a whirl if you're so inclinded)! I have been there countless times, and the service is always incredibly friendly and quick. My ex and I used to go late on Friday night after drinking at bars, and this super chill guy named Richard always served us - we went so often, he knew us by name and knew our orders by heart! The menu is massive and contains nearly every type of food you might be craving: breakfast, sandwiches, wraps, soups, salad, wings, and full-on meals varying in ethnicity from Greek to Mexican. The portions are as big as the menu, so you will likely need a to-go box. Make sure you leave room for the rotating selection of mouth-watering cakes and pies, all of which are immense servings (big surprise). My favorites are the cheesecake (both plain and lemon) and carrot cake!
(4)Teresa S.
Don't go here to eat if you're on a diet. I have three words for you. Cake, cake and pie!! Menu is quite diverse and staff was friendly and helpful.
(3)Arthur H.
Went here for a couple days close to my hotel. Food was decent prices reasonable for area waitress one day was not too bright but all in all I would go again if I was close not a out of your way type place.
(3)Christin K.
This is a very strong 3 stars so don't be scared away. City Cafe is a reliable place to eat late at night- 24 hours. It's a good spot to hit up after a night of hanging out or when everything else is closed. But you don't feel terrible about going there like I sometimes do about Waffle house. I'd compare it to the Majestic in Atlanta at times. It's a little cramped at its peak hours but it's always interesting for people watching. You know when an adult is trying to feed a baby and pretends the spoon is an airplane and it goes everywhere except for the baby's mouth for like 4 minutes straight? Well you can see partially inebriated people do that here to themselves. It's pretty entertaining. The food and menu is similar to many Greek 24 hour Diner. Burgers, breakfast foods, cakes, pasta. I had a burger and added an egg. It was big and juicy and came with a lot of fries. Our waitress was pretty friendly and attentive. She even brought me 3 kinds of hot sauce. That's very sweet. You pay for the check at the counter. Also there seems to be a bar in the back in a separate room. I think the other city cafe is like this too. Overall, very large portions of greasy diner food and laid back.
(3)elvis p.
I would definitely not put this in the same class as the great Southern Greek diners I used to see across the deep South when I was a kid, but it's OK for what it is, which is to provide a big menu 24/7. Their more high-end stuff (the seafood and pasta dishes) would feed a horse-you won't be shortchanged on the portions). The execution is pretty bland, though. Recommended for getting yourself filled up at 3 in the morning.
(2)Dean D.
This place is open 24/7 and has an enormous menu. Typical NY style Diner with the huge menu that has everything from breakfast meals, Greek Gyro's, seafood dishes, Italian plates to outstanding deserts. The breakfast omelets are especially good and one plate is more than enough for two. Breakfast and a beer? What a concept...Breakfast of champions! We got in to Chattanooga fairly late and decided we needed some food after our long ride from Memphis. We were staying at the Holiday Inn Express down the street and decided to try the City Cafe. I had the turkey club sandwich which was very good. They have about 5 different club sandwiches. My daughter tried the fried chicken club which I actually preferred over my turkey. The fries are addictive; the deserts are incredible. We each had a cannoli for desert and all I can say is "heaven on earth". The Chocolate Eclairs looked outstanding. They were about a foot long, maybe next time. If you're trying to lose weight, I don't recommend this place. One last thing...we had chicken wings for an appetizer. They were meaty and had a good taste but not hot enough. When I ask for the hottest sauce you've got, I want to sweat as I eat. They also didn't include any ranch or blue cheese dressing. That's a given, isn't it?
(4)Andrea O.
This place was across the street from our hotel and thank goodness for that! The food was delicious (despite the fact that the encyclopedic style menu was scary) - we stuck to the Diner type fair and every single thing was awesome. The cakes and desserts were legendary - one of the best Napoleon's I have ever had! It was really crowded every time we were there but they do a great job with that! The employees were super friendly and just added to the love we were feeling in Chattanooga! Can't wait to visit again when we are back for Hooch '14!
(5)Cristina C.
I didn't have high expectations for this place, and it's a good thing because it failed to meet them. This diner is attached to the Days Inn we were staying at so, tired and grumpy from a long drive, we decided to walk 20 feet from our room to City Cafe Diner. It's an 80s time warp. Think black marble meets neon signs. I half expected Tootie, Natalie and the rest of the "Facts of Life" gang to saunter up and have milkshakes with us. Yes, this is snarky, but I love the 80s so I thought "This place can't be that bad." Then we were handed the menu. It was freaking huge. They attempt everything from standard diner fair (burgers) to dishes that should never, under any circumstances, appear on a diner menu (calamari and salmon). Being as it was my first night in town, I decided it might be logical to avoid food poisoning and ordered an open-faced roast beef sandwich. When the plate came out, I burst into laughter. The portion was HUGE and the broccoli spears were genetic mutants as big as corn on the cob. What appeared to be an entire roast beef was carved out in front of me over four slices of bread, slathered in a few cups of brown gravy. The meat was OK and the potatoes tasted garlicky, but the gravy killed it. It had a bizarre, stale taste to it, and it was unfortunate because it was everywhere. I took a few bites before I determined I wasn't hungry anymore. My friend, sadly, ordered the exact same dish so I guess we will never know if anything else here is edible. Watching the waitress take away my plate with 4 lbs. of food, I couldn't help but feel guilty over the dozens of starving people in the world that wasted food could have fed. As you go to the cashier to pay, you will pass a glass case with the biggest, most amazing desserts you've ever seen. It's a shame you'll be so ready to pop that they no longer look enticing. If you're staying at Days Inn, it's a good place to visit when you're too tired to bother. Just hold your nose while chewing and maybe you'll avoid tasting the gargantuan portion of lousy food.
(2)Andy H.
Cool place open 24/7. Service was friendly. You get a flashback feeling when you walk in the door. The baked goods look amazing but I am watching it so did not try. This place works for me.
(4)Dennis J.
This is a great diner, and you can tell it looked like it was copied from Atlanta's landmark diners. The place was clean, and the food was better than the Landmarks diners here. I stayed at the Days Inn which shared the same building so it was definitely convenient.
(4)Diana B.
The food is just ok. But, the service is very friendly, the prices are reasonable and the place is clean so that earns them 3 stars. They say the owner is Greek so I tried the spinach pie. It was good (although I have had better) but the Greek salad that accompanied it was brown in spots. What really disappointed me was dessert. So many people raved about it so I had to try the Seven Sins chocolate cake. It was barely ok, tasted a little frozen. I guess when you go to a diner like this you need to stick to breakfast.
(3)A N.
I went there because I heard their dessert was amazing. We are breakfast here and got dessert to go. The breakfast was awful and the service was worse! I had the pecan waffle and bacon. The waffle was burnt and they managed to cook the flavor out of the bacon, which I didn't know you could do! It tasted like hard grease. I got a piece of the coconut cream cake to go, and it was definitely way better than my breakfast, but nothing to write home about. The service was ok at best once we were seated, but nobody greeted us when we entered or when we went back to the counter to pay after eating. The lady only stuck her hand out for the check. You can tell they don't appreciate the customers, and I don't appreciate the poor service. I will not be returning!
(1)David D.
Very good food and lots of it. Good prices too. No wonder it is so busy.
(4)Lola D.
Had lunch there and shared a crab cake sandwich with my friend. I'm glad cuz I would not be able to eat all if it. The crab cake good and bigger portion. My friend ordered two desserts to go and I had a taste ( gluten free chocolate cake) which was good that I knew I'd have to come back. I stopped there this afternoon and ordered three types of desserts to bring back to the staff where I'm staying. Lime pie, strawberry cake and the gluten free choc cake. All were great. Glad I don't live here. I'd be stopping here often.
(4)Will M.
This place has the worst. service. ever. Not really 24 hour delivery. Very inconsistent food quality. Buyer beware!
(1)Darvey K.
Feel good food 24/7/365 with great breakfast, melts, and desserts.
(5)Andrew T.
Food was pretty good but it took 3 times to get my order right. Kids orders weren't right either. Nice people though.
(2)Zeb M.
If you look up "diner" in an encyclopedia, there should be a picture of City Cafe next to it because it perfectly exemplifies one. I always laugh at their menu because it more closely resembles a book - it's pretty big in size and has almost every platter and sandwich known to man.
(4)LM P.
My cousin brought me to City Cafe during on of my visits to Chat Town. It's a small retro-style restaurant attached to the dowtown Days Inn that reminds me of 90210's Peach Pit. We had arrived in Chattanooga late and everyone was starving, but everyone wanted something different. City Cafe was the perfect place for us because they pretty much offer anything you could want. From pancakes to tacos and from hamburgers to spaghetti, you want it, they got it. Perfect for some hungry late-night eaters. They also have a huge selection of desserts. The display-o-cakes as I like to call it, offers cakes like red velvet to banana split slices that are seriously the size of your head. We always make it a point to eat at City Cafe when we are in the Chattanooga area and are down to eat whatever.
(4)Jenn T.
We were in town for a cheer competition and this restaurant was recommended to us as a "can't miss". We arrived at 8:00 pm to a bustling diner. After several minutes of not being greeted at all, an older surly gentleman took down our name, told us it would be about 30 minutes, and led us to their waiting room (which is the hotel lobby of the Days Inn that's attached). At 8:35 we were taken to our table. We ordered our food and it was not brought to our table until 9:55 pm! And that was after we had to ask several times where our food was! It was just terrible service. The waitress never apologized for the extreme wait that we had, nor did she offer to send over a manager or offer to discount the bill at all. Once we got our check we had to wait in an obnoxious line up front to pay. This is the same line that people use to order and pay for their to go orders, and the same gentleman (very rude as well) who packages up the million slices of cake that people order also takes people's payments. It was a horrendous experience and I would certainly not recommend this restaurant to anyone in the downtown Chattanooga area. There are many other options out there!
(1)Nancy P.
For perspective - I 've been traveling through VA, SC, and TN quite a bit over the last few months. As a solo traveler, I frequently treat lunch as my largest meal, so I look for decent food at reasonable prices that is NOT fast food. I ordered 2 meals to go to cover 2 days, including dessert and 2 large milks. Overall excellent rating due to taste, amount of food, speed of service and friendliness of staff. Ordered Southern friend chicken with mashed potatoes and got 1 each of leg, thigh, breast, wing and easily 3-4 servings of potatoes. Chicken very moist with batter dip I love. Potatoes were real potatoes. Other dish was spanikopita w/ Greek salad. Salad was very fresh. The cakes (chocolate and carrot) were huge. I love dessert and I usually can finish at least 3/4 of a slice, but finished maybe 1/2 of 1 slice, they were that large. 1 slice could easily be shared by 4 women. Very, very moist and very flavorful. Would highly recommend. Note on the service - very friendly and kept their cool - I went in at busiest time of lunch (around 12:15). I must admit I did see their patience tested a little bit by some rude folks. *I have no affiliation with this diner. Just happened to stumble upon it because it was close to my hotel.*
(5)Adrien R.
This place is amazing! I was working in Chattanooga for a week last winter, and myself and two co-workers ate here several times. They have an enormous menu, and everything we tried was good, came in over-sized portions and was fairly priced. We were working outdoors and I remember eating so much food to stay warm, including a piece of their cake each night, which was the size of my head. One night, we ordered food to our hotel room and it was snowing really bad. The delivery driver brought the wrong order, but came back with free drinks and dessert.
(5)Charlie P.
Walked here from the convention center 01/11/08 during the World of Wheels auto show. It was about 2pm, so wasn't very busy. Service was terribly slow, like we were invisible. We were there almost an hour and a half. My BLT wasn't bad, my wife had a so-so chicken quesadilla. We walked across the street to checkout of the Sheraton, and before we got to the car, she was violently ill. Eat at your own risk.....
(1)Stephanie T.
City Café Diner is just something you have to experience. It's not the greatest food in the world, but it's decent. Their biscuits are really good, and you have to see the mile high cakes they make. Came here to the Downtown location on a rainy Saturday morning and the place was packed but we were able to get a 2-seater in the back. BF was craving Chicken Fried Steak and I went for the City Café breakfast special which has a bit of everything; eggs, bacon, sausage, home fries & 2 pancakes. Service is pretty fast for how busy it is and I'm always impressed by the server (who's name I can't remember) that takes your order but never writes anything down and it comes out right. That's a professional there, ladies & gentleman. BF was worried she would forget something, but nope, it was all there. Even better was the free entertainment we got from the older couple sitting next to us, visiting from out of town. Listening to their conversation and talking with them. It was a very enjoyable breakfast. I've been to City Café several times and I never fail to have an interesting and amusing dining experience. The great thing is it's open 24-hours and is a whole lot better than Waffle House. They portions are huge and like I said, the food is decent. Nothing to write home about, but you'll be satisfied and full.
(4)Deanna R.
I was a little skeptical about this place when we first saw it but we decided to go in anyways and I'm glad we did. It was the best food I ate the entire trip. Good prices and huge portions. We had leftovers that we ate on the night after we ate there and it was just as good as when we first got it.
(5)Matthew D.
The food was awesome and the portions were enormous. No complaints about the food. The service was awful. The waitress never checked on me and I had to wait 15 minutes for a check. Went back later with some other folks and service was great. I just had a bad waitress.
(4)Mady J.
I took my friends from Maryland to City Cafe Diner while searching a good spot for lunch in Chattanoooga. This filled the bill. The cafe offers a menu with many options, the portions are quite ample, and the desserts are fabulous. Good value for your dining dollar. The staff is very courteous and most accommodating.
(4)Bailey P.
Went here for breakfast twice during our stay. It was alright. The service was decent, but not great. The staff was friendly, but certainly in no hurry. My options are very limited due to my veg diet, but I had English muffins and their home fries, which they left the butter off of. It was a decent breakfast.
(3)Aya S.
Okay. Food was good the first time when I ate with a friend. Food was good. Went to the bar, it was fine. The next day, I was dressed up in a dressy outfit (I am here on a convention) and was told there was a 20 minute wait. However, they were serving others much more quickly and saying there was availability (even with single person eaters). So, yeah. I am not pleased with this. Sorry.
(1)Dan S.
Within walking distance of several downtown hotels is a genuine "Greek Diner". If you don't know what this is KEEP WALKING. If you DO know what a GREEK DINER is, stop on in - you will not be disappointed. Good food, LOTS of it - if you leave hungry it's your own fault. Service is quick and accurate - have no clue what some posters experienced, but our server was FANTASTIC!
(4)Anson M.
After waiting 30 minutes to get seated, we ordered a garden salad and a cup of oatmeal. 45 minutes later still no food. In the mean time, people around us, who were seated and ordered after us, had received their food entirely. Awful service and extremely slow. We told management of the problem and they offered no apology or repair of the problem. Based on the lack of concern and service we left. I would not recommend this place to anyone!!!!
(1)Shannon T.
Ttis is a decent diner with great deserts. It reminds me a lot of the Marietta Diner, in fact one of the owners of Marietta Diner later told me they sell the deserts to them and to several other diners in the southeast. Kit is situated a little oddly as it is the restaurant for a Days Inn, and it is rather small inside but the service and food were excellent.
(4)David H.
Very good diner! The cakes are awesome, but all of there food is right on. Not 5 star dining, but really good food!
(4)Melissa W.
This review is for service only...since we were never actually served. We went in last night (July 4th) to a fairly busy diner. We just wanted dessert, as this is an amazing place for it. The boyfriend and I had just finished watching fireworks...and it was our 5 year anniversary and we wanted something sweet to top the night off. We were seated fairly quickly...and our server got our drink order. I ordered a diet coke and a water...as i tend to drink fast...and the boyfriend ordered a root beer. The server kind of half listened...and didn't hear the diet coke order...but since we were sitting right next to the drink station...I spoke up to make sure I got the diet coke as well. She delivered the drinks and asked us for our order...we told her we would like dessert...and she sent us up to look at the cakes and other treats. Often when I have been here in the past the server would go up with us...to name off the different types of dessert and to get our order. No such luck this time...but being in the service industry...I understood...so no biggie. We returned to our table...and...nothing. Our server passed our table no less than 25 times...we tried to get her attention ...we waved..we tried eye contact...we did everything short of tripping her...and it was as if she was intentionally ignoring us. Our drinks were empty...we waited probably a total of 45 minutes before throwing down some ones on the table to cover the sodas and walking out. Sadly I take my sister and brother here with my mom about every other weekend...and am considering not returning to this location...
(1)Jeff C.
LOVE this place! the food is oh so delicious!
(4)David R.
The salad made with chunks of lettuce and over spiced chicken left some room for admiration. The amiable manager was a man who barked instead of offer help forthe clients. Will I come back? Never. Never ever.
(1)Max P.
Drunk and hungry? Come on down. Huge portions.
(3)Daniel T.
Its one of the best diners I have eaten at and I have eaten at quite a few. The food is a lot better than most diners. Remember this is a diner and not a 5 star restaurant. They have a big selection of food to choose from. They also have a lot of desserts. I would recommend it.
(4)Matt V.
This place was highly recommended to me so I had high expectations. The decor was what I expected for a trashy diner, so no problem there. However, the service was HORRIBLE. We waited forever to be seated, have our orders taken, then to be given our checks. One of my utter pet peeves is a cold salad in a hot bowl, which was the case. The lettuce was wilted and disgusting. There was more core of the lettuce than actual edible parts. The corn beef sandwich was alright besides the greasy soaked bread. My friend gave me his water because the waiter rarely came around to fill our drinks. On top of all this, the waiter screwed up our checks. The one positive thing I can say is the manager. He is extremely focused on customer service and quickly corrected the checks and even comped the salad. He filled my water and I would dare to say he did more than our actual waiter. On a side note, the food portions are outrageous and unnecessary. All in all, I do not recommend this place and will probably not return if I can help it.
(1)Amy T.
Visiting Chattanooga for the weekend, we were in search of a good breakfast place that was actually open on Sunday (in the Bible belt, God forbid!). We *Yelped* and found City Cafe Diner. We had a party of 6, so there was a bit of a wait in order to sit together. This is a super small place, mind you, so the "waiting area" was the hotel lobby of the adjoining Days Inn. Our four-year-olds enjoyed running through the hotel lobby like a pair of wild banshees... The menu is huge, like a typical diner, but I went with a Western Omelet, except it didn't come with cheese. Gotta pay $1.00 extra for a sprinkling of cheddar. The omelet came with a biscuit or toast, and what was supposed to be home fries. They were neither home, nor fried. They resembled a half-baked potato that had been sliced and attempted to have been pan fried. It was sort of like what you'd have if you ordered a baked potato was undercooked and then scraped the potato part out of the skin...a big mess. It just didn't work. The omelet, however, with the $1.00 cheese was very good, fully loaded with veggies that were tender crisp. The biscuit was good too. My son enjoyed his Mickey Mouse pancakes. I don't remember what hubby ordered, but he ate it all so it couldn't have been that bad. Service was good, and my coffee was always filled. If they just fixed those darn potatoes, or did something else with them entirely, it would have been a great meal.
(3)Kyle B.
I met a friend over here for lunch the other day... Not a very big place... we arrived just in time as we were seated immediately, but those arriving after us had to wait. The waitress brings us a menu... scratch that, a book that serves as their menu. If you want it, this place has got it! The prices are relatively inexpensive and the food is pretty good. I had a hamburger and my friend had some sort of a salad. Both items were made quickly. My burger was nice and hot and well presented. Her salad looked fresh and crisp. We both enjoyed the meal and unfortunately did not have any room for the huge cakes and pies that they have on display here. I will have to come back here one day just for the desserts! The restaurant itself is a little unassuming place built into a Days Inn. Don't judge the place based on that... the food really is quite good, especially for the low prices. We had good, attentive service... never having to wait for anything (drink refills, extras that we asked for, the check, etc). You owe it to yourself to stop by here for at least one meal... I've had breakfast here too, but that was a long time ago and not a part of this review (but it too, was good!).
(4)Debbie W.
We went there for dessert at our waiters advice. The selection was huge , the cakes and pies were huge. But they liked better than they tasted. I threw most of mine away. It tasted like crisco and cool whip and enough crumbled butterfinger to call it a butterfinger pie. Disappointing
(3)J P.
Our server wouldn't even get us coffee until a huge table of 9-10 people decided on and ordered their food even though they had long had all their drinks. She was quick to remind me they were there first. Then, she doesn't write anything down just takes the order to memory. We didn't get half of the things we ordered and my girlfriends's food came out... get a load of this... over ten minutes after mine. She was told they were "darkening her home fries". Her home fries came out as undercooked, mushy and unseasoned as mine did, we had both requested our home fries to be extra well done. Unseasoned food, terrible service. Surprised I for some reason feel they deserve all two stars. Very disappointed because I love diners.
(2)Larry V.
Stop by very time in am in Chattanooga (either location) eat and order additional take outs for the next couple of days. You have got to try one or more of the cakes - I have never had better.
(4)Kay N.
Huge portions... great service! Chicken fried steak came with 2... okra was very good.
(5)Dev S.
Terrible food, even worse delivery service. Ordered a late night delivery meal last week and the food was cold and stale. Called back to express my dissatisfaction about the delivery and was put on an indefinite hold. If you have the need for a late night meal, please please skip this place and go to the nearest gas station instead.
(1)Danielle S.
The service here is horrible, I wish I could give it no stars at all. I tried to call in my order so that I could pick my food up & go, but soon as the manager answered the phone he told me that he would get back to me when he could. Obviously that was a clue for me & I waited 10 minutes & he never came back to the phone. I figured they were busy & decided to go inside & get my order. Instead of saying how may I help you, he said what do you want? It took everything in me not to turn around & walk out. The lady before me said she waited 10 minutes on a salad. Smh this place has atrocious management. The club I ordered was just thrown together, & the broccoli & cheddar soup was awful. The soup hardly had any broccoli at all. I use to tell tourist to stop by there to get good food, but never again.
(1)Katie S.
I'd like to initially say that my rating is including the cake. The cake is AMAZING and there is quite a large selection. The food is alright but can be pricey, especially considering my college budget. However, sometimes my friends and I splurge after partying on Friday night.
(4)Emily H.
LOVE their food but terrible service! The "greeters" never greet you, I almost feel like I am inconveniencing them just walking in. The managers are also rude as hell! I took my parents to the "City Cafe" because they live out of town and I wanted to take them to a place where the locals go. Half way through our meal we were told by the manager that we were too loud. Apparently seeing people happy and enjoying themselves was too much for this man to handle. I also recently placed a to go order and the girl put me on hold during the middle of my order with out asking me to hold, and surprisingly, got my order wrong. This places only saving grace is how good the food is! So if you are looking for great food but lowered self confidence and you like to be treated like shit, this place is for you!
(2)Jonathan M.
Very unassuming location attached to a hotel. When I walked in the door I was totally baffled at all the delicious looking cakes and pies. I came in with a large group of 15+ people and we were seated rather quickly. I ordered the four bridges sandwich and it was a huge portion with lots of fries. The staff and manager were friendly and assisted in anyway they could. I just wish the menu was not so large and a bit more organized. Great 24/7 diner!!!
(4)Chris S.
We hadn't been here in a couple years. Now we remember why. The breakfast was the worst, the service no better. I can't fathom why people return to this place.
(1)Carrie Neal W.
I just re-read my original review and had to laugh. Oh, the first days in a new town! OK, so the 4 stars does stand. Now, I can say the following - don't love the grits (too runny), eggs are decent (but my scrambled are better), bacon is just the right crispy (my preference), waffles are solid (I prefer over pancakes) and staff is still great (crucial, right?). But I write this update for one reason: brownie cheesecake. Lawd. I rarely eat dessert (I'm the girl with that container of ice cream that had a few spoonfuls taken, then it ices over and gets forgotten) but last night the boy and I had a pizza dinner so, of course, it had to be followed by dessert and coffee. Duh. He comes here often, I've always wanted to try one of their mouth-watering looking desserts in the case, and was so happy I did! Anything you get is capital-H huge, and should definitely be shared (really, do share, no matter how big a sweet tooth you have) and there are almost too many choices. Cake, pie, cheesecake (plus cookies, brownies and muffins, oh my!) so after looking at the dessert menu, I picked one of each of the big three and let him decide. He picked none of my three choices. But that brownie cheesecake he did pick....a huge slice of brownie on top, plain cheesecake on bottom, with a little swirl of caramel on top and just the right combo of brownie-ness to contrast with the cheese-ness. For a not super sweet girl (ha) I would get this again. Did I mention he comes here often? Well, I'm in.
(4)D P.
This review is simply based on the customer service... We did not dine here. We were attempting to have breakfast at another restaurant but their wait was over an hour. We are from out of town so we are unaware of the waits at local spots. Since it is Labor Day we decided to call City Cafe to see if there was a wait and how long before we drove over. First call was weird. I asked the lady if there was a wait.. She said "he is not here" an abruptly hung up. Clearly she mis heard me but why she hung up so quick was just weird. I called back an a man answered. Again I asked " hello, I'm checking to see if you currently have a wait".... His response was "of course we do" with extreme sarcasm as if I was so dumb to not know they would have a wait at a place I've never been to! Go figure. Glad they didn't get my business
(1)Kelsey J.
Great for the type of restaurant it is! Has every thing you can probably imagine to order from, Italian to Greek, to American. They also have the best desserts! Decent service.
(4)J J.
This is mostly unhealthy comfort food. Very large menu of a typical direr. Large portions. Very friendly and efficient staff. Had a NY cheesecake for desert (being from the NY area, what was I thinking) i was a mistake.
(3)Craig V.
Huh...I should have read the reviews beforehand. But hey I was just off the road, hungry, had to use the restroom, and this place caught my eye. Like others posted, this place is a time warp. Decor stuck in the 80's and music stuck in the 50's. Also, the menu is a novel. That aside it was morning and I wanted breakfast....so I ordered the hobo platter. You know the standard sausage gravy over eggs over potatoes. It wasn't the most appealing thing to look at and the only thing less appealing was the flavor, because there was none. I doused it with salt, pepper, and hot sauce and it made it o.k. The waitress was good to start then faltered. ...as I finished and was waiting for my check, I noticed she just sat down and began eating her own food. There goes my check and to go coffee. I'd give it 2.5 stars but I don't have that option so ill give it 2. If you're hungry and don't give a hoot this place will suffice. If you'd like something good...look elsewhere.
(2)Carla P.
Service was very efficient, food was typical, filling diner style, and good, but we were placed in a booth in the back that was eye level with a shelf that passed through into the kitchen. It was filthy. Hadn't been cleaned in too long. My husband made the mistake of touching it and filth went flying. Yuck! This made me wonder .... When do they clean this 24 hour place?
(3)Bruce R.
I realize it is Christmas but they were not capable of making a simple grilled cheese, bacon and tomato on toast. First sandwich came out mangled and inedible. I sent it back. I NEVER send food back but this was inedible. 2nd sandwich comes and cheese was never melted and sandwich never was on the grill. This sandwich is called The Happy Waitress special. NOT. I'm giving 2 stars only because they didn't charge us for food. It wasn't the waitresses fault so I still gave her a nice tip.
(2)Matt M.
Flying into Chattanooga from Los Angeles was a long trip. Exhausted with a little bit of jet lag and having no real food in my stomach for about 8 hours, I was dying for a meal. However, it was about 1am so there wasn't a whole lot of options. Thankfully, the City Cafe Diner was within walking distance. The place seemed a little sketchy when I walked in based on the clientele that was eating there, but I was hungry and had to eat! The menu was a typical diner menu, but one of the things I first noticed were the prices. Dirt Cheap!!! Maybe it's because I'm used to overpriced places on the west coast, but the size of my portions for the price simply could not be beaten. Late food, cheap prices, two thumbs up!
(4)Katarina O.
I have issue with eating sub par food. I'm out here for a weekend trip and we decided to order some late night eats. We go the create your own sampler with the ribs, calamari, jalapeño poppers and hot wings. Where do I begin! The ribs tasted old. Almost as if they had been made a day or two before and just reheated with some sauce tossed over them. The calamari tasted like it had been dusted in plain flour and fried. There was no seasoning and no dipping sauce provided. The jalapeño poppers tasted stale. The wings appeared to be fresh but the hot sauce was not noteworthy. Ultimately this was a total waste of my money.
(1)Helen A.
So much food really good if your hungry.. great breafast.. Wait staff very helpful...
(4)Greg D.
Good prices and a huge selection. Food was average but good enough.
(3)Bill E.
Always enjoy a good lunch time salad when I'm I'm town. The desserts are outstanding as well.
(4)Raquel C.
Just came to chatanooga from the airport around midnight and my husband and i were staying at the sheraton, right across the street. Food was really good but the veggie burger(too simple, just 2 morning star parties and honey bread from supermarket). Really big portions. As a whole it was perfect after being hungry from the airport. Breakfasts are pretty good here!!
(3)Luis R.
Love this place!! The location is great and convenient in downtown. The parking is difficult as it is small and has limited areas. Well worth the trouble. The atmosphere takes you back to better days when juke boxes were what you looked forward to. The food is amazing. Great taste and am shocked everytime that I go as I love to try new things here and have not found many things I dont like. The portions are more than generous and are well spaced. The value os is unique to this place, it is very inexpensive and is a great place to eat well with a low budget. The desserts are also one of the best I have seen and had. The slices of the cakes are huge and allow you to enjoy them and share. This place is one of the few restaurants that I can count on to be open and have good food. I came out of the way just to come here and will do it many times more. Worth the hour and a half trip just to come here.
(5)Aimee J.
This restaurant is attached to the Days Inn motel. The food is just so-so and the waiting area is strange. We got ushered back to the Days Inn lobby through a door at one end of the restaurant. The hostess was especially grumpy and looked like she had a splitting headache. Maybe she did. Our waitress was very nice, but the food was very slow. When our breakfast food finally arrived it was room temperature. My son's food took so long we were nearly finished (and ready to leave) by the time it arrived. After I complained to the manager he did take it off our bill. The menu is very extensive and it's open 24 hours. I bet it's a fun place to go very late at night after the bar scene. Otherwise I would skip it next time I'm in Chattanooga.
(2)Cheryl R.
North of ml king blvd there isn't much in the way of breakfast. After wandering for an hour we finally ended up here. The first thing we noticed is that this is one of those jack of all trades restaurants. They don't specialize in anything so everything is mediocre. The food was okay but my eggs were over cooked on the outside and raw on the inside (it was an omelette). The other half had a breakfast burrito and the wrap was so old and stale it was crumbling apart as he tried to pick it up. As far as service goes, we got a vibe of "we don't give a shit". The waitress took her sweet time with everything. And it wasn't just our server. We watched a party of 3 come in and get sat at a table and ignored for a good 5 minutes before anyone even acknowledged their presence. Overall there are better places to eat around here you just have to look harder (found a great place the next day)
(1)Brett N.
quick and cheap. typical diner structure with a million options.
(3)Jesse H.
Delivery guy is awesome but the person who takes the orders was rude and forgot half our order and made us pay even more than the original crazy amount.
(1)Michael B.
City Cafe is pretty much what you think it is...a New York/Jersey style restaurant with a jillion things on the menu and it's all available 24/7. That part is good. Took the family here for breakfast and were seated promptly. We went for breakfast but the menu was extensive. The burgers coming out looked good as did the fries. There was a cake carousel up front as well as pastries that looked pretty good. Just like a North East diner....I ordered up ham and eggs (poached) with hash browns, the boy had a waffle with and egg and Mom had a greek omelette with hash browns. Everything had the potential of being just fine...even great, but there were a few things that made City Cafe a little sub par. First of all, they need to turn up the heat a little on the griddle and waffle iron. Nothing was crispy and nicely browned. The waffle was like rubber, the hash browns were fresh boiled potatoes but again, no color or crispiness. The ham on my plate was not a nice ham steak but a couple of slices of sandwich ham. The eggs were fine. So, in the end this place is okay and I'm sure they do a lot of biz because they are open around the clock and that may make for some inconsistent chefs. Three or four things would improve this place to top notch. Cook that food to a nice color and crispiness and do it quick and bring it quick. Those bathrooms and glass windows and doors out front should be spotless.
(2)Alex C.
Large menu and somewhat greasy but quick and they can deliver to the hotel
(2)Lori B.
You'd have to be one picky eater to not find something you like on their menu since it seems like it is about 100 pages long. We ate their multiple times when we stayed in Chattanooga because it was not only delicious and close to the hotel, but also a great bang for the buck and you get tons of food. You also have to see their beautiful cakes and pies which they not only showcase in glass but also on a video screen. I'm not a cake eater and they looked tempting to me. Whether you are just craving a burger, a full meal or one of their Greek specialties like moussaka you can't go wrong.
(4)Cindy C.
Great price and casual dining right in downtown. Nice enough for lady traveler to eat alone but they also deliver if you want to stay in. Try chicken Francaise.
(4)Ananda Z.
What an unpretentious diner with fabulous breakfast food! They've got your regular eggs and bacon and ham, some fabulous pecan pancakes or waffles, and classic southern thigns like grits, or (for my husband) the uniquely southern super-salty country ham. He was in heaven. Service isn't great, but the cakes look fabulous, and the prices are reasonable, and its a pretty fun place for the genre.
(4)Michelle C.
This place was awesome. The food was fantastic. Choices a-plenty on the menu. I ordered the 16oz chopped steak with grilled onions and it was quite good. I had a piece of their chocolate cake - 4 layers, and just the right amount of chocolate frosting in between the layers. Our service was slow, but we were breaking in a newbie, so we cut her some slack. We visit Chattanooga fairly regularly these days, and we will be going back to City Cafe Diner again!
(4)Brad H.
We drove past this house of neon last evening on our way back to our hotel. First impressions mean nothing. When I asked our Chattanoogan Hotel valet where he eats breakfast, this diner was his immediate referral. Any morning trip through or visit around downtown Chattanooga, TN deserves a cheap belly full of good coffee and great diner food. Nowhere south of our favorite diners between 6th Ave and Broadway, between the Central Park South and 53rd, could come close to what this Brooklyn native has built adjacent to a cheap hotel. The boys had their eggs and bacon. Gin had her carbs in pancakes, with what bacon survived a 4 year old's grip. And this papa enjoyed his Jalapeño hell-hole omelet. No joke. 354 items on the menu and I'm a sucker for such a descriptive item. Frankly, there was little fire in the hole, so to speak. It just tasted good. Service was fine. The neon and black laquer decor plus flat-screen TVs featuring nothing but homemade cakes....ah, NYC, we do miss you...but you have a southern sister open 24/7/365 right here.
(5)Javier O.
I should have known better to go to a dinner located next to a Days Inn. I left there with a bigger stomach ache than when I went in. The plate was hot, the potatoes cold, the sausage links were harder than my Dog's treats and the scrambled eggs were crunchy. Luckily the waiter was nice and attentive to my needs, other wise my tip for this place would have been to fire the chef. There has to be wrong with a place that can not put together a properly cooked breakfast. Especially when the platter special bears the name of your diner. Will management please taste the food and get a grip before your food kills somebody?
(1)Sabrina J.
We had a very nice breakfast here. Chorizo omelet, egg sandwich with home fries. Also had chocolate chip pancakes. Good food, fast and service was good. Huge portions with reasonable prices.
(4)Christian E.
Open 24/7. Good food. Friendly service. GENEROUS proportions. What else could you ask for?
(4)Matt T.
Dinner and breakfast here while staying in the attached Days Inn. I guess this is typical of a GREEK DINER: large, large? Brobdingnagian portions of really fried food prepared from low-quality ingredients. The menu is extensive and includes some greek offerings (souvlaki, etc.) I asked for brown rice and got a puzzled, "um... it's kinda a dirty rice." Damn, I'm a snob... Mammoth slices of cake and pie. One guy was taking a selfie with a menu next to it for scale. Two stars are for the service. Our waiters were really sweet and accommodating.
(2)Randal M.
The cannoli is the bomb. Huge portions of cheesecake. Wow! The food is good diner food. Nothing fancy. Good value. The spinach soup was the best part of the meal, besides the dessert of course.
(4)Michelle H.
Best dessert selection I've ever seen. The biggest, tallest, yummiest cakes on the planet. Food is good, a little greasy. Portions too big. Only negative is the space...very tight always crammed. But then again, I can see why!
(4)Latrica G.
Never again! This was the worst experience ever! We were visiting Chattanooga for the weekend and after near 2 hour waits at 3 restaurants, we decided to just stick out the wait here. Bad decision! I don't even know where to start... This place is attached to the Days Inn which is probably the only reason they're still open! When we first walked in there was a horrible odor of cigarette smoke. I look at the cake display and there's a cake sitting out on top of the muffins and no one is around. I didn't know if it was a real cake or not until I saw them put it back in the cake display. That was the first turn off as there's no telling how long it had been sitting out, nor who may have touched it! Secondly, the hostess was RUDE! She takes our name down and asks us to follow her and we go through a windowless door only to find at least twelve other parties waiting in the Days Inn lobby! So we wait at least 30-45mins and get seated. Our waitress was nice. The water was nasty. The place looks very old and unattractive so I didn't trust ordering anything else to drink. I ordered a ham and cheese omelette with cheese grits and a biscuit. The grits was undercooked! As soon as I cut a piece of omelette some brown something comes running out. I opt to just cut that piece off and as I continue trying to eat my ham begins to turn into bologna. The biscuit was a miss. My husband usually eats anything but for the first time he even pushed his food away. Needless to say we won't be returning to this place!
(1)Russ G.
Just plain awful. But to give them some credit, it was the worst night to go in. This was several months ago, the lady and I were headed to Nashville for the weekend when snow hit, hard, so we stopped in Chattanooga for the night. We were starving and nothing was open, a few places were serving but cutting off early, some were just doing limited menus but closing soon. City Cafe was the only place actually open and willing to serve food, so we braved the weather and drove there. It's attached to a hotel, so patrons there were looking to eat too, as was most of the town including a ladies basketball team and a half dozen coaches, a group of Shriners, and just assorted families with kids. Things didn't look well, but the hostess took our name, said we could wait in the hotel lobby, and it'd be about 45 minutes. Fine. 45 minutes came and went, and a few parties who came in after us got seated. We inquired and were told they had called ahead, which was bullshit, but whatever. 1 hour and 20 minutes after we first came in I got pissed and got loud, the hostess hushed me quickly, asked our name, said wait just one minute, and she'd fit us in. She also told us she had called our name, more bullshit, and my lady got in her face to call her a liar. She shrivelled up and seated us. The place was jammed packed from wall to wall and there seemed to be zero wait staff. Oh boy. Now came the real wait. Our server was a kid about 17, no restaurant experience at all, and was painfully slow. He strolled over after we'd been seated for a few minutes and looked like he'd been beaten over the head. We ordered drinks and waited for quite a good bit, then asked for bread or crackers or anything to hold us until we could order. A bread basket came out after a bit and we dove in, only to realize it was stale, hard, and dry as a bone. Now we really needed drinks, but they were still MIA. A manager came by to ask how we were doing, we replied 'thirsty', he went and got us cokes. Wow, was it that hard? The kid showed back and we ordered an appetizer and our entrees all at once, figuring we may never see any of it. He disappeared again for quite some time then arrived with my entree, then left again. I had got some sort of surf and turf, a big piece of steak, fish, baked potato, and a side salad, the salad wasn't there of course, the steak was charred beyond recognition, the fish was gamey as hell, and the potato tasted like chalk. I was hungry though so I dug in, after wiping the three pounds of onions off the meat that weren't listed on the menu. My lady snagged a bite and waited patiently, about 10 minutes later her entree came out, in the same rough shape. We ate enough to fill and quickly got up, our appetizer never showed but the check sure seemed to come out fast, and with the app on it, the prices wrong, and an extra charge for the bread. Once again the manager happened to be within earshot when I said "fuck this" and came over, he corrected it, apologized, and sent us to the cashier, where a good 14 people were standing waiting to pay, the cashier answering the phone between payments to take call in orders. The same manager finally took the phone off the hook so we could all pay and leave. Ideally it looked like a decent place, and if it was maybe dead during a weird hour I could be persuaded to try again if I was in town, but I don't see that happening with all the other quality places to eat nearby.
(1)Atlanta F.
I love it, always consistent and you know what to expect.
(4)Raquel C.
Just came to chatanooga from the airport around midnight and my husband and i were staying at the sheraton, right across the street. Food was really good but the veggie burger(too simple, just 2 morning star parties and honey bread from supermarket). Really big portions. As a whole it was perfect after being hungry from the airport. Breakfasts are pretty good here!!
(3)Jenn T.
We were in town for a cheer competition and this restaurant was recommended to us as a "can't miss". We arrived at 8:00 pm to a bustling diner. After several minutes of not being greeted at all, an older surly gentleman took down our name, told us it would be about 30 minutes, and led us to their waiting room (which is the hotel lobby of the Days Inn that's attached). At 8:35 we were taken to our table. We ordered our food and it was not brought to our table until 9:55 pm! And that was after we had to ask several times where our food was! It was just terrible service. The waitress never apologized for the extreme wait that we had, nor did she offer to send over a manager or offer to discount the bill at all. Once we got our check we had to wait in an obnoxious line up front to pay. This is the same line that people use to order and pay for their to go orders, and the same gentleman (very rude as well) who packages up the million slices of cake that people order also takes people's payments. It was a horrendous experience and I would certainly not recommend this restaurant to anyone in the downtown Chattanooga area. There are many other options out there!
(1)Nancy P.
For perspective - I 've been traveling through VA, SC, and TN quite a bit over the last few months. As a solo traveler, I frequently treat lunch as my largest meal, so I look for decent food at reasonable prices that is NOT fast food. I ordered 2 meals to go to cover 2 days, including dessert and 2 large milks. Overall excellent rating due to taste, amount of food, speed of service and friendliness of staff. Ordered Southern friend chicken with mashed potatoes and got 1 each of leg, thigh, breast, wing and easily 3-4 servings of potatoes. Chicken very moist with batter dip I love. Potatoes were real potatoes. Other dish was spanikopita w/ Greek salad. Salad was very fresh. The cakes (chocolate and carrot) were huge. I love dessert and I usually can finish at least 3/4 of a slice, but finished maybe 1/2 of 1 slice, they were that large. 1 slice could easily be shared by 4 women. Very, very moist and very flavorful. Would highly recommend. Note on the service - very friendly and kept their cool - I went in at busiest time of lunch (around 12:15). I must admit I did see their patience tested a little bit by some rude folks. *I have no affiliation with this diner. Just happened to stumble upon it because it was close to my hotel.*
(5)Adrien R.
This place is amazing! I was working in Chattanooga for a week last winter, and myself and two co-workers ate here several times. They have an enormous menu, and everything we tried was good, came in over-sized portions and was fairly priced. We were working outdoors and I remember eating so much food to stay warm, including a piece of their cake each night, which was the size of my head. One night, we ordered food to our hotel room and it was snowing really bad. The delivery driver brought the wrong order, but came back with free drinks and dessert.
(5)Charlie P.
Walked here from the convention center 01/11/08 during the World of Wheels auto show. It was about 2pm, so wasn't very busy. Service was terribly slow, like we were invisible. We were there almost an hour and a half. My BLT wasn't bad, my wife had a so-so chicken quesadilla. We walked across the street to checkout of the Sheraton, and before we got to the car, she was violently ill. Eat at your own risk.....
(1)Shannon T.
Ttis is a decent diner with great deserts. It reminds me a lot of the Marietta Diner, in fact one of the owners of Marietta Diner later told me they sell the deserts to them and to several other diners in the southeast. Kit is situated a little oddly as it is the restaurant for a Days Inn, and it is rather small inside but the service and food were excellent.
(4)Javier O.
I should have known better to go to a dinner located next to a Days Inn. I left there with a bigger stomach ache than when I went in. The plate was hot, the potatoes cold, the sausage links were harder than my Dog's treats and the scrambled eggs were crunchy. Luckily the waiter was nice and attentive to my needs, other wise my tip for this place would have been to fire the chef. There has to be wrong with a place that can not put together a properly cooked breakfast. Especially when the platter special bears the name of your diner. Will management please taste the food and get a grip before your food kills somebody?
(1)Melissa W.
This review is for service only...since we were never actually served. We went in last night (July 4th) to a fairly busy diner. We just wanted dessert, as this is an amazing place for it. The boyfriend and I had just finished watching fireworks...and it was our 5 year anniversary and we wanted something sweet to top the night off. We were seated fairly quickly...and our server got our drink order. I ordered a diet coke and a water...as i tend to drink fast...and the boyfriend ordered a root beer. The server kind of half listened...and didn't hear the diet coke order...but since we were sitting right next to the drink station...I spoke up to make sure I got the diet coke as well. She delivered the drinks and asked us for our order...we told her we would like dessert...and she sent us up to look at the cakes and other treats. Often when I have been here in the past the server would go up with us...to name off the different types of dessert and to get our order. No such luck this time...but being in the service industry...I understood...so no biggie. We returned to our table...and...nothing. Our server passed our table no less than 25 times...we tried to get her attention ...we waved..we tried eye contact...we did everything short of tripping her...and it was as if she was intentionally ignoring us. Our drinks were empty...we waited probably a total of 45 minutes before throwing down some ones on the table to cover the sodas and walking out. Sadly I take my sister and brother here with my mom about every other weekend...and am considering not returning to this location...
(1)Jeff C.
LOVE this place! the food is oh so delicious!
(4)David R.
The salad made with chunks of lettuce and over spiced chicken left some room for admiration. The amiable manager was a man who barked instead of offer help forthe clients. Will I come back? Never. Never ever.
(1)Max P.
Drunk and hungry? Come on down. Huge portions.
(3)Daniel T.
Its one of the best diners I have eaten at and I have eaten at quite a few. The food is a lot better than most diners. Remember this is a diner and not a 5 star restaurant. They have a big selection of food to choose from. They also have a lot of desserts. I would recommend it.
(4)Brad H.
We drove past this house of neon last evening on our way back to our hotel. First impressions mean nothing. When I asked our Chattanoogan Hotel valet where he eats breakfast, this diner was his immediate referral. Any morning trip through or visit around downtown Chattanooga, TN deserves a cheap belly full of good coffee and great diner food. Nowhere south of our favorite diners between 6th Ave and Broadway, between the Central Park South and 53rd, could come close to what this Brooklyn native has built adjacent to a cheap hotel. The boys had their eggs and bacon. Gin had her carbs in pancakes, with what bacon survived a 4 year old's grip. And this papa enjoyed his Jalapeño hell-hole omelet. No joke. 354 items on the menu and I'm a sucker for such a descriptive item. Frankly, there was little fire in the hole, so to speak. It just tasted good. Service was fine. The neon and black laquer decor plus flat-screen TVs featuring nothing but homemade cakes....ah, NYC, we do miss you...but you have a southern sister open 24/7/365 right here.
(5)Russ G.
Just plain awful. But to give them some credit, it was the worst night to go in. This was several months ago, the lady and I were headed to Nashville for the weekend when snow hit, hard, so we stopped in Chattanooga for the night. We were starving and nothing was open, a few places were serving but cutting off early, some were just doing limited menus but closing soon. City Cafe was the only place actually open and willing to serve food, so we braved the weather and drove there. It's attached to a hotel, so patrons there were looking to eat too, as was most of the town including a ladies basketball team and a half dozen coaches, a group of Shriners, and just assorted families with kids. Things didn't look well, but the hostess took our name, said we could wait in the hotel lobby, and it'd be about 45 minutes. Fine. 45 minutes came and went, and a few parties who came in after us got seated. We inquired and were told they had called ahead, which was bullshit, but whatever. 1 hour and 20 minutes after we first came in I got pissed and got loud, the hostess hushed me quickly, asked our name, said wait just one minute, and she'd fit us in. She also told us she had called our name, more bullshit, and my lady got in her face to call her a liar. She shrivelled up and seated us. The place was jammed packed from wall to wall and there seemed to be zero wait staff. Oh boy. Now came the real wait. Our server was a kid about 17, no restaurant experience at all, and was painfully slow. He strolled over after we'd been seated for a few minutes and looked like he'd been beaten over the head. We ordered drinks and waited for quite a good bit, then asked for bread or crackers or anything to hold us until we could order. A bread basket came out after a bit and we dove in, only to realize it was stale, hard, and dry as a bone. Now we really needed drinks, but they were still MIA. A manager came by to ask how we were doing, we replied 'thirsty', he went and got us cokes. Wow, was it that hard? The kid showed back and we ordered an appetizer and our entrees all at once, figuring we may never see any of it. He disappeared again for quite some time then arrived with my entree, then left again. I had got some sort of surf and turf, a big piece of steak, fish, baked potato, and a side salad, the salad wasn't there of course, the steak was charred beyond recognition, the fish was gamey as hell, and the potato tasted like chalk. I was hungry though so I dug in, after wiping the three pounds of onions off the meat that weren't listed on the menu. My lady snagged a bite and waited patiently, about 10 minutes later her entree came out, in the same rough shape. We ate enough to fill and quickly got up, our appetizer never showed but the check sure seemed to come out fast, and with the app on it, the prices wrong, and an extra charge for the bread. Once again the manager happened to be within earshot when I said "fuck this" and came over, he corrected it, apologized, and sent us to the cashier, where a good 14 people were standing waiting to pay, the cashier answering the phone between payments to take call in orders. The same manager finally took the phone off the hook so we could all pay and leave. Ideally it looked like a decent place, and if it was maybe dead during a weird hour I could be persuaded to try again if I was in town, but I don't see that happening with all the other quality places to eat nearby.
(1)Atlanta F.
I love it, always consistent and you know what to expect.
(4)Michael B.
City Cafe is pretty much what you think it is...a New York/Jersey style restaurant with a jillion things on the menu and it's all available 24/7. That part is good. Took the family here for breakfast and were seated promptly. We went for breakfast but the menu was extensive. The burgers coming out looked good as did the fries. There was a cake carousel up front as well as pastries that looked pretty good. Just like a North East diner....I ordered up ham and eggs (poached) with hash browns, the boy had a waffle with and egg and Mom had a greek omelette with hash browns. Everything had the potential of being just fine...even great, but there were a few things that made City Cafe a little sub par. First of all, they need to turn up the heat a little on the griddle and waffle iron. Nothing was crispy and nicely browned. The waffle was like rubber, the hash browns were fresh boiled potatoes but again, no color or crispiness. The ham on my plate was not a nice ham steak but a couple of slices of sandwich ham. The eggs were fine. So, in the end this place is okay and I'm sure they do a lot of biz because they are open around the clock and that may make for some inconsistent chefs. Three or four things would improve this place to top notch. Cook that food to a nice color and crispiness and do it quick and bring it quick. Those bathrooms and glass windows and doors out front should be spotless.
(2)Alex C.
Large menu and somewhat greasy but quick and they can deliver to the hotel
(2)Lori B.
You'd have to be one picky eater to not find something you like on their menu since it seems like it is about 100 pages long. We ate their multiple times when we stayed in Chattanooga because it was not only delicious and close to the hotel, but also a great bang for the buck and you get tons of food. You also have to see their beautiful cakes and pies which they not only showcase in glass but also on a video screen. I'm not a cake eater and they looked tempting to me. Whether you are just craving a burger, a full meal or one of their Greek specialties like moussaka you can't go wrong.
(4)Cindy C.
Great price and casual dining right in downtown. Nice enough for lady traveler to eat alone but they also deliver if you want to stay in. Try chicken Francaise.
(4)Ananda Z.
What an unpretentious diner with fabulous breakfast food! They've got your regular eggs and bacon and ham, some fabulous pecan pancakes or waffles, and classic southern thigns like grits, or (for my husband) the uniquely southern super-salty country ham. He was in heaven. Service isn't great, but the cakes look fabulous, and the prices are reasonable, and its a pretty fun place for the genre.
(4)Michelle C.
This place was awesome. The food was fantastic. Choices a-plenty on the menu. I ordered the 16oz chopped steak with grilled onions and it was quite good. I had a piece of their chocolate cake - 4 layers, and just the right amount of chocolate frosting in between the layers. Our service was slow, but we were breaking in a newbie, so we cut her some slack. We visit Chattanooga fairly regularly these days, and we will be going back to City Cafe Diner again!
(4)Matt M.
Flying into Chattanooga from Los Angeles was a long trip. Exhausted with a little bit of jet lag and having no real food in my stomach for about 8 hours, I was dying for a meal. However, it was about 1am so there wasn't a whole lot of options. Thankfully, the City Cafe Diner was within walking distance. The place seemed a little sketchy when I walked in based on the clientele that was eating there, but I was hungry and had to eat! The menu was a typical diner menu, but one of the things I first noticed were the prices. Dirt Cheap!!! Maybe it's because I'm used to overpriced places on the west coast, but the size of my portions for the price simply could not be beaten. Late food, cheap prices, two thumbs up!
(4)Katarina O.
I have issue with eating sub par food. I'm out here for a weekend trip and we decided to order some late night eats. We go the create your own sampler with the ribs, calamari, jalapeño poppers and hot wings. Where do I begin! The ribs tasted old. Almost as if they had been made a day or two before and just reheated with some sauce tossed over them. The calamari tasted like it had been dusted in plain flour and fried. There was no seasoning and no dipping sauce provided. The jalapeño poppers tasted stale. The wings appeared to be fresh but the hot sauce was not noteworthy. Ultimately this was a total waste of my money.
(1)Helen A.
So much food really good if your hungry.. great breafast.. Wait staff very helpful...
(4)Greg D.
Good prices and a huge selection. Food was average but good enough.
(3)Bill E.
Always enjoy a good lunch time salad when I'm I'm town. The desserts are outstanding as well.
(4)Marsha L.
Quick issue that could have gone horribly wrong. Gary Haworth the General Manager stepped in and made the experience AMAZING! He really went above and beyond in more ways than one! Thank you and the food was so yummy! Omg! You must try it when in CHATTANOOGA! I had the Alfredo that had a real non Prego taste. Like someone's old Italian Grandma was making it!
(5)Harold C.
This place will go on my list as one of my favorite diners. I usually don't eat at diners but there are a few that are amazing all the way around. City Café Diner is the truth. The restaurant was packed everyday and I could see why. I ordered a bacon cheeseburger and the amount of bacon is unbelievable...The burger was perfectly cooked! The desserts are simply amazing! You think NY cheesecake is amazing!?! Try City Café Diner. Everything is huge which makes up for the price. I told the owner it was the country NY! Now to the bad...The owner was nasty to some of the patrons. He stopped take out orders because they were backed up due to one cash register that the employees' complain about. He was very rude to one of my church members when they were trying to help him out with a name of my cousin to be seated. Other than that, everyone was very kind!
(5)Jennifer P.
It's a diner, so align your expectations accordingly. Within the diner category, it's a fine specimen! The food is fresh, hot, and well cooked. The sandwiches and burgers are great. Have been several time in the last decade during visits to Chattanooga. On my visit today I tried the Athenian omelet - gyro, feta, and tomato. Wow it was yummy. I did not know the potatoes were laced with peppers and onions - neither of which I like-- so I skipped them. Those who enjoy those ingredients would likely be thrilled. And the dessert... Oh my. Split a piece of Million Dollar Cake with my friend -- and after we had our fill, we each took some home as well, all from the same piece. Rich and delicious. And shout out to Lacey our server. She was attentive and friendly and made our visit very enjoyable.
(4)Brent R.
Came here in a large party after a wedding. A good portion of the group had been partying all night before we arrived, but the waiter handled it like a pro. He was both engaging and funny, took care of everything, and really made the experience memorable. Some of the requests from the group were completely ridiculous, but he came through like a champion. The food was pretty good, regardless of the fact that they had a very wide array of items on the menu. I had a Monte Carlo sandwich, which I had never had before, and it was interesting and delicious. I didn't hear any complains about any of the food -- even from the guy who ordered a Belgian waffle with ice cream on top of it (which is an actual item on the menu). Although I did not try any of the cakes, the sight of them in the display case was shocking. They have a very impressive assortment of cakes available, including one that is like a sampler that includes a bunch of different types of their cakes all in one. At the end of the day this is a great place, highly recommended!!
(5)Donna W.
Omg! The portions are huge! The plate is twice the size, with helpings to match. Two country steaks, REAL mashed potatoes, and steamed veggies, and salad! For 12.95? What? Crazy! No wait time, staff friendly and helpful.
(5)Jt P.
Good food, open for 24 hours! We were on business and there was not much open around. The hotel suggested City Cafe Diner. Nice location right on the corner, but connected to a sleezy looking hotel. Parking lot is very small as well. The place was busy at midnight when we arrived. The server was very nice and accommodating. The food took a little long to get finished, but was pretty good. Not to best I have had, but good. The only downside was the cake, that they displayed in a big rotating shelf up front... it looked so good, but did not live up to the hype I was hoping for.
(4)Steven L.
This place is too busy in the morning. I stopped in here for breakfast today. It's hard to find parking too if you want to come here. Now, they do have WiFi. I was here to try out their breakfast for the first time. There aren't that many breakfast joints down town to choose from. I got two eggs sunny side up. Biscuit, grits, country ham and coffee. They brought me my eggs and one if them was busted already. They should correct that before delivering to their customers. I ate it anyway because it took so long to get my order. Don't come here to hang out using their free WiFi. The managers will come around looking at you nonverbal communication is they want you to eat and go.
(3)Chris J.
Emermous amount of food and very good! Ordered cheese omelette with side of bacon and home fries. Bacon was literally 8 pieces of bacon was normal order which i could not eat. My wife and daughters farmers omelette was absolutely fit for 2 and both could not even eat close to half. Quality of food was great, very freah everything.
(5)Derek A.
If you have time and are VERY hungry, you may wish to try this place. Located as part of the Days Inn, this is an unpretentious establishment. After a short wait (there were plenty seats but serving staff were slow to react to arriving guests) servers were relatively quick to take drink order. There is an extensive menu and at reasonable prices, all the more valued when you see the portions! Quantity rather than high quality, it's cheap and cheerful. Be sure to leave some room for desert from the extensive and 'naughty' menu. Again, a very large portion supplied with a box to take remains home!!!
(3)Chuck M.
Chef salad was excellent and huge! Thank goodness i had dressing on the side since i still have a nice salad to take home for dinner. Sorry I didn't get a snapshot before I dug in. Next time. They have a great selection of cakes for dessert and this is their gluten free chocolate which I couldn't resist.
(5)Sabrina J.
We had a very nice breakfast here. Chorizo omelet, egg sandwich with home fries. Also had chocolate chip pancakes. Good food, fast and service was good. Huge portions with reasonable prices.
(4)Christian E.
Open 24/7. Good food. Friendly service. GENEROUS proportions. What else could you ask for?
(4)Latrica G.
Never again! This was the worst experience ever! We were visiting Chattanooga for the weekend and after near 2 hour waits at 3 restaurants, we decided to just stick out the wait here. Bad decision! I don't even know where to start... This place is attached to the Days Inn which is probably the only reason they're still open! When we first walked in there was a horrible odor of cigarette smoke. I look at the cake display and there's a cake sitting out on top of the muffins and no one is around. I didn't know if it was a real cake or not until I saw them put it back in the cake display. That was the first turn off as there's no telling how long it had been sitting out, nor who may have touched it! Secondly, the hostess was RUDE! She takes our name down and asks us to follow her and we go through a windowless door only to find at least twelve other parties waiting in the Days Inn lobby! So we wait at least 30-45mins and get seated. Our waitress was nice. The water was nasty. The place looks very old and unattractive so I didn't trust ordering anything else to drink. I ordered a ham and cheese omelette with cheese grits and a biscuit. The grits was undercooked! As soon as I cut a piece of omelette some brown something comes running out. I opt to just cut that piece off and as I continue trying to eat my ham begins to turn into bologna. The biscuit was a miss. My husband usually eats anything but for the first time he even pushed his food away. Needless to say we won't be returning to this place!
(1)Emily H.
LOVE their food but terrible service! The "greeters" never greet you, I almost feel like I am inconveniencing them just walking in. The managers are also rude as hell! I took my parents to the "City Cafe" because they live out of town and I wanted to take them to a place where the locals go. Half way through our meal we were told by the manager that we were too loud. Apparently seeing people happy and enjoying themselves was too much for this man to handle. I also recently placed a to go order and the girl put me on hold during the middle of my order with out asking me to hold, and surprisingly, got my order wrong. This places only saving grace is how good the food is! So if you are looking for great food but lowered self confidence and you like to be treated like shit, this place is for you!
(2)Jonathan M.
Very unassuming location attached to a hotel. When I walked in the door I was totally baffled at all the delicious looking cakes and pies. I came in with a large group of 15+ people and we were seated rather quickly. I ordered the four bridges sandwich and it was a huge portion with lots of fries. The staff and manager were friendly and assisted in anyway they could. I just wish the menu was not so large and a bit more organized. Great 24/7 diner!!!
(4)Chris S.
We hadn't been here in a couple years. Now we remember why. The breakfast was the worst, the service no better. I can't fathom why people return to this place.
(1)Carrie Neal W.
I just re-read my original review and had to laugh. Oh, the first days in a new town! OK, so the 4 stars does stand. Now, I can say the following - don't love the grits (too runny), eggs are decent (but my scrambled are better), bacon is just the right crispy (my preference), waffles are solid (I prefer over pancakes) and staff is still great (crucial, right?). But I write this update for one reason: brownie cheesecake. Lawd. I rarely eat dessert (I'm the girl with that container of ice cream that had a few spoonfuls taken, then it ices over and gets forgotten) but last night the boy and I had a pizza dinner so, of course, it had to be followed by dessert and coffee. Duh. He comes here often, I've always wanted to try one of their mouth-watering looking desserts in the case, and was so happy I did! Anything you get is capital-H huge, and should definitely be shared (really, do share, no matter how big a sweet tooth you have) and there are almost too many choices. Cake, pie, cheesecake (plus cookies, brownies and muffins, oh my!) so after looking at the dessert menu, I picked one of each of the big three and let him decide. He picked none of my three choices. But that brownie cheesecake he did pick....a huge slice of brownie on top, plain cheesecake on bottom, with a little swirl of caramel on top and just the right combo of brownie-ness to contrast with the cheese-ness. For a not super sweet girl (ha) I would get this again. Did I mention he comes here often? Well, I'm in.
(4)Stephanie T.
City Café Diner is just something you have to experience. It's not the greatest food in the world, but it's decent. Their biscuits are really good, and you have to see the mile high cakes they make. Came here to the Downtown location on a rainy Saturday morning and the place was packed but we were able to get a 2-seater in the back. BF was craving Chicken Fried Steak and I went for the City Café breakfast special which has a bit of everything; eggs, bacon, sausage, home fries & 2 pancakes. Service is pretty fast for how busy it is and I'm always impressed by the server (who's name I can't remember) that takes your order but never writes anything down and it comes out right. That's a professional there, ladies & gentleman. BF was worried she would forget something, but nope, it was all there. Even better was the free entertainment we got from the older couple sitting next to us, visiting from out of town. Listening to their conversation and talking with them. It was a very enjoyable breakfast. I've been to City Café several times and I never fail to have an interesting and amusing dining experience. The great thing is it's open 24-hours and is a whole lot better than Waffle House. They portions are huge and like I said, the food is decent. Nothing to write home about, but you'll be satisfied and full.
(4)Deanna R.
I was a little skeptical about this place when we first saw it but we decided to go in anyways and I'm glad we did. It was the best food I ate the entire trip. Good prices and huge portions. We had leftovers that we ate on the night after we ate there and it was just as good as when we first got it.
(5)Matthew D.
The food was awesome and the portions were enormous. No complaints about the food. The service was awful. The waitress never checked on me and I had to wait 15 minutes for a check. Went back later with some other folks and service was great. I just had a bad waitress.
(4)Matt T.
Dinner and breakfast here while staying in the attached Days Inn. I guess this is typical of a GREEK DINER: large, large? Brobdingnagian portions of really fried food prepared from low-quality ingredients. The menu is extensive and includes some greek offerings (souvlaki, etc.) I asked for brown rice and got a puzzled, "um... it's kinda a dirty rice." Damn, I'm a snob... Mammoth slices of cake and pie. One guy was taking a selfie with a menu next to it for scale. Two stars are for the service. Our waiters were really sweet and accommodating.
(2)Randal M.
The cannoli is the bomb. Huge portions of cheesecake. Wow! The food is good diner food. Nothing fancy. Good value. The spinach soup was the best part of the meal, besides the dessert of course.
(4)Michelle H.
Best dessert selection I've ever seen. The biggest, tallest, yummiest cakes on the planet. Food is good, a little greasy. Portions too big. Only negative is the space...very tight always crammed. But then again, I can see why!
(4)Mady J.
I took my friends from Maryland to City Cafe Diner while searching a good spot for lunch in Chattanoooga. This filled the bill. The cafe offers a menu with many options, the portions are quite ample, and the desserts are fabulous. Good value for your dining dollar. The staff is very courteous and most accommodating.
(4)Bailey P.
Went here for breakfast twice during our stay. It was alright. The service was decent, but not great. The staff was friendly, but certainly in no hurry. My options are very limited due to my veg diet, but I had English muffins and their home fries, which they left the butter off of. It was a decent breakfast.
(3)Aya S.
Okay. Food was good the first time when I ate with a friend. Food was good. Went to the bar, it was fine. The next day, I was dressed up in a dressy outfit (I am here on a convention) and was told there was a 20 minute wait. However, they were serving others much more quickly and saying there was availability (even with single person eaters). So, yeah. I am not pleased with this. Sorry.
(1)Dan S.
Within walking distance of several downtown hotels is a genuine "Greek Diner". If you don't know what this is KEEP WALKING. If you DO know what a GREEK DINER is, stop on in - you will not be disappointed. Good food, LOTS of it - if you leave hungry it's your own fault. Service is quick and accurate - have no clue what some posters experienced, but our server was FANTASTIC!
(4)Anson M.
After waiting 30 minutes to get seated, we ordered a garden salad and a cup of oatmeal. 45 minutes later still no food. In the mean time, people around us, who were seated and ordered after us, had received their food entirely. Awful service and extremely slow. We told management of the problem and they offered no apology or repair of the problem. Based on the lack of concern and service we left. I would not recommend this place to anyone!!!!
(1)D P.
This review is simply based on the customer service... We did not dine here. We were attempting to have breakfast at another restaurant but their wait was over an hour. We are from out of town so we are unaware of the waits at local spots. Since it is Labor Day we decided to call City Cafe to see if there was a wait and how long before we drove over. First call was weird. I asked the lady if there was a wait.. She said "he is not here" an abruptly hung up. Clearly she mis heard me but why she hung up so quick was just weird. I called back an a man answered. Again I asked " hello, I'm checking to see if you currently have a wait".... His response was "of course we do" with extreme sarcasm as if I was so dumb to not know they would have a wait at a place I've never been to! Go figure. Glad they didn't get my business
(1)Kelsey J.
Great for the type of restaurant it is! Has every thing you can probably imagine to order from, Italian to Greek, to American. They also have the best desserts! Decent service.
(4)J J.
This is mostly unhealthy comfort food. Very large menu of a typical direr. Large portions. Very friendly and efficient staff. Had a NY cheesecake for desert (being from the NY area, what was I thinking) i was a mistake.
(3)Craig V.
Huh...I should have read the reviews beforehand. But hey I was just off the road, hungry, had to use the restroom, and this place caught my eye. Like others posted, this place is a time warp. Decor stuck in the 80's and music stuck in the 50's. Also, the menu is a novel. That aside it was morning and I wanted breakfast....so I ordered the hobo platter. You know the standard sausage gravy over eggs over potatoes. It wasn't the most appealing thing to look at and the only thing less appealing was the flavor, because there was none. I doused it with salt, pepper, and hot sauce and it made it o.k. The waitress was good to start then faltered. ...as I finished and was waiting for my check, I noticed she just sat down and began eating her own food. There goes my check and to go coffee. I'd give it 2.5 stars but I don't have that option so ill give it 2. If you're hungry and don't give a hoot this place will suffice. If you'd like something good...look elsewhere.
(2)Carla P.
Service was very efficient, food was typical, filling diner style, and good, but we were placed in a booth in the back that was eye level with a shelf that passed through into the kitchen. It was filthy. Hadn't been cleaned in too long. My husband made the mistake of touching it and filth went flying. Yuck! This made me wonder .... When do they clean this 24 hour place?
(3)Bruce R.
I realize it is Christmas but they were not capable of making a simple grilled cheese, bacon and tomato on toast. First sandwich came out mangled and inedible. I sent it back. I NEVER send food back but this was inedible. 2nd sandwich comes and cheese was never melted and sandwich never was on the grill. This sandwich is called The Happy Waitress special. NOT. I'm giving 2 stars only because they didn't charge us for food. It wasn't the waitresses fault so I still gave her a nice tip.
(2)Debbie W.
We went there for dessert at our waiters advice. The selection was huge , the cakes and pies were huge. But they liked better than they tasted. I threw most of mine away. It tasted like crisco and cool whip and enough crumbled butterfinger to call it a butterfinger pie. Disappointing
(3)J P.
Our server wouldn't even get us coffee until a huge table of 9-10 people decided on and ordered their food even though they had long had all their drinks. She was quick to remind me they were there first. Then, she doesn't write anything down just takes the order to memory. We didn't get half of the things we ordered and my girlfriends's food came out... get a load of this... over ten minutes after mine. She was told they were "darkening her home fries". Her home fries came out as undercooked, mushy and unseasoned as mine did, we had both requested our home fries to be extra well done. Unseasoned food, terrible service. Surprised I for some reason feel they deserve all two stars. Very disappointed because I love diners.
(2)Larry V.
Stop by very time in am in Chattanooga (either location) eat and order additional take outs for the next couple of days. You have got to try one or more of the cakes - I have never had better.
(4)Kay N.
Huge portions... great service! Chicken fried steak came with 2... okra was very good.
(5)Dev S.
Terrible food, even worse delivery service. Ordered a late night delivery meal last week and the food was cold and stale. Called back to express my dissatisfaction about the delivery and was put on an indefinite hold. If you have the need for a late night meal, please please skip this place and go to the nearest gas station instead.
(1)Danielle S.
The service here is horrible, I wish I could give it no stars at all. I tried to call in my order so that I could pick my food up & go, but soon as the manager answered the phone he told me that he would get back to me when he could. Obviously that was a clue for me & I waited 10 minutes & he never came back to the phone. I figured they were busy & decided to go inside & get my order. Instead of saying how may I help you, he said what do you want? It took everything in me not to turn around & walk out. The lady before me said she waited 10 minutes on a salad. Smh this place has atrocious management. The club I ordered was just thrown together, & the broccoli & cheddar soup was awful. The soup hardly had any broccoli at all. I use to tell tourist to stop by there to get good food, but never again.
(1)Katie S.
I'd like to initially say that my rating is including the cake. The cake is AMAZING and there is quite a large selection. The food is alright but can be pricey, especially considering my college budget. However, sometimes my friends and I splurge after partying on Friday night.
(4)Scott J.
You can't allow yourself to miss this restaurant. It is something special. Don't be fooled by its simple diner appearance and name. The menu is incredible. One great unique dish after another. Great tasting, good prices. They have 101 different deserts. Every 30 min 24 hours a day they make a new 5 layer cake; in the style of gourmet cakes little seen since the 50s. Spent a week in Chattanooga and found this place the day before I leave. Going to eat all of my remaining meals there!
(5)Mikey P.
Quite literally the BEST fries I've had in my life. But they lose their texture when you re-heat them (I tried to stock up). Their portions are HUGE! Share one app and entree and you will still have extras. I ate here three times in the weekend I was there. the desserts. The options. The affordable prices. It was a GREAT experience.
(5)Kim S.
I think I loved this place. It was just like the diners I grew up with in NJ. The cakes were SKY HIGH!!! I did not, however, try one. I did try the Neopolitan which was super YUMMY. It was completely packed at 10:30 pm!!! Folks clamoring to get in. Food was good---there is SO MUCH on this menu, I don't really know how they manage to do so much.
(4)Stephie Z.
This place is straight out of the 80s, but I sort of dig it. The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the slight smell of cigarette smoke that I smelled the whole time I was there. I'm not sure if it was a patron or the place, but It bothered my sensitive nose. The food was decent, the service was great. I ordered a chicken fajita omelet ( chicken, onions, jalapenos, green bell peppers) with a side of grits. I asked for light cheese, but the omelet was still chock full of the stuff. I'm not sure it that was because the waitress for got to let the kitchen know or that was the lightened cheese version. Either way I had to pull some of it out. Other than being overly cheesy, the omelet was ok. Nothing to write home about, but it filled my hunger. The grits were standard issue and pretty meh. The waitress was friendly and did a good job. I thought the owner was super nice and his pink shirt and pig tie were the sunshine to my rainy morning. City Cafe has tons of great looking desserts, but sadly I had none. Next time I'm in town I might stop and grab a piece since the owner said all were handmade by their staff at another location.
(3)Stacy S.
This is one of my regular stops. Good food, good service, and generous portions in a Mel's Diner type of atmosphere make this place worth checking out.
(4)Luis R.
Love this place!! The location is great and convenient in downtown. The parking is difficult as it is small and has limited areas. Well worth the trouble. The atmosphere takes you back to better days when juke boxes were what you looked forward to. The food is amazing. Great taste and am shocked everytime that I go as I love to try new things here and have not found many things I dont like. The portions are more than generous and are well spaced. The value os is unique to this place, it is very inexpensive and is a great place to eat well with a low budget. The desserts are also one of the best I have seen and had. The slices of the cakes are huge and allow you to enjoy them and share. This place is one of the few restaurants that I can count on to be open and have good food. I came out of the way just to come here and will do it many times more. Worth the hour and a half trip just to come here.
(5)Aimee J.
This restaurant is attached to the Days Inn motel. The food is just so-so and the waiting area is strange. We got ushered back to the Days Inn lobby through a door at one end of the restaurant. The hostess was especially grumpy and looked like she had a splitting headache. Maybe she did. Our waitress was very nice, but the food was very slow. When our breakfast food finally arrived it was room temperature. My son's food took so long we were nearly finished (and ready to leave) by the time it arrived. After I complained to the manager he did take it off our bill. The menu is very extensive and it's open 24 hours. I bet it's a fun place to go very late at night after the bar scene. Otherwise I would skip it next time I'm in Chattanooga.
(2)Cheryl R.
North of ml king blvd there isn't much in the way of breakfast. After wandering for an hour we finally ended up here. The first thing we noticed is that this is one of those jack of all trades restaurants. They don't specialize in anything so everything is mediocre. The food was okay but my eggs were over cooked on the outside and raw on the inside (it was an omelette). The other half had a breakfast burrito and the wrap was so old and stale it was crumbling apart as he tried to pick it up. As far as service goes, we got a vibe of "we don't give a shit". The waitress took her sweet time with everything. And it wasn't just our server. We watched a party of 3 come in and get sat at a table and ignored for a good 5 minutes before anyone even acknowledged their presence. Overall there are better places to eat around here you just have to look harder (found a great place the next day)
(1)Brett N.
quick and cheap. typical diner structure with a million options.
(3)Jesse H.
Delivery guy is awesome but the person who takes the orders was rude and forgot half our order and made us pay even more than the original crazy amount.
(1)Christin K.
This is a very strong 3 stars so don't be scared away. City Cafe is a reliable place to eat late at night- 24 hours. It's a good spot to hit up after a night of hanging out or when everything else is closed. But you don't feel terrible about going there like I sometimes do about Waffle house. I'd compare it to the Majestic in Atlanta at times. It's a little cramped at its peak hours but it's always interesting for people watching. You know when an adult is trying to feed a baby and pretends the spoon is an airplane and it goes everywhere except for the baby's mouth for like 4 minutes straight? Well you can see partially inebriated people do that here to themselves. It's pretty entertaining. The food and menu is similar to many Greek 24 hour Diner. Burgers, breakfast foods, cakes, pasta. I had a burger and added an egg. It was big and juicy and came with a lot of fries. Our waitress was pretty friendly and attentive. She even brought me 3 kinds of hot sauce. That's very sweet. You pay for the check at the counter. Also there seems to be a bar in the back in a separate room. I think the other city cafe is like this too. Overall, very large portions of greasy diner food and laid back.
(3)elvis p.
I would definitely not put this in the same class as the great Southern Greek diners I used to see across the deep South when I was a kid, but it's OK for what it is, which is to provide a big menu 24/7. Their more high-end stuff (the seafood and pasta dishes) would feed a horse-you won't be shortchanged on the portions). The execution is pretty bland, though. Recommended for getting yourself filled up at 3 in the morning.
(2)Dean D.
This place is open 24/7 and has an enormous menu. Typical NY style Diner with the huge menu that has everything from breakfast meals, Greek Gyro's, seafood dishes, Italian plates to outstanding deserts. The breakfast omelets are especially good and one plate is more than enough for two. Breakfast and a beer? What a concept...Breakfast of champions! We got in to Chattanooga fairly late and decided we needed some food after our long ride from Memphis. We were staying at the Holiday Inn Express down the street and decided to try the City Cafe. I had the turkey club sandwich which was very good. They have about 5 different club sandwiches. My daughter tried the fried chicken club which I actually preferred over my turkey. The fries are addictive; the deserts are incredible. We each had a cannoli for desert and all I can say is "heaven on earth". The Chocolate Eclairs looked outstanding. They were about a foot long, maybe next time. If you're trying to lose weight, I don't recommend this place. One last thing...we had chicken wings for an appetizer. They were meaty and had a good taste but not hot enough. When I ask for the hottest sauce you've got, I want to sweat as I eat. They also didn't include any ranch or blue cheese dressing. That's a given, isn't it?
(4)Andrea O.
This place was across the street from our hotel and thank goodness for that! The food was delicious (despite the fact that the encyclopedic style menu was scary) - we stuck to the Diner type fair and every single thing was awesome. The cakes and desserts were legendary - one of the best Napoleon's I have ever had! It was really crowded every time we were there but they do a great job with that! The employees were super friendly and just added to the love we were feeling in Chattanooga! Can't wait to visit again when we are back for Hooch '14!
(5)Whitney B.
Forget Waffle House, forget Denny's, forget all those other 24/7 chains and go to City Cafe Diner. Think all of those places x 100 and this is what you will get. We were hungry, and it was Thanksgiving night, so this was pretty much our only bet, and a fine one it was. Is this a 4 star food and service worthy restaurant? Nope. But I'd choose this place over a Denny's any day. The menu is a little overwhelming. They pretty much have ev-ry-thng. I mean, hello, they have an eggplant parm sandwich (which the bf got). First off, the food portions are huge. And for the prices, well worth it. So the bf got the ep parm and I got the chicken philly. He was a little scared from the amount of cheese they put on his sandwich, probably about a pound. My philly was mighty tasty. It was nothing fancy, but the chicken was plentiful and with good spices, the cheese was nice, and the bread was good. But, 3 people could have easily eaten my sandwich. The service was a little bambyish, but whatever. If you are drunk, eat here. If you are broke, eat here. If you are driving through town and it is an odd hour and you don't want fast food, eat here. And for the kind of place it is, the desserts looked amazing. But be prepared. Just walking through the door will probably cost you 10 pounds.
(4)Chain B.
The omelets were good and the desserts are awesome.
(4)Derrick M.
Pleasantly surprised. When I pulled in to Chattanooga and found almost everywhere stopped serving food past 10. This gem was suggested to me by a bartender. Great food, value and great service. Very happy. I hear the cake is amazing. Honestly, after half of a sandwich I was too full to even try it. Wish I would have : )
(4)Courtney C.
As far as diners go, this one is great. The food is good and cheap and the service is fast and friendly. I appreciate the fact that City Cafe Diner has a true diner atmosphere. This is the perfect place to go if you're in a hurry and need a quick bite to eat.
(4)Rick A.
The cakes are delicious... If they are fresh. I purchased half of a cake, because I didn't need a while cake, and half a cake still cost $35.00. It was a four layer Italian Creme cake. The bottom two layers were stale and nasty - like they were about 2 weeks older than the top half of the cake. What's up with that! I feel really ripped off for paying $35 for half a stale cake.
(1)Eliza R.
I lived in downtown Chattanooga for 3 years as a college student, and this is the next best place after the Yellow Deli for cheap, delicious, late-night food. First of all, it's a diner, so don't expect anything fancy in terms of food quality or atmosphere. That said, the food is GREAT for what it is and the atmosphere is really fun (give the juke box a whirl if you're so inclinded)! I have been there countless times, and the service is always incredibly friendly and quick. My ex and I used to go late on Friday night after drinking at bars, and this super chill guy named Richard always served us - we went so often, he knew us by name and knew our orders by heart! The menu is massive and contains nearly every type of food you might be craving: breakfast, sandwiches, wraps, soups, salad, wings, and full-on meals varying in ethnicity from Greek to Mexican. The portions are as big as the menu, so you will likely need a to-go box. Make sure you leave room for the rotating selection of mouth-watering cakes and pies, all of which are immense servings (big surprise). My favorites are the cheesecake (both plain and lemon) and carrot cake!
(4)Teresa S.
Don't go here to eat if you're on a diet. I have three words for you. Cake, cake and pie!! Menu is quite diverse and staff was friendly and helpful.
(3)Arthur H.
Went here for a couple days close to my hotel. Food was decent prices reasonable for area waitress one day was not too bright but all in all I would go again if I was close not a out of your way type place.
(3)David H.
Very good diner! The cakes are awesome, but all of there food is right on. Not 5 star dining, but really good food!
(4)Cristina C.
I didn't have high expectations for this place, and it's a good thing because it failed to meet them. This diner is attached to the Days Inn we were staying at so, tired and grumpy from a long drive, we decided to walk 20 feet from our room to City Cafe Diner. It's an 80s time warp. Think black marble meets neon signs. I half expected Tootie, Natalie and the rest of the "Facts of Life" gang to saunter up and have milkshakes with us. Yes, this is snarky, but I love the 80s so I thought "This place can't be that bad." Then we were handed the menu. It was freaking huge. They attempt everything from standard diner fair (burgers) to dishes that should never, under any circumstances, appear on a diner menu (calamari and salmon). Being as it was my first night in town, I decided it might be logical to avoid food poisoning and ordered an open-faced roast beef sandwich. When the plate came out, I burst into laughter. The portion was HUGE and the broccoli spears were genetic mutants as big as corn on the cob. What appeared to be an entire roast beef was carved out in front of me over four slices of bread, slathered in a few cups of brown gravy. The meat was OK and the potatoes tasted garlicky, but the gravy killed it. It had a bizarre, stale taste to it, and it was unfortunate because it was everywhere. I took a few bites before I determined I wasn't hungry anymore. My friend, sadly, ordered the exact same dish so I guess we will never know if anything else here is edible. Watching the waitress take away my plate with 4 lbs. of food, I couldn't help but feel guilty over the dozens of starving people in the world that wasted food could have fed. As you go to the cashier to pay, you will pass a glass case with the biggest, most amazing desserts you've ever seen. It's a shame you'll be so ready to pop that they no longer look enticing. If you're staying at Days Inn, it's a good place to visit when you're too tired to bother. Just hold your nose while chewing and maybe you'll avoid tasting the gargantuan portion of lousy food.
(2)Andy H.
Cool place open 24/7. Service was friendly. You get a flashback feeling when you walk in the door. The baked goods look amazing but I am watching it so did not try. This place works for me.
(4)Dennis J.
This is a great diner, and you can tell it looked like it was copied from Atlanta's landmark diners. The place was clean, and the food was better than the Landmarks diners here. I stayed at the Days Inn which shared the same building so it was definitely convenient.
(4)Diana B.
The food is just ok. But, the service is very friendly, the prices are reasonable and the place is clean so that earns them 3 stars. They say the owner is Greek so I tried the spinach pie. It was good (although I have had better) but the Greek salad that accompanied it was brown in spots. What really disappointed me was dessert. So many people raved about it so I had to try the Seven Sins chocolate cake. It was barely ok, tasted a little frozen. I guess when you go to a diner like this you need to stick to breakfast.
(3)Matt V.
This place was highly recommended to me so I had high expectations. The decor was what I expected for a trashy diner, so no problem there. However, the service was HORRIBLE. We waited forever to be seated, have our orders taken, then to be given our checks. One of my utter pet peeves is a cold salad in a hot bowl, which was the case. The lettuce was wilted and disgusting. There was more core of the lettuce than actual edible parts. The corn beef sandwich was alright besides the greasy soaked bread. My friend gave me his water because the waiter rarely came around to fill our drinks. On top of all this, the waiter screwed up our checks. The one positive thing I can say is the manager. He is extremely focused on customer service and quickly corrected the checks and even comped the salad. He filled my water and I would dare to say he did more than our actual waiter. On a side note, the food portions are outrageous and unnecessary. All in all, I do not recommend this place and will probably not return if I can help it.
(1)Amy T.
Visiting Chattanooga for the weekend, we were in search of a good breakfast place that was actually open on Sunday (in the Bible belt, God forbid!). We *Yelped* and found City Cafe Diner. We had a party of 6, so there was a bit of a wait in order to sit together. This is a super small place, mind you, so the "waiting area" was the hotel lobby of the adjoining Days Inn. Our four-year-olds enjoyed running through the hotel lobby like a pair of wild banshees... The menu is huge, like a typical diner, but I went with a Western Omelet, except it didn't come with cheese. Gotta pay $1.00 extra for a sprinkling of cheddar. The omelet came with a biscuit or toast, and what was supposed to be home fries. They were neither home, nor fried. They resembled a half-baked potato that had been sliced and attempted to have been pan fried. It was sort of like what you'd have if you ordered a baked potato was undercooked and then scraped the potato part out of the skin...a big mess. It just didn't work. The omelet, however, with the $1.00 cheese was very good, fully loaded with veggies that were tender crisp. The biscuit was good too. My son enjoyed his Mickey Mouse pancakes. I don't remember what hubby ordered, but he ate it all so it couldn't have been that bad. Service was good, and my coffee was always filled. If they just fixed those darn potatoes, or did something else with them entirely, it would have been a great meal.
(3)Kyle B.
I met a friend over here for lunch the other day... Not a very big place... we arrived just in time as we were seated immediately, but those arriving after us had to wait. The waitress brings us a menu... scratch that, a book that serves as their menu. If you want it, this place has got it! The prices are relatively inexpensive and the food is pretty good. I had a hamburger and my friend had some sort of a salad. Both items were made quickly. My burger was nice and hot and well presented. Her salad looked fresh and crisp. We both enjoyed the meal and unfortunately did not have any room for the huge cakes and pies that they have on display here. I will have to come back here one day just for the desserts! The restaurant itself is a little unassuming place built into a Days Inn. Don't judge the place based on that... the food really is quite good, especially for the low prices. We had good, attentive service... never having to wait for anything (drink refills, extras that we asked for, the check, etc). You owe it to yourself to stop by here for at least one meal... I've had breakfast here too, but that was a long time ago and not a part of this review (but it too, was good!).
(4)A N.
I went there because I heard their dessert was amazing. We are breakfast here and got dessert to go. The breakfast was awful and the service was worse! I had the pecan waffle and bacon. The waffle was burnt and they managed to cook the flavor out of the bacon, which I didn't know you could do! It tasted like hard grease. I got a piece of the coconut cream cake to go, and it was definitely way better than my breakfast, but nothing to write home about. The service was ok at best once we were seated, but nobody greeted us when we entered or when we went back to the counter to pay after eating. The lady only stuck her hand out for the check. You can tell they don't appreciate the customers, and I don't appreciate the poor service. I will not be returning!
(1)David D.
Very good food and lots of it. Good prices too. No wonder it is so busy.
(4)Lola D.
Had lunch there and shared a crab cake sandwich with my friend. I'm glad cuz I would not be able to eat all if it. The crab cake good and bigger portion. My friend ordered two desserts to go and I had a taste ( gluten free chocolate cake) which was good that I knew I'd have to come back. I stopped there this afternoon and ordered three types of desserts to bring back to the staff where I'm staying. Lime pie, strawberry cake and the gluten free choc cake. All were great. Glad I don't live here. I'd be stopping here often.
(4)Will M.
This place has the worst. service. ever. Not really 24 hour delivery. Very inconsistent food quality. Buyer beware!
(1)Darvey K.
Feel good food 24/7/365 with great breakfast, melts, and desserts.
(5)Andrew T.
Food was pretty good but it took 3 times to get my order right. Kids orders weren't right either. Nice people though.
(2)Zeb M.
If you look up "diner" in an encyclopedia, there should be a picture of City Cafe next to it because it perfectly exemplifies one. I always laugh at their menu because it more closely resembles a book - it's pretty big in size and has almost every platter and sandwich known to man.
(4)LM P.
My cousin brought me to City Cafe during on of my visits to Chat Town. It's a small retro-style restaurant attached to the dowtown Days Inn that reminds me of 90210's Peach Pit. We had arrived in Chattanooga late and everyone was starving, but everyone wanted something different. City Cafe was the perfect place for us because they pretty much offer anything you could want. From pancakes to tacos and from hamburgers to spaghetti, you want it, they got it. Perfect for some hungry late-night eaters. They also have a huge selection of desserts. The display-o-cakes as I like to call it, offers cakes like red velvet to banana split slices that are seriously the size of your head. We always make it a point to eat at City Cafe when we are in the Chattanooga area and are down to eat whatever.
(4)Becca G.
Great service. Delicious food. Even better desserts. I would seriously advise popping in just for the desserts alone.
(4)Harold C.
This place will go on my list as one of my favorite diners. I usually don't eat at diners but there are a few that are amazing all the way around. City Café Diner is the truth. The restaurant was packed everyday and I could see why. I ordered a bacon cheeseburger and the amount of bacon is unbelievable...The burger was perfectly cooked! The desserts are simply amazing! You think NY cheesecake is amazing!?! Try City Café Diner. Everything is huge which makes up for the price. I told the owner it was the country NY! Now to the bad...The owner was nasty to some of the patrons. He stopped take out orders because they were backed up due to one cash register that the employees' complain about. He was very rude to one of my church members when they were trying to help him out with a name of my cousin to be seated. Other than that, everyone was very kind!
(5)Jennifer P.
It's a diner, so align your expectations accordingly. Within the diner category, it's a fine specimen! The food is fresh, hot, and well cooked. The sandwiches and burgers are great. Have been several time in the last decade during visits to Chattanooga. On my visit today I tried the Athenian omelet - gyro, feta, and tomato. Wow it was yummy. I did not know the potatoes were laced with peppers and onions - neither of which I like-- so I skipped them. Those who enjoy those ingredients would likely be thrilled. And the dessert... Oh my. Split a piece of Million Dollar Cake with my friend -- and after we had our fill, we each took some home as well, all from the same piece. Rich and delicious. And shout out to Lacey our server. She was attentive and friendly and made our visit very enjoyable.
(4)Brent R.
Came here in a large party after a wedding. A good portion of the group had been partying all night before we arrived, but the waiter handled it like a pro. He was both engaging and funny, took care of everything, and really made the experience memorable. Some of the requests from the group were completely ridiculous, but he came through like a champion. The food was pretty good, regardless of the fact that they had a very wide array of items on the menu. I had a Monte Carlo sandwich, which I had never had before, and it was interesting and delicious. I didn't hear any complains about any of the food -- even from the guy who ordered a Belgian waffle with ice cream on top of it (which is an actual item on the menu). Although I did not try any of the cakes, the sight of them in the display case was shocking. They have a very impressive assortment of cakes available, including one that is like a sampler that includes a bunch of different types of their cakes all in one. At the end of the day this is a great place, highly recommended!!
(5)Donna W.
Omg! The portions are huge! The plate is twice the size, with helpings to match. Two country steaks, REAL mashed potatoes, and steamed veggies, and salad! For 12.95? What? Crazy! No wait time, staff friendly and helpful.
(5)Jt P.
Good food, open for 24 hours! We were on business and there was not much open around. The hotel suggested City Cafe Diner. Nice location right on the corner, but connected to a sleezy looking hotel. Parking lot is very small as well. The place was busy at midnight when we arrived. The server was very nice and accommodating. The food took a little long to get finished, but was pretty good. Not to best I have had, but good. The only downside was the cake, that they displayed in a big rotating shelf up front... it looked so good, but did not live up to the hype I was hoping for.
(4)Steven L.
This place is too busy in the morning. I stopped in here for breakfast today. It's hard to find parking too if you want to come here. Now, they do have WiFi. I was here to try out their breakfast for the first time. There aren't that many breakfast joints down town to choose from. I got two eggs sunny side up. Biscuit, grits, country ham and coffee. They brought me my eggs and one if them was busted already. They should correct that before delivering to their customers. I ate it anyway because it took so long to get my order. Don't come here to hang out using their free WiFi. The managers will come around looking at you nonverbal communication is they want you to eat and go.
(3)Marsha L.
Quick issue that could have gone horribly wrong. Gary Haworth the General Manager stepped in and made the experience AMAZING! He really went above and beyond in more ways than one! Thank you and the food was so yummy! Omg! You must try it when in CHATTANOOGA! I had the Alfredo that had a real non Prego taste. Like someone's old Italian Grandma was making it!
(5)Chris J.
Emermous amount of food and very good! Ordered cheese omelette with side of bacon and home fries. Bacon was literally 8 pieces of bacon was normal order which i could not eat. My wife and daughters farmers omelette was absolutely fit for 2 and both could not even eat close to half. Quality of food was great, very freah everything.
(5)Derek A.
If you have time and are VERY hungry, you may wish to try this place. Located as part of the Days Inn, this is an unpretentious establishment. After a short wait (there were plenty seats but serving staff were slow to react to arriving guests) servers were relatively quick to take drink order. There is an extensive menu and at reasonable prices, all the more valued when you see the portions! Quantity rather than high quality, it's cheap and cheerful. Be sure to leave some room for desert from the extensive and 'naughty' menu. Again, a very large portion supplied with a box to take remains home!!!
(3)Chuck M.
Chef salad was excellent and huge! Thank goodness i had dressing on the side since i still have a nice salad to take home for dinner. Sorry I didn't get a snapshot before I dug in. Next time. They have a great selection of cakes for dessert and this is their gluten free chocolate which I couldn't resist.
(5)Sabrina J.
We had a very nice breakfast here. Chorizo omelet, egg sandwich with home fries. Also had chocolate chip pancakes. Good food, fast and service was good. Huge portions with reasonable prices.
(4)Christian E.
Open 24/7. Good food. Friendly service. GENEROUS proportions. What else could you ask for?
(4)Latrica G.
Never again! This was the worst experience ever! We were visiting Chattanooga for the weekend and after near 2 hour waits at 3 restaurants, we decided to just stick out the wait here. Bad decision! I don't even know where to start... This place is attached to the Days Inn which is probably the only reason they're still open! When we first walked in there was a horrible odor of cigarette smoke. I look at the cake display and there's a cake sitting out on top of the muffins and no one is around. I didn't know if it was a real cake or not until I saw them put it back in the cake display. That was the first turn off as there's no telling how long it had been sitting out, nor who may have touched it! Secondly, the hostess was RUDE! She takes our name down and asks us to follow her and we go through a windowless door only to find at least twelve other parties waiting in the Days Inn lobby! So we wait at least 30-45mins and get seated. Our waitress was nice. The water was nasty. The place looks very old and unattractive so I didn't trust ordering anything else to drink. I ordered a ham and cheese omelette with cheese grits and a biscuit. The grits was undercooked! As soon as I cut a piece of omelette some brown something comes running out. I opt to just cut that piece off and as I continue trying to eat my ham begins to turn into bologna. The biscuit was a miss. My husband usually eats anything but for the first time he even pushed his food away. Needless to say we won't be returning to this place!
(1)Emily H.
LOVE their food but terrible service! The "greeters" never greet you, I almost feel like I am inconveniencing them just walking in. The managers are also rude as hell! I took my parents to the "City Cafe" because they live out of town and I wanted to take them to a place where the locals go. Half way through our meal we were told by the manager that we were too loud. Apparently seeing people happy and enjoying themselves was too much for this man to handle. I also recently placed a to go order and the girl put me on hold during the middle of my order with out asking me to hold, and surprisingly, got my order wrong. This places only saving grace is how good the food is! So if you are looking for great food but lowered self confidence and you like to be treated like shit, this place is for you!
(2)Chris S.
We hadn't been here in a couple years. Now we remember why. The breakfast was the worst, the service no better. I can't fathom why people return to this place.
(1)Jonathan M.
Very unassuming location attached to a hotel. When I walked in the door I was totally baffled at all the delicious looking cakes and pies. I came in with a large group of 15+ people and we were seated rather quickly. I ordered the four bridges sandwich and it was a huge portion with lots of fries. The staff and manager were friendly and assisted in anyway they could. I just wish the menu was not so large and a bit more organized. Great 24/7 diner!!!
(4)Carrie Neal W.
I just re-read my original review and had to laugh. Oh, the first days in a new town! OK, so the 4 stars does stand. Now, I can say the following - don't love the grits (too runny), eggs are decent (but my scrambled are better), bacon is just the right crispy (my preference), waffles are solid (I prefer over pancakes) and staff is still great (crucial, right?). But I write this update for one reason: brownie cheesecake. Lawd. I rarely eat dessert (I'm the girl with that container of ice cream that had a few spoonfuls taken, then it ices over and gets forgotten) but last night the boy and I had a pizza dinner so, of course, it had to be followed by dessert and coffee. Duh. He comes here often, I've always wanted to try one of their mouth-watering looking desserts in the case, and was so happy I did! Anything you get is capital-H huge, and should definitely be shared (really, do share, no matter how big a sweet tooth you have) and there are almost too many choices. Cake, pie, cheesecake (plus cookies, brownies and muffins, oh my!) so after looking at the dessert menu, I picked one of each of the big three and let him decide. He picked none of my three choices. But that brownie cheesecake he did pick....a huge slice of brownie on top, plain cheesecake on bottom, with a little swirl of caramel on top and just the right combo of brownie-ness to contrast with the cheese-ness. For a not super sweet girl (ha) I would get this again. Did I mention he comes here often? Well, I'm in.
(4)Stephanie T.
City Café Diner is just something you have to experience. It's not the greatest food in the world, but it's decent. Their biscuits are really good, and you have to see the mile high cakes they make. Came here to the Downtown location on a rainy Saturday morning and the place was packed but we were able to get a 2-seater in the back. BF was craving Chicken Fried Steak and I went for the City Café breakfast special which has a bit of everything; eggs, bacon, sausage, home fries & 2 pancakes. Service is pretty fast for how busy it is and I'm always impressed by the server (who's name I can't remember) that takes your order but never writes anything down and it comes out right. That's a professional there, ladies & gentleman. BF was worried she would forget something, but nope, it was all there. Even better was the free entertainment we got from the older couple sitting next to us, visiting from out of town. Listening to their conversation and talking with them. It was a very enjoyable breakfast. I've been to City Café several times and I never fail to have an interesting and amusing dining experience. The great thing is it's open 24-hours and is a whole lot better than Waffle House. They portions are huge and like I said, the food is decent. Nothing to write home about, but you'll be satisfied and full.
(4)Deanna R.
I was a little skeptical about this place when we first saw it but we decided to go in anyways and I'm glad we did. It was the best food I ate the entire trip. Good prices and huge portions. We had leftovers that we ate on the night after we ate there and it was just as good as when we first got it.
(5)Matthew D.
The food was awesome and the portions were enormous. No complaints about the food. The service was awful. The waitress never checked on me and I had to wait 15 minutes for a check. Went back later with some other folks and service was great. I just had a bad waitress.
(4)Matt T.
Dinner and breakfast here while staying in the attached Days Inn. I guess this is typical of a GREEK DINER: large, large? Brobdingnagian portions of really fried food prepared from low-quality ingredients. The menu is extensive and includes some greek offerings (souvlaki, etc.) I asked for brown rice and got a puzzled, "um... it's kinda a dirty rice." Damn, I'm a snob... Mammoth slices of cake and pie. One guy was taking a selfie with a menu next to it for scale. Two stars are for the service. Our waiters were really sweet and accommodating.
(2)Randal M.
The cannoli is the bomb. Huge portions of cheesecake. Wow! The food is good diner food. Nothing fancy. Good value. The spinach soup was the best part of the meal, besides the dessert of course.
(4)Michelle H.
Best dessert selection I've ever seen. The biggest, tallest, yummiest cakes on the planet. Food is good, a little greasy. Portions too big. Only negative is the space...very tight always crammed. But then again, I can see why!
(4)Mady J.
I took my friends from Maryland to City Cafe Diner while searching a good spot for lunch in Chattanoooga. This filled the bill. The cafe offers a menu with many options, the portions are quite ample, and the desserts are fabulous. Good value for your dining dollar. The staff is very courteous and most accommodating.
(4)Bailey P.
Went here for breakfast twice during our stay. It was alright. The service was decent, but not great. The staff was friendly, but certainly in no hurry. My options are very limited due to my veg diet, but I had English muffins and their home fries, which they left the butter off of. It was a decent breakfast.
(3)Aya S.
Okay. Food was good the first time when I ate with a friend. Food was good. Went to the bar, it was fine. The next day, I was dressed up in a dressy outfit (I am here on a convention) and was told there was a 20 minute wait. However, they were serving others much more quickly and saying there was availability (even with single person eaters). So, yeah. I am not pleased with this. Sorry.
(1)Dan S.
Within walking distance of several downtown hotels is a genuine "Greek Diner". If you don't know what this is KEEP WALKING. If you DO know what a GREEK DINER is, stop on in - you will not be disappointed. Good food, LOTS of it - if you leave hungry it's your own fault. Service is quick and accurate - have no clue what some posters experienced, but our server was FANTASTIC!
(4)Anson M.
After waiting 30 minutes to get seated, we ordered a garden salad and a cup of oatmeal. 45 minutes later still no food. In the mean time, people around us, who were seated and ordered after us, had received their food entirely. Awful service and extremely slow. We told management of the problem and they offered no apology or repair of the problem. Based on the lack of concern and service we left. I would not recommend this place to anyone!!!!
(1)D P.
This review is simply based on the customer service... We did not dine here. We were attempting to have breakfast at another restaurant but their wait was over an hour. We are from out of town so we are unaware of the waits at local spots. Since it is Labor Day we decided to call City Cafe to see if there was a wait and how long before we drove over. First call was weird. I asked the lady if there was a wait.. She said "he is not here" an abruptly hung up. Clearly she mis heard me but why she hung up so quick was just weird. I called back an a man answered. Again I asked " hello, I'm checking to see if you currently have a wait".... His response was "of course we do" with extreme sarcasm as if I was so dumb to not know they would have a wait at a place I've never been to! Go figure. Glad they didn't get my business
(1)Kelsey J.
Great for the type of restaurant it is! Has every thing you can probably imagine to order from, Italian to Greek, to American. They also have the best desserts! Decent service.
(4)J J.
This is mostly unhealthy comfort food. Very large menu of a typical direr. Large portions. Very friendly and efficient staff. Had a NY cheesecake for desert (being from the NY area, what was I thinking) i was a mistake.
(3)Craig V.
Huh...I should have read the reviews beforehand. But hey I was just off the road, hungry, had to use the restroom, and this place caught my eye. Like others posted, this place is a time warp. Decor stuck in the 80's and music stuck in the 50's. Also, the menu is a novel. That aside it was morning and I wanted breakfast....so I ordered the hobo platter. You know the standard sausage gravy over eggs over potatoes. It wasn't the most appealing thing to look at and the only thing less appealing was the flavor, because there was none. I doused it with salt, pepper, and hot sauce and it made it o.k. The waitress was good to start then faltered. ...as I finished and was waiting for my check, I noticed she just sat down and began eating her own food. There goes my check and to go coffee. I'd give it 2.5 stars but I don't have that option so ill give it 2. If you're hungry and don't give a hoot this place will suffice. If you'd like something good...look elsewhere.
(2)Carla P.
Service was very efficient, food was typical, filling diner style, and good, but we were placed in a booth in the back that was eye level with a shelf that passed through into the kitchen. It was filthy. Hadn't been cleaned in too long. My husband made the mistake of touching it and filth went flying. Yuck! This made me wonder .... When do they clean this 24 hour place?
(3)Bruce R.
I realize it is Christmas but they were not capable of making a simple grilled cheese, bacon and tomato on toast. First sandwich came out mangled and inedible. I sent it back. I NEVER send food back but this was inedible. 2nd sandwich comes and cheese was never melted and sandwich never was on the grill. This sandwich is called The Happy Waitress special. NOT. I'm giving 2 stars only because they didn't charge us for food. It wasn't the waitresses fault so I still gave her a nice tip.
(2)Debbie W.
We went there for dessert at our waiters advice. The selection was huge , the cakes and pies were huge. But they liked better than they tasted. I threw most of mine away. It tasted like crisco and cool whip and enough crumbled butterfinger to call it a butterfinger pie. Disappointing
(3)J P.
Our server wouldn't even get us coffee until a huge table of 9-10 people decided on and ordered their food even though they had long had all their drinks. She was quick to remind me they were there first. Then, she doesn't write anything down just takes the order to memory. We didn't get half of the things we ordered and my girlfriends's food came out... get a load of this... over ten minutes after mine. She was told they were "darkening her home fries". Her home fries came out as undercooked, mushy and unseasoned as mine did, we had both requested our home fries to be extra well done. Unseasoned food, terrible service. Surprised I for some reason feel they deserve all two stars. Very disappointed because I love diners.
(2)Larry V.
Stop by very time in am in Chattanooga (either location) eat and order additional take outs for the next couple of days. You have got to try one or more of the cakes - I have never had better.
(4)Kay N.
Huge portions... great service! Chicken fried steak came with 2... okra was very good.
(5)Dev S.
Terrible food, even worse delivery service. Ordered a late night delivery meal last week and the food was cold and stale. Called back to express my dissatisfaction about the delivery and was put on an indefinite hold. If you have the need for a late night meal, please please skip this place and go to the nearest gas station instead.
(1)Danielle S.
The service here is horrible, I wish I could give it no stars at all. I tried to call in my order so that I could pick my food up & go, but soon as the manager answered the phone he told me that he would get back to me when he could. Obviously that was a clue for me & I waited 10 minutes & he never came back to the phone. I figured they were busy & decided to go inside & get my order. Instead of saying how may I help you, he said what do you want? It took everything in me not to turn around & walk out. The lady before me said she waited 10 minutes on a salad. Smh this place has atrocious management. The club I ordered was just thrown together, & the broccoli & cheddar soup was awful. The soup hardly had any broccoli at all. I use to tell tourist to stop by there to get good food, but never again.
(1)Katie S.
I'd like to initially say that my rating is including the cake. The cake is AMAZING and there is quite a large selection. The food is alright but can be pricey, especially considering my college budget. However, sometimes my friends and I splurge after partying on Friday night.
(4)Scott J.
You can't allow yourself to miss this restaurant. It is something special. Don't be fooled by its simple diner appearance and name. The menu is incredible. One great unique dish after another. Great tasting, good prices. They have 101 different deserts. Every 30 min 24 hours a day they make a new 5 layer cake; in the style of gourmet cakes little seen since the 50s. Spent a week in Chattanooga and found this place the day before I leave. Going to eat all of my remaining meals there!
(5)Mikey P.
Quite literally the BEST fries I've had in my life. But they lose their texture when you re-heat them (I tried to stock up). Their portions are HUGE! Share one app and entree and you will still have extras. I ate here three times in the weekend I was there. the desserts. The options. The affordable prices. It was a GREAT experience.
(5)Kim S.
I think I loved this place. It was just like the diners I grew up with in NJ. The cakes were SKY HIGH!!! I did not, however, try one. I did try the Neopolitan which was super YUMMY. It was completely packed at 10:30 pm!!! Folks clamoring to get in. Food was good---there is SO MUCH on this menu, I don't really know how they manage to do so much.
(4)Stephie Z.
This place is straight out of the 80s, but I sort of dig it. The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the slight smell of cigarette smoke that I smelled the whole time I was there. I'm not sure if it was a patron or the place, but It bothered my sensitive nose. The food was decent, the service was great. I ordered a chicken fajita omelet ( chicken, onions, jalapenos, green bell peppers) with a side of grits. I asked for light cheese, but the omelet was still chock full of the stuff. I'm not sure it that was because the waitress for got to let the kitchen know or that was the lightened cheese version. Either way I had to pull some of it out. Other than being overly cheesy, the omelet was ok. Nothing to write home about, but it filled my hunger. The grits were standard issue and pretty meh. The waitress was friendly and did a good job. I thought the owner was super nice and his pink shirt and pig tie were the sunshine to my rainy morning. City Cafe has tons of great looking desserts, but sadly I had none. Next time I'm in town I might stop and grab a piece since the owner said all were handmade by their staff at another location.
(3)Stacy S.
This is one of my regular stops. Good food, good service, and generous portions in a Mel's Diner type of atmosphere make this place worth checking out.
(4)Luis R.
Love this place!! The location is great and convenient in downtown. The parking is difficult as it is small and has limited areas. Well worth the trouble. The atmosphere takes you back to better days when juke boxes were what you looked forward to. The food is amazing. Great taste and am shocked everytime that I go as I love to try new things here and have not found many things I dont like. The portions are more than generous and are well spaced. The value os is unique to this place, it is very inexpensive and is a great place to eat well with a low budget. The desserts are also one of the best I have seen and had. The slices of the cakes are huge and allow you to enjoy them and share. This place is one of the few restaurants that I can count on to be open and have good food. I came out of the way just to come here and will do it many times more. Worth the hour and a half trip just to come here.
(5)Aimee J.
This restaurant is attached to the Days Inn motel. The food is just so-so and the waiting area is strange. We got ushered back to the Days Inn lobby through a door at one end of the restaurant. The hostess was especially grumpy and looked like she had a splitting headache. Maybe she did. Our waitress was very nice, but the food was very slow. When our breakfast food finally arrived it was room temperature. My son's food took so long we were nearly finished (and ready to leave) by the time it arrived. After I complained to the manager he did take it off our bill. The menu is very extensive and it's open 24 hours. I bet it's a fun place to go very late at night after the bar scene. Otherwise I would skip it next time I'm in Chattanooga.
(2)Cheryl R.
North of ml king blvd there isn't much in the way of breakfast. After wandering for an hour we finally ended up here. The first thing we noticed is that this is one of those jack of all trades restaurants. They don't specialize in anything so everything is mediocre. The food was okay but my eggs were over cooked on the outside and raw on the inside (it was an omelette). The other half had a breakfast burrito and the wrap was so old and stale it was crumbling apart as he tried to pick it up. As far as service goes, we got a vibe of "we don't give a shit". The waitress took her sweet time with everything. And it wasn't just our server. We watched a party of 3 come in and get sat at a table and ignored for a good 5 minutes before anyone even acknowledged their presence. Overall there are better places to eat around here you just have to look harder (found a great place the next day)
(1)Brett N.
quick and cheap. typical diner structure with a million options.
(3)Jesse H.
Delivery guy is awesome but the person who takes the orders was rude and forgot half our order and made us pay even more than the original crazy amount.
(1)Christin K.
This is a very strong 3 stars so don't be scared away. City Cafe is a reliable place to eat late at night- 24 hours. It's a good spot to hit up after a night of hanging out or when everything else is closed. But you don't feel terrible about going there like I sometimes do about Waffle house. I'd compare it to the Majestic in Atlanta at times. It's a little cramped at its peak hours but it's always interesting for people watching. You know when an adult is trying to feed a baby and pretends the spoon is an airplane and it goes everywhere except for the baby's mouth for like 4 minutes straight? Well you can see partially inebriated people do that here to themselves. It's pretty entertaining. The food and menu is similar to many Greek 24 hour Diner. Burgers, breakfast foods, cakes, pasta. I had a burger and added an egg. It was big and juicy and came with a lot of fries. Our waitress was pretty friendly and attentive. She even brought me 3 kinds of hot sauce. That's very sweet. You pay for the check at the counter. Also there seems to be a bar in the back in a separate room. I think the other city cafe is like this too. Overall, very large portions of greasy diner food and laid back.
(3)elvis p.
I would definitely not put this in the same class as the great Southern Greek diners I used to see across the deep South when I was a kid, but it's OK for what it is, which is to provide a big menu 24/7. Their more high-end stuff (the seafood and pasta dishes) would feed a horse-you won't be shortchanged on the portions). The execution is pretty bland, though. Recommended for getting yourself filled up at 3 in the morning.
(2)Dean D.
This place is open 24/7 and has an enormous menu. Typical NY style Diner with the huge menu that has everything from breakfast meals, Greek Gyro's, seafood dishes, Italian plates to outstanding deserts. The breakfast omelets are especially good and one plate is more than enough for two. Breakfast and a beer? What a concept...Breakfast of champions! We got in to Chattanooga fairly late and decided we needed some food after our long ride from Memphis. We were staying at the Holiday Inn Express down the street and decided to try the City Cafe. I had the turkey club sandwich which was very good. They have about 5 different club sandwiches. My daughter tried the fried chicken club which I actually preferred over my turkey. The fries are addictive; the deserts are incredible. We each had a cannoli for desert and all I can say is "heaven on earth". The Chocolate Eclairs looked outstanding. They were about a foot long, maybe next time. If you're trying to lose weight, I don't recommend this place. One last thing...we had chicken wings for an appetizer. They were meaty and had a good taste but not hot enough. When I ask for the hottest sauce you've got, I want to sweat as I eat. They also didn't include any ranch or blue cheese dressing. That's a given, isn't it?
(4)Andrea O.
This place was across the street from our hotel and thank goodness for that! The food was delicious (despite the fact that the encyclopedic style menu was scary) - we stuck to the Diner type fair and every single thing was awesome. The cakes and desserts were legendary - one of the best Napoleon's I have ever had! It was really crowded every time we were there but they do a great job with that! The employees were super friendly and just added to the love we were feeling in Chattanooga! Can't wait to visit again when we are back for Hooch '14!
(5)Whitney B.
Forget Waffle House, forget Denny's, forget all those other 24/7 chains and go to City Cafe Diner. Think all of those places x 100 and this is what you will get. We were hungry, and it was Thanksgiving night, so this was pretty much our only bet, and a fine one it was. Is this a 4 star food and service worthy restaurant? Nope. But I'd choose this place over a Denny's any day. The menu is a little overwhelming. They pretty much have ev-ry-thng. I mean, hello, they have an eggplant parm sandwich (which the bf got). First off, the food portions are huge. And for the prices, well worth it. So the bf got the ep parm and I got the chicken philly. He was a little scared from the amount of cheese they put on his sandwich, probably about a pound. My philly was mighty tasty. It was nothing fancy, but the chicken was plentiful and with good spices, the cheese was nice, and the bread was good. But, 3 people could have easily eaten my sandwich. The service was a little bambyish, but whatever. If you are drunk, eat here. If you are broke, eat here. If you are driving through town and it is an odd hour and you don't want fast food, eat here. And for the kind of place it is, the desserts looked amazing. But be prepared. Just walking through the door will probably cost you 10 pounds.
(4)Chain B.
The omelets were good and the desserts are awesome.
(4)Derrick M.
Pleasantly surprised. When I pulled in to Chattanooga and found almost everywhere stopped serving food past 10. This gem was suggested to me by a bartender. Great food, value and great service. Very happy. I hear the cake is amazing. Honestly, after half of a sandwich I was too full to even try it. Wish I would have : )
(4)Courtney C.
As far as diners go, this one is great. The food is good and cheap and the service is fast and friendly. I appreciate the fact that City Cafe Diner has a true diner atmosphere. This is the perfect place to go if you're in a hurry and need a quick bite to eat.
(4)Rick A.
The cakes are delicious... If they are fresh. I purchased half of a cake, because I didn't need a while cake, and half a cake still cost $35.00. It was a four layer Italian Creme cake. The bottom two layers were stale and nasty - like they were about 2 weeks older than the top half of the cake. What's up with that! I feel really ripped off for paying $35 for half a stale cake.
(1)Teresa S.
Don't go here to eat if you're on a diet. I have three words for you. Cake, cake and pie!! Menu is quite diverse and staff was friendly and helpful.
(3)Eliza R.
I lived in downtown Chattanooga for 3 years as a college student, and this is the next best place after the Yellow Deli for cheap, delicious, late-night food. First of all, it's a diner, so don't expect anything fancy in terms of food quality or atmosphere. That said, the food is GREAT for what it is and the atmosphere is really fun (give the juke box a whirl if you're so inclinded)! I have been there countless times, and the service is always incredibly friendly and quick. My ex and I used to go late on Friday night after drinking at bars, and this super chill guy named Richard always served us - we went so often, he knew us by name and knew our orders by heart! The menu is massive and contains nearly every type of food you might be craving: breakfast, sandwiches, wraps, soups, salad, wings, and full-on meals varying in ethnicity from Greek to Mexican. The portions are as big as the menu, so you will likely need a to-go box. Make sure you leave room for the rotating selection of mouth-watering cakes and pies, all of which are immense servings (big surprise). My favorites are the cheesecake (both plain and lemon) and carrot cake!
(4)Arthur H.
Went here for a couple days close to my hotel. Food was decent prices reasonable for area waitress one day was not too bright but all in all I would go again if I was close not a out of your way type place.
(3)Shannon T.
Ttis is a decent diner with great deserts. It reminds me a lot of the Marietta Diner, in fact one of the owners of Marietta Diner later told me they sell the deserts to them and to several other diners in the southeast. Kit is situated a little oddly as it is the restaurant for a Days Inn, and it is rather small inside but the service and food were excellent.
(4)Cristina C.
I didn't have high expectations for this place, and it's a good thing because it failed to meet them. This diner is attached to the Days Inn we were staying at so, tired and grumpy from a long drive, we decided to walk 20 feet from our room to City Cafe Diner. It's an 80s time warp. Think black marble meets neon signs. I half expected Tootie, Natalie and the rest of the "Facts of Life" gang to saunter up and have milkshakes with us. Yes, this is snarky, but I love the 80s so I thought "This place can't be that bad." Then we were handed the menu. It was freaking huge. They attempt everything from standard diner fair (burgers) to dishes that should never, under any circumstances, appear on a diner menu (calamari and salmon). Being as it was my first night in town, I decided it might be logical to avoid food poisoning and ordered an open-faced roast beef sandwich. When the plate came out, I burst into laughter. The portion was HUGE and the broccoli spears were genetic mutants as big as corn on the cob. What appeared to be an entire roast beef was carved out in front of me over four slices of bread, slathered in a few cups of brown gravy. The meat was OK and the potatoes tasted garlicky, but the gravy killed it. It had a bizarre, stale taste to it, and it was unfortunate because it was everywhere. I took a few bites before I determined I wasn't hungry anymore. My friend, sadly, ordered the exact same dish so I guess we will never know if anything else here is edible. Watching the waitress take away my plate with 4 lbs. of food, I couldn't help but feel guilty over the dozens of starving people in the world that wasted food could have fed. As you go to the cashier to pay, you will pass a glass case with the biggest, most amazing desserts you've ever seen. It's a shame you'll be so ready to pop that they no longer look enticing. If you're staying at Days Inn, it's a good place to visit when you're too tired to bother. Just hold your nose while chewing and maybe you'll avoid tasting the gargantuan portion of lousy food.
(2)Andy H.
Cool place open 24/7. Service was friendly. You get a flashback feeling when you walk in the door. The baked goods look amazing but I am watching it so did not try. This place works for me.
(4)Dennis J.
This is a great diner, and you can tell it looked like it was copied from Atlanta's landmark diners. The place was clean, and the food was better than the Landmarks diners here. I stayed at the Days Inn which shared the same building so it was definitely convenient.
(4)Diana B.
The food is just ok. But, the service is very friendly, the prices are reasonable and the place is clean so that earns them 3 stars. They say the owner is Greek so I tried the spinach pie. It was good (although I have had better) but the Greek salad that accompanied it was brown in spots. What really disappointed me was dessert. So many people raved about it so I had to try the Seven Sins chocolate cake. It was barely ok, tasted a little frozen. I guess when you go to a diner like this you need to stick to breakfast.
(3)Matt V.
This place was highly recommended to me so I had high expectations. The decor was what I expected for a trashy diner, so no problem there. However, the service was HORRIBLE. We waited forever to be seated, have our orders taken, then to be given our checks. One of my utter pet peeves is a cold salad in a hot bowl, which was the case. The lettuce was wilted and disgusting. There was more core of the lettuce than actual edible parts. The corn beef sandwich was alright besides the greasy soaked bread. My friend gave me his water because the waiter rarely came around to fill our drinks. On top of all this, the waiter screwed up our checks. The one positive thing I can say is the manager. He is extremely focused on customer service and quickly corrected the checks and even comped the salad. He filled my water and I would dare to say he did more than our actual waiter. On a side note, the food portions are outrageous and unnecessary. All in all, I do not recommend this place and will probably not return if I can help it.
(1)Amy T.
Visiting Chattanooga for the weekend, we were in search of a good breakfast place that was actually open on Sunday (in the Bible belt, God forbid!). We *Yelped* and found City Cafe Diner. We had a party of 6, so there was a bit of a wait in order to sit together. This is a super small place, mind you, so the "waiting area" was the hotel lobby of the adjoining Days Inn. Our four-year-olds enjoyed running through the hotel lobby like a pair of wild banshees... The menu is huge, like a typical diner, but I went with a Western Omelet, except it didn't come with cheese. Gotta pay $1.00 extra for a sprinkling of cheddar. The omelet came with a biscuit or toast, and what was supposed to be home fries. They were neither home, nor fried. They resembled a half-baked potato that had been sliced and attempted to have been pan fried. It was sort of like what you'd have if you ordered a baked potato was undercooked and then scraped the potato part out of the skin...a big mess. It just didn't work. The omelet, however, with the $1.00 cheese was very good, fully loaded with veggies that were tender crisp. The biscuit was good too. My son enjoyed his Mickey Mouse pancakes. I don't remember what hubby ordered, but he ate it all so it couldn't have been that bad. Service was good, and my coffee was always filled. If they just fixed those darn potatoes, or did something else with them entirely, it would have been a great meal.
(3)A N.
I went there because I heard their dessert was amazing. We are breakfast here and got dessert to go. The breakfast was awful and the service was worse! I had the pecan waffle and bacon. The waffle was burnt and they managed to cook the flavor out of the bacon, which I didn't know you could do! It tasted like hard grease. I got a piece of the coconut cream cake to go, and it was definitely way better than my breakfast, but nothing to write home about. The service was ok at best once we were seated, but nobody greeted us when we entered or when we went back to the counter to pay after eating. The lady only stuck her hand out for the check. You can tell they don't appreciate the customers, and I don't appreciate the poor service. I will not be returning!
(1)Kyle B.
I met a friend over here for lunch the other day... Not a very big place... we arrived just in time as we were seated immediately, but those arriving after us had to wait. The waitress brings us a menu... scratch that, a book that serves as their menu. If you want it, this place has got it! The prices are relatively inexpensive and the food is pretty good. I had a hamburger and my friend had some sort of a salad. Both items were made quickly. My burger was nice and hot and well presented. Her salad looked fresh and crisp. We both enjoyed the meal and unfortunately did not have any room for the huge cakes and pies that they have on display here. I will have to come back here one day just for the desserts! The restaurant itself is a little unassuming place built into a Days Inn. Don't judge the place based on that... the food really is quite good, especially for the low prices. We had good, attentive service... never having to wait for anything (drink refills, extras that we asked for, the check, etc). You owe it to yourself to stop by here for at least one meal... I've had breakfast here too, but that was a long time ago and not a part of this review (but it too, was good!).
(4)David D.
Very good food and lots of it. Good prices too. No wonder it is so busy.
(4)Lola D.
Had lunch there and shared a crab cake sandwich with my friend. I'm glad cuz I would not be able to eat all if it. The crab cake good and bigger portion. My friend ordered two desserts to go and I had a taste ( gluten free chocolate cake) which was good that I knew I'd have to come back. I stopped there this afternoon and ordered three types of desserts to bring back to the staff where I'm staying. Lime pie, strawberry cake and the gluten free choc cake. All were great. Glad I don't live here. I'd be stopping here often.
(4)Will M.
This place has the worst. service. ever. Not really 24 hour delivery. Very inconsistent food quality. Buyer beware!
(1)Darvey K.
Feel good food 24/7/365 with great breakfast, melts, and desserts.
(5)Andrew T.
Food was pretty good but it took 3 times to get my order right. Kids orders weren't right either. Nice people though.
(2)Zeb M.
If you look up "diner" in an encyclopedia, there should be a picture of City Cafe next to it because it perfectly exemplifies one. I always laugh at their menu because it more closely resembles a book - it's pretty big in size and has almost every platter and sandwich known to man.
(4)LM P.
My cousin brought me to City Cafe during on of my visits to Chat Town. It's a small retro-style restaurant attached to the dowtown Days Inn that reminds me of 90210's Peach Pit. We had arrived in Chattanooga late and everyone was starving, but everyone wanted something different. City Cafe was the perfect place for us because they pretty much offer anything you could want. From pancakes to tacos and from hamburgers to spaghetti, you want it, they got it. Perfect for some hungry late-night eaters. They also have a huge selection of desserts. The display-o-cakes as I like to call it, offers cakes like red velvet to banana split slices that are seriously the size of your head. We always make it a point to eat at City Cafe when we are in the Chattanooga area and are down to eat whatever.
(4)Becca G.
Great service. Delicious food. Even better desserts. I would seriously advise popping in just for the desserts alone.
(4)Matt M.
Flying into Chattanooga from Los Angeles was a long trip. Exhausted with a little bit of jet lag and having no real food in my stomach for about 8 hours, I was dying for a meal. However, it was about 1am so there wasn't a whole lot of options. Thankfully, the City Cafe Diner was within walking distance. The place seemed a little sketchy when I walked in based on the clientele that was eating there, but I was hungry and had to eat! The menu was a typical diner menu, but one of the things I first noticed were the prices. Dirt Cheap!!! Maybe it's because I'm used to overpriced places on the west coast, but the size of my portions for the price simply could not be beaten. Late food, cheap prices, two thumbs up!
(4)Katarina O.
I have issue with eating sub par food. I'm out here for a weekend trip and we decided to order some late night eats. We go the create your own sampler with the ribs, calamari, jalapeño poppers and hot wings. Where do I begin! The ribs tasted old. Almost as if they had been made a day or two before and just reheated with some sauce tossed over them. The calamari tasted like it had been dusted in plain flour and fried. There was no seasoning and no dipping sauce provided. The jalapeño poppers tasted stale. The wings appeared to be fresh but the hot sauce was not noteworthy. Ultimately this was a total waste of my money.
(1)Helen A.
So much food really good if your hungry.. great breafast.. Wait staff very helpful...
(4)Greg D.
Good prices and a huge selection. Food was average but good enough.
(3)Bill E.
Always enjoy a good lunch time salad when I'm I'm town. The desserts are outstanding as well.
(4)Raquel C.
Just came to chatanooga from the airport around midnight and my husband and i were staying at the sheraton, right across the street. Food was really good but the veggie burger(too simple, just 2 morning star parties and honey bread from supermarket). Really big portions. As a whole it was perfect after being hungry from the airport. Breakfasts are pretty good here!!
(3)Jenn T.
We were in town for a cheer competition and this restaurant was recommended to us as a "can't miss". We arrived at 8:00 pm to a bustling diner. After several minutes of not being greeted at all, an older surly gentleman took down our name, told us it would be about 30 minutes, and led us to their waiting room (which is the hotel lobby of the Days Inn that's attached). At 8:35 we were taken to our table. We ordered our food and it was not brought to our table until 9:55 pm! And that was after we had to ask several times where our food was! It was just terrible service. The waitress never apologized for the extreme wait that we had, nor did she offer to send over a manager or offer to discount the bill at all. Once we got our check we had to wait in an obnoxious line up front to pay. This is the same line that people use to order and pay for their to go orders, and the same gentleman (very rude as well) who packages up the million slices of cake that people order also takes people's payments. It was a horrendous experience and I would certainly not recommend this restaurant to anyone in the downtown Chattanooga area. There are many other options out there!
(1)Nancy P.
For perspective - I 've been traveling through VA, SC, and TN quite a bit over the last few months. As a solo traveler, I frequently treat lunch as my largest meal, so I look for decent food at reasonable prices that is NOT fast food. I ordered 2 meals to go to cover 2 days, including dessert and 2 large milks. Overall excellent rating due to taste, amount of food, speed of service and friendliness of staff. Ordered Southern friend chicken with mashed potatoes and got 1 each of leg, thigh, breast, wing and easily 3-4 servings of potatoes. Chicken very moist with batter dip I love. Potatoes were real potatoes. Other dish was spanikopita w/ Greek salad. Salad was very fresh. The cakes (chocolate and carrot) were huge. I love dessert and I usually can finish at least 3/4 of a slice, but finished maybe 1/2 of 1 slice, they were that large. 1 slice could easily be shared by 4 women. Very, very moist and very flavorful. Would highly recommend. Note on the service - very friendly and kept their cool - I went in at busiest time of lunch (around 12:15). I must admit I did see their patience tested a little bit by some rude folks. *I have no affiliation with this diner. Just happened to stumble upon it because it was close to my hotel.*
(5)Adrien R.
This place is amazing! I was working in Chattanooga for a week last winter, and myself and two co-workers ate here several times. They have an enormous menu, and everything we tried was good, came in over-sized portions and was fairly priced. We were working outdoors and I remember eating so much food to stay warm, including a piece of their cake each night, which was the size of my head. One night, we ordered food to our hotel room and it was snowing really bad. The delivery driver brought the wrong order, but came back with free drinks and dessert.
(5)Charlie P.
Walked here from the convention center 01/11/08 during the World of Wheels auto show. It was about 2pm, so wasn't very busy. Service was terribly slow, like we were invisible. We were there almost an hour and a half. My BLT wasn't bad, my wife had a so-so chicken quesadilla. We walked across the street to checkout of the Sheraton, and before we got to the car, she was violently ill. Eat at your own risk.....
(1)Melissa W.
This review is for service only...since we were never actually served. We went in last night (July 4th) to a fairly busy diner. We just wanted dessert, as this is an amazing place for it. The boyfriend and I had just finished watching fireworks...and it was our 5 year anniversary and we wanted something sweet to top the night off. We were seated fairly quickly...and our server got our drink order. I ordered a diet coke and a water...as i tend to drink fast...and the boyfriend ordered a root beer. The server kind of half listened...and didn't hear the diet coke order...but since we were sitting right next to the drink station...I spoke up to make sure I got the diet coke as well. She delivered the drinks and asked us for our order...we told her we would like dessert...and she sent us up to look at the cakes and other treats. Often when I have been here in the past the server would go up with us...to name off the different types of dessert and to get our order. No such luck this time...but being in the service industry...I understood...so no biggie. We returned to our table...and...nothing. Our server passed our table no less than 25 times...we tried to get her attention ...we waved..we tried eye contact...we did everything short of tripping her...and it was as if she was intentionally ignoring us. Our drinks were empty...we waited probably a total of 45 minutes before throwing down some ones on the table to cover the sodas and walking out. Sadly I take my sister and brother here with my mom about every other weekend...and am considering not returning to this location...
(1)Jeff C.
LOVE this place! the food is oh so delicious!
(4)David R.
The salad made with chunks of lettuce and over spiced chicken left some room for admiration. The amiable manager was a man who barked instead of offer help forthe clients. Will I come back? Never. Never ever.
(1)Max P.
Drunk and hungry? Come on down. Huge portions.
(3)Daniel T.
Its one of the best diners I have eaten at and I have eaten at quite a few. The food is a lot better than most diners. Remember this is a diner and not a 5 star restaurant. They have a big selection of food to choose from. They also have a lot of desserts. I would recommend it.
(4)Brad H.
We drove past this house of neon last evening on our way back to our hotel. First impressions mean nothing. When I asked our Chattanoogan Hotel valet where he eats breakfast, this diner was his immediate referral. Any morning trip through or visit around downtown Chattanooga, TN deserves a cheap belly full of good coffee and great diner food. Nowhere south of our favorite diners between 6th Ave and Broadway, between the Central Park South and 53rd, could come close to what this Brooklyn native has built adjacent to a cheap hotel. The boys had their eggs and bacon. Gin had her carbs in pancakes, with what bacon survived a 4 year old's grip. And this papa enjoyed his Jalapeño hell-hole omelet. No joke. 354 items on the menu and I'm a sucker for such a descriptive item. Frankly, there was little fire in the hole, so to speak. It just tasted good. Service was fine. The neon and black laquer decor plus flat-screen TVs featuring nothing but homemade cakes....ah, NYC, we do miss you...but you have a southern sister open 24/7/365 right here.
(5)David H.
Very good diner! The cakes are awesome, but all of there food is right on. Not 5 star dining, but really good food!
(4)Javier O.
I should have known better to go to a dinner located next to a Days Inn. I left there with a bigger stomach ache than when I went in. The plate was hot, the potatoes cold, the sausage links were harder than my Dog's treats and the scrambled eggs were crunchy. Luckily the waiter was nice and attentive to my needs, other wise my tip for this place would have been to fire the chef. There has to be wrong with a place that can not put together a properly cooked breakfast. Especially when the platter special bears the name of your diner. Will management please taste the food and get a grip before your food kills somebody?
(1)Michael B.
City Cafe is pretty much what you think it is...a New York/Jersey style restaurant with a jillion things on the menu and it's all available 24/7. That part is good. Took the family here for breakfast and were seated promptly. We went for breakfast but the menu was extensive. The burgers coming out looked good as did the fries. There was a cake carousel up front as well as pastries that looked pretty good. Just like a North East diner....I ordered up ham and eggs (poached) with hash browns, the boy had a waffle with and egg and Mom had a greek omelette with hash browns. Everything had the potential of being just fine...even great, but there were a few things that made City Cafe a little sub par. First of all, they need to turn up the heat a little on the griddle and waffle iron. Nothing was crispy and nicely browned. The waffle was like rubber, the hash browns were fresh boiled potatoes but again, no color or crispiness. The ham on my plate was not a nice ham steak but a couple of slices of sandwich ham. The eggs were fine. So, in the end this place is okay and I'm sure they do a lot of biz because they are open around the clock and that may make for some inconsistent chefs. Three or four things would improve this place to top notch. Cook that food to a nice color and crispiness and do it quick and bring it quick. Those bathrooms and glass windows and doors out front should be spotless.
(2)Alex C.
Large menu and somewhat greasy but quick and they can deliver to the hotel
(2)Lori B.
You'd have to be one picky eater to not find something you like on their menu since it seems like it is about 100 pages long. We ate their multiple times when we stayed in Chattanooga because it was not only delicious and close to the hotel, but also a great bang for the buck and you get tons of food. You also have to see their beautiful cakes and pies which they not only showcase in glass but also on a video screen. I'm not a cake eater and they looked tempting to me. Whether you are just craving a burger, a full meal or one of their Greek specialties like moussaka you can't go wrong.
(4)Cindy C.
Great price and casual dining right in downtown. Nice enough for lady traveler to eat alone but they also deliver if you want to stay in. Try chicken Francaise.
(4)Russ G.
Just plain awful. But to give them some credit, it was the worst night to go in. This was several months ago, the lady and I were headed to Nashville for the weekend when snow hit, hard, so we stopped in Chattanooga for the night. We were starving and nothing was open, a few places were serving but cutting off early, some were just doing limited menus but closing soon. City Cafe was the only place actually open and willing to serve food, so we braved the weather and drove there. It's attached to a hotel, so patrons there were looking to eat too, as was most of the town including a ladies basketball team and a half dozen coaches, a group of Shriners, and just assorted families with kids. Things didn't look well, but the hostess took our name, said we could wait in the hotel lobby, and it'd be about 45 minutes. Fine. 45 minutes came and went, and a few parties who came in after us got seated. We inquired and were told they had called ahead, which was bullshit, but whatever. 1 hour and 20 minutes after we first came in I got pissed and got loud, the hostess hushed me quickly, asked our name, said wait just one minute, and she'd fit us in. She also told us she had called our name, more bullshit, and my lady got in her face to call her a liar. She shrivelled up and seated us. The place was jammed packed from wall to wall and there seemed to be zero wait staff. Oh boy. Now came the real wait. Our server was a kid about 17, no restaurant experience at all, and was painfully slow. He strolled over after we'd been seated for a few minutes and looked like he'd been beaten over the head. We ordered drinks and waited for quite a good bit, then asked for bread or crackers or anything to hold us until we could order. A bread basket came out after a bit and we dove in, only to realize it was stale, hard, and dry as a bone. Now we really needed drinks, but they were still MIA. A manager came by to ask how we were doing, we replied 'thirsty', he went and got us cokes. Wow, was it that hard? The kid showed back and we ordered an appetizer and our entrees all at once, figuring we may never see any of it. He disappeared again for quite some time then arrived with my entree, then left again. I had got some sort of surf and turf, a big piece of steak, fish, baked potato, and a side salad, the salad wasn't there of course, the steak was charred beyond recognition, the fish was gamey as hell, and the potato tasted like chalk. I was hungry though so I dug in, after wiping the three pounds of onions off the meat that weren't listed on the menu. My lady snagged a bite and waited patiently, about 10 minutes later her entree came out, in the same rough shape. We ate enough to fill and quickly got up, our appetizer never showed but the check sure seemed to come out fast, and with the app on it, the prices wrong, and an extra charge for the bread. Once again the manager happened to be within earshot when I said "fuck this" and came over, he corrected it, apologized, and sent us to the cashier, where a good 14 people were standing waiting to pay, the cashier answering the phone between payments to take call in orders. The same manager finally took the phone off the hook so we could all pay and leave. Ideally it looked like a decent place, and if it was maybe dead during a weird hour I could be persuaded to try again if I was in town, but I don't see that happening with all the other quality places to eat nearby.
(1)Atlanta F.
I love it, always consistent and you know what to expect.
(4)Ananda Z.
What an unpretentious diner with fabulous breakfast food! They've got your regular eggs and bacon and ham, some fabulous pecan pancakes or waffles, and classic southern thigns like grits, or (for my husband) the uniquely southern super-salty country ham. He was in heaven. Service isn't great, but the cakes look fabulous, and the prices are reasonable, and its a pretty fun place for the genre.
(4)Michelle C.
This place was awesome. The food was fantastic. Choices a-plenty on the menu. I ordered the 16oz chopped steak with grilled onions and it was quite good. I had a piece of their chocolate cake - 4 layers, and just the right amount of chocolate frosting in between the layers. Our service was slow, but we were breaking in a newbie, so we cut her some slack. We visit Chattanooga fairly regularly these days, and we will be going back to City Cafe Diner again!
(4)