St John's Restaurant

“St. John’s is our go-to for special celebrations, like anniversaries and birthdays. It never disappoints. Parking was easy (but not free). We were seated right at our reservation time, 6:15. Our server, Caitlin, was professional, enthusiastic, knowledgeable, a great conversationalist, and just a real jewel. We started with a glass of champagne (birthday toast), and the delicious appetizers pictured. The remainder of the meal, dessert, and the evening, were wonderful. Looking forward to our next visit.”

“My Girlfriend and I come to Chattanooga every year during the first week of the year for her birthday. We’re from Birmingham and are enormous foodies, as one should be from Birmingham. Our food scene is truly astounding. So for us, finding a comparable dinner option for her birthday that lives up to our standards in Chattanooga has been a bit of a challenge. That challenge is UNDOUBTABLY over. We’ve had good food in the city, but never outstanding food. At this point, we no longer have to look for the best available in Chattanooga- it’s St. John’s. The walk through getting in to the restaurant section of the building is something of a sight- take a 1920s speakeasy mixed with a modern rotunda style bar area. Continue through an extremely modern, marble-encrusted beautiful setting. Our table was a great spot near a window; an intimate two top with plenty of room and just enough distance from other diners to keep the noise to a minimum but also close enough to keep the feel of a deserted restaurant away, which is always nice. Then there was our server…. And I can say with certainty I will not be able to do her enough justice in this review. Her name was Grace- a vibrant, warm, and excited server seemingly THRILLED to be serving at St. John’s. Her steps of service were perfect, and so was her timing. Literally impeccable timing, to the point where we never had to touch our half bottle of white we ordered. Our glasses were Filled exactly when they needed to be. Grace was professional, brilliant, and extremely knowledgeable of the menu. It’s incredibly refreshing and impressive to watch service of this caliber, and it truly makes the experience one to never forget. Now I haven’t spoken about the food yet because there’s so many wonderful things to say. But the food is the best in Chattanooga. Hard stop. If I’m wrong, I honestly don’t want to be right. Whatever they’re doing in that kitchen to combine the flavors and textures of their dishes is actually astonishing, and with service at the level its at, they compound on each other building into “a perfect meal”. We decided to skip the -for the table options bc these did seem more for a larger group to share and instead ordered the scallops and the mushroom papardelle to share between us. Grace and the kitchen were brilliant and spilt both small plates exactly evenly between us, without being prompted. Another sign of absolute exquisite attention to detail and a mastery of leading a meal as a server. The scallops were absolutely delightful and delicious. They were cooked PERFECTLY, and the flavor was the best I’ve had with scallops. The mushroom pasta was much larger than anticipated and cooked perfectly as well. Earthy, hearty, and delicious. Honorable mention to the bead service. Not bc of the bread, but bc of the homemade butter. The butter was so delectable and smooth, we actually took some with us and had with our breakfast this morning. On to the main courses- the moment where the meal went from top 10 to top 3. Brenna chose this particular restaurant for her birthday BECAUSE it had duck on the menu. And it was by her words “the best she’s ever had”. It was cooked mr and prepared in a way I had not seen before. A fascinating and delicious approach to a duck dish. My choice was…. A different direction all together. So normally with quail on a menu, I’d be completely obligated to order it. However, upon discussion with grace, it was determined I had to get the Antelope. The fact it’s on a menu is in itself completely insane. I usually have my steak blue rare, so grace was also great to go back to the kitchen to ask the chef if a rare antelope would work- she ALSO confirmed a perfect pairing with the dish (she came back with multiple options and I chose the cab franc by the glass. Another wild option to see on a glass menu). The chef confirmed the antelope could be cooked and should be cooked rare so we went with it. This was the single best item I have ever eaten. Period. Every bite was incredible and the Franc paired perfectly. The finest meal we’ve had.”

“OUTSTANDING! An absolute enjoyable dining experience! We loved everything from the time we arrived until the time we left. The ambiance was exquisite, even down to the design of the outdoor parking lot and green space. The interior was designed with elegance. The staff was friendly and welcoming, all with warm smiles. Our waitress, Grace, was very patient and accommodating with us as we were on a time crunch and had to be in and out in an hour for an outdoor show. Grace was very prompt, sweet, flexible to our needs and had great insight of the menu to offer suggestions as we were torn between several tasty choices. My husband and daughter had the Wagyu steak which they raved about. I had the sea bass which was fantastic! Everything we ordered from appetizers to our meal was a solid 10! I was sad that I didn’t order my husband’s brussel sprout appetizer though as it was really delicious but so were my seared scallops! Our daughter ordered the butternut squash soup and devoured it! St. John’s is an incredible dining experience! We were so sad that we live out of town otherwise we would have dinner there every weekend. I also appreciated greatly that although it is a very upscale establishment that we felt no judgment because we had to dress down a smidge for our after dinner outdoor festivities (in the cold) and since we drove in from out of town, we had no place to change clothes. It was also a bonus that they have their own parking lot with free parking vs. paying $11 every time you have to park somewhere in Chattanooga. It was absolutely perfect from start to finish. You must experience St. John’s for yourself!”

“We loved everything from walking in to when we left. It was an experience not just dinner out. The atmosphere was cozy elegant, booth cushions were velvety soft with great support, and staff were friendly and helpful. Our server was so kind, knowledgeable and helpful explaining different menu items. The chef and his staff prepared mouthwatering dishes with top quality ingredients, that are pleasing to the eyes and taste buds. We were a party of 3, every dish was delicious and we shared them all. Our first time, but definitely not our last!”

“My second visit to St John’s at the Chestnut Street location on a Saturday evening with friends from out of town turned out to be semi disappointing. Our party of six was seated promptly, and our server Grace was an ultra-professional displaying an impressive, deep understanding of both the food and drink menus. Our appetizers of scallops and salads were both prepared perfectly and enjoyed by everyone. However, the experience dipped when our main courses arrived after an unusual extended wait time. Four of our six entrees—specifically the Wagyu steak, the Antelope steak, and the Osso Buco—arrived at the table significantly under-temperature; then after being sent back, arrived with no change of temperature (only the plates were hot). The manager, Lauren, apologized profusely and took full accountability by crediting the four cold entrees, and provided a tray of desserts free of charge. The way management handled the situation is why I will continue to support this business. I’ll definitely return to give them another chance, since I truly like the establishment for a fine dining experience.”