In April of 2025, MICHELIN announced its newest culinary guide map, the MICHELIN Guide American South. The guide features restaurants and lodging across Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Atlanta, the Carolinas, and Tennessee, highlighting the unique culture and culinary traditions of the region.
When selecting restaurants to be included, Michelin says they focus on the following criteria: 1) quality products; 2) the harmony of flavors; 3) the mastery of cooking techniques; 4) the voice and personality of the chef as reflected in the cuisine; 5) consistency between each visit and throughout the menu (each restaurant is inspected several times a year).
After anonymous inspectors from Michelin dined several times at local establishments, four Chattanooga restaurants received a MICHELIN Guide recommendation: Easy Bistro, Main Street Meats, Little Coyote, and The Rosecomb. Little Coyote also received Michelin’s Bib Gourmand recognition, which indicates high-quality food at a good value. Learn a little about each restaurant and its unique cuisine, history, and what made it stand out to Michelin inspectors.
The Menu
Owned by Chef Erik Niel and his wife Amanda Niel, Easy Bistro is located near downtown in Chattanooga’s West Village. Anchored by classic French cooking techniques, the menu features a variety of seafood dishes including a raw bar with oysters from different coasts, along with a variety of small plates, fresh pastas, meats, vegetarian options, and sides. The restaurant encourages a shareable experience rather than traditional courses, making it perfect for a date night or for groups to enjoy an intimate meal. In addition to the food options, guests can enjoy an extensive selection of wine and beers, along with craft cocktails and mocktails. For fans of whiskey, Easy Bistro offers more than 300 global whiskey options, one of the largest selections in the area. After your meal, be sure to check out their rotating dessert menu for a sweet treat to end the evening.
The History
Inspired by the joy of hosting dinner parties in college, Erik Niel wanted to work in a kitchen. After working in several restaurants, Niel attended culinary school in Colorado in 2000. After moving to Chattanooga, he and Amanda opened Easy Bistro, originally called Easy Seafood, in 2005. He has since opened two additional restaurants and is a two-time semifinalist for the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southeast. With Erik handling the culinary vision, Amanda oversees operations, marketing, events, HR, and the guest experience at their three restaurants.
The MICHELIN Guide
In the guide, Michelin describes the restaurant as “comfortable but unfussy,” recognizing the bistro’s combination of culinary excellence with Southern hospitality. During the 2025 award ceremony, master of ceremony Java Ingram shared, “Every chef here tonight has earned this honor with your hard work and passion.” Erik and Amanda echoed these sentiments as they reflected on being recognized. “The MICHELIN Guide is a powerful acknowledgment of the entire restaurant and the countless people whose hard work makes it what it is. I’m so proud of everyone who’s part of our story, past and present. This recognition reflects years of dedication, heart, resilience, and passion. In 10 years, hopefully, there are many more names on that list,” Erik says in a statement.
The Menu
The second restaurant venture of the Niels, Main Street Meats is a restaurant and butcher shop known for a variety of meats, whiskeys, and take-home options. Located in the vibrant Southside neighborhood, they focus on whole-animal butchery – according to their website they can get any meat and any cut, you just have to ask. The shop partners with reputable local farmers to get high-quality meat, which is evident in both the butcher shop and their menu. Favorites include the local beef burger, butcher cut steaks in a variety of cuts, and the roasted chicken. While the restaurant offers a full bar with cocktails, wine, and beer options, the 280-bottle whiskey selection dominates the bar menu, including a rotating featured flight of whiskeys to sample. Along with the butcher shop and restaurant, they also offer holiday catering menus and take-and-bake family style meals for pickup.
The History
Ten years after opening Easy Bistro, Erik and Amanda Niel added Main Street Meats to their portfolio in 2015. The couple took over the existing butcher shop, which they had previously bought meat from for several of Easy Bistro’s dishes. They expanded the shop’s existing offerings to dine-in and take-home options and kept the original emphasis on local, high-quality meats.
The MICHELIN Guide
“There’s a cut for everyone here,” reads the MICHELIN Guide’s description of the restaurant and butcher shop. The farm-to-table, local approach to butchery and dining impressed the inspectors, who highlighted the house-made sausage and delicious veggie sides from the menu.
The Menu
The latest restaurant venture of Erik and Amanda Niel, Little Coyote opened in the St. Elmo neighborhood in 2023. The heart of the menu is Texas-style barbeque, highlighted by smoked meats and handmade corn tortillas. Lunch and dinner guests can enjoy everything from small plates and appetizers, such as queso or a stuffed avocado, to entrees like fajitas and smoked brisket along with vegetarian options. The restaurant is also 100% gluten free outside of their beer selection. To complement the meal, they’ve curated an extensive tequila and mezcal selection, along with frozen drinks, classic cocktails, and beer and wine options. While the Southwest-inspired décor inside adds to the experience, good weather calls for sitting on the expansive patio with views of Lookout Mountain.
The History
After working several years in fine dining and upscale dining spaces, Erik Neil continued to dream of a more laid-back concept with smoked meats and tortillas at the core of the idea. Once he was approached to purchase the former American Legion building in St. Elmo, it felt like the right time to launch the concept. While Erik curated the menu, his wife Amanda focused on the interior and ambiance, inspired by the Southwest with a modern approach.
The MICHELIN Guide
Along with Little Coyote’s recognition in the guide, it also received Michelin’s Bib Gourmand distinction, which recognizes restaurants that serve high-quality food at great value. The guide describes the restaurant’s fare as “seriously good Tex-Mex cooking,” with “familiar favorites” that are far from standard.
The Menu
Tucked away in a beautiful historic home in Chattanooga’s popular Riverview neighborhood, The Rosecomb serves up craft cocktails and mocktails and Appalachian-inspired dishes, along with wine and beer. Patrons have the option of dining inside the unique home, or sitting in the garden, which is a certified wildlife sanctuary. On the menu, cocktails are the star of the show with unique spirits and homemade syrups. Try a Luz Verde for a slightly spicy, citrusy-forward drink, or enjoy The Basil Marceux, a tropical drink with herbal notes. Food options rotate regularly to allow for seasonal selections, such as the white bean and tomato confit spread or the catfish and grits, along with rotating desserts.
The History
Owners and spouses Ryan Smith and Chloe Wright opened The Rosecomb in 2021 after working in restaurants in Chattanooga and New York City. The two blended their Tennessee and Mississippi roots in their approach to the décor and the menu and combined their strengths to create a beautiful space with exceptional cocktail and food menus. The restaurant now sees tourists and locals alike, along with a group of regulars who frequent the space.
The MICHELIN Guide
“The Rosecomb isn’t just adorable, it’s fun and a little bit funky too,” reads the Michelin description of the establishment. For Ryan and Chloe, the journey to the MICHELIN guide was unexpected – and almost missed. The invite to the MICHELIN awards ceremony went into the spam folder of their email, which the couple mistook for actual junk mail until Erik Neil contacted them to ask what time they were arriving at the award ceremony. Michelin inspectors were impressed by their “quirky, creative cooking,” and the space’s character.
Michelin’s inclusion of these four iconic Chattanooga restaurants on the MICHELIN Guide American South will likely impact the city’s tourism scene as locals and tourists flock to the establishments, but also as restaurateurs see the city in a new light, full of promise for the Scenic City culinary scene.
Kristen Dee, BS, MA, Summa Cum Laude
Kristen Dee is a graduate of Winthrop University where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in integrated marketing communications, with the distinction of Magna Cum Laude and IMC Student of the Year. Following Winthrop, Kristen earned a Master of Arts in Communication from Wake Forest University. Prior to joining CMC Media & Marketing Group as editor, Kristen successfully fulfilled roles involving internal corporate communications. Today, Kristen leads ideation, conceptualization, and development of numerous health, wellness, business, sports, and lifestyle articles published in print and online for HealthScope®, CityScope®, and Choose Chattanooga® magazines – premier publications serving S.E. Tennessee and North Georgia.
