In the midst of the emotional roller coaster of finals week last semester, one dinosaur-onesie wearing Victoria Yang urgently informed me that there was a new Chattanooga spot that must be reviewed. Naturally, I did what any academically-driven student would do and gave up on finals studying for a morning to check it out. It was good enough that I ended up there three times during the restaurant’s opening week. Freshmen, consider this to be your “little c” calling—go to 2 Sons Kitchen for breakfast, lunch, or brunch.
Chef Nathan Flynt combines his fine dining and food truck past to create this unique spot located on M.L.K. Boulevard in the heart of the city. The simple décor highlights the historic building, beautiful floors, exposed brick, large windows, and Chattanooga mural. The interior is unassuming, which allows the food to speak volumes. 2 Sons features Southern comfort food done right with a bit of a twist in most of the dishes.
Breakfast at this place definitely fits within a college budget with most items being under $4 or $5. Two favorites are the homemade yogurt and granola for a fresh start to the day or my personal favorite, the Fried Chicken Biscuit. Now this is not simply a chicken biscuit. It is perfectly breaded, tender chicken on a crumbly biscuit doused in a hot honey sauce. If given a straw, I would probably drink that hot honey sauce. While normally Maple Street Biscuit Company is the only place worthwhile for biscuits and gravy, 2 Sons does a fine (though perhaps not extraordinary) version for less than half the price.
Lunch goes up in cost, but is still reasonable, as most menu items are under $8 and the sandwiches are incredibly flavorful. The top pick for me is the Midnight in Saigon with pulled pork on a Niedlov’s bun, a tart Japanese ponzu sauce, and a carrot-cilantro slaw to make it one of a kind. While most of the food I have tried has been solid, the cinnamon rolls were quite disappointing. They came highly recommended by employees as their favorite thing on the menu, but they ended up being dry, bready, and relatively flavorless. It was honestly just a sad, close-to-tears experience. (I remedied it later by making homemade pumpkin cinnamon rolls and the sadness soon dissipated.) Furthermore, while the carrot-cilantro slaw/salad is great on a sandwich, it is not recommended as a side as it ends up tasting like nothing more than shaved raw carrots.
This restaurant will not be life-changing or the best meal in the city, but the reasonable prices and distinctive take on Southern foods already make 2 Sons a Chattanooga staple. Keep in mind it is closed on Sundays, parking around lunch time can be difficult, and remember to avoid the cinnamon rolls. Overall, 2 Sons has quickly become my go-to breakfast place in the city and it is where you should be this Saturday morning.