This is a bar c** restaurant. It serves some exotic main dishes & they incubate other start-ups such as Ukko & Poppyton patisserie. We tried the Ghanaian dish with fried egg, avocado, stewed beans & coconut rice
Jonathan Brocco
Do not miss out on eating here! Try the Red Red and the Wok Noodles, two of the best meals I’ve had in any city!
Elise Armstrong
Best food in Chattanooga right now, no question!
Stephanie C.
Great food in a convenient downtown location. The server was very personable and helpful. Good vegetarian cuisine. I highly recommend this eatery.
Carrie Eynon
Chef is amazing great food !!!
Rebecca W
We had take out this evening from Neutral Ground (for six people) and every one of our dishes were delicious. The meals were flavorful and unique and the New Orleans style dishes got rave reviews from family that knows food from New Orleans. Can’t wait to get in there for a sit down meal if take out tastes this good!
Hannah Schobert
My partner and I had an incredible dining experience w you. Like Lupita said, THE FLAVORS! The peanut garlic noodles were a fav. The umami, sour, salty and sweet were all so balanced and delicious! The Nashville Hot Shrimp Po boy was also bomb and the fries were told notch. We also got the beef skewers which were good but boring compared to everything else! Keep up the amazing work. Chatt is blessed to have you!
Emily Rowin
Neutral Ground catered a dinner we hosted for our family and friends. Chef Ashford is enjoyable to work with and shared his expertise on what types of food worked best for our casual come and go atmosphere. Neutral Ground provides delicious vegetarian options, too. Everyone raved about the po' boy sliders, and even the carnivores went back for seconds and thirds of the West African Red Red.
D H.
So glad we tried Neutral Ground at the Proof. What a wonderful concept for up and coming restauranteurs! Talked to Neutral Ground chef, Kenyatta Ashford, to see how early we need to arrive to try his delicious sounding tamales.... he said as soon as they open! (They were sold out when we arrived at 7:30) Delicious food & fun atmosphere! Definitely recommend the gulf shrimp salad with plantains, the West African Red-Red dish (both were amazing), & Brisket meatball Yakamein! Ended the meal with two truffle desserts by Poppytons! We will definitely make plans to arrive when you open.... I can't wait to hear when & where Chef Kenyatta ventures out to open his restaurant! Keep up the good work Chef! You definitely earned two followers tonight!
Katie Rouse
Two friends and I saw the menu, came in a few days later, and ended up ordering every single item off the menu except for one dish (which I'll have to come back for). It was all so delicious and AUTHENTIC.The Gulf Shrimp Salad was the appetizer I was least excited about but ended up enjoying the most! Super fresh and light.The Bahn-Mi was authentic and the NOLA Hot Sausage felt classic and tasty (if you haven't had a Po-Boy before this is a GREAT introduction), but the Crispy Oyster Mushroom really took home the award for our favorite Po-Boy, another pleasant surprise!The broth on the Brisket Meatball Yakamein was otherworldly, but the real show stoppers of the night were the West African Red-Red and the Shrimp & Grits.All in all, you can't go wrong here. The wait staff is with Proof Bar and Incubator and they were incredibly welcoming, fun, and made an effort to help move us to a bigger table because of all the food we ordered. 10/10 will be back.For reference, we went on a Wednesday at 6pm and were able to get seated upstairs (rain prevented sitting on the welcoming patio outside) and they already had reservations lined up which is always a good sign. As someone who lived on MLK for a few years, I can't say how excited I am to have an option like this so close by and with more than convenient hours, especially for later eating!
Great atmosphere. As soon as we walked in we were greeted with beautiful decor and a relaxed vibe. We order the Pho and the Yakamein. The Pho was excellent. My wife loves it. The Yakamein was incomparable. I have never experienced the complex flavors present in this dish. It was a symphony of surprises and delights. I had to resist licking the bowl while moaning softly.
Charlie M.
Best restaurant in Chattanooga. Long post alert! If you don't want to read it all, here's what you need to know: * Spectacular authentic New Orleanian cuisine * Deliciously inventive cocktails * Top notch service with genuine, kind people My family and I went to Neutral Ground today for brunch. We have been extremely cautious about going to restaurants since the pandemic hit, and this was probably only the 6th time we've sat down in a restaurant since this all started. We called on our way to see if we needed reservations to sit outside (still haven't sat inside since last May). They said no, and when we pulled up, we saw that they had already set up the table for us, complete with a small fire pit to keep us warm. They are very careful about COVID. Everyone is required to wear a mask, temp checks at the door, and they take your first name and number for contact tracing, all of which was very appreciated. The ambiance is very trendy, kind of like a modern take on a high end 60s bar. Excellent drink menu as well, and they are happy to make anything for you. Ok, the food. We ordered the standard breakfast for our three kids, which consisted of scrambled eggs, hash browns, smoky bacon and creamy grits. The staff went ahead and split up the meal evenly on three small plates, and it was more than enough for them. My kids are fairly picky eaters, and they are every bite! If you have small kids, you know how rare that is! Speaking of kids, the restaurant is very kid friendly. My wife got the breakfast sandwich, which had spicy sausage and eggs on an English muffin served with plantain and sweet potato chips. It was amazing! The sausage tasted slightly like chorizo, but with a flavor all its own. I ordered the catfish and grits (pictured), and it was perfect. The catfish tenders were fried perfectly; crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. The grits were fluffy and creamy with a melt in your mouth sauce on top. All garnished with thinly sliced fresh jalapeños to give it an extra depth of flavor and spice. SO GOOD. We got some apple cider donuts and strawberry hand pies for dessert and both were truly great. The donuts were soft and sweet, while the pies were flaky and light. What the chef is doing at Neutral Ground is extremely unique in Chattanooga: his food is authentic to New Orleans, yet he makes it his own. This is the third time I've eaten here, and the first time we have all sat down in the restaurant. We love many of the restaurants in town, but in my opinion this one can't be beat for its combination of service, ambiance and food.
This is a bar c** restaurant. It serves some exotic main dishes & they incubate other start-ups such as Ukko & Poppyton patisserie. We tried the Ghanaian dish with fried egg, avocado, stewed beans & coconut rice
Do not miss out on eating here! Try the Red Red and the Wok Noodles, two of the best meals I’ve had in any city!
Best food in Chattanooga right now, no question!
Great food in a convenient downtown location. The server was very personable and helpful. Good vegetarian cuisine. I highly recommend this eatery.
Chef is amazing great food !!!
We had take out this evening from Neutral Ground (for six people) and every one of our dishes were delicious. The meals were flavorful and unique and the New Orleans style dishes got rave reviews from family that knows food from New Orleans. Can’t wait to get in there for a sit down meal if take out tastes this good!
My partner and I had an incredible dining experience w you. Like Lupita said, THE FLAVORS! The peanut garlic noodles were a fav. The umami, sour, salty and sweet were all so balanced and delicious! The Nashville Hot Shrimp Po boy was also bomb and the fries were told notch. We also got the beef skewers which were good but boring compared to everything else! Keep up the amazing work. Chatt is blessed to have you!
Neutral Ground catered a dinner we hosted for our family and friends. Chef Ashford is enjoyable to work with and shared his expertise on what types of food worked best for our casual come and go atmosphere. Neutral Ground provides delicious vegetarian options, too. Everyone raved about the po' boy sliders, and even the carnivores went back for seconds and thirds of the West African Red Red.
So glad we tried Neutral Ground at the Proof. What a wonderful concept for up and coming restauranteurs! Talked to Neutral Ground chef, Kenyatta Ashford, to see how early we need to arrive to try his delicious sounding tamales.... he said as soon as they open! (They were sold out when we arrived at 7:30) Delicious food & fun atmosphere! Definitely recommend the gulf shrimp salad with plantains, the West African Red-Red dish (both were amazing), & Brisket meatball Yakamein! Ended the meal with two truffle desserts by Poppytons! We will definitely make plans to arrive when you open.... I can't wait to hear when & where Chef Kenyatta ventures out to open his restaurant! Keep up the good work Chef! You definitely earned two followers tonight!
Two friends and I saw the menu, came in a few days later, and ended up ordering every single item off the menu except for one dish (which I'll have to come back for). It was all so delicious and AUTHENTIC.The Gulf Shrimp Salad was the appetizer I was least excited about but ended up enjoying the most! Super fresh and light.The Bahn-Mi was authentic and the NOLA Hot Sausage felt classic and tasty (if you haven't had a Po-Boy before this is a GREAT introduction), but the Crispy Oyster Mushroom really took home the award for our favorite Po-Boy, another pleasant surprise!The broth on the Brisket Meatball Yakamein was otherworldly, but the real show stoppers of the night were the West African Red-Red and the Shrimp & Grits.All in all, you can't go wrong here. The wait staff is with Proof Bar and Incubator and they were incredibly welcoming, fun, and made an effort to help move us to a bigger table because of all the food we ordered. 10/10 will be back.For reference, we went on a Wednesday at 6pm and were able to get seated upstairs (rain prevented sitting on the welcoming patio outside) and they already had reservations lined up which is always a good sign. As someone who lived on MLK for a few years, I can't say how excited I am to have an option like this so close by and with more than convenient hours, especially for later eating!
Restaurantji Recommends
Great atmosphere. As soon as we walked in we were greeted with beautiful decor and a relaxed vibe. We order the Pho and the Yakamein. The Pho was excellent. My wife loves it. The Yakamein was incomparable. I have never experienced the complex flavors present in this dish. It was a symphony of surprises and delights. I had to resist licking the bowl while moaning softly.
Best restaurant in Chattanooga. Long post alert! If you don't want to read it all, here's what you need to know: * Spectacular authentic New Orleanian cuisine * Deliciously inventive cocktails * Top notch service with genuine, kind people My family and I went to Neutral Ground today for brunch. We have been extremely cautious about going to restaurants since the pandemic hit, and this was probably only the 6th time we've sat down in a restaurant since this all started. We called on our way to see if we needed reservations to sit outside (still haven't sat inside since last May). They said no, and when we pulled up, we saw that they had already set up the table for us, complete with a small fire pit to keep us warm. They are very careful about COVID. Everyone is required to wear a mask, temp checks at the door, and they take your first name and number for contact tracing, all of which was very appreciated. The ambiance is very trendy, kind of like a modern take on a high end 60s bar. Excellent drink menu as well, and they are happy to make anything for you. Ok, the food. We ordered the standard breakfast for our three kids, which consisted of scrambled eggs, hash browns, smoky bacon and creamy grits. The staff went ahead and split up the meal evenly on three small plates, and it was more than enough for them. My kids are fairly picky eaters, and they are every bite! If you have small kids, you know how rare that is! Speaking of kids, the restaurant is very kid friendly. My wife got the breakfast sandwich, which had spicy sausage and eggs on an English muffin served with plantain and sweet potato chips. It was amazing! The sausage tasted slightly like chorizo, but with a flavor all its own. I ordered the catfish and grits (pictured), and it was perfect. The catfish tenders were fried perfectly; crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. The grits were fluffy and creamy with a melt in your mouth sauce on top. All garnished with thinly sliced fresh jalapeños to give it an extra depth of flavor and spice. SO GOOD. We got some apple cider donuts and strawberry hand pies for dessert and both were truly great. The donuts were soft and sweet, while the pies were flaky and light. What the chef is doing at Neutral Ground is extremely unique in Chattanooga: his food is authentic to New Orleans, yet he makes it his own. This is the third time I've eaten here, and the first time we have all sat down in the restaurant. We love many of the restaurants in town, but in my opinion this one can't be beat for its combination of service, ambiance and food.