Choo Choo Bar-B-Que in Chattanooga: Memphis-Style Pulled Pork and Brisket in a Historic Depot Setting
Choo Choo Bar-B-Que is a barbecue restaurant housed in the historic Chattanooga Train Depot, specializing in Memphis-style smoked meats sold as sandwiches and platters to a mix of tourists and locals seeking quick service in a landmark building.
What Choo Choo Bar-B-Que actually is
The restaurant occupies space within the larger Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel & Convention Center complex, a repurposed 1909 railroad depot. The barbecue operation focuses on traditional Memphis-style smoking, where meat is smoked over hickory and oak without a heavy sauce glaze. The sandwich format makes it accessible for diners with limited time, a practical choice in a location where visitors often move between attractions. The venue draws both hotel guests and walk-in traffic from Broad Street, making it a high-volume operation rather than a dining destination in isolation.
Menu, pricing, and sandwich builds
Pulled pork is the flagship offering, available on a sandwich with coleslaw and pickles or as a platter with two sides. Brisket sandwiches feature thicker-cut sliced meat, drier than the pork, and serve the same dual format. Beef and pork ribs appear on the platter menu but not as sandwiches. Pulled chicken rounds out the meat selection at a lower price point.
Sandwich prices range from roughly $9 to $13 depending on meat type, with platters running $14 to $18. Sides include mac and cheese, baked beans, coleslaw, and collard greens. Cornbread comes standard with platters. Sauce is available on the side rather than pre-applied to sandwiches, a Memphis convention that lets diners control the wet-to-dry ratio.
How it compares to other Chattanooga sandwich spots
Choo Choo Bar-B-Que competes primarily with other barbecue sandwich options downtown. Big River Smokehouse, located on Broad Street roughly six blocks away, emphasizes North Carolina Piedmont-style bark and saucing, meaning the meat arrives saucier and the texture is firmer. Choo Choo's Memphis approach produces softer, more pull-apart pork. For speed and deposit-and-go convenience, Choo Choo wins because the depot location and hotel foot traffic support quick ordering. For cured or smoked specialty meats beyond basic pulled pork and brisket, Big River stocks more variety. Neither operates as a full sit-down restaurant; both are primarily counter-service with seating areas.
If a diner wants to compare barbecue platters rather than sandwiches, Terminal Cafe, also in the Choo Choo complex, serves barbecue platters with table service in a more formal setting, but at higher prices and longer wait times.
Who this place suits and does not suit
Choo Choo Bar-B-Que works best for hotel guests, tourists on the Broad Street walking route, and people seeking lunch in under 30 minutes. The Memphis-style sandwich format appeals to those who prefer milder smoke and softer pulled meat over crispy bark. Families with children benefit from the familiar sandwich shape and the historic novelty of eating in a train depot.
The venue does not suit diners seeking sit-down table service, a full bar, or specialty smoked meats beyond the standard rotation. It also does not accommodate large private groups well because of the fast-casual counter setup. Those with a strong preference for heavy barbecue sauce applied before serving should request extra on the side, since Memphis style restrains this.
What the first visit involves
Order at a counter staffed by one to three people depending on time of day. Expect a 10- to 15-minute wait during lunch hours (noon to 1 p.m. weekdays). Specify your meat, sandwich or platter, sides, and whether you want sauce. Pickup happens at the same counter. Seating is a mix of high-top tables and booths scattered through a modest room with depot-themed decor and visible kitchen windows. The experience is casual and transactional, not a lingering sit-down meal.
Hours, parking, and logistics
Choo Choo Bar-B-Que operates Monday through Saturday, roughly 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., with Sunday hours typically 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; confirm current hours before a weekend visit. The restaurant sits inside the Choo Choo Hotel complex at 1400 Market Street. Parking is available in the hotel lot and nearby street parking along Broad Street. The nearest public transit stop is the CARTA Main Street Station, about two blocks away.
A second location operates on the North Shore near the Hunter Museum, with similar hours but potentially shorter waits during off-peak afternoon hours.
Choo Choo Bar-B-Que delivers the Memphis barbecue sandwich standard in a historically rooted setting where train-era architecture and contemporary counter service coexist, making it a reliable choice for quick smoked meat without pretense.
