Very disappointed (and I don't like giving low ratings but on this one I have to). The service was excellent but the food was vastly over priced. The venue is cute, but over rated and still not worth the price. The portions are very small at extreme prices that in most other tapas restaurants would be considered only partial portions. There weren't very many options that were authentically or even inspired by Latin and Spanish cuisine. I was really looking forward to some chorizo! It's a bit of a novelty in Chattanooga, I have yet to find others in town, but having had good and not over-priced tapas before, it's just not worth it for me.
Review Source:This place was phenomenal! My husband and I were staying on the Delta Queen and wanted to eat somewhere within walking distance. We stumbled upon this place, took a seat at the bar and were wowed from the moment we sat down. The friendly bartender recommended a pitcher of Sangria and although I have never been a fan, this was amazing! She also recommended two dished, the duck and surf & turf. Our surf and turf came out and it was so yummy. The meat was perfectly cooked and the turf was a giant sea scallop. Best I have ever had. The duck came out next and I was blown away by the flavor and portion size. It was the perfect amount of food for us! We were able to see the chef and that has to be one of the best things for me because I love to watch my food being prepared. It also lets me know the chef is good and he has nothing to hide! Check this place out even if its just to see have a drink and take in the décor. It is a romantic place with a laid back vibe. Will definitely go back next time I am in Chattanooga.
Review Source:Terra Nostra was certainly a great experience.
The atmosphere is very unique, with sillouette figures on the wall that remind me of an intimate french restaurant... from the movie Ratatouille, and some colorful animal figures here and there as well.
The food was excellent. Cooked to order, the chef was right infront of us. Not just us, but the other guests that came by would perfonally compliment the chef as they left.
We knew the portions were small, so we blasted in a handful of orders at a time. Everything came out PIPING hot (so be careful!). We tried...
Coconut shrimp and scallops - nice flavor, not fried (caught me off guard),
Fried Shrimp - excellent, possibly my favorite thing on the menu. Very tasty, crispily breaded fried shrimp with a nice sauce
Scallops in bacon were amazing, served on top of a mashed potato with another different sauce.
Lobster ravioli was good. (I normally don't like ravioli, but this was tasty)
Asparagus au gratin was nice.
Overall, food was excellent, portions were small (so order a lot), atmosphere is very nice - romantic and eclectic, but the prices (if you order like we did) are high.
All in all, a very good date restaurant.
Here's my "brilliant" suggestion: watch Ratatouille on video and then head here for your date night.
I really like the idea of tapas. It's an interesting way to try different things. We had a Groupon for $40 worth of food. Between my boyfriend and I, it was ALOT of food. We were stuffed and wasn't quite able to finish everything. The service was excellent and although we sat inside because it was sprinkling, they have an quaint and pretty cool little patio. The sangria was yummy and I reccomend the peanut butter pie. I'm not a huge fan on pb pie, but this was creamy and not too rich. Just melted in your mouth. I'm positive I'll be visiting this again.
Review Source:We went here for dinner with a friend. We were seated right away and the hostess was pleasant.
The menu was quite extensive and almost everything we had was delicious. We had the pumpkin ravioli which wasn't stellar.
Service was great and there was easy parking behind the restaurant. The atmosphere was nice and there was plenty of cool art to be seen. There's an outdoor area but we didn't notice it until our way out.
The only downside is that this place is pretty pricey otherwise it's worth checking out.
The ambience was very nice. Â The service was great. Â The wine was very good...but I am completely disappointed in the Pata Negra and the prices. Â Two pieces for Pata Negra - and I paid $11 for it? Â ? Â And then we asked the server, and she explained to us that the owner gets the Jamon Serrano from Spain at $54/oz....are you kidding me? Â $864/lb for Jamon Serrano???Nutso...not believable...I felt bad for the server.
I know the price of Jamon Serrano - I live in Mexico City, where we get imported Spanish Jamon Serrano at 54 pesos per 100g. Â 1 pound = 453 g = 244 Pesos, which translates into????? Â 13 Pesos per dollar at $18.81 per pound. Â Seriously...know what you are talking about and don't overcharge...
Also the cheese plate...give me a break - next time I go to Costco and get the same thing. Â Manchego...from the party platter??? Â
The Mozarella bruschetta - good - but too much cheese.
Anyways, I realize Nooga is growing, but respect the people here...
Eat a snack before you get there.
The food was okay at best. I don't know how people are saying that they like to steal a little off of other people's plates because the serving size is so small that there really isn't much to share.
Also the price to eat only a couple of things and a lower end bottle of wine ran me and my date about $100.
Server was really nice and spunky, but hard to get a hold of at times.
Our experience could have been an episode of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. Despite having a reservation made over a month ago (we're from out of town), we stood at the front door for nearly 10 minutes before being ushered to a seat at the bar. After sitting there another 10 minutes without being offered a drink or a menu, we were moved to a tiny table right in front of the kitchen doors. It was wobbly and hardly big enough to hold two plates, so we asked to move. The hostess who seated us (three times) was madly running around from table to table, behind the bar and eventually back around to us. The other servers clearly weren't assigned tables. When we ordered food, we were advised to order everything at once, or it wouldn't come out on time. When the food finally arrived, it was fabulous, but it was overshadowed by the terrible service. After ordering our food (and taking the advice from the hostess not to order anything else beyond the initial order), we hightailed it to the nice crab restaurant across the street to have food and drink with better service.
Review Source:I really couldn't figure out whether to give 2 stars or 3. I feel like something had to be bad for me to knock it down to 2, but nothing really was. The problem was that nothing was really spectacular. Everything was good, but that's it. Go here if you just want something good. It will be. Don't go expecting something memorable, though.
I've definitely had better tapas, but not necessarily in Chattanooga.
What's not to love?
This is becoming one of our go to spots in the 'noog.
I love Tapas, I love stealing bites of other peoples plates, I love a easy pace that allows for conversation...
really a great spot!
They are reasonably priced, and of the 20+ items I've had all but a couple were very good and a few were WORLD CLASS.
Nice wine selection, good cocktails, beer.
Service is always attentive and friendly without being over the top.
Best Tapas in town, and one of the top 5 restaurants in town. Period.
The food was extremely ok. There was nothing I didn't like, but nothing that I am dying to go back for more of. The $12 sangria pitcher was probably the best thing I had.
My wife has a gluten sensitivity and they were oblivious to our repeated requests to exclude bread from various dishes.
I doubt I would visit again, just not impressed with the value, or lack thereof.
One of the great wine bars I have ever visited, out of many. Â The staff is what makes it so incredible. Â Friendly and knowledgeable, if you open yourself up they will help you have a special evening. Â The food is fabulous, and the menu of both food and wine is always rotating, so your visit is always fresh. Â The ambience and decor are quite unusual, and very enjoyable. Â The owning couple have created quite a special place.
Review Source:We decided to visit Terra Nostra whole visiting town, seeing that several yelpers gave it good reviews. However, we were disappointed on multiple levels: the atmosphere is off balanced and awkward ( tries too hard to be artsy)  service was mediocre,  most of our dishes came all at once, which didn't feel like good pacing for our meal. The overpriced dishes were all international and Americanized rather than authentic. The blue cheese stuffed pastry were our favorite, though they were  not anything special. Our salmon croquettes were still cold in the center from being reheated. On the positive side, Their wine selections  aren't bad and I appreciated their use of decent stemware.
Review Source:I loved this place! There was nothing I could not like about it.
This could give any Tapas bar in San Francisco a run for it's money.
The decor is beautiful. Completely different and unique. It definitely has that Latino flair, but chic - not tacky.
The service was superb. Our waiter was able to make recommendations on wine and food. He was super friendly and like a good waiter, came around at just the right times and never came around too much. One of the owners of the restaurant even came by to see how everything was going. There's just something inviting about this whole place. It's that humble "mi casa es tu casa" feeling. I love it!
Now to the food - We had a wonderful pear and walnut quesadilla, a good cheese ravioli dish, and a spinach empanada. The quesadilla had that sweet and salty combo which was great. The ravioli was cooked just right and the hot, melty cheese just made my mouth happy! The Spinach empanada was made with feta I was in heaven - what a great idea! My boyfriend had a beef dish as well that he gobbled up. All in all a great meal!
We tried a couple of different wines as well. The winner of the night was this Rioja which was a cab-tempranillo mix. Wow the best red I've had...I need to find it here in the Bay Area.
Gracias Terra Nostra - Me encantaron!
Terra Nostra has a lovely atmosphere, and mixes traditional tapas with some more creative, international- and American-inspired small dishes. Â I tried the blue puffs (little puff pastries with blue cheese inside, served with mango chutney), the salmon croquettes, and the patatas bravas. Â All three were great, but the salmon croquettes were far and away the best.
I had to subtact one star because the martini i ordered was watery, and that made it a very subpar martini. Â I think the person that mixed my drink wasn't used to mixing drinks, so perhaps the normal bartender would do that better.