Proof Bar and Incubator
At the current moment, we have three residential kitchens! Neutral Ground, Vinny's Prince of Pizza, and Poppytons Patisserie.
Neutral Ground features New Orleans-style food curated by Chef Kenyatta Ashford! Neutral Ground's food is available during our dinner service.
Vinny's Prince of Pizza was started by a local guy who shares a love of pizza and the musician Prince! He's making classic-style pizzas for pick up, delivery, or dine-in.
Taking inspiration from chefs Dominique Crenn, Jeong Kwan, Francis Mallmann, and Dan Barber all of whom have a farm to produce food for their restaurants, Chattanooga, TN is where the dream of Poppytons Patisserie and Poppytons Farm has come to light.
*Limited Seating Available*
Safety precautions
- Surfaces sanitized between seatings
- Common areas deep cleaned daily
- Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
- Sanitizer or wipes provided for customers
- Limited number of seated diners
- Distancing maintained in common areas
- Extra space between tables
- Waitstaff wear masks
- Diners must wear masks unless eating or drinking
- Sick staff prohibited in the workplace
- Staff temperature check required
- Diner temperature check required
- Contact tracing information collected
Our most recent meal was superb, but -We haven’t been disappointed by proof on any level, on any visit !
Food and service are stellar! Love the diversity of both the food and beverage menus. Pretty space! Highly recommend!
Thank you so much for your recent visit! We hope to see you again soon.
This was our first visit to Proof as we were enticed by the featured Ethiopian food. The meal did not disappoint and we were quite happy with the venue. Hope to return soon.
Thank you so much for your visit to Proof. We hope to see you again soon!
I make it my business to know all about the Chattanooga food scene, and truly Proof is a must see! From the art and ambiance of the interior to the craftsmanship of the dishes. My favorite meal is the wok fired garlic noodles from Neutral Ground + the red velvet cake from Poppytons Patisserie! Give it a shot! You won’t be disappointed !!
Thank you so much for visiting Proof. We hope to see you again soon!
First time trying brunch at Proof and it did not disappoint! Great food and service as always. We had to sit inside because of weather, but they do a good job of spreading out the tables and the building is fairly open concept anyways.
Thank you so much for your visit to Proof! We hope to see you again soon.
We really enjoyed Proof Bar. We got the two dishes recommended by our waitress and they were amazing. The moscow mules with rosemary in them were absolutely delicious with the red-red and the peanut noodle dish. The restaurant was super cute and everyone that worked there was so friendly. I think our waitress was named Stacey and she was awesome! She was so friendly and that really added to the experience. We had a wonderful date night that was finished with the red velvet cake that was earth-shattering!
Thank you so much for visiting! We hope to see you again soon.
The host was very friendly and had us seated right away. TJ has a great personality and made sure our experience was exceptional! The cocktails were delicious! “Wow, this is so good!” Was everyone’s reaction after the first bite! I highly recommend the garlic & peanut noodles and brisket meatballs!
Thank you for joining us at Proof. We hope to see you again soon!
Close to college campus, so we thought it might be a college hangout. Wasn't the night we went. Mostly couples, 30s-50s. A few well behaved college groups of 2-4 people. 1 or 2 families. The concept is to have 3 chefs share a kitchen and use proof as a launching pad for their own restaurants. 2 appetizer/entree chefs + 1 dessert chef were on the menu when we went. The only appetizers were fries and cheese bread. We got the bread and it was ok - like a Little Ceasars cheesy bread. We decided to try a dish from each entree chef and ordered a brisket ball lo mein (can't remember the exact name) and a 10" pizza. The sauce of the "lo mein" was good, the meatball was good texture but pretty flavorless. Surprisingly, the "lo mein" was actually spaghetti noodles. Disappointing - surely would have been chopped from Beat Bobby Flay. The pizza looked decent but the dough was not a pizza dough texture. It seemed to be bread dough shaped like a pizza. Nothing really notable about the sauce or toppings. Disappointing - surely would have been chopped from beat Bobby Flay. Our waitress, TJ, was great. Only her second night but she was a champ. The ambiance was quiet and relaxing - we were able to relax and talk and it was good time together. Decent selection of wines, beers and spirits. The cocktail list was varied and we tried a few. Nothing really distinctive in the $11-$12 cocktails. Maybe covid has hit Proof and made it perform below normal (not sure as we have only been once) but it will have to provide better food, if it wants to survive. Possibly, given the fact that chefs migrate out about every 6 months (we were told) there is just an underperforming group now (didn't try the desserts, so can't speak to that). I guess the fun thing about the concept is that it will present something new a couple of times a year but the downside is consistency of quality. But, for a $100+ dollars, it will have to raise its game.
Thank you so much for visiting Proof! We love getting feedback and make it a priority to try and consistently improve our guest experience. We do our best to create a unique and rotating set of offerings both on our seasonal cocktail menu and in our restaurant residency program and every guest's perspective is super helpful as we are constantly innovating. Thank you again.
TJ was a great waitress
Thank you for visiting Proof! And so glad to hear you were well taken care of--TJ is wonderful!
I feel obligated to encourage y’all to eat at Proof Bar & Incubator on MLK. It was emptier than it should’ve been and this was the best meal I’ve had in a long time (catfish & grits) — they have socially distant tables and do temperature checks at the door. Please go here. AMAZING!!!
Thank you so much for visiting Proof. We hope to see you again soon!
Presentation of the food was stunning, but portions were on the small side. It didn't seem that busy but we waited almost an hour for food. It was surprisingly slow. I brought two of my kids so it wasn't ideal because it really pushed back a scheduled nap. Probably won't do it again anytime soon unless I leave the napper at home.
Proof was all around great. Cant wait to go back.
One of the few types I have been out. Covid has restricted my evenings. And very glad we chose dinner at proof bar. Felt very comfortable with table spacing, food was excellent, ambiance was above acceptable.
Thank you for visiting Proof. We hope to see you again soon!
Great music, art and style. Food is excellent and cocktails are very well crafted.
COVID precautions are on point, with temp check at the door
Thank you so much for your recent visit to Proof. We hope to see you again soon!
Epic on all accounts. Best restaurant in chattanooga
Thank you so much for visiting Proof and we're so glad you enjoyed your experience. Hope to see you again soon!
This place is so good. From the minute you walk in the staff is so friendly in directing you to your table. The food was amazing! The dessert was good too! I brought my friend who was vegan and there were multiple options for her to eat! They cater to different lifestyles of dining and would highly recommended. We stayed for 3 hours talking and never felt like we were a burden to staff. This place is great for meeting friends and grabbing a drink and dinner with a fairly quiet atmosphere! Would highly recommend for your next outing with friends!
Thank you so much for visiting Proof. We hope to see you again soon!
WE had a lovely meal at Proof. The soup and red-red was excellent....hope to go again quite soon. Thank you for your covid policy enforcements!
Chef Kenyatta is hands down the best chef Chattanooga has right now!
Such a great place! The environment is really cool. The food was delicious. First place we have eaten in Chattanooga where we didn't ask for any salt or condiments! Staff was super friendly! We will definitely be back.
Great food. Good vegan options. Great place. Really friendly staff! Highly recommend!
Kenyatta is a great host and a great chef. Loved our experience and the food has New Orleans vibe to it. We will be back.
Great concept, would recommend to friends. Lovely outdoor space for COVID.
Thank you so much for visiting Proof. We hope to see you again soon!
Proof has a lovely little patio with bistro lights and music, the atmosphere was very relaxing and felt extremely comfortable social distancing wise. The Neutral Ground menu is amazing! The peanut and garlic noodles were outstanding and I will definitely be back for more. My husband had the sausage po boy and that was also delicious. Kenyatta Ashford's food is so flavorful and inventive, we really enjoyed our meal!!
Thank you so much for visiting Proof. We hope to see you again soon!
Great food and atmosphere! We love the concept and love visiting this creative kitchen and bar.
Thank you so much for visiting us at Proof. We hope to see you again soon!
Amazing food, vegetarian options too.
Nice outdoor seating and nice space.
Thank you so much for visiting Proof. We hope to see you again soon!
We had a lovely time and great food at Proof Bar and Incubator. The peanut noodle dish was Amazing and the shortbread/caramel/chocolate bar was possibly the best sweet I've ever eaten. Cocktails were sophisticated and delicious.
Thank you so much for your visit to Proof. We hope to see you again soon!
Very cool place but needs some work, they only had one bartender which is understandable during the times we are going through but I see it doing well in the future.
We were glad we went and we will go again for sure - food and cocktails were great... sitting inside was awesome as outside was a challenge because of flys .
We got to sit outside. They follow social distancing very well and I was comfortable. The staff are great - they are jovial and knowledgeable and just overall pleasant!! Our food was good and I can’t wait to go back and try a few other items. Our drinks we’re aaaaweesome!!! Love the place and the environment.
The food was outstanding. The service was great. The server was attentive without being too much. The weather was perfect for the outdoor experience. Good local beers.
Good service. Nice atmosphere. Good drinks. Entrees are VERY small and meh. Debbie roll dessert was just like a real Debbie roll...not very good.
From the food to the service, Proof was outstanding! We loved supporting this unique innovator and can't wait to visit again!
Great outdoor space and service!
Really impressed with this spot- the dishes were unique, tasty and elegantly presented. Service was outstanding. Definitely will be returning! This is how it should be done.
Dinner date with my wife. Service and food were great but still some kinks to work out. My wife’s dinner was served about 20 minutes after mine. They offered a free round of drinks for the delay, which was nice, but we needed to be able to drive home so we declined. We will give it another try since the food was great and we love to support locals.
Food was different but good. Not great but good. No sides with meals though.
Second time on the patio and our table was even set up to socially distance from the friends we were meeting for dinner. The food was AMAZING!!!
Atmosphere and drinks were amazing. Service was above and beyond. Would definitely dine here again.
Food was excellent from both Neutral Ground and Lil Oso. Would love a bigger draft selection, there was only one draft available when we visited Cocktails were good but a bit more expensive than we are used to paying. Service was top notch.
It was a perfect night on the patio! Our waitress was exceptional! We will be back!!
FAQs
Proof Bar and Incubator offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (423) 541-6858.
Proof Bar and Incubator is rated 4.7 stars by 39 OpenTable diners.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable. Due to local restrictions, this restaurant may not be accepting reservations at the moment.