Don't come hungry. You have a couple of hours to develop hunger while you wait for your food

The food here is amazing, especially the burgers! The staff is great and will explain anything on the menu and answer all questions. The atmosphere is very cozy and makes you feel like you're in the 80s. My husband and I came here twice on our honeymoon and loved it! read more

If you are a college student that's tired of the food on campus this place is probably great. For the rest of us the food is just ok. The sandwiches are made with deli meat that looks like it's out of an Oscar Mayer package. Hubby was happy with his beer, it probably helped dull his taste buds. There is a long wait time for the food when there was only a few customers in the place. There are not many food options in the area. If you give them a try make sure to order a beer, you get the drinks first which will help with the wait. read more

Bouncer last night was the worst human being I've ever met in my entire life. Denied a lot of me and my friends as seniors in college even though we had our identities. Tired to fight me a true end for waiting on my girlfriend. Did not let in comping seniors (if you went to sewanne you know that is a big deal) absolute bullshit. Bill Elder.... Do better you are losing business. Love that place hate the douchebag that was bouncing. FYI I was born 22 years ago...let that sink in. Bouncer tried to fight for being a gentleman for my girlfriend...not a good look for this establishment and there employees. read more

Don't go there for the food or for any other reason. Even the restrooms need a big overhaul. If you like long hair in your food, then okay. French fries were borderline burned and served almost cold. Cheesesteak sandwich only filled half the bun with overly cooked meat. Ordered wings but when our order was called they said that the sauce we order was out - it would take 10 minutes to make more. The Iced Tea was not even palatable. Now, for the tables - filthy. Sorry, but don't go there. read more

Waited TWO hours for our subpar food and one of the orders was missing. A group of 15+ that had preordered was prioritized over the tables that were present. The wait staff was great and did the best they could but the wait was unacceptable. read more

Great little spot to grab some snacks and a sandwich. Nothing astounding but reasonably priced and pretty tasty! Nice local vibes too

Been enjoying this place since 2000 - and it's been my main food staple for the last 18 months in Sewanee. Great staff - cool atmosphere - follows COVID protocol closely. Cannot recommend highly enough, and they just started breakfast - must try! read more

Great food with a 'college town' atmosphere. We split a turkey melt, it was plenty of food and was recommended by someone we met in line. Beautiful area and the campus is amazing. read more

Wow! Lucked in to this darling place. Amazing food. Had the Shenanigans deli. Oh my!! Huge. Onion rings are some of the best EVER. special was the Chicken and Dumplings. Hubby got that. Awesome. Side salad was huge and full of all kinds of goodies. Will definitely return if we are I. The area. Thanks! read more

Shenanigans - American Near Me - Sewanee, Tennessee

See all

Decided to try the new breakfast hours and it did not disappoint! Omelets and unlimited coffee for the win on Saturday morning! Food was cooked perfectly. read more

The food was good, I got the skinny joe meat melt and it was very good. The place was quit but not completely empty. The only complaint I have is it took a little while to get our food but it looked like there was maybe only on cook so I don't mind, but the drinks came out quick. read more

Great food and atmosphere and friendly service!!! We stop here every trip to Sewanee.... my favorite patty melt. Good music too! read more

Good local hangout. Sandwiches and grilled food. Highlight is their assortment of quiches. Service is mediocre. Definitely a local hangout as the ordering line is completely secret...somebody has to show you. After your food is prepared, you need to keep checking inside to see if your number is being called. So, if you are sitting on the front porch, or rooftop, don't expect the food to be delivered. Sandwiches are not as good as a big city deli, but it is pretty good for the college crowd. read more

Delicious local sandwich, pub, & gathering space, just a brief walk from Sewanee University campus. The playtul name mirrors the welcoming and enjoyable spirit of Shenanigans. For seating, you have the choice of long plank tables with bench seating (which allows you to share-the-space with other diners, in a friendly communal fashion) to smaller rustic tables, including outside seating (allowing for more intimate conversations.) The menu is simple, locally sourced, and delicious! read more

A local favorite and a Sewanee tradition with lots of spunk. Favorite menu items are: cool cucumber, fried zucchini, black bean lasagna, chicken & dumplings. read more

Been here a few times and the food is fine, although not once did they get my order right. The bathroom, however, is completely disgusting and unacceptable. I should've known when the guy who came out before me said "good luck..." The bathroom was full of flies and smelled horrible. The toilet seat moved freely and the rim of the toilet was covered almost completely in shit. I'm still scarred. Avoid! read more

Bathrooms incredibly dirty. Just unacceptable. People seem to go here for the location only. So few choices there is no completion. Pizzas were very good! Slow as molasses service. read more

Great food at reasonable college town prices. Acceptable craft beer selection on tap in a warm and cozy atmosphere. Staff are friendly, but not overly so. It's a great place to grab a sandwich and beer. I recommend the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich on Wheat and the Curry Soup. The sandwich, soup, and two craft beers came to $20. read more

Never again. Back in the day (way back) this used to be the place for fresh grub, but man, not anymore. Went with a largeish group couple of Fridays ago and everything was disappointing to say the least. Burgers were reheated frozen patties riddled with soy protein chunks, factory made buns were barely cooked (how does THAT happen?!), cheese pizza was clearly frozen/parbaked garbage. Fried zucchini had no flavor other than grease and batter. Prices are nuts considering the major shortcuts being taken in the kitchen. Only eat here if you're desperate and want to spend a lot. Very sad - I used to like the place. read more

Great place with an excellent selection of sandwiches (cold and hot), pizzas, quiche, wraps, salads, etc. Oh and they make their own sourdough. Friendly staff and great service. read more

Shenanigans - Half a Shenanwich. Very good. - American Near Me - Sewanee, Tennessee

A great college town eatery. The hamburgers and pizzas are excellent. Slow service, but it's worth the wait!

As for restaurants on the mountain, there aren't many options. I've been to Shenanigans twice on two separate visits to the Domain and had pleasant experiences both times. The first time I got a salad which was just fine, it was your standard fare for a sandwich and burger restaurant. However, on the return trip I ate a cheeseburger which was prepared excellently. For the price the restaurant is a great option if you're in the area and the atmosphere is also great! read more

Shenanigans is for Sewanee people. Not for dopey tourists. If you want to complain about the food or the music or the hippies or the dogs or the beer, stay on the interstate and go to McDonald's. YSR. read more

I was highly disappointed with this place for lunch. Maybe my expectations were high going in, but it was honestly the worst burger I have ever had. I chose the local, grass fed beef and it was extremely overcooked, dry, and I could barely finish it. It also seemed like they forgot my meal. My friends received their meal 15 minutes before I did. They were already done eating long before I received mine. Fortunately, my co-worker was pleased with her lasagna and raved about it afterwards. Hopefully my food was just accidentally overcooked, but I will not be returning here because of how distasteful it was. read more

Solid place to stop just outside of Chattanooga. Quality food and plenty of options...including vegetarian. Eclectic decor that reflects the nature and vibe of a small town with an educational institution at its center. Recommend. read more

Today I ordered my dinner online and when I arrived the staff told me that they had not received my order. Upon looking at their ordering system, they realized that they had not started my order yet despite having ordered 30 minutes prior and arriving at the time assigned to me for pickup. I was told that my order would be ready in 10 minutes. 35 minutes later I heard a member of the staff ask if my burger was ready yet. Another employee replied "oh yeah it's been ready in the back". I would like to point out that my friend and I were the only customers in the store waiting for our food. Furthermore, I understand that working in the food industry is very difficult during this uncertain time, however; the majority of the staff at Shenanigans do not wear masks and one came with a foot of me without a mask and started talking to me. If you are short on time or do not want to get the COVID-19 virus I suggest not ordering form Shenanigans. read more

Great, no-fuss college-y pub with windows to let a breeze blow through. Sweet, hard working college kids working there. BLT was fresh & simple. Good music, not too loud, yay! Just nice & relaxed. Would definitely return. read more

Chill college-town atmosphere and great food make this an always-visit when I'm in Sewanee. Cheap pitchers and a great selection of bottles will get you buzzed and ready to walk back to campus. Try the spicy turkey melt with a Sweetwater 420...an epic combo. read more

Shenanigans - American Near Me - Sewanee, Tennessee

In Sewanee now & just an FYI about an experience here a few years ago. Hopefully they do not do this anymore: We sat at the lunch counter & observed the food being made with employees handling food, answering phones, taking cash, returning to food prep with no hand washing in b/t & while wearing gloves. We watched this cycle for an hour & was not isolated incident. Told manager at time & couldn't believe he blew us off. So grossed out but we were starving after a swim meet & just ate anyway. Will never return especially because manager didn't even address it with his employees after we pointed it out to him. Gross, gross, gross. Just watch the food prep during a busy time. In fairness, It's been a few years & hopefully management & servers have changed. read more

Only come here if you have eaten within the last 20 minutes and bring a power bar to eat while you wait, you'll need it. We waited an hour and four minutes for a turkey melt, patty melt, an order of zucchini and an order of fries. AN HOUR AND FOUR MINUTES! I ordered the veggie muffuletta from the deli menu. Mine came within ten minutes which is great, but since the others were waiting, we all ate half of my sandwich. The tables were not cleaned between guests, the bathrooms are not properly labelled, which was an issue because I walked into the mens, the people working in there were coughing in their hands and running their fingers through their hair. I'm also pretty sure there wasn't anyone over the age of 18 working in there. People were lined up asking where their food was, I wasn't too far behind. If you absolutely have to stop there, get something from the deli, at least it will come out in a reasonable amount of time, you just may have to share it. read more

Waited an hour for the food, they forgot half of our order. Some staff were not covering their mouth or nose with their masks which is unacceptable during COVID. Paid $4 for a childish potion of fries, in which I found hair in. I brought my concerns to the staff. She was clearly annoyed and put me on the phone with the owner, Bill Elder, who also had an attitude. I told him the situation and he kept making excuses. When I brought up the hygiene situation with the hair and the masks, he said it was because the workers are overworked. He should not overwork his staff, especially if it'll lead to unsanitary food. Hire more staff. I was only offered a partial refund even after the terrible service and the health code violation. Don't recommend, unless you want slow and bad service. read more

Good cheap food. We had burgers, fried pickles, fried mushrooms, and fries. GF buns are available and taste and look made in house. They are a little dry and bland, so I highly recommend adding horseradish sauce to it- fantastic! We also had dessert- ice cream, rice crispy treats, and carrots cake. Everyone enjoyed it. I would come back if passing but not sure I would drive out of my way. Prices are great and beautiful location. read more

My friends and I took the 5 mile detour off the interstate to check out Shenanigans's after hearing about it from another friend who grew up in Sewanee. It was a fun, cute place, but the charm quickly wore off after waiting for my patty melt for 27 minutes. (The receipt was time stamped.) Nearly half an hour for a sandwich. I tried to dismiss it by reminding myself there were other orders ahead of ours, but still: they serve sandwiches, pizza, and salads. Nothing crazy. Also, we were there for lunch Sunday afternoon, which should be anticipated as a busy time for almost any restaurant, so I still didn't understand. Once our food was out, my friend's order of fried pickles were cold. Not warm, but cold. It was obvious the kitchen made them first and had them sit while our sandwiches were being made, but when my friend told the counter girl about this and asked if the temperature was normal, her response was more or less "I don't know. What do you want us to do?" So they just fried them again, instead of making a new batch. Double fried pickles actually sound good, but it was kind of weird how they didn't apologize or even offer to make us new pickles (my friend had to ask them to heat them up). My patty melt, when I finally got it, was tasty, but I can't recommend this place to anyone driving through on I-24 unless you're just looking to kill time. read more

Really fun divey spot. Coined as "the collage bar" I was really impressed with the menu, beers on tap and cleanliness! And the food, oh the food! I got a reuban with fried pickles and hubs got a ham-n-cheese. Pickles were sour and crunchy. Suckers came out hot! Reubs rocked. Staff members were mostly students and they really had the low-down on Sewanee. Very cool vibe, low key. read more

If you're in Sewanee, you go to Shenanigans. Good food, easy charm, good beer. The college spot on campus.

The turkey melt at Shenanigan's literally melts in your mouth, and accompanied by fried zucchini and a craft beer, it's best you will ever taste. Shenanigan's gives you the feeling of being back at home, where you can relax with friends or family. If you come in alone, you won't be a stranger long. The restaurant has a welcoming vibe with friendly staff who cook with all quality ingredients. Shenanigans, established in 1974, reopened this February with new owners who have poured their hearts into making shenanigans everything that it was before, a beloved place for college students, families, and anyone who loves patty melts, fresh veggies, homemade dressing, beer, music, art, and good company. read more

See all

Trust me you want to read it all-- While visiting a friend in Sewanee they said we needed to try this local staple. From the eclectic decor, welcoming staff, to the menu everything was great. Now for the important bit of information, the food. They started serving breakfast again!!!!! Do yourself the favor and go there, literally any time of the day you won't be disappointed and you'll thank me later. My wife and I ordered omelets, our son chicken and waffles, and a biscuit on the side. The omelets were perfectly cooked with the exact amount of seasoning. The chicken, which normally had a slightly spicy seasoning on it, they made specially for our son was boneless, perfectly crispy, and not greasy. Waffle was light and airy. The biscuit had this buttery crust that pairs with literally ANYTHING. We've tried everywhere in this quaint town for breakfast but Shenanigans will be the only stop when we come back next month! read more

Shenanigans - A famous Sewanee sign as soon as you come in on the right - American Near Me - Sewanee, Tennessee

Great food! Excellent service. The ambiance was really authentic and creative. I definitely would recommend stopping by and having a burger if you're in the area. Everything on the menu is amazing, but their burgers are on that "DAYUM!"status. If I were a cat I would certainly give it two paws up! Shenana-Get yourself down there. The sooner the better. You're missing out! read more

A landmark college hangout in downtown Sewanee. For bar food, the sandwiches are quite good, and recipes seem unique. Be prepared to spend a little extra than typical for this type food and atmosphere. Everyone should try it at least once. Certainly worth driving 3 miles past SmokeHouse to try.... read more

Shenanigans - American Near Me - Sewanee, Tennessee