We recently visited BiBa’s Italian Restaurant at 5918 Hixson Pike. Only open for a few weeks, they seemed to be doing a good business and were close to full for a Saturday afternoon lunch.
They are located in a new building close to the road, in front of the new Publix. Booths surround the outer walls, while the center is made up of tables.
Biba’s has two separate menus for lunch and dinner. We chose the Hot Artichoke Spinach Dip served with tortilla chips ($5.95) as our appetizer. Other choices include Mussels Marinara or Fra Diavalo ($7.50), Fried Calamari ($7.25), and Eggplant Rollatini ($6.50).
The dip, after adding a bit of salt, was very good – excellent flavor. The artichokes were small enough that you didn’t get huge chunks that break the chips like you do with a lot of the dips. Our only problem was that it was a bit thin and kept dripping off the chips. Other than that, we would order it again.
During lunch, your entree is served with a side of pasta and garlic rolls, but not with a salad; that is $2.25 extra. The garlic rolls are not as buttery or garlicky as those you might get at other restaurants, but they were quite good. I ordered the Veal Marsala (tender veal sautéed with fresh mushrooms in a marsala wine sauce) for $8.95.
Wayne ordered from the Specialty Pizza menu – the Meat Lover’s Pizza topped with ham, pepperoni, meatballs, sausage and bacon. Pizzas are either medium (14” - $16.95) or large (16” - $17.95). Other pizza choices include Chicken and Artichoke, Four Cheese, and Fisherman’s Pie. Pizza prices range from $11.95 for a White Pizza to $19.95 for an Italian Stuffed Pie
The veal marsala was tender and delicious. There wasn’t really any presentation, just the meat and sauce on a small plate with no trimmings. The pasta accompaniment was on a separate plate. You could taste just a hint of wine and I found it to be worth ordering again. The pasta side dish was spaghetti with a marinara sauce. It was the average pasta side dish, nothing bad, simply nothing special.
Wayne really enjoyed the pizza, although it was the very thick crust; so if you prefer thin, you might want to ask about that. It has an abundance of cheese, but from my eyes, could have used a bit more meat, although he didn’t mention it, so maybe it was enough.
Dinner entrees include Veal Piccatta ($13.95), Eggplant Parmigiania ($10.75), and Chicken Francesca ($12.95). Lunch items include subs, while the dinner menu does not.
We enjoyed our meal, as well as our visit to BiBa’s and would have no problems doing a revisit.
Hours for BiBa’s Italian are Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday until 11 p.m.; and Sunday noon until 10 p.m.
Check out our forum and share your opinions with us as we get closer to the 300 member mark at Chattanooga Dine Out
cdojanet@chattanoogadineout.com