212 Market Restaurant is celebrating its 20th anniversary throughout the month of February. 

The celebration includes the launch of a new website design and recreations of dishes from the original 1992 menu such as smoked catfish eggrolls, grilled char with wasabi vinaigrette, and lamb with tarragon pan sauce. 

In 1989, when Maggie Moses and her daughters Susan and Sally decided that they would open a restaurant, they consulted with officials of River City Company, a non-profit formed to develop downtown Chattanooga, and made a commitment to the city’s renewal. Their purchase of the building at 212 Market St. represented the first private investment in the area around the planned Tennessee Aquarium.

After a three-year remediation of the site and construction of a new building,  212 Market Restaurant opened in February 1992, and despite the fact that there were few parking spaces and few other businesses open downtown, the restaurant was an immediate success, and Maggie Moses was hailed as a “riverfront heroine.”

“The Moseses were downtown pioneers when people still weren’t coming downtown for anything,” commented River City Company President and CEO Kim White.  “They had the courage, the vision, and the faith to step up, and they opened a restaurant that set the bar for quality food so much higher than anything else we had experienced at the time. They have been trendsetters in everything they’ve done, both with their food and with the green movement, and they continue to be one of our top restaurants.”

212 Manager Sally Moses recalled, “People thought we wouldn’t last more than a few months. They thought that no one would come down here, especially at night, and that Chattanoogans wouldn’t eat anything other than steak and potatoes. And here we are 20 years later.  In that time, we have supported dozens of local farmers and employed hundreds of Chattanoogans, and we are always happy to hear of both locals and out-of-towners who come back year after year.  We just focus day by day on serving our customers the best possible food in the most sustainable way possible.”

212 Market Restaurant serves contemporary American cuisine with an emphasis on locally-sourced and sustainable foods. Seasonal menus and daily specials always included vegetarian and gluten-free options, along with breads and desserts from the in-house bakery.  212’s wine selection has been recognized annually with the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence since 1998. The restaurant also offers both internal and external catering for parties up to 500-1,000+.