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Congratulations, Easy Bistro & Bar, Judith, Little Coyote, LUNCH, Main Street Meats, and The Rosecomb.  You're now in the Michelin family. On Monday evening, four Chattanooga restaurants and two Sewanee restaurants were awarded prestigious recognition in the new American South Michelin Guide.

You could come to this St. Elmo spot for its view of Lookout Mountain alone, but then you'd miss out on some seriously good Tex-Mex cooking. Erik and Amanda Niel's Little Coyote is all about smoked meats, house-made corn tortillas and tempting cocktails.

The world-renowned Michelin Guide has announced their inaugural restaurant selections for the American South and four Chattanooga restaurants have made the prestigious list.

On Monday evening, the Peace Center in downtown Greenville, South Carolina, was filled with the finest culinary talent in the South. Chefs traded aprons and Birkenstocks for formal wear and heels.

St. Elmo's Little Coyote restaurant has been awarded a Bib Gourmand Award from the Michelin Guide, recognizing innovative restaurants with accessible price points. Little Coyote is a restaurant known for its tender, smoked barbecue; warm, daily-fresh tortillas; and creative cocktails.

Chef Erik Niel talks about fishing the way most chefs talk about their mentors. Growing up in Mandeville, Louisiana, he spent his childhood waist-deep in the lakes north of New Orleans, chasing redfish and speckled trout with his dad and brother...

Erik Niel is the Chef/Owner of Easy Bistro & Bar, Main Street Meats, and Little Coyote, all located in Chattanooga, TN. This in Erik's second time on the show, previously joining us all the way back in 2015. Erik grew up in Louisiana, Virginia, and Texas, before finally settling in Chattanooga after attending Johnson & Wales.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a list of Tennessee’s top chefs without Erik Niel’s name on it. For two decades, he and his wife, Amanda, have showcased the food of the Tennessee River Valley at their Chattanooga restaurants.

Chef Jonathan Ferguson steps out of his four-door Nissan, the morning still dark. Before he even unlocks the doors to Little Coyote - the St. Elmo restaurant serving Texas-style barbecue in Chattanooga - he opens up the J & R Oyler smoker door, reaches for a split log - stacked hickory, red and white oak - in a ritual-act that's been ongoing since the restaurant opened some 500 days ago.

Chef Erik Niel came to Chattanooga to watch football 25 years ago and never left. That's a good thing. When the history of the city's 21st-century restaurant scene is written, Niel and his wife, Amanda, will have their own chapter.

Years ago, Erik Niel was duck-hunting in Louisiana with his brother. After a long morning in the blind, they stop at the gas station for a little pick-me-up. Brother pumps unleaded. Erik walks to the cooler. Grabs two High Life tall boys in a can. The woman behind the counter takes the tall boys, tears a white paper towel from the roll nearby, wraps them each in then takes little Koozie and hands them to a very thirsty and tired Erik Niel.

While everyone is biased toward their state’s way of doing Barbecue in the South, Little Coyote approaches the contended topic a little bit differently. Right at the base of Lookout Mountain, Little Coyote stands as an ode to what chef Erik Niel loved most about his time in Texas—good barbecue and tortillas.

Erik Niel, the chef behind Chattanooga stalwarts such as Easy Bistro, is a local legend. And his latest endeavor, Little Coyote, continues his winning streak. Hidden away in an unassuming strip mall, this casual Southwestern-influenced spot specializes in two things close to the chef’s heart: smoked meats and made-from-scratch tortillas.

Erik and Amanda Niel, also owners of Main Street Meats, know a thing or two about smoking meat—so it stands to reason that smoked meats and fresh tortillas are the focus of their newest Chattanooga offering.

Mezcal is making waves north of the border and showing few signs of slowing down. Part of the movement involves not only exposure to new producers and styles within the mezcal world, but new ways of presenting the stuff too. Enter mezcal service, the approach by Oaxaca-inspired Tennessee restaurant Little Coyote.

Not just a simple taco joint, Little Coyote starts by seeking to perfect the tortilla itself — by combining milled harina de maiz (cornmeal) imported from Mexico before adding lard rendered from Main Street Meats products and running the dough balls through a Mexican tortilla roller and oven. While vegetarian tortillas are available, the lard creates a succulent texture that makes almost translucent discs with a backbone and mouthfeel to complement the rest of the menu.

Called Little Coyote, the venture would allow Erik, a James Beard–nominated chef, to flex his creative chops, preparing dishes inspired by Caribbean, Mexican, and Tex-Mex cuisines as well as paying homage to Texas barbecue.

"I haven't even taken the first lick of guajillo chili-spiced vanilla soft serve ice cream or eaten any beef cheek barbacoa wrapped in a freshly pressed tortilla, and Little Coyote and I already have a special relationship. Even before Kate Kassin and Bon Appetit Magazine touted it as one of 'The 8 Most Anticipated Restaurant Openings of Summer 2023'..."

Erik has taken inspiration from a mix of Texas barbecue, Cuban, Caribbean, and Southwestern cuisines to design his menu. The offerings, including smoked meats, fresh tortillas, and homemade pico de gallo, will all be served family style on vibrant plating. 

When you look up from the patio at Little Coyote, you’ll be met by a very above-average view of Chattanooga’s beautiful Lookout Mountain. Even if you’re seated indoors, Little Coyote’s airy dining room is meant to match its scenic setting with terra-cotta tiles and lots of happy cacti. With Little Coyote, chef Erik Niel is leaning into his love of Texas barbecue and Southwestern food, as well as Cuban and Caribbean influences.

The silver lining of Mojo Burrito's demise is that Chef Erik Niel's newest concept, Little Coyote, will take its highly coveted place at the foot of Incline Mountain. Niel (of Main Street Meats and Easy Bistro) will bring with him his James Beard Award-nominated pedigree from the Southside and West Village. “St. Elmo is a cool place with its own vibe and a lot of history in Chattanooga," Niel said.

Erik Niel spent enough time living in Texas to develop an appetite for smoked meats and fresh tortillas. Niel, who co-owns Main Street Meats and Easy Bistro with his wife, Amanda, said he has long wanted to combine the two, but not in the way many people think of. He said Little Coyote, which he hopes to open in late 2022 in the former Mojo Burrito space in St. Elmo at 3950 Tennessee Ave., will fulfill that dream.

Little Coyote will feature smoked meats and fresh tortillas, leaving guests with a full belly and happy heart, said officials. Using the same ideals and fundamentals as Easy Bistro & Bar and Main Street Meats, the Niels aim to bring their style of spirits and cocktails to St. Elmo as well as create shareable plates for the main course that can be spread across the table. “You always have a seat at our table,” says Chef Erik Niel.