Chattanooga Pulse

With ten years of working in the food and service industry, I have grown to have a distinct and ever-evolving respect for someone who can provide great service, food, and environment. Bi Ba’s Italian restaurant at 5918 Hixson Pike does just that.

From pizza, pasta, daily specials,and a plentiful variety of wine and beer, Bi Ba provides the originality and consistency that residents of Big Ridge, Hixson, and Middle Valley are ready to share with the Scenic City.

Krist Biba, owner of Bi Ba’s Italian restaurant, is a prime example of a man who carries passion and involvement that takes a lifetime of experience to evolve. When you enter the open and comfortable Biba’s, there is a feeling of community, family and tradition.

In 1996, Krist made the move to Atlanta with the idea of starting Bi Ba’s Italian Restaurant. Seven months into his Hixson location, Krist is beginning to understand the laid-back appeal of our city.

Originality was the word of the day, and when I asked Krist about his own favorite dish, he smiled and informed me, “If you ask ten people what their favorite dish is, you’ll get ten different answers—that is the beauty of that.” Precisely: Bi Ba’s has a little something for everyone.

After hearing that Krist owned his own pizza joint in the Bronx, it was no surprise when Chattanooga native Rebecca Raymond spoke up and expressed that Bi Ba’s put out the best pizza she has had in 65 years.

Specialty pizza classics such as Hawaiian and Meatlovers are a must—but items such as Italian Stuffed Pie, Bi Ba’s Stromboli and a Fisherman’s Pie, consisting of clams, mussels and shrimp, really struck me as different. What interested me even more while hanging out with Krist was his specialty pizza named “The Great White Pizza by Dan.”

Naturally, I had to know of this great man named Dan, and I was absolutely tickled listening to Krist and watching his New York-style personality light up as he told me about one of his long-time regulars, Dan. Dan had a head full of white hair—and also seemed to love his pizza with ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, chicken, and fresh tomato. This Dan and I would absolutely get along at dinner, and more importantly, if that isn’t customer recognition, I don’t know what is.

Bi Ba’s has an eclectic assortment of pasta dishes, ranging from Rigatoni Putanesca, involving capers, olives, anchovies, fresh basil and garlic cooked with a spicy marinara, to Spaghetti alla Carbonara, a mix of bacon, onion, and egg in Parmesan cream sauce. If you are a lover of spicy dishes, then try the Fra Diavolo sauce, one of Krist’s original recipes. Seafood specialties, calzones, subs, and garlic rolls give us the taste of Italy that can please the entire family—and with nothing costing more than 20 dollars the possibilities are endless.

If it’s that glass of wine or cold beer you look forward to with your lasagna, then you can dip into the list of more than 20 wines, or even explore with a leader in premium Italian brews, Peroni, which has a zesty competitive taste that has been around since 1846. Bi Ba’s also brings us a sip of Atlanta with Red Brick Ale, a full-bodied malty brown brew and the first beer to come out of Atlanta Brewing Company in 1993. If beer and wine aren’t for you, then enjoy a cup of espresso with Krist’s homemade tiramisu or made-to-order cannolis.

If you are in the area, don’t miss out on a local gem and if you are a bit further out in the Chattanooga area, go ahead and make the drive to Bi Ba’s Italian Restaurant on Hixson Pike. Find out what your favorite dish is and know that it will be a new and original experience of “Bronx Love” in the Chattanooga Valley.

Bi Ba’s Italian, 5918 Hixson Pike.
(423) 843-0001. www.bibasitalian.