Best Restaurants in Nashville

Nashville’s food scene has exploded. What used to be “meat and three” country cooking has become one of the most dynamic restaurant cities in the South — James Beard nominees alongside hundred-year-old lunch counters, hot chicken that’s become a national obsession, and neighborhoods where every block has a restaurant worth trying.

Hot Chicken — The Nashville Original

Nashville hot chicken is a style of fried chicken seasoned with a cayenne-based paste that ranges from warm to genuinely painful. It’s Nashville’s most famous food export and every visitor needs to try it at least once.

Prince’s Hot Chicken (original location, Ewing Dr) — Where it all started in the 1930s. The story goes that Thornton Prince’s girlfriend made him extra-spicy fried chicken as punishment. He loved it. The rest is history. The original location is no-frills — order at the counter, wait, and prepare yourself. Heat levels from mild to XXX-Hot. Only order above “medium” if you know what you’re doing.

Hattie B’s (multiple locations) — The most popular hot chicken in Nashville. Longer lines, more accessible heat levels, and sides (pimento mac & cheese, black-eyed pea salad) that are excellent. The Midtown location on Broadway has the biggest crowds; the Charlotte Ave and Melrose locations are faster.

Bolton’s (multiple locations) — Spicier than Hattie B’s, less famous than Prince’s, and fiercely loyal locals. The hot fish is as good as the hot chicken.

400 Degrees — Serious heat. Not for beginners. Small, fast, and the chicken speaks for itself.

Southern & Comfort Food

Arnold’s Country Kitchen (8th Ave S) — The legendary meat-and-three. Open for lunch only (until they run out). Choose a meat (roast beef, fried catfish, country-fried steak) and three sides from a steam line that includes creamed corn, turnip greens, macaroni and cheese, and cornbread. Cash only. There will be a line. It moves fast. Go.

Monell’s (Germantown) — Family-style dining in a Victorian house. You sit at communal tables and platters of Southern food are passed around — fried chicken, biscuits, gravy, green beans, corn pudding. All-you-can-eat. One of the most unique dining experiences in Nashville.

Loveless Café (Hwy 100, 20 min from downtown) — Country cooking in a former motel on the Natchez Trace Parkway. The biscuits are famous. Breakfast is the move. The setting is pure Tennessee.

Biscuit Love (The Gulch) — Biscuits as a platform for everything. The bonuts (biscuit donuts) are the signature. Brunch lines are long on weekends — go early or try the Hillsboro Village location.

East Nashville — The Indie Food Scene

East Nashville is where the most interesting restaurants in the city live. Walkable, creative, and less tourist-heavy than Broadway or the Gulch.

Five Points Pizza — New York-style slices in the heart of Five Points. The best pizza in Nashville.

Pharmacy Burger Parlor — Craft burgers, sausages, and an old-fashioned soda fountain with phosphate sodas. Outdoor biergarten.

Butcher & Bee — Mediterranean-influenced small plates. The hummus with brisket and the whipped feta are outstanding. One of the best restaurants in the city.

Rolf & Daughters (Germantown, bordering East Nash) — Handmade pasta, seasonal vegetables, and a wine list that punches above its weight. James Beard-nominated.

Fine Dining & Special Occasions

The Catbird Seat (Midtown) — Nashville’s most exclusive restaurant. 22 seats around an open kitchen. Multi-course tasting menu that changes constantly. Reservations are difficult. The experience is extraordinary.

Husk (downtown) — Sean Brock’s temple to Southern ingredients. Every dish uses ingredients sourced exclusively from the South. The corn pudding and the cheeseburger (yes, the cheeseburger) are perfect.

Henrietta Red (Germantown) — Oyster bar and coastal Southern cuisine. The raw bar is some of the best outside of New England. The space is beautiful.

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