Nashville Unscripted · Food & Drink
Nashville’s restaurant scene has exploded in the last decade — beyond hot chicken and meat-and-three, the city now has James Beard-recognized chefs, excellent brunch, and neighborhood restaurants worth building your whole trip around. Here’s the honest guide.
Nashville restaurants go far beyond hot chicken — though hot chicken is still the first thing you should eat when you land. This guide covers the best Nashville restaurants by category and neighborhood, from the iconic Southern staples to the spots worth a special trip.
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Nashville Hot Chicken
Prince’s · Hattie B’s · Bolton’s · 400 Degrees
The dish Nashville invented — fried chicken coated in a cayenne paste after frying, served on white bread with pickles. Prince’s is the original (1940s). Hattie B’s is the best introduction for first-timers. Bolton’s in East Nashville is the local favorite. 400 Degrees is the hottest in the city.
See our complete Nashville hot chicken guide — including heat levels explained and first-timer tips.
Meat & Three
Arnold’s · Swett’s · The Southern Nashville Institution
Meat-and-three is Nashville’s other iconic food tradition — pick one meat and three sides from a steam table of Southern classics. Arnold’s Country Kitchen on 8th Avenue is the most beloved meat-and-three in the city, open for lunch only and worth a line. Swett’s on Clifton Avenue is the neighborhood institution that’s been feeding Nashville since 1954.
What to order: Roast beef, turnip greens, mac and cheese, cornbread. Every time.
Biscuit Love
The Gulch & 12South · Nashville’s Best Brunch
Biscuit Love turned a food truck into one of Nashville’s most beloved restaurants — scratch biscuits, creative Southern breakfast dishes, and lines that start before opening. The bonuts (biscuit donuts with lemon mascarpone) are mandatory. Locations in The Gulch and 12South. Plan for a wait on weekends — it’s worth it.
The Pancake Pantry
Hillsboro Village · Nashville Institution Since 1961
Nashville’s most beloved breakfast spot since 1961 — the sweet potato pancakes are the reason people line up before it opens. Cash only, no reservations, always a wait. In Hillsboro Village near Vanderbilt. A genuine Nashville institution that hasn’t changed and doesn’t need to.
Best Nashville Restaurants by Neighborhood
Downtown & Broadway
Woolworth on 5th
221 5th Ave N · Historic Building · Live Music
Inside the historic Woolworth building on 5th Avenue — a full restaurant, bar, and live music venue steps from Broadway. Southern-inspired menu, strong cocktails, and a space that manages to feel both historic and current. Good pre-Broadway dinner option that won’t feel like a tourist trap.
Assembly Food Hall
501 Broadway · Fifth + Broadway · Every Cuisine
Nashville’s best food hall — multiple vendors across several floors at the Fifth + Broadway complex, including Dolly Parton’s own Dolly Wines Bar. Good for groups who can’t agree on one restaurant. The variety and the location make it one of the most useful dining options downtown.
Germantown
Henrietta Red
Germantown · Oysters · James Beard Nominated
Julia Sullivan’s oyster bar and restaurant in Germantown — one of Nashville’s most celebrated restaurants, James Beard nominated, and the kind of place that makes you realize Nashville’s restaurant scene has genuinely grown up. Excellent oysters, beautiful room, and food that would hold its own in any major American city.
The 404 Kitchen
Germantown · Farm-to-Table · Nashville’s Best Fine Dining
Consistently cited as one of Nashville’s best restaurants — farm-to-table fine dining in a restored shipping container structure in Germantown. The tasting menu is the move. Book well ahead.
East Nashville
The Pharmacy Burger Parlor & Beer Garden
East Nashville · Best Burgers in Nashville · Beer Garden
The best burger in Nashville — a proper old-school burger parlor with a massive beer garden in East Nashville. The Pharmacy burger with all the toppings, a German-style beer, and a table in the garden is one of the best casual meals in the city. Always packed, worth the wait.
Bolton’s Spicy Chicken & Fish
East Nashville · Cash Only · Hot Chicken Legend
East Nashville’s hot chicken institution — cash only, no-frills, exceptional. The fish option is as good as the chicken. The local spot that tourists haven’t fully discovered yet. See our hot chicken guide for more.
12South & Hillsboro Village
Frothy Monkey
Multiple Locations · Best All-Day Café
Nashville’s best all-day café — excellent coffee, solid food from breakfast through dinner, and a genuinely welcoming neighborhood energy. The 12South location is the original and still the best. Multiple locations across Nashville make it the most useful café for visitors staying in different neighborhoods.
Fido
Hillsboro Village · Dog Friendly · Nashville Institution
Hillsboro Village’s beloved café-restaurant — dog friendly, great coffee, solid food all day, and one of Nashville’s most comfortable places to spend a morning. Near Vanderbilt and walking distance from Centennial Park.
Nashville Brunch — The Best Options
- Biscuit Love — Nashville’s most beloved brunch spot. Scratch biscuits, bonuts, lines worth standing in. The Gulch and 12South.
- The Pancake Pantry — sweet potato pancakes since 1961. Hillsboro Village. Cash only, always a wait, always worth it.
- Frothy Monkey — best all-day café, multiple locations, reliable and excellent.
- Party Fowl — hot chicken with brunch cocktails. Downtown and Germantown. The Nashville brunch experience for groups.
- Josephine — 12South neighborhood gem. Southern brunch done right with a more refined edge.
Nashville’s Hottest New Restaurants
Sushi-San
2212 12th Ave S · 12South · $31-50 · Book Ahead
Chicago’s beloved sushi spot has landed in Nashville’s 12South neighborhood and it’s already one of the hardest reservations in the city — booked out daily, 4.8 stars, and for good reason. Master Sushi Chef Kaze Chan brings daily fish deliveries straight from the Yamasaki family at Tokyo’s Toyosu Fish Market, which means the quality is the real deal, not Nashville-compromised.
The vibe is old-school hip-hop, Japanese whisky, and a lively open room that gets loud and stays loud. Sit at the sushi bar if you can — it’s the best seat in the house. Order the crispy rice with wagyu tartare, the signature maki rolls, and the Megasan sharing set if you’re with a group. End at the walk-up soft serve window outside — it’s the only one in Nashville and the perfect way to close the meal.
Must order: Crispy rice with wagyu tartare, Megasan set, Japanese Butter Cake, soft serve window.
Book: OpenTable — reserve well ahead, especially on weekends.
Parking: 50% off for 2 hours in the Ashwood lot with validation from the restaurant.
Tacos El Terry
111 4th Ave S · SoBro · Opening End of October 2026 · Coming Soon
The most anticipated restaurant opening on Broadway’s doorstep right now — Tacos El Terry is taking over the iconic former Losers Bar & Grill building at 111 4th Ave S, one block south of Lower Broadway next to Jon Bon Jovi’s Nashville bar. The building is impossible to miss: fire-engine red brick, a massive neon TACOS sign, and SING BAR painted down the side.
The menu spotted in the windows: Al Pastor, Carne Asada, Pollo Asado, Quesadillas, Cerveza, Margaritas, and Frozen Margaritas. A Sing Bar inside adds a karaoke component that makes it the most Nashville-appropriate taco restaurant imaginable. Opening end of October 2026 — one of the most talked-about restaurant openings in Nashville this fall.
Address: 111 4th Ave S, Nashville TN — one block south of Broadway.
Opening: End of October 2026.
Book a Nashville Food Tour
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Book the Food Tour →Nashville Restaurant Tips
- Book ahead for weekends — Henrietta Red, The 404 Kitchen, and Josephine book out fast. OpenTable and Resy are both widely used in Nashville.
- Brunch lines are real — Biscuit Love and The Pancake Pantry both have weekend waits of 30-60 minutes. Arrive when they open or expect to wait.
- East Nashville for local dining — if you want to eat where Nashville residents actually eat, take a rideshare to East Nashville. The Pharmacy, Bolton’s, and a dozen other excellent spots are over there.
- Hot chicken first — whatever else you eat in Nashville, get hot chicken on day one. See our hot chicken guide for where to go.
→ Nashville Hot Chicken: Best Spots & Heat Levels Explained
→ Nashville Broadway Bars: What’s Inside Every Honky Tonk
→ Best Coffee Shops in Nashville
→ Nashville Bachelorette Itinerary: The 3-Day Plan
→ Things to Do in Nashville: The Complete Guide
Restaurant hours, menus, and availability are subject to change. Always verify current information and make reservations where noted before visiting. This post contains affiliate links.