95 Best Restaurants in Nashville, Tennessee

8th & Roast

$ | Waverly Fodor's choice

The original location of this growing local coffee roaster serves ethically sourced coffee roasted in-house, plus seasonal treats, breakfast sandwiches, and lunch items. Lined with exposed brick, the bright space is industrial yet cozy, featuring seating for both individuals and larger groups.

Baja Burrito

$ | Berry Hill Fodor's choice

This colorful neighborhood staple is a locally owned Baja Californian--style Mexican food restaurant, with build-your-own counter service featuring local meats, handmade salsas, and delicious fruit teas. In addition to their namesake burritos, they offer plentiful taco and salad options, all in generous portions, making this funky and fun spot a local favorite.

Barista Parlor Golden Sound

$ | The Gulch Fodor's choice

Serious coffee connoisseurs shouldn't leave the city without a visit to one of Barista Parlor's outposts. The Gulch location is housed inside a former transmission shop, and everything inside, from the wood tables and platters to the art and barista aprons, are sourced from local makers and craftspeople, so you better believe they're serious about keeping it bespoke. The coffee and food options take time, so don't stop by in a hurry, but the attention to detail is worth it.

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Big Al's Deli

$ | Germantown Fodor's choice

Tucked away in nearby Salemtown is Big Al's Deli, a neighborhood deli in every sense of the word. Owner Alfonso Hamilton serves home-cooked Southern food out of an otherwise nondescript converted house, making for a dining experience that feels like you're right at home. Seating is limited inside but the food, especially the breakfast, is well worth the wait.

Bobbie's Dairy Dip

$ | Sylvan Park Fodor's choice

This classic ice cream and burger stand feels like a blast from the past with retro decor, classic diner fare, ice cream, and milk shakes that can be enjoyed on their covered patio. This family-friendly staple embraces their throwback energy, even naming their delicious signature shake flavors after 1950s rockers.

Brown's Diner

$ | Hillsboro Village Fodor's choice

One of Nashville's oldest restaurants still in operation, the famed Brown's Diner first opened its doors in 1927. This spot, housed in a large trailer, is popular with celebrities and regular ol' locals alike, and the burger is one of the best in town.

Edley's Bar-B-Que

$ | Sylvan Park Fodor's choice

Edley’s offers a delicious taste of Southern cooking in the classic meat-and-three tradition, and their sides are just as delicious as their melt-in-your-mouth meats. Make sure to try their brisket before it sells out for the day in either taco, sandwich, or platter form, and enjoy a craft beer or a signature spiked milk shake called a Bushwacker for refreshment.

Fido

$ | Hillsboro Village Fodor's choice

Local favorite Fido is part of the Bongo Java family and has one of the coffee shop group's more extensive food menus. In addition to Fido's own take on the creatively made, ethically sourced espresso drinks found at other Bongo locations, the restaurant serves locally sourced breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Pro tip: try the burger.

Five Daughters Bakery

$ Fodor's choice

You know the offerings are good when the hours include a "or till sold out" proviso, and that's the case with this bakery located just off 12th Avenue South. They serve pastries and cookies, but the large, beautifully decorated gourmet doughnuts are what people talk about most. It is locally owned and named for the family's five daughters.

Five Points Pizza

$ | East Nashville Fodor's choice

A lively strip of bars wouldn't be complete without a pizza joint, and Five Points Pizza fills that void in the Five Points neighborhood, slinging slices, pies, and brews to the crowds heading to nearby 3 Crow Bar or the Five Spot. For the late-night set, Five Points offers a walk-up window for ordering slices to go. The prosciutto and basil slice is a sure bet, as are the big, greasy garlic knots.

Frothy Monkey

$ | The Nations Fodor's choice

Giant warehouse windows hearken back to The Nations’ industrial roots and shed bright light on the stylish wood-laden interior of this coffee shop and all-day café. The variety of seating options make Frothy Monkey a favorite for remote workers with laptops, and their health-focused menu features locally roasted coffee, fresh pastries, and farm-sourced ingredients for all meals.

Gabby's Burgers & Fries

$ | Wedgewood-Houston Fodor's choice

Gabby’s is where real people of all sorts go for really good burgers (grass-fed beef or vegan) and addictive sweet potato fries. The ever-present line moves quickly; eat at the tables or small counter overlooking the grill, or grab and go.

Humphreys Street Coffee Shop

$ | Wedgewood-Houston Fodor's choice

The bright, pleasant shop opened in 2018; the nonprofit enterprise behind it was established in 2008 to train and mentor students. In addition to prepared coffees, the shop sells the beans, soaps, and scrubs made by the students, as well as mugs and T-shirts bearing the coffeehouse logo. All profits support programs and scholarships for the students.

Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint

$ | Belmont Fodor's choice

Martin's proudly proclaims they don't own a microwave or a freezer. They are committed to the west-Tennessee style of whole-hog barbecue, smoking their hogs for a full day and serving it until it runs out—period. This is the type of place where you may find yourself stupefied by just how much you've managed to eat.

Mitchell Delicatessen

$ | East Nashville Fodor's choice

Mitchell Delicatessen is one of the pillars of East Nashville's Riverside Village neighborhood, and having relocated from across the street to a larger space in 2014, it's one of the more spacious delis in town (with a large covered patio, to boot). Come for classics like the Turkey Avocado; come back for Mitchell creations like the Turkey Apple Brie and Asian Flank Steak.

Peg Leg Porker

$ | The Gulch Fodor's choice

Owner and longtime pit master Carey Bringle says it all in his biography: "Smoke is in my veins." The line for the lunch rush is often out the door, but many agree that the dry ribs, hickory-smoked for more than 18 hours, are well worth the wait. Peg Leg's wings—offered dry, hot, and extra-hot—also keep people coming back again and again. Standout sides include the smoked green beans and the barbecue baked beans, and as an appetizer you can prime your palate with a platter of sausage, cheese, and saltines—aka Memphis Sushi.

Prince's Hot Chicken Shack South

$ | Nolensville Pike Fodor's choice

Started in 1945 by James Thornton Prince and passed down to his great-niece André Prince Jeffries in the '80s, this is Nashville’s most renowned hot chicken spot (the original location sadly closed its doors after a fire in late 2018). If you’re a beginner, try the four-piece tenders with white bread and pickles—don’t be a hero; even the mild is plenty hot. There’s limited seating, and the plastic tablecloths aren’t out to impress anyone. Nonetheless, the food is nothing but impressive. Prince’s was even named an American Classic by the James Beard Foundation Awards in 2013.

Slim and Husky's Pizza Beeria

$ | Germantown Fodor's choice

Slim and Husky's Pizza Beeria was one of the first new restaurants to open in the burgeoning Buchanan Arts District neighborhood. Owned and operated by neighborhood residents, Slim and Husky's serves a variety of freshly made pizzas, and also offers the option to design your own. They serve an eclectic array of local beer and also offer up homemade cinnamon rolls, which guests can take home in large batches at the operation's nearby retail store, the Roll Out.

Swett's Restaurant

$ | McKissack Park Fodor's choice

Nashville is known for its meat-and-three-style restaurants, and Swett's is one of its most famous; past patrons run the gamut from presidents to pop stars, and everyone in between. If you’re looking for Southern staples like collard greens, baked macaroni-and-cheese, and entrées that range from fried catfish to barbecued ribs, this is the place to be—you might even find the owner out in the dining room with a group of friends, enjoying his meal as much as you will.

Tempered Café and Chocolate

$ | Germantown Fodor's choice

Tempered Café is unlike any other café in Nashville, serving an extensive selection of handcrafted chocolates alongside a full menu of espresso drinks, breakfast and lunch plates, and, yes, homemade hot chocolate and drinking chocolate. Tempered also has a full bar, and offers chocolate and beverage pairings that are unlike anything you've ever tried before.

Tennessee Brew Works

$ | The Gulch Fodor's choice

An official Music City Live Music Venue, Tennessee Brew Works Tap Room features bands and solo acts Thursday through Saturday, and on Sunday it's vinyl night. Enjoy a finely crafted brew with menu items such as their Five Beer Burger, crawfish ragout, Southern grill cheese, and more; there are beer pairings for each dish, and Tennessee Brew Works offers brews across the flavor spectrum with truly unique blends. Try their Basil Ryman with Thai basil sourced from a local farm. Their brewing process is masterful—employing the talents of an in-house chemist Ph.D—and soulful, with a passion for creating inventive, locally sourced craft beers. Brewery tours are offered Saturday and Sunday.

The Pharmacy

$ | East Nashville Fodor's choice

If you have a hankering for good burgers and good beer, look no further than the Pharmacy to cure what ails you. The outdoor beer garden is hard to beat for both its size and ambience, and the food itself is fresh, locally sourced, and thoughtfully served. Though burgers are the name of the game, there are vegetarian-friendly options. Be sure to try The Pharmacy's house-made phosphates (sodas) and milk shakes.

Vui's Kitchen

$ | Berry Hill Fodor's choice

Chic yet inviting, the fresh Vietnamese fare at Vui’s Kitchen includes favorite dishes like pho and bun garnished with local greens, as well as a seasonal selection of local beer and wine. Their counter is one of the few places in Nashville where you can find a fresh coconut, which is best enjoyed in their ample outdoor seating area.

Americano Coffee Lounge

$ | Wedgewood-Houston

Opened in fall 2018, this Houston Station coffee shop, or rather, lounge, has baked goods made fresh in its tiny kitchen, a large selection of syrups that are used in its house-made Italian sodas, and, of course, hot and iced coffee. The atmosphere is old-school cozy, even more so on Saturday afternoons when there is live jazz.

Athens Family Restaurant

$ | Berry Hill

Once featured on the Food Network, the Athens Family Restaurant is a diner that has all the appearances of a classic greasy spoon but instead serves delicious Greek food for all three meals. Enjoy gyro, pitas, and Greek sides as well as American diner favorites like burgers and breakfast sandwiches.

Bakersfield

$ | Downtown

One of the better options for a casual meal, Bakersfield specializes in Mexican street food that is authentic and quick. The bar also serves more than 100 types of tequila, so that you can get the full experience. A great place for lunch or a late night bite after dancing on Broadway.

Barista Parlor

$ | East Nashville

The East Nashville location of Barista Parlor is the spot that started it all for the growing local coffee chain. Barista Parlor is known for paying almost an excruciating level of detail to all of its coffee beverages, so you know you're getting a quality cup of coffee every time you visit. They also sell pastries and small bites, served up in a painstakingly hip environment.

Barista Parlor

$ | Germantown

The original East Nashville Barista Parlor was such a hit that the hip shop has since expanded to several locations around town. One of those is in Germantown, conveniently located right next to popular dinner joint City House. Barista Parlor puts an extraordinary amount of care into each cup of coffee it brews, and you can taste that attention to detail each time you visit.

Biscuit Love

What goes better with buttermilk biscuits than a historical Queen Anne Victorian home? This one, affectionately known as the Corn House (after the Corn family who lived there from 1920 to 1980), is home to some of the best Southern brunch around, from the traditional (biscuits and sausage gravy with a side of cheese grits) to the unconventional (a biscuit burger with pimento cheese and tomato jam).

Biscuit Love

$ | Hillsboro Village

Biscuit Love opened its first outpost in the Gulch, with the hip new breakfast spot so popular that lines poured out the door each morning. Now the popular eatery is open in Hillsboro Village, serving up homemade biscuits and breakfast plates until 3 pm each day. Be warned: unless you get there early, be prepared to wait in line.

Nashville

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