31 Best Restaurants in Nashville, Tennessee

Bella Napoli Pizzeria

$$ | Edgehill Fodor's choice

Bella Napoli is one of the few authentic Neapolitan pizzerias in the city, and its brick-oven baked pizzas, decadent pasta dishes, and inexpensive happy hour will send you searching for this quaint eatery tucked in an alleyway on the back end of Edgehill Village. On warm nights, you can kick back on the romantically lit patio and enjoy good food, your favorite bottle of wine, and occasional live music.

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.

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.

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Jamaicaway Restaurant and Catering

$$ | Midtown Fodor's choice

A longtime favorite sit-down spot in Nashville’s Farmer’s Market, Jamaicaway now has an additional location just off West End Avenue, one of Midtown’s main thoroughfares. Its cozy setting, friendly owners, and scrumptious curried dishes make this dining experience feel like you’ve stepped onto the island itself, where serenity and home-cooked food abound.

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.

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.

bartaco

This open yet cozy space, with woven baskets as light fixtures, serves upscale bites influenced by the street food and beach cultures of Southern California, Uruguay, and Brazil. Tacos and rice bowls dominate the menu, as well as fresh-squeezed juice and cocktails.

Biscuit Love

$ | The Gulch

What started as a beloved Airstream food truck is now a brick-and-mortar staple in the neighborhood that's hailed for its daily scratch-made Southern-style biscuits. There are nine different biscuit sandwiches to choose from, made with a variety of meats, gravies, and toppings, but there are plenty of tempting "Without a Biscuit" options like the surprisingly tasty egg-topped Lindstrom made with shaved brussels sprouts, hazelnuts, and shredded Parmesan.

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).

Burger Republic

$ | The Gulch

For those craving a burger that's a cut above the rest, Burger Republic offers up 15 different variations—like a fancier version of the In-N-Out classic or a Southern-inspired burger with a pimento cheese--stuffed patty—with a focus on locally sourced meats and ingredients. For the full artery-clogging experience, order a handmade shake spiked with your choice of booze.

Elliston Place Soda Shop

$ | Elliston Place

Elliston Place Soda Shop has been open since 1939, and has retained much of its mid-century decor, including vintage jukeboxes at the tables (though the boxes themselves no longer play), and a lovely soda counter, complete with a fountain. Come for great burgers, frothy ice-cream sodas, and delicious chocolate shakes—or breakfast.

Five Daughters Bakery

Located inside the Factory, this dreamy bakery seems to glow with soft pink light. They specialize in donuts, but not just any old donuts—these are 100-layer croissant-donut hybrids, cream-filled and glazed in flavors like spiced honey cheesecake and maple bacon (they also have a wide selection of paleo and vegan donuts).

Frothy Monkey

This coffeehouse opens first thing in the morning and stays open through breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and there’s plenty of porch space to enjoy your rosemary honey latte outside; in the evening, they expand their drink menu to include craft beer and wine. The menu is Southern comfort food with a New South twist (like johnnycakes with house-pickled okra and bacon-onion marmalade), but coffee is still the main event at Frothy Monkey. All their coffee is locally roasted by their own roasting company, and you can buy it by the bag from the café.

La Hispana Bakery

$ | Charlotte Pike

This Mexican bakery serves up fresh tres leches, bread pudding, cheesecake, and a host of other pastries so flaky you’ll get almost as much on your shirt as in your mouth. Grab a Mexican Coca-Cola made to complete your sugary snack.

Loveless Café

$ | Bellevue

Southwest of Nashville on Highway 100, the Loveless Café serves up its famous scratch-made biscuits and country ham every day of the week. Long waits for a table are typical, so be prepared to do some shopping and play a round of cornhole while you wait. When the café opened in 1951, it was just chicken served at picnic tables on Lon and Annie Loveless’s front porch. But over the years, the restaurant has expanded to include every iteration of Southern breakfast and supper. In 2004 the remainder of the on-site motel was converted into quaint country shops—chief among them the Hams & Jams Country Market, where you can get free coffee all day, Southern-inspired home goods and gifts, and barbecue to go.

Lucky Bamboo

$ | Charlotte Pike

A bubbling koi pond, panda mural, and jungle of potted plants create a deceivingly kitschy setting for the most authentic Sichuan and Cantonese food in Nashville. You can’t go wrong ordering a hot pot off the menu, but for something really special, come on the weekend from 11 am to 3 pm and order dim sum off the cart. Speaking of special, you can also order specials off the board at the front of the restaurant. Braised oxtail and dry pepper pig feet, anyone?

MAFIAoZA’s

This fun pizza place is where all ages gather for deep-dish pizzas made in an open kitchen. Beyond pizza they serve meatballs, sautéed spinach, and salads, and for dessert, cannoli of course.

McCreary's Irish Pub

If you need some place snug to get out of the rain, stop into McCreary’s for shepherd’s pie and a pint of Harp. Their selection of seafood fare, like the Galway fish sandwich, will give you that Irish coastal feeling even as far inland as Tennessee. If you’re feeling especially decadent, stop by between 9 and noon on the weekend and give the bread pudding French toast a try.

McNamara's Irish Pub

$$ | Donelson

It’s impossible to overstate how cozy this Irish pub is. There’s live music every night of the week, but on Friday through Sunday, you can catch the owner himself performing traditional Irish tunes with his band, Nosey Flynn. After dinner, Finn McCool's Ice Cream Pie is an unbeatable treat, but you’ll need at least four people to finish a slice. Or, if you’re after something a little stronger, McNamara’s serves every Irish whiskey you can get in Nashville. If there’s a long wait downstairs, they also serve the full menu upstairs in the semi-secret sports bar.

Meridee's Breadbasket

As soon as you squeeze through the front door of Meridee’s Breadbasket, you’ll feel at home. The shelves are stocked with fresh baked bread, and the cabinets are full of peanut butter pie and butterscotch bars. There are quilts on the walls and baskets hanging from the ceiling, helping the jumble of tables to feel more neighborly than crowded, and the service is as charming as the setting: ask any employee which bread you should order with your chicken salad sandwich, and they'll discuss it with you for as long as you like.

Mike’s Ice Cream

$ | Downtown

A downtown Nashville staple for many years, Mike’s reminds you of a classic 1950s soda parlor, complete with vintage murals. Featuring classics like perfectly dipped cones and tall sundaes covered in chocolate, it’s a great way to end a day walking around downtown.

Milk & Honey

$$ | The Gulch

What started as a tiny coffee-and-gelato shop in nearby Chattanooga, Tennessee, is now a full-service restaurant offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner in this Gulch outpost. Serving up their dreamy gelato—including their signature Milk & Honey flavor—along with wood-fired pizzas, pastas, and seriously good espresso drinks, this is a great choice when the lines at neighboring joints are too long.

Miss Saigon

$$ | Charlotte Pike

When the Far East comes to West Nashville, it means you get to have a pint of local beer with your bowl of filet mignon pho. Miss Saigon’s selection of Vietnamese delights is unrivaled, but if you need help narrowing it down, the Bún Miss Saigon (their famous five-meat vermicelli) with a glass of homemade corn milk (yes, corn milk) is an unbeatable combination.

Monell's at the Manor

$$ | Murfreesboro Pike

With its famous family-style dining and even more famous skillet-fried chicken, Southern hospitality is on full display at Monell’s at the Manor. This restaurant calls Colemere Mansion home, a Southern Colonial mansion built in 1930, and they roll out a different meal every day of the week. Southern classics like roast beef, fried catfish, and chicken and dumplings are weekly staples, but it’s the vegetables that really complete the experience.

Nadeen's Hermitage Haven

$$ | Hermitage

For a neighborhood joint that takes diner fare to the next level, Nadeen’s balance of folksy and classy won’t disappoint. The rolls for their Philly cheesesteaks actually come from Philadelphia, and their biscuits are fresh every morning.

Pancake Pantry

$ | Hillsboro Village

A Nashville institution, Pancake Pantry is the place to go for breakfast. It's a favorite with locals, students, and celebrities. Breakfast is the specialty, with 20 kinds of pancakes (sweet to savory) and homemade syrups. There are good soups and sandwiches for lunch—or you can stick with the pancakes, which are served till closing in late afternoon. Get there by 8:15 weekdays to avoid lines, but be prepared to wait on weekends.

Puckett's Grocery and Restaurant

If SunDrop and fried chicken set your heart aflutter, this Southern grocery store/restaurant combo is not to be missed. The cherrywood smoker out back churns out piles of pork, chicken, and brisket every day, and you can buy their signature barbecue rub and sauce at the register. On your way out, after you’ve polished off a slice of fruit cobbler with homemade ice cream, shop the produce section for local eggs, milk, and greens. There’s live music every night of the week except Sunday.

Ri'chard's Cafe

$$ | Whites Creek

Drive out to beautiful Whites Creek for live music and authentic New Orleans favorites: po’boys, muffulettas, crawfish étouffé, and (of course) Abita beer. If it isn’t too busy, Ri'chard himself will join the band for a couple of songs on guitar. This place offers laid-back fun for the whole family, and you’ll need your whole family’s help to finish all that fried okra.

Sassafras Market & Deli

$ | Wedgewood-Houston

A small specialty grocery, Sassafras also has a window-filled deli space with great views of the fast-changing neighborhood from its corner location; picnic tables out front are a warm-weather seating option. The menu features sandwiches and breakfast items, including a number of vegetarian and vegan options.

Sidekicks Cafe

$ | Madison

This country café in Madison, Tennessee, has a home-cooked appeal. Try a loaded biscuit for breakfast or a pimento cheese--and-- bacon sandwich for lunch, and don’t forget to check the cabinet for a daily selection of house-made pastries and desserts. By the time you leave, the staff will know you by name.

Nashville

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