When we talk about Nashville, most of our minds go straight to the legendary country music venues, historic landmarks, and lively downtown. However, as the state capital of Tennessee, Nashville also has an impressive culinary scene.
The main food theme in Nashville might be homely Southern food, cajun dishes, and spicy food, but there’s actually so much more on offer. There are numerous world-class restaurants offering a wide range of tasty dishes.
Whether you want a family-sharing platter, an Asian-inspired banquet, an all-American feast, or a quick bite to eat, there’s a restaurant in Nashville that has what you’re looking for.
Today, we want to show you some of the best restaurants the city has to offer.
Therefore, we’ve compiled a list of 15 Nashville restaurants you need to visit. Whether you’re passing through or staying for a couple of days, we have something for you.
The first restaurant on our list is Arnold’s Country Kitchen. This is an award-winning restaurant that has been serving locals and tourists in Nashville for the last three decades.
The key to the restaurant’s success is its dedication to making the very best Southern comfort food.
Arnold’s Country Kitchen offers a simple meal structure called Southern meat-and-three”. This includes your choice of meat, a drink, and a dessert.
In terms of dining style, this restaurant has gone with a homely feel that features cafeteria-style service.
This allows guests to take full advantage of the buffet. The buffet typically includes corn, chicken, fried chicken, dumplings, meatloaf, and mac and cheese.
If you love Middle Eastern cuisine, you have to pay Lyra a visit. Found on West Eastland Avenue, this restaurant serves some of the best Middle Eastern food you’ll ever try.
On top of that, it does so in a wonderfully charming restaurant complete with a great atmosphere.
The main draw to this restaurant is the excellent happy hour offered daily. The menu is heavy on delicious freshly baked bread, vegetarian dishes, and ice cream sandwiches.
Another great thing about this restaurant is how they create their own interpretations of Middle Eastern cuisine.
Creative interpretations elevate traditional Middle Eastern dishes to the next level, with authentic spices providing a powerful kick.
We can strongly recommend the baba ghanoush. It tastes great and is super filling.
Next up, we have Redheaded Stranger. Nashville is packed with great Tex-Mex restaurants, making it increasingly difficult for restaurants to stand out from the crowd. However, Redheaded Stranger manages to do so perfectly.
How does it do it? Well, this restaurant puts its own unique spin on things by getting creative with classic dishes.
Whilst doing this, the restaurant also creates a laid-back, relaxed atmosphere ideal for families, friends, and couples.
In particular, the outdoor decking area is a big hit with locals and visitors during the summer months.
Admittedly, Redheaded Stranger has a small menu. However, it is packed with a variety of local favorites. These include hatch chilies, tacos, tortillas, crunch wraps, and cheeseburgers.
Make sure you order an icy margarita with your dinner.
Bastion is one of the hardest restaurants in Nashville to get into. With just 24 seats, a fantastic atmosphere, gorgeous food, and fantastic decor, it’s not hard to see why.
The most in-demand restaurant in Nashville, you have to pay a deposit just to book a table.
If you can get in, eating here is a must! Josh Habiger, a local chef that has worked in a wide range of world-class restaurants, creates innovative dishes that are fun, exciting, and of course, tasty.
Interestingly, the way you order your food in this restaurant is quite unique. You choose your preferred ingredients from a paper menu before Habiger concocts something just for you from your chosen ingredients.
You can even sit at the bar and watch your food being prepared.
Hattie B’s actually has three locations in Nashville, making it much easier for you to pay the restaurant a visit.
Hot chicken is very popular in Nashville, with many restaurants striving to be the best. In our opinion, Hattie B’s is the best.
All three of Hattie B’s Hot Chicken locations in Nashville offer a casual fast-food dining experience. The menu consists of simple, yet well-executed hot chicken dishes that will satisfy your hunger.
In terms of quality, the chicken here is crispy, golden brown, and very well-seasoned. What more could we ask for?
Getting the spice levels right is key though. If you love hot food, consider the Shut the Cluck Up option. If you prefer milder foods, go with Southern.
Popular side dishes include mac and cheese, coleslaw, and salads.
The next Nashville restaurant on our list is Peg Leg Porker. Typically, Memphis is associated with barbecue food, not Nashville, however, Peg Leg Porker has proved that it can definitely be a big hit in the Music City too.
If you want to grab a juicy and tender rack of ribs or some delicious pulled pork, you have to take a trip to Peg Leg Porker. Not too far away from Downtown, the smells alone are enough to make your mouth water.
Aside from serving the most amazing pork, this restaurant also serves chicken, nachos, and sandwiches.
Nashville also has its fair share of pizza joints. One of the best has to be Five Points Pizza. Situated on Woodland Street, Five Points Pizza serves up some of the best pizza pies outside of New York.
What we love about this restaurant is its simplicity. Keeping things simple, Five Points Pizza prides itself on serving ice-cold beer and delicious pizzas in a laid-back setting.
It is this laid-back atmosphere combined with high-quality food and drinks that makes Five Points Pizza so popular.
On top of that, the restaurant runs a variety of specials that suit families and groups of friends perfectly. The lunchtime special is particularly good so keep an eye out for that.
Another restaurant in Nashville that can make a killer pizza is Pastaria. Compared to Five Points Pizza though, this restaurant offers a more romantic setting and a larger menu.
Pastaria is actually an Italian dining restaurant that offers plenty of charm, wood-fired pizzas, amazing desserts, and fresh pasta dishes.
Gerard Craft is the head chef at Pastaria. He is a James Beard award-winning chef that’s developed a beautiful menu packed with Italian classics. You can sit back and sip your Aperol spritz as your pizzas are being made.
Pastaria has a wide range of healthy options too. The citrusy, olive, and rosemary salad is a popular choice.
As far as luxury dining goes, there’s probably no better option than the Continental. Since it opened in 2021, the Continental quickly rose to stardom, almost instantly becoming the most beloved luxury restaurant in the city.
Located in the Grand Hyatt Hotel, the Continental offers a seasonal prix fixe menu. Customers are able to choose an entree and dessert. Head chef Sean Brock uses his experience to create a wide range of mid-century, luxury dishes.
He puts a high level of quality and care into each dish to create the perfect world-class dining experience. Of course, we can expect the very best ingredients at this restaurant too.
Popular menu options include the caviar parfait, deluxe rice pudding, and Sequatchie cove cheeses.
Next, we have a charming eatery that sits inside the hall of an old church. Once known as the “Fellowship Hall”, the church building was converted into a wonderful eating space.
Run by owner John Stephenson, who was once a chef, this Restaurant combines flavors from a wide range of cuisines to create a unique eating experience.
Joey Molteni, head chef, blends together American, Southern, Asian, and Irish cuisines to create a delicious menu.
Served in a warm and welcoming environment, the menu here consists of fish, meat, and vegetarian dishes, ensuring every guest has something to choose from.
Overall, this is a great family-friendly restaurant that has a lot to offer.
If you love French food, you’ll adore Once Upon A Time In France. Despite being famous all over the world, finding a restaurant that serves authentic French food isn’t always easy.
If you’re looking for a truly one-of-a-kind dining experience, you have to visit the Catbird Seat. This unique culinary experience is more like an art exhibition than a restaurant. Every dish looks wild, wonderful, and extremely vibrant.
The restaurant holds 22 diners, all of which sit at a U-shaped bar. Diners are then presented with nine courses. Each course offers something different and is paired with wine or a non-alcoholic drink.
We love how every course presents something more unique, often with a new texture and taste. Despite the strange textures, every dish somehow works. Watching the masterpieces being created in front of you is pretty magnificent.
The penultimate Nashville restaurant on our list is Biscuit Love. What started as a small food truck by Sarah and Karl Worley has grown into a fully-fledged restaurant chain that focuses on Southern biscuit cooking. You’ll find three Biscuit Love restaurants in Nashville.
Interestingly, this restaurant only opens in the morning. This along with the dedicated support the restaurant has makes it harder to book a table. If you want to try the restaurant’s fresh biscuits, you’ll have to book in advance.
Some of the most popular local dishes served here include deep-fried mascarpone donuts, boneless hot chicken, and shrimp and grits. This restaurant even has its own range of merchandise you can buy from.
The final Nashville restaurant on this list is Riddim n Spice. Riddim n Spice is arguably the best place in Nashville for a tasty brunch. The restaurant was founded by Rashean Conaway and Kamal Kalokoh in 2019.
It is a big hit with foodies that enjoy Caribbean cuisine as it uses a wide range of Cuban, Jamaican, and Haitian techniques and flavors in each dish.
Brunch is served Saturdays between 11 am and 3 pm. A typical brunch includes jerk chicken and waffles, shrimp n’ cornmeal, French plantain toast, and ackee n’ saltfish.
During brunch, an array of Caribbean-themed cocktails are served.
Final Thoughts
There you have it, 15 Nashville restaurants you need to check out. Nashville has a versatile food scene with plenty to offer. No matter what it is you like to eat, there’s a restaurant that suits what you’re looking for.
There are Southern comfort restaurants serving delicious fried chicken, luxury fine dining experiences, Italian restaurants, French cuisine, Asian-inspired restaurants, and so much more.
In this post, we’ve shown you the very best of Nashville restaurants. Whether you’re passing through or staying over, there’s something for everyone on this list. All you have to do now is decide where you want to eat first.
