47 Best Restaurants in Nashville
Last updated November 4, 2025
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From the vibrant downtown streets to the delightful neighborhoods, Nashville offers a variety of options to fulfill your cravings.
Featuring a blend of cherished restaurants and thrilling fresh entrants, the culinary landscape here matches the city's vibrant energy.
From elegant dining experiences to charming breakfast spots, get ready as I uncover the 47 best restaurants in Nashville!
1. Pancake Pantry
Located in Hillsboro Village, Nashville, Pancake Pantry is a cherished breakfast destination known for its tasty pancakes, egg meals, and sandwiches.
This family-run diner operating since 1961 provides an extensive selection of homemade pancakes, including its renowned sweet potato pancake and other distinctive options such as Georgia Peach, Santa Fe, and Caribbean Cornmeal.
And along with their renowned pancakes, their menu also includes egg dishes made with fresh farm ingredients, gourmet sandwiches, sweet waffles, and salads that are made fresh.
2. Mas Tacos
This is a cherished Mexican restaurant within East Nashville which began as a lovely food truck. It has now turned into a community favorite.
This simple restaurant serves a variety of tasty tacos with choices such as braised pork, fried avocado, Baja fish, sweet potato with quinoa, and chicken.
Besides tacos, they additionally offer hand-rolled tamale on Wednesday and cool drinks such as agua fresca and horchata.
3. Audrey
This is a Nashville restaurant founded by Sean Brock, a famous chef, as a tribute to his grandmother from Appalachia.
The restaurant’s interior design combines contemporary minimalism with cozy rustic elements.
Their menu showcases seasonal changes and emphasizes ancient grains along with overlooked Southern ingredients.
Planning to cook here until he retires, Brock integrates his Appalachian heritage into Audrey Restaurant's dishes while also applying techniques he's acquired over time.
4. Dozen Bakery
Located between Nashville's Central and South neighborhoods, Dozen Bakery is essential for anyone who values the craft of baking.
This simple counter-service venue has transformed from a festive cookie pop-up in 2009 into a cherished neighborhood bakery famous for its handcrafted breads and delicious treats.
Customers can enjoy the nice treats here by using the handy walk-up window or making pre-orders for pick-up or delivery.
5. Peg Leg Porker
This is a famous barbecue destination in Nashville situated in the lovely Gulch neighborhood.
Launched by Carey Bringle, a local pitmaster, this restaurant features a warm interior together with an enlarged upper level for meals and drinks called ‘Pig Pen’.
Their menu includes West Tennessee classic smoked meats such as dry ribs, yardbird served with zesty white sauce, and pulled pork platters.
6. Redheaded Stranger
This is a lively Tex-Mex restaurant situated in East Nashville’s McFerrin Park vicinity.
Under the guidance of executive chef Lee Weaver who is recognized for his role at Butcher and Bee, this eclectic restaurant presents a menu that highlights Southwestern food and inventive cocktails.
The venue has also become well-known for its freshly made tortillas, standout Chile Cheeseburger, and creative tacos.
7. Edley's BarB-Que
This is a well-known BBQ spot in Nashville that serves slow-smoked meals and classic Southern sides.
The menu at the restaurant includes catfish and fried chicken as well.
Situated in the lively 12 South district, it draws both drinkers and diners to its beautiful patios alongside nearby venues.
Families can also savor traditional Tennessee barbecue choices and the nice children's menu while eating here.
8. Bad Idea
This is a recently launched eatery in Nashville situated in a previous church sanctuary.
Its menu showcases dishes inspired by Chef Rasavong Colby's Laotian-American background, while its wine selection is assembled by Alex Burch, the owner.
The restaurant boasts a vast wine collection that features 3000 bottles on hand at all times.
Visitors have always complimented this restaurant's beautiful atmosphere, informed personnel, and flawless service.
9. Hathorne
A dining establishment by John Stephenson, a famous chef, Hathorne is a wonderful enhancement to Nashville’s culinary landscape.
The venue showcases a welcoming design with pews right from the local church and presents mouthwatering options such as shaved Brussels sprouts, pork pierogis, acorn squash, and heirloom roasted carrots for sharing.
Through daily happy hour and a dedication to supporting the local region, Hathorne has rapidly emerged as a beloved destination.
10. Kisser BBQ
Kisser BBQ stands as a pop-up well-liked restaurant managed by a wife-and-husband duo Leina Horii and Brian Lea, who possess substantial expertise in prestigious venues.
The restaurant’s menu showcases relaxed Japanese dishes that are utterly delightful.
Kisser also uses a wait-list QR code system, enabling visitors to browse local shops while awaiting their turns.
11. Thai Esane
This is a recently launched eatery that has quickly earned a reputation due to its outstanding service and delectable dishes.
Its employees are attentive and courteous, ensuring an enjoyable dining adventure.
The menu here features an assortment of dishes, such as scrumptious crab Rangoon and tasty Pad Thai.
Customers have lauded the restaurant’s prepared-on-demand fried rice’s freshness and its egg rolls’ delicate, crunchy skin.
12. Pelican and Pig
A charming dining treasure within East Nashville, Pelican and Pig is the creation of a married couple, Audra and Nick Guidry.
This delightful restaurant, located in a transformed mid-century car upholstery shop, features a warm ambiance that beautifully enhances its creative menu.
The main highlight of the restaurant is its lovely open kitchen focused around a hearth where nearly 95% of the meals are cooked over flames.
13. Pinewood
Pinewood is a fashionable and adaptable spot situated by the scenic Cumberland River.
Pinewood provides a distinct combination of American dishes, drinks, and bowling right in a trendy industrial ambiance.
Since 2013, the venue has remained a mainstay in Nashville, offering a thorough experience with features like a lively coffee shop, restaurant, bar, and lounge.
14. The Southern Steak and Oyster
This is a fashionable venue situated in the center of Nashville's SoBro neighborhood.
It provides a genuine Southern dining adventure with a contemporary oyster bar together with a grill for seafood and meats sourced locally.
Guests here can savor traditional dishes made from scratch, then presented with a nice Southern flair, whether in high-backed intimate booths or at the lively bar.
15. Liberty Common
This is a stylish café that features a complete bar and outdoor seating.
It serves a blend of French staples and Southern comfort dishes.
Situated merely a few blocks from well-known attractions in Nashville, Liberty Common offers great opportunities for observing passersby from its side-walk patio.
Its happy hour offers inexpensive local beers, house wines, frozen cocktails, and mixed drinks.
Its menu features the Liberty double-patty burger, fried chicken Liberty sandwich topped with buttermilk slaw plus bacon, and for those who are vegetarians, buffalo cauliflower.
16. Bourbon Steak
Michael Mina's Bourbon Steak is an upscale steakhouse situated on a Nashville hotel's 34th floor.
This steakhouse provides breathtaking views of Nashville.
It offers a high-end dining experience and focuses on finely crafted classic steakhouse meals, including top-quality beef selections and distinctive seafood choices.
Under the direction of Michael Mina, a celebrated chef, Bourbon Steak offers a menu with standout items such as Maine pot-pie lobster and truffle mac & cheese.
17. Bastion
A member of Strategic’s Hospitality group, Bastion is a stylish and roomy bar situated in an expansive warehouse setting in Nashville.
This location provides inventive cocktails, wine, and tap beer in a refurbished decor atmosphere.
The atmosphere of the bar is also improved by welcoming staff, soft lighting, and a wide array of vinyl records.
Bastion’s bartenders are recognized for creating expertly crafted cocktails using simple and thoughtfully chosen ingredients.
18. Martin's BBQ Joint
This is a well-known roadhouse-style restaurant with nine spots in the area, and its two-story main venue close to Broadway is particularly notable.
The restaurant’s upper level boasts an expansive beer garden together with several bars, games, and picnic tables, along with four large smokers that slowly cook whole hogs overnight.
The scent of burning hickory always hangs in the atmosphere, enhancing the whole culinary adventure.
19. Cafe Roze
This is an all-day fashionable cafe and eatery situated within East Nashville that serves refined American staples, drinks, and coffee in a chic and spacious atmosphere.
The café is famous for its live jazz evenings and wide selection of amaro.
Its menu includes items such as ham toast topped with parmesan that are freshly shaved and cabbage-encased roasted halibut served inside leek vichyssoise.
20. Skulls Rainbow Room
This is a vintage speakeasy lounge established in 1948, featuring upscale American cuisine, artisanal cocktails, and evening burlesque performances.
After some years of closure, this iconic burlesque venue was brought back to life by a new management.
Its chophouse offerings include filet mignon, a Boeuf Croute ribeye meal encased in brie and puff pastry, and classic prime rib.
21. Chauhan Ale & Masala House
Situated in Nashville TN, Chauhan Ale & Masala House provides a distinctive dining adventure with its inventive Indian dishes and drinks.
It is the creation of Maneet Chauhan, the executive chef and co-owner, whose Indian roots and love for travel merge perfectly with Southern cooking.
This helps to develop a unique menu that highlights globally inspired Indian offerings along with classic Southern dishes.
22. Five Point Pizza East
This place has earned a great reputation due to its thin-crust NYC-style pizzas and its extensive array of tap craft beers.
Its original shop, situated in East Nashville, is famous for offering large pizza slices adorned with a variety of tasty toppings such as prosciutto with meatballs or basil and mozzarella.
This modest and straightforward restaurant also provides window walk-up service along with indoor seating.
Note that there’s always a queue outside because of how popular it is.
23. Biscuit Love Gulch
This is a vibrant restaurant that started in 2012 as a lovely food truck, offering Southern lunch and breakfast meals prepared with ingredients that are locally sourced.
The menu here showcases an assortment of biscuit-centered treats such as the tasty East Nasty, which contains sausage gravy and fried-buttermilk chicken.
There is also the Gertie featuring homemade peanut butter and caramel banana jam.
24. Home Tavern
Previously called WZTavern East Cobb, this venue changed its name to HomeTavern in 2024.
Situated in Marietta, it provides a friendly ambiance, skillfully prepared drinks, and tasty dishes inspired by the chef.
Following a temporary closure in 2022, this tavern has resumed operations with an upgraded area for savoring its beloved brunch offerings.
The tavern’s updated menu includes fresh options while keeping cherished classics such as Singapore's Stir-Fry and Red Velvet's Waffles.
25. Fido
This is a well-established cafe situated within Hillsboro Village, close to the Vanderbilt and Belmont campuses.
It provides a trendy café atmosphere with a varied menu and high-quality espresso drinks.
The café also offers breakfast options like pancakes, scrambles, and burritos throughout the day, as well as lunch specials including smoked Gouda grits and shrimp.
26. Épice
Epice stands as a delightful bistro located in 12 South, Nashville, that presents a contemporary take on classic Lebanese dishes and a remarkable imported wines array.
The restaurant's inviting atmosphere and focus on local ingredients offer a Mediterranean experience that seems just like a hidden gem.
Featuring traditional mezze-like tabouleh and tasty main courses including skewers, lamb meatballs in tomato ragout, and roasted chicken, the menu here aims to satisfy all tastes.
27. Etch
This is a fashionable high-end eatery within downtown Nashville recognized for its diverse, premium dining experience and open kitchen atmosphere.
Chef Paquette Deb's incorporation of vibrant flavors and unique spices has brought the restaurant considerable praise.
Its modern and stylish dining room features private dining areas and multiple seating arrangements such as a lengthy chef bar that allows a clear view into their kitchen where creative meals are made.
28. Butchertown Hall
This is a chic restaurant situated in Nashville’s Germantown area, close to the historical Morgan Park.
Butchertown Hall serves smoked, wood-fired Tex-Mex and American dishes, as well as a range of cocktails and beers.
The concept of the restaurant draws inspiration from Central Texas’s meat market traditions and 19th-century Nashville butcher shops, creating a fusion of modern tastes rooted in history.
The menu here highlights tasty barbecue, especially the nice brisket.
29. Hattie B Hot Chicken
Located in Nashville Midtown, this is a favored destination for both residents and visitors looking for special fried chicken ranging from mild to extremely spicy, along with local beers and traditional Southern sides.
Situated in the Music Row center, this laid-back restaurant accommodates all preferences.
Its menu features child-friendly sides such as fries, baked beans, and cheese & mac, alongside desserts like banana pudding and beer float.
30. Tailor Nashville
This is an upscale Michelin-starred eatery that provides an exceptional experience with tasty cuisine and captivating tales from its chef.
The eatery’s cuisine is rich in various tastes and its service is excellent.
In fact, the eatery deserves a spot on everybody's list when visiting Nashville.
31. Loveless Cafe
This is a delightful Southern restaurant featuring a quaint atmosphere and a variety of distinctive shops nearby.
Famous for its delicious Southern cuisine, this legendary venue has been pleasing visitors for more than 70 years.
Starting out as a simple motel and café, it has transformed into a cherished dining spot offering delectable meals like buttermilk biscuits, fried chicken, southern-fried cat fish, pork, and many others.
32. Folk
This is a delightful eatery situated in McFerrin Park, East Nashville, providing a distinctive dining atmosphere with its tall ceilings and unique brick walls.
They offer inventive seasonal Italian cuisine including sourdough wood-fired pizzas adorned with unique toppings such as Little Neck clam, lemon, parsley, and bonito.
33. Henrietta Red
This is a fashionable and chic eatery situated in Nashville’s Germantown area.
Julia Sullivan’s inaugural restaurant which emphasizes Southern dishes blended with coastal tastes, has achieved popularity since its launch in 2017.
Its luminous and spacious historic venue showcases an exceptional display of straightforward and elegant meals, including a carefully curated oyster selection delivered fresh each day from various regions across the nation.
34. Locust
Locust, situated in 12South, is a dining establishment where Trevor Moran, the chef highlights his distinctive culinary approach, merging elements from Ireland and Japan.
Their menu includes items such as salty Belon oysters, sea snails presented with spicy salt and toothpicks, and roasted sole accompanied by uni and morels.
35. Lockeland Table
This is a delightful restaurant found within East Nashville that provides a cozy and welcoming environment in a revamped, rustic storefront.
This restaurant is always alive with residents savoring Southern-style American dishes and pizzas that are wood-fired.
Their menu includes items such as chicken liver pâté atop Tuscan bread, Prince Edward Thai steamed Island mussels in red curry, and chimichurri sauce with dry-aged New York strip steak.
36. Big Al Deli
This is a well-known place celebrated for its homemade cuisine and Southern charm.
It’s popular with both construction workers and locals, who commonly create improvised tables outdoors whenever the dining area is crowded.
Their menu showcases substantial breakfast choices like the tasty Big Breakfast, along with soul food classics like meatloaf served with skillet BBQ beans and turnip greens.
37. Husk Nashville
This is a contemporary Southern eatery situated in a historical mansion and renowned for its creative regional dishes prepared on a grill.
The focus is on utilizing heirloom ingredients and locally-sourced seasonal products to prepare southern classics using a modern approach.
Sean Brock, the chef has altered views on Southern cuisine by reinstating heirloom grains and vegetables that vanished from the agriculture sector, showcasing the area's rich immigrant history.
38. Roberts Western World
Situated in Nashville, this is a traditional honky-tonk featuring live country music, chilled beer, and the fried bologna popular sandwiches.
It distinguishes itself among the various historic entertainment spots in Nashville and offers a genuine experience of classic country music.
This location also boasts a rich past, having fulfilled multiple roles prior to transforming into the well-loved place it is currently.
Guests can even relish country music and bluegrass while savoring the famous 'Roberts recession' meal offered here.
39. The Catbird Seat
This is a high-end restaurant in Nashville that provides a distinctive and engaging experience for guests.
The restaurant has an open U-shaped kitchen with 22 seats, enabling visitors to watch their culinary team in action.
Their constantly evolving tasting menu features elaborate small dishes made from seasonal, fresh ingredients, guaranteeing a lively and unexpected dining adventure.
40. Lyra
This is a Nashville restaurant specializing in Middle Eastern cuisine and attracting interest for its genuine and sophisticated approach to the area's dishes.
Chef Arakelian Hrant, inspired by his Lebanese heritage, offers a tasty seasonal menu featuring vibrant flavors and inventive dishes like Man'oushe, hummus, Baba Ghanoush, and fried Halloumi.
This menu showcases the chef's early years in Oman and Lebanon.
41. Butcher and Bee
Situated in Nashville, this is a fashionable venue recognized for its dynamic menu that showcases seasonal and creative dishes made from regional ingredients.
Bryan Weaver's combination of Israeli dishes with Southern influences always attracts interest here.
The restaurant’s Whipped Feta meal is a delightful mix of feta with cream cheese topped with honey.
They also provide small mezze platters and dips for appetizers, in addition to large family-style meals.
42. Adele's Nashville
This is a top farm-to-table eatery situated on 12th Avenue Street, featuring a relaxed atmosphere and outdoor seating.
The eatery offers New American cuisine and cocktails, presenting a menu that includes choices such as duck leg together with barbecue mustard and Verlasso salmon paired with cucumber, blood orange, and dill.
43. Rolf & Daughters
This is a fashionable, industrial-styled restaurant situated in the Germantown area of Nashville.
It offers an engaging dining atmosphere with its creative New American cuisine, shared tables, and imaginative cocktails.
Situated in an old rustic-style building that contains wooden paneling and exposed light bulbs, the restaurant radiates a modern atmosphere.
Their menu features a variety of shareable little plates, hearty pasta options, and traditional main dishes.
44. Frothy Monkey
This is a well-liked local coffee shop chain found throughout the South and recognized for its trendy and relaxed atmosphere.
The location provides an assortment of special coffee drinks even seasonal lattes such as the Havana, along with a varied food selection.
Visitors can savor brunch and breakfast offerings throughout the day, including the BE HiveHash and biscuits topped with chorizo.
45. The Optimist
This is a restaurant situated in a beautiful brick-adorned venue, serving an array of seafood, oysters, and meat dishes along with cocktails and a broad selection of wines.
Located in a once-utilized warehouse, this eatery has emerged as a notable landmark on Adams St.
Chef Fry Ford's second site of this well-known Atlanta restaurant features premium ingredients and outstanding service.
46. AVO
This is a lively restaurant that serves both uncooked and prepared vegan meals, as well as artisanal cocktails and sweets in a cheerful and welcoming atmosphere.
The establishment seeks to provide plant-based enjoyable and accessible dining for all by utilizing locally sourced, high-quality ingredients.
Its menu is fully plant-based, featuring choices that are gluten-free, kosher-certified, and organic.
AVO's creative products also feature distinct items such as eco-friendly metal straws and the avocado tart.
47. City House
This is a well-known Nashville Italian eatery that offers Southern-infused cuisine.
Renowned for its straightforward and tasty menu highlighting house-made pizzas and pastas, the eatery provides a range of choices that include oregano with belly ham, chilies, and parmesan.
It also features a wide variety of whiskeys and wines.
City House's Sunday Supper each week is also strongly suggested for an unforgettable meal.
