10 Places Where Locals Love to Eat in Nashville
What are Nashville's Best Local Restaurants?
The places where locals love to eat in Nashville are as much a part of the city’s charm as its music and history. When you think of Nashville, chances are good you immediately imagine country music, the Johnny Cash Museum, or the Grand Ole Opry, but the city is also a prime destination for foodies.
From iconic dishes like Nashville hot chicken to global favorites like ramen, pizza, and Southern barbeque, you’ll find a wide world of culinarily delights to explore here. In this guide, we’ll take you beyond time-honored traditions of Southern cooking and help you find the best places locals love to eat in Nashville.
1. Butcher & Bee
Flavorful dishes built from locally sourced ingredients
Good for: Food, Families, Couples
Butcher & Bee began as a sandwich restaurant, but quickly expanded to offer a wide range of dishes. All ingredients are sourced from local farms and growers in order to deliver the utmost flavor, but also to support the local economy.
Choose from a number of different plates and combination options here. The Picnic For Two includes a full meal for 2 diners, while the house-made pickle plate features pickled vegetables that change seasonally. Tagliatelle pasta, shrimp and grits, and Israeli-spiced ribs are among the favorites here, but you can also find familiar dishes like fried chicken sandwich and pulled pork sandwich.
Location: 902 Main St, Nashville, TN 37206, USA
Open: from 5 pm to 9.30 pm, Friday from 5 pm to 10 pm, Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm and 5 pm to 10 pm, Sunday from 10 am to 2 pm and 5 pm to 9.30 pm
Phone: +1 615-229-5019
Butcher & Bee
2. Mitchell Delicatessen
Thoughtfully crafted sandwiches from quality ingredients
Good for: Families, Food
Founded in 2008, Mitchell Delicatessen crafts East Nashville’s best sandwiches from high-quality, delicious ingredients. With a focus on natural, locally sourced foods, this deli offers a little something for everyone. The hot breakfast bar and soup du jour are popular with locals.
Beyond the long list of delectable traditional sandwiches, which notably includes one of the best-rated banh mi options around, you’ll also find breakfast (including lox), a large salad bar, and vegan options, like the seitan supreme sub. There’s a kids’ menu featuring mainstays like grilled cheese and ham and cheese.
Location: 1306 McGavock Pk, Nashville, TN 37216, USA
Open: Daily from 8 am to 4 pm
Phone: +1 615-262-9862
Mitchell Delicatessen
3. Husk
Redefining what it means to cook and eat in the South
Good for: Food, Couples
Husk sits in the middle of Rutledge Hill, one of Nashville’s historic neighborhoods. Located just minutes from Historic Broadway, the restaurant is established by Chef Katie Coss, who has made it her mission to reinvent and reinterpret classic Southern fare, fueled by heirloom products and locally sourced ingredients.
Husk’s menu changes frequently and is seasonally based. Some of the menu items featured in the past include shrimp and grits, chicken with spinach and mushrooms, beef with green peppercorns, and pork chops with sweet potatoes and arugula. Other options have included catfish with shrimp head gravy and Carolina-grown rice.
Location: 37 Rutledge St, Nashville, TN 37210, USA
Open: Monday–Thursday from 5 pm to 10 pm, Friday from 5 pm to 10.30 pm, Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm and 5 pm to 10.30 pm, Sunday from 10 am to 2 pm and 5 pm to 10 pm
Phone: +1 615-256-6565
Husk
4. The Grilled Cheeserie
An area favorite food truck turned brick-and-mortar restaurant
Good for: Food, Unusual
If you’re looking for gooey, glorious cheese, that’s what you’ll find at The Grilled Cheeserie, which started out as a food truck and evolved into a permanent restaurant.
The menu here is gloriously cheesy, from specialty melts like the pimento mac & cheese melt to quesabirria melt. However, you can also make your own melt beginning with 5 types of bread, and then progressing to 6 different cheese options, proteins, and extras. You’ll also find plenty of soups and sides to expand your meal.
Location: 2003 Belcourt Ave, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
Open: Daily from 11 am to 9 pm
Phone: +1 615-203-0351
The Grilled Cheeserie
5. Nicky’s Coal Fired
Tennessee’s first coal-fired pizza oven
Good for: Food, Families, Couples
Nicky’s Coal Fired offers authentic Italian food and features the first coal-fired pizza oven in Tennessee. Dubbed “Enrico,” it is used to cook pizzas, but also meat, seafood, and veggies. You’ll find all of those and so much more on the menu here, too.
Pizza is the main draw at Nicky’s, and you’ll find everything from a daily pie to a classic Margherita, Nicky’s supreme, and the St. Pasquale, which comes topped with pepperoni, pecorino, garlic, and chile flakes. You can also indulge in pasta dishes and salads or satisfy a sweet tooth with a tiramisu.
Location: 5026 Centennial Blvd, Nashville, TN 37209, USA
Open: Sunday–Thursday from 4 pm to 8.30 pm, Friday–Saturday from 4 pm to 9 pm
Phone: +1 615-678-4289
Nicky’s Coal Fired
6. Hattie B’s Hot Chicken
The original location for Hattie B’s Nashville Hot Fried Chicken
Good for: Food, Families
Nashville hot fried chicken lives up to its name, and Hattie B’s Hot Chicken is one of the original 2 restaurants to offer it. While the restaurant has expanded to multiple locations in the city, the Charlotte Avenue outlet is the place it all started.
You can choose to eat your chicken almost any way you want. Opt for a hot chicken sandwich or go big with any of the different plate choices, including one that comes with a full half-chicken. The tenders plate is also a great choice. Finish your meal with a delicious peach cobbler or banana pudding.
Location: 5209 Charlotte Ave, Nashville, TN 37209, USA
Open: Monday–Thursday from 11 am to 10 pm, Friday–Saturday from 11 am to 11 pm, Sunday from 11 am to 8 pm
Phone: +1 615-576-3900
Hattie B’s Hot Chicken
7. Two Ten Jack
Izakaya-inspired food located in the heart of Nashville
Good for: Food, Nightlife
Two Ten Jack is an authentic izakaya experience in the heart of the South. However, there’s more here than just amazing ramen. You’ll also find a range of cocktails, draft and bottled beer, sake, shochu, and more.
For your dining pleasure, start with a small plate, like the edamame or tsukemono. Two Ten Jack also offers several specialty sashimi plates, a range of yakitori options, and, yes, ramen. The tonkotsu is particularly good, but you may also enjoy the tori paitan shoyu (chicken-based ramen), yasai shoyu (vegetable ramen), or the abura soba. Finish the night off with some mochi.
Location: 1900 Eastland Ave #105, Nashville, TN 37206, USA
Open: Monday–Thursday from 11 am to 2 pm and 5 pm to 9 pm, Friday from 11 am to 2 pm and 5 pm to 10 pm, Saturday from 5 pm to 10 pm (closed on Sundays)
Phone: +1 615-454-9255
Two Ten Jack
8. Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint
Whole-hog smoked BBQ the whole family will love
Good for: Families, Food
Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint is located not far from Hillsboro Village and Belmont University, providing easy access to some of the most delicious barbeque in Nashville. It all begins with a whole hog, roasted over coal and hickory chips for 20 hours. However, there’s more to love here than just pork.
For BBQ lovers, you’ll find a range of sandwiches, including beef brisket, turkey, and even fried chicken. If you’ve got a bigger appetite, go for one of the trays like the spareribs. Combo platters, smoked wings, and Southern-style sides are also available. Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint also offers family suppers that will feed the whole crowd.
Location: 3108 Belmont Blvd, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
Open: Daily from 11 am to 9 pm
Phone: +1 615-200-1181
Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint
9. Biscuit Love
True Southern biscuits and more, served with love
Good for: Food, Unusual
Biscuit Love, located in The Gulch, offers access to one of the most delicious Southern icons imaginable, the buttermilk biscuit. This breakfast-themed eatery delivers huge portions of delicious food but gives options for those who might prefer a meal that’s not on a biscuit.
If you’re a confirmed biscuit lover, you’ll find lots to love here, like the East Nasty, topped with a boneless fried chicken thigh, or the Princess with hot chicken. The Southern Benny and S.E.C are also fan favorites. Not into biscuits? Go for the classic omelet or the Lindstrom with Brussels sprouts.
Location: 316 11th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203, USA
Open: Daily from 7 am to 3 pm
Phone: +1 615-490-9584
Biscuit Love
10. The 404 Kitchen
A modern take on European classics in the heart of the South
Good for: Food, Nightlife
The 404 Kitchen offers a modern take on delicious European dishes, complete with Southern flare. You’ll find a broad range of meal options to satisfy almost any craving here, from beef and duck to oysters and salad. This is also where you’ll find the Whiskey Bar, where you can sample an impressive collection of options.
If you’re just feeling a little peckish, start with a small plate such as scallop toast or catfish bites. For hungrier diners, consider the lobster mac & cheese or the smoked beet salad.
Location: 507 12th Ave S Fl 2, Nashville, TN 37203, USA
Open: Monday–Thursday from 5 pm to 9 pm, Friday–Saturday from 5 pm to 10 pm, Sunday from 11 am to 2.30 pm and 5 pm to 9 pm
Phone: +1 615-251-1404
The 404 Kitchen
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