Restaurants in Tennessee
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A
Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous
Tucked in an alleyway off Union Ave, this subterranean institution sells an astonishing 5 tons of its exquisite dry-rubbed ribs weekly. Friendly service and walls plastered with historic memorabilia make eating here an event.
reviewed
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B
Brother Juniper's
Trek down to the University of Memphis for a straight-up good eatin' Southern-style breakfast in a kid-friendly joint. Omelets, biscuits and grits oh my!
reviewed
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C
Huey's
Pass through the graffitied foyer and under the Xmas lights to get the best burger in town, at this lively Huey's location nearest the Beale St action.
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D
Blues City Cafe
Coined 'the best meal on Beale', the Blues City Cafe is a great choice for chowing on some good old Southern fare while listening to local bands. Take you're pick from ribs, steaks, tamales...whilst listening to live music Tuesday to Sunday.
reviewed
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Neely's Interstate Bar-B-Q
Two words: barbecued spaghetti. It's just as weird as it sounds, but not half bad. Jim Neely's ribs and chopped-shoulder sandwiches are superb, and the atmosphere is homey and family-friendly.
reviewed
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Aretha Frankenstein's
This turquoise cottage, tucked away on a residential street in the hip North Shore area, is tops for all-day pancakes and omelets, burritos and BLTs, or enjoying a beer on the sprawling patio.
reviewed
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E
Pig on Beale
Slow-smoked pork ribs slide off the bone at this Beale St BBQ joint. You can get wet or dry ribs, served up with classic creamy coleslaw or corn on the cob…and plenty of napkins.
reviewed
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F
Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken
Fried chicken connoisseurs across the globe twitch in their sleep at night, dreaming about the gossamer- light fried chicken at this downtown concrete bunker.
reviewed
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G
Elliston Place Soda Shop
This eatery has served fountain Cokes and meat-and-threes to Vandy students since the 1930s, and the decor hasn't changed much since.
reviewed
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Automatic Slim's Tonga Club
This sleek, artsy bistro has fusion fare like jerk duck and coconut shrimp, and huge, crayon-colored cocktails.
reviewed
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Restaurant Iris
Chef Kelly English richly deserved his Food & Wine Magazine 2009 Best New Chef award. Since opening Iris in 2008, his avant-garde Creole menu has been sending foodies into paroxysms of delight with playful entries like a 'ham and cheese' of fried Camembert and tête de cochon (roast pig head). The setting, in a green cottage on a residential Midtown block, is so low-profile it feels like a speakeasy.
reviewed
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J
Prince's Hot Chicken
Cayenne-rubbed 'hot chicken, ' fried to succulent perfection and served on a piece of white bread with a side of pickles, is Nashville's unique contribution to the culinary universe. Tiny, faded Prince's, in a northside strip mall, is a local legend. In mild, medium, hot and death-defying extra hot, its chicken will burn a hole in your stomach and you'll come back begging for more.
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McEwen's
Don't let the drab stucco exterior fool you: join the upper-crusty professional set for excellent eats with nary a BBQ in sight. Lunch is a steal, with treats like oven-roasted vegetables on focaccia served up in the butter-yellow dining room lined with original landscape paintings; dinner brings pan-seared halibut in coconut ginger broth.
reviewed
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L
Merchant's
In a renovated 19th-century hotel in the heart of the District, this clubby bistro has gleaming parquet floors, white tablecloths and a mahogany bar overlooking Broadway. Splurge on ritzy, old-school fare such as steak au poivre (pepper steak) and chicken Louis. The downstairs Grille has cheaper, more casual eats.
reviewed
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Family Wash
This East Nashville neighborhood gastropub is the kind of place where you can eat a sublime roast-garlic shepherd's pie and nurse a microbrew while watching the bartender shoot the breeze with the regulars and kids play with toy cars on the floor. Live music gets rolling on the small stage around 9pm most nights.
reviewed
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M
Noshville
Misplaced Yankees adore this delightful New York-style deli, a play on the Yiddish word 'nosh,' meaning 'snack.' Customers sink their teeth into gigantic, juicy corned beef and pastrami sandwiches at the red vinyl booths, sip matzo ball soup at the modern chrome counter or get a bagel and lox to go.
reviewed
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N
Market Street Public House
This dark wood-paneled pub is a friendly refuge from the noise and lights of the District. There's a great selection of homemade microbrews and regulars' beer steins hang on the wall. The menu has salads, burgers and sandwiches as well as heartier 'pub fayre' like shepherd's pie and fish 'n' chips.
reviewed
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O
Margot Cafe
This newcomer to the low-profile East Side does rustic French and Italian cuisine with great sophistication - think goat cheese ravioli, locally raised braised lamb, Riesling ice cream. The small restaurant, with exposed brick and yellow walls, is cozy and casually romantic. Menus change daily.
reviewed
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Monell's
In an old brick house just north of the District, Monell's is beloved for down-home Southern food served communally, meaning you sit with strangers and pass the food around the table yourselves. This being Nashville, you'll all be friends before you're done with your fried catfish.
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P
Arnold's
Grab a tray and line up with college students, garbagemen, and country-music stars at Arnold's, king of the meat-and-three. Slabs of drippy roast beef are the house specialty, along with fried green tomatoes, cornbread two ways, and big gooey wedges of chocolate cream pie.
reviewed
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Marché Artisan Foods
In rapidly gentrifying East Nashville, this airy new bistro has a veggie-friendly menu of light French- and Italian-inflected fare, made with seasonal local ingredients. Drop in for a cinnamon brioche at breakfast, or a plate of homemade gnocchi with sweet corn for dinner.
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Q
Sleep Out Louie's
This is the kind of place you can go by yourself, take a seat at the bar and make new friends. The menu features delicious burgers, po'boy sandwiches and fresh salads, along with oysters on the half shell. A small courtyard offers outside seating.
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Leonard's
The lunch buffet here is popular with downtown office workers, though lord knows how they get any work done afterwards. Pile on the turnip greens, corn pudding, hot-buttered peaches and - oh! - the most succulent, aggressively spiced ribs.
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Big River Grille & Brewing Works
A lively crowd drinks beer and chows down on crowd-pleasing upmarket pub grub - burgers, calamari, barbecue chicken pizza - in a warehouse-y downtown space with a big front patio. There's live music and pool at night.
reviewed
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S
Tin Angel
This West Nashville bistro serves Tennessee-meets-Paris fare (think steak frites, pecan torte) in a cute corner space with exposed-brick walls and pressed-tin ceilings.
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