You’ll Want Second Helpings of Nashville’s Award-Winning Food Scene

Restaurants in Downtown Nashville
Restaurants in The Gulch
Germantown Nashville Restaurants
East Nashville Restaurants 
 

Start with the mothership of Nashville Hot Chicken, and learn why hell hath no fury like a woman scorned at Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack. Find them in two locations: downtown Nashville in Assembly Food Hall at 5th + Broad and in South Nashville. The Jefferies family has been serving up their recipe for nearly a century. The battered chicken is deep fried and served at varying degrees of spicy heat. Start with the mild and work your way up, if you dare. With Nashville Hot Chicken spreading across the country, Matriarch Andre Prince Jefferies’ secret patented recipe is preserved for generations to come.

• Flavors include Plain, Lite Mild, Mild, Medium, Hot, X Hot, XX Hot and XXX Hot
   
• Special: The Andre Chicken Sandwich includes Mild boneless chicken breast with slaw and pickles with either the Kickin' Ranch or Sweet Heat sauce.

Husk Nashville

As soon as you walk through the doors of historic Husk Nashville, the ember-fired grill wafts inviting aromas where a curated list of heirloom vegetables, pastured meats and food artisans across the Southeast entice.

• Menus are subject to change daily based on ingredient availability. Menus are seasonally designed, mindfully curated for produce in season
   
• Do not leave until you’ve had “A Plate of Southern Vegetables” which usually includes hot water grits alongside vegetables that look nothing like anything you’ve ever seen, and they taste even better
   
• Cocktails are garden-to-glass using herbs from the garden patio just outside the restaurant

Perhaps, smoke is more your speed? Follow your nose over to The Gulch neighborhood in Nashville where Pitmaster Carey Bringle and crew prove their barbecue prowess at Peg Leg Porker.

• Stand outs include Memphis Sushi (sausage cheese platter with saltines),  full rack of dry-rubbed ribs and BBQ Machos - barbecue nachos topped with Cole slaw and barbecue beans as well as pulled pork, melted cheese and jalapenos
   
• Don’t miss Bringle’s favorite “sauce”- Peg Leg Porker 12-year Tennessee Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

The 404 Kitchen

Also in the Gulch is a tiny restaurant housed in a shipping container accommodating up to 56 guests nightly. Chef Matt Bolus and his team may work in tight quarters, but big flavors come out of The 404 Kitchen where Southern seasonal dishes speak to guests in a European vernacular.

• Menu items include whole smoked fried chicken, the 404 dry aged burger, trout and sides like fried Brussels sprouts, beer braised greens and twice baked potatoes

etch

Started by award-winning chef Deb Paquette, etch is located in downtown Nashville. You'll love the innovative flavors that are inspired by Paquette's world travels. Lunch is served Monday-Friday and dinner is served Monday-Saturday with a happy hour that includes staple cocktails, local beers and nibbles like smoked carpaccio and confit duck.

• Savor ribeye, pan-seared scallops and venison
   
• Select the "Chef's Creation" which features a daily culinary inspiration from Paquette. Whatever you're served, you're guaranteed to love it

Across town, Chef Philip Krajeck is at the helm of Germantown’s Rolf and Daughters. Upon entering the vintage Werthen Mills building, old is made new with Krajeck’s creations. Scratch-made flows freely at Rolf and Daughters.

• Sourdough and seaweed butter set the tone, while offerings such as Stracciatella, Paccheri and Cecamariti are integrated with seasonal finds such as sugar snap peas, hokum carrots and herb pistou.

City House 

No list of award-winning Nashville restaurants would be complete without a certain culinary pioneer. Chef Tandy Wilson is to Italian cuisine what turnip greens is to cornbread at City House, located in the Germantown Nashville neighborhood. Regarding culinary origins, Wilson starts with farms such as Turnbull Creek and Eaton’s Creek and Bear Creek Farms while changing the face of Southern cuisine with Italian inspirations.

• Most can’t resist the wood-fired Belly Ham Pizza as well as the Gnocchi, catfish and Coulotte steak
   
• You'll find a thoughtful wine and cocktail list
   
• Don't miss the Tennessee Waltz cake, panna cotta and the Cookie Plate, perfect for sharing

In East Nashville, look for the giant strawberry art piece outside and you've arrived at Xiao Bao for Asian comfort food, unique cocktails and amazing wine and beer lists. Lunch begins at 11 a.m. and dinner starts at 4 p.m. On Sundays, get there early for the Dim Sum brunch. 

• Tuck into shared plates like la zi cauliflower, a Sichuan ma la classic stir fry with cauliflower or rendang, Indo chicken curry with sticky rice
   
• Bao buns stuffed with pork belly, pickles and house-made bao, lemongrass pork dumplings and Biangbiang hand-pulled noodles with chili cumin brisket, mushrooms and yu choi are fan favorites

Dino's

East Nashville's oldest dive bar, Dino's is where you want to go for a late-night bite after a concert or a visit to Lower Broadway. Brunch is also served noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

• Order the famous Dino's Cheeseburger
   
• Fried chicken sandwich, grilled cheese
   
• Fries Joe's Style - Velveeta cheese, grilled onions, tartar sauce and hot oil or Animal Style - Velveeta cheese, grilled onions and special sauce
   
• Check the blackboard for specials like fish and chips and mozzarella sticks

Sho Pizza Bar

Sho Pizza Bar shares a unique approach to neo-Neapolitan pizzas. Led by Nashville natives Mary Carlisle and Ben Gambill with Chef Sean Brock, expect to savor the signature dough developed over several years that is topped with fresh, seasonal ingredients. Sho comes from the Japanese word "shokunin," which represents a person's full commitment to every detail of a craft. You're sure to enjoy each detail the team puts in, pushing boundaries of what pizza can be.

• Signature pies include the "SHO Stopper" pizza of the day, the "Country Boy" with ham and wood-fired onions as well as the Margherita pizza
   
• Salads, tuna crudo, cured meats and "foldie" sandwiches featuring Sho's dough also grace the menu

Still hungry? Explore more places to Eat & Drink from famous restaurants to tucked away, local eateries.