Where to Eat in Nashville, TN

From hot chicken to biscuits, enjoy some southern favorites!

Jun 9, 2022 at 8:00 AM in Where to Eat by Jim Kober

Nashville, TN, is a food lover's paradise. Regarded as the birthplace of country music and aptly nicknamed Music City, this southern city with a small-town vibe knows how to serve up the delicious. From unrivaled hot chicken to life-changing biscuits to meat and three meals and beyond, Nashville is cooking up the savory dishes you need to make your visit so scrumptious that you'll never forget.

Hattie B's Hot Chicken

Based out of Nashville, Hattie B's Hot Chicken is not your run-of-the-mill chain operation. It's simply hot chicken so good that Birmingham, Atlanta, Memphis, and more had to get in on the tastiness.

It's hard to beat the hot chicken sandwich though the wings are nothing to shake a stick at—in fact, they're so good you may just write home about their glory.

For dessert, treat yourself to the banana pudding or root beer float. And Hattie B's serves beer, so you can keep the party going before moving to a second location.

Photo courtesy of https://hattieb.com/catering-events

Living that Biscuit Life

In a town famed for biscuits, head straight to Biscuit Love Gulch. This locally owned family business got its start in 2012 with a food truck and a bag of flour. Now with numerous brick-and-mortar locations, Biscuit Love Gulch’s mission and tagline is “Breakfast for good.” This means every purchase supports local nonprofit organizations and local farmers and purveyors.

If a menu has something called a bonut on it, do you owe it to your stomach to eat it? If you answered yes, you’ll flip for this fried biscuit dough tossed in sugar, topped with lemon mascarpone, and served over blueberry composite. Not in the mood for biscuits? Try the Hungry Human Bowl or Cherry on Top Oatmeal.

Photo courtesy of https://www.biscuitlove.com/

Country Kitchen Time

Arnold’s Country Kitchen is no stranger to awards or national attention. This makes sense as their meat and three is some of, if not the most celebrated in all of Nashville. Open since 1982, in 2009 they won the highly coveted James Beard American Classics Award. It's no surprise to find a line out the door at a restaurant featured in Bon Appétit and numerous other publications. We should note that if there is a line, it moves quickly.

If you’re not in the know, a meat and three joint is where a customer picks one meat and three side dishes. If three sides aren't enough, you can always opt for more.

Arnold's layout is similar to a cafeteria-style diner. More likely than not, they'll have your favorite Southern dish. The possibilities for your tastebuds here are seemingly endless.

How About BBQ?

Located downtown, Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint is your go-to for the delicious barbecue you seek. One look at the menu, and you know you've entered the land of all things BBQ. All of Martin's grub, from sauces to sides and all that falls between, is made from scratch daily. They smoke their BBQ for up to 24 hours with the utmost care. Sandwiches, BBQ trays, burgers, and more are all so good you're sure to visit again.