A Nashville Food Guide That Goes Past the Hot Chicken Line

Eat with the Locals, Not the Tourists

Prince's Hot Chicken Shack invented the dish in the 1930s. Hattie B's made it famous in 2012. But Nashville's food runs far wider. The city's real eating happens at meat-and-three cafeterias, along the immigrant restaurant corridor on Nolensville Pike, in East Nashville chef-driven kitchens, and at breakfast counters that have served biscuits since the 1950s. This page tells you where locals actually eat, dish by dish, block by block. Most visitors miss it.

The Meat-and-Three: Nashville’s Original Plate

How It Works

A meat-and-three is a plate with one meat and three vegetable sides, served with cornbread or a roll. Expect cafeteria-style, line-at-lunch eating. This is not a white tablecloth affair. The Nashville Scene pegged the price at $10 to $18 a plate in 2024.

Where to Eat It

Skip Arnold's Country Kitchen at 605 8th Ave S. It opened in 1982 and closed in January 2023. Go to Swett's at 2725 Clifton Ave instead. Opened in 1954, it still serves smoked brisket and turnip greens from the steam table. Wendell Smith's at 407 53rd Ave N opened in 1952 and runs a similar Sunday-only hot plate. Monell's at 1235 6th Ave N serves family-style from a Victorian house: you sit at a long table and pass bowls of fried chicken and creamed corn. Arrive at 11:00. By noon on weekends the wait is long.

Nolensville Pike: the Immigrant Food Corridor You Cannot Skip

Prince's moved from its original 123 Ewing Drive address to 5814 Nolensville Pike in 2019. That is the only hot chicken on this road. It is not the reason to come. Nolensville Pike runs for miles south of downtown and holds Nashville's most authentic eating: Kurdish bakeries, Ethiopian injera houses, Mexican taquerias, and Somali tea shops. There is no single landmark address. Drive or take a ride-share from downtown and look for the strip malls with hand-painted signs. If you are vegetarian, head to the Ethiopian restaurants. Their vegetable platters are the best meatless meal in the city. Call ahead for hours. Many close by 8 PM.

East Nashville: Where Chefs Do it Differently

The East Nashville restaurant zone is bounded by the Cumberland River to the west and south, Ellington Parkway to the east, and Briley Parkway to the north. This is the neighborhood for chef-driven, sit-down meals. No fried chicken. No cafeteria line.

Five Restaurants, One Evening

Margot Café & Bar at 1017 Woodland St opened in 2001 and is the veteran. The menu changes daily, proteins come off a wood fire. Book a table three days ahead. Mas Tacos Por Favor at 732 McFerrin Ave opened in 2008. Get in the short line for tortilla soup, fish tacos, and elote. The Pharmacy Burger Parlor and Beer Garden at 731 McFerrin Ave opened in 2012. Order a grass-fed beef patty and eat on the backyard patio. Folk at 823 Meridian St opened in 2018 and runs an all-day grain bowl and sandwich menu with a connected coffee bar. The common mistake: visiting between 2 PM and 5 PM when most kitchens close. Eat lunch by 1:30 or wait until dinner service starts at 5:30.

Biscuits and Breakfast: the Morning Meal Matters

The Definitive Biscuit

Nashville does breakfast biscuits the way New Orleans does po-boys. Loveless Cafe at 8400 TN-100 opened in 1951. Its biscuits are scratch-made, served with house preserves. The weekend wait hits 45 minutes. Arrive by 7:30 AM to sit immediately.

Downtown Alternatives

Biscuit Love at 316 11th Ave S started as a food truck in 2012 and opened a brick-and-mortar in 2015. Order the East Nasty: a biscuit sandwich with fried chicken, cheddar, and sausage gravy. Big Al's Deli at 1828 4th Ave N opened in 2005 and serves a simpler, cheaper biscuit for under $7. The failure case: Biscuit Love has a line that snakes around the block by 9 AM. Skip it. Walk three blocks to the Hermitage Cafe at 71 Hermitage Ave, a 24-hour diner. The pancake stack costs $8 and you sit within 5 minutes.