Verified in 2 cities.
Meat-and-three plate is a signature dish of United States; we have verified places to eat it in Chattanooga and Nashville.
One meat, three vegetables, bread and sweet tea: the Tennessee plate-lunch format Chattanooga has kept alive since 1937 in cafeteria lines and counter rooms far from the tourist riverfront.
The meat-and-three is Tennessee's great contribution to the American lunch, born in workers' cafes where a rotating meat came with a chalkboard of vegetables cooked long and seasoned with pork. Chattanooga's version survived the drive-in era; Wally's on McCallie Avenue opened in 1937 and converted from burgers to homecooked meats and vegetables in the 1970s. The vegetables are the point, and mac and cheese counts as one, which is the correct position.
Where to eat in Chattanooga:
Where to eat Meat-and-three plate in Chattanooga: the editor picks
A plate-lunch tradition: one Southern protein plus three vegetable sides, with cornbread and sweet tea. Counter ordering, cafeteria lines, lunch hours only.
The meat-and-three is Tennessee's plate-lunch tradition, descended from boarding-house cooking. Lunch counters serving working Nashvillians codified the format by the 1950s. Arnold's Country Kitchen, which won the James Beard America's Classics Award in 2009, runs the canonical version. The 'three' refers to vegetables but typically includes mac and cheese; the protein rotates daily. Most counters are lunch-only, Monday to Friday, with prices still under $15 in 2026.
Where to eat in Nashville:
Where to eat Meat-and-three in Nashville: the editor picks
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