Meat And Three appears as a signature dish in 1 United States cities. See each city's local variant and where to eat it.
Meat-and-three · Nashville
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:
- Arnold's Country Kitchen
- Monell's Dining and Catering
- Elliston Place Soda Shop