Hillsboro Village's Pancake Pantry in Nashville has cooked scratch pancakes since 1961, with 23 varieties and a queue that wraps the block every weekend.
Must order: Sweet potato pancakes
Tip: Weekday line is easier; tourists pile up Saturday and Sunday from 09:00. Sweet potato pancakes are unsung.
Address: 1796 21st Ave S, Nashville, TN 37212
Proper Bagel on Belmont Boulevard in Nashville opened 2017 with New York-style hand-rolled, kettle-boiled bagels and a full appetising counter for weekend brunch.
Order: Everything bagel with whitefish salad
Tip: Saturday line builds by 10:00; Sunday is quieter. The lox platter with sliced Gaspe Nova is the upgrade move.
Loveless Cafe on Highway 100 in Nashville has served scratch biscuits, country ham and redeye gravy since 1951, anchoring the Natchez Trace's tourist circuit.
Order: Country ham with redeye gravy and biscuits
Tip: Lines build by 09:00 weekends; put your name down and shop the on-site Hams & Jams Country Market while you wait.
Julia Sullivan's Germantown seafood room in Nashville runs a Saturday and Sunday brunch with raw bar and wood-grill plates. The Champagne list is unusually deep.
Order: Oysters and the wood-grilled fish brunch
Tip: Brunch is the easier seat than dinner; book the bar for walk-in availability.
Jonathan Waxman's Gulch room in Nashville opens Sundays for an all-you-can-eat buffet brunch with carving station, smoked salmon, pastries and the JW chicken.
Order: Buffet plus the JW chicken
Tip: Book mid-morning; the carving station replenishes through service. Reservations open 30 days out.
Margot McCormack's Five Points room in East Nashville runs a Sunday brunch with a single rotating menu and a wood fireplace, since 2001. Reservations a week ahead.
Order: Daily brunch menu (changes weekly)
Tip: The bar takes walk-ins. The daily brunch menu prints fresh each week; never the same plate twice.
Strategic Hospitality's 13,000 square-foot Peabody Street complex in downtown Nashville serves weekend brunch with bowling lanes, copper-bar coffee cocktails and the patio.
Order: Brioche French toast
Tip: Family groups book the lanes; brunch + a game runs about $40 per person. Reserve 10:00 lanes for a quieter time.
Proper Bagel on Belmont Boulevard in Nashville opened 2017 with New York-style hand-rolled, kettle-boiled bagels and a full appetising counter for weekend brunch.
Order: Everything bagel with whitefish salad
Tip: Saturday line builds by 10:00; Sunday is quieter. The lox platter with sliced Gaspe Nova is the upgrade move.
