31 cheap eats rooms in Nashville, editor-picked. the best low-budget rooms in Nashville: the places editors actually return to. All Nashville food.
Dozen Bakery ★ 4.7
south-nashville · 2522 Grandview Ave, Nashville, TN 37211
Claire Menelly's Dozen Bakery in Nashville moved to Grandview Avenue in February 2025, a five-times larger space with full cafe service and a wood-fired oven.
Tip: Sourdough loaves go fastest; arrive by 09:00. The morning bun and country biscuit are the bakery's signatures.
Prince's Hot Chicken ★ 4.7
south-nashville · 5814 Nolensville Rd, Ste 110, Nashville, TN 37211
Andre Prince Jeffries's Nolensville Road shop in Nashville runs the original 1930s hot chicken recipe in counter format. James Beard America's Classic winner.
Tip: Quarter dark, Medium heat, plain white bread with pickles. Medium has more flavour than Hot for first-timers.
Bolton's Spicy Chicken and Fish ★ 4.6
east-nashville · 624 Main St, Nashville, TN 37206
Bolton Polk's Main Street hot chicken shop in East Nashville is the editor's pick on the hot-chicken map: smaller, cheaper and darker-fried than Hattie.
Tip: Closed Sundays and Mondays. Cash and card; tiny counter, takeaway is the move.
Arnold's Country Kitchen ★ 4.6
the-gulch · 605 8th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203
The Arnold family's Gulch meat-and-three lunch counter in Nashville won the James Beard America's Classics Award in 2009. Located in The Gulch.
Tip: Cafeteria line, lunch only Monday through Friday 10:30-14:30. A North Nashville sit-down location opened in 2025.
Bolton's Spicy Chicken and Fish ★ 4.6
east-nashville · 624 Main St, Nashville, TN 37206
Bolton Polk's Main Street counter in East Nashville cuts a smaller and darker-fried hot chicken than Hattie B's, with hot whiting fish as the secondary order.
Tip: Closed Sundays and Mondays. Cash and card; tiny counter, takeaway is the move.
Arnold's Country Kitchen ★ 4.6
the-gulch · 605 8th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203
Arnold's meat-and-three lunch in Nashville delivers a protein plus three vegetables and tea for under $15. Located in The Gulch. At 605 8th Ave S.
Tip: Lunch only, Monday to Friday 10:30-14:30; cafeteria line moves fast. Cash and card.
Bolton's Spicy Chicken and Fish ★ 4.6
east-nashville · 624 Main St, Nashville, TN 37206
Bolton's on Main Street in East Nashville plates a hot chicken thigh sandwich and slaw for under $12. The cheapest serious hot chicken option in Nashville.
Tip: Closed Sundays and Mondays. Tiny counter; takeaway is the move.
Steadfast Coffee ★ 4.5
germantown · 603 Taylor St, Nashville, TN 37208
Steadfast's Taylor Street cafe in Germantown, Nashville pulls espresso from its own roastery and runs an all-day food menu that quietly outshines.
Tip: The Coffee Soda is the cult order in summer; in winter, ask about the pourover flight tasting.
Mas Tacos Por Favor ★ 4.4
east-nashville · 732 McFerrin Ave, Nashville, TN 37206
Teresa Mason's McFerrin Avenue taco counter in East Nashville opened as a converted Airstream and now runs full kitchen service. Priced at $.
Tip: Closed Mondays. Lunch lines build by 12:00; arrive at 11:00 or after 14:00 for an easy seat.
Pepperfire Hot Chicken ★ 4.4
north-nashville · 5104 C Centennial Blvd, Nashville, TN 37209
Isaac Beard's hot chicken shop in Nashville moved to Centennial Boulevard in 2024. The Tender Royale, a sandwich on grilled cheese, is the cult order.
Tip: Closed Sundays and Mondays. Order ahead online; the kitchen runs 30-minute waits at lunch.
Proper Bagel ★ 4.4
hillsboro-village · 2011 Belmont Blvd, Nashville, TN 37212
Proper Bagel on Belmont Boulevard in Nashville opened 2017 with New York-style hand-rolled, kettle-boiled bagels. Located in Hillsboro Village.
Tip: Everything bagel with whitefish is the order; second-best move is the lox platter with sliced Gaspe Nova.
Yeast Nashville ★ 4.4
east-nashville · 805 Woodland Street, Suite 300, East Nashville, TN 37206
Yeast Nashville's Woodland Street counter in East Nashville bakes Czech-style kolaches with sausage, cheese and fruit fillings since 2014. Family-friendly.
Tip: Closed at noon every day. Mornings only. Sausage and cheese is the canonical order; cherry kolache is the sweet move.
Barista Parlor East ★ 4.4
east-nashville · 519 Gallatin Ave, Nashville, TN 37206
Barista Parlor's Gallatin Avenue flagship in East Nashville set the city's third-wave coffee aesthetic when it opened 2012, all reclaimed wood.
Tip: Closed for a 2025 refresh; reopened with the roastery moved on-site. Pastries from Dozen Bakery; the breakfast biscuit is the underrated order.
Crema Coffee Roasters (Downtown) ★ 4.4
downtown · 15 Hermitage Ave, Nashville, TN 37210
Crema's downtown Hermitage Avenue flagship in Nashville opened 2008, runs the city's longest-tenured third-wave espresso programme and a coffee education lab.
Tip: Public coffee classes run from this location; sign up online. The patio is small but quiet on a weekday morning.
Mas Tacos Por Favor ★ 4.4
east-nashville · 732 McFerrin Ave, Nashville, TN 37206
Teresa Mason's McFerrin Avenue taco counter in East Nashville opened as a converted Airstream and now runs full kitchen service. At 732 McFerrin Ave.
Tip: Closed Mondays. Two fried avocado tacos and a bowl of tortilla soup is the canonical order.
Hattie B's Hot Chicken ★ 4.4
hillsboro-village · 112 19th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203
The Bishop family's Midtown hot chicken counter in Nashville opened in 2012 and is the tourist-friendliest gateway to the dish. Located in Hillsboro Village.
Tip: Hot chicken at Hot level on white bread with pickles is the canonical order; pimento mac and cheese is the side to add.
Pepperfire Hot Chicken ★ 4.4
north-nashville · 5104 C Centennial Blvd, Nashville, TN 37209
Isaac Beard's Centennial Boulevard hot chicken shop in Nashville pioneered the Tender Royale, a chicken tender sandwich on grilled cheese. Family-friendly.
Tip: Closed Sundays and Mondays. Order ahead online; Tender Royale at Medium is the cult sandwich.
Mas Tacos Por Favor ★ 4.4
east-nashville · 732 McFerrin Ave, Nashville, TN 37206
Mas Tacos in East Nashville feeds you two tacos and a bowl of chicken tortilla soup for under $13. Closed Mondays; line builds by noon. At 732 McFerrin Ave.
Tip: Two fried avocado tacos and a bowl of chicken tortilla soup is the canonical order.
Yeast Nashville ★ 4.4
east-nashville · 805 Woodland Street, Suite 300, East Nashville, TN 37206
Yeast Nashville's Woodland Street kolache counter in East Nashville builds a breakfast or lunch around savoury and sweet kolaches for under $10.
Tip: Closed at noon every day. Sausage and cheese kolache plus a cherry kolache is the lunch order for $8.
Slim & Husky's Pizza Beeria ★ 4.3
north-nashville · 911 Buchanan St, Nashville, TN 37208
Three Tennessee State alumni opened Slim & Husky's Buchanan Street pizzeria in Nashville in 2017, anchoring North Nashville's restaurant revival with hip-hop.
Tip: Counter ordering, no table service; the patio gets busy on Saturday afternoons. Cinnamon rolls run out by 14:00.
Five Daughters Bakery ★ 4.3
12-south · 1110 Caruthers Ave, Nashville, TN 37204
Five Daughters Bakery's 12 South flagship in Nashville opened 2015 with its 100-layer three-day doughnuts, expanded to four city locations and Goldbelly.
Tip: 100-layer doughnuts are the order; classic glaze is the marquee. They run out by 13:00 most weekends.
Biscuit Love ★ 4.3
the-gulch · 316 11th Avenue South Nashville, TN 37203
Biscuit Love's Gulch biscuit counter in Nashville opened 2012 and pioneered the city's all-day biscuit sandwich format. Now ships nationwide via Goldbelly.
Tip: Bonuts are the order; East Nashville location at 1024 Woodland gets through the queue faster on Saturdays.
Dose Cafe and Dram Bar ★ 4.3
inglewood · 1400 McGavock Pike, Nashville, TN 37216
Dose's Riverside Village corner cafe in Inglewood, Nashville runs coffee through the day and wine, beer and cocktails after 17:00 inside a full bakery.
Tip: Brunch on weekends is the secret: full kitchen, on-site pastry, and a quiet patio few visitors find.
Biscuit Love ★ 4.3
the-gulch · 316 11th Avenue South Nashville, TN 37203
Karl and Sarah Worley's Gulch biscuit counter in Nashville opened 2012 and pioneered the city's all-day biscuit sandwich format with daily 07:00-15:00.
Tip: The Bonuts (fried biscuit doughnuts with lemon curd) are the order. Get there before 09:00 to skip the line.
Slim & Husky's Pizza ★ 4.3
north-nashville · 911 Buchanan St, Nashville, TN 37208
Slim & Husky's on Buchanan Street in North Nashville builds a personal pizza for under $13 including drink. Three Tennessee State alumni opened it in 2017.
Tip: Build your own beats the signature pies for cost; cinnamon rolls are the cult dessert run out by 14:00.
Bongo Java ★ 4.2
hillsboro-village · 2007 Belmont Blvd, Nashville, TN 37212
Bongo Java's Belmont Boulevard cafe in Nashville has been the city's college-town coffeehouse since 1993, an all-day breakfast and an upstairs music venue.
Tip: Order the breakfast sandwich on a biscuit; the upstairs Bongo After Hours room books regular comedy and folk acts.
Elliston Place Soda Shop ★ 4.2
midtown · 2105 Elliston Pl, Nashville, TN 37203
Elliston Place Soda Shop near Vanderbilt University in Nashville has poured hand-spun milkshakes and a meat-and-three lunch since 1939, recently restored.
Tip: Hand-dipped chocolate milkshake is the move; the meat-and-three plate runs $11 on weekdays.
Robert's Western World ★ 4.2
downtown · 416 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203
The Recession Special at Robert's Western World on Lower Broadway in Nashville is fried bologna with chips and a PBR for $7, plus free live country music.
Tip: Cash for the bar; tip the band $5 per set. The Recession Special is one of the city's most reliable cheap meals.
Elliston Place Soda Shop ★ 4.2
midtown · 2105 Elliston Pl, Nashville, TN 37203
Elliston Place Soda Shop near Vanderbilt in Nashville plates a meat-and-three lunch for $11 and a hand-dipped milkshake for $5. Since 1939 in Nashville.
Tip: Hand-dipped chocolate milkshake plus a meat-and-three plate keeps the lunch bill under $15.
The Pancake Pantry ★ 4.0
hillsboro-village · 1796 21st Ave S, Nashville, TN 37212
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.
Tip: Sweet potato pancakes are the unsung order. Weekday line is easier; tourists pile up Saturday and Sunday.
I Dream of Weenie ★ 4.0
east-nashville · 1108 Woodland St, Nashville, TN 37206
I Dream of Weenie's school-bus hot dog counter on Woodland Street in East Nashville builds loaded dogs with house chili for under $9. Cash and card.
Tip: Combo with chips and a fountain drink under $11. Gluten-free buns the same price; ask at the window.