7 editor picks in Nashville.
7 hot chicken places in Nashville we have eaten in, sorted by editor score. All cuisines in Nashville | Hot Chicken across every city.
Hot chicken is Nashville's signature dish: fried chicken painted with a cayenne-and-lard paste that ranges from mild to brutal, served on white bread with pickles. Prince's Hot Chicken in South Nashville is where the dish was born, the Jeffries family running the canonical version. Bolton's Spicy Chicken and Fish in East Nashville and Pepperfire in North Nashville hold the local standard, while Hattie B's in Hillsboro Village is the tourist-friendly gateway.
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.
OrderHot chicken at Hot level, pimento mac, banana pudding.
TipLines run 60 minutes at peak. Hit a satellite location (West, Downtown) or go off-peak for a faster seat.
Andre Prince Jeffries's family invented hot chicken in Nashville in the 1930s. The Nolensville shop runs the canonical version. James Beard America's Classic.
OrderQuarter dark, Medium heat, plain white bread with pickles.
TipThe Nolensville location is the heart of the operation; the original Dickerson Pike shop closed and reopened on Broadway.
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.
OrderHot chicken thigh sandwich with slaw, plus the hot whiting fish.
TipClosed Sundays and Mondays. Cash and card; tiny counter, takeaway is the move.
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.
OrderTender Royale at Medium, plus a side of mac and cheese.
TipClosed Sundays and Mondays. Order ahead online; the kitchen runs 30-minute waits at lunch.
Bolton Polk's Main Street hot chicken shop in East Nashville cuts a smaller, darker-fried hot chicken than Hattie B's at half the price. At 624 Main St.
TipClosed Sundays and Mondays. Tiny counter; takeaway is the move.
Isaac Beard's Centennial Boulevard hot chicken shop in Nashville pioneered the Tender Royale, a chicken tender sandwich on grilled cheese. Family-friendly.
TipClosed Sundays and Mondays. Order ahead online; Tender Royale at Medium is the cult sandwich.
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.
OrderHot chicken sandwich
TipClosed Sundays and Mondays. Tiny counter; takeaway is the move.
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