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.
3 editor picks for Meat-and-three in Nashville, ranked by editorial score. All Nashville signature dishes · Meat-and-three across every city.
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. Kahlil Arnold runs the kitchen today.
Monell's Dining and Catering ★ 4.4
germantown · 1235 6th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208
Monell's family-style Southern dining in Germantown has run since 1995, seating strangers at communal tables in a Victorian house seven blocks north of the Capitol.
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 to its original counter.