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 B's.
Signature dishes: Hot chicken, Hot fish
Must order: Hot chicken thigh sandwich with slaw, plus the hot whiting fish.
Tip: Closed Sundays and Mondays. Cash and card; tiny counter, takeaway is the move.
Address: 624 Main St, Nashville, TN 37206
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.
Signature: Tender Royale, Hot chicken
Order: Tender Royale at Medium, plus a side of mac and cheese.
Tip: Closed Sundays and Mondays. Order ahead online; the kitchen runs 30-minute waits at lunch.
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.
Signature: Meat-and-three plate, Turnip greens
Order: Roast beef or fried catfish with three vegetables, sweet tea, banana pudding.
Tip: Cafeteria line, lunch only Monday through Friday 10:30 to 14:30. A North Nashville sit-down location opened in 2025.
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.
Signature: Family-style Southern lunch, Skillet fried chicken
Order: The full family-style spread: fried chicken, country ham, mac and cheese, greens.
Tip: Reservations available; tables seat ten. Sunday brunch is the marquee meal, books a week ahead.
Tony and Cathy Mantuano's Joseph Hotel Italian restaurant in Nashville opened August 2020 with refined regional cooking, awarded a Michelin Star in 2025.
Signature: Handmade pasta, Whole grilled fish
Order: Pasta tasting and the whole fish; pair with the Italian-leaning wine list.
Tip: The espresso bar on the ground floor serves the same kitchen at half the price for an aperitivo.
Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Hermitage Hotel restaurant in downtown Nashville opened 2022 with seasonal cooking, Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence 2025.
Signature: Plant-forward tasting, Wood oven pizzas
Order: The plant-forward plates the kitchen builds around Tennessee produce.
Tip: Breakfast at the Hermitage is the unsung meal: best biscuits in the hotel dining circuit.
Billy Dec's Chicago import in The Gulch in Nashville runs modern Southeast Asian small plates and a strong sushi programme since 2022, with a deep cocktail list.
Signature: Crispy pork belly bao, Sushi tasting
Order: Crispy pork belly bao buns and the chef's sushi tasting.
Tip: Late-night service runs until 23:30 Friday and Saturday; the bar is the easy walk-in seat.
