Teresa Mason's McFerrin Avenue taco counter in East Nashville opened as a converted Airstream and now runs full kitchen service. Cash-friendly, no-reservations.
Signature dishes: Fried avocado taco, Tortilla soup
Must order: Two fried avocado tacos and a bowl of chicken tortilla soup with avocado.
Tip: Closed Mondays. Lunch lines build by 12:00; arrive at 11:00 or after 14:00 for an easy seat.
Address: 732 McFerrin Ave, 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 B's.
Signature: Hot chicken, Hot fish
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.
The Bishop family's Midtown hot chicken counter in Nashville opened in 2012 and is the tourist-friendliest gateway to the dish. Six heat levels, pickles included.
Signature: Hot chicken, Pimento mac and cheese
Order: Hot chicken at Hot level, pimento mac, banana pudding.
Tip: Lines 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.
Signature: Hot chicken, Quarter dark
Order: Quarter dark, Medium heat, plain white bread with pickles.
Tip: The 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 B's.
Signature: Hot chicken, Hot fish
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.
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.
