Prince's Hot Chicken is a hot chicken restaurant in South Nashville, Nashville.
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.
Editorially verified May 18, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Signature dishes: Hot chicken, Quarter dark
Must 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.
Address: 5814 Nolensville Rd, Ste 110, Nashville, TN 37211
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.
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. Located in The Gulch.
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 10:30-14:30. 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.
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.
The Joseph Hotel's Italian fine-dining room in Nashville opened August 2020 with refined regional cooking. Located in Downtown. Priced at $$$$.
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.
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.
