Italian Southern$$$germantownMon-Thu 17:00-21:00, Fri-Sat 17:00-22:00, Sun 17:00-21:00
Chef Tandy Wilson's Germantown room in Nashville serves blue-collar Italian and Southern cooking since 2007. Kitchen leans italian southern.
Signature: Belly ham pizza, Catfish with chickpeas
Order: Belly ham pizza with mozzarella, oregano, chiles and pickled peppers.
Tip: Bradley Midgett took executive chef duties in March 2025; the menu stays Wilson's. Sunday Suppers are the easy seat.
Seafood$$$germantownTue-Sun, see site
Chef Julia Sullivan's Germantown seafood room in Nashville opened in 2017 with a raw bar, wood-grill program and a wine list built around growers.
Signature: Oyster tower, Wood-grilled fish
Order: Half-dozen oysters from the daily list, then the wood-grilled whole fish.
Tip: Brunch on Saturday is the easier seat. Happy hour 17:00-18:00 runs $1 oysters at the bar.
Seafood$$$germantownSun-Thu 17:00-22:00, Fri-Sat 16:30-23:00
Ford Fry's Atlanta-born seafood concept landed in Nashville's Germantown Hammer Mill in 2023, anchoring a seafood tower programme and Le Loup cocktail lounge.
Signature: Seafood tower, Oysters and grilled fish
Order: The opulent seafood tower for two, plus the wood-grilled fish of the day.
Tip: Skip the line by booking the bar; downstairs at Le Loup serves the same raw bar with cocktails.
Southern$$$downtownSun-Thu 17:00-22:00, Fri-Sat 17:00-22:30, Sat-Sun 10:00-14:00
Sean Brock's Rutledge Hill institution in Nashville cooks ingredient-driven Southern food on a wood hearth, run today by chef de cuisine Brian Baxter.
Signature: Cornbread skillet, Pork belly with peas
Order: The cornbread skillet, then whatever the menu lists from the wood hearth.
Tip: Lunch is a quieter seat with the same kitchen. Book the porch in spring; it overlooks downtown.
Appalachian$$$$east-nashvilleDaily 17:00-22:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-14:00
Sean Brock's East Nashville Appalachian fine-dining room opened 2021, named for his grandmother and in the 2025 Michelin Guide. Sam Jett runs day-to-day.
Signature: Heritage pork, Cornmeal and grits
Order: The full tasting if you can; otherwise heritage pork from Brock's own farm.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. June, the upstairs counter, is on hiatus for guest chef sessions in 2026.
Southern$$$east-nashvilleMon-Sat 16:00-22:00
Chef Hal Holden-Bache's East Nashville room in Nashville opened in 2012 in a Lockeland Springs corner storefront, running wood-fired pizzas and Southern.
Signature: Wood-fired pizza, Pork chop
Order: Margherita pizza from the wood oven, the pork chop with redeye gravy.
Tip: Happy hour 16:00-17:30 runs half-price pizza and pours at the bar; a James Beard nominee for Community Kitchen.