When you think of Nashville, music typically comes to mind. The town is, after all, affectionately called “Music City.” But this dynamic Southern city is a major foodie destination. On a recent visit, everywhere I turned, I found crazy-good food and commendable service. In fact, the food is so satisfying and so varied—from high brow to low brow, from traditional Southern dishes like fried chicken to Asian-influenced cuisine—that a Michelin Guide is in the works for Nashville, says Heather Middleton, chief marketing officer for the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp.
Nashville is a city comprised of over 20 neighborhoods, each with its own vibe. Each, too, has scores of restaurants to try. Here then are some of the places I love.
Nashville’s Assembly Food Hall Downtown
Like most big cities, Nashville now has an upscale food hall showcasing some of the best dishes in town.
Assembly Food Hall has 30 eateries and is located in downtown. Conveniently, it’s within walking distance of the Ryman Auditorium (the former home of the Grand Ole Opry), the Country Music Hall of Fame, Bridgestone Arena, and the Nashville Convention Center.
It’s also near Honky Tonk Row on Lower Broadway, where a slew of bars offer live music both day and night. The most famous honky tonk is Tootsies. This bar opened in 1950 and is painted lavender. Other honky tonks boast the names of famous singers like Morgan Wallen, Dierks Bentley, Bon Jovi, Lainey Wilson, Eric Church, Jelly Roll, Kid Rock, Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Garth Brooks, and Post Malone. The stars lend their names to the bars, or they actually may be owners, says Middleton.
A Food Hall to Remember
But back to the food hall. My group heads straight to Prince’s Hot Chicken to sample the iconic Nashville hot chicken. The story goes that a woman found her husband—Thorton Prince—cheating on her and made him fried chicken spicy enough to blow his head off. She was trying to teach him a lesson, but instead, he loved it. Today, you can get hot chicken at Prince’s or Hattie B’s in the food hall and many places, in many variations, around Nashville.
The spicy hotness factor at Prince’s ranges from “plain” to “XXX hot.” I order “mild” thinking I can handle it. But when my mouth starts to tingle and hum, I wish I had ordered “light mild” or even “plain.” It turns out they don’t fool around when it comes to spice here, and I’m glad to dig into the coleslaw and pickles that came as sides to cool my mouth.
Gannons in Downtown Nashville for Steak
On the mouth-watering side as opposed to the mouth-burning side, another downtown restaurant is Gannons. This restaurant is unexpectedly located in the Marriott Courtyard Hotel. I say unexpectedly because I didn’t think such a high-end restaurant would be located in a middlebrow chain hotel. The restaurant offers fine casual dining in a traditional steakhouse setting—you know, high ceilings, marble floors, dark paneling, and attentive wait staff.
Firstly, we dig into a charcuterie board of artisan-cured meats and cheese. For my entrée, I chose an excellent filet mignon with herbed butter, accompanied by an outrageously good creamed spinach side dish baked with cheese and sauteed Brussels sprouts. A woman in my group orders the prime rib, which comes as a slab so large that it barely fits on the plate. (No, she couldn’t finish it.)
Edley’s Bar-B-Que: The Best BBQ in Nashville
For barbeque, we stop at Edley’s Bar-B-Que in the 12 South neighborhood, which is bougie, walkable, and shoppable. Notable shops include Imogene + Willie (jeans and clothing), Ranger Station (candles), and Judith Bright Jewelry Nashville.
Edley’s has been voted Nashville’s best barbecue four years in a row by Nashville Scene readers. I have a delicious brisket sandwich with breaded and fried pickles and mac and cheese—stick-to-your-ribs food.
Ryan Carter, Edley’s marketing manager, explains that customers like their barbecue spicy, so they added Spanish paprika and habanero pepper to their sweet barbecue sauce. The meats are cooked in a cherry-and-oak smoker. “We’re trying to be to barbecue what hot chicken is to Nashville,” he says. The unique result is smoky, spicy, and sweet.
Iggy’s Inventive Italian Cuisine
No U.S. city, to my mind, is complete without a fantastic Italian restaurant. For Nashville, Iggy’s is the place. Located in the Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood, it’s contemporary but also classic. The vibe is cheerful and energetic. The Italian dishes here are inventive, but Chef Ryan Poli doesn’t try to create extreme dishes a la The Bear or stray much from traditional recipes. The pasta is made fresh in-house, and they even serve gluten-free varieties.
I particularly like the rigatoni Bolognese—breadcrumbs are added to give the dish a little crunch, which is a nice surprise.
Don’t Forget the Nashville Donuts
I assiduously avoid donuts at home, but for breakfast or dessert, Nashville donuts are a must-try.
I had The D’onut at D’Andrews Bakery & Café on Church Street in the downtown area. The owner, David Andrews, was a James Beard semi-finalist in 2024, and it is obvious why—the brioche donut is large and fluffy. And it has a light and airy vanilla cream infused throughout.
Likewise, the vanilla cream cronut (croissant plus donut) at The Five Daughters Bakery is memorable. It’s so big it lasts me all day—I take a bite whenever I need a shot of sweetness. The bakery is known for making layered donuts. The vanilla buttercream is infused into the donut and layered on top; the cronut is then dusted with powdered sugar.
There are various Five Daughters’ locations in Nashville. I visit the one in The Gulch, an upscale neighborhood walkable to downtown. You can find shops, the W Hotel, restaurants, and the Station Inn bluegrass club there.
If You Go to Nashville
Visitor information is available at Visit Music City.
Thank you to Visit Music City for hosting my visit.
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