It may be known as Music City, but Nashville is also becoming a destination for foodies thanks to its innovative restaurant scene. Just like the music you’ll find in the honky-tonks along Broadway, Nashville has something for every taste, which makes selecting the best restaurants in Nashville, TN no easy feat. After searching the internet far and wide for award-winning, critically and popularly acclaimed spots, this is our own personal roundup of the top 10 restaurants in Nashville.
10 Best Restaurants in Nashville
From conducting extensive research, including taste testing some of our winners, we’ve concluded that these are the best restaurants in Nashville – listed in no particular order. Keep reading to discover everything from the best new restaurants in Nashville to established mainstays. Here you’ll find Southern comfort food and creative fusion twists to some of the best tacos and desserts in the U.S. Whether you’re a native Nashvillian, new transplant, tourist, or are just really into researching food trends, this list of top Nashville, Tennessee restaurants is for you:
- Babo Korean Bar
- Ghot Wingz
- Five Daughters Bakery
- Audrey
- Bill’s Sandwich Palace
- Frankies Spuntino Nashville
- Ladybird Taco
- Ophelia’s Pizza + Bar
- Pearl Diver
- Rolf and Daughters
1. Babo Korean Bar
First up on our roundup of best places to eat in Nashville is Babo Korean Bar. “Babo,” which translates to “silly” or “foolish” in Korean is a playful name for a casual bar with a great menu. The bar and restaurant is on our list because it caught the attention of Eater when it first opened up. Not only did it get buzz from the food media, but it’s also a fan favorite, boasting a 4.5-star rating on Google with 300+ reviews.
Go to Babo if you’re looking for a cultural immersion via your tastebuds. The drink menu features classic Korean and East Asian libations, like soju shots and Korean beers. You can also order fusion drinks, such as cocktails made with calpico, a fruity Japanese yogurt soft beverage, or a Kimchi pickleback.
Although Babo is a bar by name, you can’t miss the food. Just like the drink menu, there are Korean classics and dishes with a twist. For example, Babo has a vegan version of bulgogi, a vegetarian-friendly alternative to Korean fried chicken, and a gluten-free version of japchae glass noodles.
No neighborhood is changing as rapidly as East Nashville, which is home to Babo and many other top Nashville, Tennessee restaurants on our list, so make sure to visit this part of Music City on an empty stomach.
2. Ghot Wingz
Serving East Nashville since 2005, Ghot Wingz is a hole in the wall chicken wing spot that locals rave about. In fact, it has a near perfect 5-star rating after more than 500 reviews on Google. Fans love that you get a lot of bang for your buck at Ghot Wingz.
This family-owned business is run by husband and wife duo James and Sharonda Stone. Chef James brought more than 25 years of restaurant experience into elevating this comfort food staple and making some of the best food in Nashville. While this joint’s menu is simple, its list of wing “flavorz” is extensive. You can season your wings with nearly 30 sauces, including spicy teriyaki, hot garlic parmesan, honey bourbon, and extreme heat.
3. Five Daughters Bakery
No round up of the best food in Nashville is complete without mentioning Five Daughters Bakery. With five locations around the city, you can’t miss this home for sweet treats. The bakery was started in neighboring Franklin, Tennessee, and is run by Isaac and Stephanie Meek and their five young girls.
Five Daughters is playing into the new food trend of remaking childhood favorites. Take for example the bakery’s signature 100-layer doughnut, which is a flaky, croissant-like doughnut that comes in flavors like maple glaze and chocolate sea salt. Beyond this signature pastry, the bakery is also worth visiting because it has sweets suitable for customers with all kinds of dietary restrictions. Customers on a paleo or gluten-free diet can enjoy an assortment of doughnuts and cookies, while vegans can delight in plant-based yeasted doughnuts.
4. Audrey
Next on our list of the best restaurants in Nashville, TN is Audrey: the brainchild of celebrity chef Sean Brock, who hosted the second season of the Anthony Bourdain-produced PBS show Mind of a Chef. The restaurant is named after the chef’s grandmother and inspired by his Appalachian and southern roots.
You have to try Audrey for its elevated Appalachian mountain-inspired comfort food made with locally sourced items. Menu highlights include a fried apple appetizer, grits with blue crab entree, and pawpaw custard for dessert. You can’t miss Audrey’s brunch, which has familiar favorites on the menu like biscuits, as well as innovative buckwheat and cornmeal pancakes.
Beyond the food, the restaurant’s moody, gray lime-washed walls, hip sconces, and gallery walls filled with colorful, primitive artwork will make you feel like you’re in a boutique hotel and inspire you to rethink your space.
5. Bill’s Sandwich Palace
Bill’s Sandwich Palace made it on our list because it’s on the Infatuation’s Best Restaurants in East Nashville list and has a stellar 4.8-star rating on Google. The bottom line is that this creative sandwich shop is one of the best places to eat in Nashville overall and knows how to keep customers coming back for more.
Inventive sandwiches are Bill’s bread and butter, so you won’t find anything you recognize on the menu. Take for example the Rachel Green, a sandwich presumably named after the iconic Friends character, which consists of a sesame bun filled with turkey, caramelized cheese, cider vinegar slaw, sour cream and cheddar Ruffles, spicy garlic dill pickles, and dijonnaise. Another chef’s kiss delicacy is the Cauli Shore: a bolillo roll stuffed with fried cauliflower, gochujang buffalo sauce, cucumber, green goddess ranch dressing, scallion and celery slaw, red onions, and garlic butter.
If you’re looking for an accompaniment to one of these decadent sandwiches, you have to try Bill’s Cheddy Ranch Puffs: a homemade version of Cheetos.
6. Frankies Spuntino Nashville
Frankies Spuntino is the newly opened Nashville outpost of a Brooklyn Italian restaurant by the same name. New York Times dining critic Sam Sifton said that the best meal he ever ate on the job was at Frankies Spuntino Brooklyn, calling the food “simple and elegant.” With such high praise for the original location, you know the Music City venue has to be one of the best new restaurants in Nashville.
“Spuntino,” the Italian word for “snack” is a bit of a misnomer for this restaurant because the Nashville location has three concepts on its campus that offer decadent meals. First there’s Frankies 925 Spuntino, an upscale Italian restaurant that pays homage to the Brooklyn locale. Then there’s the Pizzeria, a walk-in only craft slice and pie shop. Finally there’s the Bottega, a market stocked with Italian staples. The diversity in offerings keeps fans coming back again and again.
7. Ladybird Taco
We love everything that Eater does, which is why when we saw Ladybird Taco on Eater’s list of Nashville’s top tacos, we had to assess the restaurant ourselves. Our findings have landed Ladybird a spot on our list of best Nashville restaurants.
Ladybird is bringing Austin-style breakfast tacos to Nashville. These signature breakfast tacos come in flour tortillas and are topped with things like eggs (essential), chorizo, and cheese. We loved the Texas Style Queso, which combines queso and guacamole so you don’t have to choose one or the other to eat with crispy tortilla chips.
If you’re a local, sign up for Ladybird’s loyalty program to rack up taco rewards quickly. It’s just one of the customer appreciation ideas the restaurant implements to keep guests craving more.
8. Ophelia’s Pizza + Bar
Downtown Nashville is known for honky-tonks and bachelorette parties more so than for food. However, restaurants like Ophelia’s Pizza + Bar are helping make this part of Music City more of a foodie destination. In fact, Ophelia’s has a spot on Eater’s list of best restaurants in Downtown Nashville.
Ophelia’s is a feast for all of the senses. Its classic Italian dishes and pizzas come plated on gorgeous dainty china. You can make any pizza “Nashville hot” by adding Mike’s Hot Honey, ghost pepper salt, and calabrian chilis. The restaurant’s beautiful interior is cluttered (in the best way possible) with gallery walls depicting Italian-inspired scenes. An elegant patio protected from the street with shrubs is the icing on the cake and is perfect for al fresco dining.
9. Pearl Diver
Pearl Diver is a mirage-like bar that transports you to the tropics from landlocked Nashville with its tiki drinks and rainforest-inspired courtyard. No wonder it’s on Eater’s list for best patios for outdoor drinking and dining and our list of top restaurants in Nashville.
Even with dozens of cocktail bars neighboring Pearl Diver in East Nashville, this bar is something special. Presentation is everything at this oasis. Pearl Diver serves Insta-worthy drinks with beautiful garnishes, like fresh mint and flowers, but those are just the beginning. The Banana! Banana!, a banana rum cocktail made with Thai tea, cinnamon, and cream is set on fire as it’s brought to your table.
You’ll need something in your stomach to counteract these surprisingly strong drinks. Fortunately, Pearl Diver’s food is also worth a try. Many of its tacos, bowls, and sandwiches come with tropical flare, so be prepared for lots of pineapple.
10. Rolf and Daughters
Last, but certainly not least, on our list of best restaurants in downtown Nashville is Rolf and Daughters. Not only is this another restaurant helping make downtown Nashville a foodie destination, but it’s also putting Nashville on the global map as a foodie city thanks to its spot on the World’s 50 Best Discovery list.
Rolf and Daughters has a “new American” menu that changes all of the time. Today you can enjoy a cucumber, peach, pine nut, basil, and fish sauce appetizer and rye spaghetti with anchovies, capers, lemon, and breadcrumb entree. Who knows what’s in store tomorrow.
Beyond the food, the restaurant’s communal seating creates a fun atmosphere. You never know who you’ll meet during your meal.
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Nashville is rapidly becoming just as known for its dynamic food scene as it is for country music and bachelorette parties. Put on your cowboy boots, bring your appetite, and make a reservation at one of these top restaurants in Nashville.
Didn’t see your business on our list of top 10 restaurants in Nashville? Disagree with our choices? Shoot us a message!
Katherine is the Content Marketing Manager at TouchBistro, where she writes about trending topics in food and restaurants. The opposite of a picky eater, she’ll try (almost) anything at least once. Whether it’s chowing down on camel burgers in Morocco or snacking on octopus dumplings in Japan, she’s always up for new food experiences.
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