Whet your palate, and sample Nashville’s delicious, southern cuisine, with a little assistance from Great American Country (GAC). Check out these trending restaurants in Middle Tennessee right now!
The Best Restaurants in Middle Tennessee Right Now
Mitchell Deli: Pound-for-pound, Mitchell Deli serves the best sandwiches in town. Founded in East Nashville in 2008, the deli moved to bigger digs just down the road from its original place, but seats may still be challenging to come by. With the growth came high-gravity brews and Sprecher on tap, in addition to a bigger front patio. No longer merely a Monday special.
Butcher and Bee: A transplant in name only, this Charleston-born restaurant famous for its powerful sandwich match came to Nashville with another strategy: in a distinctive, bi-level dining room in East Nashville, the Butcher & Bee team concentrates on vegetable-focused modest plates (with some killer sandwiches in tow). Go-to order: all of the mezze.
Rolf and Daughters: Situated in the prior boiling house in the Werthan Factory, this perennial Germantown favored from multiple Beard Award nominee Philip Krajeck provides up Mediterranean-influenced, self-described and contemporary peasant food into a packed house night after night.
Nissan Stadium: There is not a bad seat in the house at Nissan Stadium—blessed for Tennessee Titans and Tennessee State Tigers fans, as well as U.S. soccer fans. Even luckier, the dining choices close to the scene are endless. To get a step up from your typical tailgate food, visit Acme Feed & Seed or Etch Restaurant; for something a bit more country-dive, you will want to create time for Fiddle and Steel Guitar Bar across the river.
Henrietta Red: Among the greatest restaurant openings of this year, this Germantown pub and restaurant, which clubs executive chef Julia Sullivan and GM/sommelier Allie Poindexter with Strategic Hospitality, puts the emphasis on seafood and seasonal vegetables, together with a raw bar program which has quickly become the very best in town. Couple that with an approachable wine list, strong cocktail program and a terrific space, and it is a certified hit.
Husk: This outpost of the Charleston first continues to glow, showcasing James Beard Award-winning chef Sean Brock’s inventive take on Southern cuisine. Named among Eater’s 38 essential restaurants in the South, critic Bill Addison also announced it superior to the Charleston original. Can’t overlook menu items would be the now iconic cheeseburger, together with his take on fried chicken.
Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack: Among the few things Nashvillians take as seriously as country music is their hot chicken. From the minute you walk into this hole-in-the-wall joint, you know Prince’s means business. Not to be confused with Buffalo wings, the signature dish is typically a slice of chicken marinated in buttermilk, breaded and then sauced with a super-secret paste spiced with cayenne peppers to bring the warmth. After being pan-fried in a cast iron skillet, it is served up with a few pieces of white bread. Temperatures range from mild, moderate, hot to extra hot. And for first timers, do not even try ordering the sexy.
City House: That is the motto for this restaurant, which has found a home in historic Germantown, an 18-block neighborhood located just north of Nashville’s downtown capitol building. The menu is kept lean and mean with exceptional dishes prepared using local produce, fresh pastas and delicious house-cured meats. The Food Network Magazine picked the signature Belly Ham Pizza as shirts in Tennessee because of its “50 States, 50 Pizzas” feature. Saddle up to the bar and order old-school cocktails (such as the Sazerac), which are ready with an astonishing quantity of tender loving care.
Merchant’s Restaurant: Located downtown at a beautifully-restored resort where Hank Williams, Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn once stayed, Merchant’s provides two unique dining choices. The first floor, with superbly preserved original marble counters and tile, is a casual bistro that keeps dishes under $20 for lunch and dinner. The wood-paneled second floor provides a more distinguished (and pricier) dining experience. A normal lunch will see a wonderful mix of tourists and the business audience. Co-owner Benjamin Goldberg describes Merchant’s menu as “modern American food with a Southern Soul” with a modern take on comfort food.
Loveless Café and Motel: If you are staying in downtown Nashville, it is a small drive to get out to the Loveless Café. But once you bite into that first biscuit, you will quickly understand that for your next trip to Nashville, you would be inclined to walk barefoot on broken glass to get back. Featured in too many books to even attempt to mention, the Loveless Café is the quintessential southern dining experience. Reservations are only for parties of 12 or more, so to prevent a lengthy wait attempt to plan your trip at an off-peak time, like a weekday.
MAFIAoZA’s Pizzeria and Pub: If you find yourself searching for a pizza while honky tonkin’ in Nashville, try this pizza palace in the town’s popular 12 South neighborhood. Obtaining a 1920s New York vibe to Nashville, MAFIAoZA’s specialization is thin-crust pizza sold by the slice or the entire pie. The air is very family friendly and on a wonderful day the terrace is a excellent spot to enjoy a glass of vino from their extensive wine list. You may even work off the meal with a post-pizza walk into the many unique shops in the region.
