Nashville · United States
The Nashville food cheat sheet
One page from Chef Amazing · November 2026
The dish to eat
Fried chicken brushed with cayenne-spiked lard or oil, served on white bread with dill pickles.
Best at Prince's Hot Chicken Shack, Nolensville Pike. Get: Hot chicken, medium, on white bread with pickles
Five places, and what to order
- Arnold's Country Kitchenclassic · The GulchGet: Meat-and-three; the griddled cornmeal cakes for the gravy
- Swett'sfamily-run · North NashvilleGet: Meat-and-three plate
- Egg Dripcafe · East NashvilleGet: The Oh My Gogi
- Monell'sfor meat-and-three · GermantownGet: Skillet fried chicken with whatever sides come to the table
- Loveless Cafefor biscuits and country ham · Highway 100 (west of the city)Get: Biscuits with country ham and preserves
The market
Covered market house with a food hall, outdoor farm sheds and a garden center. Market House restaurants (bulgogi, Jamaican, vegan tacos, bubble tea) and a pop-up…
The line worth it
Hattie B's Hot ChickenMidtown
Get: Hot chicken, medium if you are new to it, with pimento mac and cheese
How it works here
Tip: Tip 18-22% at sit-down restaurants, a dollar or two a drink at the bar.
Book: Book the hot places on Resy or OpenTable, often the day tables drop (2-4 weeks out); counters and slices are walk-in.
When locals eat: Lunch noon-2pm, dinner 6-9pm; it gets late only in the big cities.