276 Best Restaurants in Tennessee, USA

Though it only opened in 2015, Butcher and Bee is already a Nashville culinary mainstay. The restaurant is convenient both to Downtown and to East Nashville's Five Points, and offers guests a variety of dining options, from a casual weekend brunch to an elegant dinner of small shared plates, all of which find the middle ground between Middle Eastern and Southern American influences. The whipped feta is a must-try.

The name says it all: Butchertown Hall is the place to go for excellent elevated meat dishes, with a menu inspired by meat markets in Texas. Order smoked meats by the pound with sides like seasonal vegetables and shaved street corn, or opt for (slightly) lighter fare like oak-smoked brisket tacos and grilled lamb lollipops. The cocktail program is heavy on tequila, offering a refreshing counterpoint to the filling spreads.

The only eatery in the park, other than the restaurant at LeConte Lodge, is a little snack bar and deli inside the Cades Cove Campground Store. Here, you can buy hot dogs, burgers, chili, and other snacks. The camp store also sells canned pork and beans, s'mores fixings, soft drinks, chips, and other packaged food. Next door is an ice cream shop and souvenir stand. Firewood is sold here, and you can rent bicycles.

Created as a social enterprise, The Café employs female survivors of trafficking, prostitution, and addiction and partners with local food suppliers to create delicious locally sourced breakfast and lunch items like sandwiches, quiches, and baked goods. The Café also touts a full afternoon tea service, available by reservation. Next door, browse nourishing handmade gifts and goods at The Shop at Thistle Farms.

Convenient to the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Bridgestone Arena, and Ascend Amphitheater, Café Intermezzo is a favorite preshow destination for a quick bite before a concert. Serving all three meals of the day plus an extensive specialty coffee drink program, it's also a quiet spot to catch up with friends or meet for a business discussion. The stocked pastry display case just inside the front door reminds diners to always save room for dessert.

This popular midtown hangout offers a healthy version of Mexican cuisine (no animal fats are used), including spinach enchiladas, vegetarian burritos, and chile rellenos (cheese-stuffed fried green chilies).

This bright and bustling all-day restaurant fulfills all of your breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner needs with a menu that spans a number of healthy options that utilize fresh seasonal ingredients. There are more indulgent items on offer, too, like the perfectly griddled smash burger or the paprika chicken. Stop in for a house latte before heading out for a day of fun, or cozy up at the bar for dinner during live jazz night on Fridays. 

A long-standing staple of Sylvan Park, Caffé Nonna serves Italian dinner in an inviting and intimate café setting. Pasta is served with house-made sauces, the desserts are decadent, and the decent wine list rounds out the experience.

A perennial favorite, this barbecue joint and steak house draws crowds for its hickory-smoked ribs and its views of the action on the Tennessee River. There's a dedicated dock for the restaurant, and many locals arrive by water to take in the scenery on the spacious deck. You'll find additional locations throughout eastern Tennessee. 

Though the Caney Fork River Valley Grille is best known for its ribs and catfish, the wild-game menu is a must-try for those with a taste for adventure—this is truly the only place in Nashville where you'll find gator chili, wild elk sliders, or a venison sausage Philly (think classic cheesesteak sandwich but with sausage). There’s live music every Friday and Saturday against a backdrop of taxidermy possums, bears, deer, wolves, bobcats, and much more. The indoor catfish pond is especially scenic, if you prefer a livelier view during dinner.

When done just right, a night at an American steak house can be an unforgettable dining experience, and Carne Mare's 30-day dry-aged shareable tomahawk and Wagyu cuts make for worthy splurges, while impressive seafood options like red snapper prepared table-side feel just as decadent. The passion of the hospitality and kitchen teams at the Nashville location is obvious in the loving attention given to each and every dish, cocktail, and dessert on the menu, and the classic and inviting interior delivers a dose of classic elegance with dark wood, leather, and low lighting.

They sell plenty of dry-style barbecued ribs in this downtown restaurant in an 1890 building, in an alley just north of the Peabody Hotel. A diverse group chows down in the antiques- and collectibles-filled basement dining room, and the service is among the most efficient in town. The menu also includes shoulder sandwiches, pork loin, chicken, and a shrimp skillet.

A Southern answer to French cuisine, Chateau West serves French-inspired lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch. Their upscale yet relaxed setting matches the quality and accessibility of their entrées.

If you're looking for a dinner menu that won't necessarily break the bank, check out this stripped-down, rock-and-roll-inspired intimate restaurant, which is centered around hearty well-seasoned proteins paired with the freshest possible local produce. This is upscale American that delivers. The space is anchored by a chef's counter, so you'll be able to see each part of your meal as it's prepped and get to know the attentive staff.

This Memphis institution serves sophisticated dishes from a multi-course tasting menu in an ornately decorated dining room Downtown. Nightly creations might include beef tenderloin, or Chilean snapper with portobello mushrooms on a horseradish reduction. Desserts include baked Alaska (sponge cake topped with ice cream and meringue, then baked) and crème brûlée. Afternoon tea is served Tuesday through Saturday from 2 to 3, but you'll need to make a reservation 24 hours in advance.

You can’t miss the bright red facade or the window where you can order the signature chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin cookies; sometimes there's a tray of samples at the window. This location opened in 2018, but the bakery has been around since 1985. Tins of these cookies are familiar and beloved holiday and celebratory gifts.

A trip to Nashville isn't complete without a stop at this Nashville-based bakery that makes gourmet cookies with real ingredients and recipes that have earned the brand national recognition. Their Germantown bakery now boasts a storefront where you can pick up a variety of cookies, milk, coffee, and Christie-branded goodies.

First-time visitors to Church & Union can't help but look up immediately upon entering the massive dining space, their eyes drawn skyward by the dramatic hand-lettered mural that covers the entire ceiling with all 11,450 words of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. The kitchen staff wins most of the battles with their playful and inventive takes on New American cuisine, pairing international inspirations with regional ingredients and local specialties to create an intriguing menu of hearty dishes. Start off a meal with a massive seafood tower and progress all the way to Church & Union's signature torched Baked Tennessee dessert and you'll feel like a victor, too!

As a restaurant, concert venue, and wine bar, the versatility of City Winery’s offerings make it a standout in the city. The Barrel Room Restaurant and Wine Bar within City Winery serves hearty Southern-inspired fare for brunch and dinner with an extensive wine list.

From the rustic wood-paneled walls and the rows of rocking chairs to the shrine of signed headshots from country music legends, this catfish surf-and-turf restaurant has been turning out traditional Tennessee cooking in a laid-back family atmosphere for decades. Beyond the obvious steak, catfish, and shrimp mains, they also offer several standout sides like coleslaw, hush puppies, and fried pickles.

Dedicated to—and passionate about—all things Italian, Coco’s is part grocery, part travel agency, and part Italian restaurant. Known for their grab-and-go pizzas, homemade meatballs, and baked ziti, all their house specialties remain proudly authentic to original family recipes, and you won't have to worry about breaking the bank.

This coffeehouse is in a literal house, built in 1904 in Downtown Franklin, and during a good mid-morning lull, you can curl up with a cinnamon toast crepe in one of the sitting rooms and listen to a record or read a book. The library room is an especially good spot to pass a rainy afternoon with hot soup and a grown-up grilled cheese sandwich.

Located on the lobby level of Virgin Hotels Nashville, the cuisine at Commons Club ranges from Southern staples like the Nashville meat and three to seafood dishes and oven-fired flatbreads. Entering through the front doors, you’ll walk past an eclectic inviting lounge area with plenty to look at, but continue on to the dining room for intimate seating, a pool table, a full bar, and frequent programming including songwriter showcases.

This steak house has major chops: if an exquisite cut of beef isn’t epicurean enough for you, you can pair your steak with lobster, crab, scallops, or shrimp. And with a long luxurious cocktail menu and plenty of aperitifs, desserts, and even a port flight, your meal can drag on all evening, with no end to indulgences in sight.

There's always a line at this no-frills barbecue restaurant in East Memphis. Once you taste the ribs (or sandwiches, or beef, or pork platters …), you'll understand why.

The throwback vibe at this downtown creamery—complete with staff wearing signature red-and-white checkered blouses—makes ordering a cookies-and-cream shake feel like the wholesome Americana it should be. Ice-cream flavors are simple and straightforward—sweet cream, chocolate, strawberry—but do include dairy-free options like raspberry Dole Whip. Long lines form by 7 pm most evenings.     

This locally beloved cupcake shop serves a variety of tasty creative cupcakes at their storefront; preorders are also welcome. Classic flavors like red velvet and chocolate are always on hand, while seasonal cupcakes pop up throughout the year. Who doesn't love a good cupcake?

Breakfast and lunch sandwiches made using house-baked bread, braised meats, gourmet aioli, and premium produce are the most popular items at this airy and amiable café, but the pastry case just inside the front door is the real showstopper. Get there early for the best selection of flaky croissants, delectable cookies and muffins, colorful macarons, and other baked goods. The pickings can get pretty slim after the lunch rush.

A hot dog stand housed in a converted gas station, Daddy's Dogs offers creative topping combos on a beef hot dog—the Georgia is topped with cream cheese, peaches, jalapeño, and a secret sauce, while the Carolina has coleslaw, bacon, secret sauce, and barbecue sauce. They also have a small selection of filling sides such as loaded tots, mac and cheese, and chili. There are satellite locations in Printers Alley, Nissan Stadium, GEODIS Park, and 6th and Peabody.