Music City’s dining scene has quietly become one of the most exciting, and we mean that beyond the hot chicken. From Michelin-starred tasting menus tucked behind unmarked warehouse doors to Japanese bakeries drawing lines before the doors even open, Nashville rewards curious eaters at every level. To help you navigate it all, we’ve organized this guide by neighborhood, highlighting the Nashville restaurants that are truly worth the hype.
East Nashville & Beyond
Xiao Bao
Where: 830 Meridian St, Nashville, TN
Joshua Walker and Duolan Li, the husband-and-wife team behind Charleston’s cult-favorite Xiao Bao Biscuit, brought their pan-Asian vision to East Nashville, and the result is one of the most exciting dining rooms in the city. The menu shifts constantly, drawing on Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and Korean influences, but the okonomiyaki is a near-permanent fixture and essentially non-negotiable. The hand-pulled noodles with chili cumin brisket are equally essential. Set inside a retro diner space with red leather booths and chrome details, Xiao Bao somehow manages to feel both wildly inventive and deeply comfortable, the rare restaurant that works just as well for a casual lunch as it does for a celebratory dinner.
FatBelly Pretzel Bakery & Deli
Where: 2400 Gallatin Ave, Nashville, TN
Born as a farmers market pop-up during the pandemic, Chef Levon Wallace’s FatBelly has since become one of East Nashville’s most beloved neighborhood institutions. The star is the signature pretzel, hand-rolled, fat-bellied, and as good as anything you’d find at a proper German bakery. Still, the real magic is in the sandwiches: enormous, generously loaded creations like the Hamma Mia and the classic Muffuletta on a pretzel bun, best ordered hot. Hence, the cheese melts into the giardiniera. The pastry case runs daily with pretzel danishes, babkas, and rotating specials, and the breakfast sandwich, served until 10:30 am or sold out, has earned its reputation as one of the best in the city. The whole operation radiates warmth, starting with the motto stitched into everything they do: Spread Love Like Mustard.
Kisser
Where: 747 Douglas Ave, Nashville, TN
Husband-and-wife chefs Leina Horii and Brian Lea opened Kisser in 2023 with zero fanfare from their own side and an avalanche of it from everyone else. The New York Times named it one of the 50 best restaurants in the country that same year. Bon Appétit called it one of the best new restaurants of 2024. A James Beard nomination followed. And the food, Japanese comfort cooking with deep soul and serious technique, is everything the praise suggests. The yellowtail collar, marinated in ponzu and lemon, is the dish to know, and the handmade udon and chirashi bowl are close behind.
Sho Pizza Bar
Where: 1309 McGavock Pike, Nashville, TN
The name comes from shokunin, a Japanese word representing complete mastery of one’s craft, and Chef Sean Brock’s pizza bar earns it. Sho earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand designation for its neo-Neapolitan pies, built on a dough that cold ferments for three days before being baked in a hand-built Italian wood-fired oven, with results that are airy, slightly charred, and unlike anything else in the city. Toppings lean Southern and unexpected: country ham, guanciale, mushroom cream, and a house miso ranch dipping sauce that has developed its own fan base. The Riverside Village space is casual, sunny, and designed around the 12-seat chef’s counter that faces the oven, the best seat in the house.
Shotgun Willie’s BBQ
Where: 1500 Gallatin Pike S, Madison, TN
Named after owner Bill LaViolette’s favorite Willie Nelson song and born out of a kolache bakery-turned-BBQ dream, Shotgun Willie’s has grown from a food truck into the go-to destination for Texas-style barbecue in the Nashville area. The American wagyu brisket, with its deeply seasoned bark and melt-in-your-mouth tenderness, is the undisputed headline act, rivaling what you’d find at serious Texas joints. The salt-and-pepper ribs, jalapeño cheddar sausage, and sides like creamy dill potato salad and tangy baked beans round out a tray that’s hard to argue with. It sells out, especially the ribs, so get there early.
12 South
The Butter Milk Ranch
Where: 2303 12th Ave S, Nashville, TN
The Butter Milk Ranch in 12 South is the brunch spot that keeps earning its waitlist. The mid-century styled space opens to a beautiful bakery display, croissants, beignets, and rotating pastries made in-house, before you even look at the full menu. The kitchen cures its own bacon in-house (thick-cut, deeply flavorful), makes pancakes that are reliably fluffy, and puts real care into every plate. The 12 South Scramble and the seasonal waffles have developed cult followings. Come on a weekday if you can, build in extra time either way, and order from the pastry case while you wait. It’s worth every minute.
Bartaco
Where: 2526 12th Ave S, Nashville, TN
Bartaco doesn’t pretend to be anything other than what it is: a reliably excellent, coastal-vibed taco and cocktail bar that makes a very strong case for itself at any hour. The tacos are small and fresh: duck birria, glazed pork belly, Baja fish, and falafel, served on metal trays and designed for sharing. The margaritas are made with fresh-squeezed juice, no shortcuts, and are among the best in the city. The white-washed patio is particularly good in warm weather, with garage doors that open wide to the street. It’s the kind of place that delivers exactly what you want, every single time, without fuss.
Wedgewood-Houston
Iggy’s
Where: 609 Merritt Ave, Nashville, TN
Chicago brothers Ryan and Matthew Poli, both veterans of The Catbird Seat, opened Iggy’s in 2023 with a clear vision: inventive Italian food, handmade pasta, great wine, and genuine hospitality in a room that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The glass-enclosed pasta room is visible from nearly every seat, and what comes out of it earns the attention, shells with Maine peekytoe crab in sea urchin butter, gnocchi that’s become locally legendary, and arancini served in warm goat cheese fondue. The soft serve sundaes at the end, flavors like lemon huckleberry with brown butter cake, are non-negotiable. The Michelin Guide recognized Iggy’s for good reason: this is the kind of Italian restaurant that makes you want to come back every week.
Aba
Where: 435 Houston St, Nashville, TN
Aba arrived in Nashville’s Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood in 2025 and filled a real gap in the city’s dining scene: a serious, beautiful Mediterranean restaurant with the depth to back up its ambitions. Chef CJ Jacobson’s menu is built around sharing, five variations of hummus, whipped feta, hot honey halloumi, and skewers of perfectly charred beef and chicken, with a beverage program that leans into rare Mediterranean wines and spirits. The space, designed around the warmth of a summer evening in the Mediterranean, is stunning. Reservations are essential!
Bastion
Where: 434 Houston St, Nashville, TN
You’ll walk into what feels like a low-key neighborhood bar in Wedgewood-Houston, exposed brick, dim lighting, and a turntable spinning vinyl in the corner. But pass through the unmarked metal door at the back, and you’ll find one of the most quietly extraordinary dining experiences in the South. Chef Josh Habiger, a Michelin-starred alum of Alinea and The Catbird Seat, runs a 24-seat restaurant where the nightly six-course set menu reads like a choose-your-own-adventure, a grid of options by tier, described in minimal terms, that somehow results in dish after surprising, inspired dish. The chefs plate and serve from behind the counter, the wine pairings are thoughtful, and the whole thing operates like an intimate dinner party. Reserve well in advance.
Germantown
Monell’s
Where: 1235 6th Ave N, Nashville, TN
Monell’s has been feeding Nashville since 1995, and the formula hasn’t changed: you sit down at a long communal table with strangers, and big platters of Southern food start making their way around, skillet fried chicken, collard greens, cheese grits, cornbread, biscuits, pork chops, and banana pudding, all included in one set price. It’s the experience of a holiday meal without the family drama, and one of the few places in the city where the dining format is as memorable as the food itself. The Germantown location, housed in a 1905 Victorian mansion, is particularly special. Come in as strangers, leave as friends, that’s the whole point.
Babychan
Where: 1313 Adams St, Nashville, TN
From the team behind Kisser, one of Nashville’s most celebrated Japanese restaurants, Babychan opened in the Neuhoff development in Germantown as a daytime Japanese bakery and café that promptly became one of the most talked-about openings of 2025. The pastry case is filled with subtly sweet, beautifully crafted treats you won’t find anywhere else in the city: the strawberry sando alone justifies the visit. The sit-down café menu pulls from Kisser’s greatest hits, including beef curry rice bowl, onigiri, Hokkaido lattes, and the whole experience feels like getting two restaurants in one. There will be a line. It’s worth it.
The Optimist
Where: 1400 Adams St, Nashville, TN
Atlanta chef Ford Fry brought his celebrated seafood restaurant to Nashville’s Germantown neighborhood, and the result is the best seafood experience in a landlocked city. Set inside the Hammer Mill development on the Cumberland River, The Optimist leads with an opulent raw bar and seafood tower before moving into wood-grilled whole fish, scallops, and some of the most thoughtfully composed sides in the city. The cocktail program is strong, the wine list well-curated, and the upstairs bar Le Loup is worth a pre- or post-dinner drink on its own. For a city without an ocean, this is remarkably, refreshingly good.
Downtown & Midtown
Red’s 615 Chicken
Where: 115 27th Ave N, Nashville, TN
Chef Eric “Red” White is a classically trained Nashville native who spent 15 years in serious kitchens before distilling everything into what many locals consider the city’s best hot chicken. The operation is small, the hours are limited, and the menu is focused, which is exactly the point. The tenders are big, juicy, and coated in a complex spice blend that builds real heat without sacrificing flavor, available in levels from Country through X-Hot. The Hot Chicken Mac and Cheese Crunchwrap has taken on a life of its own as a signature item, but the tenders on their own are the move. Consistently ranked number one by Nashville locals, this is where to go when you want to understand what Nashville hot chicken is actually about.
etch
Where: 303 Demonbreun St, Nashville, TN
Chef Deb Paquette has been a fixture in Nashville for over 30 years, and her globally inspired downtown flagship is the culmination of that career. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America and becoming the first woman in Tennessee to earn the title of certified executive chef, Paquette built a restaurant around her love of bold, eclectic flavors from across the world: think Moroccan-spiced pork, truffle-finished soups, and house-made ice creams that change with the season. The dining room is polished and warm, with a chef’s bar offering direct views into the kitchen, making it equally suited to a business dinner, a date night, or a celebration. A Michelin-recognized kitchen and a James Beard legacy, this one has earned every accolade it’s received.
The Catbird Seat
Where: 700 8th Ave S (5th Floor), Nashville, TN
The Catbird Seat has been the crown jewel of Nashville’s fine dining scene since 2011, and its recent move to a dramatic new fifth-floor space atop the Bill Voorhees Building has only elevated the experience. Chefs Andy Doubrava and Tiffani Ortiz now lead the kitchen through a 13-course seasonal tasting menu that earns its Michelin Star in every bite, boundary-pushing, locally rooted, and genuinely playful. You sit around a U-shaped counter and watch the team cook, plate, and serve everything from the same position. Beverage pairings (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) are thoughtfully curated, and The Patterson House cocktail bar next door makes for a perfect opening or closing act. Reservations are ticketed and competitive; plan ahead.
Nashville’s food scene rewards the curious; the best meals here are tucked behind unmarked doors, served out of windows, and passed around communal tables in century-old mansions. The only real problem is not having enough time to eat it all, which is exactly why staying in the right place matters. GoodNight Stay’s handpicked Nashville homes put you right in the heart of these neighborhoods, close enough to walk to brunch, stumble home from a tasting menu, and wake up ready to do it all again. Browse our Nashville homes and make the most of every meal!
