DISCLAIMER: Thanks to COVID, hours of operations have become kind of a moving target. Double-check on this before you show up at one of these places because their hours may have changed.

1. ROLF & DAUGHTERS | $$$$$

Address: 700 Taylor Street, Nashville, TN 37208
Hours: [5:30pm – 10:00pm | 7 days per week]
Reservations: +1 (615) 866-9897

In the heart of Germantown, a beautiful transitional neighborhood directly to the north of Nashville’s downtown, Rolf & Daughters operates in a beautiful converted brick building. The menu, quite frankly, is a bit over my head—it’s a sophisticated blend of dishes that, mostly, I had never even heard of. However, in spite of my culinary ignorance, it still all tastes amazing. I have a great time whenever I have the pleasure of coming here, and I’m not the only one. In 2013, Bon Appétit named Rolf & Daughters as their “#3 Best New Restaurant in America,” and business has continued to boom ever since.

Your seating options at Rolf & Daughters are on the patio, at the bar, or in the form of long communal tables that operate on a first-come first-serve basis. However, for all you planners out there, reservations are also available. It’s a pricey place, but I’ve always found it to be worth it. Check it out!

2. BUTCHERTOWN HALL | $$$$$

Address: 1416 4th Ave. North, Nashville, TN 27308
Hours: [11:00am – 10:00pm | Monday – Thursday]
……….....[11:00am – 12:00am | Friday]
…...……..[10:00am – 12:00am | Saturday]
……...…..[10:00am – 10:00pm | Sunday]
Reservations: +1 (615) 454-3634 or OpenTable

Also in Germantown, Butchertown Hall does business out of an absolutely gorgeous renovated warehouse. When I first arrived in Nashville, people would recommend Butchertown Hall to me, not so much for the food, but for the atmosphere. I had to check it out for myself, and when I did, I fell in love with the space. It somehow manages to maintain edgy and welcoming vibes simultaneously, and it fits in seamlessly with the fabric of Germantown. The aesthetic and culinary success of Butchertown Hall came as no surprise to the Nashville restaurant scene though, as it shares a developer/owner with Holland House and The Pharmacy (2 other awesome restaurants on this list).

Of course, the food is also great. As the name might suggest, Butchertown Hall’s menu is heavy on high-quality meat. To start with, they serve the biggest steak I’ve ever seen. That thing is a monster! Their burgers and pulled pork are also menu favorites, but there are also assortments of vegetables available as well for the less carnivorous among us. I recommend the corn on the cob.

3. PINEWOOD SOCIAL | $$$$$

Address: 33 Peabody Street, Nashville, TN 37210
Hours: [7:00am – 1:00am | Monday – Friday]
……….....[9:00am – 1:00am | Saturday – Sunday]
Reservations: +1 (615) 751-8111

Categorizing Pinewood Social was tricky. Indeed, their facilities not only include a full-service restaurant, but also a coffee shop, a bakery, a bar, and a f**king bowling alley. Oh, and they also have a place where you can play bocce ball outside on the patio. AND a pool. As I outlined the 3 Nashville guides I was going to write, I couldn’t decide where to include Pinewood Social. In the end, I chose to include it on the restaurant guide, but you should know that this place is a chameleon. Indeed, Pinewood Social truly has something for everybody, and it is probably equally well suited for a night of drinking as it is eating.

When you enter Pinewood Social, there will be a small coffee shop on your left, selling the usual assortment of caffeinated drinks and baked goods. Farther inside Pinewood Social you will find academic looking tables cluttered with Nashvillian entrepreneurs typing away on their MacBooks. The centerpiece of Pinewood Social is a large square bar, selling beer, wine, and spirits. Around this, restaurant tables are set up and servers walk back and forth. A further walk will bring you into a small, vintage bowling alley. Outside there are christmas lights strung up over a country club-esque bocce ball area. And beyond that you will find the aforementioned pool, as well as a food truck. Exhausted yet? You can check out Pinewood Social’s menu here.

4. THE PHARMACY | $$$$$

Address: 731 McFerrin Ave., Nashville, TN 37206
Hours: [11:00am – 10:00pm | Sunday – Thursday]
……….....[11:00am – 11:00pm | Friday – Saturday]
No Reservations—First Come, First Serve

I’m a guy who has eaten a lot of burgers in his day, but the Pharmacy makes a good case for being the best burger I’ve ever had. It’s not for the faint of heart though; it’s big! Get it with a side of sweet potato fries, and you’ll die happy. However, while burgers are their specialty, their menu also includes high quality German sausages, which always get good reviews.

The Pharmacy is also a beer garden, offering a bigger selection of imported beers than anyone should ever try. There is extensive outdoor seating for the warmer months of the year, which is nice, but during the winter (and sometimes the summer too) you should expect at least a short wait. However, the advantage of The Pharmacy is that if you can find a seat at the bar, you can be served immediately. With a small group, I’ve never not been able to find seats at the bar, but I can’t promise that you’ll be as lucky.

5. 5TH & TAYLOR | $$$$$

Address: 1411 5th Ave. North, Nashville, TN 37208
Hours: [5:00pm – 10:00pm | Monday – Thursday]
……….....[5:00pm – 12:00am | Friday – Saturday]
……….....[10:30am – 2:00pm + 5:00pm – 9:00pm | Sunday]
Reservations: +1 (615) 242-4747

Located in the center of Germantown, this restaurant does business out of a large renovated warehouse on the fringe of a huge, mysterious, (and I’m pretty sure) abandoned industrial park from the turn of the century. Because of this, it has and undeniably industrial vibe to it, but that is where the edginess ends. Inside, around a giant statue of General Francis Nash (Nashville’s namesake), customers dine by candlelight on crisp white table cloths. A colorful assortment of art is hanging from every wall and outside on the patio people laugh and drink beneath christmas lights. It really is an awesome vibe.

Opened in April of 2015, 5th & Taylor recently celebrated its 1st birthday. So it hasn’t been around long, but it’s been making some serious waves in Nashville. Since its opening, it has been featured by publications including Bon Appétit, Vogue, Elle Décor, Forbes, Condé Nast Traveler, and many more. Well now they can add Peter’s Big Adventure to the list, because I absolutely love this place. The menu, featuring a wide array of southern food, is a on the expensive side, but don’t let that deter you! 5th & Taylor has a huge bar. Stop in for a drink!

6. Café Roze | $$$$$

Address: 1115 Porter Road, Nashville, TN 37206
Hours: [8:00am – 12:00am | Monday – Saturday]
……….....[8:00am – 10:00pm | Sunday]
No Reservations—First Come, First Serve

Café Roze is one of the newest additions to the Nashvillian restaurant scene, occupying an up-and-coming back-road corner of East Nashville called Porter Crossing. It's a young enterprise, but it's quickly garnering a reputation for the next cool breakfast/brunch spot in East Nashville. The menu is a dream for the health-conscious, but they also make a mean burger. However, it is also worth noting that Café Roze functions as a an actual coffee shop just as well as a restaurant. They have a great coffee menu, and a chic European feel that makes an espresso served in a small white mug taste even better than normal.

Café Roze is the brainchild of chef Julia Jaksic. A recent New York transplant, she still serves as executive chef and partner at Greenwich Village bar and restaurant, Employees Only. She is also holds managerial roles in other NYC fixtures, but this is her latest project, and she works front-of-house most days of the week. If you'd like to hear more about her, check out this Nashville Scene article. Or, better yet, pop in for brunch! However, if you hadn't noticed, they stay open late. And if you don't want dinner, it's a great place for night cap. It feels quiet and intimate most week nights after 10:00pm, so for all you love birds out there, take note.

7. MAS TACOS POR FAVOR | $$$$$

Address: 732 McFerrin Ave., Nashville, TN 37206
Hours: [11:00am – 8:00pm | Monday – Friday]
……….....[10:00am – 3:00pm | Saturday]
……….....[Closed Sunday]
No Reservations—First Come, First Serve

An East Nashville fixture, Mas Tacos is a summer favorite of all taco-loving Nashvillians. The space itself feels authentically Latin. It’s modest in size so when it gets crowded, you might be hard-pressed to find a space to sit. But that’s kind of part of the charm. East Nashville is edgy and transitional and Mas Tacos exemplifies all of that. Indeed, Mas Tacos seems to have been part of East Nashville scene since the dawn of Nashville’s coolness. They also make some mean tacos, so next time you’re hungry in Nashville, go eat some tacos with the Kool Kids.

With a huge population of Latin American migrant workers, Nashville is an unexpected haven for Latin food. The number of Latin restaurants in Nashville is poised to surpass the number of American restaurants, which was, to me, a surprising fact. Much of this migrant population lives a ways outside the city though, so out in some of the more economically challenged suburbs you can find some randomly amazing restaurants. However, if you don’t feel like making that drive, Mas Tacos is a great option that’s relatively close into the city.

8. LOCKELAND TABLE | $$$$$

Address: 1520 Woodland Street, Nashville, TN 37206
Hours: [4:00pm – 10:00pm | Monday – Saturday]
……….....[Closed Sunday]
Reservations: +1 (615) 228-4864

Few restaurants are cozier than Lockeland Table. It’s located on a quiet, leafy corner of East Nashville, but as soon as you open the doors, that’s where the quiet ends. Inside, Lockeland Table has a bustling, warm, communal, feel. Seriously, the amount that happens inside this restaurant is completely disproportionate to the modest space that they have to work with, and I say that in the best way possible. The tables and chairs have been selected and arranged by the Tetris Gods so that Lockeland Table can be filled to the brim every night of the week (except sunday).

Their menu is Southern/American cuisine, with a constant rotation of delicious specials. Last time I ate at Lockeland Table, I ordered a charred cornbread from the specials menu, which came hot out of the oven, and wow. But you don’t have to take my word for it; a laundry list of publications from all around the Western World have paid their respects to Lockeland Table, including Forbes, the LA Times, Southern Living, even BBC. That’s just the beginning of the list though. So if you’re getting dinner in East Nashville, or even just drinks, you should seriously consider Lockeland Table.

9. SINEMA | $$$$$

Address: 2600 Franklin Pike #102, Nashville, TN 37204
Hours: [4:30 – 11:00pm | Monday – Thursday]
……...…..[4:30pm – 12:00am | Friday – Saturday ]
……….....[10:30am – 2:30pm | Sunday]
Reservations: +1 (615) 942-7746 or OpenTable

Sinema was originally built in the 1940s as a movie theater, but was later closed and re-purposed by a production company for Nashville’s musicians to hold photo shoots. This production company kept all of the original interior design of the former theater, but eventually the building was abandoned. It sat around as a forgotten relic for years before it was bought again in 2008. And finally, in 2014, the doors were opened once more, but this time as a restaurant. Sinema was quick to garner attention from Nashville’s foodie community, promptly earning the “Stone Cold Stunner” design award from Nashville Eater.

Walking through Sinema’s doors is a step back in time. Indeed, it feels more like opening night of a Marilyn Monroe film than it does a restaurant in Nashville, Tennessee. The designers behind this culinary gem didn’t have too much work to do though, as most of the theater’s interior remained mostly untouched, if in bad repair. On the first floor there’s an upscale restaurant whose menu includes a variety of foods ranging from Blowfish to Brie. The upper level is a “lounge” that looks like the kind of place that Cary Grant might have hung out. On the walls, via a collection of projectors and TVs, classic movies are screened daily in the background. Drinking a cocktail in this amazing space with Pulp Fiction as my backdrop was not a bad night. Even though the restaurant itself isn’t in the nicest area, it more than compensates for the ugly pawn shops that surround it with it’s dated mystique. Put Sinema on your list!

10. MITCHELL DELI | $$$$$

Address: 1306 McGavock Pike, Nashville, TN 37216
Hours: [7:00 – 10:00pm | Monday – Saturday]
……….....[8:00- 4:00pm | Sunday]
No Reservations—First Come, First Serve

Mitchell Deli is a refreshing, down-to-earth Nashville staple. Buried down the forested backroads of East Nashville, this place might take the cake for my favorite lunch spot (although it stays open until 10pm). Mitchell Deli has a strange homeostasis to it, providing the perfect escape from almost any sort of atmospheric conditions. Indeed, it gives much-needed relief from the hot southern summers and refuge from the cold Nashville winters. And for everything in between, they have outdoor seating in the shade of a thick roof.

There’s an old Nashvillian story that floats around about Mitchell Deli running out of food on the first day they opened. Lolz so maybe they got off to a rough start, but since then they’ve gone above and beyond to earn a place in the hearts of foodies in East Nashville and beyond. Indeed, it’s hard to enter Mitchell Deli without springing for one of their amazing sandwiches because the whole place smells like meat and cheese, and I say that in the best way possible. It’s at the top of the sandwich game not just in Nashville, but according to a recent Thrillist article, in all of the U.S. They ranked it as number 16 in their list of the best sandwich shops in America, so if that doesn’t sell you on this place then I’m out of ideas. JUST TRY A DAMN SANDWICH! [Menu]

11. LOVELESS CAFÉ | $$$$$

Address: 8400 Tennessee Highway 100, Nashville, TN 37221
Hours: [7:00am – 9:00pm | 7 days per week]
No Reservations—First Come, First Serve

Loveless Café is quite a hike outside the city (check out the map at the bottom to see for yourself), but has become something of a Nashville icon over the years nevertheless. There was a time when it took 45 minutes of driving through Tennessee’s back-woods to get to the Loveless Café, but today that drive is mostly suburbia. However, the Loveless Café has managed to hang on to its country vibe nevertheless. It helps that their property is big enough to include a large barn.

Loveless Café is perhaps the best place to check out on this entire list if you are after the classic “southern” experience. Their menu includes an all-star cast of southern favorites, from catfish, to pulled pork, to grits. It’s all amazing, but the item that tends to get the best reviews out of their whole menu are the biscuits that they will cart out to you before you are served your main course. Personally, I think they’re good… but they’re just biscuits. There are also campy gift shops full of southern keepsakes and festive jams, if you are looking for a souvenir.

Word to the wise: It’s a long drive out there, and it’s likely that there will be a long wait once you arrive. They do not accept reservations, so you might want to call ahead and ask about the wait before you get on the road.

12. EDLEY’S BBQ | $$$$$

Address 1 (East Nashville): 908 Main Street, Nashville, TN 37206
Address 2 (12 South): 2706 12th Ave. South, Nashville, TN 37204
Hours: [11:00am – 10:00pm | 7 days per week]
No Reservations—First Come, First Serve

Edley’s BBQ is the quintessential BBQ experience that you want to have when you visit the South. Whenever somebody visits Nashville and requests BBQ (as they always do), this is my go-to recommendation, and I’m not the only one. With two locations on either side of the city, in areas called 12 South and East Nashville, Edley’s is a well-established local favorite.

You will order up front and then your food will be brought to you. If you feel like having a drink, the bar operates separately. They have a great menu, but personally, I’d recommend the pork sandwich or the platter. Top it off with their hot BBQ sauce and I think you’ll feel pretty good about your Nashville experience.

13. CASTRILLO’S | $$$$$

Address: 1404 A McGavock Pk, Nashville, TN 37216
Hours: [4:00pm – 10:00pm | Monday – Wednesday]
……….....[10:30am – 10:00pm | Thursday – Sunday]
Reservations: +1 (615) 226-2900

This is a more recent addition to this list. I had been struggling to find a pizza shop that I loved in Nashville for a few years before finally discovering Castrillo’s. Sure there are other delicious pizzas in town, but somehow they almost ALL fall into the “gourmet” category. These are pizzas where you have to go to a restaurant, spend a bunch of money, and then sit down to eat your pizza. But, if you ask me, a truly classic pizza shop should be set up for 80% or more of their order to be for take-out or delivery. In Nashville, this category is mostly filled by chains like Domino’s, and there wasn’t much locally-owned to compete… or so I thought. Well, now I’m ready to issue a ruling. This is the best take-out pizza spot in Nashville, hands-down. And honestly, it can hold its ground against all of Nashville’s snooty gourmet pizzas too.

It’s 100% locally owned and operated, and it now has two locations in Nashville, on the West and East sides of town respectively. The only one I am showing here is the original East Nashville one, which sits just a stone’s throw from Mitchell’s, Dose., and Village Pub (other establishments I recommend in my Nashville guides). This little enclave is buried deep in the leafy back-streets of the Inglewood neighborhood and is locally known as Riverside Village. It doesn’t have a place to dine-in per se, but it does share patio seating with a couple of other adjacent eateries, so if the weather is nice, you don’t have to get your za to go.

14. CHAUHAN ALE & MASALA HOUSE | $$$$$

Address: 123 12th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37203
Hours: [11:00am – 2:30pm/5:00pm-10:00pm | Monday – Friday]
……….....[5:00pm-11:00pm | Saturday]
……….....[11:00am – 3:00pm/5:00pm – 10:00pm | Sunday]
Reservations: +1 (615) 242-8426 or OpenTable

In an industrial brick building on the western outskirts of Nashville’s downtown, Chauhan Ale & Masala House is an Indian-Fusion restaurant. Ironically, one of the premier items on their menu is the steak. Luckily, the Hindu sacrilege of this has apparently not deterred Nashville’s sizable Indian population from accepting this establishment into their hearts. Indeed, during my visit, a significant portion of the guests were, in fact, Indian themselves. And isn’t that the true litmus test of an ethnic restaurant in America?

Since Chuahan Ale & Masala House’s much-anticipated opening in 2014, it has been been featured in a laundry list of publications, ranging from Food Network to Playboy. It actually received OpenTable‘s “Diner’s Choice Award” in 2015, and it’s no wonder. Hailing from Punjab (a province in Northwestern India), the restaurant’s head chef and main founder is the famed TV personality/author/philanthropist/etc. Maneet Chauhan. So, if you couldn’t have guessed this by now, the food is pretty great. And the restaurant itself is beautiful inside! It smells like paneer in there, so show up hungry!

15. BURGER UP | $$$$$

Address 1: 2901 12th Ave. South, Nashville, TN 37204
Hours: [11:00am – 10:00pm | 7 days per week]
No Reservations—First Come, First Serve

In the green heart of 12 South, a beautiful little neighborhood on the west side of Nashville, past Vanderbilt and Belmont, you’ll find Burger Up. As you may have been able surmise, Burger Up specializes in burgers, but these aren’t just any burgers. These are gourmet burgers, made from only the finest materials. Their meat comes from cows that lived pampered lives grazing the fertile pastures of rural Tennessee. Their condiments have been carefully concocted so that even their ketchup has a unique taste. The menu overall is pretty spectacular.

Here’s an unsolicited Burger Up factoid. The restaurant was originally opened by a married couple, but after a few more years of marriage, they got divorced. Shortly afterwards, in 2012, the husband broke into the restaurant (broke through the front windows of his own restaurant) in the middle of the night with a handgun, and ended his life. Of course this tragedy came as a shock to the 12 South community, but to transplants like me, this event is the object of morbid interest. I debated whether or not I should even include this story, but what the hell. If Nashville Scene can write about it, so can I.

It really is a great place though. The food, the bar, the atmosphere, the location—it’s all on point.

16. TWO TEN JACK | $$$$$

Address: 1900 Eastland Ave. #105, Nashville, TN 37206
Hours: [4:00pm – 10:00pm | Monday – Thursday]
……...…..[4:00pm – 11:00pm | Friday – Saturday]
……...…..[Closed Sunday]
Reservations: +1 (615) 454-2731 [parties of 5 or more]

Two Ten Jack is the only Asian restaurant on this list. You don’t tend to visit the South in search of Asian food, but if you’re not feeling up to eating big, greasy slabs of meat, you should definitely check out Two Ten Jack. It’s a beautiful Japanese restaurant in the heart of East Nashville. Much of the interior is done with natural wood, and the walls are decorated with beautiful Japanese tapestries. If the weather is nice, you can sit on the patio under the lights they have strung up. However, if the weather is less than ideal, inside is nothing if not cozy and atmospheric. Many of their seating is set so that you can enjoy your food by the light of classic, black and white, Japanese films being projected onto the wall.

Upon sitting down you will be served the traditional wet towels, which will be warm or cold depending on the weather outside. After that it will be time to order. If you’re not well versed in Asian food, the menu might be a bit daunting, but at Two Ten Jack, you really can’t go wrong. The food is all amazing. In fact, Two Ten Jack was voted to have the city’s best sushi by the Nashville Scene.

17. Henrietta Red | $$$$$

Address: 1200 4th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208
Hours: [Closed | Monday]
……….....[5:00pm – 12:00am | Tuesday – Friday]
…...……..[10:00am – 2:00pm/5:00pm – 1:00am | Saturday]
……...…..[10:00am – 2:00pm/5:00pm – 10:00pm | Saturday]
Reservations: +1 (615) 490-8042 or OpenTable

Henrietta Red is a sleek new addition to the high-end Germantown restaurant scene, and is currently Nashville's only high-end Oyster Bar. Being landlocked, Tennessee isn't exactly top-of-the-list for places to eat oysters, but if you're craving an oyster in Nashville, this is the place you want to go. There is no wall separating the dining area and the kitchens, so you see each and every one of your oysters packed on ice before they are served to you. You can check out their oyster menu here.

However, Henrietta Red also serves a fun full menu of other, non-oyster related food, including variety of other sea-food dishes, including octopus, trout, and caviar. However, word to the wise: the turnip steak is not actually steak; it's a weird block of pure turnip shaped liked a steak, topped with peanuts. I found that one out the hard way. I guess that's what I get for not ordering oysters at an Oyster Bar. However, even if you're not hungry, you can come enjoy their chic, minimalist atmosphere over a drink at their bar. It's a very cool place, and completely non-pretentious, despite its up-scale atmosphere.

18. Folk| $$$$$

Address: 823 Meridian St, Nashville, TN 37207
Hours: [5:00pm – 10:00pm | Everyday]
Reservations: +1 (615) 610-2595

If you read through all of my Nashville literature, you’ll hear me talk a lot about how East Nashville is “the place to be.” Not so long ago it was a pretty sketchy area, but the Nashvillian renaissance has the forces of gentrification in full swing here. This neighborhood still has pockets of good and bad, but anybody will tell you that we passed the tipping point years ago. Everyone has read writing on the wall: East Nashville is on the way up. But there are still large areas of this neighborhood that are just as sketchy as ever. Cleveland Park is a notable example, but that’s going to change very soon, especially since the announcement of the River North Nashville development. This massive project is years away, but in the meantime, flowers are already starting to pop up through the cracks in the concrete that is Cleveland Park. And Folk was the very first flower.

Opened in 2018, Folk was the first establishment of its kind to open its doors in Cleveland Park. However, in the time since it’s been open, a little mini-district developing on the block surrounding it, including an awesome bar, and a decent-sized music venue. But before I get too carried away, let me tell you about the food. The menu at Folk is standard American fare, with a few token seafood and meat dishes (like steak and pork shoulder). However, it seems to me that their specialty is gourmet pizzas. My personal favorite is the soppressata, with provolone picante, red onion, and preserved hot peppers. They also have a full service bar if you’re not in the mood to eat, along with a nice lil dessert menu. The interior is also extremely well-decorated, so if you’re in the area, I’d encourage you to give this place a try! It’s good a folk. (I stole that pun from their URL.)

19. CITY HOUSE | $$$$$

Address: 1222 4th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37210
Hours: [5:00pm – 10:00pm | Monday]
……...…..[Closed Tuesday]
……….....[5:00pm – 10:00pm | Wednesday – Saturday]
……….....[5:00pm – 9:00pm | Sunday]
Reservations: +1 (615) 736-5838 [parties of 4 or less]

Much of Nashville’s restaurant scene is focused on the cuisine of the American South, so global influences are a welcome addition to the city’s culinary landscape. Operating in a beautiful converted brick warehouse in a leafy enclave of Germantown, City House is arguably the premier Italian restaurant in Nashville. In fact, it’s just a short walk from many of the other Germantown restaurants above!

City House’s menu is pretty pricey, and their extensive wine list covers just about every region of Italy. By these standards, City House clearly falls into the category of “fine dining,” but it manages to maintain a communal, down-to-earth feel nonetheless. This is largely thanks to the fact that there is an open kitchen where you can watch your food being made. If you get a spot at the counter, you can watch pizza dough being tossed, and eventually baked in giant brick oven while you wait for you food. Being Italian myself, City House felt less like a swanky restaurant and more like an enlarged version of the kitchen during the family reunions of my childhood—the smells, the noise, the heat of the stove.

20. The Old School | $$$$$

Address: 5022 Old Hydes Ferry Pike, Nashville, TN 37218
Hours: [Closed | Monday – Wednesday]
……….....[3:00pm – 11:00pm | Thursday – Friday]
……….....[10:00am – 11:00pm | Saturday]
……….....[10:00am – 2:30pm/4:30pm – 8:30pm | Sunday]
Reservations: +1 (615) 336-0100 or OpenTable

I’m usually pretty in-the-know, but somehow I managed to let years slip by before I heard about The Old School. Unlike most other restaurants on this list, most of which are the centerpieces of their own, happening little districts around Nashville, The Old School is a little ways outside of the city. It shouldn’t be more than a ~20 minute drive from most places in Nashville, but it’s not going to score high in the “convenience” category. HOWEVER, it is so so so SO worth going out of your way to come here. I seriously cannot recommend this place highly enough. I love it here.

The restaurant is literally housed in an old, converted school house. The menu is, for the most part, standard American/Southern fare, which you may have noticed is a theme among Nashville restaurants. However, unlike most of its peers, The Old School menu is always in a state of flux, with a laser-focus on local, hyper-seasonal, and sustainable/environmentally-conscious sourcing. The restaurant shares a property with a non-profit farm, which supplies them with a lot of their ingredients. As a result, they are able to maintain a reputation for veggie-centric cuisine that offers lots of great options for those of us that are gluten-free or have allergies. Pieces of that farm are directly adjacent to the dining area, and they also have a fire-pit as well as a gorgeous barn that doubles as an event venue. It’s a cool vibe, but the headline is the food. It’s damn good.

21. HUSK | $$$$$

Address: 37 Rutledge St, Nashville, TN 37210
Hours: [11:00am – 2:00pm/5:00pm-10:00pm | Monday – Thursday]
……….....[11:00am – 2:00pm/5:00pm – 11:00pm | Friday]
……….....[10:00am – 2:00pm/5:00pm – 11:00pm | Saturday – Sunday]
Reservations: +1 (615) 256-6565

Next, we have Husk. Husk might be the end-all be-all of southern cuisine, but food like this does not come cheap. Make no mistake—this is an upscale restaurant, and eating here will require you to spend some money. So if you have something on the horizon that warrants a big night out to dinner, this might be the place. Aaaand now that we’ve gotten the subject of money out of the way, we can get into the fun stuff!

Located just outside of downtown Nashville, down a quiet side-street, Husk does business out of a beautiful, historic southern mansion. Of course, they have made some state-of-the-art renovations to the space, which have turned the interior into a masterpiece of contemporary dining. Husk strikes the perfect balance between modern and classic, managing to retain the mansion’s classic southern feel in spite of their many upgrades and modifications. But the main thing here is the food. THE FOOD! It’s to die for. If I ever end up on death row, Husk is on my shortlist for my last supper. It’s that good. The menu changes slightly day to day, but the main dishes remain mostly the same. Personally, I recommend the steak.

22. CATBIRD SEAT | $$$$$

Address: 1711 Division St, Nashville, TN 37203
Hours: Check availability
Reservations: +1 (615) 810-8200

Hidden through a random, out-of-sight door, and up a small elevator, you’ll find Catbird Seat. Catbird Seat is the top of the culinary mountain in Nashville. La crème de la crème. It is the most expensive, most exclusive, most intense dining experience you can have in this city. But if you want to eat at Catbird Seat, you’ll have to make reservations a few weeks in advance (at minimum). You’ll have to pay ahead of time, and the cost is $115.00 per person, not including drinks. The drink menu ranges from nice beers for $6 or $7, to $25+ glasses of champagne.

So it’s expensive, but you get what you pay for. The menu changes every few weeks, and the food is cooked right in front of you. They literally ship ingredients in from all over the world for each meal. During my visit, we were served a 9-course meal by at least 5 different servers over the course of about 2 hours. These courses were inventive, to say the least. For me, the highlight was a dish of sunflower seeds that had been stripped of their shells and prepared in such a way that they mimicked risotto. It’s hard to describe exactly how it tasted, but it’s going to haunt me. So if you have cause for celebration and cash to blow, try out Catbird Seat! You will not regret it!