64 Best Restaurants in Tennessee, USA

The owners of this restaurant have never romanticized "the good ol' days" just for the sake of marketing, but they do capitalize on the sucess of their family recipes developed over time, perfected with effort, and prepared with fresh ingredients. Homemade apple butter, apple fritters, and fruit juleps feature here, as well as signature menu items such as the famous Southern fried chicken, chicken potpie, and chicken and dumplings. You'll feel welcome from the minute you sit down inside the Kilpatrick family home, converted to a restaurant in 1987, and it's certainly worth sticking around long enough to try some apple cobbler for dessert. Wait times can sometimes extend to an hour during busy seasons.

This Midtown location has a decidedly upscale feel, with dark-wood paneling and low lighting. The menu includes hardwood-grilled beef, chicken, and pork; hearty salads; and fresh seafood.

Even if it plays up the "good 'ol days" kitsch, the Applewood is a welcome respite from the other places on the parkway. The two restaurants at either end of the complex have nearly identical menus that feature family recipes developed over time, perfected with effort, and prepared with fresh ingredients. You'll feel welcome from the minute you sit down. Wait times can sometimes extend to an hour during busy seasons, but there are shops and a winery on-site to fill the time.

Deft knife-juggling chefs prepare steaks, shrimp, scallops, and lobsters on a steel cooking table surrounded by diners. Known for the Benihana special (grilled lobster with house dressing of mustard and ginger sauce), this lively place, complete with karaoke, also has a sushi bar. The restaurant is housed in a stunning Japanese-style building near the Memphis Hilton in East Memphis. There's a children's menu and an early-bird supper deal.

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. 

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.

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.