27 Best Restaurants in Tennessee, USA

Adele's

$$$ | The Gulch Fodor's choice

Fresh, open, airy, and never too buttoned-up, Adele's is a favorite for business lunches and date-night dinners alike. This high-end Southern eatery was an early part of the neighborhood's revitalization, and James Beard–winning chef Jonathan Waxman continues to dazzle with his accessible but polished cuisine.

Husk

$$$ | Downtown Fodor's choice

Southern charm abounds in both decor and flavors at Husk, located in a converted historic home. With seasonal ingredients sourced from in and around Tennessee, the menu at this must-try restaurant staple (with other locations in Charleston and Savannah) is elevated and dynamic.

Oliver Royale

$$$ Fodor's choice

Dining outside at this swank bistro feels like settling into a sidewalk café in France with a Southern twist. The extensive whiskey menu tempts you to order an old-fashioned—with sugar muddled slow to perfection—before digging into a plate of local rainbow trout with aged ham and whipped polenta, all sourced sustainably from regional farms.

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Sunda New Asian

$$$ | The Gulch Fodor's choice

Celebrity chef and actor Billy Dec has brought his Chicago-based Sunda to Nashville with the recent splashy opening of this new sister restaurant, and the neighborhood is all the better for it. Characterized as "Southeast Asian fusion," you can find a menu of shareable plates that includes twists on classic Filipino dishes, a selection of dim sum, a full sushi bar, crispy rice topped with tuna, and quite a few expertly cooked pork dishes. Don't miss their unique weekend brunch.

The Appalachian

$$$ Fodor's choice

Downtown Sevierville's transformation feels complete with the opening of this fine-dining twist on traditional mountain cuisine. If you're feeling adventurous, try the seared headcheese or the buffalo frog legs, but there's plenty of comfort dishes like hanger steak with hen-of-the-woods mushrooms to fall back on.

The Greenbrier

$$$ Fodor's choice

It's well worth the five-minute drive from town to this haven in the hills for prime beef steaks and inspired seafood. The stone-and-log entryway is a clue that you've left the touristy part of the Parkway behind and entered a dining room with a talented chef calling the shots on the ever-changing menu. And speaking of shots, the selection of top-shelf bourbons and whiskeys is second to none in Gatlinburg. Choose from the cigar menu and slowly sip by the fireplace.

5th and Taylor

$$$ | Germantown

Housed in a large, artsy space, 5th and Taylor is a culinary playground for chef Daniel Lindley to push the boundaries of modern American cuisine. The menu often includes a number of Southern favorites, like tomato pie and beer can chicken, all elevated by Lindley's finesse and knowledge of flavor. The center sculpture, which serves as a focal point in the dining room, is a depiction of General Francis Nash, for whom the city is named.

Chateau West

$$$ | West End

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

Epice

$$$

A family-owned restaurant serving traditional Lebanese and Greek dishes with foodie flair, Epice has a large patio, serves lunch and dinner, and has a popular weekend brunch.

Erling Jensen

$$$ | East Memphis

Jensen first earned a loyal following as the chef at La Tourelle. The cuisine at his East Memphis restaurant is French; most noteworthy is the rack of lamb.

Etc Restaurant

$$$ | Hillsboro Village

Etc Restaurant is tucked away behind the Mall at Green Hills, making it the kind of place an out-of-towner could easily miss. The menu, though, makes getting out the GPS worth it, as new American favorites are reimagined using international ingredients. Etc also has an extensive dessert menu and a generous happy hour.

Gray & Dudley

$$$ | Downtown

Featuring absurdist art in the dining room, and adjacent galleries with interactive installations, this restaurant in the bottom of the 21c Museum Hotel provides more than a meal, but a one-of-a-kind immersive experience. Featuring rich dishes that modernize Southern cuisine with surprising flavors, it includes a variety of hearth-baked in-house breads.

Gray's on Main

$$$

Before Gray’s signature neon sign signaled innovative cocktails and comfort food, it was the sign for the pharmacy that occupied that space for 72 years. When Gray’s the restaurant moved into the building in 2012, they kept all the discarded memorabilia from the pharmacy and decorated the place with handwritten prescriptions and vintage pill bottles.

Hemingway's Bar & Hideaway

$$$ | Wedgewood-Houston

The spacious interior shares the rustic elegance—rough brick walls, rich hardwood floors—found throughout Houston Station. The hearty menu's large portions are balanced by sampler-sized chocolate mousse and other desserts. Vintage items include a large card catalog at the entrance to the dining room.

House of Cards

$$$ | Downtown

With a strict dress code and no-phone policy, House of Cards is a must-see for locals and tourists alike looking for an unusual night. The fine-dining meal price comes with a private magic show that rivals Hollywood’s infamous Magic Castle. If you are splurging, the $200 signature cocktail prepared table-side in a crystal bowl is a must.

J. Alexander's

$$$ | Vanderbilt

Kefi

$$$

Greek meets fine dining at this trendy spot for Mediterranean-style mezze like grilled octopus, lamb chops, and beef short ribs. An extensive cocktail menu, highlighted by anise liqueurs from Lebanon and Turkey, invites diners to relax and settle in for the evening.

Marsh House

$$$ | The Gulch

Southern seafood is no joke: Where the Northeast focuses on lobster and clam, the South emphasizes fried Gulf oysters and gumbo. At Marsh House, they elevate these Southern staples to beautiful heights while also offering up a raw bar to behold and their signature seafood towers, and now with daily brunch, you can choose a more low-key experience until 3 pm.

Midtown Cafe

$$$ | Midtown

If you love a decadent late breakfast, or a sumptuous meal before heading out for a night on the town, then Midtown Café is the perfect place for you. Patrons rave about everything from the soups to the desserts. The café also offers diners a complimentary shuttle service to some of Nashville’s premier performing arts venues, including the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, the Nashville Opera, and the Ryman Auditorium.

Miel

$$$ | Sylvan Park

While Miel has a French name, don’t expect classic French cuisine: this artful restaurant pulls from many global tastes for inspiration while following some French conventions, like a complimentary amuse-bouche. The menu is separated into small plates and large plates, with smaller portions intended for tasting and sharing.

Park Cafe

$$$ | Sylvan Park

Park Cafe serves rich entrées, a selection of small plates, and a full wine program in Sylvan Park. In addition to their dinner service, they also feature an enticing happy hour.

Red Pony

$$$

This sophisticated eatery serves innovative Southern cuisine in an upscale environment, for a dining experience that’s elegant without compromising on fun. The menu changes six times a year to keep up with the freshest ingredients, and their award-winning wine menu shouldn’t be overlooked; there’s bar seating on both the first and second floors, but for a table, a reservation is your best bet.

Sambuca

$$$ | The Gulch

If you're looking for bold elegance with a dash of drama, the deep plush seating and wrought-iron candelabras and chandeliers at this acclaimed, three-story eatery are sure to hit the spot. For those who prefer to take in a show with dinner, you can catch live music each night starting around 6:30, and if you're more of an early riser, you can opt for some tunes with your brunch instead.

The 404 Kitchen

$$$ | The Gulch

Big on visual presentation and earning high marks in overall aesthetics, The 404 Kitchen is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a sumptuous evening. The menu is small and carefully laid out to ensure that anything ordered lives up to the kitchen's high bar for quality. Fair warning: there's no parking, so prepare to pay for valet or opt to use a rideshare service.

The Old School Farm to Table

$$$ | Scottsboro

This 1936 schoolhouse-turned-restaurant serves local, sustainable, hyper-seasonal food on a farm 10 miles north of Nashville. The farm’s primary mission is to employ adults with intellectual disabilities, and the restaurant is a leading member of the Nashville Food Waste Initiative. Check their calendar for live music performances, and get a reservation if you can.

The Peddler Steakhouse

$$$

It's not every day in the Smokies you walk past an 80-foot-high redwood tree to eat at a riverfront steak house comprising five historic log cabins. And it's probably just as unusual to have your steak brought table-side and custom cut before being sizzled over Texas hickory charcoal while you graze on hot homemade bread and items from the salad bar. Chicken, shrimp, salmon, and fresh boneless English mountain trout are also on the menu, along with desserts like hot blackberry cobbler or Peddler's version of strawberry shortcake.

Urban Grub

$$$

A former car wash, Urban Grub is now a sophisticated dining space serving seafood and locally sourced meat that's cured on-site. Outdoor seating offers a view of the oversized fireplace for cooking.

Tennessee

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