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The Best Places to Eat in Nashville

The OpenTable Team

Nashville is famous for three things: great music, warm hospitality, and inventive cuisine. When one thinks of Tennessee meals, food like barbecue and fried chicken come to mind. Yet, Nashville is more than just meat and top chefs are reinventing this Southern cuisine. But where are the smartest, savviest diners eating out? Welcome to the Tastemaker Lists. We’ve pulled data from thousands of restaurants to find the top spots among OpenTable's most expert, seasoned diners. Iconic Nashville dishes like “meat and three,” fried catfish, cornbread, mac 'n' cheese, and country ham all get a chance in the limelight, but so do some more exotic plates. Book a table and get eating at some of these Nashville icons.

20 Restaurants
Updated February 26, 2020
Restaurants:Opry Backstage Grill at The Inn at Opryland, Park Cafe, Eastland Cafe…
Price Range:$$ - $$
Cuisines:Southern, Contemporary American, American…
Neighborhoods:Nashville, East Nashville…

Opry Backstage Grill at The Inn at Opryland

$$$$·Southern·
Nashville
450 reviews
  • Casual
  • Comfort Food
  • Bar Seating
In Nashville, high-end cuisine is constantly fused with down-home cooking and traditional techniques. Yet the relationship between food and music is also just as important as the r…Read more
Kid Friendly in Nashville
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Park Cafe

$$$$·Contemporary American·
Nashville
685 reviews
  • Neighborhood Gem
  • Great for Outdoor Dining
  • Special Occasion
This minimalist bistro is a great example of how Nashville chefs are succeeding in soul fusion. There’s nothing more “Nashville” than the smoked Springer Mountain chicken. It’s ser…Read more
97% recommended
Best Overall in Nashville
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Eastland Cafe

$$$$·American·
East Nashville
778 reviews
  • Neighborhood Gem
  • Good for a Date
  • Romantic
Nashville and chicken just seem to go together, like Maine and lobster. The Springer Mountain farms chicken here is an homage to brunch — another Nashville “must-do.” Sex and the C…Read more
100% recommended
Best Overall in Nashville
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Giovanni's Ristorante - Mid Town

$$$$·Italian·
West End
1,049 reviews
  • Special Occasion
  • Romantic
  • Neighborhood Gem
This high-end restaurant specializes in Italian cuisine with a Southern twist. The ambiance is rustic — drawing both on Nashville and Northern Italy. The mac and cheese with ham an…Read more
90% recommended
Notable Wine List in Nashville
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The Yellow Porch

$$$$·Contemporary American·
Nashville
1,119 reviews
  • Neighborhood Gem
  • Good for a Date
  • Special Occasion
Possibly one of Nashville’s most beloved restaurants, the Yellow Porch allows Southern ingredients to shine. You’ll notice some of the most popular Southern dishes have gotten an u…Read more
97% recommended
Best Value in Nashville
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Pomodoro East

$$$$·Italian·
East Nashville
710 reviews
  • Good for a Date
  • Neighborhood Gem
  • Great for Outdoor Dining
Pomodoro East also straddles traditional cuisine borders to bring guests a fine dining experience that’s anything but ordinary. Dinner entrees include elevated barbecue dishes, suc…Read more
100% recommended
Healthy in Nashville
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Mason's at Loews Vanderbilt Hotel

$$$$·Southern·
West End
259 reviews
  • Fit for Foodies
  • Special Occasion
  • Good for Groups
Masons not only manages to create an interior atmosphere that is chic and streamlined, but they also seamlessly integrate seasonal flavors into each dish. Located in the Vanderbilt…Read more
83% recommended
Not available on OpenTable
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Trattoria Il Mulino - Nashville

$$$$·Italian·
Nashville
2,032 reviews
  • Romantic
  • Special Occasion
  • Good for a Date
You might forget you’re in such a laid-back city while sitting at a booth at Il Mulino. The Nashville outpost of this Italian restaurant screams class while embracing the flavors o…Read more
92% recommended
Notable Wine List in Nashville
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The Palm Nashville

$$$$·Steakhouse·
Downtown
4,140 reviews
  • Special Occasion
  • Good for a Date
  • Romantic
Another famed high-end steak chain that’s made its way to Nashville is the Palm. The décor is just as interesting as the Palm’s locations in other cities (full of caricatures of ce…Read more
91% recommended
Special Occasion in Nashville
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Sopapilla's

$$$$·Mexican / Southwestern·
Franklin / Brentwood
1,137 reviews
  • Great for Outdoor Dining
  • Good for a Date
  • Neighborhood Gem
Sopapilla's celebrates Mexican cuisine in America. While the restaurant is slightly more upscale than most Mexican restaurants, they have an unassuming, low-key vibe. The front yar…Read more
88% recommended
Not available on OpenTable
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Bob's Steak & Chop House - Nashville

$$$$·Steakhouse·
Downtown
2,272 reviews
  • Special Occasion
  • Romantic
  • Good for a Date
Possibly one of Nashville’s most iconic dishes (and exports) is hot chicken. Not for the faint of heart, hot chicken is an eye-watering dish that one might guess was a dare (it was…Read more
91% recommended
Steakhouse in Nashville
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Gray's on Main

$$$$·American·
Franklin / Brentwood
1,094 reviews
  • Handcrafted Cocktails
  • Great for Lunch
  • Good for a Date
GRAYS on Main is the place you go when you want to imagine you’re a guest in a classy Nashville home. This down-to-earth spot is trendy as all get out — and has a menu to match. Th…Read more
85% recommended
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Maggiano's - Nashville

$$$$·Italian·
West End
8,702 reviews
  • Special Occasion
  • Good for Anniversaries
  • Good for a Date
While most diners might not consider Italian food to be a part of the Southern culinary landscape, Nashville was home to a huge wave of Italian, German, and Polish immigrants in th…Read more
96% recommended
Not available on OpenTable
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Merchants

$$$$·American·
Downtown
2,755 reviews
  • Special Occasion
  • Good for a Date
  • Romantic
There are few “true” Southern restaurants on this list, but the ones included know how to elevate iconic Nashville cuisine and make each ingredient shine. If you’re going to order …Read more
94% recommended
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Ruth's Chris Steak House - Nashville

$$$$·Steakhouse·
West End
1,663 reviews
  • Special Occasion
  • Romantic
  • Good for a Date
Ruth's Chris might be famous across the country as the place for meat, but in Nashville (where meat is king) it’s an even bigger deal. Since bigger is better when it comes to meat …Read more
83% recommended
Special Occasion in Nashville
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Old Hickory Steakhouse at Gaylord Opryland

$$$$·Steakhouse·
Nashville
2,220 reviews
  • Romantic
  • Special Occasion
  • Good for Anniversaries
The Old Hickory Steakhouse is set in an antebellum mansion — the perfect environment for elevated Southern fare. This fine dining restaurant has not only managed to elevate classic…Read more
93% recommended
Romantic in Nashville
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Miel

$$$$·French American·
Nashville
771 reviews
  • Fit for Foodies
  • Neighborhood Gem
  • Special Occasion
Miel is in what once used to be a meat market — so it’s appropriate that meat is what this restaurant does best here. While most of the fare is French-inspired, many of the dishes …Read more
93% recommended
Not available on OpenTable
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Table 3 Restaurant and Market

$$$$·French·
Nashville
997 reviews
  • Fit for Foodies
  • Neighborhood Gem
  • Notable Wine List
It’s sometimes so astonishing to see how much French and Southern cuisines have in common, you can’t help but wonder how you never saw it before. Table 3 is another great example o…Read more
91% recommended
Not available on OpenTable
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Tin Angel

$$$$·Contemporary American·
West End
1,743 reviews
  • Neighborhood Gem
  • Fit for Foodies
  • Special Occasion
Tin Angel is another example of a Mediterranean restaurant that embraces Southern cuisine — instead of fighting against it. The restaurant’s interior is eclectic and warm (just lik…Read more
96% recommended
Not available on OpenTable
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Suzy Wong's House of Yum

$$$$·Asian·
Nashville
1,342 reviews
  • Fit for Foodies
  • Good for Groups
  • Hot Spot
Another American fusion restaurant is Suzy Wongs House of Yum. Nashville might not have seen a budding Chinatown influence its cuisine as many other American cities did, yet Suzy W…Read more
89% recommended
Not available on OpenTable
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