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The Best Places to Eat in Nashville

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by The OpenTable Team
Updated February 26, 2020

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.

Park Cafe
4.8 (1429)
$30 and under
Contemporary American
Sylvan Park & Sylvan Heights
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 served alongside house bacon, crème fraiche potato salad, and fried dill pickles and topped with an Alabama white sauce.
Top review
Logan
Dined 5 days ago
Christian was a great server and bartender! We will definitely be back!
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 served alongside house bacon, crème fraiche potato salad, and fried dill pickles and topped with an Alabama white sauce.
Top review
Logan
Dined 5 days ago
Christian was a great server and bartender! We will definitely be back!
Giovanni's Ristorante - Mid Town
4.8 (1732)
$31 to $50
Italian
Music Row
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 and peas is a dish that is popular in both Italian and Southern cuisines. For the main event, order the chicken. It’s served on the bone with sausage, oil, garlic, and potatoes.
Top review
ThomasVIP
Dined 6 days ago
Very lively with piano player and overall vibe. Food is very good and fresh. Service very attentive and anticipate your wishes. Overall very good. I'll be back.
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 and peas is a dish that is popular in both Italian and Southern cuisines. For the main event, order the chicken. It’s served on the bone with sausage, oil, garlic, and potatoes.
Top review
ThomasVIP
Dined 6 days ago
Very lively with piano player and overall vibe. Food is very good and fresh. Service very attentive and anticipate your wishes. Overall very good. I'll be back.
Trattoria Il Mulino - Nashville
4.8 (3688)
$50 and over
Italian
Downtown / Sobro
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 of the South. Here, you’ll never go wrong ordering the cowboy ribeye, served with asparagus, marasala, and mushroom ragout.
Top review
Charles
Dined 4 days ago
The ambiance was upscale and entertaining, but relaxing. The service was exceptional throughout the evening, and the meal was exquisite. The shrimp I ordered were cooked perfectly and tasted delicious, and the pasta was fresh and buttery. A very enjoyable and memorable experience.
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 of the South. Here, you’ll never go wrong ordering the cowboy ribeye, served with asparagus, marasala, and mushroom ragout.
Top review
Charles
Dined 4 days ago
The ambiance was upscale and entertaining, but relaxing. The service was exceptional throughout the evening, and the meal was exquisite. The shrimp I ordered were cooked perfectly and tasted delicious, and the pasta was fresh and buttery. A very enjoyable and memorable experience.
The Palm Nashville
4.7 (4922)
$50 and over
Steakhouse
Downtown / Sobro
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 celebrities and memorabilia), and their menu is as classy. The food speaks for itself here. When in doubt, order the filet medallions. Make it a “meat and three” by adding an order of the green beans or three-cheese potatoes au gratin on the side.
Top review
Manuel
Dined on May 6, 2025
Very Nice place, quiet and the food is so teasty.
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 celebrities and memorabilia), and their menu is as classy. The food speaks for itself here. When in doubt, order the filet medallions. Make it a “meat and three” by adding an order of the green beans or three-cheese potatoes au gratin on the side.
Top review
Manuel
Dined on May 6, 2025
Very Nice place, quiet and the food is so teasty.
Bob's Steak & Chop House - Nashville
4.7 (3619)
$50 and over
Steakhouse
Downtown / Sobro
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 actually a revenge scheme gone wrong). Many locals and tourists head to the hot chicken shacks in the city to try this delicacy. Luckily, Bob’s Steakhouse has created an upscale version of the dish that they serve in a setting one might expect to find in a Waldorf Astoria. The portions here are still quite sizable (what you would expect to find in a steak house instead of an upscale dining room), and the hot chicken isn’t so hot that it induces the pain and suffering you might find at the shacks.
Top review
Barron
Dined on May 8, 2025
Everyone should try this great atmosphere and food at least once, especially for a special occasion.
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 actually a revenge scheme gone wrong). Many locals and tourists head to the hot chicken shacks in the city to try this delicacy. Luckily, Bob’s Steakhouse has created an upscale version of the dish that they serve in a setting one might expect to find in a Waldorf Astoria. The portions here are still quite sizable (what you would expect to find in a steak house instead of an upscale dining room), and the hot chicken isn’t so hot that it induces the pain and suffering you might find at the shacks.
Top review
Barron
Dined on May 8, 2025
Everyone should try this great atmosphere and food at least once, especially for a special occasion.
Maggiano's - Nashville
4.7 (7151)
$30 and under
Italian
Belmont / Hillsboro
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 the 19th and 20th centuries. Luckily, many restaurants celebrate this immigrant past through the iconic dishes that now call Nashville home. Few other restaurants can celebrate this union of European and country cuisine better than Maggiano’s Little Italy in the West End. The candied smoked bacon is the perfect example of American and Italian cuisine. Candied bacon in itself is just about as Southern as you can get. Pair that with a dollop of ricotta, fig jam, and a handful of arugula? You’ll wish you had paid more attention in history.
Top review
MadisonVIP
Dined 3 days ago
We went here for my birthday dinner and had Katie as our server. She was kind, knowledgeable, and made our night extra special by giving us some lemon cookies. Love Maggiano's!
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 the 19th and 20th centuries. Luckily, many restaurants celebrate this immigrant past through the iconic dishes that now call Nashville home. Few other restaurants can celebrate this union of European and country cuisine better than Maggiano’s Little Italy in the West End. The candied smoked bacon is the perfect example of American and Italian cuisine. Candied bacon in itself is just about as Southern as you can get. Pair that with a dollop of ricotta, fig jam, and a handful of arugula? You’ll wish you had paid more attention in history.
Top review
MadisonVIP
Dined 3 days ago
We went here for my birthday dinner and had Katie as our server. She was kind, knowledgeable, and made our night extra special by giving us some lemon cookies. Love Maggiano's!
Ruth's Chris Steak House - Nashville
4.5 (2782)
$50 and over
Steakhouse
Music Row
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 in the South, the tomahawk ribeye is the dish to order here. This USDA 40-ounce ribeye is a great example of a marbled steak. Herbed butter tops all steaks, which come with a choice of accompaniments. The ambiance is upscale and reminds diners of the musical acts that pinned Nashville to the map. Chandeliers twinkle from above and are reminiscent of the ones at the Grand Ole Opry itself — making diners the stars of the show.
Top review
SerkantVIP
Dined 4 days ago
Great food as always, although the service wasn't on par with the quality of the food. I had 11 ounce filet that was cooked perfectly. We also had spicy shrimp and tuna appetizers, and they were super delicious as well. I always say this is the best Ruth's Chris in the country, and they prove it with the food every time
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 in the South, the tomahawk ribeye is the dish to order here. This USDA 40-ounce ribeye is a great example of a marbled steak. Herbed butter tops all steaks, which come with a choice of accompaniments. The ambiance is upscale and reminds diners of the musical acts that pinned Nashville to the map. Chandeliers twinkle from above and are reminiscent of the ones at the Grand Ole Opry itself — making diners the stars of the show.
Top review
SerkantVIP
Dined 4 days ago
Great food as always, although the service wasn't on par with the quality of the food. I had 11 ounce filet that was cooked perfectly. We also had spicy shrimp and tuna appetizers, and they were super delicious as well. I always say this is the best Ruth's Chris in the country, and they prove it with the food every time

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