Highest-rated Southern restaurants in Nashville by diners
When you travel below the Mason-Dixon Line, you'll find some of the most mouthwatering, comforting cuisine in the U.S.: Southern food.
Southern dishes are a vital part of American cuisine, from hush puppies to ham hocks and beignets to barbecue. It's impossible to define a classic Southern meal, but a solid one starts with the sharp savory flavor of pimento cheese dip, followed by the delicious crunchiness of fried chicken or a spicy Louisiana étouffée, culminating with a sugary slice of chess pie that's best washed down with a tall glass of sweet tea.
What's unique about Southern fare is that multiple ethnic and cultural groups have influenced it. Spanish staples, such as potatoes and cocoa, are in many Southern dishes; the Acadians, who traveled to Louisiana from Nova Scotia and later became Louisiana Creoles, contributed their seafood to many Southern meals; African ingredients—okra, sorghum (an ancient grain), and black-eyed peas—became a part of the cuisine through the forced labor of enslaved people; French cooking methods, like braising and sautéing, are used for many Southern recipes; and Native Americans introduced corn to Southern recipes, yielding dishes like succotash and grits.
The Southern culinary scene is an explosion of cultures. To find out where you can sample some Southern offerings, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated Southern restaurants in Nashville using data from Yelp. Data is as of June 11, 2024. Businesses were selected using Yelp's ranking system, which calculates an adjusted rating value that takes into account the number of ratings as well as the rating score itself. Only restaurants with at least 10 reviews were considered. In an effort to highlight independent restaurants and local chains, restaurants with more than five locations nationally, based on the Yelp data, were not included.
Read on to find the perfect spot to get a taste of the South near you.
Note: The photos in this article are stock images and do not necessarily depict the specific restaurants listed or the dishes they serve.
#30. Nashville Jam Café
- Rating: 4.2/5 (817 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2806 Columbine Place Nashville, Tennessee
- Categories: breakfast & brunch, southern, barbeque
- Read more on Yelp
#29. Edley's Bar-B-Que
- Rating: 4.2/5 (329 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4500 Murphy Road Nashville, Tennessee
- Categories: barbeque, southern, cocktail bars
- Read more on Yelp
#28. Marsh House
- Rating: 4.2/5 (435 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 401 11th Ave. South Nashville, Tennessee
- Categories: southern, seafood, cocktail bars
- Read more on Yelp
#27. Biscuit Love: Gulch
- Rating: 4.2/5 (5053 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 316 11th Ave. South Nashville, Tennessee
- Categories: southern, breakfast & brunch, american
- Read more on Yelp
#26. Urban Grub
- Rating: 4.2/5 (1623 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 2506 12th Ave. South Nashville, Tennessee
- Categories: southern, seafood, cocktail bars
- Read more on Yelp
#25. Chauhan Ale & Masala House
- Rating: 4.2/5 (1374 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 123 12th Ave. North Nashville, Tennessee
- Categories: indian, southern, bars
- Read more on Yelp
#24. Central Bar + Kitchen
- Rating: 4.2/5 (64 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2555 West End Ave. Nashville, Tennessee
- Categories: american, southern, cocktail bars
- Read more on Yelp
#23. Doll's Family Cafe
- Rating: 4.2/5 (49 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2501 Gallatin Ave. Ste C Nashville, Tennessee
- Categories: southern, soul food, comfort food
- Read more on Yelp
#22. Picnic Cafe
- Rating: 4.2/5 (145 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 6000 Hwy 100 Ste 104 Nashville, Tennessee
- Categories: sandwiches, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#21. Bone's Fish & More
- Rating: 4.2/5 (44 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2597 Murfreesboro Pike Nashville, Tennessee
- Categories: southern
- Read more on Yelp
#20. MacHenry's Meat & Three
- Rating: 4.2/5 (21 reviews)
- Address: 581 Murfreesboro Pike Nashville, Tennessee
- Categories: southern
- Read more on Yelp
#19. Evelyn's
- Rating: 4.3/5 (20 reviews)
- Address: 1808 West End Ave. Nashville, Tennessee
- Categories: wine bars, breakfast & brunch, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#18. PDK Southern Kitchen and Pantry
- Rating: 4.3/5 (12 reviews)
- Address: 4116 Charlotte Ave. Nashville, Tennessee
- Categories: american, southern, chicken shop
- Read more on Yelp
#17. Midtown Cafe
- Rating: 4.3/5 (458 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 102 19th Ave. South Nashville, Tennessee
- Categories: breakfast & brunch, southern, american
- Read more on Yelp
#16. The Whiskey Shot
- Rating: 4.3/5 (63 reviews)
- Address: 209 Printers Aly Nashville, Tennessee
- Categories: cocktail bars, southern, new american
- Read more on Yelp
#15. The Loveless Cafe
- Rating: 4.3/5 (2994 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 8400 Hwy 100 Nashville, Tennessee
- Categories: breakfast & brunch, american, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#14. Uncle Bud's
- Rating: 4.3/5 (408 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2719 Old Lebanon Road Nashville, Tennessee
- Categories: seafood, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#13. 5th & Taylor
- Rating: 4.4/5 (1403 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 1411 5th Ave. North Nashville, Tennessee
- Categories: new american, southern, bars
- Read more on Yelp
#12. Country Cafe
- Rating: 4.4/5 (59 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 605 Murfreesboro Pike Nashville, Tennessee
- Categories: southern
- Read more on Yelp
#11. Arnold's Country Kitchen
- Rating: 4.4/5 (1199 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 605 8th Ave. South Nashville, Tennessee
- Categories: southern, desserts, comfort food
- Read more on Yelp
#10. The Chef and I
- Rating: 4.4/5 (610 reviews)
- Price level: $$$$
- Address: 1922 Adelicia St. Nashville, Tennessee
- Categories: american, southern, asian fusion
- Read more on Yelp
#9. Kingdom Café & Grill
- Rating: 4.5/5 (51 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2610 Jefferson St. Nashville, Tennessee
- Categories: southern, sandwiches, breakfast & brunch
- Read more on Yelp
#8. Nashville City Kitchen
- Rating: 4.5/5 (11 reviews)
- Address: 110 Interstate Drive Nashville, Tennessee
- Categories: cocktail bars, southern, chicken wings
- Read more on Yelp
#7. Jane's Hideaway
- Rating: 4.5/5 (132 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 407 Gallatin Ave. Nashville, Tennessee
- Categories: new american, cocktail bars, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#6. Edley's Bar-B-Que
- Rating: 4.5/5 (122 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 6025 Nolensville Pike Nashville, Tennessee
- Categories: barbeque, southern, cocktail bars
- Read more on Yelp
#5. Fire N Smoke
- Rating: 4.5/5 (12 reviews)
- Address: Nashville, Tennessee
- Categories: food trucks, barbeque, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#4. Monell's Dining & Catering
- Rating: 4.6/5 (1920 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1235 6th Ave. North Nashville, Tennessee
- Categories: southern, soul food, breakfast & brunch
- Read more on Yelp
#3. The Southern V
- Rating: 4.6/5 (323 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1200 Buchanan St. Nashville, Tennessee
- Categories: vegan, southern, vegetarian
- Read more on Yelp
#2. Red's Hot Chicken
- Rating: 4.7/5 (178 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 115 27th Ave. North Nashville, Tennessee
- Categories: southern, sandwiches, chicken shop
- Read more on Yelp
#1. Big Al's Deli
- Rating: 4.8/5 (490 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1828 4th Ave. North Nashville, Tennessee
- Categories: southern, delis, burgers
- Read more on Yelp
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Rasha Aly, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 143 metros.
