10 Great Restaurants in Nashville

Butcher & Bee originated in Charleston, but the Nashville branch is really its own thing with an ever-changing menu and the freshest ingredients. Some of the fan-favorite menu selections here are the whipped feta and the vast mezze selection. If you want, you can go for a special chef's choice option on the menu, which is like saying "surprise me," but with a near-guarantee of a great meal. With this choice, the kitchen selects every course and finishes it off with a specialty dessert from the in-house pastry chef.

Butcher & Bee is in a convenient location as well. It's just a 7-minute drive northeast of downtown.

The Catbird Seat offers a unique and intimate dining experience in the heart of buzzing Midtown Nashville. In this sleek, cutting-edge restaurant, diners are seated around a U-shaped counter, providing an up-close view of the chefs as they craft a constantly-chancing multi-course tasting menu.

The chef-driven experience showcases true culinary creativity, featuring mind-bending delights such as foie gras donuts and crab served with frozen avocado. The restaurant is also renowned for its exceptional wine pairings, enhancing each dish’s flavors. Reservations are highly sought after, so book well in advance to secure your spot at this culinary gem.

Folk is a pizzeria in East Nashville that has become a local favorite for its variety of Italian offerings and consistently good food no matter when you pop in. Though its specialty is its craft pizza, that's far from all you can get at Folk. Other menu highlights (and favorites among the local crowd) include chicken Milanese and clam pies. 

If you're looking for solid Italian food at good prices, Folk is an easy jaunt from downtown. It's just 9 minutes north of downtown Nashville.

Skull's Rainbow Room was a legendary hangout that shuttered in 1999 and now is back with all the flair and fun of the original and offering an astounding upscale menu. Some of the menu highlights here include lobster bisque and honey-glazed pork chops. It's upscale food with a relaxed vibe and a true 1940s atmosphere that stretches all the way back to the original incarnation.

It's more than just a restaurant, though. Here you can enjoy nightly live jazz music from local and national acts as well as burlesque performances. The best thing about Skull's Rainbow Room is that it's right in the heart of downtown Nashville.

Darfons Restaurant & Lounge is an upscale eatery offering a broad menu and plenty of options for cocktails and drinks, making it an attractive destination for businesspeople. This restaurant's dress code is "smart, respectful attire," which means business casual or even more formal. The restaurant offers different menus for lunch and dinner, with daily specials available. Saturday brunch is also available, and the dessert menu is expansive.

When it comes to drinks, you'll have a huge selection of cocktails, brandy, cordials, liqueurs, beer, wine, and just about anything you can think of to choose from. Darfons is ideal for an upscale romantic dinner or a business meeting over drinks. It's 15 minutes to the east of city center.

City House offers an unusual fusion of Southern and Italian food served up with local hospitality in a bustling, vibrant, and festive environment. The dining room is cavernous, and the atmosphere is always one of celebration here, especially on Sunday nights, when the kitchen decides to play with new recipes and goes way off menu. They also offer outdoor dining, which has made it a popular destination for the crowds. The fusion here is rustic Italian cuisine made with locally sourced Southern ingredients.

The prices are pretty affordable as well, falling well into the mid-range. It's in Germantown, just 6 minutes from downtown Nashville.

Monell's Dining & Catering offers up classic Southern cooking combined with old-fashioned Southern hospitality in a genuine Victorian manor with family-style vibes. Everything about this restaurant screams "down-home," even the fact that you'll be sitting with strangers at long tables while you enjoy the help-yourself meal. It's a great place to make new friends while you dig into staples like cheese grits, fried chicken, biscuits, cornbread, and green beans.

Monell's slogan is "Enter as strangers, leave as friends." It's a classic restaurant in Germantown just 6 minutes from downtown.

Hattie B's Hot Chicken in Nashville is about as synonymous with the South as it gets, offering up a menu of classic Southern fare and a range of heat levels. If you like it mild and easygoing, choose your chicken at heat level 1. If you like to be red-faced with smoke coming out of your ears, heat level 6 is the way to go. Technically, the scale goes from "no heat" to "shut the cluck up." It's a family-friendly restaurant serving up old-fashioned food like mac and cheese, coleslaw, greens, and iced tea.

There's almost always a line here to get in, but the wait is well worth it. Hattie B's is located in the heart of downtown Nashville.

Etch Restaurant offers up international fusion cuisine and features a full bar and chef's bar along with an eclectic menu inspired by various regions from all over the world. At the chef's bar, patrons can interact with the restaurant's chef and talk about how the food is made, possibly even getting a demonstration. The cultivated wine list offers over 80 choices, and you'll also have your pick of a variety of local craft beers as well as signature craft cocktails. An in-house pastry chef whips up sweet treats for dessert, and the offerings change seasonally.

Etch offers up global fusion cuisine in a friendly and casual setting. It's located right in the downtown area of Nashville.

Lou Nashville is one of the newer eateries in town that offers an elegant and casual Parisian-style café experience with a unique menu. If you're into takeout, you can grab a curated picnic and wine sack to take with you. They offer outdoor dining options, and they're known for their bake-sale fund-raisers. Whether you're here for coffee and a sandwich or a glass of great wine from a variety of vintages and countries, you'll find a welcoming, friendly, and European experience right here in Nashville.

Lou Nashville is right outside of town. It's about 13 minutes northeast of the city.