The Ultimate Guide to Nashville Restaurants for Summer 2021

From Nashville native Julia Sullivan, Henrietta Red is the city’s modern ode on Southern seafood. Raw oysters are a large part of the menu, with options from Alabama to Maine, and out to the West Coast. Do not skip out on Poppy’s Caviar, an herby sour cream-based dip topped with Tennessee paddlefish roe, or the jumbo lump crab dip served with wood-fired bread. Henrietta’s hip Germantown location makes it an easy visit after a day touring the city.

Head down Highway 100 to this classic Southern restaurant, known for its biscuits, ham, and jams, eaten atop red and white checkered tablecloths. Originally the owner’s home, the cafe is still a cozy gathering place for breakfast or lunch. And shop in the marketplace after your meal, which is located in the rooms of what was once the Loveless Motel.

One of the city’s crown jewels of meat-and-three culture, Arnold’s has for decades been a downtown destination for everyone from lawyers and politicians to families and tourists. So head in, grab a tray and slide down the hot bar as you’re served mashed potatoes, fried chicken, greens, and anything else that appeals. Do not skip dessert: Arnold’s is known for their pie. 

Which came first, the hot chicken or the egg? In many ways hot chicken has put Nashville on the culinary map, but hot chicken is a place that only could have come to be in Nashville. Prince’s is the original purveyor of the often dangerously spicy fried bird, served atop a slice of white bread with pickles — and has found countless ways to endure and thrive through the years.

On that chicken? Order it plain or all the way up to XXX Hot (eat at your own risk), and get a sweet tea to put out the fire. In addition to the main restaurant on Nolensville Pike, visitors can head to the new Assembly Food Hall at Fifth and Broadway for a taste of spice. 

City House has become part of the canon of Nashville restaurants, consistently offering some of the best pizzas and Italian-Southern dishes in the city since it opened in 2007. The pizza with belly ham, mozzarella, oregano, parmesan, and chiles is a required order, as are any of the entrees coming out of the wood-fired oven and starring Tennessee produce. Formerly an sculptor’s studio, the concrete-industrial look is still cozy, and the patio is perfect for a summer dinner al fresco.

Another Nashville original, Margot has been serving beautiful, French-inspired food in East Nashville long before it became the epicenter of the up-and-coming food scene. For locals, it’s always in regular rotation for its supremely welcoming space, with its exposed brick walls adorned with copper pots, and Southern-infused dishes like grilled quail with barbecue field peas and hot water cornbread. The garden patio is as good as it gets for dining surrounded by flowers and herbs and watching the world go by in Five Points.

A relative newcomer, Two Ten Jack has become one of Nashville’s best options for Izakaya-style dining with yakitori, ramen, and small plates. Do not leave without ordering the crispy rice with big eye tuna, or the skewer of shishito pepper stuffed with wagyu sausage. Cocktails on tap, like the bourbon yuzu, are always refreshing and ready for drinking at the busy bar, or on the covered patio.

This fine-dining restaurant from chef (and Arnold’s stan) Sean Brock has finally thrown open its doors in the Grand Hyatt Hotel, and let’s just call it a new classic. It’s certainly a must-visit destination, what with that gorgeous dining room and bar, to say nothing of carts roaming the dining room, laden with prime rib, pâté en croute, and even ice cream.

It’s all about Brock’s take on classic American cuisine, so don’t go looking for Southern classics. Do expect perfect martinis, caviar, and extremely craveable black pepper-and-honey Parker house rolls.

Not a new classic, but an old and cherished one, is the Elliston Place Soda Shop, a diner-style Southern restaurant known for its black-and-white-tiled floor, milkshakes, and charming staff. It recently got an upgrade when it moved into bigger digs next door, but has lost none of its original charm. The menu is a combo of soda shop (burgers, patty melts, and hot dogs) and meat-and-three (fried pork chops, greens, and chicken and dumplings), with a strong emphasis on pies, sundaes, and classic desserts.