5 Best Places to Eat in Nashville

I love trying new and exotic foods. Not sure you’d consider southern fried foods as exotic, but they did offer some new flavors I’d yet to experience. As a Utah native, I love to experience the flavors of Nashville each time I’m able to visit Music City, USA. When my daughter joined me in my initial visit, she was most excited to try fried pickles. Who isn’t? 😉 I’ve compiled a list of 5 best places to eat in Nashville for some amazing southern-style food.

Here are five amazing restaurants in Nashville that I recommend experiencing while you’re exploring Music City, USA.

Wildhorse Saloon Provides Dinner, Live Music and of course… Line Dancing

Do you often ask your UBER driver for recommendations? During one trip to Nashville, I did just that. I was looking for a place to take my wife dancing when we both came to the city for a business meeting. He suggested Wildhorse Saloon. We are so glad we took him up on his suggestion.

Wildhorse Saloon opens daily at 4 p.m. We got there as the restaurant opened and found a table a few feet from the dance floor. We enjoyed listening to JD Shelburne share his music talent with us as we tried some of the Nashville foods.

I recommend starting with the customary fried pickles. My wife was surprised at how much she liked them. For the main course, my wife went with an Asian salad, as recommended by the waitress. I tried what was essentially a Mac & Cheese + BBQ pork on a grilled sandwich. Yes, it’s as delicious as it sounds. I didn’t even get to try the fries that came with it because I was savoring the sandwich.

At 5 p.m., the band paused and everyone was invited to the dance floor to learn two different line dances. The Ice Cream Freeze was first up, followed by the New York Stroll. After the 30-minute lesson and dancing, we returned to our table to finish up our food and enjoy the live music. We did try our feet on the dance floor again. We left around 6:15, having thoroughly enjoyed our Nashville dining and dancing experience.

ADDRESS: 120 2nd Ave N, Nashville, TN 37201
HOURS: 4p.m. to 10 p.m.
COST: $$
YELP SCORE: 3.5 stars (590+ reviews)

417 Union Serves a Delicious Breakfast

After taking a long red-eye connecting flight into Nashville, we dropped our bags at the hotel and wanted to find breakfast. The concierge recommended 417 Union just around the corner from the hotel. We weren’t disappointed. It’s definitely one of the best places to eat in Nashville.

417 Union is only open for breakfast and brunch. The waiter recommended a few items and I took him up on the Prime Rib Hash (Slow roasted, tossed with onion & house potatoes topped with two over medium eggs with toast or biscuit). My daughter went with blueberry waffles! To this day, she claims it was the best waffle she’s ever had!

Our breakfasts were filling, tasty and worth the price.

ADDRESS: 417 Union Street, Nashville, TN 37219
HOURS: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
COST: $$
YELP SCORE: 4 Stars (750+ reviews)

NashHouse Southern Spoon & Saloon

After touring several places in Nashville, we stopped in to NashHouse Southern Spoon & Saloon. The biggest draw: Fried pickles. Fried food is pretty common in the south, which explains why we were able to enjoy fried green tomatoes, fried okra, fried fish and more.

The dessert definitely wasn’t fried. It was a large brownie with scoops of ice cream. My daughter had decided she was full, so she only had one bite of the dessert. What self control! I was able to enjoy eating the dessert – but I was beyond full when the check came. Check out a photo of the dessert at the bottom of this post and you’ll see why it’s one of the best places to eat in Nashville.

We enjoyed the atmosphere at NashHouse Southern Spoon & Saloon. They had music videos playing on the screen behind the stage. If dinner is on your list, live bands take the stage so you can enjoy the music scene of Nashville.

ADDRESS: 114 8th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203
HOURS: 7 a.m. to midnight
COST: $$
YELP SCORE: 3.5 Stars (85+ reviews)

Enjoy Dinner at The George Jones

After visiting a few more museums across Nashville, we needed a bite to eat before continuing our museum tour adventure. Dinner at The George Jones was great, with a nice country-music atmosphere.

We enjoyed our meal on the first floor, right next to a vintage Chevrolet truck. Behind us, songs rang out from the two-man band on the stage. The music did make it a little more challenging to carry on a conversation at the table, but that’s life in Nashville. 😉

The George Jones also has a museum about the country singer, and a rooftop bar.

ADDRESS: 128 2nd Ave N, Nashville, TN 37201
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
COST: $$
YELP SCORE: 3.5 Stars (250+ reviews)

Lunch (or any meal, really) at Jack’s Bar-B-Que

Before heading to the airport, we did a little souvenir shopping in downtown Nashville. We decided to give Jack’s Bar-B-Que a try and loved it. My daughter and I split a combo plate, which allowed us to pick three meats and two sides.

After grabbing the meats, visit the sauce bar to grab a few different types of sauces. Mild, tangy or hot are all options and each one is worth trying. We each had a different favorite – and it was an added bonus to the tastebuds.

Jack’s Bar-B-Que should be included in your “Best Places to Eat in Nashville” list. I’ve since enjoyed lunch there a couple times during visit to the city and continue to recommend it.

ADDRESS: 416 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203
HOURS: Mon-Thu 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Fri-Sat 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sun 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
COST: $$
YELP SCORE: 3.5 Stars (1390+ reviews)

A Few Places to Explore in Nashville

Nashville has some amazing food. But there are also countless places to experience the legends, music and history of Music City, USA. Here’s a rundown of several places I’ve been to and written about so you can plan your time in Nashville.

• National Museum of African American Music
• Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum
• Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
• The Parthenon
• Johnny Cash Museum
• The Ryman Auditorium
• Madame Tussauds Nashville
• Adventure Science Center

NOTE: NashHouse Spoon & Saloon provided me with one complimentary meal in exchange for a review. The opinions about the experience are my own – and my daughter’s, too.

PIN THIS