Tennessee has two nationally distinct food identities and they sit 200 miles apart. Nashville invented hot chicken — cayenne-crusted fried chicken that has been widely copied but never equaled at Prince's. Memphis owns dry-rub pork ribs and the smokehouse tradition at Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous.
Between them: Jack Daniel's Distillery in a dry county, mountain moonshine in Gatlinburg, whole-hog BBQ in Nolensville, and scratch biscuits at the Loveless Cafe. The 10 spots below cover all of it.
Jump to: Nashville Hot Chicken · Nashville Dining · Memphis BBQ & Fried Chicken · Tennessee Whiskey & Moonshine · Tennessee BBQ — Whole Hog · Planning Notes
Nashville Hot Chicken
Nashville hot chicken is a cayenne-lard paste applied to fried chicken, served on white bread with pickle chips to cut the heat. Prince's invented the dish; the city has dozens of variations now.
Prince's Hot Chicken Shack (Original) Must-see
Davidson County · Nashville · Budget (~$12–18)
The originator of Nashville hot chicken, a family recipe going back to the 1930s and a formal restaurant since the 1940s. Prince's operates out of a no-frills North Nashville location with a deliberately minimal menu: chicken pieces or a quarter-chicken, in heat levels from Plain to XXX Hot. The spice is applied as a hot oil paste after frying — the crunch is intact underneath.
Expect a wait; the kitchen cooks to order. Cash preferred. This is the real thing — not a scaled-up chain version.
Hattie B's Hot Chicken Must-see
Davidson County · Nashville · Budget (~$14–20)
Opened in 2012 and now the most nationally recognized hot chicken spot, with multiple Nashville locations and outposts in several other cities. Hattie B's offers heat levels from Southern (mild) to Shut the Cluck Up, served in a more structured fast-casual format. The chicken is consistently executed and the side dishes — pimento mac, black-eyed pea salad, comeback sauce — are legitimately good.
Waits run 20–45 minutes on weekends at the Midtown location. Worth it.
Nashville Dining
Loveless Cafe Must-see
Davidson County · Nashville · Budget (~$15–22)
A roadside cafe on the Natchez Trace Parkway, operating since 1951 and famous for scratch biscuits made in-house all day from a recipe that has not changed. The menu is meat-and-three Southern: fried chicken, country ham, biscuits with housemade preserves, and seasonal sides. Lines are common on weekend mornings.
Located 20 minutes southwest of downtown Nashville at the entrance to the Natchez Trace. The drive through rolling Tennessee farmland on the Trace approach makes a fitting prelude to the meal.
Arnold's Country Kitchen Worth the detour
Davidson County · Nashville · Budget (~$12–16)
Nashville's most beloved meat-and-three — a cafeteria-style diner where you pick one protein and three sides from a steam table of Southern standards: turnip greens, mashed potatoes, cornbread, fried okra, pinto beans. Arnold's has been open in the same Rutledge Hill location since 1983 and is a legitimate local institution.
Open weekdays only, lunch service until they sell out. Arrive before noon for the full selection.
Memphis BBQ & Fried Chicken
Memphis dry-rub BBQ is a distinct regional tradition — pork ribs rubbed in spice, smoked over charcoal or hardwood, served without sauce or with sauce on the side.
Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous (Memphis Ribs) Must-see
Shelby County · Memphis · Moderate (~$25–40)
Memphis's most famous restaurant — a basement dining room in a downtown alley, serving dry-rub charcoal-grilled ribs since 1948. The Rendezvous uses a Greek-influenced dry rub applied over direct charcoal heat, producing a different result than slow-smoked BBQ. The racks come out in 20 minutes; the flavor is concentrated, slightly charred, and unlike any other rib in Memphis.
Open Wednesday through Saturday. Expect a wait Friday and Saturday nights. The basement location and neon-lit alley entrance are part of the experience.
Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken (Memphis) Must-see
Shelby County · Memphis · Budget (~$12–18)
The original Gus's is a small, weathered building in Mason, Tennessee, but the Memphis location on Front Street is the most visited. The chicken is spicy fried — not hot chicken in the Nashville sense, but a cayenne-forward batter with a thin, lacquered crust that shatters. Routinely listed among the best fried chicken in the country.
Waits run 30–45 minutes on weekends. Order a full half-chicken or mixed pieces. The sides are minimal and secondary to the bird.
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Tennessee Whiskey & Moonshine
Jack Daniel's Distillery Must-see
Moore County · Lynchburg · Tour fee (~$20–25)
The oldest registered distillery in the US, operating continuously in Lynchburg since 1866 and producing the world's best-selling American whiskey. The town of Lynchburg sits in Moore County — a dry county — meaning Jack Daniel's is the only place in the county where alcohol can be purchased. The Lincoln County Process, where whiskey is filtered through 10 feet of sugar maple charcoal before aging, is visible on the tour.
Tours run daily; the full distillery tour is 90 minutes. Lynchburg is 75 miles south of Nashville — a straightforward day trip.
Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine (Gatlinburg) Must-see
Sevier County · Gatlinburg · Free tastings
The most-visited legal distillery in the US, operating out of a Gatlinburg Strip complex called The Holler. Tennessee legalized moonshine distilling in 2009; Ole Smoky was among the first licensed operations. Free tastings cover a rotating lineup of white whiskey, fruit-infused moonshines, and seasonal releases. The distillery is open daily, and bands play on the covered porch most evenings.
The gift shop carries mason-jar bottles and mix sets. Tastings are genuinely free; a full tasting flight costs nothing.
Tennessee BBQ — Whole Hog
Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint (Original, Nolensville) Must-see
Williamson County · Nolensville · Budget (~$14–22)
West Tennessee-style whole-hog pit BBQ in a roadhouse setting south of Nashville — a rarer tradition than Memphis dry-rub or Nashville hot chicken. The whole hog is cooked overnight on a custom-built pit, pulled the next day, and served with sauce choices ranging from sweet to vinegar-heavy. The pork shoulder and ribs are the best entry points.
The Nolensville original is the flagship; Martin's now has several Nashville-area locations. All cook the same whole-hog method.
Puckett's Grocery & Restaurant (Franklin) Worth the detour
Williamson County · Franklin · Budget (~$14–22)
A converted 1950s general store in Franklin's historic downtown that became a restaurant and live music venue. The menu runs Southern comfort food — fried catfish, BBQ, biscuits — and the stage hosts roots musicians most nights of the week. Nashville singer-songwriters regularly play early shows here.
Located in Williamson County's walkable downtown square. Franklin is 20 miles south of Nashville and worth combining with a visit to Carnton Plantation.
Planning Notes
Hot chicken heat scale: Nashville hot chicken heat levels are not marketing — XXX Hot at Prince's and Shut the Cluck Up at Hattie B's are genuinely painful. First-timers should start at Medium. The heat is a cayenne-oil paste: it builds rather than peaks immediately.
Memphis vs. Nashville food trips: Memphis and Nashville are 200 miles apart — don't try to hit both food scenes in one day. Memphis is worth an overnight for the Rendezvous, Gus's, and Beale Street in a single evening and morning. Nashville's food scene works as a series of lunch and dinner stops over 2 days.