Hot chicken, BBQ and breakfast: Where to eat, drink & ring in New Year’s in Nashville

Heading to Nashville to cheer the Kentucky Wildcats against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Music City Bowl on New Year’s Eve?

Before the football game, you’ll probably want to go a few days early and enjoy some of the food, bars, history and, of course, music that the hub of country music has to offer.

The main problem: There are so many great restaurants in the Tennessee state capitol and you can only eat so many times in a day or holiday weekend.

Where to eat in Nashville

Don’t think just because you’ve been to Nashville before that you’ve seen it all: More than 200 new restaurants opened there in the last two years, so there’s always something new to try.

This is a town that loves great food and plenty of it, so you’re bound to find somewhere great to eat, no matter what you’re into.

Here is a guide and list of some of the best restaurants and dining spots to check out. Most are in the downtown area or near Nissan Stadium, site of the Music City Bowl.

Nashville hot chicken restaurants

Besides country music, Nashville might be best known as the original home of hot chicken, a version of fried chicken doused in spices and served on a piece of white bread to soak up the grease and oil.

According to legend, hot chicken was first served at Prince’s Hot Chicken and you can try it at the Assembly Food Hall at Fifth and Broadway downtown or at the restaurant at 5814 Nolensville Pike. (The Food Hall, with 30+ restaurants and bars, Nashville largest rooftop called the Skydeck and three stages is a ‘don’t-miss’ spot all on its own. You could cover every appetite here, from vegan to tacos, burgers to sushi, so nobody will go hungry.)

Another notable version to try: Hattie B’s Hot Chicken, 112 19th Avenue South in the Midtown/Vanderbilt neighborhood, or at 5209 Charlotte Ave. Hattie B’s serves chicken with increasing levels of heat, including “hot,” “damn hot” and “shut the cluck up!!!” And also serves made-from-scratch sides to take the edge off, such as black-eyed pea salad and pimento mac & cheese.

There’s also Scoreboard Bar and Grill, across from the Opryland Hotel at 2408 Music Valley Dr. The Food Network says this restaurant has Nashville’s best ribs and hot chicken.

Another favorite for hot chicken, barbecue and more: The Row Kitchen & Pub, 110 Lyle Ave., a former hangout for singers and songwriters. You can catch live music, drink local craft beer, soak up some country music history (songwriter Earl Bud Lee sold the rights to “friends in low places” for a bar tab here, according to the restaurant’s lore) and eat great Southern fare of all kinds.

Nashville barbecue restaurants

Barbecue is big here so you have lots of options. Edley’s Bar-B-Que (which had a Lexington location until the COVID pandemic) started here and is still going strong at 2706 12 Avenue South. It’s been voted best barbecue in Nashville for four years straight.

Bringle’s Smoking Oasis, 4901 Centennial Blvd., from Nashville pitmaster Carey Bringle, known as Peg Leg Porker, serves a rotating menu of smoked brisket, pulled pork, beef ribs and sides including Mexican street corn, chorizo queso and Texas-style baked beans.

Butchertown Hall, 1416 4th Avenue North, is a bit of a Tex-Mex hybrid, with craft tacos and Texas-style barbecue, with plenty of room inside and out the beer hall. And on Saturday and Sunday they serve knock-out Cowboy Brunch.

Nashville landmark, celebrity restaurants

Loveless Cafe, 8400 Highway 100, is old-school Nashville, serving comfort food like hot biscuits and country ham, Southern classics like Country Fried Steak, Fried Chicken Livers and made-from-scratch sides for more than 65 years. Full breakfast is served all day, every day, too.

Arnold’s Country Kitchen, 605 8th Avenue South in The Gulch, is a Nashville institution, a mom-and-pop serving a “meat and three” menu. It’s wholly unpretentious, cafeteria style service in a concrete-block building but don’t be fooled: This is seriously good food. In 2009, Arnold’s won a prestigious James Beard American Classics Award.

Ole Red, 300 Broadway, is country singer Blake Shelton’s bar and restaurant. It’s big, including a roof-top bar with views of downtown Nashville. You can also catch lots of rising singers, including veterans from Shelton’s team on “The Voice” singing competition show.

Wildhorse Saloon, 120 Second Avenue North, is Nashville fixture, a full three floors of restaurant, bar, live music and line dancing. It’s big but reservations for parties of 8 or more are recommended.

Nashville live music restaurants

Bluebird Cafe, 4104 Hillsboro Road in the Green Hills neighborhood, is Nashville’s famous live-music venue where songwriters perform two intimate shows a night. Reservations recommended. The limited menu includes appetizers, a salad, a sandwich, a black bean burger, the Bluebird Basket with chicken tenders and fries and there’s the Music City chili. The food’s good but this is a place to come for the music and the experience.

Acme Feed & Seed, 101 Broadway downtown, has great food, local craft beer and live music. On the ground floor, service is casual and you can carry your food up to the rooftop; on the second floor, it’s full service. Open for lunch and dinner, with brunch on weekends serving chicken n’ waffles and the Hangover Cure: Nicky’s Coal Fired everything bagel, Gifford’s bacon, arugula, egg, avocado smash and gruyere.

Sun Diner, 105 3rd Avenue South in the SoBro neighborhood, does not have live music but it carries a good tune. The gourmet breakfast/diner restaurant open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily beside the Johnny Cash Museum. It’s an homage to the famed Sun Records in Memphis, with menu items like the “Love Me” Tenders, “Feelin’ Good” Breakfast Burger and of course Elvis Pancake with peanut butter drizzle and bananas foster.

Family friendly and breakfast restaurants in Nashville

Pancake Pantry, 220 Molloy St. downtown and 1796 21st Avenue South in Hillsboro Village near Vanderbilt, serves 23 varieties of pancakes plus omelets, waffles, eggs and more. Open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. downtown and 3 p.m. in Hillsboro Village. There is a kids’ menu (check out the Bears in the Snow pancakes: three bears made from buttermilk pancakes with powdered sugar and chocolate chip fur.)

Frothy Monkey, 235 Rep. John Lewis Way North downtown with neighborhood locations around Nashville, has great coffee drinks, baked goods and serves breakfast and brunch every day until 5 p.m., then picks up with dinner. And there is a kids’ menu.

Biscuit Love, 316 11th Avenue South, is open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily serving amazing biscuits (of course), breakfast and lunch in the Gulch area. There’s a kids’ menu as well as seasonal specials like The Lily, drop biscuit French toast baked in apple cobbler custard, or Pumpkin Pie Spice Bonuts, fried biscuit dough tossed in pumpkin pie spiced sugar and served with apple butter caramel for dipping.

Nashville chef-driven, fine dining cuisine

Audrey, 809 Meridian St. in the East Nashville neighborhood, is chef Sean Brock’s flagship restaurant. The menu draws on Appalachian roots with locally sourced ingredients in a contemporary setting. Reservations recommended.

Folk, 823 Meridian St. in the East Nashville neighborhood, is a pizza restaurant (sort of) that was listed by Bon Appetit as one of America’s Best New Restaurants of 2018. Yes, pizzas are on the menu, but think “pork sausage calzone” rather than pepperoni.

Drusie & Darr, 231 6th Avenue North, is the elegant restaurant and bar in The Hermitage Hotel. Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten presents a seasonal menu showcasing Tennessee produce, meat and fish. If you’re looking for elevated plant-based entrees as well as a sophisticated setting, this is the place.

Dining guide: Best Nashville restaurants and bars

Need more help finding the best place to eat, drink or stay in Nashville? Go to visitmusiccity.com to find things to do and get help planning your trip. They also can help you with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.

How to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Nashville

In 2021, Nashville launched a huge music festival throughout the city, televised live. Dubbed Nashville’s Big Bash, the main celebration will be at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park downtown where the Music Note Drop takes place at midnight, with free performances by country music stars including Brooks and Dunn, Kelsea Ballerini and the Zac Brown Band beforehand and fireworks. The event is sponsored by Jack Daniel’s so you know the whiskey will be flowing.

But that’s hardly the only place to party after the game. Bars around town from Blake Shelton’s Ole Red, Luke Bryan’s 32 Bridge, Jason Aldean’s Kitchen & Rooftop Bar, Miranda Lambert’s Casa Rosa, Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row and many more will be celebrating. You can go swanky or get down all over town.