Restaurants in Tennessee

Food Culture & Dining Scene in Tennessee

Tennessee is a state with two globally significant food traditions and a dining scene that has exploded in national prominence. Memphis is America's barbecue temple, where dry-rubbed ribs, pulled pork, and smoked sausage from institutions like Central BBQ, the Rendezvous, and Payne's draw pilgrims from around the world. The city's Beale Street and Cooper-Young neighborhoods add soul food, Vietnamese, and farm-to-table restaurants to the BBQ-dominated landscape. Nashville's food scene has achieved supernova status, driven by hot chicken, a fiery, cayenne-paste-coated fried chicken invented at Prince's that has spawned restaurants and fast-food chains nationwide. Beyond hot chicken, Nashville's East Nashville, 12South, and Germantown neighborhoods host a thriving restaurant culture with everything from elegant Southern tasting menus to Kurdish, Somali, and Ethiopian restaurants. The meat-and-three, a lunch format where diners choose a protein and three sides from a steam table, is Tennessee's most democratic dining institution. Knoxville and Chattanooga have developed their own food identities tied to Appalachian ingredients and craft beverages. With approximately 12,800 restaurants, Tennessee punches well above its weight in American food culture.