jakobwandel contributor

Southern Fare

Quintessential Nashville restaurants

  • Did you even travel to Nashville if you did not have hot chicken and BBQ? The answer is no.

First and foremost, we have Nashville Hot Chicken. It’s what we’re known for and although there are a few joints around the city that are serving up some GREAT chicken, I choose to head to Hattie B’s. I wasn’t too hungry, so I went with the small white chicken plate (breast, wing, and 2 sides) and opted for the crinkle cut fries and the mac and cheese. There are 6 different heat levels you can choose from: southern (no heat), mild, medium, hot!, damn hot!!!, and shut the cluck up. Your tolerance for spicy food will determine which one you go with.

Hattie B\x27s Hot Chicken - Midtown Location Hattie B's Hot Chicken - Midtown Location

The second place I absolutely love is Martin’s BBQ. The walls are lined with country music memorabilia, old beer signs, and loads of random southern decor. It is counter-service, so you may have to wait in a small line but the food comes out rather quickly. I ordered the BBQ pork nachos and a pulled-pork sandwich. If you’ve never tried BBQ styled nachos, Martin’s is the perfect place to introduce them into your life. Similar to Hattie B’s, Martin’s has a variety of sauces to choose from depending on your preference. With their great selection of local beers, Martin’s is the perfect place to get a taste of a cold, local Tennessee beer.

Martin\x27s BBQ Midtown Location Martin's BBQ Midtown Location

Whole Hog Sandwhich Whole Hog Sandwhich

We’re going to backpedal a little bit and talk about breakfast. There are a lot of places for breakfast in Nashville, one of them being Biscuit Love. Don’t be fooled by their name, they also serve things not on a biscuit. Since it was my first time here, I started with the bonuts (fried biscuit dough) which come with a side of blueberry compote. I tried the basic sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit with a side of their potato casserole (hash browns baked with cheese). For being a their “plain” option, it was very flavorful, the eggs were cooked perfectly, and the biscuit was indescribable. 10/10 recommend and would love to go back and try something more adventurous next time.

Bonuts Bonuts

After a much needed break from the crowds, I headed over to East Nashville to grab a drink or two. Since the weather was nice, I wanted to head to a spot with a patio; Urban Cowboy. Urban Cowboy is a Bed and Breakfast with public bar in the backyard. It has such a cozy, backyard feel. When the sun goes down, the string lights come on and they light their two firepits. It’s the perfect place to take it slow and enjoy the evening.

Any cocktail you get there will be good! The bartenders are very knowledgeable and skilled.

A short video recap of the restaurants I visited in Nashville