1. The Loveless Cafe
8400 Highway 100, Nashville, Tennessee 37221
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Fried chicken and biscuits. These tried and true Southern food staples have been a part of Loveless Cafe’s history for more than sixty years. In 1951, Lon and Annie Loveless began serving them right out the front door of their home to travelers who passed by on US Highway 100 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Today the Loveless Cafe serves more than 450,000 guests a year and makes between 4,000 to 7,000 biscuits a day — still using that same secret recipe from Annie Loveless all those years ago. If only Lon and Annie could see today what their little cafe has become. As Donna McCabe, another long-time owner of the Loveless said, “People just like real food.”
2. Puckett’s Grocery and Restaurant
500 Church Street, Nashville, Tennessee 37219
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Where the main ingredients are Real Food, Real People and Real Atmosphere
With locations in downtown Franklin, downtown Nashville and downtown Columbia, the Puckett’s roots go way back to the 1950s, and a little grocery store in the village of Leiper’s Fork, Tenn. Ever since then, they’ve been focused on providing friends new and old with great food and Southern hospitality.
When it comes down to it, Puckett’s is a community kitchen, with live pickin’ performances just a few feet from your table. Authentic comfort food— barbecue smoked slow ‘n’ low over cherry wood, the home-cooked sides, even a few upscale dishes— is what they aim for you to remember.
3. Hattie B’s Hot Chicken
112 19th Ave S., Nashville, Tennessee 37204
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At Hattie B’s they do chicken and they do it well. White Meat, Dark Meat, Tenders, Wings and the perfect assortment of sides, from Southern Greens and Baked Beans to Pimento Mac & Cheese and Black Eyed Pea Salad. Get your chicken on at Mattie B’s!
4. Monell’s Dining & Catering
1235 6th Ave N, Nashville, Tennessee 37208 | 1400 Murfreesboro Pike, Nashville, Tennessee 37217 | 562 South Water Ave (Hwy 109) | 2826 Bransford Ave.
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When in Nashville do what the locals do… Pass the Peas, Please! Great Southern Food served Family Style in Historic Settings. Skillet Fried Chicken, Green Beans, Cheese Grits, Cornbread, Biscuits and gravy, pork chops, pot roast.
Menu changes each day. Head on in, grab a seat at the large tables and start passing the bowls to your left. Set price, includes meats, vegetables and salads of the day, plus drink and dessert.
5. 400 Degrees Hot Chicken
319 Peabody st (corner of 4th ave south), Nashville, Tennessee 37210
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400 Degrees’ top-secret recipe engages varying amounts of cayenne and paprika, depending on the level of heat requested. They offer 100° for mild; 200° for medium; 400° for hot. Daily sides are crinkle-cut fries (which get a dusting of paprika and a whisper of cayenne), baked beans (so sweet they nearly qualify as candy), coleslaw and potato salad. 400’s chicken is similar to Prince’s in flavor, though the crust is a little thicker. The chief difference is that 400° is deep-fried, not skillet-fried.
6. McDougal’s Chicken
2115 Belcourt Ave, Nashville, Tennessee 37212
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At McDougal’s Chicken, quality is everything. In a world where drive-thru’s are the norm and food is often over-processed, prepackaged and always frozen, McDougal’s sets itself apart by doing things the old fashioned way. It’s a labor of love.
There are no shortcuts at McDougal’s. They only use the biggest, freshest chicken fingers and wings for their chicken baskets. Their fingers can be grilled, fried, or tossed in any one of their six mouth-watering sauces. You can even mix and match!
The breading for the chicken fingers is a secret blend of flower and fresh seasonings that give their fried chicken fingers such a light and delicious taste you won’t find anywhere else.
Their jumbo wings are never breaded and always cooked fresh. They don’t even own a freezer, microwave, heat lamp, oven, toaster, or warming drawer.
7. Bolton’s Spicy Chicken & Fish
2309A Franklin Pike, Nashville, Tennessee 37204
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Owned by Bolton Mathews, this restaurant can trace its roots way back. The late Bolton Polk— Mathews’ uncle and hot chicken mentor. Before his death, he passed his recipe on to his nephew. “Our chicken is spicy, but it won’t cause you to lose your composure,” is how Bolton’s manager, Dollye describes it.
If you liked this post, you might also enjoy 6 Finger-Lickin’ Good Nashville BBQ Joints and 6 Great Nashville Burger Joints!.
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