12 Unique Restaurants in Tennessee: The Most Unusual Eateries Across the Volunteer State

266

Tennessee’s dining scene is as diverse as its iconic music, offering one-of-a-kind restaurants that combine rich flavors with unforgettable settings. Known for its barbecue, hot chicken, and Southern comfort food, the Volunteer State also surprises with quirky venues and unique culinary experiences.

Imagine discovering hidden gems in Nashville’s bustling streets, like the spicy hot chicken at Prince’s or the creative dishes at The Catbird Seat. Head to Chattanooga to dine in a treehouse at The Canyon Grill or enjoy biscuits and gravy at the historic Knox Mason in Knoxville. Don’t miss the smoky ribs at Central BBQ in Memphis or the mountaintop views paired with trout at The Greenbrier in Gatlinburg.

In the heart of the Southeast US, Tennessee invites food lovers to explore beyond the ordinary. This guide showcases 12 unforgettable eateries where meals and memories go hand in hand.

👉 Pro Tip: The Secret Food Tour in Nashville is a must for foodies! You’ll try iconic Southern dishes, uncover hidden gems, and hear cool stories about the city’s culture. Come hungry—it’s a fun and tasty way to experience Music City!

Unique Restaurants in Tennessee: 12 Incredible Tennessee Eateries

From dining under the sea with fishes to enjoying a meal in a place filled with history, Tennessee’s unique restaurants have it all. Let’s take a closer look at what makes these spots stand out in the Volunteer State.

1. The Catbird Seat

• 📍 Location: Nashville
• 💲 Price range: $150 – $250+ per person (Tasting Menu)
• 🍽️ Cuisine Style: Modern American / Fine Dining / Tasting Menu
• 🔥 Standout Features: U-shaped chef’s counter, interactive tasting menu, intimate fine dining experience.
• 🎯 Perfect For: Adventurous diners, special celebrations, and fans of modern culinary artistry.

Get ready for a dinner that’s pure performance art at The Catbird Seat in Nashville! This acclaimed spot offers an incredibly intimate experience, with guests seated around a U-shaped counter watching the chefs meticulously craft and present a highly innovative tasting menu.

Each dish is a surprise. Recent menus have featured inventive courses like smoked eel with preserved citrus and koji, delicate sunchoke ice cream with black truffle and hazelnut, or a playful “ants on a log” reimagined with high-end ingredients. Reservations are tough, but it’s worth the pursuit.

• Read Next: Nashville’s Coolest Restaurants: 12 Unique Spots You Can’t Miss

2. The Treehouse Restaurant

• 📍 Location: Nashville (East Nashville)
• 💲 Price range: $30 – $60 per person
• 🍽️ Cuisine Style: Modern American / Eclectic / Farm-to-Table
• 🔥 Standout Features: Treehouse-inspired decor, seasonal small plates, rustic neighborhood vibe.
• 🎯 Perfect For: Date nights, creative cuisine lovers, and casual, charming nights out.

Climb into a world of culinary enchantment at The Treehouse Restaurant in East Nashville! This spot lives up to its name with whimsical, rustic-chic decor that incorporates actual tree limbs, creating a magical, grown-up treehouse vibe. The menu features creative, seasonal small plates.

You might find yourself savoring perfectly seared scallops with a surprising fruit reduction. Other popular choices include their inventive wood-fired flatbreads or the rich pork belly with a sweet and savory glaze. The atmosphere is always buzzing.

3. Rolf and Daughters

• 📍 Location: Nashville (Germantown)
• 💲 Price range: $40 – $70 per person
• 🍽️ Cuisine Style: Modern American / Mediterranean-Inspired / Pasta
• 🔥 Standout Features: House-made pastas, fermented ingredients, industrial-chic setting.
• 🎯 Perfect For: Pasta enthusiasts, trendy foodies, and stylish nights in Germantown.

Prepare for pasta perfection at Rolf and Daughters in Nashville’s Germantown. This critically acclaimed spot, in a cool industrial-chic building, is renowned for incredible house-made pastas and thoughtful use of fermented ingredients, adding unique depth. The aroma of baking bread is intoxicating.

Diving into any of their seasonal pasta dishes is a wise choice – they’re always phenomenal. Consider the bucatini with a rich lamb ragu, the delicate garganelli with mushroom and Parmesan, or their sourdough bread with seaweed butter. The vibe is lively and sophisticated.

4. Husk Nashville

• 📍 Location: Nashville (Downtown)
• 💲 Price range: $50 – $90+ per person
• 🍽️ Cuisine Style: Southern / New American / Farm-to-Table
• 🔥 Standout Features: Modern Southern dishes, historic mansion setting, locally sourced ingredients.
• 🎯 Perfect For: Fans of upscale Southern food, historic dining spots, and refined farm-to-table experiences.

Experience the heart of Southern cuisine, reimagined, at Husk Nashville. Located in a stunning historic mansion downtown, this acclaimed restaurant celebrates Southern ingredients and heirloom recipes with a modern, refined touch. The menu changes daily based on what’s fresh from local farms.

You might find yourself savoring the most incredible shrimp and grits you’ve ever tasted. Other standout dishes include their perfectly cooked heritage pork with seasonal accompaniments, or their legendary cheeseburger (available at lunch/brunch).

5. Present Tense

• 📍 Location: Nashville
• 💲 Price range: $70 – $120+ per person (Often tasting menu/experience)
• 🍽️ Cuisine Style: Modern Japanese / Kappo-Style / Omakase
• 🔥 Standout Features: Chef-driven omakase, seasonal Japanese ingredients, minimalist setting.
• 🎯 Perfect For: Japanese cuisine aficionados, intimate tastings, and high-end dining seekers.

Forget worries and dive into the delicious NOW at Present Tense in Wedgewood-Houston! Chef Ryan Costanza fuses global cuisine with minimalist Japanese precision, enhanced by charcoal’s magic. The sleek space features curated sounds and scents to create a great vibe.

For an exclusive ride, snag one of six seats at the omakase counter. Otherwise, in the main dining room, the Hokkaido scallop crudo with serrano and Asian pear is poetry, the grilled prawns with yuzu kosho are a must-try, and the dry-aged duck breast is exceptional.

• Read Next: 12 Unmissable Activities in Nashville, TN You’ll Love

6. The Standard

• 📍 Location: Nashville (Downtown, Smith House)
• 💲 Price range: $60 – $100+ per person
• 🍽️ Cuisine Style: Southern Steakhouse / Historic Fine Dining
• 🔥 Standout Features: Historic mansion dining, Southern steakhouse fare, elegant ambiance.
• 🎯 Perfect For: Romantic dinners, steakhouse fans, and history lovers seeking upscale meals.

Step into antebellum grandeur at The Standard, in the magnificent historic Smith House in downtown Nashville. It’s an experience, like a lavish dinner party in a grand Southern mansion from the 1840s, with opulent decor and an exclusive, club-like feel. The cuisine is classic steakhouse with Southern touches.

Ordering a perfectly aged prime steak, like a bone-in ribeye or New York strip, is highly recommended. Rich lobster bisque or classic shrimp cocktail are also excellent choices while surrounded by period antiques and flickering candlelight. It’s a truly transportive setting.

• Read Next: 12 Magical Hidden Gems in Tennessee That Feel Like a Fairytale

7. Skull’s Rainbow Room

• 📍 Location: Nashville (Printers Alley)
• 💲 Price range: $40 – $70 per person
• 🍽️ Cuisine Style: American / Creole / Supper Club & Burlesque
• 🔥 Standout Features: Burlesque and jazz shows, vintage supper club vibe, Creole-inspired menu.
• 🎯 Perfect For: Live entertainment fans, retro nightlife, and fun, immersive dining experiences.

Get ready for a dazzling night at Skull’s Rainbow Room in Nashville’s historic Printers Alley! This legendary spot, open since 1948, oozes old-school supper club charm with a speakeasy vibe, offering live jazz and captivating burlesque shows nightly. The air is thick with history.

Sip on a classic Manhattan and enjoy their Creole-inspired American cuisine. Consider the prime rib, their flavorful shrimp and grits, or the rich crab cakes with remoulade sauce. It’s a unique and entertaining Nashville experience.

8. Etch

• 📍 Location: Nashville (Downtown)
• 💲 Price range: $40 – $80 per person
• 🍽️ Cuisine Style: Global / Eclectic / Modern American
• 🔥 Standout Features: Globally inspired flavors, bold combinations, open kitchen concept.
• 🎯 Perfect For: Adventurous eaters, creative food lovers, and lively downtown meals.

Prepare for a global flavor explosion at Etch! Chef Deb Paquette is renowned for her bold, inventive cuisine that draws inspiration from around the world, resulting in dishes that are complex, surprising, and utterly delicious. The open kitchen adds a dynamic energy to the stylish downtown space.

Trying some of her signature creations is a must. The incredible roasted cauliflower with truffled pea pesto is a consistent favorite, as is the globally inspired octopus and shrimp bruschetta, or the flavorful Moroccan lamb loin. It’s a culinary adventure.

9. White Limozeen

• 📍 Location: Nashville (Graduate Nashville Hotel Rooftop)
• 💲 Price range: $20 – $40 per cocktail/small plate (Primarily a bar/lounge)
• 🍽️ Cuisine Style: Rooftop Lounge / Small Bites / Southern Glam
• 🔥 Standout Features: Dolly Parton-inspired decor, rooftop views, playful Southern cocktails.
• 🎯 Perfect For: Girls’ nights, Instagram-worthy outings, and fun, themed rooftop drinks.

Pour yourself a cup of ambition at White Limozeen, the outrageously fun Dolly Parton-inspired rooftop bar at the Graduate Nashville! This place is an Instagram dream, an over-the-top homage to the Queen of Country, with plush pink velvet and glittering chandeliers.

Sip on a creatively named cocktail, perhaps the “Queen of the Rodeo” (a bubbly rosé concoction). For nibbles, consider the caviar and tater tots, the biscuit and pimento cheese, or the playful pink deviled eggs. It’s perfect for a fun, festive outing.

10. Loveless Cafe

• 📍 Location: Nashville (Southwest, near Natchez Trace Parkway)
• 💲 Price range: $15 – $30 per person
• 🍽️ Cuisine Style: Southern / Country Cooking / Biscuits
• 🔥 Standout Features: Famous biscuits, classic Southern comfort food, rustic roadside charm.
• 🎯 Perfect For: Biscuit lovers, hearty Southern breakfasts, and casual, iconic local meals.

Get ready for pure Southern comfort at the legendary Loveless Cafe! This Nashville institution, serving classic country cooking since 1951, is famous worldwide for its incredible, made-from-scratch biscuits served with homemade preserves – warm, fluffy, and addictive.

Indulging in a full Southern breakfast with those biscuits and gravy is a must. Also highly recommended are their amazing fried chicken, country ham with redeye gravy, or a classic pulled pork barbecue plate. It’s a true Nashville pilgrimage spot.

11. The Aquarium Restaurant

• 📍 Location: Nashville (Opry Mills)
• 💲 Price range: $25 – $50 per person
• 🍽️ Cuisine Style: American / Seafood / Themed
• 🔥 Standout Features: 200,000-gallon aquarium, seafood dishes, immersive ocean-themed setting.
• 🎯 Perfect For: Families, seafood lovers, and unique, kid-friendly dining experiences.

Dive into an underwater dining adventure at The Aquarium Restaurant at Opry Mills! This place offers a unique experience where you dine surrounded by a massive aquarium teeming with colorful fish, sharks, and stingrays. It’s like eating in the lost city of Atlantis!

Ordering one of their fresh fish entrees, like the grilled mahi-mahi, is a good choice. Other popular dishes include classic shrimp scampi or the captain’s platter with a variety of fried seafood. It’s a fantastic and memorable experience, especially for families.

12. Audrey

• 📍 Location: Nashville (East Nashville)
• 💲 Price range: $100 – $200+ per person (Tasting Menu)
• 🍽️ Cuisine Style: Modern Appalachian / Fine Dining / Sean Brock Restaurant
• 🔥 Standout Features: Appalachian-inspired tasting menu, heritage ingredients, Sean Brock concept.
• 🎯 Perfect For: Regional cuisine explorers, fine dining fans, and culinary storytelling enthusiasts.

Embark on a profound culinary exploration at Audrey, Chef Sean Brock’s acclaimed East Nashville restaurant. This isn’t just a meal; it’s a thoughtful journey into the foodways and ingredients of the Appalachian region, presented with modern artistry. The atmosphere is elegant.

Expect a tasting menu featuring dishes utilizing heirloom grains like Carolina Gold rice, foraged ingredients such as ramps and morels in season, or preserved summer bounty like pickled beans transformed for winter. It’s a unique fine dining experience.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Unique Places to Eat in Tennessee

In this FAQ section, you’ll find answers to all your burning questions about eating out in Tennessee, using our detailed Tennessee restaurant guide.

What food can you only get in Tennessee?

Tennessee is famous for its unique take on Southern cuisine. One dish you can only get in this vibrant state is hot chicken. This spicy delight is deeply marinated, breaded, fried, and then coated in a cayenne-based paste. It’s a must-try for anyone visiting. Nashville, the capital, is the birthplace of this fiery favorite. It’s not just food; it’s an experience that embodies the spirit of Tennessee, making it one of the top places to live and visit in the state.

What’s the best food to eat in Tennessee?

When it comes to the best food to eat, barbecue stands out in Tennessee. The state is known for its slow-cooked, smoky meats, especially pork. Tennessee barbecue varies by region, offering a delicious exploration of flavors. Memphis, for example, is famous for its dry-rubbed ribs. Whether you prefer your barbecue slathered in sauce or seasoned to perfection, Tennessee’s barbecue is worth a try.

What sandwich is Tennessee known for?

The sandwich Tennessee is known for is the Memphis-style pulled pork sandwich. It’s piled high with tender, slow-cooked pork that’s been pulled or shredded. This mouthwatering sandwich is typically topped with coleslaw and served on a soft bun. The combination of juicy pork and tangy slaw makes it a standout in Tennessee’s food scene. It’s a simple yet delicious representation of the state’s love for barbecue.

What breakfast food is Tennessee known for?

Tennessee is known for its country ham breakfast. This salty, cured ham is a Southern staple and often served with biscuits, red-eye gravy, and grits. The country ham’s rich flavor is a perfect start to the day and reflects Tennessee’s agricultural heritage. It’s a hearty breakfast that’s been enjoyed for generations, showcasing the simple yet satisfying elements of Southern cuisine.

Where can I find Tennessee’s best restaurants?

Tennessee’s best restaurants are spread across the state, from bustling cities to quiet mountain towns. For a truly exceptional dining experience, Nashville and Memphis are hotspots with award-winning chefs and innovative menus. Cities like Chattanooga and Knoxville also offer culinary gems. Whether you’re looking for upscale dining or casual eats, Tennessee’s food scene is diverse and rich, reflecting its history, culture, and regional ingredients.

What are some scenic places in TN to eat?

Tennessee is full of scenic places to eat, offering breathtaking views alongside delicious meals. For a memorable dining experience, look for restaurants along the Tennessee River or with views of the Great Smoky Mountains. Chattanooga’s riverfront and Knoxville’s downtown restaurants offer stunning vistas. Outdoor patios in these areas often provide a picturesque backdrop of Tennessee’s natural beauty, making every meal a special occasion.

Where can I find cheap eats in Tennessee?

Finding cheap eats in Tennessee is easy, thanks to its wide variety of diners, food trucks, and cafes. Cities like Nashville, Memphis, and Knoxville have vibrant food scenes where you can enjoy delicious meals without breaking the bank. Look for local favorites like barbecue joints, Southern diners, and taco trucks. These spots offer generous portions of classic Tennessee dishes at affordable prices, proving that great food doesn’t have to be expensive.

What are some hidden gem restaurants in Tennessee?

Tennessee is full of hidden gem restaurants waiting to be discovered. From quaint cafes in small towns to off-the-beaten-path barbecue shacks, these spots offer some of the state’s most authentic and delicious meals. Exploring rural areas and local neighborhoods can lead to surprising culinary finds. These hidden gems often serve traditional Southern dishes, showcasing the depth and diversity of Tennessee’s food culture.

Final Thoughts On Unique Tennessee Restaurants

We hope you’ve enjoyed exploring our Tennessee restaurant guide. From spicy hot chicken in Nashville to mouthwatering barbecue in Memphis, Tennessee’s restaurant scene is as diverse as its landscape.

Whether you’re looking for a fancy meal with a view, a quick and tasty bite that won’t empty your wallet, or a hidden spot only the locals know about, Tennessee has something for everyone. Remember, the best way to experience the Volunteer State is through its food. So next time you’re in Tennessee, dive into its flavors, and let your taste buds lead the way.