Hattie B's Hot Chicken is the restaurant that turned Nashville hot chicken into a national phenomenon — a counter-service institution with a heat scale from manageable to genuinely dangerous, and a bird that delivers on every level it promises.

We haven't officially reviewed Hattie B's yet — but if you don't know what Nashville hot chicken is, this is the education.

Central BBQ is a Memphis institution that made its way to Nashville, bringing the wet-and-dry rib tradition and slow-smoked meats that made it a Tennessee staple. It's chain BBQ done with enough craft that you can forgive the multiple locations.

Central BBQ brings Memphis's wet-and-dry rib tradition to Nashville with enough craft to earn its place in a city that takes its BBQ seriously.

Sperry's is a Nashville institution that's been serving its legendary beef Wellington and old-school American fare since 1974. It's the kind of restaurant that hasn't changed because it doesn't need to — the loyalty here runs deep and the kitchen keeps earning it.

We haven't officially reviewed Sperry's yet — but the beef Wellington has been doing the reviewing for fifty years.

Sushi-san is a high-volume sushi restaurant in Nashville offering a broad menu of rolls, nigiri, and Japanese-inspired dishes. The format emphasizes energy, accessibility, and group dining.

Sushi-san is serious sushi in a not-so-serious package — quality fish, smart rolls, and an energy that makes you want to stay for another round. The Lettuce Entertain You pedigree shows.

Le Loup is a French-influenced cocktail bar and restaurant in Nashville with a bar-forward format. The menu pairs small plates with a focused cocktail program.

Le Loup hasn't made it into our review rotation yet — French-leaning fine dining in Nashville is a category worth taking seriously.

Sunflower Bakehouse is a Nashville bakery and café focused on plant-based baked goods. The menu emphasizes daytime dining and takeout.

Sunflower Bakehouse hasn't made it into our review rotation yet — Nashville's bakery scene has been on an upswing and this one's part of that story.

House of Kabob Nashville is a restaurant serving Persian- and Middle Eastern–influenced cuisine. The menu emphasizes traditional preparations in a full-service format.

House of Kabob is unpretentious Persian food done with care and cooked with real flavor — a neighborhood gem that rewards the curious and punishes anyone who dismisses it based on the modest exterior.

Jambox Sandwich Shop is a casual Nashville restaurant focused on sandwiches inspired by New Orleans flavors. The menu emphasizes counter-service dining.

Jambox Sandwich Shop hasn't made it into our review rotation yet — good sandwiches in Nashville are always worth investigating.

Black Dynasty Ramen is a casual restaurant in Nashville specializing in Japanese-style ramen. The menu centers on broth-driven noodle dishes served in a streamlined dining format.

Black Dynasty is bringing a distinctive aesthetic and solid ramen to Nashville's East Side — ambitious flavors, a dark and moody room, and a kitchen finding its footing on something genuinely interesting.

Answer is a casual neighborhood bar and restaurant in Sylvan Park serving globally-influenced small plates in a relaxed, come-as-you-are setting. It's built around sharing food and good drinks, not impressing anyone.

A genuine neighborhood spot that gets more right than wrong — solid food, good drinks, and zero pretension.

Red Pony is a restaurant in Nashville offering contemporary American cuisine in a full-service setting. The menu emphasizes composed dishes and sit-down dining.

Red Pony is the best restaurant in Franklin that most people outside of Williamson County don't know about — serious food, a beautiful room, and a kitchen that's been doing this at a high level for years.

Joe Muer is a seafood and steak restaurant in Nashville offering classic dishes in a formal dining environment. The menu emphasizes traditional preparations and full-service dining.

Joe Muer brings serious Detroit seafood heritage to Nashville and doesn't dilute it for the market. Classic preparations, premium product, and a room that feels like it belongs in a bigger city.

Shabu Shabu Nashville is a restaurant focused on Japanese hot pot dining. The menu emphasizes interactive, table-centered meals.

Shabu Shabu Nashville hasn't made it into our review rotation yet — hot pot dining in Nashville has grown fast enough to deserve coverage.

The Authentique is a Nashville restaurant focused on African-inspired cuisine, particularly dishes rooted in West African traditions. The menu emphasizes casual dining.

The Authentique hasn't made it into our review rotation yet — French-style bakery and cafe culture in Nashville is always worth covering.

Henley is a restaurant in downtown Nashville offering contemporary American cuisine in a full-service hotel setting. The menu emphasizes composed dishes and seasonal ingredients.

Henley hasn't made it into our review rotation yet — the restaurant at The Kimpton Aertson has been on our radar.

Kase x Noko is a collaborative dining concept in Nashville blending Japanese and Southern influences. The menu emphasizes wood-fired cooking and a structured, full-service format.

Kase x Noko is a collaboration that earns the concept — serious cheese paired with Noko's Japanese-inflected small plates in a format that's both playful and genuinely excellent.

Love And Exile is a café and wine-focused restaurant in Nashville offering daytime fare and an evening wine program. The menu emphasizes casual dining and flexible visits.

Love & Exile hasn't made it into our official review yet — the natural wine program has a lot of people talking and we'll have our take soon.

Mofongo Cafe is a restaurant in Nashville serving Puerto Rican–influenced cuisine. The menu emphasizes traditional dishes in a sit-down format.

Mofongo Cafe hasn't made it into our review rotation yet — Puerto Rican cooking in Nashville is a category that deserves more attention.

Bar Sovereign is a wine-focused bar and restaurant in Nashville offering small plates alongside an extensive wine selection. The concept blends food service with a retail-style wine program.

Bar Sovereign hasn't made it into our review rotation yet — serious cocktail culture in Nashville keeps raising the bar and this one's part of it.

Pinky Ring is a cocktail-forward bar and restaurant in Nashville offering drinks with a limited food menu. The focus is on atmosphere rather than structured dining.

Pinky Ring hasn't made it into our review rotation yet — the name alone suggests something worth investigating.

The Henry is the flagship restaurant at the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel — upscale hotel dining executed with enough ambition to attract people who aren't just staying down the hall. American fare, a strong bar program, and a room that feels like Nashville doing something intentional.

We haven't reviewed The Henry yet — but it's one of Nashville's more serious hotel restaurant efforts.

Fishmonger is a seafood-focused restaurant in Nashville serving fish-driven dishes in a casual format. The menu emphasizes counter-service ordering and straightforward preparations.

Fishmonger hasn't made it into our review rotation yet — serious seafood in a landlocked city is always worth investigating.

Dos Santos Nashville is a restaurant focused on Mexican-inspired street food and tacos. The menu emphasizes casual dining and shared plates.

Dos Santos brings solid Mexican street food to Nashville with genuine enthusiasm and an accessible price point. Not destination dining, but a reliable option for tacos and margaritas done right.

Dicey’s Pizza & Tavern is a casual restaurant in Nashville serving Detroit-style pizza. The menu combines pizza with a tavern-style setting.

Dicey's is exactly what it claims to be — a low-key neighborhood bar with solid pizza and zero pretension. Not a destination, but a genuinely good time for those who live nearby.

Totuma Venezuelan Restaurant is a Nashville restaurant serving traditional Venezuelan cuisine. The menu emphasizes familiar dishes in a sit-down format.

Totuma Venezuelan Restaurant hasn't made it into our review rotation yet — Venezuelan cooking in Nashville is rare enough to be automatically worth covering.

Harpers Nashville is a modern restaurant and bar offering American cuisine in a large, high-energy setting. The menu blends composed dishes with a bar-forward atmosphere.

Harpers is the neighborhood restaurant Nashville keeps saying it wants and keeps failing to build. Genuinely good food, real hospitality, and a room that actually feels like it belongs somewhere.

Brown’s Diner is a long-running Nashville diner offering classic American comfort food. The menu centers on burgers, sandwiches, and traditional diner fare.

Browns Diner is a Nashville institution that earns its reputation through history and character more than culinary ambition. The burger is genuinely good. Everything else is beside the point.

Saffire is a restaurant in Nashville offering Southern-influenced American cuisine in a full-service setting. The menu emphasizes composed dishes and sit-down dining.

Saffire is trading heavily on Franklin's charming downtown address while delivering food and service that don't justify the prices. The setting does more work than the kitchen.

Attaboy Nashville is East Nashville's most serious cocktail bar — no printed menu, no signatures, just a bartender asking what you like and building something worth drinking. The Nashville outpost of the legendary New York original, doing exactly what made the concept famous.

Attaboy Nashville is a cocktail bar in East Nashville known for custom drinks made without a printed menu. Food is limited and secondary to the bar program.

Hai Woon Dai is a restaurant in Nashville serving Korean cuisine in a traditional sit-down format. The menu emphasizes established dishes and familiar preparations.

Hai Woon Dai hasn't made it into our review rotation yet — Korean BBQ in Nashville is worth covering properly.

Chopper is a tiki-style bar and restaurant in East Nashville offering tropical cocktails and Asian-influenced food. The menu is designed to support a bar-forward experience.

Chopper hasn't made it into our review rotation yet — the concept sounds like the right kind of Nashville-weird.

55 South is a casual Midtown spot serving Southern comfort food classics in a laid-back setting. It checks the boxes without clearing the bar — which in Nashville right now, is a problem.

Perfectly adequate Southern food in a city that stopped accepting "adequate" as a compliment years ago.

Fancypants is a casual restaurant in Nashville serving modern comfort food with a bar-driven focus. The menu emphasizes familiar dishes in an informal setting.

Fancypants earns its quirky name — charming, a little eclectic, and genuinely trying. Not every swing connects, but enough do to make it worth your time.

Puckett’s is a Nashville restaurant serving Southern comfort food alongside live music. The menu emphasizes casual, sit-down dining.

Puckett's is a Nashville music venue and restaurant that feeds its crowds generously with Southern comfort food — the live music is the main event and the food keeps up.

Coral Club is a bar and restaurant in Nashville offering Caribbean-influenced food alongside a cocktail-driven program. The menu supports a relaxed, social dining style.

Coral Club is Nashville's most fun upscale bar and dining experience — the retro beach club aesthetic is fully committed and the food and drinks are good enough to justify the bit.

Frankie's 925 Spuntino is a Nashville Italian concept focused on the approachable, convivial side of the cuisine — pasta, pizza, simple preparations done with care in a setting that makes you feel like you should eat more than you planned.

We haven't reviewed Frankie's 925 Spuntino yet — neighborhood Italian done right in Nashville is worth knowing about.

January is a fine dining restaurant in Nashville offering a tasting-menu-driven approach to contemporary American cuisine. The experience is structured and reservation-based.

January is a downtown Nashville restaurant doing elevated American cooking with precision and a room that makes every dinner feel considered.

Smith & Lentz Brewing is a Nashville brewery offering beer alongside a food menu centered on pizza. The experience blends dining with a taproom setting.

Smith & Lentz Brewing is East Nashville's standout craft brewery — serious, thoughtful beers in a taproom that has become part of the neighborhood's identity.

The Filling Station is a casual Nashville restaurant focused on pizza and comfort-driven food. The menu emphasizes relaxed dining.

The Filling Station hasn't made it into our review rotation yet — neighborhood spots in Nashville's growing food scene are always worth knowing.

Pancake Pantry is a long-running Nashville restaurant focused on breakfast and brunch. The menu emphasizes traditional breakfast dishes in a casual setting.

Pancake Pantry is a Nashville brunch institution with lines that test your patience and pancakes that reward it — a weekend ritual for Hillsboro Village that has endured for a reason.

Deluca is an Italian restaurant in Nashville focused on regional Italian cooking with a contemporary approach. The menu emphasizes pasta, seasonal ingredients, and full-service dining.

DeLuca's hasn't made it into our review rotation yet — Italian in Nashville keeps getting more serious and this one's worth covering.

Kore is a restaurant in Nashville serving Korean-inspired dishes in a full-service setting. The menu blends traditional flavors with contemporary formats.

Kore is a Korean-inspired concept in Nashville that brings the flavors of the peninsula to a format designed for Nashville diners — accessible, flavorful, and worth knowing about.

Junior is a casual restaurant in Nashville offering modern American dishes in a relaxed setting. The menu emphasizes approachable food and flexible dining.

Junior is a East Nashville neighborhood wine bar doing natural wine and small plates correctly — the kind of low-key spot that earns devotion by being consistently good.

Tutti Da Gio is a Nashville restaurant offering Italian-inspired cooking in a full-service setting. The menu emphasizes pasta and composed dishes.

Tutti Da Gio is a family-style Italian restaurant that does what it says — generous pastas, convivial room, and the kind of honest Italian cooking that makes a group dinner feel like it happened in someone's home.

Joyland is a casual restaurant in Nashville serving burgers, breakfast items, and comfort-driven dishes. The menu emphasizes counter-service dining.

Joyland hasn't made it into our review rotation yet — the concept from the folks behind Husk is automatically interesting.

The Buttermilk Ranch is a Nashville restaurant serving Southern-inspired American cuisine in a full-service setting. The menu emphasizes composed dishes.

The Buttermilk Ranch hasn't made it into our review rotation yet — a buttermilk-forward concept in Nashville sounds like exactly the right kind of thing.

Perenn Bakery is a Nashville bakery focused on breads and pastries. The menu emphasizes daytime service and takeout.

Perenn Bakery is a Nashville pastry destination doing the kind of European-influenced baked goods that make weekend mornings worth planning around.

E3 Chophouse is a steak-focused restaurant in Nashville serving beef-centric dishes in a full-service format. The menu emphasizes steaks and classic accompaniments.

E3 Chophouse is a concept built around ranch-to-table beef — the sourcing story is real and the steaks are better than most downtown options, even if the experience doesn't always justify the premium.

Babychan is a casual restaurant in East Nashville focused on Japanese-inspired comfort food. The menu blends traditional flavors with modern interpretations in a counter-service format.

Babychan nails the Japanese comfort food brief — a counter-service spot in East Nashville that makes casual feel like a destination.

Category 10 is a casual restaurant in Nashville serving modern comfort food with a sports-bar influence. The menu blends familiar dishes with a bar-driven setting.

Category 10 hasn't made it into our review rotation yet — it's on the short list.