Mom-and-Pops, Michelin Eats, and More Whiskey, Please: Why Tennessee Needs to Be Your Next Foodie Trip

I tasted my way around Nashville, its neighbor Franklin, and Memphis to discover the state’s food scene. When I wasn’t thrusting forkfuls of pasta and biscuits and steak down my piehole, I sipped smooth Tennessee whiskey and explored the unique charms of all three cities. Here’s why you should beeline to Tennessee for your next culinary adventure (and where to eat when you get there).

You can eat at meat-and-threes and Michelin kitchens in the same zip code.

Before I stepped off the plane in Tennessee, I had little knowledge of each city’s signature dish. Nashville is known for hot chicken and Memphis for BBQ ribs, but Franklin? I had no clue.

Located 30 minutes south of Nashville along I-65, Franklin is probably where your favorite country singers live. This Civil War-era city, nicknamed “the South’s most charming town,” is lined with Victorian architecture and boutiques. I stayed at The Harpeth Hotel and dined at its on-site restaurant, 1799 Kitchen & Bar Room. The restaurant evokes a warm Southern welcome with signature cocktails (try the Franklin Fizz with gin, Aperol, lemon, orgeat, and egg white), local Leiper’s Fork bourbon-washed steaks, and elevated carrot cake.

While Franklin isn’t short on hearty breakfast joints, I chose a light, fluffy cinnamon roll at the women-owned Franklin Bakehouse to save room for lunch at Southall Farm & Inn. This estate is a farm first, inn second, and just a 10-minute drive from downtown Franklin. It spans 325 acres, with 80 more recently acquired, featuring terraced gardens, bike paths, apple orchards, and eight apiaries tucked into the woods. Pollination Manager Jay Williams’ passion for Southall’s award-winning honey was contagious, and my biggest regret was not buying a jar to take home.

January is Southall’s Michelin-awarded restaurant, which earned a Green Star for exceptional sustainability. Chefs Andrew Klamar and Nate Leonard source most ingredients from Southall’s crops or local suppliers like Bear Creek Farm. January balances rustic and refined beautifully, both in decor and menu. I sank my teeth into cheeseburgers with tangy onion jam and used Old Bay-coated saltines to scoop creamy smoked trout dip while sitting at a solid tree-trunk table with floor-to-ceiling windows showcasing lush landscapes.

If any Nashville restaurant could top Franklin’s January, it’s Bacco. The Four Seasons’ Tuscan steakhouse-inspired spot opens in spring 2026, but chefs Derek Simcik and Florence native Nicky Miscia already have the menu set. General Manager Sunil Narang calls it “the perfect balance of Tuscan warmth and Nashville energy.” Expect an approachable Four Seasons experience with family-style sharing dishes and subtle Italian-American flavors.

Rolf and Daughters is another must-visit fine-dining restaurant in Nashville recommended by Michelin. Tucked in Germantown, this intimate New American restaurant serves shareable dishes with fresh, local ingredients. I heaped more than my fair share of sweet potatoes drenched in tahini, scallops, and dry-aged ribeye onto my plate. Tennessee restaurants aren’t here to be highfalutin — you’ll recognize every dish, but it just might be the best version of that dish.

Speaking of eateries that don’t need taking down a peg, don’t miss Arnold’s Country Kitchen in Nashville’s The Gulch, opened in 1982 by Jack and Rose Arnold. Their son Kahlil now runs this James Beard Award-winning and Michelin-recognized soul food institution. If you’ve never tasted true southern cookin’ (okra, collard greens, catfish, cornbread, etc.), this is your spot. I felt blessed when Kahlil shared stories of cooking chicken livers for Dolly Parton and told me there’s a photo of Jack White — my favorite musician — hanging in his house.

12South is Nashville’s trendiest shopping district and home to The Butter Milk Ranch. Chef Alyssa Gangeri has created an irresistibly cute brunch spot with laminated pastries the size of kittens bursting from the counter. The Butter Milk Ranch also serves giant breakfast platters of eggs your way, ranch potatoes, and house-cured bacon to keep you fueled all day.

D’Andrews Bakery & Cafe in downtown Nashville is another great breakfast choice. This no-frills bakery makes everything in-house, from jams to coffee syrups. The D’onut might be their best-seller, but my favorite was the classic double butter croissant.

When you’ve had your fill of pastries in Nashville, Hive Bagel and Deli in Memphis is perfect for a light bite and great coffee from local roaster Ethnos. I opted for the Elvis bagel, featuring the King’s favorite combo of peanut butter, sliced bananas, and crispy bacon with a drizzle of Hive’s own honey.

Arguably the best breakfast joint in the city is Sunrise Memphis. There’s always a line, but somehow everyone gets a table. I beg you to order one of its biscuit sammies — The Rooster, with fried chicken, pickles, and hot honey, still haunts my dreams.

Eat all the traditional Southern fare you can in Memphis, but don’t skip cuisine inspired by far-flung locales. Chef Sarah Cai opened Asian fusion restaurant Good Fortune Co. in 2020 and has already appeared on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. She’s constantly experimenting, evident from the pair of infamously smelly durian fruits she was testing behind the bar for a creamy cocktail (don’t worry, they were frozen). The noodles? Delicious.

Like Nashville, Memphis has gourmet dining that won’t have you Googling menu terms under the table. Felicia Suzanne’s, another Michelin-recommended restaurant, serves down-home dishes with a twist — deviled eggs topped with caviar and Gulf fish with a crunchy cornbread crust. I also loved its Italian spritz list and cozy, old-world decor.

Compare that to Amelia Gene’s, a sleek, globally inspired restaurant with ultra-low lighting that seeks to impress every diner. After sampling Hemingway daiquiris, black seabass, and Grand Marnier frozen soufflé, I’m convinced it’s the perfect date-night hideaway in Memphis.

You can sip Tennessee whiskey from city distilleries (and candy stores, too).

As an Englishwoman, I know that when a Scotsman named Sir Paul tells me about whiskey, I should shut up and listen.

“Those in Kentucky will try to tell you whiskey made outside the state isn’t bourbon,” he said, “but they’re wrong.” US bourbon regulations only require that whiskey contain at least 51 percent corn, aged in new charred white oak barrels, and fermented and distilled in any of the 50 states (plus technical rules about alcohol proof).

Sir Paul (Bissett, not McCartney) is a key figure at Leiper’s Fork Distillery, where he leads tours and tastings at the distillery’s House of Spirits in downtown Franklin. Sinking into dark wood and leather couches, visitors sip local, small-batch Tennessee whiskey and bourbon mashed, distilled, aged, and bottled by Leiper’s Fork. It produces just 25,000 gallons a year — Jack Daniel’s makes 38.3 million — so savor every drop. My favorite was the nutty, spiced, award-winning bourbon (sorry, Kentucky!).

If I have a bigger vice than whiskey, it’s chocolate. When you put the two together, I’m in for a fun afternoon. The Goo Goo Cluster, founded in Nashville in 1912, is noted as America’s first combination candy bar. Goo Goo Chocolate Co blends caramel, marshmallow nougat, peanuts, and chocolate to create its signature treat, but you can concoct your own during a workshop. It’s the perfect souvenir (or hotel room snack). The company also offers whiskey and chocolate bonbon pairings made in-house. Who knew Chattanooga Whiskey’s Cask 111 bourbon pairs perfectly with the Campfire Cowboy chocolate?! The folks at Goo Goo Chocolate Co. aren’t just candymakers; they’re scientists.

Old Dominick Distillery in Memphis opened in 2017, but its story stretches back to 1866. Domenico Canale, an Italian immigrant, built a thriving liquor business that shut down during Prohibition. When his great-great-grandsons discovered a bottle of his famous Dominick’s Toddy — an infused bourbon — they revived the family brand with help from Alex Castle, Tennessee’s first female master distiller.

Today, Old Dominick hosts tours of its modern distillery and tastings of vodka, gin, whiskey, and its beloved Toddy. Expect to dip your hand into bubbling whiskey mash, taste the first Memphis-distilled whiskey since Prohibition, and bring home a bottle of Toddy to warm your winter nights.

You’ll never run out of things to do between meals.

While I’d love to have the real estate in my stomach to eat my way around Tennessee 24/7, alas, I’m a mere mortal — and you probably are, too. Luckily, there are plenty of amazing things to do in Tennessee’s lively cities between meals.

The Factory at Franklin has undergone several transformations since its start as a stove and bedding manufacturing plant in 1929. It’s now a trendy retail, dining, and entertainment hub a short drive or 20-minute walk from downtown. I spent hours browsing country boutiques and vintage stores like The Find. Made in TN is a store that stocks only local Tennessee treats, including Goo Goo Clusters and beautiful Christmas ornaments (one came home with me).

If Franklin’s historic charm feels like the setting for a Hallmark movie, you’re right. Landmark Booksellers starred in The Bridge, a 2015 Hallmark TV movie based on a Karen Kingsbury novel. Bookworms shouldn’t miss this Franklin institution that resembles a beloved grandma’s house.

No trip to Nashville is complete without a stop at a few bars on Broadway, the city’s “honky-tonk highway.” Here Stetsons and cowboy boots seem to grapevine and applejack beneath flashing neon signs. Learning to line dance would have been fun, but watching bands at Robert’s Western World and Category 10 was just as good. The latter, owned by Luke Combs, even featured a talented lookalike singer. Broadway gets busy on weekends, but crowds were light midweek in December.

Even if you’re not a country fan, every music lover can appreciate the history at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. I’m a big country fan, yet I still learned a lot about the key figures and evolution of this distinctly American genre. Don’t skip the optional bus tour to Historic RCA Studio B, where Elvis recorded his hits.

Memphis also holds some of the nation’s best museums, and The National Civil Rights Museum is one of them. Its exhibits are creative and thought-provoking, and it sits at the former Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.

He’s not the only world-changing figure with Memphis ties. Just 15 minutes south of downtown is Elvis Presley’s Graceland, his home for 20 years until his death in 1977. The colonial-style mansion sprawls with studios, museums, and gardens, so plan at least two hours to explore.

Even if you’re not checking in, don’t miss the Duck March at The Peabody Hotel. Five ducks waddle down a red carpet from the fountain in the historic lobby to their Duck Palace twice daily at 11 AM and 5 PM. Kelly R. Brock, the director of marketing and communications, said, “The ducks always know what time it is and are ready and waiting, so they get a little confused at daylight-saving time.” Arrive early for a good view.

Prefer to shop while caffeinated? Head to Stock & Belle, a Memphis boutique with a coffee shop and local art. Music fans should also book a tour at Sun Studio, the birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll that launched the careers of Elvis and Johnny Cash.

Make this trip happen

• Where to stay: The Harpeth Franklin Downtown, Four Seasons Hotel Nashville, and The Peabody Memphis pair perfectly with high-end dining experiences.
• How to get there: Nashville and Memphis both have large, international airports serving 19 and seven airlines, respectively. Skip the rental car and travel in style on Vonlane’s twice-daily departures between Memphis and Nashville.
• How to get around: Franklin, downtown Memphis, and many Nashville neighborhoods are walkable. Opt for rideshares over a rental car unless you have a designated driver.