Tennessee’s soul has always lived in its music halls, mountain towns and front-porch hospitality. But the state’s food scene deserves equal billing. From the honky-tonk-lined streets of Nashville to the quietly electric dining rooms of Chattanooga’s revitalized Southside, the state is producing some of the most exciting, farm-rooted, chef-driven cooking in the American South.
Over the course of a long weekend, pack light, gas up the car and follow this culinary road map through some of the Volunteer State’s most delicious stops.
Nashville
Kick off your trip in Music City, where the restaurant scene has evolved well beyond hot chicken — though the homegrown dish is still a must-try. Check into Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Four Seasons Hotel Nashville, where the rooms frame the Cumberland River and the city’s skyline in equal measure, and you’re well-positioned for everything that follows.
The newest table worth booking is Bacco, the hotel’s signature restaurant, which opened its doors this month. Inspired by Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and revelry, the AvroKO-designed dining room merges Tuscan steakhouse tradition with Tennessee sourcing in a family-style menu of playful fare, like bruschetta alla mortadella with sweet-and-sour cherry mostarda plated with precision or a beautifully charred bistecca alla Fiorentina.
For something neighborhood-rooted, Rolf and Daughters in the Germantown district has become one of Nashville’s most popular establishments, turning out rustic, ingredient-forward dishes — think handmade trofie with maitake and cultured butter or a dry-aged beef tartare grounded by farro and ramps — with a seasonal cocktail menu to match.
Mornings belong to D’Andrews Bakery & Cafe, where pastry chef David Andrews applies the same rigor to a morning bun that most chefs reserve for a tasting menu. Don’t skip town without grabbing a double-butter croissant (or a dozen) from this blue-awninged downtown staple.
Before you leave Nashville, make one more reservation: Yolan, tucked inside The Joseph, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Nashville, is one of the city’s most celebrated Italian tables. The Four-Star restaurant’s softly lit dining room sets an unhurried tone, no matter how many courses you order. The menu explores Italy’s regional cooking traditions (this season, it’s a tribute to Piemonte) with housemade pastas like agnolotti delplin stuffed with braised lamb and green peppercorns alongside wood-fired steaks finished with black truffle-mushroom conserva.
For the full experience, surrender to the Esperienza Yolan, a five-course tasting menu that lets chef de cuisine Jeremy Dobson tell the story from start to finish. The amaro list alone is worth lingering over, but you’ve got more of Tennessee to taste.
Franklin
Just 20 miles south of Nashville on I-65, the charming town of Franklin is your first reason to pull over. Begin at Perenn Bakery, where the pastry case displays edible works of art (try the peanut-miso cookie) and the casual café serves up comfort in the form of all-day brunch, chopped salads and a seasonally rotating grilled cheese you won’t want to skip.
After brunch, stroll along quaint Main Street, popping into Merridee’s Breadbasket for a coffee and the kind of gooey, sticky pecan buns that make you rethink your health goals.
For dinner, the gracious 1799 at The Harpeth Hotel brings refined Southern cooking to Franklin’s historic downtown square. Echoing the interior of a whiskey barrel, the menu leans into Tennessee ingredients, like bourbon barrel-smoked beef carpaccio and bison strip loin with a tart-and-tangy mustard-blueberry sauce.
The crown jewel of the Franklin detour, however, is found at Forbes Travel Guide Recommended Southall Farm & Inn. This sprawling agritourism retreat just outside of town sits on more than 500 acres of rolling Tennessee countryside filled with working farmland, apiaries and gardens. The experience is enjoyed through the spa and the Forbes Travel Guide Recommended January restaurant. The menu often changes to reflect whatever the farm is harvesting that week.
Opt for activities such as the “Trust Me Honey” tasting at the onsite Jammery: a blindfolded meditation-meets-educational experience centered around the nuances of single-origin honey, led by the property’s resident head beekeeper and honey sommelier.
When the day winds down, the inn’s 62 pastoral-themed rooms that frame rolling hills through oversized picture windows make a strong argument for sleeping in before continuing on your way.
Chattanooga
Roughly two hours from Franklin on I-24 East, Chattanooga is the next leg on the tour. The city that built its identity on the Tennessee Aquarium and the beloved Chattanooga Choo Choo has slowly assembled one of the most dynamic independent restaurant scenes in the region.
Start with a provisions run to Bleu Fox Cheese Shop. This family-owned operation anchors the city’s revitalized Southside neighborhood and gives you an excuse to picnic near Lookout Mountain or along the Tennessee River.
Or try lunch at nearby Main Street Meats, which brings a nose-to-tail philosophy to a daily changing menu of hearty sandwiches, charcuterie boards and adventurous cuts. Be sure to pick up one of the bacon and chocolate chip cookies perched above the meat case.
Come evening, Calliope brings the flavors of the Levant to a beautifully restored 19th-century warehouse, while Easy Bistro & Bar, a Chattanooga institution from acclaimed local restaurateur Erik Neil, serves seafood-forward French fare alongside champagne.
End the night at 2nd American, where the cocktails rival the food for creativity. Though the mashed potatoes — smooth as butter, served family-style with every meal — are reason enough to stay for one more round.
For those extending the journey, The Hotel Chalet at The Choo Choo offers restored sleeper cars decked out in plush midcentury modern furnishings, blending nostalgia with a touch of Southern charm.
The road back winds through Franklin’s farmland and Nashville’s neon. During a stop on that return ride, step outside into the cool Tennessee night air and take in the Cumberland Plateau silhouetted in the distance. You may find yourself already planning to come back for seconds.
