Tennessee is packed with famous barbecue joints and hot chicken spots that everyone knows about. But scattered across the state are dozens of smaller, quieter restaurants that locals guard like secrets. These hidden gems serve some of the best food you’ll ever taste, from old-school diners that have been flipping burgers since the 1920s to family-run barbecue shacks tucked away on country roads.
1. Brown’s Diner – Nashville
From the outside, this place looks like someone parked a gray trailer off Blair Boulevard and forgot about it. But step inside and you’ll discover one of Nashville’s most beloved dive spots, serving hungry customers since the 1920s with what people say is the city’s oldest beer license.
The cheeseburger here gets talked about constantly, with many calling it the best in town. Pair it with crispy tater tots or onion rings, and you’ve got yourself a perfect meal.
Everything about Brown’s screams no-frills comfort: wood paneling covers the walls, a tiny stage sits in the corner, and cold beer flows freely. Locals who’ve been coming here for decades fill the stools, but the atmosphere is so welcoming that by your second visit, you’ll feel like you’ve been coming forever too.
2. Wendell Smith’s Restaurant – Nashville
Over on the west side of town sits a restaurant that’s been dishing up classic meat-and-three plates since 1952. Wendell Smith’s looks and feels gloriously old-school, the kind of place where time seems to have stopped somewhere around 1975, and nobody minds one bit…