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Southern hospitality abides at a diner, that nostalgic slice of Americana filled with comfort food and decor that time forgot
You can find pancakes, burgers, and grits on most menus across Nashville, from trendy restaurants atop the city’s tallest hotels to dive bars on sleepy streets. But there’s something about a diner — that nostalgic slice of Americana filled with comfort food and decor that time forgot — that feeds the soul as much as the stomach. Whether they’re open early, late, or both, these inexpensive, casual restaurants tend to welcome all ages and types of people to come as they are, a notion at the heart of Southern hospitality. From a converted roadside motel to a renovated street car, these are Nashville’s essential diners.
Note: In general, meat and threes are diners, but not all diners are meat and threes, so this list focuses on diners that aren’t meat and threes. Track down one of the South’s most enduring culinary traditions with the guide to Nashville’s best meat and threes.
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Proudly claiming the title of East Nashville’s oldest dive bar, Dino’s Bar & Grill hasn’t changed much since its debut in the 1970s. It’s still a gritty neighborhood haunt built for questionable decisions and overindulging until 3 a.m. nightly, with booths, bar stools at the counter, and a slew of Dolly Parton memorabilia jammed into a squat brick building. But the menu received an overhaul when ownership changed hands in 2015, and the burger’s reputation stretches far and wide; order it with loaded fries and wings to fuel a long night at this diner-esque dive.
Sun Diner’s location right off Broadway lends itself perfectly to the theme: This Music City standby pays homage to legendary Memphis label Sun Records and its rockabilly trailblazers including Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash (whose museum sits right next door). Photos of rock and roll greats line the walls of the 38-seat diner, and the menu nods to hit songs with dishes like the Let’s Do the Twist creme brulee French toast and the Love Me chicken tenders.
A post shared by Sun Diner (@thesundiner)
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While it may have changed hands and moved next door in recent years, Elliston Place Soda Shop still looks (and tastes) the part of the classic soda fountain that Lynn Chandler founded in 1939. At the Midtown landmark, you can enjoy your chicken, biscuits, and grits atop a chrome bar stool or cozied up in a pleather booth. Save room for a milkshake, and grab a pie from “the Pie Lady” Linda Melton on your way out.
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Despite opening at 6 a.m., Pancake Pantry’s flagship Hillsboro Village restaurant always seems to have a line down the sidewalk — it can’t hurt the appeal that Nashville’s own Taylor Swift is a fan. Since 1961 the diner has drawn fans with a variety of fat flapjacks from traditional buttermilk to banana bread, sweet potato (Swift’s favorite), and rolled cakes stuffed with fruit compote. Egg dishes, sandwiches, and candied bacon round out the menu. If you’re more concerned with finding a seat than basking in the homey original surroundings, Pancake Pantry also has a massive, modern location in the Hyatt Centric Downtown Nashville hotel, complete with additional menu items like a flight of brunch cocktails.
Tucked in a converted railroad car on a Hillsboro Village side street, Brown’s Diner is a historic institution, operating continuously since 1927 and keeping its timeless recipes simple and affordable while Nashville continues to boom. The restaurant opens daily for lunch and stays open until 9 p.m., serving feel-good food like burgers, cornmeal catfish, and Frito chili pie. They’re best paired with a cold beer — Brown’s holds the oldest beer license in the city.
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In the mood to cook breakfast without the grocery shopping or cleanup? Head to Berry Hill’s Pfunky Griddle, where you sip bottomless coffee while you pick your pancake batter (white, wheat, or gluten-free) and pancake toppings (the lengthy list spans from M&Ms to pineapple to cottage cheese) then fire up the griddle in the center of your table and prepare them yourself. The fun doesn’t stop at pancakes, as diners can also cook their own eggs, French toast, and hash browns.
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New York-style deli Noshville serves breakfast and lunch favorites daily from morning till mid-afternoon in Green Hills. For breakfast, heap a plate with bite-size silver dollar potato cakes, griddle cakes, and omelets dressed with veggies and corned beef. For lunch, you can’t go wrong with a combo of creamy dill tomato soup and a chicken salad sandwich.
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Blink and you’d miss one of Nashville’s most famous roadside diners, the Loveless Cafe, a former motel hosting travelers on Bellevue’s Highway 100. Still marked by its iconic neon sign declaring “No Vacancy,” Loveless is known best these days for its biscuits — the diner cranks out up to 10,000 every single day — which pair beautifully with the restaurant’s own fruit preserves and hearty dishes like fried chicken and country ham. While the line here can be daunting, pass the time by perusing biscuit mix, preserves, and more homestyle goodies at the shops that now occupy the motel space.
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Proudly claiming the title of East Nashville’s oldest dive bar, Dino’s Bar & Grill hasn’t changed much since its debut in the 1970s. It’s still a gritty neighborhood haunt built for questionable decisions and overindulging until 3 a.m. nightly, with booths, bar stools at the counter, and a slew of Dolly Parton memorabilia jammed into a squat brick building. But the menu received an overhaul when ownership changed hands in 2015, and the burger’s reputation stretches far and wide; order it with loaded fries and wings to fuel a long night at this diner-esque dive.
Sun Diner’s location right off Broadway lends itself perfectly to the theme: This Music City standby pays homage to legendary Memphis label Sun Records and its rockabilly trailblazers including Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash (whose museum sits right next door). Photos of rock and roll greats line the walls of the 38-seat diner, and the menu nods to hit songs with dishes like the Let’s Do the Twist creme brulee French toast and the Love Me chicken tenders.
A post shared by Sun Diner (@thesundiner)
While it may have changed hands and moved next door in recent years, Elliston Place Soda Shop still looks (and tastes) the part of the classic soda fountain that Lynn Chandler founded in 1939. At the Midtown landmark, you can enjoy your chicken, biscuits, and grits atop a chrome bar stool or cozied up in a pleather booth. Save room for a milkshake, and grab a pie from “the Pie Lady” Linda Melton on your way out.
Despite opening at 6 a.m., Pancake Pantry’s flagship Hillsboro Village restaurant always seems to have a line down the sidewalk — it can’t hurt the appeal that Nashville’s own Taylor Swift is a fan. Since 1961 the diner has drawn fans with a variety of fat flapjacks from traditional buttermilk to banana bread, sweet potato (Swift’s favorite), and rolled cakes stuffed with fruit compote. Egg dishes, sandwiches, and candied bacon round out the menu. If you’re more concerned with finding a seat than basking in the homey original surroundings, Pancake Pantry also has a massive, modern location in the Hyatt Centric Downtown Nashville hotel, complete with additional menu items like a flight of brunch cocktails.
Tucked in a converted railroad car on a Hillsboro Village side street, Brown’s Diner is a historic institution, operating continuously since 1927 and keeping its timeless recipes simple and affordable while Nashville continues to boom. The restaurant opens daily for lunch and stays open until 9 p.m., serving feel-good food like burgers, cornmeal catfish, and Frito chili pie. They’re best paired with a cold beer — Brown’s holds the oldest beer license in the city.
In the mood to cook breakfast without the grocery shopping or cleanup? Head to Berry Hill’s Pfunky Griddle, where you sip bottomless coffee while you pick your pancake batter (white, wheat, or gluten-free) and pancake toppings (the lengthy list spans from M&Ms to pineapple to cottage cheese) then fire up the griddle in the center of your table and prepare them yourself. The fun doesn’t stop at pancakes, as diners can also cook their own eggs, French toast, and hash browns.
New York-style deli Noshville serves breakfast and lunch favorites daily from morning till mid-afternoon in Green Hills. For breakfast, heap a plate with bite-size silver dollar potato cakes, griddle cakes, and omelets dressed with veggies and corned beef. For lunch, you can’t go wrong with a combo of creamy dill tomato soup and a chicken salad sandwich.
Blink and you’d miss one of Nashville’s most famous roadside diners, the Loveless Cafe, a former motel hosting travelers on Bellevue’s Highway 100. Still marked by its iconic neon sign declaring “No Vacancy,” Loveless is known best these days for its biscuits — the diner cranks out up to 10,000 every single day — which pair beautifully with the restaurant’s own fruit preserves and hearty dishes like fried chicken and country ham. While the line here can be daunting, pass the time by perusing biscuit mix, preserves, and more homestyle goodies at the shops that now occupy the motel space.
