Best road-trip restaurants in Tennessee
Start here: 89 route-useful dining stops in Tennessee, grouped by town and filtered by cuisine or price. This is the curated road-trip layer, not every restaurant in the state.
Updated 2026-07-01. Check current hours, reservations, and seasonal closures before you go.
89 spots
Chattanooga5Town guide →
Southside destination for creative rustic Italian cooking, hand-made pasta and Neapolitan pizza served on a serene brick-walled patio.
West Village Chattanooga bistro in a converted bottling plant, leaning on a deep raw bar of oysters and crudo with a serious cocktail list.
Riverside North Chattanooga trattoria plating American-Italian dishes from carefully sourced local ingredients on a plant-lined patio.
Southside butcher shop and restaurant serving premium house-butchered cuts, charcuterie and a cult burger in a farm-to-table setting.
North Chattanooga neighborhood tavern since 2006, a staple for craft beer, elevated pub fare and a beloved burger.
Gatlinburg7Town guide →
Contemporary American steakhouse in the heart of Gatlinburg serving premium steaks, fresh seafood, and locally sourced trout.
Big skillet breakfasts in a camp-themed room near the Gatlinburg end of Newfound Gap Road, built for a long park day.
A Gatlinburg breakfast classic for the Sugarlands side of Newfound Gap Road.
A Gatlinburg trout dinner that fits Newfound Gap Road better than another generic strip meal.
Big log-cabin dining room at the Smokies doorstep, dependable for families coming off Newfound Gap Road into Gatlinburg.
A Little Pigeon River steakhouse dinner after crossing the Smokies.
Reservation-only lunch tea room tucked in the hills serving homemade seasonal fare with a devoted local following.
Knoxville6Town guide →
Downtown Knoxville favorite turning out blistered Neapolitan-style pizzas on a naturally leavened sourdough crust with local toppings.
Downtown Knoxville taqueria pairing creative mix-and-match tacos with award-winning margaritas and sides like street corn.
James Beard-winning chef Joseph Lenn's downtown Knoxville room celebrating Appalachian ingredients with wood-fired, seasonally driven cooking.
Cozy, romantic downtown Knoxville osteria serving upscale authentic Italian dishes with a Wine Spectator-awarded list.
Michelin-noted north Gay Street deli serving Eastern European and Jewish fare like lox bialys, matzoh ball soup and house babka.
Market Square burger destination grinding house blends for craft patties, paired with bourbon and patio people-watching.
Leiper's Fork1
Manchester1
Maryville2
Memphis13Town guide →
Warm, hospitable downtown Memphis soul-food spot where Betty Joyce Chester-Tamayo serves fried chicken, cabbage and famous ghetto-aid punch.
Michelin-noted neighborhood kitchen where two Memphis chefs root handmade Italian food in Southern tradition and family recipes.
Downtown and citywide Memphis smokehouse favorite since 2002, drawing crowds for its dry-rubbed ribs and pulled pork near the Civil Rights Museum.
The smoky downtown Memphis rib institution for the riverfront stretch of the Great River Road.
Award-winning Memphis pit legend since 1977 known for barbecued Cornish game hens and ribs smoked over charcoal.
One of Memphis's first true fine-dining rooms, chef Erling Jensen plates elegant contemporary cuisine praised by the James Beard Foundation.
Downtown Memphis fine-dining room built around flights, letting diners sample trios of entrees, desserts and wines side by side.
Memphis's original prime steakhouse since 1977, a clubby East Memphis destination for aged beef and tableside classics.
Cult Memphis fried-chicken destination born in nearby Mason, frying spicy-battered birds served with slaw and beans downtown.
Family-run cinderblock Midtown institution since 1972, revered for its chopped pork sandwich piled with tangy mustard slaw.
Kelly English's refined East Memphis room delivering a Memphis take on classic Creole cooking with French finesse.
Midtown Memphis smokehouse credited with inventing barbecue spaghetti, serving ribs on Texas toast since the early 1970s.
Historic South Memphis soul-food restaurant, a civil-rights-era gathering place still serving fried catfish, greens and neckbones.
Murfreesboro2
Nashville36Town guide →
A four-story honky-tonk pairing Southern plates and live music on Broadway. (Lower Broadway)
James Beard American Classic cafeteria that is the gold standard for the meat-and-three. (The Gulch)
Michelin-starred 24-seat back room hidden behind a lively cocktail bar. (Wedgewood-Houston)
Edgehill Village pizzeria crafting authentic wood-fired Neapolitan pies and Italian classics in a snug, family-run space.
A no-frills 1997 institution beloved for cayenne-crusted chicken and hot fish. (East Nashville)
Vegetable-forward Middle Eastern small plates with a standout whipped feta. (East Nashville)
Maneet Chauhan's playful Indian-Southern fusion in a converted brick garage. (Germantown)
James Beard winner Tandy Wilson's Italian-Southern kitchen with wood-fired pizza. (Germantown)
Award-winning family barbecue known for brisket burnt ends and the Tuck Special. (12 South)
The neighborhood anchor for blistered New York-style slices and a late-night window. (East Nashville)
East Nashville wood-fired favorite turning out blistered pizzas and seasonal vegetable plates that regulars argue is the city's best pie.
The modern hot-chicken standard-bearer with a heat ladder to Shut the Cluck Up. (Midtown)
Julia Sullivan's airy oyster-and-cocktail room with a rotating raw bar. (Germantown)
A soulful neighborhood restaurant of wood-fired pizza and seasonal farm plates. (East Nashville)
Michelin-starred Japanese-influenced room built around dumplings and kakigori. (Edgehill)
A biscuit-and-country-breakfast institution right where the Natchez Trace begins near Nashville.
James Beard-nominated masa maestro hand-nixtamalizing heirloom corn. (The Gulch)
Margot McCormack's market-driven French-Italian bistro since 2001. (East Nashville)
Whole-hog West Tennessee pit barbecue smoked over hickory from Pat Martin. (Downtown)
A food-truck-turned-cult-favorite counter for fried avocado and fish tacos. (East Nashville)
A restored historic building offering a refined sit-down escape from the honky-tonks. (Lower Broadway)
Communal family-style feasting in a 1905 Victorian mansion with skillet-fried chicken. (Germantown)
Family-style Southern feast served at shared tables in a Germantown Victorian, where bowls of comfort food are passed until you surrender.
Upscale sushi room sourcing pristine fish for inventive rolls and nigiri. (The Gulch)
Southern-soul-meets-Tokyo ramen bar famous for Tonkotsu and a hot-chicken bun. (The Gulch)
Carey Bringle's acclaimed spot for Tennessee dry-rubbed ribs and its own whiskey. (The Gulch)
Candlelit East Nashville spot serving Spanish-inspired small plates meant for lingering over vermouth and sherry.
The family that invented Nashville hot chicken in the 1930s, still frying it to order. (Nolensville Pike)
Philip Krajeck's modern peasant food of house-made pasta and seasonal plates. (Germantown)
Third-generation soul-food haven tucked near the Farmers' Market, nourishing Nashvillians with hearty daily-changing plates for over seventy years.
Family-run since 1954, a soul-food cafeteria feeding locals for generations. (North Nashville)
Michelin-starred counter-seated tasting menu that pioneered Nashville's high-end scene. (Midtown)
A Charlotte Pike staple widely called the best pho and banh mi in the city.
Time-capsule meat-and-three in The Nations serving a rotating Southern menu from vinyl booths that have barely changed in seventy years.
An all-vegetarian South Indian favorite whose dosas convert carnivores. (Elliston Place)
Buzzy East Nashville kitchen slinging an ever-changing menu of Asian street food alongside a cult griddled cheeseburger.
Pigeon Forge1
Shiloh1
Tellico Plains6Town guide →
A Tellico Plains tavern stop for the Cherohala Skyway approach, built for the kind of hungry mountain-road day this route creates.
A riverside Tellico Plains grill at the western Cherohala gateway.
A Tellico Plains Mexican stop with easy gateway-town utility before the Cherohala climb or as a recovery meal after it.
A low-key Tellico Plains burger-and-ice-cream stop that fits the slower east-end rhythm of the Cherohala Skyway.
A Tellico Plains bakery and pizza stop at the western gate of the Cherohala Skyway.
Small-town barbecue and grill plates on the Cherohala gateway, useful before the climb toward Bald River Falls.
Townsend8Town guide →
A Townsend breakfast-and-lunch anchor for Cades Cove mornings, with enough local-market energy to feel like part of the quiet-side Smokies.
A simple drive-in burger stop for the Cades Cove day, useful when the loop runs long and nobody wants to fight Pigeon Forge traffic.
A quieter Townsend dinner for the Cades Cove side of the park.
A low-key Townsend pub stop for sandwiches and casual dinner after Cades Cove, far calmer than dropping into the bigger tourist towns.
A modern Townsend hangout that fits the quieter Cades Cove gateway, with shareable food and an easy post-loop patio mood.
Craft beer and riverfront pub food on the peaceful side of the Smokies, perfect after Cades Cove without leaving Townsend.
Townsend coffee roaster and breakfast stop for early Cades Cove entry days, before the loop road backs up.
A Townsend steak-and-trout stop at the quiet Smokies gateway, useful after Cades Cove without dropping into Pigeon Forge traffic.
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