What Are the Best Meat-and-Three Restaurants in Nashville?

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Start with Arnold’s Country Kitchen at 605 8th Ave S. The Infatuation’s Nashville meat-and-three guide, updated August 8, 2025, calls it “the gold standard.” It says that after a brief hiatus in 2023, Arnold’s reopened with the same cafeteria line and steaming trays of Southern classics (The Infatuation). The guide lists nine places in all. For history, Swett’s in North Nashville is a family-run diner that first opened in 1954 and served celebrities, civil rights activists, and local sports legends. Elliston Place Soda Shop has served Southern sides and main dishes since 1939, along with phosphate sodas and malts. Wendell Smith’s in The Nations has been around for 70 years, with a rotating menu of Southern and soul food dishes.

The Guide’s Nine Meat-and-Threes

Restaurant Address Area What the guide highlights
Arnold's Country Kitchen 605 8th Ave S The Gulch fried chicken and roast beef from a cafeteria line
Swett's 2725 Clifton Ave North Nashville a family-run diner since 1954
Centennial Cafe 5207 Centennial Blvd The Nations crispy fried chicken and a big slice of meatloaf
Wendell Smith's 407 53rd Ave The Nations a rotating Southern and soul food menu, around for 70 years
Elliston Place Soda Shop 2105 Elliston Pl Elliston Place Southern plates since 1939, plus phosphate sodas and malts
Silver Sands Cafe 937 Locklayer St North Nashville soul food from a third-generation family, including croquettes
Lil Cee's 605 Douglas Ave East Nashville fried pork chops; bring cash and go Thursday to Sunday before 5 p.m.
City Cafe East 1455 Lebanon Pike Spence Lane weekday lunch only; slow-cooked roast beef and a cajun corncake
Doll's Cafe 2501 Gallatin Ave East Nashville fried chicken; a takeout lunch stop

Source: The Infatuation, August 8, 2025. Hours change, so check each restaurant before you go.

Planning Your Meat-and-Three

  1. Go at lunch; several of these are lunch-only or close early, such as Lil Cee’s and City Cafe East.
  2. Bring cash for places like Lil Cee’s.
  3. Learn the format first in why Nashville is considered the capital of meat-and-three dining.

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