Yes, and it’s not close. BNA has consistently ranked among the best airport dining experiences in the country, and the gap between what you can eat here versus the average American airport has widened significantly since the BNA Vision and New Horizon expansion projects began reshaping the terminal.
The key to understanding BNA’s food scene is that nearly every restaurant in the building is a local Nashville concept or a regional Tennessee brand. The national chain fast food that dominates most airports is largely pushed to the margins here. This was a deliberate decision by airport concessions operator Fraport Nashville, which received the 2025 ACI-NA Richard A. Griesbach Award for Excellence in Airport Concessions.
The Anchors Worth Knowing
Puckett’s Grocery & Restaurant in Concourse D is the single best sit-down option in the building. The brand has operated in Tennessee since the 1950s and the airport location delivers the same meat-and-three Southern cooking with live music running alongside. It draws a crowd even among people not catching flights.
Directly across from Puckett’s sits The Southern Steak & Oyster, which runs slightly more upscale with Gulf and Caribbean-inspired proteins and a full bar. Both restaurants have grab-and-go sections at the front for people who need something faster.
Swett’s BBQ near Gate C13 is the sleeper pick for anyone who knows Nashville. The original location on Clifton Avenue near TSU has been a Black-owned institution since 1954, and the airport version stays true to the cafeteria-style format, rotating daily specials including the legendary potato salad hash brown casserole when it appears.
For hot chicken specifically, both Hattie B’s (near Gate D3 area) and 400 Degrees (Concourse C, Priority Pass eligible) are in the building. Hattie B’s includes an exclusive breakfast menu until 10am with specialty biscuits unavailable at street locations. Party Fowl handles hot chicken in the Southwest terminal.
PigStar by Peg Leg Porker brings pitmaster Carey Bringle’s Memphis-style BBQ into the terminal with pulled pork sandwiches and classic smoked sides. Slim & Husky’s Pizza represents the beloved North Nashville pizza and rap culture brand.
ACME Feed & Seed is the BNA-exclusive version of the Broadway institution, offering scratch-made Southern dishes, local craft beers, and live performances. Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge has a location near Gate C7 with actual live music, turning a concourse waiting area into something resembling the real thing on lower Broadway.
For coffee, Bongo Java near Gate C5 is Nashville’s oldest coffeehouse (open since 1993) operating inside the terminal, serving direct-trade beans with a grab-and-go layout. Fat Bottom Brewery handles craft beer for people who want a Nashville-made pint before a flight.
The 2025 Concourse D Expansion
Eight new venues opened in the Concourse D extension as part of the New Horizon program. New Heights Cantina & Taqueria presses tortillas to order, mixes salsas fresh, and has a taco truck window for grab-and-go. The Castle, inspired by Geodis Park, focuses on Nashville SC culture alongside food and drinks. Martini lounge serves shaken cocktails and Frothy Monkey coffee. Flytes Virtual Dining Hall offers California Pizza Kitchen and Earl of Sandwich from a single tech-forward counter.
What to Skip
The national chains are here for a reason. McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Chick-fil-A, and Starbucks are in the building and will continue to be because a percentage of travelers want familiar food before a flight. That’s fine. But spending your last dollar on Nashville soil at a McDonald’s near Gate B is an avoidable tragedy given the alternatives one concourse over.
Practical Notes
Most sit-down restaurants open around 6am or 7am and run through final flights. Grab-and-go sections operate with slightly extended hours. Concourse C holds the deepest concentration of local restaurants. If you’re flying Southwest (Concourse D), Puckett’s and The Southern are your best full-service options. Priority Pass holders should go to 400 Degrees in Concourse C, which allows $28 per person against card membership benefits.
BNA’s food scene is legitimately good enough to budget extra time at the airport for. That’s a sentence that applies to almost no other airport in Tennessee and very few in the South.
Sources
- We Get to Travel: Best Nashville Airport Food Options (February 2024) – wegettotravel.com
- Things To Do In Nashville TN: Nashville Airport Food (December 2025) – thingstodoinnashvilletn.com
- Global Travel Retail Magazine: Nashville International Airport Concourse D shops and restaurants – gtrmag.com
- StyleBlueprint: BNA New Horizon Concourse D expansion (July 2025) – styleblueprint.com
- Nashville Lifestyles: Where to Eat at BNA (February 2024) – nashvillelifestyles.com
- Airports International: Nashville boosts restaurant offering – airportsinternational.com
- BNA Official Website: flynashville.com