The Most Flavorful Soul Food in Nashville

Monell's Dining & Catering

★★★★★ 4.6 (1995) • $$

"Five stars! What a great experience! AYCE fried chicken meal at Monell's. You enter the landmark building & are seated with 12 people at a communal table. Fried chicken is the main start of this meal. It comes with sides such as cheddar cheese grits, corn grits, bacon, sausage, potatoes, ham, cinnamon rolls, biscuits & white gravy, pancakes, and more! Meals are served with sweet tea, coffee, unsweetened tea. Take a serving and pass to the left!The servers constantly check to see if the table has enough food! You will get your fill and the dishes never run out! Fun meeting people who live locally, across the nation, and even from Canada. Staff are fast and friendly!"

Prince's Hot Chicken South

★★★★☆ 3.8 (917) • $$

"We came around lunch time, it took about 20 minutes for our chicken pieces to come out. The chicken was oily but flavorful. The quarter breast was decent size."

Bolton's Spicy Chicken & Fish

★★★★☆ 3.6 (697)

"A small hole in the wall spot, this place really surprised me. I got a fish sando and chicken and it was good, This place imo had the hottest seasoning on their chicken compared to the other well know spots in Nashville. The parking here is easy and a decent amount of seating. The set up here is real simple, counter to order and pick up. They do take card which is nice. The fish sando was crispy and well cooked. The chicken was hott and well spiced."

Hai Woon Dai

★★★★☆ 4.1 (253) • $$

"Don't let the modest exterior fool you, this place serves up the best Korean food in Nashville! They have an extensive menu of all the classics (bibimbap, soft tofu soup, barbecued meats like bulgogi and Galbi, stews for 2, Korean pancakes, you name it). Big portions and authentic taste. Their Banchan is also solid - love their potatoes. Comfy seating with booths and tables, and a back room for overflow seating. Food can sometimes be a little slow to come out if they're busy but it's worth it!"

Lana's Copper Kettle

★★★★☆ 3.6 (157)

Bailey & Cato's

★★★★☆ 3.6 (91) • $

"This place is straight fire!!!! The lady at the hotel recommended we check this place out and I'm glad we did. This was one of the best meals I've had in a long time and we will definitely be back again. Oh yeah and make sure you get the ribs"

Silver Sands Cafe

★★★★☆ 4 (59) • $

"I've never heard of Silver Sands despite the popularity for decades but after mentioning that I'm a big-time lover of country cooking, my coworker said I should go with him. I finally gave in and told him I'd try it. My only regret is that I didn't try it sooner.Silver Sands isn't exactly where I would go for a meal. I guess you could say I'm never really in that part of town and even if I was, I would have overlooked it. It is a hole-in-the-wall and I'm ashamed because I know just as well as any foodie that hole-in-the-wall establishments have some of the best food.They were serving oxtails the day I went and I *LOVE* oxtails. Silver Sands has a wide variety of foods they serve plus daily specials. I came really close to wanting to try the pork chops or fried chicken but the fact that I haven't had oxtails since I went to a Jamaican restaurant in Lavergne made me choose what I came for. I got the mac & cheese (supposedly legendary) and the turnip greens. I was asked when ordering if I wanted a flat(?) or a hot water. I had no clue what she was talking about, so I just said a flat. What it ended up being is this round cornbread-type cake. I don't know why it's called what it's called and I'm quite curious what a "hot water" tastes like.Anyway, the oxtails were AMAZING. You get a small and large oxtail and a large spoonful of the gravy (I think it's more like a stew). I dipped my flat cornbread in it until it was gone and then I ate all of it with a spoon. The oxtail was meaty and rich, and the gravy was the perfect blend of savory and salty. The mac and cheese was creamy and had a nice tang to it (I read while waiting it had Velveeta cheese in it). Say what you will about American cheese, sometimes it's the best cheese in certain dishes. The turnip greens were fantastic, not at all bitter and I didn't even need pepper vinegar (a condiment I usually pair with it).Silver Sands is awesome and I'm sad I haven't been there sooner. It is a bit pricey (oxtails is one of the most expensive) but I want to go back and try their other stuff too."

Doll's Family Cafe

★★★★☆ 4.2 (49)

"7.30 was my very 1st time here. I had heard about it from acquaintances. I personally don't prefer to cook on Fridays or Saturdays so I decided to give them a try. It was good. I am picky about my soul food being from Memphis. I had the Fried chicken, cabbage and Mac n cheese. I got my husband the ribs, cabbage and Mac and cheese. He was at work so I took him his food and told him to let me know how it was. The plate was gone within 5 minutes of me dropping it off. Will definitely keep them in my food arsenal."

QC Kitchen

★★★★★ 4.6 (34)

"Do yourself a favor and go to QC Kitchen if you are downtown. This places offers the best soul food in town. It's a no fluff spot that just has great food. It's located in a small food hall. You can just walk up to the counter and order. Or you can do what I did and order through UberEats and just pick up. While staying at The Joseph nearby I walked my ass over to QC to pickup my pork chop order. Most of the meats comes with two sides. I got their yams and green beans. The two pieces of fried pork chop was amazing. It was perfectly fried and deliciously flavored. The green beans and yams were also really good. I was really happy with my meal and was totally satisfied. The portion was pretty large. I paid a total of $27 for my pork chop with two sides. They also had chicken, salmon, shrimp, turkey leg, and lamb. The inside of this place is very causal. There are some tables and chairs that they share communally with the restaurants next door."

Ramzy’s Meat & Three

★★★★☆ 4.3 (32)

"This place looked pretty grungy but I felt like that was part of the look.It's cafeteria style service. I got the 3 sides - greens, candied yams and greens. I wasn't blown away by the sides. I tried my friends catfish which was really good but other than that, not impressed."

Barr's Music City Soul Food

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (53)

"A perfect place for takeout soul food! While you can eat at the outdoor tables or limited indoor seating, it's best suited for a quick takeaway. The line can get a little long, but the staff is friendly and does their best. The bonus is a lot of food (especially fish) is cooked fresh. There are at least 10 sides to choose from. I enjoyed the dressing, tastes homemade, and the whiting was perfectly seasoned and fried. Numerous desserts and beverages are available also. I would return for a soul food meal."

Granny's Kitchen

★★★★☆ 3.8 (18)

"Walking in was strange, there are no directions or signs once you pull in from Hwy 70/Lebanon Rd and the building you see looks to be only a salon. The restaurant is NOT one of these two doors on the main building. Keep pulling all the way around the back of the lot and Granny's is a separate spot on the backside to the far LEFT. You can't see this from the road or initially when pulling into the parking lot. The walk into the restaurant is also odd, as it's a small walkway between the two buildings to get in.Once we made our way in the folks were super nice, and the food was very good. The only thing I could think the whole time I was eating was: this is what I think of when your family's done with the first round of Thanksgiving dinner and then you head back an hour later for your first plate of leftovers. Yeah, the plate'll be reheated, but at about 4pm when you are hankerin for that second plate do you ever care that you have to throw some stuff in the microwave for a minute? No you do not.I will say, the restaurant needs some MUSIC! The place was dead quiet the whole time we were there, except for our own chewing.Overall, pretty good spot and good eats. We'll likely go back if we're in the mood for a change-of-pace meal here and there."

Fame Us Carribean And Soul Food

★★★★☆ 4.2 (14)

"I think this place has a lot of potential. I love the combination of Caribbean and Soul Food. There isn't much seating, so if you want to go with a group, I suggest making sure that you either drive one car (because there is not much parking) and get there once they open. I look forward to going back!"

Carol Anns Home Cooking Cafe

★★★☆☆ 2.9 (29) • $$

Fame-Us Caribbean Soul Food Cafe

★★★★★ 4.5 (11)

"This is one of the best west Indies-Caribbean places here in Nashville that I've taste so far!! The people are very nice, the place is very clean And they give you nice portions for the price. So make sure you make your way down to Fame-Us Caribbean soul food restaurant, I guarantee you won't be disappointed!!"

Hella Hot Chicken

★★★★☆ 3.5 (17)

"Not a bad option.. this place is one of the closest hot chicken place close to hermitage and antioch area.Firdt impression was, hmm did i make the right choice.. but the taste was not bad at all.."

Big Mama's Soul Food

★★★☆☆ 2.9 (18)

"Not bad...I always have to try out local soul food joints and the food was pretty good. I got the chicken and dressing with green beans, macaroni and cheese, hot water cornbread and a chicken breast...it was good but I always say the chicken and dressing could use more to it...just a lil dry...there is seating available if needed. The staff is friendly..."

Fowl Play Hot Chicken

★★★★★ 4.8 (5)

"I know all the stories, I've been to all of them- Prince's, Bolton's, all the way to the newer ones like Party Fowl. I like them all, the reviews are legit. But believe me when I tell you this is the best of them all. I would be willing to say it's the best fried chicken in all of Nashville. The sides I had,(You can't see the cole slaw and potato salad) were OUTSTANDING and all homemade. I will also say I've never had a better burger, anywhere. I can't recommend this place enough, but BE CAREFUL when ordering spice level. When it says hot, they are not lying! Be conservative because their final 2 levels are BLAZING! Go see these kind folks and you'll see what I mean."

Holts Kitchen

★★★★★ 5 (1)

"Something told me to stop here; great choice! Catfish was incredible and the Mac/cheese was real stuff; green beans awesome. It's mostly a to go place but there is a counter snd some stools to sit inside. And it's all prepared for you so you'll wait for it to be cooked (not just warmed in the microwave). I'll definitely stop here again. Good down home food!"