Cheap Eats in Nashville: Meat and Three and Hot Chicken

Cheap eats in Nashville are easier to find than the city's reputation suggests. Behind the honky-tonks and the tasting menus, lunch counters, hot chicken shacks and taco windows serve filling food at modest cost. A meat-and-three lunch counter and the hot chicken shack that started the city's signature dish are the names that come up most.

Make lunch your main meal, share plates and look for specials. Start with mild or medium if you are new to hot chicken.

Many Nashville counters have been serving filling food for years, and lunch is the cheapest meal at most. Arrive before the noon rush at the meat and three places, since lines form early, and check hours, which differ between lunch counters and hot chicken shacks.

What counts as cheap eats in Nashville?

Cheap here means a satisfying meal at a casual counter, not a bargain at any cost. In Nashville, that usually means a plate lunch, a hot chicken sandwich, a taco or a biscuit. The counters below are the usual stops for a budget meal.

The best habit for stretching a budget is to eat your main meal at lunch, when many restaurants offer specials and smaller portions of dinner dishes. Plan your sightseeing around a late lunch and a light evening. Many visitors spend most of their food budget on the busiest downtown strips, where the main draw is the music, and miss the neighborhoods where locals eat. East Nashville, North Nashville and the area around Music Row all have simple places worth a detour.

Where can you find a Nashville meat and three?

A meat and three is a Southern lunch plate with one meat and three vegetable sides. The best-known examples are lunch counters, often open on weekdays only, with a line that forms early. A plate gets you a protein, three vegetables and tea for a modest amount. Check the hours before you go.

Choose roast beef, fried chicken or meatloaf as the meat, and sides like turnip greens, mac and cheese and green beans. Add a roll or cornbread, and a slice of pie if you have room. Arrive before the lunch rush.

A meat and three is a good way to learn Southern cooking. The vegetables are not an afterthought: they are cooked with care, often with smoked pork, and each kitchen has its own favorites. Ask the server which sides are best that day, and choose a mix of green, creamy and starchy.

Where is the best Nashville hot chicken for the money?

Hot chicken is the city's signature dish, and its home is North Nashville. The chicken is fried, then coated in a spicy paste, and served on white bread with pickles.

Choose your heat level carefully. Mild is not mild by most standards, and hot is very hot. Order a drink and some bread, and expect to wait for fresh chicken.

What about Nashville tacos?

Taco windows in East Nashville are cheap-eats favorites, with a short menu of tacos and a bowl of chicken tortilla soup. The line builds by noon, so go early.

Tacos are a cheap and quick meal. Order two or three, and ask for the salsas. Cash is a safe backup at small windows.

Which Nashville barbecue and diners are worth a visit?

Barbecue places with several locations are known for banana pudding as well as barbecue, and a local greasy spoon serves cheap diner food. Both are good choices for a casual meal with a group.

A diner burger, a plate of ribs or a pulled pork sandwich is a hearty meal that does not need an appetizer. Look for specials on a chalkboard, and ask what the kitchen has made that day. A short list of daily dishes often signals a cook who plans carefully and wastes little.

How do you eat well on a budget?

Eat lunch out and dinner light. Share plates, because portions are large. Order water instead of a soft drink, and skip cocktails unless you want one. Look for free parking, as downtown garages add cost.

Check opening hours, because many cheap-eats places are weekday-only or close in the afternoon. Bring cash in case the card reader is down.

When should you go?

Early. The lunch counter, the taco window and the hot chicken shacks all build lines by midday. A weekday visit is calmer than a weekend. If you cannot go early, go late, after the rush, but check that the kitchen has not sold out.

Plan for rain or heat. Many cheap places have limited seating, so be ready to eat standing or take a bag back to your hotel.

What to read next

For another Southern budget guide, see family friendly restaurants in Memphis and the Memphis fried chicken guide. The late night food in Atlanta guide covers another city's after-hours scene. See the US guides page for more.

A cheap meal can be the best of the trip. The Mosey app lets you rate each dish, write down the order and keep a Nashville budget list to share. Tag a plate lunch Great Value, a hot chicken stop Quick Service, and the note on the line tells the next hungry visitor when to go.