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Best Chef: Vivek Surti
Surti makes what he calls “first-generation food” at Tailor, his Germantown restaurant in Nashville, Tennessee named after his grandfather. He combines Gujarati Indian and Southern traditions into his coursed-out meals, which are crafted storytelling experiences, making them more of a supper club than a standard fine dining experience. You’ll find dal and roti on the menu, but no curry (that’s a British dish, not an Indian one). Each meal ends with chai made from Surti’s grandfather’s recipe and an understanding of why Surti has a James Beard semifinalist nod for Best Chef: Southeast.
Vivek Surti’s Tennessee Recommendations:
Scott Parker’s BBQ, Lexington
My favorite barbecue in Tennessee is Scott Parker’s in Lexington because they do traditional West Tennessee whole hog barbecue. facebook.com/bescottsbbq
Main Street Meats, Chattanooga
Whenever I’m driving through Chattanooga, I stop by Main Street Meats for their delicious sandwiches.
This is my go-to restaurant in Nashville—it consistently makes some of the best food in town, supports local farmers, and has great vibes.
My favorite special occasion dining is Bastion, which is where I celebrate my birthday every year.
My favorite OG Nashville spot, which I still frequent two to three times a month, is Baja Burrito for their fish burritos and legendary fruit tea.
Best Mixologist: Aaron Thompson and Jessica “Rabbit” King
Partners Thompson and King oversee a team of bar managers at their Italian aperitivo bar, having sipped their way through Rome, Milan, New York, and elsewhere to design the best bitter premeal cocktails for the Scruffy City. The two have been fixtures behind Knoxville bars for decades, developing drinks rooted in tradition but also modernized for American tastes. Brother Wolf’s joyful, funky menu of 11 negronis and 32 wines by the glass complements their adjacent Osteria Stella, an intimate Italian restaurant.
Aaron Thompson’s Tennessee Recommendations:
Chez Guevara, Knoxville
This off-the-beaten-path Tex-Mex spot has had a huge following since the 1980s because it has good chips and salsa, strong margaritas, and really good service. facebook.com/chez.guevara.knoxville
Tern Club, Knoxville
This small Knoxville spot has a tiki vibe and very strong drinks, as most tiki bars have. @ternclub
If you ask anyone in Knoxville their favorite Asian restaurant, they’re going to say the family-run Sticky Rice Café, which serves traditional Lao recipes.
When I go to Nashville, I have to go to Old Glory. I know it is not the newest, but you can’t not have a good time there.
Alleia is rustic and chic and has exciting interpretations of classic Italian dishes.
The Best of Tennessee
Best New Restaurant: Heirloom Room, Gatlinburg
Under the guidance of chef Jeremy Hemen, Gatlinburg’s Heirloom Room offers a fine-dining experience that is worth fighting the tourist-laden traffic for. His menu features Appalachian ingredients made using French techniques, and it’s served up in a riverside luxury hotel with a Smoky Mountain backdrop. Be ready to choose from more bourbons than you can count.
Best Jewish Comfort Food: Potchke Deli, Knoxville
The idea behind this Knoxville Jewish deli was to be a one-year pop-up experiment. Luckily, Emily Williams and Laurence Faber have decided to keep offering their joy-infused deli treats. A second bakery-focused location opened in early 2025 in the Cedar Bluff neighborhood, assuring us the Potchke goods will be around for years to come.
Best Deli: Gold’s Deli, Columbia
Columbia is 49 miles south of Nashville, but that’s not stopping locals from driving there and back for one of these mammoth pastrami, turkey, or other classic sandwiches from Gold’s Deli. Sit at the tiny counter and chat over lunch or take it back to the office and make your coworkers jealous.
Best Tried & True Restaurant: Easy Bistro & Bar, Chattanooga
Erik and Amanda Niel have opened other restaurants since this one (including Little Coyote, which made our list last year). But there’s something, well, easy about this spot that has been feeding Chattanoogans from West Village since 2005. It’s special, but not special occasion. Oyster happy hour takes place every day.
Tastiest Social Enterprise: The Art House Café , Memphis
A project of Memphis Artists for Change, this café offers goods by local artists, from books to paintings to handmade jewelry, plus a menu that is a combination of tried-and-true favorites and unusual twists (broccoli cheese cornbread, anyone?). Funds from the restaurant help support other arts and business endeavors in Memphis’ Soulsville community.
Best Doughnut: Gibson’s Donuts , Memphis
It’s the simplest idea (as well as being anti-food waste): a doughnut rolled in the crumbs of other doughnuts. That combination is served at Gibson’s, a Memphis staple since 1967. The crumb, with sugar, blueberry, and tastes of other baked goods, is crunchy, fruity, and sweet all at once. The pineapple fritter is also a crowd-pleaser. (901) 682-8200
Best Plant-Based Night Out: Fancypants, Nashville
Fancypants isn’t exclusively vegetarian, but its main menu is all plant-based. Creative options, such as a turnip-noodle lasagna, make everything feel, well, fancy. The menu is cheeky, with a wink and a nod to meat-and-threes. The service is always unpretentious, as is the welcome cocktail you’re offered when you walk in.
Best University Campus Dining: Judith, Sewanee
Forget pizza, cafeteria chow, or whatever else you think is served on or around college campuses. Nashville’s James Beard Award-nominated chef Julia Sullivan opened this refined American tavern in the old steam laundry at the bucolic University of the South to create a place where students, faculty, tourists, and locals all want to eat.
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