The 16 Best BBQ Joints in Nashville, According to Local Experts

Butchertown Hall may not be what you’d expect from a best-of-barbecue list, but this spot smokes some of the juiciest, German-inspired barbecue with a taste of Texas Hill Country. Its brisket is slow-cooked for 14 hours over white oak chips, charred to perfection, and served with either handmade tortillas, Texas toast, or on a sandwich. Go for the Texas Trinity and sample the brisket with ribs and house-made sausage.
Cavendish says: “It's always comforting to walk in and see both wood and fire.”

Edley’s is pretty much the perfect combination of BBQ and the Southern tradition of meat and three, with three outposts in 12th South, East Nashville and Sylvan Park, back up and smokin’. We recommend the Tuck Special, a brisket sandwich with housemade spicy pimento cheese, over-easy egg, and red and white sauce, or perhaps the Pork Tacos with slaw and pico de gallo. And if you think there’s nothing new left to discover in the world of ‘cue, Edley’s has worked to make their innovative Nashville Hot BBQ a thing, and it is! Sides are made daily, ranging from eight to 10 choices of secret family recipes.
Cavendish says: “Give proper respect to the place that will let you have banana pudding as a side item.”

Peg Leg Porker pitmaster Carey Bringle turned his attention from West Tennessee to Texas at his latest smoked meat emporium. While you’ll still find pork on the menu, the selections are much beefier than at his original joint in the Gulch. From smoky brisket to massive beef ribs and smoked prime rib, it’s a carnivore’s delight. The expansive outdoor area has quickly become a popular neighborhood hang thanks to picnic tables for families, huge televisions for watching the big game, local craft brews, and frozen cocktails.
Cavendish says: “FINALLY, someone has heard my pleas for burnt ends. Carey Bringle's West Side smoke emporium not only gives us the traditional beef version, but also pork belly burnt ends and thin cut glazed bacon. It's a welcome bit of diversity in a town devoted mostly to pork shoulders.”

Tucked behind the high rises of the Gulch, Peg Leg Porker has become a star on the Nashville BBQ scene since opening in 2013, and an expanded second story offers even more drinking and dining space in the “Pig Pen.” Plus, he has plans to open Bringle’s Smoking Oasis in The Nations and another spot in the airport as part of his plans for world barbie domination. A Nashville native, pitmaster Carey Bringle was raised on West Tennessee traditions and smokes his barbecue low and slow (as the pork gods intended) with a Memphis-style sauce on the side. Try the Memphis Sushi, a sausage and cheese platter on saltines, or the BBQ nachos to start, followed by the dry ribs, pulled pork platter, or the yardbird smothered in a tangy, white sauce with a Kool-Aid pickle on the side.
Cavendish says: “Bringle's ribs are so good they converted me to a fan of dry rub.”

Beef brisket used to be an afterthought at Nashville barbecue joints, rarely attempted and basically just tolerated as a change of pace from the usual porktopia. Once Bill Laviolette started importing Prime brisket and sausages from his home state of Texas and cooking them in his massive smoker, local barbecue lovers finally discovered what they had been missing. Now he’s the undisputed smoke beef king of Nashville and a welcome addition to the local barbecue scene. Order plates of meat “market-style” by the ¼ pound, and he’ll keep piling it on your plate until you cry uncle.
Cavendish says: “Shotgun Willie's is the best brisket in Nashville and second place is a distant second. There's just nobody else close. And you know, that would be good enough, but his sides are fantastic, including a 4-bean take on baked beans that I order every single time and cole slaw that pairs up well with fatty cuts of beef or pork.”

A few other barbecue joints have occupied this converted house off of Charlotte Pike, but nobody hit it big until The Ridge came in and took the menu over the top with loaded sandwiches and a few Latin-inspired specialty dishes. The BBQ Totchos come with tater tots topped with your choice of smoked meat, shredded cheese, sour cream, scallions, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, and the number of a good cardiologist. If somebody in your party isn’t feeling the barbecue, point them to the decadent smoked bologna or a roster of inventive burgers.
Cavendish says: “I'm always a fan of things on top of things. Sure, a pulled pork sandwich is good, but at the Ridge you can get it topped with a fried green tomato and bacon. It's a BPT instead of a BLT, something any meat lover should prefer.”

Pat Martin’s downtown outpost of his growing barbecue empire is definitely the jewel of the crown. The massive building boasts a full-service restaurant on the ground floor and a huge beer garden upstairs with picnic tables, a stage for live music, two bars, games and private dining space for up to 150 guests. Four whole hog pits contribute a hickory smoked incense that draws tourists and locals alike into the pitmaster playground for an evening of fun. Order any of Martin’s meats on a corncake known as a Redneck Taco for a unique experience.
Cavendish says: “Come for the whole hog, but don't forget the bologna.”

The godfather of BBQ in Nashville, Jack Cawthon opened this spot in 1976 overlooking the riverfront on Broadway and 1st Ave. It was one of the few successful restaurants on lower Broad back when Demonbreun St was nothing but wax museums. Today, there are three total locations, and the original now sits just a few blocks up next to Tootsies. It doesn’t discriminate on style, with a range of Tennessee pork shoulder, Texas brisket, smoked Boston turkey, and St. Louis ribs -- and it's all delicious.
Cavendish says: “Sneaky good brisket!”

Beloved by tourists for its biscuits and fried chicken, locals know The Loveless Café as a reliable spot for quality barbecue. Just a mere 20 minutes from Downtown, it’s worth the drive to sink your teeth into the pit-cooked pork with honey blackberry barbecue sauce, or the pit-smoked turkey with cranberry barbecue sauce. Watermelon ribs are a specialty you’ll not likely see anywhere else in town, so don’t skip it.
Cavendish says: “Sometimes I like to arrive early just to enjoy the sweet smoke coming off the pit out front.”

Puckett’s is known for its Southern staples like the chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits, and meat and three platters, but its cherry wood-smoked barbecue is some of the best around. And the serving options are endless—whether you choose pulled pork, brisket, ribs or chicken, you can have it in a skillet, on a platter with greens and smoked Gouda mac ‘n’ cheese, in a sandwich like the Tennessee Philly and Mojo Burger, or in a tortilla known as the “Redneck Burrito.”
Cavendish says: “The best option for a power lunch instead of a steakhouse.”

Bar-B-Cutie is a long-running Nashville tradition that started out in a downtown pie wagon in 1940 then became a South Nashville Car Hop in the ‘50s, all before evolving into a successful smokehouse chain with multiple locations throughout Middle Tennessee and beyond. Its Southern-style sides are made fresh daily and the banana pudding is certainly worth the struggle of saving room for dessert.
Cavendish says: “This is the place my father-in-law swore by for 40 years.”

Mainly known for soul food and meat and three fare, Swett’s upped its barbecue game a few years back when it added a new serving line and modern smokehouse dedicated to just smoked meats including ribs, pulled pork, chicken, brisket, and pork chops. It also serves delicious rib tips, a specialized dish found more often in Chicago than in the South. Finish off your meal with one of Swett’s signature cobblers.
Cavendish says: “After a decade in Chicago, it was good to come home and find rib tips on a menu.”

Like the Cracker Barrel of barbecue, Jim ‘N Nick’s tends to locate their restaurants near interstate exits and concentrates on a fanatical dedication to offering up consistent product from restaurant to restaurant. Their cheese biscuits are legendary and the Smoked Pork Hot Link app served with pimento cheese, saltines and serrano peppers is enough to make a meal out of.
Cavendish says: “We have been known to order a dozen (or two) cheddar biscuits with a takeout order.”

The vibe at Mary’s still harkens back to the days when barbecue was a takeaway food, so step up to the window and ask for extra napkins if you plan to eat in your car. Their iconic rib sandwich is basically a half rack of spares served with two pieces of white bread. They’ve earned the right to stretch the definition of “sandwich.”
Cavendish says: “The rib sandwich is a glorious mess!”

While grocery store shelves are filled with dozens of different types of barbecue sauces, the vast majority of sales come from bottles filled with a nicely balanced sweet/heat flavor profile. At HoneyFire BBQ Co. in Bellevue, pitmaster Shane Nasby has embraced what the people want with his combo of sweet and spice. Whether it’s smoked chicken wings tossed in the sauce or smoky ribs slathered with sweet and sticky lacquer, it just works. HoneyFire also features over-the-top sandwiches like the Southern Shine, topped with pulled pork, fried green tomatoes, pimento cheese and candied bacon.
Cavendish says: “An essential addition to the west side of town.”

Not many people know it, but Rippy’s actually started out when bond broker Jeff Rippy used to smoke pork ribs for his friends and customers on a charcoal grill in the alley behind Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge. When he got the chance to move into the large building on the corner across from Bridgestone Arena, he jumped on it, and barbecue history was made. In addition to live music and an always jam-packed bar scene, Rippy has seriously ramped up his rib production, smoking and selling hundreds of racks per day along with pulled pork and smoked chicken. There’s no better spot in town to enjoy barbecue while listening to live bands.
Cavendish says: “Look, I would never consciously recommend someone diving into the maw that is Lower Broadway, but if you find yourself pulled in by the vortex, Rippy's is a fine place to land for some ribs.”