Tennessee

Some Memphis lunch habits are simple: find a table, order the chicken, and repeat for years. Downtown, there…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 26

Some restaurants chase a new trend every season, and some just keep the griddle going. In downtown Knoxville,…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 26

Some of the best lunches in Tennessee are not served in restaurants at all. They come from the…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 26

A good hamburger steak does not need a fancy name, a long menu description, or a big-city address.…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 25

Fried bologna might be the most honest sandwich in Tennessee, since it is just a thick slice of…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 25

Some of the best food in Tennessee comes wrapped in wax paper and costs less than a fancy…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 25

On a busy Saturday in Chattanooga, the line at one small North Shore shop can stretch clear out…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 25

In Tennessee, a big Sunday plate of fried chicken, turkey and dressing, greens, and cobbler does not have…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 25

Tennessee takes its gravy seriously, and nowhere is that clearer than on a plate of chicken-fried steak at…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 25

Some burger stands chase trends, and some just keep the grill going for more than half a century.…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 24

A headline about Brunswick stew and a cafe stool sets up a certain expectation, so here is the…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 24

There was a time when the town pharmacist knew your name, your kids, and exactly when your refill…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 24

Tennessee has plenty of fancy burgers, but the ones people keep coming back for are often pressed thin…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 24

Somewhere on the east side of Knoxville sits a two-story house that trades in soft serve, flavored milks,…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 24

Some coffee shops fill a corner. This one fills an entire city block in a small Tennessee college…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 24

Boiled peanuts are one of the South’s simplest road snacks, and Tennessee has plenty of roadside spots keeping…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 23

Some restaurants earn a loyal following by keeping things simple and generous, and one small-town Tennessee spot has…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 23

Chocolate gravy poured over a warm biscuit is one of those Tennessee breakfast traditions that a lot of…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 23

Tennessee takes its barbecue seriously, and few things sum up the state’s food pride like a soft bun…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 23

There is something about a donut made the same morning you eat it. No shipping, no shortcuts, just…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 23

A century-old log building sits just off a busy Tennessee interstate, and travelers keep pulling over to see…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 23

Tennessee still does a proper country buffet the old-fashioned way, with long steam tables and fried chicken that…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 22

Hidden down a winding drive that you cannot even spot from the main road, there sits a real…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 22

Some places make you feel like you pulled up a chair at your grandmother’s table without ever asking.…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 22

Fried catfish is one of those Tennessee meals people remember from Sunday dinners and family drives on country…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 22

Some places manage to hang on for decades while trends come and go, and this little spot in…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 22

Some folks map out road trips just to reach a single lunch counter, and this little smoked-meat stop…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 22

Three nights a week, cars fill a small lot along a quiet Tennessee highway, and folks who called…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 21

Tennessee takes its ribs seriously, and a handful of BBQ spots have been packing in hungry crowds for…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 21

Tennessee takes its biscuits seriously, and there is nothing quite like sitting down to a plate of them…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 21

Some places make you slow down without even trying. Tucked into a quiet Tennessee downtown sits an old…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 21

Tennessee has a way of turning a simple butcher counter into a road trip destination, and smoked sausage…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 21

Long before drive-thrus and app orders, the soda fountain was where small Tennessee towns gathered for a hand-dipped…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 21

Some folks drive nearly an hour, and a few have crossed several states, just to sit down for…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 20

Some people plan whole weekends around a plate of catfish and a basket of hot hushpuppies. Across Tennessee,…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 20

Tamales made the Mississippi Delta way have quietly become a Tennessee tradition, and once you try one, you…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 20

Some towns fit inside a single afternoon, and this one packs a whole century into a few short…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 20

Tennessee takes its barbecue seriously, and folks will happily plan a whole road trip around a single plate…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 20

A meat-and-three is one of Tennessee’s best food traditions, and the idea is simple. You pick one meat,…

By Caleb Whitaker · Sep 20