In Tennessee, a big Sunday plate of fried chicken, turkey and dressing, greens, and cobbler does not have to wait for Sunday. Meat-and-threes are the steam-table restaurants where you pick one main dish and three sides, and they have fed working families, students, and road trippers across the state for decades.
This list covers seven of them, from a Nashville cafeteria line with roots in the 1950s to a small-town cafe on a railroad square, each with its own reason to earn a spot. Save it for your next drive across the state, because a good plate lunch on a Tuesday is one of the best deals in Tennessee.
1. Swett’s, Nashville, TN
Nashville has changed a lot since the 1950s, but the cafeteria line at Swett’s still works the same way. You grab a tray, point at what you want, and walk out the other end with a plate that looks a lot like Sunday at a relative’s house.
The family-owned restaurant on Clifton Avenue is one of the city’s longtime meat-and-three institutions. Fried chicken, catfish, meatloaf, pork chops, pulled pork with homemade barbecue sauce, and turkey and dressing rotate through the line, along with collard greens, cornbread, fried apples, and casseroles.
The format is flexible, too. You can load up on more sides than the name suggests if the vegetables are calling you.
Save room for dessert. Chess pie, sweet potato pie, peach cobbler, and blackberry cobbler are all part of the lineup, and the sweet tea fits right in.
Swett’s is open every day from 11 AM to 8 PM, which is exactly why it leads this list. Sunday afternoon is the busiest stretch, so a weekday lunch is the calmer way to get your turkey and dressing fix.
Reservations are not taken, but there is a free parking lot and usually plenty of room to park. Takeout and catering are available if you want to bring the spread home.
2. The Cupboard Restaurant, Memphis, TN
Here is a small piece of math that Memphis regulars figured out long ago. At The Cupboard, upgrading from a meat and two to a meat and three costs only about a dollar more, so almost nobody stops at two.
The Midtown restaurant on Union Avenue opens at 7 AM every single day, which makes it the early bird of this list. Breakfast plates like three eggs with bacon come first, then the lunch and dinner lineup takes over until 8 PM.
Plates arrive with homemade rolls and cornbread, and the daily specials keep things interesting. Blackened catfish, country fried steak, and chicken and dressing share the menu with sides like eggplant casserole, corn pudding, pinto beans, cucumber salad, and a much-loved Italian spinach.
Service is a big part of the appeal. Some servers have been with the restaurant for decades, and the dining room has a no-frills, family-style setup where people clearly come back week after week.
Vegetable lovers do well here, with plenty of meatless options on the menu. For dessert, coconut meringue pie and pecan pie are the ones to know.
There is free on-site parking, reservations are not taken, and Sunday afternoon draws the biggest crowd.
3. Southern Star, Chattanooga, TN
Here is the twist in this lineup. Southern Star serves Sunday-dinner food only on weekdays, open Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 6 PM and closed on Saturday and Sunday.
That schedule makes it a favorite for downtown Chattanooga workers who want a real lunch instead of a sad desk sandwich. The restaurant sits at 1300 Broad Street in a low-key space with high ceilings, plus indoor and outdoor seating.
A well-stocked food line anchors the operation, and the Meat and Three is printed right on the menu. Fried chicken, meatloaf, and ribs are regular picks, with sides like red potatoes, pinto beans, mac and cheese, sweet potato casserole, broccoli casserole, and cornbread.
The menu stretches past the classic plate, too. Shrimp and grits, Brunswick stew, fried green tomatoes, a honey hot chicken sandwich, and a Charleston salad with fried chicken give repeat visitors plenty of room to wander.
French silk pie leads a dessert selection that tends to include several choices.
Southern Star also accepts reservations, which is handy for group lunches. Takeout, delivery, and catering are options for office crowds, and the side portions sold on their own are large enough to help feed a family at home.
4. Jackie’s Dream, Knoxville, TN
Nashville does not get to keep all the hot chicken glory. Jackie’s Dream puts Knoxville Hot Chicken on its own menu, and it pairs beautifully with a plate full of soul food sides.
The restaurant on East Jackson Avenue is a bare-bones, hole-in-the-wall kind of place, and that is part of the charm. The attention goes into the plates.
Meatloaf, fried catfish, fried chicken, chicken tenders, and ribs are among the mains. Sides lean hearty, with collard greens, mac and cheese, fried okra, sweet potatoes, white beans, mashed potatoes, and fried green tomatoes.
I would save this one for a day when I am truly hungry. Combos like hot chicken with greens and sweet potatoes, or fried chicken with mac and cheese and fried okra, make ordering easy if you cannot decide.
Hours run Tuesday through Saturday from 11 AM to 9 PM, which makes it the late-night option on this list. Sunday service goes from 10:30 AM to 3 PM, a true after-church window, and it is the busiest time of the week.
The restaurant is closed on Mondays. Curbside pickup, takeout, and delivery are available, and there is a kids’ menu for younger diners.
5. Bishop’s, Franklin, TN
Can a meat-and-three and Nashville hot chicken share the same plate? Bishop’s answers that with a firm yes by serving Hattie B’s hot chicken alongside classic Southern sides.
This counter-service spot on Mallory Lane in Franklin is built around choice. You can order a meat plus one, two, or three sides, so a light lunch and a big feast both fit the format.
Beyond the hot chicken, the Creole meatloaf gives the traditional meatloaf a little extra kick. Squash casserole, carrot souffle, and a cool mix of cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions are favorite sides, and the daily selections change enough to keep regulars guessing.
Diners with gluten allergies will find options here, which is not always a given at a Southern steam table.
Chess pie and pecan pie handle dessert duty with no fuss.
Bishop’s is open all week, Monday through Saturday from 11 AM to 8 PM and Sunday from 10:30 AM to 6 PM. There is outdoor seating where dogs are welcome, a free parking lot, and a kids’ menu.
It is also a smart stop when out-of-town guests want to try hot chicken without leaving the comfort-food lane.
6. Paul Latham’s Meat & Bar-B-Que, Jackson, TN
Few meat-and-threes can say the meat comes from the butcher case a few steps away. At Paul Latham’s in Jackson, the restaurant is attached to a full butcher shop, and that connection shows up on the plate.
The cafeteria-style counter serves ribs, pulled pork, chicken, and brisket in generous portions. Plate lunches come with more than a dozen side choices, and the vegetable lineup gets as much attention as the barbecue.
A brisket sandwich here can easily turn into two meals.
Early risers have a reason to stop, too. Doors open at 6 AM Monday through Saturday, with breakfast and coffee before the lunch crowd arrives, and service wraps up at 6 PM.
The restaurant is closed on Sundays, which is a little funny for a place on a list about Sunday dinner. The whole point, though, is that a Sunday-sized spread is available on a random Tuesday, and Tuesday afternoon happens to be one of the busiest times.
Before leaving, it is worth browsing the butcher counter for beef, sausages, and bacon to cook at home. Paul Latham’s sits right on US-45, which makes it an easy stop on a West Tennessee road trip.
7. Bell Buckle Cafe, Bell Buckle, TN
Some road trips are really just an excuse for lunch. Bell Buckle, a tiny Middle Tennessee town known for its historic railroad square storefronts and its yearly RC Cola and MoonPie Festival, is that kind of destination, and the cafe on the square is a big reason why.
Bell Buckle Cafe is an old-fashioned country diner with a quaint, small-town setup. The menu mixes Southern home cooking with burgers, pizza, and desserts, so a group with picky eaters can still sit at the same table.
On the comfort side, chicken pot pie and smothered pork chops lead the way. Carrot souffle is a standout side, and hearty meat-and-sides platters round out the lineup.
Plan ahead on timing. The cafe is closed Monday and Tuesday, open Wednesday through Saturday from 10:30 AM to 8 PM, and open Sunday from 11 AM to 5 PM.
Saturday afternoon into the evening is the busiest window, and there is usually a wait. The good news is that the cafe accepts reservations, which is a rare perk for a small-town diner.
Parking is free and easy to find around town. After lunch, the shops on the square make it simple to walk off that pot pie before heading home.
From Memphis to Bell Buckle, these seven kitchens prove that a Sunday plate is really a state of mind. Pick one near you, bring an appetite, and let dessert decide the rest of your afternoon.
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