All the MICHELIN Stars and Bib Gourmands in Tennessee

Where to enjoy fine dining and wallet-friendly spots across the state.

Nashville MICHELIN Star Bib Gourmand Tennessee

Nashville is synonymous with country music. From the Grand Ole Opry to musicians busking on the street, it's hard to go very far in this town without hearing a few notes. It's also a party town, earning it the nickname, "Nash Vegas," yet it has a studious side too, as the home of Vanderbilt University.

As might be expected in a city teeming with things to do and places to go, the dining scene also rocks. The MICHELIN Guide Inspectors found plenty to groove to in this city, with three restaurants earning MICHELIN Stars, plus a host of Bib Gourmands offering everything from Tex-Mex and Thai to Uzbek cuisine.

Of course, while Nashville loves to steal the spotlight, there's plenty to love around the state in other cities like Chattanooga and Memphis, to name two.

Check out the top spots in Tennessee along with budget-friendly finds and the full list of recommended restaurants below.

One Stars

Nashville

Bastion
Cuisine: Contemporary
Walk through the buzzy cocktail bar to find this stylish restaurant in the Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood. Bastion offers a single tasting menu featuring contemporary Southern cooking that is approachable yet playful. This is a kitchen that isn't afraid to take risks. Dishes arrive in waves, and the product focus is on full display in a stunning plate of yellow peach and tomato with strawberry miso mayo and mozzarella marshmallows, and in a summery pairing of candy-striped agnolotti filled with squash accompanied by a luscious bowlful of creamed corn. Black cod poached in champagne butter over kohlrabi noodles is topped with a parsley salad with bacon for a clever dish. Southern chess pie is bested with sake lees and cantaloupe sherbet for a terrific finale.

The Catbird Seat
Cuisine: Contemporary
Originally opened in 2011, this prized perch has ushered in a new chapter with its relocation to the top floor of the Bill Voorhees Building. Headed by husband-and-wife chef duo Andy Doubrava and Tiffani Ortiz, The Catbird Seat is dominated by a large U-shaped counter that surrounds the kitchen. There is a youthful, maximalist vibe to this cuisine, and a degree of dedication to locality, seasonality and preservation. The meal is built around an array of stimulating small bites that may include such morsels as an elegant take on a chicken wing, here deboned, stuffed and dressed with sauce Perigord. A wee bowlful of crisped lamb neck set atop creamy Carolina Gold rice and dressed with candy cap mushroom-infused broth and pickled radish pods is yet another tempting possibility.

Locust
Cuisine: Seafood
Reservations are a must at Chef Trevor Moran's compact, Japanese-influenced spot. It's laidback and just a little bit quirky, the kind of place where the full menu is also offered at lunch and they're only open a few days. There is a simple elegance and a clear attention to detail in every dish, all designed for sharing. Beef tartare hand rolls, a house classic, always delight. From there, explore seafood like Maine diver scallops with shaved green apple. A Japanese omelet with shredded Jonah crab is simple but spot on, but don't skip dessert. The ever-changing iterations of their kakigori may present a block of the finest, powdery shaved ice filled with a dense passion fruit cream and caramelized honeycomb, then draped with rich milk foam and crowned with a confit egg yolk.

Bib Gourmands

Chattanooga

Little Coyote
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
You could come to this St. Elmo spot for its view of Lookout Mountain alone, but then you'd miss out on some seriously good Tex-Mex cooking. Erik and Amanda Niel's Little Coyote is all about smoked meats, house-made corn tortillas and tempting cocktails. Familiar favorites like fajitas and queso make an appearance, and since it's all intended for sharing, order with abandon. Consider kicking off the meal with a stuffed avocado, made vegetarian or with brisket or tender, smoky carnitas. Then tuck into a tostada layered with braised oxtail. Finished with a fried egg and cactus chow chow, it's far from standard. The dinner menu spans more smoked meats including chicken and beef ribs. End with house-made ice cream, especially the goat cheese and vanilla with masa crumbles.

Memphis

Hog & Hominy
Cuisine: Italian-American
With more than a decade of history behind it, this stylish looker in Brookhaven Circle is a feast for the senses. Light rushes in through countless windows with generous seating and attractive booths stretching from the lively bar to the bustling dining room. A wood-burning oven chars puffy pies dressed with the likes of pepperoni and honey or pork belly with eggs. The kitchen’s knack for creative, bold combinations extends beyond pizza. Think oysters roasted with Calabrian chili oil or poutine buried in pork neck bone gravy.

Nashville

Kisser
Cuisine: Japanese
Married couple Brian Lea and Leina Horii are behind this popular restaurant that fills quickly and doesn't accept reservations. It's all about Japanese comfort food, with a nod to a kissaten, or a cozy tea shop. Their menu is concise and designed for sharing. This a team who cares about the details, and from ingredient quality to execution, it's all done with a simplified finesse. Don't miss the onigiri with three triangles of rice with different fillings, including shredded snow crab and avocado, cod roe and a curry with kabocha squash. Larger dishes include grilled yellowtail collar with a vibrant ponzu sauce or chilled ramen salad for a seasonal twist on a standby. For dessert, you won't go wrong with miso crème brûlée or yuzu parfait.

Peninsula
Cuisine: Spanish
At first glance, it might be easy to dismiss this restaurant set at the base of a nondescript apartment building in East Nashville, but don't. The first bite will certainly convince you otherwise. Broadly focused on the Iberian Peninsula, the cooking is creative and pulls influences from around the globe for its tapas-style dishes. Buckle up for plates powered by character that take unexpected twists and turns, as in a bold opener of endive, fried and covered in a koji foam with a burnt onion powder, or a reimagined Spanish tortilla that reads more Japanese. The clever takes continue all the way through to dessert, where mochi doughnuts covered in bright red marzipan are an enticing finale.

Redheaded Stranger
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
There is typically a line out the door at this Cleveland Park spot. Named for a Willie Nelson song and album, the vibe is laidback and slightly quirky (think diner style with chili pepper lights strung above). It's a small spot but great care is taken with everything from house-made hot sauces to tortillas. Watch the chef making those terrific flour tortillas in the main dining room or sit outside on the patio to savor Chef Brian Lee Weaver's Tex-Mex menu. Tacos run the gamut from simple (bacon, egg and cheese) to creative (poblano with whipped feta and crispy rice). Main dishes include a burrito and a green chili cheeseburger, and the menu includes a section devoted to crunch wraps (the pork green chili version is a glorious, messy delight).

Sho Pizza Bar
Cuisine: Pizza
The curious name of Chef Sean Brock's pizza restaurant is derived from the Japanese word “shokunin,” which represents a person’s full commitment to every detail of a craft. This is indeed a thoughtful approach to Neapolitan-style pizza, but with its own distinct personality. It starts with the dough, slowly cold fermented, then baked in a wood-fired oven, resulting in a light, tender, utterly appealing crust.
The fresh-looking Riverside Village space boasts a sunny vibe with concrete flooring, pale walls, light wood furnishings and pops of blue, which include a matte tiled, domed pizza oven made in Italy. The glass-walled prep area displays the makers and provenance of the cheeses, cured meats, vegetables and even the firewood used here.

SS Gai
Cuisine: Thai
Fried chicken in Nashville is far from a stretch, but SS Gai deals in Thai street-style fried chicken for an unexpected twist. Located in a refurbished car wash with vendors in the former bays, this spot has a one-track mind. It's all about Thai-style chicken, and while fried is the signature, it also comes grilled. Order at the window and select two or four pieces of gai tod that's impossibly crispy and bursting with flavor. It all comes with sticky rice and tamarind chili fish sauce for a hearty meal that shows off quality ingredients and hits all the right notes. From there, you can add in one of their pounded salads like the charred eggplant, but the mango crispy sticky rice slathered in a mango sauce with lime zest for dessert is essential.

St. Vito Focacceria
Cuisine: Sicilian
Memphis-born but Sicilian to his core, Chef Michael Hanna opened St. Vito’s in the Gulch with one mission in mind: to bring his version of sfincione, a Sicilian street food, to Nashville. It's far from your average slice of pizza. Instead, imagine focaccia studded with fontina and then topped with breadcrumbs and pecorino. It's all on display in the exposed kitchen where you can watch the chefs fold the dough. There are four varieties, such as spicy tomato with burrata or roasted potato cream, and the toppings are generous on this hearty and satisfying treat. A small menu shares several salads and one pasta dish, but you're really here for one thing. Oh, and maybe a house-made tiramisu.

Uzbegim
Cuisine: Uzbek
This restaurant promises something different, specializing in authentic Uzbek cuisine in a space with a stunning patio. Originating in Islamic China and traveling across to the Middle East, this is a cuisine that features some of the usual suspects (think kebabs) as well as standouts like Uyghur-style, hand-cut noodles. Kick off the meal with a tandir samosa, a flaky shell stuffed with ground beef and onion and sided by a spicy red sauce. Then, tender, charred lamb kebab is a good choice, but don't skip the noodles stir fried with beef, vegetables and fried egg. House-made cherry juice is the perfect thirst quencher.