Where to Find the Best Breakfast in Nashville in 2024
Breakfast in Nashville is as big and bold as everything else in this world-famous city. The breakfast scene infuses authentic Southern flavors with contemporary spirit and a touch of culinary curiosity for a blend that breakfast fans can’t help but relish. You’ll find all the classics served in arrangements you know and love, plus a few fun surprises that gives breakfast in Nashville a new tune to sing.
Where can you settle in for a hearty meal to fire up your mornings in Music City? We’ve scouted out the best breakfast places in Nashville to give you a head start on the search. Take a tour of the possibilities for breakfast in Nashville with the helpful list below. It's an easy way to hone in on locales for sure-fire celebrations of the most important meal of the day!
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Find the Best Restaurants in Nashville
With the best breakfast in Nashville looming on the horizon, food tours in Nashville are a quick and informative way to shorten the search. Expert guides have mapped out a path to Nashville breakfasts for long-time locals and turn-around tourists to enjoy equally. See the sweetest sights around the city as you discover hidden gems on the dining scene, with a host of memorable breakfast venues explored on every excursion.
The 16 Best Breakfast Places in Nashville
1. Biscuit Love
Locally-owned Biscuit Love adds layers of flavor to the Nashville breakfast scene with a wildly affordable menu. Ingredients sourced around the Nashville area gives this sweet diner's taste for sustainability. The tag line "Breakfast for Good" announces that Biscuit Love aims to serve community-minded kindness that extends beyond fabulous food.
The Vibe
A fresh palette and lots of natural light give the space a generous splash of energy.
What to Order
This may be the only diner in town where Nashville breakfast includes shakshuka veggie bowls and classic shrimp and grits. Give both a try, with a side of biscuits, naturally.
Biscuit Love | Multiple Locations | $$
2. Milk and Honey
Teas, juices, toasts and pastries — Milk and Honey offers more than what the name suggests. There's a diverse selection of gourmet Nashville breakfast dishes to nourish early morning appetites that call for a more stylish version of wake-up food. Even the breakfast basics sound like a step up from standard fare.
The Vibe
Mornings are bright and cheery in this diner, with bar, booth and table seating perfect for group meet-ups.
What to Order
Daring visitors can order breakfast poutine topped with pork confit and melted swiss. Bring your Nashville breakfast a drop of wine-soaked goodness with waffles drenched in real rosé and topped with rosé syrup.
Milk and Honey | 214 11th Ave. S., Nashville, TN 37203 | $$
3. The Pancake Pantry
You may have surmised from the name The Pancake Pantry what you can expect to find on the menu, but you may not have guessed how many different forms a pancake breakfast in Nashville can appear. Rolled pancakes, specialty stacks and pancake meals all make this simple selection feel like a Nashville breakfast party.
The Vibe
50 years of heritage doesn't show in this sharp, minimalist eatery, with its warm finishes and airy layout.
What to Order
Ordering Georgia Peach rolled cakes will get you three pancakes smothered in fresh peach compote and homemade whipped cream. A Small Appetite Plate turns the cakes into silver dollar-size treats served with egg and either sausage or bacon.
The Pancake Pantry | 1796 21st Ave. S., Nashville, TN 37212 | $$
4. Big Bad Breakfast
James Beard award-winning chef John Currence makes a big deal out of Nashville breakfast at Big Bad Breakfast, an upmarket diner serving up bold Southern flavor. It's a family friendly place where generous portions and hearty options make choosing Big Bad a very good idea.
The Vibe
Murals of chickens with the heads of Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash clue you in on the quirky wit that fills this eatery.
What to Order
With chocolate and caramel sauce sweetening the deal, the Pecan Cluster Shortstack is like eating dessert for breakfast. For vegetable lovers, a Yard Work skillet adds all your favorite garden produce to a fluffy three-egg scramble.
Big Bad Breakfast | 5304 Charlotte Ave., Nashville, TN 37209 | $$
5. Loveless Café
Tennessee has enjoyed Nashville breakfast at Loveless Café since 1951, when Lon and Annie Loveless started selling chicken and biscuits to passers-by. In the ensuing years, this quaint slice of Southern hospitality has built a world-wide reputation for its authentic food, earning a Valentine visit to the James Beard House in 2013 to share its most tempting creations.
The Vibe
The roadside café soul has never left this homey diner, right down to the kitschy collections and the checkered tablecloths.
What to Order
The famous Loveless country ham will call to the most die-hard Nashville breakfast fans, while pork barbecue and eggs gives diners a chance to try some of the best BBQ in Nashville at the breakfast table.
Loveless Café | 8400 TN-100, Nashville, TN 37221 | $$
6. The Sun Diner
Neighboring the Johnny Cash Museum, The Sun Diner is a tribute to Sun Records, the label that helped make Elvis Presley the King of Rock and Roll. The Nashville breakfast dishes served here are named for the King's favorite foods and famous songs, lending an extra layer of fun, nostalgic flavor to an already historic experience. Add this spot to your list of date ideas in Nashville if you and your sweet someone are fans of the classics.
The Vibe
Diners are surrounded by a warm, woodsy glow and photos of royalty from rock and roll and country music.
What to Order
Hangover Biscuits, Gravy and Eggs is a plate that's hearty enough to cure what ails you, while "Let's Do the Twist" French toast uses RumChata cream to soak cinnamon bread in crème brûlée batter for a singularly sweet Nashville breakfast specialty.
The Sun Diner | 8400 TN-100, Nashville, TN 37201 | $$
7. Monell's Dining and Catering
A visit to Monell's Dining and Catering for a Nashville breakfast is a trip back in time through the history of the city. This brick-and-mortar standalone building is home to a restaurant that takes pride in presenting true Tennessee specialties in an environment suitable for a historic museum.
The Vibe
The cracker box home that became the restaurant is steeped in old-fashioned elegance.
What to Order
Breakfast casserole with eggs and sausage, cinnamon fried apples, continental breakfast — every dish is a charming throwback to the Nashville of yesteryear.
Monell's Dining and Catering | 1235 Sixth Ave. N., Nashville, TN 37208 | $$
8. Frothy Monkey
The upscale and diversity-inspired Frothy Monkey is a thoroughly modern café with a classic coffee house spirit. Urban nomads, college students and travelers looking for a hip and happy place for breakfast in Nashville will be happy to hang here awhile.
The Vibe
Rough and rustic charm is part of the magic in this artfully designed eatery.
What to Order
You have to try a Monkey Mocha, a fluffy latte sweetened with chocolate sauce and banana syrup, naturally! Grab a Capri breakfast sandwich to go with it and enjoy a caprese with egg on a toasted roll.
Frothy Monkey | Multiple Locations | $$
9. Germantown Café
Sleep in a little before hitting Germantown Café for a late-morning breakfast from the brunch menu. You can enjoy breakfast in Nashville served in some of the most thoughtful dishes around town, in a restaurant that feels casually elevated, from the décor to the menu to the clientele.
The Vibe
Coal, wood and stone tones wrap visitors in a precise upscale style that's soothing rather than stuffy.
What to Order
An order of cinnamon sugar rolls is really a basket of Tennessee-style beignets with a snickerdoodle-like coating. And if you order French toast, you'll get a heavenly slice of lemon poppy bread topped with fresh whipped cream.
Germantown Café | 1200 Fifth Ave. N., Nashville, TN 37208 | $$
10. Red Bicycle
Red Bicycle is a city-friendly coffee house where breakfast in Nashville comes full circle. Originally founded in North Carolina and transplanted to the Nashville breakfast landscape, this civic-minded shop is one of the craftiest breakfast places in Nashville, selling bags of the same roasted beans used to fill carafes and cups around the restaurant.
The Vibe
Lounge about on leather couches to get the full chilled out sensation this café provides.
What to Order
A breakfast burrito or an order of breakfast tacos bring Latin flair to your Nashville breakfast, with portions generous enough to share. A Kickin' Chicken crepe recreates chicken and waffles with a thin pancake standing in for the thicker Belgian pastry.
Red Bicycle | Multiple Locations | $
11. Five Daughters Bakery
Omitting a doughnut shop as charming as Five Daughters Bakery from a list of the best breakfast in Nashville just wouldn't be right. Doughnut fans will find a mouthwatering array of 100-layer cronuts, that decadent fusion of donuts and croissants, in selections of regular and monthly specialty flavors.
The Vibe
This family-run spot for breakfast in Nashville offers sweet cheer with vintage doughnut shop styling.
What to Order
If you order a dozen, make sure you include a chocolate sea salt and a bacon-topped King Kong from the Staples menu. From the seasonal menu, a salted caramel apple or chocolate pumpkin cheesecake will only make your morning better.
Five Daughters Bakery | Multiple Locations | $$
12. The Pub
Pop into the authentically British The Pub for a touch of lovely London in the heart of Nashville breakfast territory. It's a happy hideaway for getting a nourishing meal to begin your day, all served with an English accent visitors can't resist.
The Vibe
Convincing construction and décor recreate the heart and soul of a real neighborhood public house.
What to Order
A British Breakfast combo includes bangers (sausages), eggs, tomatoes and baked beans with toast, while Drunken Waffles will get you boozy berries warmed flambé-style atop a fluffy waffle.
The Pub | 400 11th Ave. S., Nashville, TN 37203 | $$
13. The Mockingbird
The Mockingbird aims to share comforting American favorites to everyone seeking a fine breakfast in Nashville. Bring the family, meet up with friends or come alone to enjoy domestic fare with a melting-pot sense of culinary diversity among the breakfast and brunch specialties.
The Vibe
A stylish setting that invites you to settle into lush floral murals and fresh greenery on the tables.
What to Order
Da' Bomb is a genius combination of four plump bagel spheres stuffed with cream cheese and scallions topped with everything seasoning. Taco The Town is a Tex-Mex Nashville breakfast bite, a flour tortilla bursting with egg, potato and chorizo.
The Mockingbird | 121 12th Ave. N., Nashville, TN 37203 | $$
14. Graze
Plant-based breakfast in Nashville gets a mindful presentation at Graze, a vegan eatery where meat isn't missed for a minute. Cruelty-free reinventions of timeless breakfast tastes are given gourmet touches that add to the soul-soothing flavors and nourishing textures in every dish.
The Vibe
This sweet spirit of this cute and inclusive nook makes every visitor feel like a VIP.
What to Order
The brunch menu has the Nashville breakfast dishes you're looking for, favorites like blueberry pancakes and sausage and egg biscuits. Try a more novel approach to daybreak dining with a plant-based brunch tostada topped with tofu scramble and tempeh bacon.
Graze | 1888 Eastland Ave., Nashville, TN 37206 | $$
15. Puckett's Restaurant
The historic Puckett's Restaurant is the kind of blue-pick-up-parked-in-front joint you'd expect to find among the most charming breakfast places in Nashville. If you're in at the right time, you may catch a live music act to pair with your classic Southern dishes crafted with modern culinary whimsy.
The Vibe
Country chic shakes up the Nashville breakfast scene with creative general store scenery that puts visitors right at ease.
What to Order
If you skip the skillet cinnamon roll, did you really have a Nashville breakfast? Make up for it by trying whiskey-fried apples and crispy tenders in a Fried Chicken and Apple Jacks plate.
Puckett's Restaurant | 500 Church St., Nashville, TN 37219 | $$
16. The Wild Cow
There's no irony in naming a Nashville breakfast spot The Wild Cow when you're serving a plants-only menu to mindful diners. Chefs here do their darndest to replicate the hearty classics of country eating, minus the animal-based ingredients. The results make a delicious difference to visitors as well as the critters kept off the menu.
The Vibe
Farmer bohemian style lends a happy hippie sensibility to this super laid-back eatery.
What to Order
With its combination of sunflower seed butter, fresh banana and cinnamon piled on a slice of crisped wheat bread, Elvis Toast is a healthier version of Mr. Presley's famous snack. If a breakfast biscuit is more to your liking, the stacked sandwich filled with plant-based layers is the order for you.
The Wild Cow | 1100 Fatherland St., Ste. 104, Nashville, TN 37206 | $$
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You’ll find more than just country-style breakfast in Nashville when you scratch beneath the surface of all the tasty things to do in Nashville. There are urbane cafés and spots for gourmets, diners with Southern soul and eateries that rock and roll, all waiting to serve guests an array of memorable meals. It may seem like busy work to make your way through the best breakfast places in Nashville, but with so much delicious daybreak dining to explore, it’s a trek worth taking.
For even more ways to explore Nashville and beyond, check out other experiences happening on Cozymeal.
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