Meat & threeSoBro$$$$
Arnold's Country Kitchen
A cafeteria-line meat-and-three with roast beef carved daily and a 2009 James Beard America's Classics award. Weekday lunch, plus Saturday brunch.
#1 in Meat & three + Southern
Editor's pickNashville's meat-and-three standard, family-run since 1982.
What to get
- Roast beef from the carving board (every day)
- Fried chicken: Monday is the sure day
- Turnip greens, creamy mac and cheese (American and Parmesan), black-eyed peas, fried green tomatoes; take cornbread (or a biscuit, or both)
- Chess pie (or the hot pepper chocolate pie)
When to go
Shortest wait: Mon 1 pm–2 pm. Busiest: Wed around noon (up to 15 min wait). From Google's popular times.
Weekday lunch is the main event (10:30 am–2:45 pm). Eater notes 'long lines every day', and Infatuation describes the noon mix of downtown suits, tourists and locals, so arrive near the 10:30 open or after the 12–1 pm rush. Saturday brunch (11 am–3 pm) is the weekend option. Monday if fried chicken is the goal.
Insider tip
Grab a red tray, slide down the cafeteria line and check the specials board (Michelin). Free 1.5-hour parking in the four rows beside the building: scan the QR code at the register or give the cashier your plate number (you must buy a meal). Cards accepted (Michelin). Every plate comes with cornbread or a biscuit; Infatuation says get both. Plates also go out for delivery via Uber Eats.
Heads up
Lunch only, and closed Sundays. The menu rotates, so a particular dish isn't guaranteed on a given day. The family nearly sold the land in 2023 and the site has been listed before, so watch for news.
Find it
- Phone
- (615) 256-4455
- Website
- arnoldscountrykitchen.com
- Reservations
- walk-in only
Recognition
- James Beard Foundation America's Classics award
- Michelin Guide American South (inaugural, Nov 2025): Recommended
- Nashville Scene Best of Nashville 2025, Readers' Poll: Best Meat-and-Three (winner; Wendell Smith's second)
- Nashville Scene Best of Nashville 2024, Readers' Poll: Best Meat-and-Three (winner; Wendell Smith's second)
- The Infatuation, The Best Meat And Threes In Nashville: #1 (9.1), 'the gold standard'
- Eater Nashville: Best Meat and Threes map and Where to Find Nashville's Most Iconic Dishes
Checked Oct. 1, 2026. Ratings are a snapshot from Google and Yelp; ranks are ours (how we rank). Something out of date? Tell us.
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