The Best BBQ in Nashville for Your Next RV Road Trip

BBQ and Nashville go hand-in-hand. After all, you’re in the home of country music and a city surrounded by farmland and hills. What better atmosphere to enjoy some BBQ?

We’re sharing the best BBQ joints in Nashville so you can try them on your next Tennessee RV road trip. Kick back while listening to live music, and get ready to lick that BBQ sauce off your fingers. 

Let’s dig in!

What Is So Special About Nashville BBQ?

BBQ in Nashville brings together smoked meat specialties from four different regions. You can find St. Louis-style ribs, white sauce smoked chicken, tangy Carolina vinegar and tomato sauce, and Memphis dry ribs. These choices make Nashville a melting pot of BBQ joints.

This musical city combines entertainment and food, bringing BBQ in Nashville to a level. You can smell the meats from blocks away when you’re close by a BBQ joint.

Pro Tip: While on your Nashville BBQ road trip make sure to stay at one of these 7 Best RV Parks in Nashville, Tennessee.

BBQ You Shouldn’t Miss on Your Nashville Road Trip

We’ve put together a list of some of the best BBQ joints in Nashville. There’s no shame or blame in routing your road trip to hit several of these.

#1. Loveless Cafe – Nashville BBQ Ambiance

Address: 8400 Hwy. 100, Nashville, TN 37221

What Makes It the Best: Loveless Cafe is unique, cute, and fun. They have a cafe with BBQ and a biscuit kitchen, and they also have shops on-site, event space, and a food truck you can rent. We love the ambiance here. It might even make the BBQ all the better.

Don’t Miss This: The pit-cooked pork barbecue sandwich is a favorite on the menu. Just be sure to order Loveless Cafe’s famous homemade biscuits for a side. They’re likely to leave you wanting more.

#2. Shotgun Willie’s BBQ – Sustainably-Sourced

Address: 4000B Gallatin Pike, Nashville, TN 37216

What Makes It the Best: Shotgun Willie’s is Texas-style BBQ from a real Texan. Bill, the owner, has been crafting his pit skills from Texas to Nashville. In addition, the popular prime grade brisket he smokes is from Braveheart Farms, a sustainable farm with vegetarian-raised black Angus. 

Don’t Miss This: The brisket is top-notch at Shotgun Willie’s. We also recommend trying the Texas-sized salt and pepper pork ribs.

#3. Bar-Be-Cutie – Bold BBQ

Address: 501 Donelson Pike, Nashville, TN 37214

What Makes It the Best: Bar-B-Cutie Smokehouse makes their food fresh all day long. People seek them out for their bold flavors. What was once a carhop in the 1950s with the best hickory-smoked barbecue around now has franchises in Tennessee, Georgia, and Texas.

Don’t Miss This: The BBQ pork and smoked chicken breast are favorites. We also recommend the baked potato for a side.

#4. Edley’s Bar-B-Que – Best BBQ in Nashville

Address: Edley’s Bar-B-Que has three locations in Nashville. 

East Nashville: 908 Main St., Nashville, TN 37206

12 South: 2706 12th Ave. South, Nashville, TN 37204

Sylvan Park: 4500 Murphy Rd., Nashville, TN 37209

What Makes It the Best: Edley’s is family-owned and operated. It’s famous for low and slow-cooked smoked meats using southern white oak. Southern Living, USA Today, and Garden & Gun magazines have recognized them. In addition, they’ve received the Best Bar-B-Que in Nashville award for four years from readers of The Nashville Scene.

Don’t Miss This: The Smoker Sampler is the perfect way to experience three of Edley’s smoked meats as well as four of their delicious homemade sides. We recommend the brisket, chicken, and St. Louis cut ribs.

#5. Swett’s Restaurant – BBQ & Music

Address: 2725 Clifton Ave., Nashville, TN 37209

What Makes It the Best: Swett’s Restaurant has been around since 1954. Offering some of the best BBQ in Nashville, it’s been a gathering place for activists, musicians, and more. Their homestyle southern cooking certainly keeps people coming back for more. 

Don’t Miss This: Swett’s smoked pork chops are impressive. If you love cheese, you may also want to add macaroni and cheese as a side.

Pro Tip: After chowing down on some BBQ you might be feeling a little sleepy, but before you crawl into the back of your RV for a nap make sure to find out Is It Legal to Sleep in a Moving RV?

#6. Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint – Flawless BBQ

Address: Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint has three locations in Nashville. 

Belmont: 3108 Belmont Blvd., Nashville, TN 37212

Midtown: 2400 Elliston Pl., Nashville, TN 37203

Downtown: 410 4th Ave. South, Nashville, TN 37201

What Makes It the Best: Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint has locations in four states: Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, and South Carolina. Famous for their flawless technique, they put a fresh hog on the pit every day. As you can imagine, they’re well-known for their pork.

Don’t Miss This: We recommend the pulled pork shoulder. The smoked turkey or chicken are other favorites.

#7. The Ridge – BBQ Competitors

Address: 333 54th Ave., Nashville, TN 37209

What Makes It the Best: The Ridge is a popular spot to hang out for BBQ. Visit their Attic Bar while you’re there. They’ve honed their offerings through research and testing on the Competition BBQ Circuit. The owners’ different cultural backgrounds also inspire their creations. Some of their menu items, including the Tomatillo and Chorizo, are from Mexican recipes.

Don’t Miss This: The ribs are a delicious entree. And you may want to try the BBQ nachos for an appetizer. They come with your choice of meat, queso, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, BBQ sauce, scallions, tomatoes, and jalapenos.

#8. Honeyfire Barbeque Co. – Champion BBQ Pitmaster

Address: 8127 Sawyer Brown Rd. #304, Nashville, TN 37221

What Makes It the Best: Honeyfire Barbeque Co. is co-owned by Grand Champion BBQ Pitmaster Shane Nasby and his wife, Angela. The atmosphere at the restaurant, along with Shane’s recipes, make this one of the best BBQ joints in Nashville. It has an amazing covered patio with large garage doors that open into the main dining room, giving you a natural breeze for that backyard BBQ vibe.

Don’t Miss This: The smoked chicken and smoked sausage are great options. In addition, you can do a “build your own tray” and choose from multiple types of meat and sides.

#9. Mary’s Old Fashioned Pit Bar-B-Que – Historic BBQ

Address: 1106 Jefferson St., Nashville, TN 37208

What Makes It the Best: Mary’s Old Fashioned Pit Bar-B-Que is a historic landmark and a black-owned business since 1962. There’s a lot of history in the area where this BBQ joint sits, from jazz music to political movements. Mary’s is worth a stop for the food and to strike up a conversation with locals who remember the region’s past.

Don’t Miss This: The ribs or BBQ pork shoulder are out of this world. We also recommend the slaw and corn cakes for sides.

#10. Jim ‘n Nick’s Community Bar-B-Q

Address: 7004 Charlotte Pike, Nashville, TN 37209

What Makes It the Best: Jim ‘n Nick’s Community Bar-B-Q has perfected slow-cooked southern recipes. They use hickory wood to smoke their meats. And they’ve created their own BBQ sauces as well.

Don’t Miss This: The pork and chicken are at the top of our list. And try their southern-style deviled eggs for an appetizer or side.

Hungry for BBQ in Nashville?

Any one of these BBQ joints is worth a stop on an RV road trip passing through Nashville. If we were you, we would stay in the area for a week and hit at least three of them.

BBQ in Nashville is an experience that can be very memorable. You’re sure to leave satisfied. Are you hungry yet? We sure are!

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